Ridenfool

Trailforks has the updated tracks for Pams Picnic and Holdens Way. MTB Project should be updated in the next couple of days.

That looks like the same machine he brought to Rocky Hill to help build trail last year. It is a marvel to watch Brian do his magic with it.

Began work on an addition to Corkscrew that will bring a couple of new downhill sections (which will have to be paid for, bwhahaha), a new set of switchbacks (see what I mean), and a short trail reversal (like was recently done for additions to Black Trac and Holdens Way), as well as incorporating a short section of Fat Chucks Demise that will be shared with Corkscrew for a hundred feet or so. I was able to clear corridor on more than half of the new trail yesterday. Will hopefully do as well again today. If so, this addition will be in use fairly quickly. Likely to be added in after the coming event. Speaking of which... Tejas Trails will host their annual running event, Hell's Hills, on April 1, and the ranch will be closed to day use that day. The runners should do a fine job of beating the new stuff on Holdens Way into submission. We love these folks, as they have been very generous in providing volunteers for the transformation over the past year and a half. Most of Tristy, Loblolly, and Hard Boil were carved from the dense woods by their efforts.

Paul and Grey have added a short extension to Pams Picnic by filling in some unused space. I'll be updating the online maps with the latest stuff soon. The new stuff is all extensions to existing trail, so no worries about missing any of it. Using the calibrated mole mounds in the yard as a gauge I think it is dry enough for me to take a spin out there tomorrow and get those new GPS tracks.

0.8 inch of rain overnight. Will be slimy and sticky all day Friday, Sloppy and slippery in spots that hold water on Saturday Expect conditions to improve by Sunday and beyond, (the short boggy bits on Karaway and Tristy will need a week or so to dry out)

Not in trailforks or mtb project yet. Might get the track tomorrow if I beat the rain. Get out before the wild flowers are done. There are some colorful spots along the trail right now. Edit: Have now submitted updated GPX to those sites.

Opened the new addition to Holdens Way today adding just shy of a half mile to the loop. Taking advantage of the outdoor air conditioning to push though and get 'er done. RHR has officially reached the 16 mile loop goal, when ridden from the pavilion and back. That's 9.5 miles of new trail created over the past 16 months. A lot of Yaupon gave their lives for this project, and a few Cedar as well. Will hopefully get some rain on Thursday to bed in the dirt work completed over the past week. If you haven't ridden Rocky Hill lately, you haven't ridden Rocky Hill.

Should open the newest section to traffic after a few more days of work. It will then get fine tuning once we see where the wheels are going. Flowers are blooming, come see them! Trails are good to go! Come get some...

Finally got a ride in today. All the wet spots are much better now. Pavillion to Pavillion is getting very close to 16 miles. ( put wheels on the new, unopened section to add it to the loop ridden ) Now, back to finishing the new bit up, then getting started on the addition flagged for Corkscrew.

Saw lots of riders out today while we built four bridges on a new section that should be open by the end of the month. I'm gonna ride tomorrow, all work and no play... Edit: At the end of the workday a rider told Paul and I that "RHR used to be just another place to ride, and now it is more like a world class riding area." Things like this make a trail builder feel pretty good about all the efforts we've put into the place. Thanks!

Got 0.34 in of rain last night. Could be okay by Saturday or Sunday. That was a big blow as the front moved through. Likely some trees down, I know the roof on the Crossroads Rest Stop got whacked.

Rode an abbreviated lap yesterday and the trail and weather conditions were fantastic. Abbreviated, because I was trying to milk miles out of a worn out rear tire and Murphy intervened, despite an ample supply of Orange juice in the tire. Thankfully, was able to limp back to the van on the jeep road with the Cush Core insert taking up the slack. Sadly, had to bail at the start of Black Trac just when I was getting to the fun stuff. Replacement tire was installed when I got home, so maybe I'll pick up where I left off yesterday and finish that ride. On the ride I met three riders from Houston taking a break before Y-Knot. They said they hadn't been to Rocky Hill in a year and were raving about just how much better the trails have become since the old days. This unsolicited praise came before I had mentioned my involvement in the transformation. They were asking if the Grind and the Wall were still there and I assured them they were, and, told them to watch for the turn onto Rabbit Hole. Figuring that if they like those features they will enjoy Rabbit Hole too. Thanks Alex, Enrique, and Stefan for the kind words. Got a measurement on the addition to Holdens Way that I've completed the corridor cutting on. Another 0.47 mi. soon to be added, more than doubling the length of Holdens Way. Just needs tread work and a few bridges to wrap it up. Have now also flagged an extension to Corkscrew that may net another 0.25 mi. of new trail and incorporate a section of Fat Chuck's Demise into Corkscrew. This will allow folks taking Fat Chucks an option to roll back onto the singletrack instead of finishing the climb on the jeep road. Also, will turn that steep climb on Corkscrew with the wood armoring into a downhill section. Yippee! With a workday called for this upcoming Saturday, March 4, we may be able to complete the Holdens Way addition in time to include it for Tejas Trails "Hells Hills" running event on April 1. (We are immensely grateful for this outstanding trail-running club which has generously contributed more volunteer man-hours to Rocky Hill's upgrade than all but Paul and I.) Come get some time on the trails in the Pines!

