Today I put about 3 1/2 hrs work including replacing the skinny Beau Bridges with daddy Lloyd. Lloyd was friggin hell to shoulder in solo, but I did it. He's set in place and after a good rain and some riding in he'll be perfect.
I cut and tread about 140 yards beyond where Brian and Frank finished up Sat. I got us thru the ravine, up the hill over the rock step up and across the top along a nice rock shelf and left off right before the next ravine downhill. This one will have a very tame entry and a big fast drop. To get the big drop we'll have to damn near cut a huge cedar in half.
I also flagged us all the way down to the next ravine again - this will be a screamer! We might have use for Beau in this ravine.
I'm planning to ride the trail tomorrow, not sure if I'll work on it tomorrow. I'll try to put in some more time on Wed or Thurs.
Again, I don't think my blog sent a notification, so adding a comment.
ReplyDeleteIf anyone is interested in just riding today, I am planning to ride this evening around 5, going to hit the trail, plus a bunch of bonus stuff I found north of the Y. This bonus stuff includes a bit of trail, jeep road, old football stadium, cemetery, paintball arena/playground, old bridge...
Lloyd Bridges is rock solid. I stuck a rock under the West side of it to smooth the transition onto the bridge (might be overkill, but I did it on Beau and it worked well). The bridge will pose a threat to beginners, but everyone else should be able to hit it with no worries. I kind of missed the thought of Beau Bridges entering my mind as I climbed up to Birdstone. It definitely was something that crossed my mind as I approached it.
ReplyDeleteIn any event, I was out there yesterday (Monday) and spent a couple of hours doing what I call "maturing" the trail. I hit multiple spots that I knew needed tweaking. I built a berm around What the Fuck (Sorry for the language, but it is what it is), extended a berm on the climb to snake ridge, fixed a berm on that same climb, and widened a turn on that climb so that it wouldn't need a berm. That section now rides the way it should. I trimmed some limbs that were in the way on some turns where leaning the bike hard happens, and used the swingblade in spots.
While I didn't want to take the time to do all of this, I feel it was necessary. I still have 3 specific spots I want to hit to improve, but next time I go out my focus will be on the newest stuff.
I'll be out there next on Thursday from about 2:30 - 4:45 or so.
I agree with Eric. That stuff after Dubstep is great. I like how techy it is, and Brian you're right about that one piece riding in. I slid out on it a little bit heading back toward Dubstep, but it'll bench itself after a few rides.
Cheers.
Sorry about the sliding, we wanted to be covert and get through that area and away from the houses as quick as possible.
ReplyDeleteAs far as building, I'm out until next week, BBQ cook-off in Thorndale this weekend and projects due at work.
Not a huge deal on the sliding. I might go in there and do a quick light scrape of some of that cedar looseness (whatever it's called), but maybe not.
ReplyDeleteGood luck at the cook-off!
I need to get back to photographing the trail. Not saying these are not good, it just reminds me that I've been slacking in that regard.
ReplyDeleteTomorrow I'm gonna go fast and furious on the trail building for a couple hours.
Hopefully, being that it will be around 2:30pm, I can get some of that moon rock stuff cleared that's close to the houses. Hoping the combo of heat and time of day will be favorable. Also hoping some of that rain hit the trail and packed down some berms for us. I'm almost gonna HAVE to bring my bike to the cul-de-sac and ride in.
I'm also planning a mega-berm (ok, not gigantic, just something substantial to keep speed) at the transition between snaggle rock and rainy day. It's going to be a night project, though. I don't wanna be hammering the McLeod that close to the trail during daytime hours. There is a line there that you can hold speed on, but it's about a tire width wide and near impossible to hit. Right now I'm going dirt bike style with my inside foot out of the pedal.
ReplyDeleteIs this where the trail almost intersects with the little spur off of the concrete trail?
DeleteZachary.
DeleteI re-routed up by the moon rock. I routed the "Plunge" line we talked about, so the line isn't parallel to the houses much at all. Wait - are we through the next ravine and back up to the point of being close to the moon rock area? Who did all that? Crazy shit if you did!
ReplyDeleteAs for that transition, I have been thinking - it's obvious that are trail is there, especially where it meets up with the existing Jagger's - how about we widen the trees and just use the Jagger trail and head up instead of down the throat. It will make that turn a lot wider. I am concerned with berming right there. I am doing the same thing, sliding thru with one foot down. Thoughts?
