Exploration Local

Wander Far, Explore Local: A New Kind of Adventure

• Mike Andress • Season 1 • Episode 106

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I'm redefining what adventure means after discovering the joy of exploring greenways and rail trails. From Colorado's Aspen-lined paths to Kentucky's riverside greenways, these accessible trails have transformed my understanding of meaningful outdoor experiences.

• Experiencing the beauty of Breckenridge to Frisco on e-bikes amid golden Aspens
• Discovering the Big Four Bridge and Ohio River Greenway during a Kentucky business trip
• Seeing people of all ages and abilities enjoying the outdoors together on accessible trails
• Exploring the Brevard Greenway and Thermal Belt Trail in North Carolina with my wife
• Finding that adventure isn't always about conquering mountains—sometimes it's about connection
• Looking forward to upcoming trails like the Ecusta Trail and sections of the East Coast Greenway

Send me a voice memo, message me on Instagram or Facebook, or email mike@explorationlocal.com to share your favorite trail experiences. Your story might inspire others to redefine what adventure means to them.


Mike Andress
Host, Exploration Local
828-551-9065
mike@explorationlocal.com

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Speaker 1:

Storytelling is at the heart of Appalachia, woven into its winding trails, mountain towns and front porch conversations. For generations, people here have shared their sense of place through stories that honor both grit and grace and tradition and transformation. These stories echo across ridgelines and roll through the valleys, reminding us that connection to land and people has always been part of the adventure. In today's solo episode, I want to share a different kind of journey, one that's personal and still unfolding. It's a story about how my definition of adventure has changed over the years. From pushing strollers on the Virginia Capitol Trail in Williamsburg, where my family first discovered the joy of greenway riding, to coasting along the greenway in the Colorado Rockies, to unfolding a compact e-bike and rolling out from a hotel parking lot in Kentucky, every experience is reshaping how I engage with the outdoors. Greenways and trailways might not make the cover of an adventure magazine you won't find many summit selfies or adrenaline-fueled reels out there but they offer something even more enduring Accessibility, connection and the quiet kind of wonder you find when you slow down just enough to really see what's around you. In this episode, I'll explain how these paths are shaping my story and why I believe they're one of the most inviting, inclusive ways to explore. This is a story for anyone who's ever thought I'm not adventurous enough or that trail's not meant for me. Let's ride. You're listening to Exploration Local, a podcast designed to explore and celebrate the people and places that make the Blue Ridge and Southern Appalachian Mountains special and unique. My name is Mike Andrus, the host of Exploration Local. Join us on our journey to explore these mountains and discover how they fuel the spirit of adventure. We encourage you to wander far, but explore local. Let's go.

Speaker 1:

So last fall, last September 2024, right before Helene, I had the chance to take a trip to Colorado with my daughter, my third child, my second daughter. We started the week with some incredible hikes, exploring all the rugged landscapes of Boulder and Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park that we could. I mean truly breathing in the crisp mountain air and enjoying just the vastness of all that Colorado is. And then we capped it off with an unforgettable night at Red Rocks. We watched Amos Lee perform under the stars, and if you have ever been to Red Rocks, you know it's a special place. If you haven't, I highly would suggest that at some point of your bucket list and some point of your life, you would put that on there. It is an amazing, amazing place. It's been said that it doesn't matter what you watch there. It will be an amazing experience and I can tell you we love Amos Lee, so we enjoy that show and we also enjoy pretty much the experience.

Speaker 1:

But at the end of that trip we were going to spend two sort of wind down days in Breckenridge. I had never been before and we were also at least I was ready for a little bit slower pace, a wind down after that week of adventure that we had. So we decided to rent bikes, we decided to rent e-bikes and we found that there was a trail that went from Breckenridge to Frisco, which is about 10 miles away, frisco, right on. I think. It's like right south of Copper Mountain. But my son and his fiancee now wife and their family they were on e-bikes in Colorado and I think we got a little bit of that bug that we wanted to try it too. So anyway, we're in the same place, same area, and I will tell you that it was one of the most refreshing experiences and meaningful experiences that we had on that trip together. And it was cool because we rode from Breck into Frisco, we had lunch in Frisco and then we were going to try to spend most of the day there, but we had to get back. We were racing against an enormous storm that was coming in, so it pretty much rained the whole last 10 miles, but it didn't bother us. We had a fantastic time. But the amazing part about that trip, too, was that we had the Aspens. It's one of my bucket lists, my life bucket list that I want to see the Aspens bloom or, excuse me, the Aspens change in Colorado in the fall, and we got a chance to do that.

