This is the town square in Avery, Texas where that volunteer fire company let me stay in their cool little one room hostel. Apparently this fellow and his son like to take their mule team through town on Saturday’s. (Very vehicle friendly downtown… I also saw people come through this town square on tractors and lawn mowers). They also built a pavilion that’s a replica of one of the “tomato sheds” by the rail lines where farmers used to bring their produce to sell. That brand new pavilion is perfect for concerts and events.

This little town is really coming alive and some of the growth is due to the 60 mile “NETT” rail trail that links up towns here in Texas. I had the good fortune to meet the head of the rail trail initiative (Kelly Whitley) and others involved in the initiative (bike shop owners in Paris and Texarkana and the fire chief in Avery. They are all doing such a great job getting this 60 mile “NETT” rail trail up and running here in northeast Texas.

Rail trails bring people together and strengthen economies in communities! 😊🚴🏼‍♂️