Rails To Trails Reveals Future of Civilization (9.5.12)

We turn out attention today to the nationwide emergence of rails to trails and how we use them. Why this clearly reveals the future of our civilization.

Yes my fellow Americans our precious "me time" on the trail, even the recreation trail, now threatens our precious civilization.

Or, put even another way, will rails to trails just become another anything goes, every man, woman and beast for himself or herself zone?

Now some might think that there are more pressing domestic issues facing the dear old U.S.A., but anyone who has ever used any sort of recreation trail lately knows that there is only one issue that defines our future:

Will the psycho mutant texters (some with ear buds too), who have already taken over our automobile roadways, also take over our last best hope for both transport and recreation?

We should have seen this coming.

The king of the "open road" has virulently multiplied exponentially, and now his offsprings' sets his sights on our trails.

His slogan and his life code is suprisingly one many trail users already share, which makes this problem all the more deceptive: "I will not keep to the right, no matter what."

My fellow Americans, which side of the trail are you on?

And if we can't all agree to keep right on the walk-bike paths of life, what lies ahead?

More of the same, only worse:

Dogs on long leashes meeting and sniffing in the middle of the two way trail traffic. Yes, you know these dogs. They first agree to live with certain two legged owners, but then refuse to pick up after themselves, teaching their owners likewise, who don't keep to the right either;

Pedestrians three and four abreast, oblivious to anyone behind them, all refusing to keep right;

Wannabee racers of all sorts, long since kicked out of the rec and church leagues for not playing fairly.

These days- even with all the beautiful wild life (like the Blue Heron in Cheshire Connecticut) our rails to trails is not a pretty sight.

Will anybody speak up?

Or shall we wait until the cameras and lawyers develop the case law?

One small demographic group does speak up, and I love them for it.

It's parents of young children using bikes with training wheels, a very limited demographic I know but these parents are very present hope of all future trail use. Their mighty children, future denizens of appropriate trail use, race out in front of Mom and Dad.

Whereupon, these pursuing heart-stricken-with-fear mothers and fathers shout what we all need to hear: "stay to the right Missy, stay to the right Junior."

Think of it this way my dear fellow rail to trails users. If we don't  stay to the right, we well just go back to our Nascar-pass-on-any-side lifestyle of our automobile highways, but there's still some hope for our rails to trails.

Nor do I want to give up on the future of our civilization.

I don't want to stay home and watch pretty people tell all they know, and all I know, every thirty seconds, or listen to the Geico Gecko saving Geico money, or some interchangeable celebrity telling us the blessings of reverse mortgages.

No- I want to see the rails to trails restore our humanity. I want them to deliver a solid blow to the individualistic pathos of the present state of civilization.

We committed trail people- we know who we are. It's time for us be good examples for the millions of present and future trail users because civilization in the balance if missy and junior, and all of us, don't keep to the right.

Amen.