cxagent

4 hours ago, SuperSlow said:

Also just read that all Austin City Parks/Trails/Greenbelts/Preserves are to be closed this weekend.  I would expect Wilco to follow suit.

Edit to add looks like all Travis County parks closed this weekend.

I am confused by all of this. There was a story earlier that was poorly worded to say that all parks *IN* Travis County would be closed Easter weekend.When on the City of Austin web site that was no such closure reported.

When I go to this CBS story https://cbsaustin.com/news/local/austin-to-close-all-city-parks-and-trails-for-easter-weekend it say all City parks would be closed including the Butler Hike & Bike trail. Near the end of that story gives the link for more info. That link takes me to map of City of Austin trails including Butler Hike & Bike Trail, BCGB, VCT, SWCT, etc. The splash screen in front on the map says that all 'assets shown are open during Coronavirus Event'.

There is a LOT of misleading information out there. I don't know what to believe.

Added - Now I find a KXAN story that says 'if its on that map, it is closed'.  Hmmmmm - what to believe???  https://www.kxan.com/news/coronavirus/austin-to-close-all-parks-for-easter-weekend/?fbclid=IwAR0VGreg3l6fZJNoOPzYxhugbAoJlBpeLmAx82-7kqd9Wa0Jkre_2lHizFc

4 hours ago, Taco Man said:

I saw either a fox or a ring tail cat yesterday crossing the street 50' in front of me.

I see fox on the trail and in my neighborhood all the time. There is one that crosses my yard almost nightly. I capture pictures of them on the game cameras too. We have plenty of them here in south ATX.

I have captured pictures and paw prints of bobcats. Those are more rare but they are around here.

I don't think I have ever seen a ring tailed cat. I had to look that one up - https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/species/rtail/

3 hours ago, Bart said:

I got caught half way thru Thumper when the sky opened up. First ride back there in about a yr and lemme tell you that was scary af trying to get out during a deluge. 

Now you have an idea how those of us caught in the rain during the Enchilada Buffet felt. We were about 60 miles in when the deluge started. Thumper was not fun when it got slick slick slick. And the mud that stuck to my cleats meant that if I put a foot down, I could not clip back in for a LONG time.

2 hours ago, Barry said:

it says, "All parks in Travis County will be closed throughout the Easter weekend..." Emphasis added. It's unclear whether this is only parks managed by Travis County Parks (for us, basically just PaceBend and Reimers), or also those managed by Austin Parks Foundation (everything else). There is an announcement on the TCP website, but not on the APF website. Either way, I would assume APF would follow suit eventually. 

Austin Parks Foundation does not own or manage ANY parks. They support City of Austin Parks (City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department).

Here are some links -

Travis County - https://parks.traviscountytx.gov/parks (should show a map and park names)

City of Austin PARD - http://www.austintexas.gov/page/park-directory (click on the map to see a map of all City Parks. Note that it opens to a small section of Zilker Park and you have zoom and scroll from there.)

Austin Parks Foundation - https://austinparks.org/ (Looks like they create and manage parks but they only support parks.)

Quoted from Travis County Parks web site - "March 31, 2020 - Easter celebrations are historically a time for families to come together in outdoor parks facilities. However, due to concerns regarding the spread of the COVID-19 virus, ALL Travis County parks are closed from Thursday, April 9, at 8:00 p.m., through the Easter weekend. Some parks may reopen again for limited activities such as, walking, hiking and biking activities on Monday, April 13, 2020 at 8:00 am."  Note the wording " ... Travis County Parks ... ".

City of Austin Parks web site on closures says nothing about closing over Easter weekend. That may change but for now it looks like the parks that are open now will be open Easter weekend. http://austintexas.gov/page/pard-facilities-closures

1 hour ago, Shinerider said:

The drop - F-that.  I'm too old and fragile!

I'm pretty sure I have a few years on you. But everyone should decide for themselves what to ride or not ride.

