The best way to enjoy these famous redwoods is to ride a railbike, a two-person, pedal-operated vehicle that sits steadily on the train tracks. This allows passengers to ride along the Redwood Route in electric-powered and almost silent bike. The bikes are extremely easy to ride and operate, making them suitable for all ages. They also come with an electric-assist if you want to take a break from pedaling or need a bit of help.

The railbike leaves from the Skunk Train Depot and will take you on a one-hour round trip ride through the redwood forest along the Pudding Creek Estuary. The Redwood Forest is a dreamlike place, particularly on a rainy or foggy day, like a scene from Jurassic Park. With the railbikes traveling along the Pudding Creek Estuary, you can't help but think that a brontosaurus might be around the next corner. The end of the line is at Glen Blair Junction, which is 3.5 miles along the Redwood Route. This site has been changed into a beautiful stop with picnic tables and easy to hike trails into the redwoods.

You'll need to pay $250 to rent a bike, plus the 8% Historic Preservation Assessment. There is no discount for single riders, so be sure to visit with a partner. If you have a large family, you can also rent multiple bikes and take the trip as a group, remaining close to each other while still being able to move forward at your own pace.

【推荐1】When Argentinean thinker Juan Jose Sebrelli visited Shanghai in the 1960s as part of a delegation (代表团) invited by the Chinese government, he wrote that the city seemed strangely familiar.

I was reading his writing before boarding a plane on my first trip to Shanghai in 2016. By that time, I was doing research at home on how South American writers, diplomats (外交官) and politicians had developed a new world outlook. The opportunity of my life appeared when I was told I was recommended as the first scholar at a research center co-built by a research council of Argentina and Shanghai University for an exchange program.

My first year living in Shanghai was full of discoveries and adventures. I was in a constant state of curiosity. Every day, I discovered, tried and learned something new. In other words, the city impressed me: Its modern architecture and the opportunities that Shanghai gave to everyone made me feel that this place was one of the most dynamic places I’d ever been to. I recognized that this city allowed both locals and foreigners to rediscover and reinvent themselves. The experience of being in touch with a different culture has enriched my way of looking at and thinking about the world.

After three years, my program at the joint center came to an end. But Shanghai had another new surprise for me: I got an offer to work as a professor in Fudan University, which is an opportunity that I couldn’t refuse. Gradually, I regarded Shanghai as my second home and I fully understood the meaning of Sebrelli’s writing one day walking through my favorite spots of the city on Wuyuan Road and Wulumuqi Road. Several places made me have a strange feeling: The combination of Art Deco buildings and local stands on the street created an image of my homeland. At that moment, I understood that this city, as Sebrelli wrote, “is now a part of myself”.

【推荐3】Beijing: Beijing is to spend up to US $20 billion to change the Chinese capital into a 21st century one for the 2008 Olympics.

The government managed to host the 2008 games. The general aim is for Beijing to have the same environmental standards as Paris, London or Washington by 2008.

Hundreds of millions of dollars will be spent to pipe natural gas to the city’s homes, taking away dirty coal burning gradually while 60,000 buses will be changed to liquefied gas.

The money also will be used for relocating the polluting factories and building green areas. By 2008 around 90 percent of Beijing’s waste will be treated, compared to only 40 percent at present.

Olympic officials realize the city has a long way to go to match the environmental standards of such cities as Paris, Toronto, Istanbul and Osaka.

City officials have already announced that around 50 large projects are being dealt with to improve traffic jam and cut down pollution. They include construction of Beijing’s first light railway, a 40.5 kilometer line which is expected to be completed in 2005.

Beijing, besides, plans to build an 82.25-kilometer-long subway to add to the existing 53 kilometers. Nine major roads will be rebuilt or widened.

Beijing also plans to build a 70-meter-wide green area along the waterways to protect water quality as well as increase the green areas.