progress at Krug

Randy, Craig, Lance and I are making progress at Krug. I think the section Craig cut is about .1 miles by the look of it and the new section on the south side of the parking lot is .3 miles giving us close to a half mile of new trail. I estimate that I have another 3/4 of a mile flagged so that means another 1.25 miles added to the 5.5 mile existing loop. I hope we will have an 8 mile loop at the end of fixing Krug. I think Lance is working on the trails Saturday, let me know if anyone needs to borrow the equipment. We already have several contributers for new equipment, the city and everyone else is really supportive of what we are doing.

north corby

This is the before shot of a large ivy field flagged. the next is looking back at the trimmed section. and finally some cool down trees the trail will zoom past. Things are starting really nice on the new Corby north section. I trimmed the first section and it will have some rolling sections that should prove to be fun. There will need to be two bridges about 8 feet to cross small creeks one at the first. The next one is to a cool ridge between two creek beds. There are a few things that I feel need to be addressed since we are at a good point in our trail building process. First of all we need to get the city to promote the Corby trails as the Mark Reynolds complex. First of all because its the right thing to do to remember him for his enthusiasm for the sport and secondly it can only promote what we are doing ourselves to grow the sport. I plan to talk to Bill with parks and Donna Marks mom to make this happen. With these last touches to the Corby trails it really is mostly complete and we should be proud of what we have done. The next order of business is to get more equipment. I was thinking we needed more chain saws and trimmers but I realize we don't have heavy duty portable battery operated tools to build wooden structures, this is what i want to buy. We need to get out bridge building in order to do the things I plan on doing to Krug it requires building new bridges. Please give me your thoughts on this. I am on a fund raising campaign right now so anyone with ideas of who I can get donations from please let me know, because the tools we need are not cheap at all! Again if anyone wants to trim at N. Corby's new section please have at it just follow the flags. The same is true of Krug too.

New Trail Section

Here's a few pics from this weekend's trail work at Krug.

Lance... Thanks for all the help Saturday morning.

The new section is pretty much complete along with an additional switchback on top.

Still need to build a small bridge at the start though.

quiet clarity

today was amazingly clear. that sun was so crisp. just awesome.

felt kind of guilty for not doing trailwork today, but needed to get the dogs out, and needed to get myself out too.

it was a completely off trail day. started out going south, but then dropped all the way to the bottom and headed north. climbed and descended probably 25 cliffs and rock ledges. it was awesome, if not a little dangerous at times, and probably flat out stupid at other times. but it was that kind of day - a "do something stupid today" sort of day, and i was going to do something stupid come hell or high water. only fell once, but after a tumble landed on my feet and kind of slid down the rest of the way like i was skiing. stopped. looked around, and wished for a moment there was someone there to see it.

Also found some places i had not been. an awesome over look that was just best view of the north river i have seen around here. ended up sitting down and enjoying it for 30 minutes or so. it was just really nice.

also found some new trails that someone has been working on. i might have been in camp gieger, i have no idea. but the trails ran and ran and ran. shawn, have you been over there working?

The ultimate rental car dream for me

http://video.kenblockracing.com/flash/small_player/preloader.swf?vendor_id=204&media_id=9183&bgcolor=FFFFFF&autoplay=0

When I dream of the ultimate rental car, it goes something like that. Thanx to Dave Crook for this video. The el senior WOODrow hippie

Krug Trail Clean Up / Re-Routing

Walked through parts of Krug on Saturday picking up limbs and trying to find Shawn's re-routing flags. Found one set of flags but will need Shawn to explain things in a bit more detail. Went back up on Sunday after an early morning ride through the Corbies, GSC and the Brownie.
Looks like we need to re-build several of the bridges on the bridge trail... Maybe set some posts so they stay put when the rains come. While I was up there I tried to hand clear some of the old trail across the big revine behind the log cabin. The long bridge we put in years ago suprisingly is still in very good shape. Went back up later in the day and started clearing several downed trees with the chainsaw.
There is a very steep hill basically at the beginning of that trail right after it crosses the creek. I decided to re-route the trail to the right just before crossing the creek. This will take us across the creek and up the side hill of the revine creating a longer gradual climb. Once on top we will tie back into the old trail.
If any of you are interested in helping out on the new section you can call me or post a comment here. If you just have some free time and want to go up there, by all means feel free. We could definately use help (especially with the bench cutting).
Overall, the trails still need alot of clean up... more chain saw work, some weed eating, bridge re-building, overhead thinning, blowing and of course more re-routing.
We obviously are not pressed for time but it definately would'nt hurt to get started soon as there is alot to get done.
One other thing for you amusement... Was back up there with the chainsaw late this afternoon and ended up getting the chain and bar stuck in a tree that was laid across the creek and the new section of trail. If you see a bar and chain hangin there you know you found the right spot!!