You could do what I did. Contact the local bike shop and ask if they need work. If they are slow - take them that project you have 'been meaning to get to' but have not. If they are busy, tell them to contact you if they need work. I can sit on the project a little longer since it has waited for over a year already.

16 hours ago, June Bug said:

 Save cxagent from agita by 

• being extra cautious
• controlling speed when you can't see what's around a corner
• being ready for anything
• being super considerate of and courteous to your fellow trail users, even if they are oblivious

I had to google "agita".

I pushed those same recommendations for years. I thought those were appropriate before the pandemic. Maybe people will pay more attention now.

But I am happy to report - Its no longer *MY* problem. After 5 years I have passed on my patient and politically correct hats. I am glad someone has stepped up to wear them.

I was riding Walnut Creek many years ago with one of my buddies. A young guy (early 20's) would blow past us and then stop after a couple of turns kind of blocking the trail.  After the two of us pulling over for him and then having to squeeze past him I finally got tired of it. The next time he passed I jumped on his wheel and kept yelling at him "PICK IT UP! PICK IT UP! YOU ARE GOING TOO SLOW! MOVE MOVE MOVE! LETS GO!!!!" I think i might have buzzed his rear wheel when he slowed down.

It didn't take long for him to blow up. He finally pulled over red faced, panting and laid over his bars then fell over. I told him "At least you got off the trail this time." He just glared at me while by buddy rode past laughing. We never saw him again. For some reason he didn't pass us. My buddy kept saying  "Man that was COOL!"

My point is you can get your point across to someone being a jerk without a physical altercation. Do to them what they are doing to you. When they complain about it say 'so you don't like what you were doing to me? Interesting.' At Peddlers Pass, cut the trail so you end up in front of him and make him try to pass you. Call out "on your right" then pass on the left. 

Once again The Tip has to lead people (CDC) around by the nose. 😉 

Or is that by the mask?

Back to dirt bike experience - when I can't get their attention with "noise" I show them my front wheel just like on a motocross race. Tuck inside them in a turn and make sure your front wheel gets into their line of sight. If they are even slightly awake and paying attention they will know that you are there and trying to pass them "politely". If that doesn't do it I quit being "polite".

(I wonder what that means???)

Fred is not human. Please do not compare him to any of us mere humans.

On 3/29/2020 at 8:44 AM, Big_papa_nuts said:

This is a pretty strange argument in this context, considering we are talking about man made trail features. I actually much prefer more "natural" trails, like you would find deep in the greenbelt, and preferred walnut the way it was when I started riding it 10 years ago.

 

And don't get me wrong, I appreciate that someone is working on the trails, and I wish I could help, but their style doesn't work the best for me and considering one of the "rules" of trail building is to make them fun for everyone I felt like it was worth noting.

My point was that there are different ways to ride ANY feature. I used the motorcycle videos because there are more examples and they show things more clearly / longer. If some trail or feature does not suit your riding style then pick a different trail or adjust your riding to match the trail you are on.

The trail builders and maintainers I know appreciate input from everyone. Because they get input from everyone - they know you can not possibly please everyone. They try but it truly is impossible. Having tried for years I have developed a new saying that I have used when dealing with government folks - " I am now certain that there is NOTHING that can be done or even not done, that will not cause someone to complain." It just is not possible to please everyone.

I also miss the old Walnut Creek trails. I wish the big sidewalk had not changed the whole park in many many ways. But because of the big sidewalk we were allowed to build some new trails to replace some that were closed / blocked / eliminated. I think we were successful at building some fun new trails. And still people complain about those new trails. C'est la vie. 

I hope to see you on the greenbelt trails. I rode those most because they are my favorites too.

1 hour ago, June Bug said:

Also this from Outside Online. 

What Happens When You Need a Rescue During a Pandemic

They keep posting new article above older articles. Make sure you read down to the one that discusses a rescue during the pandemic. It has implications for ALL of us. Even the people that were not directly involved but were in contact with people who were involved.

