The Tip

Yes, I just saw this for the first time yesterday. I was a bit disoriented because it looked so differently there. Flood control work I assumed.

More musings: -People are a lot LESS adventurous than I use to think they are. Whenever I see a trail that I haven't been on I immediately take off on it. But I've come to discover that the majority of people have to be cajoled and educated into taking a new-to-them trail. Strange to me. -Slaughter Creek Trail is not my favorite part of the SATN. But I was enjoying it yesterday thinking, "hey, this is growing on me." But then I came to realize, and formulated a new saying to add my list of many personal sayings and mottos, "EVERY trail is fun in 60 degree weather." -The SATN Social is going to be lots of fun. I met some folks out yesterday following their GPX routes practicing. We talked a bit about strategies on what routes to do first etc. I did the south and north routes yesterday. All 58 miles will be able to be done by anyone that can maintain an 8 mph pace all day. That leaves 45 minutes for rest and refueling. A bonus to how the routes for the ride bring you back to the start point two times during the 58 miles is that it is very easy to self support by stopping at your car. Crank and Drank this week will be practicing the end of the north route and the beginning of the south route. Also, we are looking for non riders to volunteer with helping out for The Social on the day of the event.

What do you think the city council member's reactions would be if I said this at a meeting: "I feel the population of Austin would take this proposal to regulate trails, supposedly for the sake of the environment, much more seriously if all of you council members would stop ignoring the environmental disaster that is being caused by the homeless camps in our greenbelts and parks." I'm sure it would make zero impact on them. They all seem to be so far gone and removed from reality it amazes me. We all know, and they do to, that this sort of proposal is about control and fund raising (via fees and permits) rather than the environment. Whereas observing the mountains of trash generated by the homeless camps doesn't even require a million dollar study to see what a negative impact they have on the environment.

Some random musings after my fantastic ride yesterday. Fantastic as the tread was just about perfect and the weather was perfect. -It would be worth a 20 mile drive just to do 45 Flow/South Bay/House Fire. That is grin on your face fun. And it's just getting better and better as it gets worked in. -Finally decided while riding that rocky part of South Bay that it's easier just to power over the 6-10" rocks than trying to pick a line. -Came up with a routing solution to prevent repeating trail when I want to do the loop of Firehouse out, 45 Flow/South Bay/House Fire back. (6.5 miles by the way. The same as the Valero Loop more or less. I thought that was interesting.) Anyway, there is a double track trail just south of Kiker Elementary that runs from Escarpment to south of the St Augustine University. I came out of DiscGo DiscGo, crossed Escarpment/LaCrosse, jumped on the dirt south of the pool, and went straight across to the start of Firehouse. -There is a tunnel under Mopac at the north end of House Fire. It is the same height as the bridge tunnel under LaCrosse that connects Phoenix East to Phoenix North and South. It will be just another option to access the Veloway trails. -I think the SATN Social is going to be a hoot. There wasn't a lot of activity yesterday because I was riding during the start of the football game. But when the trails are loaded up it is going to be fun. -I finally get why the downhill counterclockwise run in Bauerle is fun to folks. Someone has cleared a lot of the loose rock off of it so it's faster and not as hazardous to your bike. -I passed two bikers, without earbuds, that didn't even acknowledge me when I said, "Hi, how's it going?" Not even a reciprocal "the nod." So creepy. So now even I hate mountain bikers! Just kidding, but judas priest, how hard is this concept?

I would have never thought of the over heating thing for a dive light. Makes sense though. Will be curious about your report. Coming back to Crank and Drank we saw a guy leaving that was coming at us. He had the brightest light I have ever seen on his helmet. I swear he looked like a train coming at us.

Just saw a story on KVUE about this. 533 acres. The story, and the interviewees, said "preserve" about 20 times total. I think this would be like getting bike trail built around Hamilton Pool. "Limited access" was also mentioned a couple of times. Chose your battles wisely?

What a great time. The fantastic weather brought'em out for sure. We had 75 people which is probably a record for a Crank and Drank. It was an impressive sight to see everyone stopped at the light at Slaughter. I'm sure the cars were thinking wtf as we crossed. lol I sure hope that the majority of those riders will volunteer to lead a few folks during The SATN Social.

Crank and Drank is going to preview ride the north route of The SATN Social tonight. 18 miles. Sausages after. Perfect weather, trails are in great shape. Bring a chair and a beverage. 6 pm ATX bikes.

