The John Wayne Pioneer Trail (AKA the Iron Horse Trail) was one typo away from destruction this year. Not only do we need to protect it from another effort to give away the central half of the defunct rail right-of-way, but this should be a wake-up call to redouble our efforts as a state to develop it into the economic engine it could be.

The Tekoa Trail & Trestle Association has been working hard to keep pressure on their Representatives Mary Dye and Joe Schmick to drop the attempt to give the trail away and invest in it instead.

If you feel passionately about someday adventuring by bike through the heart of Washington State from Seattle to the Idaho border, you may want to plan a road trip to one of more of these listening sessions this month. The closest meeting to Seattle will be in Ellensburg November 23:

Tuesday November 10 th at 12pm : Rosalia, Community Center (7th St. and Whitman Ave.)

: Rosalia, Community Center (7th St. and Whitman Ave.) Monday November 16 th at 12pm : Lind, Union Elevator Conference room (201 S Street)

: Lind, Union Elevator Conference room (201 S Street) Monday November 23rd at 6pm: Ellensburg, Hal Holmes Center (209 N Ruby St.) Sadly, you can’t bike to the Ellensburg meeting, since the Snoqualmie Tunnel closed November 1 for the winter, according to a State Parks phone message. If you can’t attend, you can email comments to [email protected].