Last ride of the decade!

A little last minute ride of CT NEMBA members took place at Huntington State Park this morning, in fact it was the last ride of the decade! Starting out we had Heather, Brendan, Derek, Paula, Glenn and Mark. By the time everyone assembled there must have been 2 inches of snow on the ground and it was still coming down.

While waiting for Paula and Glenn to get ready I spoke to a bow hunter that just came out of the woods and was surprised to learn that quite often he runs into guys hunting with firearms in the State Park! Yes, it's bow hunting only but remember for the future, if you are going to be riding Huntington SP during hunting season please wear blaze orange or another bright color and refrain from wearing white! My fears have come to light about opening up bow hunting here.

Heather and Brendan

There was probably 2 inches of snow on the ground when when we started but scary part was the ice hidden underneath the snow! I think everyone got to experience the joys of having their bike slip out from under them during the first five minutes of the ride. An early casualty occurred when Paula's bike slipped out from under her in the Big Burn. She opted to return to the cars and head into town to the coffee shop.

Derek, Glenn, & Brendan

Brendan between the Blues

Realizing that it would be safer if we stuck to single track we did a loop in the Big Burn and then took the single track that intersects with the blue over by the Mica Mines. From there we went north, rolled down the DH trail and hooked back around to the blue trail. From there we headed out onto the lollipop trail. We were almost back at the lower Dodgingtown lot when Heather suggested we go around the lot because it was one huge ice rink and rode a section of trail that I have never ridden before.

Glen riding the boundary cart path

Derek climbing up from the bottom of the DH trail

Heather

Mark

Glenn having a snack

Group shot before the lollipop trail

From l to r: Heather; Brendan; Glen; Mark

Another group shot, only this one includes Derek (r)

Once back onto the Dodgingtown Road, we cut across to one of the carriage roads. Heather, Glenn, and Brendan decided to hit the Rock and Roll Trail, while I opted to take a loop around the main lake and scouted out a potential new area for a new trail that I am going to start building in the spring, and Derek headed back to the cars.

TA Report: Racebrook Tract

Date of Activity: 12/31/09 Trail Ambassador Name: Ed Perten Trail Ambassador Email: edperten@sbcglobal.net Town: Orange Location: Racebrook Tract Trail(s) Ridden: All How did you use the trail?: Mountain bike riding What was the time of day?: Late morning Duration (Hours): 1-2 Distance (Miles): Several Condition of Trail(s): Snow covered Observations: After being unable to meet up with Mark, Paula, Heather, Glen and others at Huntington State Park in Redding due to poor road conditions – it was snowing – I reluctantly went to the Racebrook Tract as it was local. Let's hear it for WTB Veloceraptor (however it is spelt) tires which provided great traction whether it was going uphill or going downhill in approximately 2" of snow. Nice ride, friendly hikers and I learned two important issues about snow covered riding. 1) If a patch of snow looks real smooth in a grassy area, there is a reason for this…there was a frozen puddle underneath it and as I leaned into a turn, down I went. 2) If you reach your hand to wipe your nose, be aware that you may cause a shift in your weight, lean of the bike and possibly a skid. No I did not fall as I recovered quickly. A nice ride in a 'snow shower', I would have liked to have joined the crew in Redding. Oh well, there will be a next time. Happy holidays!!!

TA Report: West Rock S.P.

Date of Activity: 12/30/09
Condition of Trail(s): Some mud, mostly frozen
Trail Ambassador Name: Eric M
Town: Hamden
Location: From Hill St entrance

Trail(s) Ridden: Red, Red n White
How did you use the trail?: My feet

What was the time of day?: Mid-afternoon
Duration (Hours): .75
Distance (Miles): 2?

Observations & Encounters: After all the snow and then rain that melted the snow the trails were mostly good and frozen throughout though a couple spots that get all-day sun were a little mucky. Picked up a bunch of trash to bring home and throw out (hence my reporting). Other than that and a few small branches down courtesy of yesterday's wind that I threw off the trail not too much new. A lovely time to be out!