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DeleteHonestly I don't think it'll take a big berm. It can be a small one, it just needs to be dug in at a steep angle to give resistance. Also, there are tons of rocks in that area to build a nice berm.
DeleteI'll probably just end up doing it one night next week and see how it works. At the end of the day, we can always just fill it back in, but I like that transition a lot and it's already there. It's close to rideable as is, it's just hard to commit for fear of sliding out. I'm not QUITE ready to give up on it yet, especially since it means more cutting.
Ok, doesn't mean that much cutting really....I just wanna try it out.
DeleteI remember the days of cutting Rainy Day, desperate for trail. Prob. more sentimental than anything, but I just don't want that section to go to waste. It could be a fun swoop that rewards those willing to hold their line and speed.
How about a reroute on top of the hill without dropping down near the trail?
DeleteNot a fast section, but we could continue to use the existing entrance.
Will you post a map with the feature names? I'm lost.
ReplyDeleteThat will take a bit of work, but I'll try putting something together, including photos of features/trail section landmarks.
DeleteHaha, I get so much immature pleasure from the names. I also think it's funny how pink ball migrated a fair distance up the trail to just below raprock.
DeleteThat second photo in this thread....that's "The Altar"
DeleteI rode the trail today, and frankly, I kept every ounce of my speed as it is cut right now going down from Snaggle Rock and the other way as well.
DeleteIt won't take much more to get it where it needs to be.
All I need to do is bench it flatter. Ok, so it won't have a 5 degree outslope or whatever, but it will be fine. There is a LOT of rock in that section. If, over time, it proves to be unsustainable, then we can cut up top, but for now, let me work my magic.
Went out today and got a good little chunk done. Tons of cutting, and the turn I did has some wide tread, but honestly it has to. It's very tight and off camber as well, so I benched it some (with more to follow probably) and created the wide tread for different line selections. I inserted a techy piece as well to naturally scrub speed before hitting this turn. In the long run, it will work out just fine. I keep having to remind myself this trail is only about 2 months old and it already is as sweet as it is.
I still don't like that turn coming out of dub step eastbound (coming down dub step, then the sharp left turn. It's my opinion we should revisit it and consider flowing it straighter into the downhill that follows dubstep (again, heading east).
Anyways, I won't be out again until next week, and that is a maybe at this point.
Later.
I started seeing wet roads east of Parmer on Brushy Creek Rd about Champion Park.
ReplyDeleteDon't think the trail got much if any rain.
For the feature labels, nothing too technical, just need to see the trail on an aerial with scribbled labels in the approximate locations.
DeleteI think we must have gotten some rain on the trail the other day. The berms were in great shape and actually rideable. The one I put in at What the Fuck is a nice addition, as it allows you to keep speed riding around the log monstrosity. Not trying to sound whatever, just making notes. When it's complete, I'm going to commit to riding it at least once every time I am out....with my daily wheelset of course.
DeleteKevin is undertaking a move, and his wife is pregnant so he has a lot on his plate. I'm sure he'll be back in the game when he can.
Eric: Is the David to whom you refer the guy that PM'd me about building trail the time you were out of town for a couple of weeks in May?
Got three peeps committed for Sun.
ReplyDeleteWhat's the status/plans?
Very nice.
DeleteI am busy all day studying, but wish I could be out helping.
The work crew bailed, but I am gonna try and make it out for a little bit in the AM.
DeleteCool. Thanks, man. Wish I could.
DeleteGot through the cedar tree, where work stopped last time. For the tread, I kicked/lined up rocks to outline the left side of the trail. Didn't do any good tread because resident had a barking dog that wouldn't' shut up. Tools are in the same place.
DeleteAlso, met a guy on the trail that offered to help with building. His name was Randy, he was riding a blk Marin squishy I didn't commit to any thing, need to see if he's legit.
On a completely unrelated note: Do any of y'all have a line on a POS 29'er frame for sale? I'm looking to build up a ghetto niner.
My cannondale is a POS, but I'm gonna keep it around for beating purposes. My friend might be selling his niner (brand) air 9 frame, although I think he's just talking.
DeleteWhat size do you ride, medium? (his would be large)....it's the blue frame that glows in the dark.
