Riding On The Prairie Spirit Trail Analysis

Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” Although I am not very philosophical and certainly not a poet, as he was, I agree with him in that there is something to be said about being alone in nature. When I want to be alone, I air up my bike tires and head off to the trails. My house is about two blocks from the Missouri Pacific Recreational Trail. Riding west on this trail is just a means to get to where I want to be. This trail is paved with concrete that is smooth and void of any real adventure. There are many stop signs and a highway that, at times, can be hard to cross. Sirens and speeding cars remind me that I am not yet alone. Biking through Iola on the Prairie Spirit Trail is a mixture of both life and death. Where the Missouri Pacific Recreational Trail connects to the Prairie Spirit Trail is the old cemetery, a place where you will find a creepy statue, a bunch of …show more content…
Riding on the LeHigh Portland Trail takes you from being surrounded by people to a place where you can finally be alone. It is here, by the Sinclair-Hegwald Bridge, that I found a place where there is no path. Walking off the path and through the woods, I can hear many things like the water running along the creek that we are walking by, the buzzing of the locusts, the chirping of the birds, and the crunching of leaves beneath my feet. As I walk here, I can cross the creek on the old railroad ties to a big fallen tree and a very unstable bridge. There are times that I have to balance myself by grabbing nearby vines that are dangling from trees. Walking along the creek bed, I run my fingers along the cement wall that once held up the bridge for the railroad. I touch the leaves that still dangle from the trees and pick up insects that I find interesting on my