A DAY ON THE TRAIL TO CELEBRATE SPRING

 

Friends of the Pacific Electric Trail

Welcoming Spring is like a breath of fresh air like when an old friend drops by to say hello.  What better way to celebrate the beginning of Spring than spending Sunday morning with our longtime partners at Cyclery USA on the Pacific Electric Trail at Central Park. 

 

2020 was challenging for everyone and for those of us who live in the Inland Empire, we can always count on enjoying the 21-mile Regional PE Trail to be there for us day or night, 365 days a year to ride our bikes on, walk our dogs, get out and exercise physically and get some much-needed social interaction.

 

The awesome Cyclery USA team of Bob and Dillon volunteered to join us at Central Park with their equipment to offer “free bike checks” for cyclists on the Trail.  They handed out patch kits and bike levers and more importantly, they shared their great technical advice.  The Friends of the Pacific Electric Trail handed out chilled water bottles for trail users and bottles of bubbles for the steady flow of kids.  We met the community that was out walking their dogs, running, cycling and of course numerous families with strollers. 

 

There was a healthy amount of visitors at the newly installed Fitness Court that is just a few hundred feet from the Trailhead at Central Park.  Bootcamps were busy going through their paces and everyone was having fun.  There are two recent installations at this Trailhead: The Military Women Veterans Unity Group donated a bench, landscaping, and a plaque along with The Incredible Edible Community Garden, Supervisor Janice Rutherford and CalFire.  The City of Rancho Cucamonga installed a historical landmark plaque built 1915 The Pacific Electric Railway Corridor.

 

It was invigorating to return to community outreach with our friends at Cyclery USA and engage with the neighborhood.  Most trail users were practicing safe distancing and wearing face masks.  Everyone had a big smile on their face and while some enjoy the trail every day, others were just coming out of the quarantine like bears rising out of hibernation.  Everyone was enjoying the fresh air and sunshine and delighted to see each other again.  Truly, a good day was had by all.  What is your favorite section of the PE Trail, please comment below?

 

Friends of the Pacific Electric Trail

 Victoria Jones, Friend of the Pacific Electric Trail

Visit our Website more information

Follow us on Twitter 

Follow us on Instagram

Like us on Facebook

Watch Tales from the Trail here

Suffering In Silence

 

Friend of the Pacific Electric Trail

Before the Pandemic hit the world, mental health problems such as depression and anxiety in children between the ages of 6 – 17 were on the rise according to the Center for Disease Control. Add to this the mandatory isolation that we are all experiencing, and the problem increases.

When we are at home and the kids are entertaining themselves, we have a moment to relax and focus on our needs. What we do not realize is that a full 30% of children today are suffering in silence! Given their position in the hierarchy of the family and society overall, they feel frustrated at their powerlessness. None of us have any real control over these current events, but kids feel the lack of control even more acutely than most. Not only can they not change the issues that bother them, but frequently they feel that they cannot even vocalize how they feel.

Historically when marriages fail, and children are involved they feel responsible. It is part of their DNA to blame themselves either consciously of unconsciously. So, they are reluctant to bring up feelings of loneliness and depression for fear that it will add to their parents’ burden. Add to this schedule changes, financial uncertainly, and not being able to be with their friends for comfort and they are at times walking an emotional tight rope without a net. For all of us, our traditional safe harbors have been quarantined!

The writer Christine Derengowski wrote about her son’s feelings of failure trying to keep up his previous level of academics in the 1^st grade. His schooling like others is via Zoom. He was near tears about a writing assignment that he was struggling with when she had an epiphany. She told him that “you won’t get in trouble and you can’t fail 1^st grade!  While sitting in his very special superhero decorated bedroom, she said that “you are kind of a Superhero yourself.” He sat up in his chair just a little and looked at her is disbelief.

She said, “Do you know that no kids in the history of kids have ever had to do what you’re doing right now? No kids in the history of kids have ever had to attend school from home, sitting in their bedroom, watching your teacher on a computer. You and your friends are making history.”  He looked up and said, “what does that mean?”

She told him it means she hadn’t given him nearly enough credit for rolling with the punches. She let him know how proud she was of him and his friends. That kids this year are doing the impossible and they are doing a really great job!

We have thanked everyone from grocery store workers and healthcare professionals and first responders, but we haven’t thanked this exceptional generation of kids for bearing the burden of what we’ve put on their shoulders this year.  I was so profoundly moved by her experience and how eloquently she expressed it. She opened my eyes to her sons’ plight, and I was floored by her insight. Later when I shared this story to my wife, I found that my eyes were leaking. Christine Derengowski has my vote for Quarantine Mom of the Year!

 

We say that kids are resilient, and they are. However, they are the real superheroes in this whole scenario for having ZERO say in their lives but doing their best to adjust each and every day.  Take the time to comfort them and listen with new ears. Engage them and value what they say. They may not say it well at first, they are still evolving into who they will be and so how they express themselves imperfectly may be both a learning and trust curve. But by comforting them, we may find that we are comforted.  Do you know someone who may be experiencing stress in silence, please comment below.

Friends of the Pacific Electric Trail

Dennis Jones, Friend of the Pacific Electric Trail

Visit our Website more information

Follow us on Twitter 

Follow us on Instagram

Like us on Facebook

Watch Tales from the Trail here

FITNESS COURT ARRIVES IN RANCHO CUCAMONGA

 

One of the most popular amenities in the Inland Empire is the 21-mile Regional Pacific Electric Trail that spans five cities: Montclair, Upland, Rancho Cucamonga, Fontana, and Rialto.  During the world-wide pandemic, gyms were forced to close, leaving most of us with safety restrictions to find other ways to get our physical exercise.  Here in the Inland Empire, we are fortunate to have a Class I bike path to walk our dogs, commute, run on or ride our bikes and fortunately remained open 365 days a year, 24/7.  Last Spring the Friends of the Pacific Electric Trail produced a “Safe Distancing” safety video last spring to help encourage and remind trail users to wear face coverings and use safe distancing while using the PE Trail.

 

Towards the end of 2020, the City of Rancho Cucamonga was notified that they were the recipient of a $75,000 grant from the County of San Bernardino County’s CARES Act Coronavirus Relief Fund.  Along with the NFC National Fitness Campaign awarding a $30,000 grant to the City of Rancho Cucamonga. These funds were made possible to help municipalities address exercise options due to the public health pandemic COVID 19. 

 

These monies had to be spent in 2020 and implementing a plan, selecting a location at Central Park, and completing the project was due to the city departments working together to make it happen in such a tight production schedule.  All the planets aligned, and the Team decided to add a Fitness Court which is an open-air exercise amenity adjacent to the PE Trail.  The 7 minutes – 7 movements exercise system is designed to be efficient due to the simplicity of using your own body weight as part of the exercise.  We visited the Fitness Court last week and saw other residents stopping to try it out.  There is a free Fitness Court App for users to download on their phones and a guide posted for easy reference.

 

The Fitness Court amenity compliments the Healthy RC initiative and the city’s commitment to wellness.  Amenities on the PE Trail enhance the user experience and we salute the City of Rancho Cucamonga for responding to these grant opportunities in a short time frame to bring a great exercise amenity for our residents to enjoy.  Have you visited the new Fitness Court at Central Park, please comment below?

Victoria Jones, Friend of the Pacific Electric Trail

Visit our Website more information

Follow us on Twitter 

Follow us on Instagram

Like us on Facebook

Watch Tales from the Trail here