Depending on the frame, small or medium. I'm wanting to cut the arch out of 26", 7" travel, dual crown fork and ride it on a 29'er.
DeleteIs that safe? Yeah, all of my friends that would be possibly selling bikes ride larges.
DeleteI just ordered a Lynskey Ridgeline 29er. Excited beyond words. Hopefully it'll be here in a couple of weeks. That cannondale is destroying my wrists, and the back hub is so shot it's almost like 2 wheel steering. It literally tracks the same path the front wheel does in slight turns.
I think I'm gonna get a beater wheelset for the Lynskey and just ride the crap out of it. The frame should be a lifetime deal.
Sold the road bike on ebay this morning. I just can't get into riding on the road. Risk to benefit ratio is skewed too much to the risk side.
I'll most likely be getting to the trail NEXT Monday, July 2nd, and I'm gonna try to make it for at LEAST 4 hours. I'd like to try for 6 hours.
Safety? Have no idea., but I've heard that it works with a thru axel fork. The geometry does appear to be too raked out.
ReplyDeleteWhat time will you be out there tomorrow?
I won't be out there tomorrow. A week from tomorrow I will be, however. I have a final axam in finance (might as well be Greek or Latin)...a couple of papers due, and some other crap. I'm bogged down right now.
ReplyDeleteThe 2nd of July (Monday week from tomorrow) I plan on being there around 7:30/8am and staying for a good long while.
Sorry I did not get out there today. I was a bit selfish and went for a ride at Slinky. After that it was my son's B-day party.
ReplyDeleteBrian, have you thought about building up a Chinese Carbon 29er? Frames can be had for less than $500 bucks, you can get carbon hoops for $150 and lace them up cheap too. MTBR 29er forum is a great source for this. I think I'm going to build one next year or in the winter.
I am not sure when this week I will get out there, but I will. As far as I recall there is still plenty of flagging before the end since I flagged down the "Plunge" to the creek.
Also, I thought of the line at the cedar trees going around the yaupon. Didn't cut the hauling but can.
ReplyDeleteFor the 29'er hard tail, I am just looking for a "rat" bike kind of thing to play with and not go broke doing it.
Going to ride isn't selfish at all. It keeps me sane, I know that much. I won't be on a bike for a week at least, and I'll watch the stress level grow. I'm gonna have to do P90X, and I'm not a fan of doing that crap, although it's a great workout.
DeleteI MIGHT get to sneak out there Thursday between 2:30 and 4:30. I'll let you know if it can materialize.
My current bike is a "rat" 29er. haha.
DeleteMake me an offer.
I'll have to look at it next time we're on the trail. Don't know if the lefty configuration will work with my 26" fork bastardization.
DeleteI was pretty much joking. I wouldn't want any liability that comes with someone riding a blown out lefty fork...the cannondale will be a spare bike for me once the other comes in.
DeleteThe lefty handles like a BMX bike. Amazingly responsive with the big wheels, but they tend to blow out pretty regularly. High maint.
How have y'all been riding the third (I think) step up on Snake Ridge. The step with the."v" in it.
ReplyDeleteI can't see a good line. It's an operator malfunction.
If it's Huck Finn (the biggest step on snake ridge) you're talking about, I hit it a little to the right (headed upward) of center where there is a depression in the top of the rock face. It gives my big ring clearance to get over it without hitting.
DeleteGoing down, I hit the large part, but slightly to the right of that lip that is there (that I'm sure Eric hits). It puts me a little off to the right coming down (gonna scrape those rocks lightly).
The key to getting up it is carrying a little speed up the small climb that goes up to it. The first time I hit that rock I spun out because I was in the granny ring and applied too much torque trying to get up it. Now I carry middle ring in the right turn at the bottom of that hill (which will have a berm at some point) and all the way up it. It takes a lot of effort, but that way I have momentum to yank up on the bars to get the front wheel up and most of the time I can just hop my back wheel up without having to pedal during the step.
Wow, that seemed like a lot of words to a simple question. My bad.
Also, looks like Thursday I'm out. I'll be taking a finance final, which is going to be tons more fun than building and riding trail, except not...then gone all weekend.
