{"id":5346,"date":"2013-10-12T11:04:35","date_gmt":"2013-10-12T16:04:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.teamcrossworld.com\/running\/?p=5346"},"modified":"2013-10-12T11:04:35","modified_gmt":"2013-10-12T16:04:35","slug":"trails-closed-but-congress-serious-about-fitness-for-selves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.teamcrossworld.com\/running\/2013\/trails-closed-but-congress-serious-about-fitness-for-selves\/","title":{"rendered":"Trails Closed But Congress Serious About Fitness – For Selves"},"content":{"rendered":"
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From Pioneer Press article<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

I didn’t realize until 1\/2 way through my run this morning that the trails I was running on were closed due to the shutdown. \u00a0There were no signs at the trailhead I used – it was in a state park. \u00a0There were plenty of National Wildlife Refuge signs all along the trail once I entered the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge<\/a>. \u00a0When I emerged at the Lyndale Trailhead there were signs posted saying the trails were closed – with a QR code with more information. \u00a0I didn’t have my phone so that was useless and I couldn’t snap a picture, but I found a similar sign (right) online.<\/p>\n

On my run back to the car I didn’t see any signs along the way indicating the trail’s closure and I didn’t when I popped out at the Hopkins Cir\/Hopkins Place trail head either. \u00a0It isn’t super clear when you leave the State Park and enter the Wildlife Refuge. \u00a0 So fortunately no ranger was waiting to give me a ticket like happened to John Bell<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Bell said he drove to the park Sunday morning and noticed that internal park roads were barricaded, much like they are at night after the park closes, so instead he drove to a remote parking lot off of state Route 23.<\/p>\n

He proceeded to run about five miles through the 3,500-acre park and returned to find a pair of park rangers in the parking lot.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I came back my car was surrounded by\u00a0two\u00a0ranger\u00a0vehicles\u00a0with their lights flashing,\u201d Bell said. \u201cI felt like I was a terrorist.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bell said the rangers asked him if he \u201cwatched the news\u201d and told him the park was closed because the government\u00a0is shut down. Bell said they had already placed a $100\u00a0ticket\u00a0on his car.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got to go to\u00a0federal\u00a0court if I want to fight this thing,\u201d he said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

According to the article over 20 tickets have been issued at Valley Forge. \u00a0Runners World reports <\/a>that there will be a protest run tomorrow.<\/p>\n

Relevant Magazine<\/a> reports that at the same time this occurred Congress deemed that Congressional gyms were essential, but unfortunately gyms for Congressional staffers aren’t.<\/p>\n

Ironically, that very week, Congress deemed their tax-payer funded personal gym \u201cessential\u201d so that\u00a0they<\/em>\u00a0could\u00a0still workout<\/a>\u00a0during the shutdown. (Though, we should note, the \u201cstaff\u201d gym\u2014for employees of our elected officials,\u00a0was closed<\/a>.) Congress can keep their fancy gyms, but as John Bell is reminding everyone else, from the red wood forest to the Gulf Stream waters, ?this land was made for you and me.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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