California Dream

The Napa Valley Vine Trail is just one, small piece of a united California trail system. Courtesy: Napa Vine Trail Coalition.... Another long overdue post after dozens of new features and reviews have been published and / or completed over the past few months.

Among my favorites is a new feature for Rails to Trails magazine (the publication arm for a massive and ever-impressive nonprofit organization called Rails-to-Trails Conservancy). The piece won't be published until March, but here's a sneak peek:

For many, California is at once revered and reviled, progressive and backward, emblematic of both realized American Dreams and crushing disillusionment—a tinsel-laden enigma.

For anyone who’s seen it in person, though, the Golden State’s diverse natural beauty is unequivocal. Sometime in the future, that natural beauty will unite the state’s great urban centers, mass transit and regional parks networks by way of far-reaching paths such as the 1,200-mile California Coastal Trail. The trails are a great dream that will change the way the state, its residents—and perhaps those who visit or judge California from afar—navigate transportation, public health and the environment ... [stay tuned for the full article]