Ridenfool

Glad to know you got the DM in time to get into the showers okay. I think they've had a problem with random folks who aren't legit RHR visitors using the restrooms overnight during the week. 0ther than the insta-hill you photo'ed above, what did you think of the rest of the trail modifications since your last ride at RHR?

The employees who live there are supposed to open those up each day, along with the sign-in shack. I've sent you a DM in case you are still on site.

Thanks for posting that up Albert! I was out there yesterday afternoon and there was no dirt pile on that stretch. They are putting in a new pipeline and, despite workers seeing riders going by for the last several days, signs on the tree, picnic table, berm, etc. don't seem to realize that there is a trail there. I've passed this on to Paul who will contact them tomorrow to fix this. Hopefully will be done pronto so his event isn't impacted. A few folks have been pre-riding the course on weekdays I've been out and there should be a bunch of them over the weekend.

After having made several runs on Tea Party now it seems to be shaping up nicely. Better yet, I've had great feedback from riders who have given the latest mile that is Rabbit Hole and Tea Party a whirl. Many speak of the challenges and exposure they offer to spice things up. One rider said if I've named the one feature (Jabberwock) I should name one other on Tea Party as well. It will be getting a sign calling that "Cheshire Cut" TTF. It offers some skill building fun as it traipses across a side-slope, then U-turns onto an extended climb back out giving a view of a stock tank downstream from The Wall. These new trails won't be part of the upcoming Chuck's Big New Adventure, though once they have been established with traffic expect them to be included in future events. We've been doing some housekeeping in prep for the race coming up later this month. Several of the legacy sections that have needed a trim for a while are getting their corridor wallowed out. A section of Tristy that used to be part of Karaway has been tremendously improved through the volunteer efforts of a racer from Dallas who came down to help out. He was also responsible for doing a lot of work on the end section of Corkscrew last time he was down. Thanks for the help! Paul went through the rest of Tristy with a leaf blower and, once uncovered, applied loppers with surgical precision to clean up a hundred or so toe-catching Yaupon and Cedar stubs left over from the building of that section. The section from the Ventosa rest stop that runs down to the Grind has had the sight lines opened up and face-slappers trimmed back. More work is planned on Switchback, Y-knot, and a legacy section that became part of Lemonade. This should be completed before race day and hopefully will last another year or so before needing more attention. The trail surface is excellent right now and the Fall tribute from the trees have made it look completely different. This time of year trail spotting skills pay off to find the path under the blanket of fresh leaves. Riders in Chuck's Big New Adventure ought to blast them thoroughly so get by before they are gone if you like to experience that sort of seasonal flavor. This afternoon @Talltexan stopped by during our post-ride libations and visited for a while after riding a lap. It was a pleasure to meet you and I hope to see you out there again soon.

That's what I hoped posting the weather link would help with. Looking at rain history over the preceding week can offer some baseline to calculate from. My rule of thumb has always been to give it at least a day or two after 1/4 to 1/2 inch (with no previous rain) and if there has been more than an inch, give it at least two or three days. If the humidity stays above 80% it can take longer. If it has rained several times over the past week it can take longer. If there is wind, higher temps, low humidity, etc. it can dry quicker. All this can be extracted from the historical data on the Berdoll Farms weather station next door, but who, besides me, is ever going to go through that hassle? The new stuff I have built is designed with drainage in mind. This forethought should help things to fare well in the wet and to dry quicker. Whenever possible I try to avoid building long runs across ground that holds water. But, it still rains and we have to give it time if we don't want to eat up chains, brakes, and have a bike covered with... stuff. I have a new theory that opening a new trail is like buying a new bike in the eyes of the rain gods. My plans were to take multiple runs on the new trail section tomorrow, but RHR had about a quarter inch of the wet stuff today. Maybe Sunday afternoon... Edit: and yeah, it is open 24/7 and a mere volunteer trail builder has no say over whether people ride or not. Fortunately, the trails are resilient for the most part and the most damage is that done to the bikes of those who choose to ride in the muck.

The riding public is cordially invited to enjoy a delightful Tea Party at Rocky Hill Ranch. Just go down the Rabbit Hole to get there... Today, after a little more dirt work, the new trail has officially been added to the Loop. (after a few wheels have been on it I'll see what other tweaks may be needed) The Jabberwock TTF gets a sign as well. Paul and I have both witnessed riders coming off of Corkscrew who were confused about where Mini Me started. The name sign was already on the tree, but they were looking up and down the road for the trail. So, I added an arrow sign below the name. Hopefully this will make it clearer about where to go. Also, did some trimming to make it more obvious.