Last iteration. Some good overall feedback and a good reception of it when introduced last night. Thanks for the help Group Mountain Bike Ride Guidelines. Rule #1, Have Fun! Bring enough water so the group doesn’t worry about you dying! Have a helmet and eye protection too. Bring lights if the ride might go past sundown. Having at least two is good in case one fails. Have your bike mechanically ready before the ride, allowing a timely start, and to have no issues on the ride. Enough sealant to stop a puncture, or loose saddle, or low tire pressure, etc. Be self-supporting out on the trail. Patches, tube, pump or charges, and a phone app to find your way home in an emergency. Repeat call outs for turns (left, right). Make sure the person behind you is doing it too. Don’t lose the person behind you. The SWEEP should shout out “clear” when making the turn to alert the leader to the positions of the group. Repeat warning and educational shouts from the riders in front of you. Just because you heard the leader doesn’t mean the person behind you did. “Head!” or “Challenge coming” or “Walkers/Riders up” are things that the entire group need to know. The leader needs to hear the sweep say, “cleared’ when the “Challenges” have been passed. If you can’t see the person in front of you, yell out “WHICH WAY?!” to alert them that the chain of riders has broken. That person will then shout, “We’ve lost some” so the leader will slow down to allow a catch up. TELL someone if you are dropping from the group so the group doesn’t wait or go looking for you. If you fail to clear a feature, get you and your bike off the trail so people behind you won’t have to stop. Reenter the chain as soon as possible. If you are the only one failing to clear features consider dropping back further in the group. If stopped for a mechanical problem, send everyone that is not helping you on their way. “I’m good. I have what I need.” As the sweep, listen for the leader asking, “are we good to go?” Respond, “Ride on, good to go.” If you have to stop for anything, shout out, “Stopping!” Don’t get rear ended. Don’t be possessive of your place in line. If there is a gap in front of you, and a rider constantly on your rear wheel, let them pass. This prevents the chain of riders from breaking. A group stop is an opportunity to let someone get in front of you too, but mostly remain in the same order you stopped in when rolling again. Acknowledge other trail users with “Thank you” or ‘how’s it going?” or “pretty dog” etc. as you pass them. Present mountain bikers as a good community. Groups can be intimidating to hikers. Mitigate that feeling for them. The sweep will say, “I’m the last one” to those being passed. Remember bikers yield to walkers and horses. Be polite always! YOU are responsible for crossing roads safely. DO NOT blindly follow someone into a road! Obey all traffic laws. This is not the time for ear buds. Be social! More importantly, you need to be able to hear what the group is doing. Be aware of all your bodily functions and know there is someone right on your rear wheel! -FOR RIDES THAT HAVE MULTIPLE GROUPS: Try to use a ride app on your solo rides before the group ride so you know what your general speed is out ON THE TRAILS. This helps you know what group you should be in. When on a multi-group ride, if you are holding up a faster group, drop back to the next fastest group. Don’t be too much of a drag for your group. This takes self-awareness. Don’t be “that guy.” Group Ride Etiquette.docx

And just so we don't over think all this, remember...

Why does everyone think that bodily functions only refers to farting? lol People spitting or clearing their nose are also issues!

Ha! I was very proud to have kept it to one page! But yes, I know this, and tried.

Got a lot of good feedback so I changed and added several things. Here's the latest version: Group Mountain Bike Ride Guidelines. Rule #1, Have Fun! Bring enough water so the group doesn’t worry about you dying! Same goes for having a helmet and eye protection. Bring lights if the ride might go past sundown. Having at least two is good in case one fails. Have your bike mechanically ready before the ride. Both to start on time, and to have no preventable problem on the ride. For example, enough sealant in to stop a puncture, or loose saddle, or low tire pressure, etc. Be self-supporting out on the trail. Patches, tube, pump or charges, and a phone app to find your way home in an emergency. Repeat call outs for turns (left, right). Make sure the person behind you is doing it too. Don’t lose the person behind you. The SWEEP should shout out “clear” when making the turn to alert the leader to the positions of the group. Repeat warning shouts from the riders in front of you. Just because you heard the leader doesn’t mean the person behind you did. “Head!” or “Challenge coming” or “Walkers/Riders up” are things that the entire group need to know. It’s good for the leader to hear the sweep say, “cleared’ when they finally get past the “Challenge” that might have stopped some of the group. The leader will have slowed the pace waiting for that. Repeat the ride leader’s educational shouts too. “This trail’s name is…” If you can’t see the person in front of you, yell out “which way?!” to alert them that the chain of riders has broken. The person in front of you will then shout out to the leader, “We’ve lost some” so the leader will slow down to allow a catch up. TELL someone if you are dropping from the group so the group doesn’t wait or go looking for you. If you fail to clear a feature, get you and your bike off the trail so people behind you won’t have to stop. Reenter the chain as soon as possible. If you are the only one failing to clear features consider dropping back further in the group. If you do have to stop for a mechanical problem, send everyone that is not helping you on their way. “I’m good. I have what I need. Go on.” Of course, be sure you have all that you need before doing so. When you are the sweep listen for the leader asking, “are we good to go?” so you can respond, “Ride on” or, “good to go.” But if the sweep is actively calling out when things are cleared the leader will never have to ask. That’s better. If you have to stop for anything, shout out, “stopping!” before you do so. Don’t get rear ended. Don’t be possessive of your place in line. If there has constantly been a gap in front of you, and there is constantly a rider on your rear wheel, let them pass. This prevents the chain of riders from breaking. A group stop is an opportunity to let someone get in front of you too, but mostly remain in the same order you stopped in when rolling again. Acknowledge other trail users with “thank you” or ‘how’s it going?” or “pretty dog” etc. as you pass them. Present mountain bikers as a good community. Groups can be intimidating to hikers. Mitigate that feeling for them. The sweep will say, “I’m the last one” to those being passed. Remember bikers yield to walkers and horses. Be polite always! YOU are responsible for crossing roads safely. DO NOT blindly follow someone into a road! Obey all traffic laws. This is not the time for ear buds. Be social! More importantly, you need to be able to hear what the group is doing. Be aware of all your bodily functions and know there is someone right on your rear wheel! -FOR RIDES THAT HAVE MULTIPLE GROUPS: Try to use a ride app on your solo rides before the group ride so you know what your general speed is out ON THE TRAILS. This helps you know what group you should be in. When on a multi-group ride, if you are holding up a faster group, drop back to the next fastest group. Don’t be too much of a drag for your group. This takes self-awareness. Don’t be “that guy.”

