Yes Al, tragically you are at best a sub-geezer. Maybe tomorrow I'll describe for you nestlings what the railroad trails looked like with actual TRAINS on them! ;)
------------ Patrick Lenon > Date: Tue, 14 Sep 2010 15:22:18 -0500 > From: [email protected] > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [Bikies] Bikies Digest, Vol 23, Issue 17 > > Hi Mitchell: > > Yes, someone else set me straight on this geographic note off list. So sad > that I don't qualify as a geezer due to my late arrival in Madison! > > Al > > > Al -- > > > > Patrick is right on this one. The Cannonball Trail route crosses Seminole > > Highway by Dunn's Marsh. It's never fun to have railroad tracks at the > > bottom of a big hill, but these tracks were reasonably close to > > perpendicular. I can't guarantee that nobody ever went down there, but > > that crossing wasn't a notorious hazard. > > > > Further down the road, the IC tracks (route of the Badger Trail) crossed > > the highway at a *very* oblique angle. It was easy to catch your tires in > > the tracks, and lots of people did. Eventually, they put in an elbow so > > bikers could cross perpendicular to the tracks, and eventually the tracks > > were removed. > > > > If you didn't live in Madison at the time, you might not have heard about > > these tracks. It's interesting to see the buried memories come to the > > surface. > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: [email protected] > > To: [email protected] > > Sent: Monday, September 13, 2010 5:16:20 PM > > Subject: Re: [Bikies] Bikies Digest, Vol 23, Issue 17 > > > > Interesting history Patrick. However, the opening is a different - albeit > > nearby - trail. > > > > The one you refer to is the Cannonball Trail. One small segment was to be > > built this year; the piece that crosses Seminole will wait a year or two. > > > > The Badger Trail splits off of the Southwest Trail in Allied Drive and > > slices down to where it crosses PD south of PD. > > > > I'm old enough to remember those days but did not live in Madison then. > > > > Al Matano > > > > > >> Just curious, anyone besides Michael & me old enough to appreciate the > >> irony of the bike path following the trail of the > >> at-one-time-controversial railroad track across Seminole? > >> > >> For years the track crossed Seminole at a close to 45-degree angle, > >> which > >> forced bikers to either 1) go straight across them and risk catching a > >> wheel in the gap, or 2) going wide to get a 90-degree angle going across > >> the track and risk having cars try to kill you. (You can almost > >> approximate this experience today on the N. Sherman Ave. RR tracks if > >> you > >> want.) > >> > >> Various solutions were tried, the "best" being paved shoulder bulges > >> that > >> let us angle out. > >> > >> Finally in the 90's the rail owners gave it up, sealed over the whole > >> thing, and it was largely forgotten. Until now. Now, when bikers on > >> the > >> path cross Seminole, they'll be at the same oblique angle the tracks > >> were > >> at. Hope nobody tries it with a stiff neck... > >> > >> Ah well, it still beats road dueling with Fitchburgers. > >> > >> ------------ > >> Patrick Lenon > >> > >> > >> > >> From: [email protected] > >> Date: Mon, 13 Sep 2010 15:59:39 -0500 > >> To: [email protected] > >> Subject: Re: [Bikies] Bikies Digest, Vol 23, Issue 17 > >> > >> > >> > >> On Sep 13, 2010, Patrick Lenon wrote:The trail may not be Officially > >> open > >> then: > >> > >> http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/article_fbad01f0-be9c-11df-9716-001cc4c002e0.html > >> > >> The sections I've seen are paved but the shoulders aren't done, so > >> there's > >> a sharp drop off. > >> > >> Of course, that hasn't stopped a few scofflaws from sampling parts of > >> the > >> trail. Nothing I'd ever do personally, of course... *koff* *choke* > >> *koff* > >> > >> > >> A *FEW* scofflaws!? Watching the Ironman bikes at Seminole and Whalen on > >> Sunday, there appeared to be a steady stream of garden-variety Phreds > >> out > >> sampling the trail. > >> I very much doubt it will be ready by this Saturday, since as of > >> yesterday, the bridges need railings, the shoulders south of (I think) > >> Lacy needed to be graded, and the section south of M needed to be paved. > >> But I only know this because, I, um, flew over it in an airplane. Yes I > >> did. > >> I might go to the opening. I've been looking forward to it since rail > >> operations stopped back in the early 90's. > >> Michael > >> _______________________________________________ > >> Bikies mailing list > >> [email protected] > >> http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org > >> _______________________________________________ > >> Bikies mailing list > >> [email protected] > >> http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org > >> > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Bikies mailing list > > [email protected] > > http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Bikies mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org
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