32137

32137

I figured, do the drive (eight hours), bring the bike, maybe you'll find some decent roads.

Boy, was I in for a pleasant surprise.

Turns out Palm Coast, Florida, where I went last spring for four days on personal business, has the best inner-city bicycle infrastructure I have seen since visiting Portland, Oregon a few years ago. By infrastructure, I mean a network of beautifully paved trails winding through lovely neighborhoods and rural districts, all of these paths seamlessly integrated into intersections, traffic lights, and the motorized and foot flow of suburban life.

Here's a typical stretch. Wide. Smooth. Safe. Pretty. Miles of interconnected trails constellated themselves in all directions:

This photo shows a quiet lane bisecting one of the town's many protected areas:

The officials of the Palm Coast Highway Department -- which, when they designed this system showed as much foresight as common sense -- did not skimp on this fantastic boardwalk through hundreds of yards of original swamp:

These photos represent a fraction of the seventy or so miles I rode during my brief time in Palm Coast. Palm Coast showed me that it could be done -- "it": the blending of bicycles, pedestrians, and motor vehicles in a thriving suburban environment, safely, intelligently, pleasantly.

Way to go, Palm Coast. You have invested wisely in the quality of life by which you wish your city to be known. Thank you for making me and my bicycle feel so welcome in your charming city. I shall return.

Roadysseus

8.9.17