Took a ride Sunday, after nearly 1" of rain early Saturday. It was better than I expected. All that wind on Saturday blow-dried it I suppose. There were a few puddles and it was a little sticky in a few places. Overall it was quite rideable so soon after a good rain. Plenty of riders and campers were on site enjoying the day. Did my first ride on the new Tea Party section to see how it fared. It drained well, but I did choose to walk down the Jabberwok TTF this time. There were also a couple of spots where I had wheelspin on a slight incline with exposure where it was prudent to do a stop and push. Once the trail is packed after a bevy of wheels traverse it this looks to be another one that will recover quickly from precipitation. Found a few places to touch-up before opening the trail. Got both wheel and GPS measurements for Rabbit Hole and Tea Party. Together they make 1 mile of new trail. We've gone from 6.5 to 15 miles of trail in a year. Better yet, folks are saying good things about the new stuff. Looks like a nice week ahead, clear skies, nice temps, and all the more reason to come get some at RHR.

Yeah, that's more about the people than the bike. Just like some of the racerbois and Stravassholes who think a public trail is their private track. They'll be that way regardless of what they are riding.

Chucks flyer 2022 v4 final.pdf

My feeling is that they are both "the mountain bike world." Bonewipes and all. (To be clear, I know there are non-mtb e-bikes. They are of no concern to me.) I'm not as divisive as some when it comes to my favorite pastime. It seems better to pull together rather than to tear apart. YMMV Edit: There are plenty of others trying to undermine mountain biking without us making it easier for them.

New trail has been added! RHR Loop total mileage (from-to the Pavilion/restrooms) is now 15 miles. 🥳 The newest section (Tea Party) will be knitted into the existing loop in the next few days.

Good feedback on the Salida experiences. As for inconsiderate trail users, I've had that problem with riders that pass, and then I pass when they stop, then they are coming up to pass again, and this has been going on since well before e-bikes were around. ha ha Often enough I try to pleasantly chat with them offering suggestions to keep the trail clear for their stops, and avoid being a nuisance when they find themselves passing the same people again and again. Usually folks are receptive to this. But, people, are a problem. 😏

Policy, education, enforcement, and funding are lacking. In looking for policy for the San Juan National Forest, particularly regarding where e-bikes are and are not allowed, it was very challenging to find that information on the USFS website by following the links to specific bicycle usage info. Eventually, I did find some third party organization who linked to a PDF of a USFS document with the trail numbers for those trails near Dolores, for example, where e-bikes are allowed. Then, I tried to use the online USFS map to find those trails by number and was unsuccessful. The point being that we already know that providing easy to find online policy data, signage, and enforcement is expensive, and doesn't get implemented as quickly as the initial legislation changes. Trail designation decisions are often not funded for signage immediately, if ever. There is rarely budget set aside to present any easy to understand policy in a way that is effective in educating a "typical" recreational trail user. The bike shops may not do their part if it interferes with making a customer happy during a sale. It is pretty much left to word of mouth in many places, and even then the information may not be presented in a useful manner. But, there is a lot of griping to be found amongst the few riders who participate in forums like this one, but those numbers pale in comparison to overall numbers of recreational riders, and the growing number of e-bike riders with no peer group or personal experience to suggest there might be a restriction. If the riders don't know and the only thing that indicates the policy is a hand made sign miles from the trailhead, is it any wonder e-bike riders are on these trails, or, react negatively when confronted by an over-zealous rider who lashes out at them for not knowing? Further confusing the issue is how one federal agency defines pedal-assist, speed limited bikes (Class 1) as not being considered Motor Vehicles, conflicting with other agencies' policy that call them motor vehicles and lump them in with 4x4s, ATVs, dirt bikes, and the like. In the long run (5-10 years) Class 1 e-bikes will become ubiquitous and the vast majority of riders will be on e-bikes. Disruptive technology displaces previous tech in an S-curve. Horses to cars, hand wash to washing machines, land lines to cell phones, CRT to flat screen, 26" mountain bikes, the list is endless and the time for transition was fast. E-bikes will become the accepted standard on trails before any adequate budget is allocated to fund education, signage, and enforcement of policies to clearly define for the user how the sub-groups of MTBs have to use separate trail systems. Anyone expecting otherwise will be as disappointed as users and purveyors of other technologies that have been replaced over the centuries. Search for Tony Seba on YouTube for some great examples of how quickly disruption like this has happened through history and is happening today. Food for thought. Not intended to pee in anyone's porridge.