A forest dark...

"Midway upon the journey of our life
I found myself within a forest dark,
For the straightforward pathway had been lost." -Dante Alighieri - The Inferno, Canto I.


So through the forest I stumbled, looking for something - but not finding it for the nature of its indentity was unclear to me.



I found myself at an apparent impass. A narrow path where turning around was not easy, or sensible, moving forward was arguous, to the right a wall, and to the left a cliff. How I found myself there was unimportant, but the risk associated with each decision was potentially mortal - though each risk at the hands of a different fate.




Finally as the footing began to give way, a decision was forced. Up. This time I would climb up and out of the predicament into which I had stumbled. Up and out of this dirty, cold place aside the cliff wall, where there was nothing but rodent excriment and crumbly rocks to fill my grasp.


Up on top. To feel the fresh wind. To ask for forgiveness for the actions that put me in the prior escaped situation. To feel the warm radiance of that forgiveness, and the redemption that comes with it. Up was the right way. This time, it was the right way.

Cold

Well, I guess winter is officially here. Icicles from the roof this AM. Doesn't seem possible does it?

TV Dude???

Jason,

Would you pass this one to your mountain biking dudes if they are interested.

Thanks,
Bob Fitz

_____________________________________


Subject: Mike Steidley
On the off chance that any of you are interested. Mike and another rider are going to be featured on the Discovery Channel show “Time Warp” on the evening of Nov. 26th.

To think I got to ride with that dude! He was actually at my house… and he rode in my car and truck.

On a serious note, please pass the word to those who may be interested… if you know of anyone… other than me.

Thanks.
Ed

Trail Work Saturday???

Anyone up for some trail work on Saturday? I have Shawn's blowers and his chainsaw.
Let me know... I plan to be at the GSC around 8:00 am

Things I need to be reminded of...

Above all family comes first
Friends are important, you need them more than they need you
Work is necessary but riding is a priority
Working too many hours leads to a lack of riding which leads to laziness which leads to inefficient work habits... Ride damn it!!!
The smartest people are those who truly listen... Sometimes it's best to keep your mouth shut
Embrace getting older, what's the alternative?
Winning is'nt everything but losing sucks... You are not a loser
When you're done, you're not... Push harder
If you think you have an excuse, you don't
There is no better place to ride than Moab... Get out there!
13,000 feet is better than sea level, 14,000 feet is better than 13,000 feet... Get your ass up Long's Peak
Trail work... You ride it so help maintain it
You'll never be the best rider but you are a good rider, still... you can be a better rider
Push yourself past what you thought was your limit, if you don't you'll never know
Riding is a privelage... Get off your ass
Life has treated you well... You owe somebody... It's not all about you
Get over yourself... Everyone else has

anyone wanting to race

I'm finally back in town from living the rock star life style. I spoke to JC Shores who's parents own the skating rink here in town. He is living in Kansas now but is always back in town, He loves what we have going on with our trails and riders. He ask me about putting together a MTB/Cross race team for next year. He is wanting to do jerseys and everything so we look bonified. There will be some cost on the jerseys about $40 if we cant get additional local sponsers to pitch in (Craig we would even put your logo on the jersey..hint hint) JC said he will sometimes pick up entrey fees through his company for certain races. Does anyone know anyone else we can tap to sponser the team in any way? If you are interesed in the team please respond to this poast with your jersey size. Just realize you will need to pick up what ever the jersey cost will be after sponsers chip in.

sun bathed

this morning i stepped out of the house into a misty, foggy, sun bathed world.



everything was dewy and fresh, and it was a good morning to ride.

Strangely Enough....

I got to ride a little today... and it was good.


The weather was beautiful, and the time I spent outside was not enough, but i gulped it down like I would never see the outdoors again. I showed up late at GSC and the gang had already been through all the trails. Jason had it in for me, and took off like a mad man. He drove us hard for awhile, then finally slowed down about half way through a GSC lap. I was finally starting to warm up at that time, took longer than usual for some reason. It was a hard half lap. The second half was pretty more of a tempo pace. After that, everyone took off except Hoppe and me. We pulled out a lap at Brownie, then headed over to the Corbies.


The Corby trails were leafy, but for the most part were clear and fast. We hit it pretty hard and I was hurting bad and moving a lot of air around. Toward the end of the lap at Corby South, Hoppe decides he wants to jump the creek down by the pond. I got a picture of him landing. The whole thing looked pretty cool, but he landed really hard and won't be having any more kids, sorry buddy, watching hurt me too.