TA Report: George C Waldo State Park

Date of Activity: 12/29/2009
Condition of Trail(s): Bone Dry, some frost heaves and patchy snow and ice.

Trail Ambassador Name: Mark Lurie
Town: Southbury
Location: George C Waldo State Park
Trail(s) Ridden: Where's Waldo Trail (Red Blaze), Access Road & Hunter's Trail
How did you use the trail?: Mountain Biking
What was the time of day?: Midday
Duration (Hours): 2 hours
Distance (Miles): 7

Observations & Encounters: 18 degrees and minus 3 degrees with the wind chill, no problem if you are properly dressed for it. The Waldo Trail is awesome! Paula should be extremely proud of this trail. It reminds me of Grayville.

At the end of the lower section, past the Hunter's trail there was a tremendous blow down right before the little bridge.

Spent a few minutes clearing the branches to open the trail.

And then rode through and across the skinny bridge.

The Waldo Trail is in remarkable shape considering all the rain and snow melt we recently had. This is a great example of a sustainable trail!

TM Report: Bradley Park

Date of Activity:12/19/09
Condition of Trails(s): Frozen, Cold

Trail Ambassador Name: David Francefort, Ryan Tucker, Chris Keckemethy
Trail Ambassador Email: dfrancefort@excite.com
Town: Wilton
Location: Bradley Park Trail(s)
Ridden: N/A
How did you use the trail?: Trail Maintenence
What was the time of day?: 8:30
Duration (Hours): 3.5
Distance (Miles): N/A

Observations: Approved project on the orange trail. A section of the trail never dries out and Mike Conklin from the WCC and I hiked out in the fall and made the decision to put in a low walkway like we did at WIlton Woods through a continually muddy area as a trail re-route was not an option. Total length of the walkway would need to be around 70 feet. Gave Mike the wood requirements and he secured all the lumber and had it delivered to their shed in Wilton.

Ryan and I went up to the park early and made a stop at the shed to get half the wood for the project. We arrived at Bradley Park and helpers were just starting to arrive. A good size crew came, around 8 people, and we began by hiking out the 24 4x4's and 16 twelve foot decking boards and tools. Multiple loads were made on the 1/2 mile in to the area we were working and Ryan made a second run to the shed to get the remaining wood.

We began by discussing options on where to start and Mike came up with a great idea on re-routing a small section of the trail to make the entrance on to the walkway better and that ended up being the decision of the day as the flow is now much better and we saved a section of walkway that can be used at the other end. Construction moved along quickly, the hardest part was getting stones to level 4x4's as everything was frozen in the ground. We completed it in 3 hours, but ran out of decking material, my goof on the order, so we will need to get back in to complete the remaining 2 sections.

TA Report: George C Waldo State Park

Bridge on Hunters Trail

Date of Activity: 12/27/09
Trail Ambassador Name: Paula Burton
Trail Ambassador Email: peburton@aol.com
Town: Southbury
Location: George Waldo SP
Trail walked: Where's Waldo Trail, access road, bushwack
How did you use the trail?: Hiking
What was the time of day?: Late morning
Duration (Hours): 2
Miles: 4

Condition of trails: The trails were in great shape considering that the snow pack had just thawed. The trail is 97% free of snow, ice, and mud. Some trail angel had blown the leaves, and did a great job, not cutting any turns. Thank you! If you are looking for someplace to ride without damaging the trail, this is the place. I would have ridden if I had known. Instead, I brought the dog, a ski pole ( in case of tough footing), and the hand saw. I cut several blow downs ( see picture) and also removed a fair amout of brush, some left by a human ( this has been ongoing- it is human work- always at a right angle to the trail, and with saw cuts on the branches) and some left by mother nature. The trail is compacting nicely. It can take up to a year for the soil to compact after cutting a trail, depending on the soil type and usage.