On 3/28/2020 at 11:03 PM, Big_papa_nuts said:

The newish stuff is especially weird, and this may just be down to how I ride, because it all seems to be in slightly the wrong place. Like some of the berms are blocked by trees, or are to late in a corner to use, or are too low or tight, and most of them are starting to fall apart while other stuff is being built. And the jumps are in weird place where I never have the speed to use them.

I have a weird background that give me a different perspective on things like berms and jumps. I raced motocross, hare scrambles and motorcycle enduro (the real ones that have been called that since the 1960's - ).

 Berms can be "railed" (follow all or part of the berm) or "bounced" (slide sideways into the berm at any point and bounce off in the new direction). Someone railing a berm can and better carry a LOT of speed or someone like me will take your line by bouncing that berm right in front of you. Or that is what I did in all kinds of races. There are examples of both types of riding a berm at about 2 to 2:15 minutes in that video. Better examples are in the first 15 seconds of this video - 

The advantage to railing the berm is the speed you could carry even if you only used part of the berm. The advantage to bouncing the berm is you only need a small section of a "berm" to bounce off. Even a rock or a tree can be used to bounce a berm.

So when you say the 'berm is in the wrong place' I say you need to ride that spot to use what is there. Isn't the idea is we ride the trail conditions that exist? Not change the trail to what ---> I <---- want? Since many riders want different things existing trails quickly get "improved" to where they look like dirt sidewalks as each tries to make the trail match their personal desires.

14 hours ago, First-Blood said:

Some would argue that blowing leaves off the trail encourages erosion. Blowing out drains is on the ok list for them.

Some people are just like to argue. Let them argue with another person who like to argue.

While they are busy I can do useful things. Like get leaves off the trail.

I rode Walnut for the first time in about a year. But since I had not ridden since before Thanksgiving - I was slow and weak and stopped a lot.

But I LIKE those new features! People can ride them if they want or go around them. I hope most people ride them since they are all 'rollable'. You don't have to jump them - you can just roll over the tops.

9 minutes ago, AustinBike said:

Yeah. See that. Fake news 😉

This is why you should never listen to me.

OH BS AustinBike.

You are one of the people that post good info and back it up. Keep that crap up and you will be banned from the internet. Don't you know "It can't be on the internet if its true"?

(Everbody as a topy now and than.)

2 hours ago, AustinBike said:

As to Facebook, that should not be media. If it were up to me it should be disbanded because it is doing more harm than good. But, sadly, for some, this is their only way to communicate, so we are stuck with it. I would love an "account time out" for the real abusers and the people that post things that turn out *NOT* to be true. If you thought that re-posting something might get you blocked for 24 hours you might be more interested in checking to see if it is real or not.

I added the *NOT* to the above statement. I suspect that is what was intended.  Otherwise, there would be a 'timeout' for posting correct information.

As far as today's "news media", I trust VERY little of it. I end up flipping back and forth between CNN and Fox. I am STUNNED at how the same story is presented in such different ways.

1 hour ago, The Tip said:

And the answer is.....??

I understand why the medical community is clamoring for the masks. Obviously they help prevent the spread of disease even though they don't prevent 100% transmission. 

I read a thing about DYI masks. There have been tests about what percentage of a certain micron sized particle can get through various things. 1% or so on the n95 masks down to 50% for coffee filters. These aren't the exact numbers, but I didn't want to look it up again.

But my point, the question I can't figure out is, why would the media tell people more or less to not wear a mask? ANY kind of mask, even a bandana, helps some. I would think we would use any help towards the fight. The education campaign should be to teach to not have a false sense of security from wearing a mask rather than discouraging people from wearing something.

edited after reading AustinBike's post as we posted at the same time;

Exactly. If the motive to the "masks won't help you" campaign is to save supply for the medical community, they should say that. And that is an EXCELLENT motive but why the disinformation to get to that goal? 

 

Tip and AustinBike are asking good questions and making good points. Anything (masks) will help some. Virtually nothing (PPE) is fool proof. Should we / them / healthcare providers do what they can as long as it helps some? Yes - they should.