Looking for some help to finish a new 0.5 mile section with the corridor already cut. Raking, lopping, and cutting down stumps to prepare the trail tread. Another section flagged today needs initial corridor cutting and maybe a little bench cutting if we get that far into it. Here's the good news. Everybody who volunteers and puts in at least 2 hours will receive a voucher for free RHR Day Use on your next visit. And, free riding on the workday. Also, if you are a serial volunteer, TMBRA's Pay Dirt program is open to all volunteers who work the required hours who can then net some nice prizes. If you are a racer you also get points applied to your race series score. See the details at https://www.tmbra.org/wp/pay-dirt/ Please reply here or DM me if you are can come help. Plan is to meet around the Sign-in Shack (behind?) at about 0900 on Saturday, March 4. Later arrivals can drive up to the Campground, park, then walk in on Holden's Way. Left at the "T" in the NE corner of the campground, exits through the fence. Thanks!

Okay, I'm ready for Summer to be over. Can't get in a full day of trail work without sweating profusely. In February. It just ain't right. Maybe I'll just go ride instead.

Made headway on the new section. Might have the corridor finished sometime next week. Then tread work. Big crowd for the race. Camping spaces overflowing and parking lot getting full for Sunday's event. Lots of traffic on the trails today. I hear they are putting Pee Wee's Big Adventure on an inflatable screen tonight, but I'll be relaxing on the couch after three days in a row doing trail work. Back out tomorrow to ride a lap after the race.

There is a fine line between "sunk cost fallacy"... and Masochism

I have a plan for that, but it involves getting a kiosk at the trail head to explain it. Then there will be three or four loops you will take by following colored arrows at decision points. As it is right now, just follow the single track from the trailhead, then, pick up the trail directly across each road crossing and take Rabbit Hole option. If you follow the single track you will ride everything. (at least, once the race cut-throughs are disappeared after the race)

Today the trails were great. A few spots holding water that we need to address with larger projects, but overall fantastic trail conditions on 99%. With the Pivot Demo fleet on site there was quite a crowd out today. It is nice to see so many cars in the parking lot. Beware, the course markings for the upcoming race are confusing. To ride the whole loop, follow the small "XTRA" markers, even if you have to go around brush to stay on the trail, that is okay. The cut-through paths created for shortening the race route have given RHR a very Walnut Creek feel on today's ride. I look forward to these disappearing after the event. I've asked Paul to consider in the future having the race arrows include the text "Race Route" on them, and have the other signs say "RHR Loop" instead of XTRA. I think people who do not race do not find the current markings intuitive and might be missing half of the trails if they think they must follow the arrows.

There was another 0.65 in. of rain and it is gooey in places and slippery in others as the ground is saturated. The Green and Blue trails are likely ride-able. I'd suggest avoiding Black Trac, Rabbit Hole, and Sofa King for a few more days. Hopefully okay by Saturday. I'm planning to ride while many are preparing to watch the "big game" (wink, wink, nudge, nudge, say no more), so may have the place to myself on Sunday. Flagged another new section that will expand Holden's Way by 2 or 3 tenths of a mile. Might start cutting the corridor on Friday or Saturday. Paul put in another bridge in the soggy spot after the campground, just after Grey's and Holden's Way(s) rejoin. We bypassed the climbing turn that always gets nasty and collects the water that runs down that hill. It was a fun turn when dry. This new line will hold up better, particularly for the racers when the weather doesn't cooperate.

Today I put in a bypass around a particularly sloppy section on Litterbox that holds water for weeks. (by the deer blind, near the end of LB). Next, I moved over to Black Trac and built a long downhill berm for the entrance to a section that was added last year. Along with the berm, I performed cosmetic surgery on the hillside so as to make the berm the high point. This dirt shuffle will keep the trail surface above the drainage and prevent water pooling in a spot at the end of the turn. It should now drain across the trail in a sheet to the left (preventing erosion) and will hopefully dry faster. Also, put in a water bar at the top to carry drainage another direction than down the trail. The trail was developing a rut from erosion. After finding a sizable sandstone rock, I placed it before the water bar to armor it and prevent tires taking it out over time. I'll check this to see if it works as planned later in the week as there is an inch or more of rain in the forecast for Tue-Wed. Conditions are still very wet in low spots, though most of the trails drain well and are fine for riding today. I'd recommend folks be careful on Black Trac, Rabbit Hole, and Sofa King or avoid them until they dry more. The Wall is very slippery today. Next weekend there is a re-scheduled Pivot demo ride. Hopefully conditions will be good for them. Also, Paul has marked the race route for the upcoming TMBRA event later this month for anyone wanting to pre-ride. The race isn't using the full distance and has cutouts at a few places that bypass a lot of trail. Just follow the "XTRA" signs to remain on the RHR Loop.

Well, I guess we saw what actually happened. 🙄 Fortunately, there hasn't been ice accumulation out this way like Austin has had. Hopefully there won't be tons of broken branches to deal with. The rain (~0.75in) over the past few days has everything saturated that I have seen at home and while driving to town. At these temps and humidity levels it will need time to soak in and evaporate.

Yeah, Monday through Wednesday have forecasts ranging from .25 to .5 each day, but you know how that can go.

It may be rideable by the weekend, but there will be a few boggy spots along the way. Then there is rain in the forecast for several days, though very light (maybe none) for some of those days. Trails are like a box of chocolates... I did some work out there today and it was still squishy in a lot of places I walked on Black Trac.

There was over 1.5" of rain on Tuesday. More coming. Might be a couple of weeks before things are really nice again. Naturally, I'll be taking advantage of the soft ground to fine-tune a few spots on the new sections.

Trailforks and MTB Project have been updated with the new additions. Update the Texas area to see changes on the phone.