The Chief Ladiga Trail was in very good condition this morning from Weaver Park to Hwy 204. There were lots of women out riding today, very few men. No complaints here!

There were lots of people riding The Chief Ladiga Trail this morning. The trail was in good shape along the section I was on today. I expect activity to pick up even more as we get closer to The Cheaha Challenge if the weather continues to be nice.

The trail looked really good today, from Weaver Park to Hwy 204. There were several people out riding and jogging. I hope the weather stays nice until the Cheaha Challenge.

According to a recent newspaper article there were 328 people from 17 states that signed in at the Eubanks Welcome Center in Piedmont during March.

Latest word I have on the Chief Ladiga Trail is that the eastern 4.5 miles of the unfinished trail should be completed in mid to late May. The western part of the unfinished trail (4 miles) would be started by approximately July or August. It still seems possible that the trail could be completed by September.

There was lots of dead grass on the trail today. It seems they're not keeping it as clean as they have in the past. The trail between Jacksonville and Piedmont has a problem where tree roots have caused cracks in the asphalt, and have forced parts of the asphalt up, making it uneven. This seems to have gotten worse since last summer. You have to be careful in some areas because the bumps have become severe. As soon as the trail is completed, they're going to have to seriously look at resurfacing some parts of the trail.

This morning there was some freshly cut grass in Weaver that hadn't been blown off the trail. Otherwise, the trail was clear. It was a nice day and there were several people out riding.

A recent article in the Piedmont Journal says an R.V. park is in the works for Piedmont. It is planned to be located close to The Chief Ladiga Trail at the Piedmont Sports Complex. The plan calls for all hookups needed for RV's.

This would be a great addition to the trail. There are many out of town and out of state visitors regularly visiting the area just to ride "The Chief". I'm not sure the majority of local residents know just how many people travel to the area just because of the trail.

This is something that is just in the works. There is no timeline, and as of now, no funding for the project. We just hope that Piedmont finds the money they need to get this done. Anything that adds to The Chief Ladiga Trail is good for all of us.

There was very little activity on the Chief Ladiga Trail this morning. I rode 22.68 miles and only saw one other person on a bike, one walker, and two joggers. I haven't seen this few people since the hotest part of last summer. I expect things will pickup soon as we get closer to the Cheaha Challenge.

According to a recent newspaper report, the planned Welcome Center to be located in the old Jacksonville Train Depot has hit a snag. The bid for converting the old building was almost twice the amount that had been budgeted for the project. We'll have to see what happens next.

"The Chief" was in pretty good shape this morning after the rain. The trail was mostly clear, just a little wet. The only thing of note on the trail was a turtle at the 27 1/2 mile marker.

According to a recent article in the Anniston Star it may be as late as September before the Chief Ladiga Trail is finally connected with the Silver Comet. The article said bad weather in Cleburne County is the cause of the delay. This is about the third reported delay that I've heard about. Don't be suprised if these delays run into next year.

In the same article was a report about removing the rails between Michael Tucker Park and the Train Depot on 4th street. This will at some point be part of the Chief Ladiga Trail. My concern is that the parts of town that it will be going through are some of the worst in Anniston. I'm not sure I want to ride on a trail that goes through areas known for crack houses, drug dealers and prostitution (not to mention occasional gun fire). I think the part of the old tracks that go to Fort McClellan would be a much wiser way to go. I don't see that once it reaches the 4th street train station that it can go anywhere else. The Fort McClellan area just seems to be nicer and MUCH safer.