Speaker 1:

But the really, besides all the beauty and being with my daughter, one of the things I remember is that there was this group of older senior citizens and we were moving, coming back, because the storm was rolling in. You could see it, it's getting heavier and heavier, and so we wanted to. I mean, we're just moving fast. But all of a sudden these seniors were like flying by us on their e-bikes and we saw people out on these e-bikes of all ages, or, excuse me, out on these trail people of all ages, during this little 20 mile bike trip that we did. But I'll never forget the looks on the this, this older woman's face. She's just smiling. You know, she went by, she's having fun, she's getting out, and I kept telling my daughter that these things allow you to go farther and kind of see more and stay out a little bit longer. And that was really kind of made true watching these people come back. But that ride in Brecker Ridge, amidst the mountains, it was one of the absolute best experiences that we shared out there in Colorado. It wasn't about the speed, it was just about being present and enjoying the journey, really just one pedal at a time, and that really is what started this whole passion, I think, for me.

Speaker 1:

So, fast forward to March of 2025 this year, I was on a business trip to Kentucky and it's the kind where your days are full of meetings, your nights are usually spent in meetings or in dinners or out with people kind of exploring the area. But I decided that this was going to be a great opportunity to bring my new foldable e-bike and I have a little Volkswagen Alltrack. It's not huge but it's not small at the same time. But it was enough to put my luggage a cooler and my e-bike in the back of that the same time. But it was enough to put my luggage a cooler, and my e-bike in the back of that and it was my first time traveling with it and, honestly, I wasn't sure how it was going to go. Would I even have time for it? Would it be a hassle, would it be worth the effort, you know? So on and so forth all the seeds of doubt and it absolutely was worth the effort.

Speaker 1:

So after the first night of meetings I went to, I found this trail on the rails to trail. I looked it up before I left. It was the uh, the big four bridge. The amazing thing is that it was located just near the hotel and so I was able to go across this bridge, this big four bridge, and y'all it was packed with people that were, you know, e-biking, that were strollers that were skating, that were walking, that were pushing strollers, that were running, jogging you know, entire families. I mean, it was just an incredible experience. So it was once a railroad crossing, but now it's a pedestrian bike bridge, or pedestrian and bike bridge, that spans the entire Ohio River.

Speaker 1:

It connects Louisville, kentucky, to Jeffersonville, indiana, really, really cool place. The structure itself is impressive. It's wide, it's elevated. I mean steel trusses that frame the sky. As I rode across, the view just opened up to the river and it also opened up into Indiana, the river below. I mean it was beautiful. It shimmered in the afternoon light and you could feel the pulse of the city even from being that far above the river and beyond the city. But on the Indiana side it connected to the Ohio River Greenway. I had no idea and I didn't look that closely into it, so it was a bit of a surprise. But as you go over the bridge you're into this little, beautiful little community of Jeffersonville, indiana.

Speaker 1:

I took a left. I went southbound on the Ohio River Greenway. It's a paved trail that hugs the shoreline. It weaves past parks, old brick buildings, trestle bridges, quiet neighborhoods. I mean it was absolutely an amazing ride. It was such a gem. Theze off the water was steady and the whole ride it just had this balance of urban energy and natural calm. It was truly, truly amazing. I did about 17 miles altogether on that. There were people everywhere. I mean again, joggers, kids on bikes, couples walking holding hand. Some folks were just out for exercise, others were just soaking up the scenery. I mean it wasn't rugged, it wasn't remote, but I mean it felt rich, it felt real, it felt grounded.

