MMail Tribune's Greenway Guide / View Website
The Bear Creek Greenway
Fantastic for roller blading, biking, walking and running.
When the Bear Creek Greenway is completed by 2008 it will run from Nevada Street in
Ashland to Pine Street in Central Point. An extension from Pine Street to Seven Oaks
Interchange will be built in the not too distant future. Future extensions are planned from
Emigrant Lake above Ashland, and possibly to the city of Rogue River and beyond.
Tips:
1. Too slippery for blading when wet.
2. Caution advised where leaves cover the path (they are often wet as well).
3. Watch out for bumps where roots are upthrusting the path.
They recently took the grinder to most of them, but be wary.
4. From the Talent I/5 interchange (Blue Bird Park) to the North Ashland freeway
entrance is about four miles (round trip) and you can haul along most of it.
If you skate the rest of the way into Ashland at Oak St, expect a couple " almost
walking" steep hills.
5. Another fun excursion is to start at Bear Creek Park in Medford and head toward
Central Point, some long crusing stretches along there.
Rides every Wednesday, John's Peak, Jacksonville: Sponsored by Cycle Analysis. These rides are for all ages and abilities and are group-oriented. They begin at 6:30 p.m. from .
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Every Monday: A Siskiyou Velo Club 25-mile ride begins at 9:30 a.m. at Colver Park in Phoenix and journeys to Jacksonville. Gently rolling terrain, |
Every Saturday: A valley training ride begins at 9 a.m. along the bike path at Bad Ass Coffee Co. in Medford. Race pace, 20-plus miles. Ride leader, Alex Hayes: 857-0819. |
Every Tuesday: Siskiyou Velo Club women's ride begins at 6 p.m. at Colver Park in Phoenix. Mellow pace. Ride leader: Jodi Weber: 301-6880 |
Every Sunday: A valley training ride begins at 8:30 a.m. along the bike path at Bad Ass Coffee Co. in Medford. Race pace, 20-plus miles. Rider leader, Glenn Gann: 779-6986. |
Every Wednesday: A Siskiyou Velo Club 25- to 40-mile ride begins at 10 a.m. at the Roasting Co. in Ashland. Moderate terrain, brisk pace. No ride lead |
| GRANTS PASS AREA CYCLING | CYCLE SPORT SATURDAY RIDES | SOUTHERN OREGON MT. BIKE ASSOCIATION (TRAIL INFO) |
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BIKING TIP:
Drive about 40 minutes south west to Applegate Lake for a fun ride around the lake.The lake has about 16 miles of single track with a little forest road thrown in.
It is my favorite ride because it is a workoutbut it won't kill ya.I also recommend Lithia Park in the Ashland watershed. Ashland is about 14 miles south of Medford.
If you park at Lithia Park and climb up the Ashland Loop Rd from 4 to 6 miles, you will be in single track heaven.There is very technical to just plain fun coming back to
the park.
If you go to Medford or Ashland Cycle Sport, they will have great maps available.
Bicycle Commuting in Medford, Oregon
With gas prices just cruising past $4/gallon here in Medford, Oregon, it's nice to see a lot more folks getting on
their two-wheeled steeds and commuting to and from work. I've been bike commuting for almost 3 years now,
starting back after Katrinahit and gas surged over $3 a gallon. I always promised myself back when I started driving
at 16, when gas was $0.89 per gallon back in Denver, CO, that if gas should ever top $3, I'd park the car and start
biking or taking the bus to where I needed to go.
Since that day, I've never looked back. I started out as a fair-weather commuter, riding to work and back when
the weather was nice, driving my somewhat less-than-economical Buick when the weather was crappy. Since then,
I've become a full-time bicycle commuter, only driving my car 6-10 miles a week, using less than 1/2 a gallon of gas
per week. It's been over a month since I had to put any gas in the Buick. I ride to work, to the store, to the park to
play softball with the rest of my ER coworkers, and even to Costco for those big grocery shops.
How have I done it? I bought a properly fitted and outfitted bicycle for starters. It's a bike that's fitted to me, is
comfortable to ride, and is in really good shape. It also has a rear rack, panniers (saddlebags), and fenders. Next,
I learned how to maintain it, so all the money I save on gas doesn't go to maintenance bills. It's really quite incredible
how little effort it takes to make the adjustments the bike needs. I can now true a wheel, adjust all my equipment,
even overhaul my wheels and cranks, all without the need for a mechanic.
After that, when I finally decided to go mostly car-free, I built myself a trailer, using material you can get for under
$50 at your local hardware store and some recycled parts from old bikes in my garage.
Now, properly equipped and attired, I can ride through any weather, rain, snow, sleet, hail, and everything in between.
Living only 3 miles from work definitely helps, but that's why we moved where we did 5 years ago, to a town in which
everything is accessible. End to end, our town is 6-10 miles wide and long. The cultural center we like to hang out in is
only 14 miles south, one good hour's ride away.
Anyone with the proper planning and initiative can utilize their bike for transportation, whether you're a hard-core
cyclist or just someone trying to stretch their dollars a little further.