DeleteLast time I went UP Huck Finn I went to the far right intentionally to see if I could power/mash up it and sure enough it was much easier than I thought. I hit my bash guard so much I don't even notice it, but I assume I bashed on it. That's why I have a poly guard, doesn't slide so easily as metal ones, but it absorbs the hits a bit. I creeped up it, relying on only the pedal mash with very little momentum, it wasn't above going up fast, I just wanted to see if I could slow-mash up. Coming down, Huck Yeah!
ReplyDeleteBrian - check out the MTBR thread for Chinese Carbor 29ers. You can get one shipped for less than $400. I don't know about the ghetto 26er DC fork though.
I'd love to have a carbon lefty max on one of those Carbon 29ers. Mike, I think Two6Labs (local) does Fox internals to the Lefty http://www.two6labs.com/, they definitely rebuild them. I'm a fan of the Lefty.
I'll have to check on that as I replenish my cash supplies. Right now I'm busy selling off all road crap (shoes on ebay now) to cover the cost of the Lynskey (kind of).
DeleteI'd like to have that cannondale to beat on though. Rough estimates I got have been around $300 to rebuild. That's expensive. We'll see. For now, the bike rides, and a rear wheel would come before fork rebuild.
Someone moved the rock up the "easy route" on Huck Finn. I might have to put it back, hehe...or find a bigger one. Can't wait to get back out there and build.
What is your guys favorite section of trail so far (specify direction traveling and spot if you can).
My favorite part so far is probably the newest part from the stone bench to the top of dubstep. You can get some serious cruising speed up through that section. Last time I did that part, I got caught in too tall of a gear on that climb that leads to the Dubstep climb and had to just beast it out up that hill. That won't happen again.
Ah, just checked the link..looks like much less..possibly 140-200. I could swing that down the road for sure. It would be worth it.
DeleteI really like the section of trail from Snake Ridge through Dub Step.
ReplyDeleteWhat are the work plans for this weekend?
I'm out of town all weekend. I'll be out there working on Monday.
DeleteSame - From Snake to the current end, especially from the big down hill.
ReplyDeleteSorry I have been MIA - Monday will probably be my next day out there and then again next Sunday July 8th in the evening possibly. July 7th is my 11th wedding anni.
I'm planning on heading out in the morning.
ReplyDeleteWhere we at with everything?
I'll be out tomorrow morning. I'm hoping for several good hours of working. I'm planning on going out there super early to extend my time and beat the heat a little.
DeleteMade a decent bit of progress today. Got past a point where we were very close to the houses, but really I was only in direct view for a few minutes. In any event, we're still rolling along with things, albeit a bit slower lately due to outside commitments, but it'll happen.
DeleteThe time between August 1 and August 13 I'll be out there a LOT.
Wife and kid are I OK, so I rode all weekend.
ReplyDeleteI will head out to the trail this afternoon for a little bit.around 6:30.
I cleared tread down to the next group of cedars and tried to sharpen the loppers. Tools were left in the same place, out of view of the houses.
ReplyDeleteNot much acommplished, but a littled closer to the end.
Yeah, man. Any progress is progress. I am getting out today, and depending on how much time it looks like I'll have, I might just freakin' get my ride on. If I'm gonna have an hour to spare, I will knock out some clearing.
DeleteI'm really digging the climbing on this trail. Once we have 5ish miles of trail, it's gonna actually be a bit of a beast to ride from home, do a couple loops, and back. I envision taking Avery Ranch Blvd home a fair amount in the future, head hanging to the side, popped like a can of pringles.
Trail is riding in good too. I'm getting better traction and not washing out on the corners now
ReplyDeleteTrail dried out and I'm starting to slide again. Need a little rain.
ReplyDeleteI cut and treaded down to the last red flag before you drop down into the drainage. Moved the tools down to where I cut through the cedars.
I think that we need to bring the flagged line through the drainage about 50 feet upstream. From the last upland red flag curve left around the cedar tree and then through the drainage. It would be less work cutting and I think that it would hold up well in the long run.
What do y'all think?
I was out there riding today and rode to the end of what you cut....really nice downhill. I would say we just keep to plan and keep that speed through that nice drainage. I don't see any of it washing out very easily, but I'm no expert.
DeleteIt was great to see people out riding the trail. I'm gonna text that Carlos guy next time I go out there and try to get a read on when he might be able to help. He seemed really eager and offered his number up quickly. He said (about the newest part) "I been keeping up with the trail's progress, and when I hit this part I thought 'they really stepped it up a notch here'" That was cool, I thought, since it really does feel that way on that section. I'm calling that section from the climb to DubStep through "The Altar" the Moose Knuckle. It's kinda the same dilemma as a real knuckle. It's good because it means you have a big package, but it's bad because well...ok fine it's not really that bad at all.
