As you pass under the year-old bicycle bridge spanning Highway 14 west of Rochester it may seem that no one is using it.
I have also heard the complaint that it goes "Nowhere." Both impressions are only held by the observer of the bridge, not the users. The first treasures on the south side of that bridge are the trails that are beginning to wind around Cascade Lake. Wildflowers, birds, the sky reflected on the still lake and the rumblings of water as it tumbles over the rocks at minor elevation changes are all there waiting for you.
In the last month the bridge spur crossing 7th Street N.W. has opened joining the Cascade Trail to the Douglas Trail. A dream come true! The many disjointed segments of the Rochester trail system can be almost smoothly navigated as one now. From the peak of the bridge one can choose a route southwest to Mayowood, south to Soldiers Field, southeast to Bear Creek, east to Silver Lake or Quarry Hill, north to Foster Arend or northwest up the Douglas Trail. It is readily used to commute in each of these directions also.
I am pleased, proud and thankful for the beauty and healthy community activity I enjoy as I use this bridge on a nearly daily basis during the warmer months. Surprise, I am not the only one. I almost always pass others using it at the same time. Join us!
Merry Morris
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Rochester
