The Ballad of the Wreck of the Trail Gresham-Fairview
Sung to the tune of “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” by Gordon Lightfoot
Lyrics by Doug Myers 92162
The legend lives on from the Wheelmen on down,
Of a bike path they call Gresham-Fairview.
With the environment in mind, it was one of a kind
With a surface that water should run through.
If you’re wonderin’ why the dirt shouldn’t stay dry
‘Neath a narrow ribbon of pavement,
At the cost of a ride that will roughen your hide,
Unless you’re on Chuck Dorr’s recumbent. ✎
The answer is sad ‘cause its planning was bad;
Done without foresight or reason.
The path was OK the first summer, they say,
But it wasn’t maintained the next season.
The autumn leaf-fall formed an impermeable wall,
With rubbish and fir needles too-oo;
And rainwater that pooled often froze when it cooled,
Which led to the wreck of the Fairview!
So, if you decide to go on a ride
On a surface that’s rougher than chipseal:
On a path that is said can shake teeth from your head,
Then the trail that you’ll want is the Fairview!
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