TA Report: Upper Paugussett State Forest

Date of Activity: December 24th, 2009
Trail Ambassador: Mark Lurie
Town: Newtown
Location: Upper Paugussett State Forest
How did you use the trail?: XC Ski
Trail(s) Skied: Poly Brody Forest Road, Upper Gussy, Blue Trail
What was the time of day?: Morning
Duration (Hours): 2.5
Distance (Miles): 3

Observations & Encounters: Besides the bloody mess of deer offal nearby the trail head at the parking lot off of Echo Valley Road, the first thing you will notice is the ATV tracks in then snow. The ATVs basically stayed to the Poly Brody, however there was one track that tried one of the new skidder paths from the recent logging activities.

ATV Tracks passing by the Upper Gussy Trail Head

ATV tracks coming out of the forest on Hanover Rd, across from Silver City Lane

Clearly the ATV riders didn't want everyone to know they are breaking the law so they tore down the No Motorized Vehicles sign

TA Report: Day before the Snow at Trumbull

Date of Activity: December 19th, 2009

Day before the snow

Trail Ambassador Rich Coffey

mtnbikerdad[at]yahoo[dot]com

Trail Ambassador Mark Lurie

Town: Trumbull

Location: Pequonnock River Valley (aka P-Valley)
Trail(s) Ridden: White, Blue, Yellow, Red, and few bootlegs
How did you use the trail?: Mountain Biking
What was the time of day?: 9 am
Duration (Hours): 2.5
Distance (Miles): 7.5

Observations & Encounters: Met Rich, Larry, and his buddy at Daniels Farm Commuter lot and it was freaking cold! Must have been hovering around 20 degrees. Our intent was to ride and survey some of the fall line descents on the trails in the ledges section and to figure out what would be the best strategy for some reroutes and repairs on these sections.

If you are a frequent rider at P-Valley you will know that Trail Maintenance here has slacked off and starting next year Rich is working on organizing a group of riders and hikers, and anyone else who wants to pitch in and lend a hand at fixing these trails in order to make them more sustainable. Check out Rich's assessment of our Day Before the Snow Ride. He'll be building an interactive TM site for Trumbull similar to the Mianus site shortly.

In the map below, we looked at three areas, the first two which are in pretty bad shape are along the red trail in the ledges sections of the park. There is another section that I wanted to look at but missed is a descent on the yellow trail in this section of the park, too. The last area we looked at was a possible reroute off one of the bootlegs to add a little variety and possibly hook up with the trail that parallel's the entrance to the Town of Trumbull's raw materials handling area.

#1: Red Trail descent from the ledges to the second stream crossing (the first being the one as you enter park from Daniel's Farm). As you descend on the red trail, where after it connects with the yellow trail it hits a fall line descent to the stream. Just past where the two trails come together there is a really nice flat rock that people have been rolling in the past. This is the anchor point for the reroute.

The base of the roller is seen in the picture above on the left and in the shot below it's a view down the roller. There will be connector to the old cart road that climbs up from the stream crossing for those wishing to link directly with the Yellow Trail after the crossing. Coming off the roller, we'll bench a trail to the west of the current, washed out section of the red trail and hook back up where the trail crosses the stream today.

In the picture below, you are looking up from the stream where the cart road crosses the stream (on right and in yellow) and further to the left but out of the picture is where the re-route will using the existing crossing. In the back you can make out where the roller is (which I have pointed out in the picture).

#2: Second Red Trail Descent. What's confusing about this descent is that when you ride up to it, you are actually riding up to some boulders that are not where the trail goes, rather it's another boot leg trail. Thus, the idea would be to close these little bootlegs and funnel users into the originally intended path, underneath the boulders and rather turning into a steep fall line descent, the re-route cuts across the slope, makes a switch back turn and picks up the original trail ending up at the intersection with the Yellow Trail.

What's cool about this idea (shown below) is at the end of the green line on the left you can make out a section of the really big, flat rock that quite a few people are rolling.

#3 The last section, not pictured, would be to add a little differentiation to the existing bootleg trail and possibly use it as a connector trail to the un marked trail that parallels the white trail to the east.

