From May 16 to May 22, the city of Columbia will host activities aimed at promoting non-automotive transportation. The 15th annual Bike, Walk and Wheel Week will feature festivals, group bike rides, free city bus rides and more. As always, your library can provide resources for inspiration and information.
In the first category, I suggest Ben Montgomery’s book, “Grandma Gatewood’s Walk.” In 1955, 67-year-old Emma “Grandma” Gatewood left her Ohio home, telling her children and grandchildren she was going on a walk. Several months later, she’d earned the distinction of becoming the first woman to hike the entire 2,050-mile Appalachian Trail.
For those of us who want to get outside and move, but whose ambitions are slightly more modest than Ms. Gatewood’s, central Missouri offers many trails well-suited to lunch hour strolls, day trips to nearby communities, or commuting to work or school. Columbia Parks and Recreation provides a handy guide to local trails. One of most well-known is the MKT, and the book “Seasons of the MKT Trail” contains gorgeous photos that remind us there’s never a bad time of the year to get out of our cars and enjoy the scenery.
If you prefer pedaling to pedestrianism, you’ll want to keep your bicycle in good operating condition. The “Essential Road Bike Maintenance Handbook” can help you out, as can the DVD, “Bicycle Repair Made Easy.”
Wheelchair users can find accessible outdoors activities on the Missouri Department of Conservation website. There’s also a nationwide list of accessible trails provided by the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy.
Two local organizations promote environmentally friendly transportation. GetAbout Columbia and PedNet Coalition both provide education and activities year-round for residents who wish to partake in a low-carbon transportation diet.
For more resources, see the Bike, Walk and Wheel list in our library catalog. Now get out in the fresh air and get going.