Well, we kept rolling for a minute. Then out of no where Hoppe is riding a front wheelie and is going over the bars. He saves it, sort of - and we take a breath and see what the hell happened. Turns out his tire came off the rim, but the tube didn't pop. Weirdest thing I have ever seen a tire do.


Hoppe proceeded to molest his tire for the next 10 minutes or so. I was kind of somewhere else today, so I wandered around and tried to take in the woods and water, just tanking up to hold me through the next week. I know I won't be able to get out during the week.

The sun streamed between these trees and hit me in the face. Everything kind of turned colors in my field of vision, like happens when sun hits you in the eyes. Surroundings kind of looked like a dream for just a second. I was happy to have been there.

Wandered back the other way, checked on Hoppe (still molesting his tire), made a smart-ass comment, then stood by the waters edge. Everything was very calm, the water was glassy, and things were peaceful. A vibrant yellow tree reaching out over the water caught my eye. Once I saw it, I couldn't get it out of my head. Wondered if anyone else had noticed it. It was trying so hard to be noticed; reaching out, busting with color, casting its reflection and doubling the visual impact. Again, felt lucky to have noticed it, and again was happy to be there.

And we were off again. Rolled through Corby North to finish things off. This time it was my turn to lead, and I tried to do it justice. Trails were pretty open with only one tree down I think. We rolled pretty fast and I was feeling it. Hoppe was right on my ass the whole time, there was no way I could have pulled away from him. So it was fun. Toward the end of the lap it was my turn. Started to feel my rear wheel sliding out in the corners.... Yep, flat tire. Dammit. Stopped and started farting with it. The new pump in my back pack didn't work, so that sucked. Also broke the tube, so that sucked too. Finally got a new tube in and pumped it up with Hoppe's pump - and we were off again.

Finished it off and headed for home.

Trail Maintenance Day

Any input from you guys about scheduling a trail maintenance day?
I was hoping we could get a good size crew together on Saturday, November 8th (Next weekend)
The GSC could use some bench cutting, more de-nubbing and blowing. We could also stand to shore up the rocks in the small drop towards the end of the trail.
Also some bench cutting needs to be done on the Brownie.
Maybe we could even get Shawn to lay out the extension to the Brownie so we could get started on that later in November or early December.

Local Riders at Landahl

just sick and wrong

I had my first chance to do a cross race Sat at Smithville lake. The day was cool and very breezy with the wind whipping off the lake. I entered the single speed class and just got my butt kicked I only beat a guy on a Wal-Mart bike and he was'nt even in my class, it was sad. 30 min of anarobic sprints is not my strong suit. I hung out a little longer and races 35+ masters race. I placed 13th out of 16, I was still out of my class. There were other groups racing at the same time so I got to beat a few girls too, but some passed me too. Tim Crowley also raced we all had a great time. It wasn't till later that we discovered that I was racing aginst CAT 3-4 roadies. They smoked me on the opens but I tore it up on the dirt turns and technical sections. Pappy Long was there killing everyone of course. All in all I had fun and think I'd do it again if i got a chance even though it was sick and wrong.

Sunday Ride w/ Jason

Jason and I hit Corby and the GSC mid-afternoon today. I was a little off from hiking and he was kind of tired from lifting, so we just cruised. He did a few of his signature stops for me in the middle of some down hills, and even in the middle of a couple uphills, just to keep me on my toes since he was leading today. I promised him that if he did it again, I was going to plant that 29" wheel in his ass. Joking, of course - I know it wouldn't fit in there.

It was very windy, so much so that talking was difficult over the noise in the trees. There are some branches down, and we were definitely keeping our eyes out for falling objects. Need to get out there with the chainsaw it looks like.

In the Brownie trail, we were cruising along and a deer jumped off the trail in front of Jason. At that moment I looked over and saw two more deer right by the trail. We slammed on the brakes and all three of them just stopped and looked at us. We were less than 10 feet from them and we all kind of just hung there and stared at eachother. They were not scared and infact they started grazing while we were stopped there. I got a picture of them, but of course it kind of sucks.

Ran into Hoppe out there leaf blowing the GSC. Trail was very smooth and fast where he had been. It was certainly a lot of work, and he should be thanked for his efforts.

On the older trails, fall leaves provide a protective barrier and a regenerative layer. This regeneration will help protect the hills and gulleys from spring rains. Leaf cover will also allow us to ride when it is more muddy. Wet leaves don't stick to tires, wet dirt does.

On the other hand, it does slow down the riding for a month or two. And, leaf litter does increase the risk of bike damage from hidden sticks and rocks - so it is totally a give and take situation. Hell, last year I went through a couple deraillers because of trail clutter. Sucked.

