I got my first bicycle in April of 1962, I had just turned 7 years old. I remember having this sense of freedom after learning how to ride. Freedom to explore the open road and go anywhere I wanted, as long as it was in our neighborhood. At the time we lived in a pretty big neighborhood in Jacksonville Florida. The neighborhood was located between Atlantic Boulevard and Beach Boulevard two very busy streets and I was allowed to ride on all the streets in between.

When I turned 15 I added baskets to the front and back of my bike and got a job delivering the Jacksonville Journal paper to 110 customers. During this time I honed my bike handling skills and learned to ride fast because on a few occasions the neighborhood bully would chase me around my route – yeah, some of the papers may have ended up in the shrubs but, I never got caught.

Now, six decades later, at the age of 67, I still love to ride. Besides my early childhood bikes i have owned 3 road bikes – a Ross that I purchase from Gene Dixon in the early 1980’s, a Trek road bike I purchased in 2002 and a Trek Domain I purchased late in the 2021 just before the Covid 19 pandemic.

Conclusion: I admit – I’m an endorphin junkie and cycling gives the fixes I crave. I love the slow casual rides with friends just a much as a do a century challenge with a group of competitive riders. I also love the Rails to Trails Conservatory for not only converting the old unused railroad beds to biking and walking trails but also for the economic prosperity the trails bring to the nearby communities. I believe exercising outside is good for everyone’s physical and mental well being and the rails to trails projects give people a safe environment to do so.