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Brushy Creek


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3 hours ago, gotdurt said:

After taking a year off, I was really disappointed return to see all the B-lines, C-lines, D-lines, cut-throughs, etc. It's a cluster. I gave up trying to correct it, it's a losing battle.

Hikers are getting worse too... I was out there Friday at 1pm (mid-week/mid-day used to be my safe time) and had 3 run-ins with clueless hikers.  One was a woman standing at the bottom of the Swag drop with her Weimer; she was standing kind of hidden on the right side of the left turn... I already had momentum and dropped in my normal line, only to discover that her dog was off leash when it jumped out in front of me, almost killing us both, then tried to run in front of my tire... I finally slid to a stop while she tried to call her panicked dog, which stood down-trail and wouldn't come to her. Next, I got to the drop at Satellite, checking my line of sight through the original right-line as I passed, then dropped in only to see the blur of a person jump out of my way... must've been standing on the other side of the big oak as I approached. Further into DD, I came up on a guy with 2 dogs on leashes; they stood off to the left side and seemed like they would be fine so I continued... it was a climb, so I wasn't moving fast... suddenly both dogs split different directions and when their leashes stopped them they freaked out, then each doubled in the opposite directions, tangling each other and the owner and jerking him all over the place... in the trail in front of me.

Who wants to start a new secret rogue trail?

I've basically stopped riding PP on the weekend because of this.  The last Sunday I rode there, I came around a corner and there was some dude jogging behind his toddler on a balance bike going the wrong way.  That was almost a disaster.  About another half a mile in, I wiped out when I guy's dog ran out of no where right in front of me.  Mountain biking is challenging enough without trying to avoid toddler and dogs lol.  

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45 minutes ago, rugger said:

Absolutely 100% FAKE NEWS. Funny, the "today" part too. 

I met with the county this week (y'day). No existing official trail segment is going to be closed. 

This is not supposed to be public news yet, but obviously rumors have started. 

5.0 or Up and Over, the short segment that connects Double Down to The Rim via the high ridge is planned to be closed (again). the trail segment has been officially closed since the trail become legit. This segment was closed right away and we maintained the closure for the first year and then just let it be. The county didn't care until the Commissioner received a complaint. 

PLEASE be patient and wait for an OFFICIAL Announcement before you contact the county commissioner...I mean, assuming you want to. 

ARR will be working with the county to enforce this closure and we understand it's out of the Parks and Rec hands, but a decision made by the Commissioner's Court. 

Sad to hear this, but I'll respect the closure. I've kinda known that that trail wasn't ever made official, but I always wondered why... any chance you could satisfy my curiosity with an explanation of the county's logic in approving everything but that one section of trail?

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Wow. just wow. 

The reason for the closure was a property owner complaint to the County Commissioner, Terry Cook, commissioner1@wilco.org https://www.wilco.org/comm1

In the mtg y'day Wilco Parks and Rec director Russell Fishbeck 512-943-1922, Cell 512-409-1124 russell.fishbeck@wilco.org and Michael Young Supervisor 512-943-1923 michaelyoung@wilco.org advised Cullen and I that they intend to close this section of trail. They asked that we work with the local communities to help communicate, faciliate, and ultimately maintain the closure. We asked they give us advanced notice before doing so, in order to get communication out with dates, maps, description of the closure.

They agreed to give us a heads up before proceeding with the actual closure. 

They also were not interested in discussing an alternative route further from the houses. It was also clear they have no intention of allowing any future ARR development on their parks. 

With this latest development, including their willful deceit I am no longer going to continue to be the Trail Steward. I cannot continue to work with these folks, from day one they have made us feel like a thorn in their side. 

My decision is not a knee-jerk reaction, it's not based purely on this occurrence, and it is with extremely heavy heart (more than you can imagine) that I step away. 

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31 minutes ago, Albert said:

That's unfortunate, but why???

Good question. 
 

Short answer, not their words: It’s easier to say no. It’s easier to manage their smaller sphere. It’s easier to maintain passive preserves. It’s easier to just report on the as-is and not present new stuff. 
 

They dangled carrots of other tracts that we might be able to develop on, but it was just a way to get us to knock out their punch list, make sure we could be good stewards, which we did, were, but those tract are for purely passive use. 

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2 hours ago, rugger said:

Good question. 
 

Short answer, not their words: It’s easier to say no. It’s easier to manage their smaller sphere. It’s easier to maintain passive preserves. It’s easier to just report on the as-is and not present new stuff. 
 

They dangled carrots of other tracts that we might be able to develop on, but it was just a way to get us to knock out their punch list, make sure we could be good stewards, which we did, were, but those tract are for purely passive use. 

image.gif.ba62df944c14e3a6200d443d595d83e4.gif

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Yeah that isn’t a gigantic loss, but look for more collisions in that humpy, flowy creek crossing at the bottom of the double track by the BCRT bridge. Also, that was one of the better (only) decent climbs out there. Down was fun, too. I bet it’s gonna be touuugghhh to keep runners from using it. 

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2 hours ago, Kobra Kai MTB Guy said:

If it’s an unsanctioned trail then I guess I can’t be that upset. Pretty bummed though. That downhill from the top of that trail to the bcrt was a banger. 

Yeah, I used that trail all the time, but not a huge loss.  It was nice, though, as it allowed you to bypass the BCRT for that segment..

I'm more concerned about the apparent breakdown in the relationship between Williamson County and local trail builders.