But what happens when the folks that get little to no benefit use up all the supplies so the folks that would benefit have nothing to use? That is why the 'story is being managed' to try to send the supplies to the places / people that will benefit most. Case in point - the news yesterday was saying that COVID-19 tests should only be used for people that 'were exposed' or the course of their care might be changed. So if someone who would get the same treatment regardless of the test results don't use up a test (and PPE and lab time etc) so that those resources are no longer available. Save the testing for where it actually helps.

As to the "answer"  - the story is being managed. In many many many ways. A little information and the 'public' panicked and started doing crazy stuff. Like hoarding toilet paper. Like buying up all of the meat and bread and milk in the grocery stores. The story immediately changed to try to tamp down that panic. That change only helped a little. Pick how you think the story is being managed and you can decide if that 'management' is appropriate. The keep listening and keep an open mind. Usually the 'story' will change to almost the opposite direction. Then decide if you think that direction is appropriate. But wait, then the story will change in a new direction. Then another new direction. Then another. And another. It is no wonder people (the public) is getting whiplash and panicking.

As I posted a few days ago. Try to take a very broad view and keep an open mind. I think most people are trying to do good in their own way. Stay calm. Think logically and look for real data with supporting evidence. Try to see thru the "story". There is a book I recommend for everyone during 'normal times' called Factfulness. ( https://www.amazon.com/Factfulness-Reasons-World-Things-Better/dp/1250107814 ) During times like these the logical thinking is many many times more important. It helps you see thru the "story" being presented on the news.

4 hours ago, crazyt said:

The fr 512 membership comes with liability insurance which is why I require people who ride cat to have a membership. It also reduces traffic a bit.  While we have the mandatory quarantine I wanted to open the trail up to people without a membership so people can get rides in. It dries pretty quickly because it is all on steep slopes.

It is an extremely difficult trail and it is very easy to get hurt.

Way to do what you can to help everyone!

This is enough for me to join FR512. I was meaning to anyway. But this puts it over the top.

1 hour ago, The Tip said:

So, has everyone heard, "the masks will not prevent you getting it. Only the sick should wear them."
Right? You've heard this?

So why is the medical community clamoring for these same masks? 

I had that thought today.

That is SOOOOO easy to answer. 

Thanks DBehrens. I could not remember rviplanning when I was searching for those links.

47 minutes ago, WayneBT said:

Just how far does this all go? Anyone have a map?

I heard there is an "overall plan" that will connect most of the Austin / Round Rock / Manor / Kyle area with such regional trails. I have not seen that plan myself. And I doubt I will live long enough to see all of that trail actually happen. But we can hope.

Here are links to some of the organizations web sites that show their parts of that "overall plan" - 

https://www.mobilityauthority.com/projects/programs/SUP

http://austintexas.gov/page/current-urban-trails-projects

https://www.austintexas.gov/sites/default/files/files/Public_Works/Urban_Trails/April_presentation_04_07_14.pdf

https://www.traillink.com/city/austin-tx-trails/

On 3/16/2020 at 7:57 PM, Trailrider said:

Seems odd to close it for day use mountain bikers. All the trails are so wide that there can't be any traffic issues.

Hmmm. Are you riding the jeep roads? (like Wolf Mountain) The trails I ride at Perd are narrow. Mostly ride Juniper Ridge and Madrone. My wife complains that the trails are too narrow for her tastes.

When we were building Juniper and Madrone we intentionally left them tight single track with low branches (aka - horse scapers). Some people came back later and cut a parallel trail so the park staff could get their Gator down it for rescues. I have not been there for months so I'm wondering if people have bailed off the single track to the rescue trail.

13 minutes ago, AustinBike said:

Just to circle back on the 5G conversation:

https://www.engadget.com/2020/03/19/coronavirus-5g-conspiracy-pandemic/?utm_campaign=homepage&utm_medium=internal&utm_source=dl

Damn. There goes another conspiracy theory. Somebody will just have to come up with another one.