Google Maps is looking for help in selecting places to send its StreetView trike.
Noting that some of the most interesting and scenic locales are not accessible by car, Google is accepting suggestions on what else should be featured on StreetView.
Of course, I'm thinking of nominating the most-used or most picturesque bike trails in Washington state.
The Olympic Discovery Trail on the Olympic Peninsula comes to mind first, as it winds along between the Strait de Juan de Fuca on the north and the snowy peaks of the Olympic Mountains on the south. That's a picture of the trail east of Port Angeles where it skirts the seawall.
Roughly, the rail-to-trail starts a little east of Sequim and passes through woods and over trestles on its way to the Port Angeles shoreline and beyond.
Another choice is the Burke-Gilman Trail, as it's the backbone of traffic-free bike transportation in the gold-level Bike Friendly Community of Seattle. It now starts at Golden Gardens Park on the shores of Puget Sound, follows the Ship Canal to University of Washington, then veers north through communities along Lake Washington.
Another top pick would be the Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail in Wenatchee that I visited and wrote about several weeks ago. This popular trails passes through wild habitat, as well as shoreline parks, as it follows the majestic Columbia River.
On a nationwide scale, the bike trail that I would most like to see on StreetViews is the Great Allegheny Passage. The crushed limestone rail-to-trail runs for about 150 miles from Cumberland, Maryland, to McKeesport, Pennsylvania.
Along the way, it crosses over the Eastern Continental Divide, passes through several tunnels, and follows the scenic Youghiogheny River past friendly, rural towns.
You can nominate your ideas at the US StreetView Special Collection Poll website. The deadline is Oct. 28.
Google StreetViews already has visited LegoLand, San Diego State University, Santa Monica Pier and the Monterey Bay Bike Trail.
At “StreetView, we can trike wherever you like” on the Google LatLong blog, Greg Ratner writes:
“We'll then comb through all of the suggestions and let all of you cast your final votes on a winner from each category for the Street View trike to visit. For any privately-owned or operated location, like a campus or theme park, we'll work directly with the relevant organization prior to collecting the imagery
“When we unveiled the Street View trike in the U.K., we received more than 10,000 nominations and 35,000 votes; Stonehenge and Warwick Castle were two of the top vote-getters. We can't wait to see what you'll come up with in the U.S.”
I'm hoping they come up with some awesome bike trails to encourage people to enjoy a ride.
Recent Comments