A Bunch of Turkeys showed up at Mianus

Even though the weather report said rain it wasn't raining when I left the house this morning. However, by the time I got to the parking area off of Merribrook Lane it was lightly raining. Despite the rain, the turn out was great, 9 people showed up to ride.

George

Everyone getting ready in the new lot

Glenn warming up

The trails were actually in great shape and even though it had been raining, which I think it was due to all the leaves on the trails yet traction wasn't a problem. The roots, on the other hand, tended to be a little more slippery than usual and there are a lot of roots at Mianus - I guess you could say it made the ride a little more challenging.

Rest Stop at the Cave

Trails at Mianus are simply superb! The efforts of Ryan Tucker, Dave Francefort, and Rich Coffey really show up in the trail reroutes, benching, and obstacle planning. Mianus has a mix of buff trails that roll like buttah and an equal share of gnarly, rooted, rocky, technical trails typically found in New England. If you are in the area I recommend you ride Mianus sometime. Those not familiar, check out these map resources for Mianus. The major trails are signed so getting lost in the woods is nearly impossible.

music by Exodus

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TA Report: North Newtown

Date of Activity: 11/25/2009
Location: Upper Paugussett State Forest & Brookfield Open Space (Dingle Brook Trail System)

A pure hand needs no glove to cover it.

-- Nathaniel Hawthorne

Trail Ambassador Name: Mark Lurie
Trail Ambassador Email: eatsleepfish@gmail.com
Town: Newtown & Brookfield
Trail(s) Ridden: Upper Gussy & Dingle Brook
How did you use the trail?: Mountain bike riding
What was the time of day?: Ride after Work
Duration (Hours): 2
Distance (Miles): 9

Condition of Trail(s): The Gussy trail is nice! Leaves are pretty well compacted so you know there is a trail there. There are many trees down on the Dingle Brook trail on the climb up from the bench.

Observations: Cleared some deadfall off the Gussy near the trail head.

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Turkey Burner Ride - 11/27

The Mianus River Park Turkey Burner will be a fun, intermediate level ride. We'll be taking a tour of everything the park has to offer, this includes some tech riding and technical trail features. The park is SS friendly and has some play features for those interested. Goal is for ~2 hours of no drop riding and undoing the turkey induced comas from Thursday.

Also, don't forget to check out our new interactive map for Mianus River Park.

Wheels in the dirt at 9 AM!

Hard rain night before or during cancels. Park drains relatively well so drizzle will be a go.

Meet at the Red Barn parking lot off of Merribrook Road [Crankfire.com], in Stamford, CT.

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TA Report: Pequonnock River Valley

Date of Activity: 11/22/2009

Bridge over the Pequonnock River

Trail Ambassador Name: Mark Lurie

Trail Ambassador Email: eatsleepfish@gmail.com

New Bridge on Blue Trail

Town: Trumbull

Location: Pequannock River Valley

Trail(s) Ridden:

How did you use the trail?: Mountain bike riding

Hoofed Rat in the Serengeti

What was the time of day?: Early Morning

Duration (Hours): 2 hours

Distance (Miles): 6 miles

Condition of Trail(s): Leafy with many mud holes. The white trail in the north section of the park is particularly muddy.

Iron Horse MKIII - Rigged as a Single Speed

Observations: Surprised to see so many people out on the trail so early in the morning. The new bridge on the blue trail is really nice. Was having a great ride until my chain got stuck between my spokes and cassette. Spent half an hour Trail Ambassadoring to myself. Ended up rigging myself single speed and sparing myself the walk of shame.

This place needs a lot of work! Quite a few sections need armoring and one particular section on the yellow trail up near route 25 needs to be rerouted due to erosion.

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Lost Keys - Peqaunnock River Valley (aka Trumbull)

Found these keys on the Blue Trail past the old dam at the following point: 41.25641/-73.20911





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TA Report Bluff Point & Haley Farm State Parks

Date of Activity: November 19, 2009
Location: Bluff Point & Haley Farm State Parks

Trail Ambassador Names: Glenn Vernes
Trail Ambassador Email: glennvernes33athotmaildotcom

Town: Groton
Trail(s) Ridden: Many, all unmarked
How did you use the trail? Mountain Bike
What was the time of day? Late Morning/ Afternoon
Duration (Hours): 3.75

Distance (Miles): 15ish
Condition of Trail(s): Dry, clean, with a thin layer of leaves. Lots and lots of thorn bushes.

Observations: The plan was to scout out a route for a chapter group ride to be held in the near future. I figured I might find two hours of riding, but was pleasantly surprised to find a good deal more. This place sports quite an inventory of trails considering its relatively small size. They wind like spaghetti over the large dome-shaped hill that makes up most of Bluff Point, and some are pretty technical. Not a lot of roots, but some tricky rock gardens, and steep ups and downs. Tight and twisty sections too. They're in very good condition considering the amount of traffic they get. Many sections are lined with thorn bushes. It's a great place for a 29er (is there any place that isn't?) but single speeders might find themselves spinning out their gear in some places. The trails are all unmarked, no blazes anywhere, and the map is useless. It's pretty easy to use the ocean, cove, and airport for orientation- at least when the leaves are off the trees.

I visited Sunset Rock, which is not as romantic as it sounds- especially when you're alone. I crossed the bridge over the railroad tracks to Haley Farm State Park. It's a scenic place with good views of Mumford Cove and Groton Long Point, stone ruins that give it and old world feel (see picture), more thorn bushes, and a lot of dog walkers. The better trails are on the Bluff Point side.

All told I saw five or six other bikers and too many hikers/joggers/dog walkers to count. I cut one fallen tree that was sticking into the trail at a dangerous angle.

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TA Report: Cockaponset SF

Date of Activity: 11/18/09
Trail Ambassador Name: Barry Burke
Trail Ambassador Email: barry@bburke.com
Town: Haddam / Chester
Location: Cockoponsett SF
Trail(s) Ridden: Orange, Purple, Red, White, Blue/Yellow, fire roads.
How did you use the trail?: Mountain bike riding
What was the time of day?: Mid-day
Duration (Hours): 3
Distance (Miles): I lost my computer head ~ the 9 mile mark. Estimate 13-15 miles

Condition of Trail(s): Heavy leaf cover, some wet areas and streams I never knew existed. Overall, everything was in nice shape and very
ridable.

Observations: One hunter was observed, near Pattaconk Lake. Several parked vehicles sprinkled around, but not other trail users noted.

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