[Vision2020] Latah Trail Deserted Because Of Heat Wave?

[Ted Moffett]

All-

Today I decided to take advantage of the beautiful summer weather, hot as we
all know, to take a bike ride on the wonderful Latah Trail between Moscow
and Troy.  I rode about 12 miles on the trail, stopping a few times under a
few of the wonderful trees that line the trail (too bad there are not
more!), and enjoyed myself immensely.

I also used the bike ride to take advantage of the Moscow Food CO-OP's
program to encourage biking, walking or other non-motorized forms of
transportation, to punch the special CO-OP card for those using
non-motorized forms of transportation to shop, which after purchasing five
dollars worth of goods each shopping trip, carried home by the
aforementioned non-motorized forms of transportation, earns the card holder
after 20 trips a five dollar discount.

But what I found surprising, was that during the 90 minutes or so I was on
the trail, I did not see another human being, not one, except perhaps for
those driving on Hwy. 8.  Well, I could not see the actual human beings in
the cars and trucks on Hwy. 8 very well.  But it was a sign that human
activity was nearby.  Otherwise I might have wondered if the whole human
race had departed to another realm.  A cooler realm, perhaps!

Every time I have biked the Latah Trail so far this late spring and summer
in the late afternoon/early evening on weekend days, there have been
numerous users, on bikes, walking, using strollers with infants and
children, etc.

Today I had the trail all to myself.  It was nice, in a way, like having my
own private bike trail to enjoy the non-human life forms and the beauty of
the Earth with no distractions.  Yet odd, insofar as I wondered why a bit of
hot weather might drive people away from using the trail.

Hey, 100 F. in shorts and tee shirt leisurely and slowly biking on the Latah
Trail with some breeze to cool off is a picnic.

Consider what US troops face in Iraq with 110 F. in the shade while they are
covered by all the gear they must wear?

That's tough!

Ted Moffett
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