Along The Trail

There  always seems to be a new work-in-progress or two along the trail. I noticed Saturday evening that site work had commenced for the apartment development planned for the area west of the Vestal smokestack along River Road in North Little Rock.

Heavy machinery has been hard at work at this site along River Road. The Pike Ave. traffic circle is intended to help manage the flow of traffic from the apartments planned for the location.

This 3 acres of now city-owned property will be the location of the planned Diamond Bear brewery and restaurant. Argenta continues to attract unique and appropriate developments such as this.

The BDB and the River Trail system create the setting for remarkably diverse experiences, ranging from running to road and mountain biking to fishing to just plain looking at the scenery. That assessment doesn't even touch on the more urbane aspects of the area such as the River Market District, Heifer Project, Argenta and the Clinton Library. With all of these attractions, I'm often surprised to encounter local residents who have never been to the BDB and are totally unaware of Two Rivers Park, the Two Rivers Bridge project, etc., etc. I'm shocked to find that many people are not even aware that NLR has a submarine! Shocked! I contend that if many of these same people travelled to a city like Portland or Boston or anywhere else as tourists, these same attractions would be on their "must see" list. Make it a point to introduce a friend or two to the River Trail!

Few cities can offer views like this for pedestrians.

A ride on the Arkansas Queen gives folks a sedentary way to see the river corridor.

Added bonus!!

While many communities offer Easter egg hunts, the Burns Park mountain bike trails offer the added bonus of unexploded ordnance! Very few urban parks can offer this unique opportunity.

Dog Waste Update

A cleaner bridge!

There has been a noticeable decline in the amount of dog poo left on the BDB. I attribute the decline to publicity of the problem, the placement of convenient bag dispensers on the bridge, and the efforts of Nancy Elliott, whose one-woman campaign to prevent a dog ban has gathered 500 signatures. I think that her presence and her efforts to inform the public of the possible ban have done much to raise awareness. I was glad to see her featured on Today's THV, Ch 11, this morning.