Our East Coast Greenway Expedition feels so far away!
Luckily, we've been able to relive the experience through invited speaker engagements. One was with Bike Walk Connecticut (BWCT), an advocacy group that works with communities to make cycling, running, and walking safe and accessible to everyone. The BWCT Summer Social was held at Witchdoctor Brewing Company, a brewery located on the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail (a really nice section of the East Coast Greenway). The meeting agenda included updates on local trail development and the unveiling of a new BWCT trailer (donated by Mitchell Auto Group) that carries 20 new bicycles for use by children in need and by local CT schools. It was really nice to share in the celebration and to relive our expedition as we shared some of our favorite moments. Shan talked about long-distance charity runs along with the East Coast Greenway Expedition's highs (and a few lows). We did our best to emphasize how important our trip was to bring awareness to the work that the East Coast Greenway Alliance (and all other trail advocacy groups) is doing.
Our next speaking invitation was from the Farmington Valley Trails Council (FVTC), an organization focused on developing off-road trails in central Connecticut. Their annual meeting was held at the Avon Senior Center on a rainy Friday evening. The turnout was great despite the heavy rain and winds. We heard all about the challenges and successes that the group's members are dealing with day-to-day. As we've learned already through our conversations with people, trail development requires determination and patience. It's a process that often shows progress just one mile at a time. We were happy to share our experience with the FVTC members. Together we gave a presentation that covered the trails, animal encounters, planning/logistics, and the amazing amount of support we received throughout the expedition. We really enjoyed being there and would love to continue sharing our story to bring awareness to trails and trail advocacy and to help others to do crazy things like this.