I'm definitely getting more tired after a 2 hour ride than I used to.
We can sweep the curve of the trail around the cedar without loosing much speed, and we wouldn't have to severely cut/ remove the trees in the drainage.
ReplyDeleteGiven the desire to milk the terrain for mileage, I feel strongly that it should go straight...not to mention that you've just come out of the Moose Knuckle and will welcome a nice downhill to get some speed going again. My vote is for straight as flagged.
DeleteI recall scouting and flagging this to be a screaming down hill - the straight down is slightly angled to avoid erosion issues and allow you to use momentum to carry up the other side. I can't get out there til Sunday - I'm in Galveston. Mike, check it and do what you think is right. Sorry I haven't been out much lately.
ReplyDeleteI went ahead and punched through straight with a pretty wide corridor. I did that because when you're coming down that downhill and have a ton of speed, you can be "off" a little bit as you go through the trees and line up the drainage crossing...or if you crash humping the rock into the gap between the trees, it won't be as harsh. I rode it after I cut it and I can tell it will be a really fun little humpable spot. The drainage spot could easily be manualed as well.
DeleteAfter you hit that part you'll be greeted by a nice little climb with a rocky deal to navigate at the top. I guess that's still snake ridge, then I'm thinking we turn it back around and start milking that "wider" piece of land before we make a final run to the ravine crossing.
Brian, let's figure out a time we can get out there and scout/flag some more trail. I didn't really scout past where I stopped flagging yesterday, so I don't know if we can extend that line a bit further west before turning around or if it needs to turn around pretty quickly.
DeleteWe also need some preliminary names for the trail. I keep leaning towards something more emotional like "Deception" or "The Truth"....just because it's deceptively demanding, and if you are blown up tired you can get offline in a hurry and get into relative trouble.
I don't know, but nothing stands out thus far.
I'm riding out there tonight about 7.
ReplyDeleteAlso, have Sat PM and Sunday AM available for trail flagging/cutting.
Did the loppers work any better?
I'm probably riding tonight, but not until about 8:30pm or 9 if I go at all.
DeleteThe loppers were working ok as far as I could tell. If anything, they may have had a little more difficulty getting through the big branches, but I can't say that for sure. But all in all, they seemed ok to me. I was cutting some pretty big ones, as you will see when you witness the huge corridor I cut there.
I could possibly do Sat PM or Sun AM. I'll let you know which would work.
Sat PM. What evertime works for you.
DeleteWell, I was able to get out this morning. I wasn't sure until the last minute, and I managed to get 2.5 hours with that David guy out there helping.
DeleteThere really was no choice after the climb/rock feature where we left off. The available land just up the hill from that rocky part pinches together very thin...just enough land to get one last track west toward the big ravine.
So, I just took it up the hill a little and turned it around and back across the "double drainage" crossing. There was lots of cutting to get good, flowy lines, and David did a great job treading. Lots of good progress, and we just wanna make sure we scout the crap out of the lines before we select them and stick to the "no cut" unless you got 2 guys out there MO.
I'm hoping to get out there tomorrow morning, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to or not.
Anxious to check out the newest part by bike; I drove over there today.
How much trail are we trying to GW before we cross the drainage above Jaggers? How much is flagged?
ReplyDeleteI rode it yesterday on the squishy 29'er. Nice ride on the big bike.
Also, walked around up the hill, pretty flat up there.
Well, the part we just did is basically the base of a triangle with the other two sides being lined with houses, so I guess we just snake it back and forth in pretty straight lines (simply because we don't have much room) a few times before we are forced to head back above Jaggers. That's the immediate goal. I say we keep the same MO of keeping it kinda close to itself but trying not to get ridiculously so.
DeleteI should be out there in the AM Sunday.
Did you add rocks into the rock feature above Lloyd Bridges? It smooths it out, but that's one of the only technical pieces out there? As if 29er wasn't "cheating" enough ;)
And a squishy 29er at that!