Speaker 1:

That day reframed, I think, what I thought an adventure needed to look like. It didn't seem like I was settling for something easier. It felt expansive, like I had unlocked a whole new layer of exploration that truly had been hiding in plain sight. Sometimes all it takes is a simple trail and a willingness to look at it differently. And for me, I had a few hours and I went out and explored. I saw the reservoir, I saw parks, I saw people coming in from communities, I went through communities. It was absolutely amazing. So love that experience. It definitely was absolutely amazing. So love that experience. It definitely was worth it.

Speaker 1:

I also got a chance to go out on another trip a little bit farther out. It's called the, I think, the Louisville Loop Trail. I think when it's all said and done, it's going to be about 100 miles. That fully circumnavigates Louisville and the outskirts of Louisville. But I found this beautiful, beautiful park and it was Greenway in and of itself, and I did another 10 miles or so just that afternoon, but it was incredible. It went through the river. You may have seen if you follow me on Instagram, then you've seen the story of this but it followed the river um sort of at sunset. So it's really really pretty winter sunset in Louisville, kentucky, and there's, I mean, soccer fields and playgrounds and, again, people of all shapes and sizes and you know just backgrounds and interest and the things that they were enjoying the outdoors with. But we were all there together. It was really kind of this, this communal thing, if you will.

Speaker 1:

Before these trips Breckenridge, kentucky I honestly didn't think greenways were for me. I mean, I grew up associating adventure with elevation, gain and you know, technical terrain and dirt under your boots, navigating whitewater rivers and maybe a little bit of suffering along the way, you know, backpacking in the back country, long hikes that leave your legs burning, the kind of stuff that you know makes you feel like you earned the view. You know you earned a climb or, excuse me, you climb to earn the view. But greenways, I mean I thought they were, you know, easy, lame, not for me. It just wasn't something that I it wasn't a pathway that I was, I was looking out for. But I mean something shifted as I started to actually ride these things.

Speaker 1:

What I saw along these routes and who I saw, I mean it told it truly told a different story of the type of recreation that is out there and folks, there's recreation out there for anybody and everybody, and if you're looking for a portal and an easy way in, I mean these greenways are it. I mean I see seniors on trikes. I mean they're confidently riding, you know, with groups of friends and clearly clearly having the time of their lives. I see kids wobbling on training wheels, getting cheered on by parents who are just as thrilled as they were. I mean you see couples, solo riders, commuters, tourists, people on road bikes, mountain bikes, cruiser bikes, e-bike scooters. I mean, honestly, you name it. There's people that are out on these greenways. It's just amazing and you know what. These people aren't just killing time. I mean, they're connecting with each other, with their surroundings and, you know, with themselves and you know just the outdoors for sure.

Speaker 1:

Greenways, I think, remove a lot of the barriers that can come with traditional outdoor spaces. You don't need technical gear, you don't need to be in peak shape, you don't need to even have a plan. I mean, honestly, you don't, you just need a bike or your own two feet, a little curiosity and the willingness to say I'm just going to take that first step. I mean these spaces, these greenways, these trails, these rails to trails. They make space for everyone and I believe that they truly do redefine what it means to belong outside, or at least I would say it's expanding my view of what it means to be outside and to belong outside.

Speaker 1:

So just last weekend I rode the estetot trail and the brevard greenway into downtown brevard, north carolina. It truly is a place that feels like it was designed for both adventure and ease. It's one of these thought-out communities and it kind of reminded me of going back into. You know, my frame of of reference being Breckenridge and Frisco and being able to ride in and through towns and towns that connect you know geographical areas together. And it extends into the Greenway which again just carries you through so many cool places along breweries Sylvan Sport, acousta Brewing, oscar Blues is along that route, brevard Parks and Recreation is along that route, getting behind the community, going into the lumberyard, seeing a residential area and then kind of dumping right out into downtown. It was amazing. It was the first time that I'd ever taken that route and I saw places in North Carolina that I didn't even know existed. But the greenways just take you into places that you're not going to see on your normal day-to-day, just kind of coming in and popping out of town.

