Bike, hike and walk in Connecticut (CT)
The New Haven Register published this article in their January 7, 2013 issue about initial planning by Guilford Town officials and Milton Charlton, Shoreline Greenway Trail’s Guilford Town Team chair, to build the first Shoreline Greenway Trail section in Guilford, on State property. The Trail design will be the next step in the process.
Guilford announces plans for first section of Shoreline Greenway Trail
Barbara Waggoner of Guilford, an early advocate for bicycling, died January 19, at age 91. She and her husband Paul have resided in Guilford since 1952. After a year living in the Netherlands during 1971, Barbara returned to Guilford with a new enthusiasm for bicycling for transportation as well as for sport. She formed the Guilford Bicycle Commission in 1973, and presented a bikeway plan to the Town. In 1977, she co-founded the statewide CT Coalition of Bicyclists, and envisioned a bikeway on the Trolley right-of-way to Hammonassett which was proposed to the State legislature. While her efforts were not adopted, her vision later inspired the founders of the Shoreline Greenway Trail to affectionately name her the “Mother of the Shoreline Greenway Trail”.
We are grateful to the Waggoner family for designating Shoreline Greenway Trail for memorial contributions in honor of Barbara’s life. Donations can be mailed to SGT, PO Box 148, Branford, CT 06405.
Chip Angle and John Paulson
The first annual Trailblazer ‘Run the Gauntlet’ 5k obstacle race for the benefit of Shoreline Greenway Trail was a huge success! Over 500 runners participated – young and older – running under and over and through various obstructions on Hammonasset State Beach in Madison. These participants included two of our “older” leaders on the Board of Shoreline Greenway Trail, Chip Angle from Guilford and John Paulson from Madison.
One of the Obstacles
The toughest obstacle was actually the beach itself; running for miles on loose sand isn’t easy! Trying to run through waist-high water was also difficult, and crawling under nets and construction blankets and through tubes somehow left John and Chip pretty darn sandy. That’s not to mention the 5 ft wall they had to scale, the tires they had to hop through or the hay bales they had to climb over!
The good news is that both Chip and John finished in one piece. In fact, Chip managed to get to the finish line ahead of roughly 200 other stragglers, actually placing first in his age group! (There was only one other septuagenarian whose sanity we question for even running the race). John at a young 67, easily persevered and came in third in his age group!
Ready to ride, at Guilford docks
Nineteen enthusiastic folks joined our 15-mile bike ride on July 7 from the Guilford docks to Madison’s Circle Beach boat launch, visible just across the East River but alas, no bridge . . . so we traveled via historic Boston Street and busy Route One to Neck Road, leading to the boat launch and great views of the marsh and an osprey nest with two fledglings! 
SGT members led the ride, with front group led by Bruce Simonds, the more leisurely bikers by Pam Simonds and Karen Stark, with Sabine Harris serving as the “caboose”. Everyone enjoyed seeing historic sites along the way – the Black House, the Civil War cannon, and a pastoral farm off Tanner Marsh Road. And of course, the most photographed and painted site in Guilford, the red cottage on Grass Island across from the Guilford docks.
It was hot! And we had a great time.
It’s time set your goal for 2013! We welcome new members! Join the Shoreline Greenway Trail Cyber Bike Club No meetings, no dues, no hassle. The club’s purpose is to motivate you to ride your bike more and to help you reach your peak of fitness. All you need is a bike, a water bottle, [...]
Volunteers are the amazing force behind Shoreline Greenway Trail. With no central office and no paid staff, we rely completely on individuals and groups to volunteer to help. Volunteers will make … [Read More...]