ReplyDeleteAnyways, yeah like the post from June 15th where Eric drew on the map says "The dark thin blue line after the red is the proposed line we will continue after the red is done. It's a nice long downhill that crosses the creek again and heads up to the end of Snake Ridge before doubling back. We will try to double back a couple of more times to get several fast runs through the ravine, before snaking up near the flood pond and finally punching across the top of the big ravine and Snake and Jaggers."
I agree with this, and after scouting it's really the only thing left to do is try to snake it back and forth a few times and then punch across the ravine. Then we'll be done with that chunk and onto the next. Should get really interesting on that other side. Looking forward to it.
I was out there today doing a little recon and some trimming of limbs.
ReplyDeleteIt was a little too exposed to some of the houses along the perimeter, so I didn't do a whole lot. I'm going to try to get out there Tuesday around 2:30pm when people will be less likely to be home and outside. Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but I didn't want to jeopardize it now. There's not a whole lot left to do on this section, as it seems to me the real estate is running out pretty quickly.
Well Brian, there's some rain you were asking for!
ReplyDeleteI was out there yesterday riding, and that limestone gets slick as snot son! I was riding when it began raining, so it wasn't all muddy quite yet.
Then I took cover under the 183A bridge over the Regional Trail for a while. I'll most likely be out there tomorrow working on the trail from about 2:30pm until 4:30pm or 5. I'll just be walking in and trying to get some more hacked away at.
I was praying for a little rain. Trail should be packing in nicely though.
ReplyDeleteDepending on the weather and the wife, might be able to make of out Friday morning for a couple hours.
I have had some time open up Friday afternoon. My kids will be tied up (not literally) from noon to 5pm, so after lunch with the wife, I should be clear for at least a couple hours of work tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteI plan on going out there today (might not happen) for a couple of hours. If I make it out there, I will flag what I think works in all red. I think we should stick to the back and forth method of milking this piece with turns that aren't TOO tight unless they are going to be slow by nature. If we can haul ass into turns, we need to keep that in mind with how tight they are...because if it's capable of being hauled ass into, it will be.
Anyways, I'll flag in all RED flags, and if you disagree, then I'll just leave it up to you to change it, but I'll try my best to keep a flow and work toward using the rest of what we have.
I'd prefer to not have to build berms back in that area just because of proximity to the houses; therefore, really tight, off camber turns should be avoided in my humblest of opinions.
Talk soon.
So I guess my mission for today/tomorrow has changed into berm creation. Curious to see how the ground will work when it's muddier. Should be easier to pack the berm faces.
ReplyDeleteI'll be attacking 3 spots: Below Huck Finn, the turn Frank and Brian created that one day uphill from the proposed wood feature tree ride-through, and Snaggle Rock to Rainy Day transition.
With all the rain, we'll get to see how we did with everything.
ReplyDeleteI assume it's going to be dry enough by Wed to get out there and I plan to get out there Wed.
ReplyDeleteI am really sorry I haven't been gang-busting on the trail, but I will get back to at least twice a week work days out there.
Tentatively I have a pass for Saturday morning, so I'll probably ride from the house and put in a couple of hours. Sounds like we need to get things flagged, so I'll make sure we get all the flags out this week and hopefully put in a few hours of cutting too.
Who has plans to be out there this week and when?
I can most likely be out there Tues and Thurs from 2:30pm to 4:30 or so...maybe a little later on Tuesday. I'm not 100% on that, though. I'll update when I know.
ReplyDeleteI was out there the other day and got a berm done below Huck Finn. It was nice putting it off because I was able to see a ridge where people were wanting to turn, and I was able to just build it there and it fits nicely. I did get a lightning storm dropped on me all of a sudden, and I had to leave a McLeod at that berm and head for the YMCA/183A bridge. The trail was too muddy for me to ride back and get the McLeod, so if you're wondering where one of them is, that's where.
As far as flagging goes, I'd like to get a shit ton of it flagged in the next couple of weeks since my family will be gone from July 31st to August 13th. I have plans to do some camping and other things during that time, but I will be out there about every evening during the week working on the trail. I'm really hoping to hit it hard during that time.
ReplyDeleteThen, once school starts and I have every other Fri/Monday off, my kids will both be in school, so I will have the ability to get a lot done then as well.
Let's get back on this thing and get across the ravine where I have a feeling it will get really interesting.
Rode the trail yesterday and did a little work...