TA Report: Roosevelt Forest

Ed Freezing

Date of Activity: 12/19/09
Trail Ambassador Name: Ed Perten , Paula Burton
Trail Ambassador Email: edperten@sbcglobal.net , peburton@aol.com
Town: Stratford
Location: Roosevelt Forest
Trail(s) Ridden: Several
How did you use the trail?: Mountain bike riding
What was the time of day?: Late morning
Duration (Hours): 1
Distance (Miles): ?

Condition of Trail(s): Very cold- freeze the toes and nose . We started at 19 degrees, and when the ride was done it was a balmy 25 degrees. Dry, pleasant riding, great traction, a few mud puddles, two stream crossings, icy puddles in the parking lot. Wet feet necessitated returning to parking lot a bit early. These trails are fun rolling double tracks and some single tracks.

Paula Freezing

TA Report: Roosevelt Forest

Date of Activity: 12/16/09 Trail Ambassador Name: Ed Perten Trail Ambassador Email: edperten@sbcglobal.net Town: Stratford Location: Roosevelt Forest Trail(s) Ridden: Several How did you use the trail?: Mountain bike riding What was the time of day?: Late morning Duration (Hours): 2 Distance (Miles): a buch Condition of Trail(s): Dry, pleasant riding, a few mud puddles, two stream crossings, icy puddles in the parking lot Observations: What a difference a day makes, What a difference location makes. No ice or snow on the trails, a few saturated areas were rideable. A nice fall day. Enjoyable rolling terrain, I plan to return!

TA Report: Racebrook Tract

Date of Activity: 12/15/09 Trail Ambassador Name: Ed Perten Trail Ambassador Email: edperten@sbcglobal.net Town: Orange Location: Racebrook Tract Trail(s) Ridden: All How did you use the trail?: Mountain bike riding What was the time of day?: Late morning Duration (Hours): 1 Distance (Miles): a bunch Condition of Trail(s): Very damp, some mud puddles Observations: Felt like I was riding in sand due to the fact that the ground was so saturated. I stopped to make sure I did not have a flat and that my drive train was moving freely. No flat, drive train okay. Many dog walkers, and their dogs were out in the woods today. All were very pleasant to me, the sole mountain biker. I received several positive comments from them and they were very courteous to me as they restrained their dogs, apologized for their dog running in front of me and even told me to "run over" their dog as "he needs to get to know what bicycles are." The few walkers I shared the trail with were all very courteous as well as they gave very positive comments about sharing the trails with a mountain biker.

Cycling Sports Group Refurbishes Nearly 100 Bicycles for Danbury’s Wheels for Kids Program

BETHEL, Conn. (Dec. 14, 2009) – Employees from Bethel, Conn. based Cycling Sports Group (CSG), home to several industry leading cycling brands, gathered on Friday, Dec. 11, to refurbish over 100 donated children’s bicycles and tricycles for community placement through local non-profit Danbury Youth Services. This year’s event builds on the success of the 2008 Wheel for Kids program, which provided more than 50 refurbished bikes to deserving Danbury children.

“Danbury Youth Services is appreciative of the philanthropy we receive from all of our sponsors and partners, and we’re particularly thankful to Cycling Sports Group for its continued support of our organization,” said Tom Tomassen, program director of Danbury Youth Services. “Wheels for Kids provides an opportunity for children to enjoy the thrill of owning a bicycle, and with Cycling Sports Group’s help, nearly 100 local youngsters will receive a bike this year.”

Staff members from Cannondale, Schwinn, GT and Mongoose braved the 24 degree weather and volunteered their time to wash, repair and tune up children’s bikes, which will be gifted to local youth between the ages of 3 and 18 at the annual Santa’s Workshop event in Danbury on Saturday, Dec. 19. CSG also will provide a Schwinn helmet with every bike donation.