Speaker 1:

And then our most recent trip, my wife and I last Friday we were on the Thermal Belt Trail. It's a stretch that links Forest City and Rutherfordton, spindale, ruth and Gilkey. There might be a couple of other towns in there that I'm forgetting, but we did the full out and back. It was a full 26 miles that we did in total. But it's a beautiful trail, it's wide, it's smooth. There's long stretches of shaded trees. A beautiful trail, it's wide, it's smooth, there's long stretches of shaded trees and then there's other sections that really kind of open up to reveal the rolling hills as you get north. We started south and we were riding north and as you're south it's more urban. That's where your cities, your larger cities, are sort of linked together and it's amazing because you can take a little. You know you can take a trip into each one of those communities, check out the downtown, have lunch dinner. That wasn't our purpose, but you know it is a way that you can break some of these rail trail or trail town experiences up. But it's really beautiful. You go from the southern end, which is more urban, to the northern end, as I'm saying that you get into some of the rolling hills you get into, where the rail and the trails you know the rail cars would go sort of, and carved out not really mountains but carved out hillsides. That's pretty amazing, and then you see the soft outlines of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance. So it was absolutely, you know, remarkable.

Speaker 1:

One of the reasons we decided to pull the trigger and get these bikes is that I was really looking for something that Teresa and I that Teresa is my wife that she and I could do together out on the trail, and it has. I'm a hundred miles in and some of those miles I rode by myself, but most of those miles I have ridden with her and the beautiful thing about this is that it's allowed us to have an opportunity to get out. She may not want to do all the hair raising things that I would do or she would shuttle me to, but you know, back in the day, but she's, you know we're doing it together. And again, it's still, it's a. It's just a different way to adventure. It's, it's no less adventurous, it's just. You know, my adrenaline may not get going as strongly as it does if I'm out on the river or, you know, barreling down some single track, but anyway, it's really proving true. And so we just, you know, we rode together, we laughed, we had lunch, you know, we just had a wonderful time just being together, and we saw that through and through with other people out there on the trail.

Speaker 1:

Those are the moments that are just going to stick with me. They're the moments that are sort of making my experiences these days, and that's what these trails offer not just access, but I mean truly just kind of invitation. Right, it's an invitation to be present, to reconnect and to explore truly, truly at your own pace. It reminded me that some of the best rides, they aren't about conquering anything. They're about sharing something, a moment, a path or perspective, or even just time with the people that you love.

Speaker 1:

So, as I mentioned before, to me adventure used to mean effort and sweat and pushing limits. It meant hauling a pack up a steep ridge, waking up cold in a tent or navigating a trail that wasn't always marked on the map. And there's a place for all of that. I still love it, but lately I've found myself drawn to a different kind of adventure, and one that's, honestly, that's just as fulfilling, but a little bit less about exertion and more about intention and the experience and the people that I'm with. So my foldable e-bike has been a huge part of that shift. It fits in the trunk of my car, no special rack or complicated setup is required. Honestly, you take it out, you put a couple of links together and your bike is ready to roll. I can travel for work, I can find a trail nearby, unfold the bike and within minutes I'm riding.

Speaker 1:

It's become a way to explore not just new places but familiar ones too, honestly, with fresh eyes and an entirely different mindset, as I explained in my experience in Brevard, a place that I've been to many, many times, that ride in Breckenridge with my daughter unforgettable, not because it was intense but because it was ours. It was the laughter, the slowness, the shared trail that was, I mean, that was the adventure. The ride across the Big Four Bridge into Indiana it was eye-opening. I didn't expect a trail that cuts through urban life to feel so connected to nature, but it did. But it did and it gave me the freedom to explore between meetings, to move my body, to see something beautiful that I otherwise would have missed, if I'm being honest. And then, most recently, in Brevard and on the Thermal Belt those rides. They're grounding, local reminders that you don't have to travel far or go hard to find a sense of awe. And for us, we were just minutes down the road. We were able to do all of this experience the trails, be home in time for a family dinner. So, anyway, I'm redefining adventure, not because I've outgrown the old version of it I have not but because I've expanded it. To be honest with you, it now includes some quieter moments, some unexpected connections and the kind of movement that's as much about joy as it is about miles and connection with my family, especially with my wife and my friends. And the best part, it feels like a journey.