ReplyDeleteIt drained remarkably well. I didn't cake mud up on my tires until I got to the very end of what we have cut. A couple of the crossings had standing water, but I cut little drainage grooves to facilitate drying out.
Overall, though, I'm VERY impressed with the way the trail held and the drainage. You can't even tell there was a couple of huge rains in terms of any erosion. The hike n bike sections of the Regional Trail were washed away pretty hardcore, however.
I will be out there next tomorrow from 2:30pm until about 4:30pm.
Eric: If you can get out there today and review what I have flagged - which isn't much - (and flag some more) that would be great. I am fairly certain you will want to snake the trail back a couple more times before we "extend and escape" back across the ravine, but I also don't want it to feel like we're winding it back and forth just for the sake of doing it (if possible), but in the end, I guess we just milk it for all it's worth. Then, tomorrow I can get out there and cut and/or call you to review the lines.
I've got a few more berms in mind that I am going to build, and I want to discuss a wood feature/berm at some point in the Moose Knuckle.
Where is moose knuckle?
ReplyDeletehaha, moose knuckle is the part where you come down that fast hill and hit the super hard left turn at the bottom where I built a little berm and then you climb back up and through the trees toward the houses and hit that piece of trail before the little rock feature and long downhill to the newest stuff (very close to houses).
ReplyDeleteI rode it last night in the dark, and it actually helped me carry more speed through that section by not trying to go so fast, ironically.
This trail can ALMOST handle all the speed you can throw at it. Once all the berms are in place, it'll be money.
I'll be out there today, and depending on how much flagging we have, I will either be cutting new trail or doing berms.
You lost me at fast.
DeleteHow many hours and how much distance do we need to get to the ravine crossing?
Any thoughts about cutting in a short connection back to snake ridge before crossing the ravine?
Well, as soon as we get back to the ravine we will be able to link into Rainy Day and Snaggle Rock. At that point there will be potential for loops with the interchange being all in the same place. This will give us 24 different ways (4 factorial) to ride that section alone (assuming) at least 2 loops are made in a ride. I say we just get back to the ravine and link into the existing stuff there to keep it symmetric and neat. It won't take us THAT long to get back to the ravine once we're flagged and my family goes out of town.
ReplyDeleteI seriously am going to go for it HARD after they are gone. I'm even buying a new saw for the occasion.
We've kind of stalled out right now, so progress seems like it's slow going (not blaming at all, just stating)...but once we get going again I feel like we'll progress quickly back to the ravine. That line won't have a lot of variety; it'll just have to be a straight shot pretty much since we'll be close to the houses and don't have much width to work with.
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ReplyDeleteYesterday, I added 2 berms and punched through the trees at the end of the trail. Hopefully Eric can get out there Sat. AM and take a look at the rest of the land we're working with in that section. His flagging has worked out really well with input from others, so I think keeping it that way would be the best option.
ReplyDeleteIf you're concerned about people in the houses seeing you, you have to imagine that (A) there are a couple of windows at any given time that people would have to be looking out of at the very moments of exposure and (B) that they care enough to call an authority. Since A leads to B and the chance of A is slim in my opinion, I have relaxed about working around the houses, but I'm very careful to walk around with tools out of the line of sight whenever possible. That way it creates fleeting moments where someone might see me IF they are standing at the window or sitting on the deck looking. I might even bring a small pair of binocs out there just for overkill.
Sorry for the ramblings, but I tend to think and type at the same time. Another thing that needs to be done (until we get more flagging to pursue) is cleaning up existing trail. Cactus are starting to grow back (especially in the pre-McLeod era sections) and limbs are seeming to creep back into play. With all the rain, weeds seem to be an issue as well (but not a huge deal really).
I HAVE to put a berm soon below The Altar (2nd pic in above post) because that sharp right hand turn back into the trees after coming down is driving me nuts. I'm pretty sure I said "Fuckin A" yesterday as I hit that turn. If I get out there Sunday at all, that's my #1 priority. It's gonna be a very short, deep berm that will allow for some huckage off the altar and maintenance of speed.
Eric's artwork at one of the newly created berms (on an older section of trail) can double as a nice little bench if needed. I cut a small little path to it. I also repaired and attempted to armor the little tree hump piece that got all washed out. I'm not sure how to get that stuff to stay, but hopefully the armoring will keep it from washing out so easily.