FWIW this site indicates the Forest Service is working towards more inclusion of e-bikes on trails https://www.fs.usda.gov/visit/e-bikes

You know how it is, get near the end of a project and you find motivation to get 'er done. So, rather than stretch this out I went full Masochist and put in four to five hours each day this week behind loppers, McLeod, Pick Mattock, and a Silky folding saw. Had to whup out the Ryobi reciprocating saw after having killed the Ryobi pole saw on this trail project. It is now in for warranty repair and wasn't even a year old. They put a three year warranty on it and I think it could be back for more rebuilds over the coming years if my use continues at this rate. It is a handy tool for clearing Yaupon at ground level, as well as taking out Cedar branches. But, I'm rambling, aren't I? Today I did about five hours of bench cutting on two sketchy sections, taking out the worst of several off-camber bits. For those who enjoy a little challenge I did leave a few short off-camber sections just to keep things interesting. The bottom line here is that Tea Party is finished. At least the first draft, as no trail is ever really done. Of all the trails I have made at Rocky Hill, this one may be my Magnum Opus. The terrain kept revealing fun new lines as I explored over the past several months, modifying the eventual track and using up as much of this space as possible. A test pilot went out this afternoon to give it a whirl and report back, should he survive. We have been riding it as an out and back as work progressed, and he'll get to put first wheels on The Jabberwock TTF and the rest of the trail to where it ties back into the current loop. I hope to take a ride on it in the next few days to make sure there are no needed tweaks before opening it up to the public. Signage will be in the works shortly. I've got this one coming as well... Edit: The test pilot survived and reports the new trail brings the total RHR loop to 14.7 miles. We should be over 15 miles soon. Post Edit, Edit: That mileage total was TH to TH, and adding in the Start/Finish loop to the Pavilion would make it 15 wheel-miles now. (GPS miles will be less)

Got this routed and raked today. Gonna call it "The Jabberwock" to carry on the Wonderland theme. Didn't need no stinkin' bridges after all. (We'll see how it holds up after a good rain, and it may still need stinkin' bridges.) Gotta say, the photo doesn't do it justice, ... bwahahahahaha

Trails are in great shape. The rain has tightened things up. Paul has a few new berms in place and has done some work on others that needed a little love. Work continues on Tea Party, my latest effort. After comparing the track to the satellite photo I found where I could add a little more. Might be as much as 0.2 mi added and will include a Grind/Wall type of thrill. On rides of late I've been putting wheels on what is done so far, taking it as an out and back. The first pass of cutting corridor and raking down to dirt is almost done. After that there are a couple of bridges to build, and quite a bit of bench cutting and other fine tuning before opening it up. Aiming to have it done by year's end. Then will update the maps. Today's rain accumulation was 0.2 in. The trail surface this week and coming weekend should be excellent. Saw a lot of campers out last weekend. Don't miss out on the best season for riding RHR when the Outdoor Air Conditioner is working so well. Come get some!

Here's a shot of that sort of foolishness at Boggy Draw near Dolores, CO, if it helps.

Tyler State Park is a good one. If you are intending to stop in San Angelo on the way somewhere the State Park has an interesting enough trail system to work out the kinks from the drive.

FWIW, Rocky Hill has not had rain over the past few days. Might make for an option if things around ATX are too wet.

Just need to be sure to also lock up the Ryobi Angle Grinder, if stored nearby. 🤔

This link is to the weather station at Berdoll Pecan Farm adjacent to Rocky Hill. It offers current information on precip accumulation, temps, and other useful data. Perhaps AB could add it to his page for Rocky Hill There was about 0.6 in. today. Things were getting dusty on a ride two days ago, so I expect there may be a few puddles on Saturday. Sunday will likely be fine.

The new section on Fofenique is open! It adds about 0.2 mi. overall. The new section is a roller coaster, taking advantage of undulating terrain with ups, downs, twists and turns, as well as a bridge. Kudos to Paul for this fine piece of work! Fofenique will be upgraded from Green to Blue on the next version of the map thanks to the added challenges this section brings. On Rabbit Hole there was a major rework of a decreasing radius left that just didn't flow well. After a lot of dirt and rocks were moved, and with the installation of a bridge salvaged from the lost trails, this turn now flows much better (per a local who tried it out as I was wrapping up). Hopefully today's rain will help settle the work and tighten up the scree at the outside edge of the new bench cut. Tea Party construction has eclipsed the halfway point. Goal is to get the corridor established and tread raked for the length of the trail, then to start work on some long bench cuts on two descents that cut across steeply sloped terrain. The trails have had some trimming in places, trying to keep ahead of growth. The dust is being kept in check with regular sprinkles of rain, and the outdoor Air Conditioning is fully functional again. Come get a taste of the Lost Pines!

Rocky Hill has had a significant makeover. Folks seem to be liking the new loop's flow and challenging climbs,... but it could use a few Bear prints here and there. Come get some trail time in the Lost Pines while you're visiting your old ATX stomping grounds.

The dust is just starting to come back, and will hopefully get a little more moisture on Monday. Tea Party is coming along. Lots to do and nearing the halfway point. Work will get slow due to a lot of bench cutting. Paul has started work on an extension of Fofenique that is looking sweet. This will avoid the wet area at the end that was notorious for holding water after a rain and will include some roller-coastery features. Look for it in the coming weeks.