BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

it is open from the point all the way to the Cork Factory - with no construction.

Be wary under the ramp up to the fort duquesne, there are some pretty large gaps in the concrete that can be hard to spot.

It's a beautiful ride, and the cloud of gnats think so too.

^Ha! Erok and I were riding this the other day and must have swallowed about 10 gnats just talking to each other. We each killed another 50+ by the look of our arms and torsos. On our next map, maybe we should put a callout at a few places on the South Side Trail and Convention Center/Strip District Trail and put exactly that "Intermittent Cloud of Gnats."

It feels like someone is throwing kitty litter or sand at your face. Extra gross if you are laughing or talking while going through the cloud. I've definitely inhaled a few.

[edit] I'm surprised there aren't more bats down there. They eat tons of gnats.

who needs bats when you have bike advocates to do the job?

There is no talking or mouth breathing on that section of trail. As a matter of fact, you must hold your breath and tilt your head down if you don't want gnats to enter any oriface.

I was frustrated with traffic and took this trail this morning on the way in... not a single gnat swarm!

I've been riding this section to work since it opened (which has been amazing for my morning state of mind), and for whatever reason, the gnats are absent in the morning, but always there on the way home. I have also noticed that they tend to fly in very narrow vertical columns, so if you keep your eyes out for them, you can move to one side (or even just move your head) and mostly avoid them.

I often run into the gnat-clouds on the South Side and North Shore trails. I suspect it has to do with being close to the river.

I was in Erie riding on Presque Isle and they had some SERIOUS bugs. Mayflies, I think. That was totally disgusting to fly through.

+1 on "Intermittent clouds of gnats" annotation on the map. It's a natural hazard!

Maybe we need to schedule a volunteer trail-clearing effort with bats.

@Pseudacris I'm surprised there aren't more bats down there. They eat tons of gnats.

Bats have been hit hard recently by a plague called "White nose syndrome."

From Wiki

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_nose_syndrome



Alan Hicks with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has described the impact as "unprecedented" and "the gravest threat to bats ... ever seen." The mortality rate in some caves has exceeded 90 percent. A once common species, little brown myotis, has suffered a major population collapse and may be at risk of rapid extinction in the northeastern US within 20 years from mortality associated with WNS. There are currently 9 hibernating bat species confirmed with infection of Geomyces destructans and at least 5 of those species have suffered major mortality. Some of those species are already listed as endangered on the US endangered species list, including the Indiana bat, whose primary hibernaculum in New York has been affected. The long-term impact of the reduction in bat populations may be an increase in insects, possibly even leading to crop damage or other economic impact in New England.

gnats are just extra protein. At least they don't bite and don't taste bad. Moths taste really REALLY bad, bees/wasps sting AND taste bad. Flying ants and the like aren't so bad either, but the texture can be quite off-putting.

I would love the opportunity to battle gnats on the south bank of the Allegheny from down town all the way to Oakmont and beyond. And on the north bank to Springdale or New Ken. That will be awesome.

Maybe they could start an urban bat-revival thing like with the peregrins, maybe encouraging them to roost under bridges. Bats are awesome.

@ejwme, I was just going to look for your protein comment from last year, but you beat me to it. Thank you for the additional detail!

*standing here in closed-mouthed amazement*

Stu - I admit to having a freakish acceptance of insects. It comes from having lived in a place where vast quantities of insects are unavoidable and change the color of the sky/dirt/food, where within a week you stop shooing the flies because if you don't you can see better. I've eaten more varieties of insects (intentionally and unintentionally) than I have eaten varieties of anything else combined. I even have meal time favorites (termites) and least favorites (dung beetle).

I typically charge a beer each for the better bug stories It is one of the few (only?) aspects of life that I will defend my right to be called a "badass" at least in this culture (most of the planet eats that way, so I suppose I simply better approached average most other places).

insects are one of the most important food staples in the world. plus they can be downright tasty!

our culture is a culture of spoiled sissies.