Speaker 1:

I've only just begun, all right, looking ahead, my list of trails is growing, not in a competitive bucket list kind of way, but more like a collection of possibilities. Each one that I want to choose it's a doorway, I think, into a different place and a different pace. This summer I'm especially excited about the completion of the Acousta Trail. It's right here in my backyard. It's a big one for this area a former rail line that's being transformed into a multi-use trail that's connecting Hendersonville and Brevard. It's local, it's historic and folks. When it opens it is going to create an unbroken ribbon of opportunity, not just for people who like to bike, but for families and walkers and runners and, honestly, anyone who wants to move through the landscape without a car.

Speaker 1:

Another place I've got my eye on riding is the East Coast Greenway. It's a huge, inspiring trail system that spans from Maine to Florida, so that's quite large, they say. It's one of those projects that feels both massive and personal at the same time as they kind of connect different communities across time and space. I think that I don't know what section I would ride, but I definitely want to do that. The other one is the Swamp Rabbit Trail. That's right here for you local people. That's right here in our backyard as well. It's in South Carolina and it's high on my list. I've been on it, but I'd really kind of like to go early in the morning or when there's not a lot of traffic out there.

Speaker 1:

I've heard stories about just the energy there, about how it winds from Greenville to Traveler's Rest, rest. I mean it's full of charm, there's local flavor and that sense of being really immersed in a place, even while you're in motion. I want to ride it tip to tip, not for speed but for the story. I think that it tells along the way and then closer to home, what I'm really excited. Well, I'm really excited about all of this, but the Saluda Gray Trail I don't know if that's the official name, but that is in thoughts and planning and I think it has some legs underneath it. I am going to have a guest on the show soon that knows all about these projects the Saluda Gray Trail and the Acosta Trail as well so maybe we'll find out more then. And then, honestly, some of what I'm looking forward to is just riding some urban trails around Asheville. I've done that before and it's really sweet as more and more areas come back online, as the parks get linked up and opened up. Hopefully there'll be a little bit more time to ride down there, but I love going through those green spaces down near the River Arts District, back up to New Belgium and then maybe even throughout the city as well.

Speaker 1:

Thanks for riding along with me today, for giving space to this reflection and for letting me share a different kind of adventure story From the quiet mornings on the Virginia Creeper Trail to the laughter and crisp air of Breckenridge with my daughter, to crossing a river on a rail. Creeper Trail to the laughter and crisp air of Breckenridge with my daughter. To crossing a river on a rail trail bridge in Kentucky, to that perfect afternoon with my wife on the Thermobelt Trail. I've enjoyed every moment and experience on these trails that I'm traveling these days. Each moment, each mile reminded me that adventure doesn't have to be loud or extreme to be meaningful. It can be smooth pavement instead of rocky switchbacks. It can be found in your hometown, not just in a national park. It can be shared in silence or filled with conversation, whatever the trail brings that day.

Speaker 1:

If you've got a favorite trail, whether it's one you ride weekly or one you stumbled onto while traveling, I'd truly love to hear about it. Your story might inspire someone else to give these trails a try, or even redefine what adventure means to them. Send me a voice memo, drop a message on Instagram or Facebook or shoot me an email at mike at explorationlocalcom, and, who knows, your story might just make it into a future episode. If you enjoyed today's show, it would mean a lot if you left a review and hit that subscribe button so you don't miss out on what's coming next. So, wherever you are, whether you're on a forest path, a rail trail or sitting on a porch with a view. I hope that you will keep exploring Because, at the end of the day, adventure isn't always out there. Sometimes it's just around the next bend. Thanks again for listening. Until next time. Wander far, but explore local.