Anyway, this is a point of contention in other areas of the country, and there are alternative viewpoints - but I'm pretty sure it is the case around here. Other thoughts? Trail Hippie, what do you think?

Started the Day....

With a feeling that things might make sense for awhile. I wanted to cement that state of mind, so I decided a hike at River Breaks was the thing. There are three trail systems at River Breaks, I have been on one, so I thought I might try one of the other two.

Started the excursion in a clearing that overlooked a valley, and across to the surrounding hills. Colors are starting to pop, and a cool breeze hit me in the face. Shivers ran up and down me, and I felt really alive for a bit.

I descended a long steep hill, dropping about 150 feet in elevation into the tree canopy. Found a wonderful little stream. Every thing was so quiet, except for the sound of running water. It was a cool dewy moment of watching small frogs hop into the water, and imagining how good that water might taste. I was not brave (or stupid) enough to taste it though. What a simple decision, that could have such dire consequences. Life is like that I guess, funny little decisions all the time that we take for granted, but can be severly altering for what can seem like an eternity. I guess the example fits, cause any amount of time seems like eternity when you have giardia.

Up and out of creek bottom. Another vista, and a surprise - a pond in the valley below. It was absolutely beautiful. Started another descent into the valley.

The pond was so calm. Crystal clear and peaceful. I sat in the grass for a little while, watched the dogs chase a snake, and just thought about things. The sun was so warm - fall warm though, the kind of sunshine that is working real hard to be warm for you. It's a losing battle though, soon the sun won't be keeping up and the snow will be flying. That's okay too though, I'm looking forward to that stage again. Something different. Hang up the bike, pull down the skis. I hope we get some good snow this year.

The rest of the hike was up and down the loess hills that line the Missouri River. At the tops are reminant loess prairies, in the valleys are old growth forest. Both have their majesty. Eventually I started getting blisters on my heels. Funny thing, I have never had problems with these boots, could be a socks thing, or the fact that I probably descended and climbed a couple thousand feet over the course of 7 miles or so. Finally completed the loop and decided to jump out onto the road for a bit to get back to my car quicker. I was torn doing this, I wanted to go back the way I had come, and the pain in my heels was definitely a main focus of my experience, but it was also the kind of bitter sweet, redemptive pain that can last for awhile before it really starts causing problems. I was starting to feel my socks get wet though, and that is not a good sign, so I cut it short and jumped out on to the road for a mile or so.


The road was smooth, and it made me want to get out and do an epic dirt road ride. In the mile or so of road that I wandered, I didn't see a single car or indication that there was another person on earth. Solitude.

Saw one thing that I have never seen before... Walked for awhile with a "cloud" of lady bugs. Apparently those little bugs swarm and migrate or something, cause there was thousands and thousands of them, all moving at just a bit faster than walking speed, and me right in the thick of it. Really felt like I was part of something there for a minute, something larger than myself for sure. Just kidding, it was just a bunch of bugs, but it was pretty weird and I felt kind of lucky to see it.

Till next time....

Have you ever....

Lost control for just a second. Hit an immovable obstacle. Then fallen to the ground?

After hitting the ground, did you shake the impact out of your head and wait for a moment as things came back into focus? Did you have a new perspective on things, from a different vantage point? A view of the world that you don't usually take. One where you are close to the earth, where you can smell the dirt and the rot. You can see the busy activity of small insects. Did you notice how the fallen leaf litter blankets the earth, protects it, and regenerates what was lost in the spring and summer rains? Did you notice that the colors of the forest are different from down here? The yellows brighter, the browns more earthy, the dusty yellow filtered fall light warmer and more regenerative than it is from five feet higher where you normally see this view?

While you were down there, did you find something that you weren't looking for? Something that made you think about perspective and how it can change everything depending on which side of it you reside? Did you ever think about luck? Did you consider that nearly any situation where luck is involved has an element of good luck for one party, and bad luck for another? Truely, the rabbit's foot is lucky for the hunter - but the fact that the hunter now possesses the rabbit's foot is unlucky for the rabbit. Did you consider this as a constant through life?

As you pick yourself up, and dust yourself off - maybe look around and think about the give and take; the ebb and flo; the birth and death that is constantly surging forward and pulling back all around us. Think about how as you gain, others lose; then when you lose others will gain. As you climb back on your bike, think about how small these things are in the scheme of things, but how they also might have an unintended, or unexpected impact.

The rabbit would never have comprehended that he might have had an impact on your life. Maybe his bad luck was your fortune this time as you ride away with another perspective that you would never have gained if it weren't for his loss.

To all those who lost someone this week (there were many around me)... I'm sorry for your time of pain and sorrow. Please know that you are all in my thoughts and prayers. Maybe with some luck a little meaning will come from what probably seems like senseless loss. I hope so.