The "Tracks"

It was weed infested.  It was muddy, rocky and full of trash.  On occasion, there were unseemly characters that used the area as a "hangout".  The area was referred to as "the tracks" and parents wouldn't allow their young children to go to such an awful place, let alone play there.  Oh, but what fun it was to sneak down to the "tracks" and climb on those rocks.  You could spend hours there with nothing but your imagination.

The "tracks" was the railroad track that cut through our near west side neighborhood like a snake.  A train would rumble through the neighborhood once a week or so.  But other than that, it was vacant.   Some would walk along the route as a short cut to Camp Randall or Mickey's Dairy Bar,  But it wasn't for the faint of heart!  It was dark and gloomy...and scary!

As a child, I felt bad for those who lived in homes that backed up to the tracks. How noisy it must be!  And the garbage!  It was a treasure trove of trash; everything from old tires and lumber to retired mattresses and household furniture!   A friend of mine once threw his  bike over the bridge on Edgewood Ave.

Fast foward a few years...OK, maybe decades!  The unsightly "tracks" is now part of the Capital City Bike Trail that cuts through the Westmorland and Dudgeon-Monroe neighborhoods and winds to areas beyond.  A link to the University and downtown Madison.  Today, the "characters" on the "tracks" are bikers, walkers, runners and rollerbladers.  Parents push strollers down the path and dogwalkers enjoy the natural beauty of the area.

Of course, it has also changed the dynamic of the housing around the path.  A house with the bike path in your back yard is now at asset!  The extra green space a luxury that only a fortunate few can claim.

I am on the bike path often these days.  Several times a week you'll find me walking along the path remembering my younger self and the "tracks" of old.

No doubt, I prefer the new space to the old, gloomy tracks.  But I can't help remembering how it used to be and how far we've come.  And I'm always sure to bring my imagination!