That shot looks real familiar. When we rode around our neighborhood in Bentonville there were a few other garages that were open and they too looked just like ours, as this one does. It is a very cool environment there.

Ok, this sucks. Going through all the preparations for a ride. Camelback full with ice and water, Gatorade backup bottle frozen to a perfect level, tires up to pressure, bike loaded in the car. Go back inside to put shoes on, come out to the car and... it's raining! Coming down pretty good right now too. NOT happy! yeah yeah, sure," we need the rain." Screw you! this sucks! 😉

I was just up there a month ago but was unable to ride the trails. But a couple of the locals I talked to were very proud of their trail system. "Oh yes our trails are legit. We have over 20 miles of trail." https://www.strava.com/heatmap#13.00/-98.49623/32.87716/gray/ride It's all in between the two big parts of the lake in the area they call The Peninsula.

No reason not to, unless you are a techtard like I am. That would be cool if they were on there.

"Have your bike mechanically ready before the ride. Both to start on time, and to have no preventable problem on the ride. For example, enough sealant in to stop a puncture, or loose saddle, or low tire pressure, etc. Be self-supporting out on the trail. Patches, tube, pump or charges, and a phone app to find your way home."

KVUE did a story on a large homeless camp in Mary Moore Searight: https://www.kvue.com/video/news/local/homeless-camp-in-south-austin-park-concerning-residents/269-b99aa1e1-fd1d-47c2-b9be-6239a952c383 Does anyone know where in the park it is? I know there was a big camp between the south bank of Slaughter Creek and Old San Antonio Rd, but that was cleaned up and fenced off. I guess all those folks moved. I've also seen activity close to one of the south 1st bridges, but nothing huge like the story shows.

For those of you that refuse to use the SATN Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/theSATN/ where all the information for this will be listed, here's the latest: Have you planned what you are going to attempt the day of The SATN Social yet? Time to start planning and training. It's coming up, Saturday, October 26th. The swag table is going to be heavy with freebies (Courtesy of ATX BIkes and Giant Bicycles) to be awarded in the post ride drawing. The tickets for the drawing will be given based on how much of the 58 miles you ride. Completed routes earn: East (15 miles) 2 tickets North (18 miles) 3 tickets South (25 miles) 4 tickets Bonus for doing all three (58 miles), 2 extra tickets A bonus ticket for each additional 6 miles over 58 miles A 10 ticket bonus to the one rider that has the highest mileage. Extra mileage will be ridden on the set routes in the proper direction. Must be back by 4 pm. These distances will require proof from your ride apps. The "most miles" competition might be very interesting! We know that not everyone is even going to attempt to ride the full 58 miles. That is why we are going to have three different send off times. 8 am, 10 am, and Noon. The hope is that everyone will be finishing between 3 pm and 4 pm. The food and drink will start at 3 pm. Sausage wraps provided by ATX Bikes, beer provided by Austin Beerworks. The drawing to start as soon after 4 pm as possible. Ladies and Gentlemen...start your planning! SATN_East_no_gray_areas.gpx

Less clothes? perv.

Amemded: "If you can’t see the person in front of you, yell out “which way?!” to alert them that the chain has broken. The person in front of you that hears this can then shout out to the leader, “We’ve lost some” so the leader will slow down to allow a catch up. TELL someone if you are dropping from the group so the group doesn’t wait or look for you."

The list has been amended: "Acknowledge other trail users with “thank you” or ‘how’s it going?” or “pretty dog” etc. as you pass them. Present we mountain bikers as a good community. Groups can be intimidating to hikers. Mitigate that feeling for them. The sweep should say, “I’m the last one” to those being passed." I don't think each person has to say how many back as the good ride leader will have given the count to the hiker as they pass.

It was Texas Conservation Corp during National Trails Day. There were several volunteer days scheduled several months ago that kept getting rained out. But they finally got it done. It's a good start and the closed trails are certainly no great loss. It's good work.