“We’re proud to support Danbury Youth Services’ Wheels for Kids program this holiday season for the second consecutive year, giving more kids the opportunity to experience the joy of riding ,” said Jeff McGuane, president of CSG North America. “Cycling Sports Group is committed to promoting active lifestyles, especially among today’s youth, and the Wheels for Kids program aligns perfectly with the spirit of our organization.”

Local bike shops, along with CSG partners Maxxis, Highway 2 – Continental and Kenda contributed new brake pads, cables, tires, tubes and reflectors to help return the bicycles to a safe and rideable condition.

For more information on the Danbury Youth Services’ holiday “Wheels for Kids” initiative, or to make a donation, please contact program director Tom Tomassen at (203) 748-2936 ext. 23.

About Cycling Sports Group

Impassioned by the goal of delivering high-performance products to both the professional athlete and the recreational cyclist, Cycling Sports Group (CSG), a division of Dorel Recreational/Leisure (R/L) encompasses several powerhouse Cycling brands including Cannondale, Schwinn, GT Mongoose and Iron Horse. Dorel R/L joins the Juvenile and Home Furnishings segments within Dorel Industries Inc., (TSX: DII.B, DII.A) a U.S. $2.2B company with 4,700 passionate employees in 18 countries around the world.

NEMBA Membership Rates increase tomorrow!

Renew or Join NEMBA Today to Lock in at our Old Membership Rates!

It's been many years since NEMBA raised its membership rates, and starting tomorrow membership dues will be $35 for an individual and $45 for a family. Quite simply, our costs have gone up across the board and we need to meet these with a more realistic dues structure. As always, we thank you for your membership support and generosity. Regardless of when your membership comes up for renewal, you may renew today at the old rate and we will add a year to your membership. If you wish to take advantage of this, please do so today only!

http://www.nemba.org/shopzone/page4.html

TA Report: Rocky Neck State Park

Date of Activity: 12/13/09
Trail Ambassador Name: Thomas Lamourine
Trail Ambassador Email: Thom(at)ectrr(dot)com

Warning!!! Icy Ruts at bottom of hill!!

Heading to the cliffs on the side of Four Mile River, Overlooking Point O Wood Beach area

Looking off in the distance at where I face planted!! :)

COLD!!!

Frozen High Tide Waters!

Town: East Lyme , CT
Location: Rocky Neck State Park
Trail(s) Ridden: all over
How did you use the trail: Mountain Biking
What was the time of day:10:00am
Duration (Hours): 2
Distance (Miles): 6+
Condition of Trails(s): Good, far better than expected after all the rain and weather.
Observations: few icy patches here and there. Not anywhere near as many as I was expecting. Most are at the bottom of hills so watch your speed! Leaves are starting to brake up a bit so it's a lot nicer to ride now. A few trails have been raked or blown off too as you get closer to the pavilion! Very nice to ride! :)

Watch out in the lower, tidal areas because the high tide came in before the cold and the ice is everywhere!!

Few pictures attached, more & larger versions can be viewed at;

http://ectrr.com/Media/RockyNeck_12_13_09

TA Report: Upper Paugussett State Forest

Date: December 9, 2009

Condition of Trails: Wet Snow

Trail Ambassador Name: Mark Lurie
Trail Ambassador Email: eatsleepfish@gmail.com
Town: Newtown
Location: Upper Paugussett State Forest
Trails Ridden: Poly Brody and Upper Gussy Trail
How did you use the trail?: Mountain Biking
What was the time of day? Afternoon
Duration (Hours): 1.5 Hours

Observations: Well, what can you say except there was 3 or 4 inches of wet snow on the ground and it's like riding cream of wheat when you short the recipie by a 1/3 of a cup of water. While there were no cars in the parking lot I happen to notice something quite odd in the picture above, towards the top on the left side. Is that a couch? I didn't really notice it all but captured it on the camera. I will have to stop by on my way to work and see what that is.

Climbing in a lot places instantly turns to a hike bike, especially while riding a single speed but riding in the snow is about as buff a trail will get in New England.

While the Poly Brody was pretty easy to ride, the Gussy Trail was a lot more challenging.