 ..Al

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If you ride Mulligan be careful where the trail crosses the low/ muddy spots. I started working on it. I dug small channels across the trail to release water from a pond that formed above the trail due to deadfall. Its going to take a while to finsh the work. Pics below are a before and after of the last low spot. I included a picture of the pond thats formed and the channel to lower release the water. The pond was the reason the low spots are remaing wet permanently. It was allowing a small constant stream of water to run down the trail keeping it wet all the time. eb2b34cf3133aad1416c7500c35ec519.jpgb90c708232fc0836c8558c5cc3112a68.jpg6e9122db56725f3c76fe5f5acb5b80bc.jpg

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
 

Edited by HoneyBadger
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35 minutes ago, Morealice said:

Yeah that isn’t a gigantic loss, but look for more collisions in that humpy, flowy creek crossing at the bottom of the double track by the BCRT bridge. Also, that was one of the better (only) decent climbs out there. Down was fun, too. I bet it’s gonna be touuugghhh to keep runners from using it. 

Yeah, in my mind I call that section under the bridge "Criss Cross Crash" when I pass through... it's going to happen.

As for the Up and Over connector, I really enjoyed that one in both directions. It had some fun features if you worked it right. I'll miss that one.

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51 minutes ago, Albert said:

Yeah, I used that trail all the time, but not a huge loss.  It was nice, though, as it allowed you to bypass the BCRT for that segment..

I'm more concerned about the apparent breakdown in the relationship between Williamson County and local trail builders.

 ..Al

I agree with Al on this.  Williamson County seemed to be a partner when it came to trails but this seems like a step in the wrong direction.  I'm hoping Cullen and the ARR team can smooth things over and not let this snowball into the loss of more trail.  Losing any trail is a bummer especially for the trail builders that put blood and sweat equity into making something out of nothing.  However, building a relationship with a land owner is something that requires as much effort and probably a lot more patience.  

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12 hours ago, rugger said:

Wow. just wow. 

The reason for the closure was a property owner complaint to the County Commissioner, Terry Cook, commissioner1@wilco.org https://www.wilco.org/comm1

In the mtg y'day Wilco Parks and Rec director Russell Fishbeck 512-943-1922, Cell 512-409-1124 russell.fishbeck@wilco.org and Michael Young Supervisor 512-943-1923 michaelyoung@wilco.org advised Cullen and I that they intend to close this section of trail. They asked that we work with the local communities to help communicate, faciliate, and ultimately maintain the closure. We asked they give us advanced notice before doing so, in order to get communication out with dates, maps, description of the closure.

They agreed to give us a heads up before proceeding with the actual closure. 

They also were not interested in discussing an alternative route further from the houses. It was also clear they have no intention of allowing any future ARR development on their parks. 

With this latest development, including their willful deceit I am no longer going to continue to be the Trail Steward. I cannot continue to work with these folks, from day one they have made us feel like a thorn in their side. 

My decision is not a knee-jerk reaction, it's not based purely on this occurrence, and it is with extremely heavy heart (more than you can imagine) that I step away. 

If you want to type up an "official" statement I'm happy to post it on my site.

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1 hour ago, AustinBike said:

If you want to type up an "official" statement I'm happy to post it on my site.

Following the trail closure,  a plan of action is been formulated to strengthen the relationship between ARR and Williamson County Parks dept. The worst thing that can happen at the moment is for people to ignore the trail closure and keep riding it. No-one knows if that trail will be open again, but I can just about guarantee it won't if people keep using it. Think long term. If you see someone riding it explain their actions are making it more difficult to partner with Williamson County Parks dept.

Also, social media complaining is only going to make the situation worse. Local Land Managers do look at these forums, MTB facebook groups, and twitter to gather information about what's happening on the trails. I personally have had to apologize several times to a Land Manager for things mtber's (i've never met) have posted on line. 

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37 minutes ago, HoneyBadger said:

Following the trail closure,  a plan of action is been formulated to strengthen the relationship between ARR and Williamson County Parks dept. The worst thing that can happen at the moment is for people to ignore the trail closure and keep riding it. No-one knows if that trail will be open again, but I can just about guarantee it won't if people keep using it. Think long term. If you see someone riding it explain their actions are making it more difficult to partner with Williamson County Parks dept.

Also, social media complaining is only going to make the situation worse. Local Land Managers do look at these forums, MTB facebook groups, and twitter to gather information about what's happening on the trails. I personally have had to apologize several times to a Land Manager for things mtber's (i've never met) have posted on line. 

Do we need some signage or something similar from a MTB group that its closed to make sure people are on board?  Some people will "stick it to the man" but once they realize their own are also asking a section to not be ridden it may help.  

Some people will still be jerks and do what they want, but may help keep the traffic lower.  

Idk, I dont have any good suggestions other than signs.

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How about we have a sanctioned ride/event on the sanctioned trails and focus everyone’s attention on what we have and not what we’ve lost? That way we can continue to show the land owner and the community around the park that we’re responsible partners.

Alternatively, we can wait a few months for a homeless camp to show up back there since there are no longer pesky trail users disrupting their sleep.


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I definitely agree, the loss of this trail is not a major issue, I certainly enjoyed it prefer it over going down to BCRT. The fact that they wouldn't even discuss an alternative lower trail to avoid both the houses and the BCRT and several other factors were the catalyst. One of there primary issue has always been the intersection of singletrack and BCRT, this is absolutely understandable. We proposed a solution to avoid going down to the BCRT while providing a singletrack connection to Rim Loop, they were not interested in even discussing this.

As for losing more trail - don't be concerned with the main 1/4 Notch, DD, and Picnic trails (Mulligan is officially NOT part of either Wilco or City trails, the golf course could close it down if they want, Wilco could put fences there and it would not surprise me). However, we had to fight tooth and nail multiple times to convince them to allow us to keep Rim/Dave's open. So, if anything in the future may be closed, it would be Rim Loop. I am NOT saying this was discussed or implied in this most recent mtg, but it was discussed multiple times in the past. 

I repeat the closure of this section is not the reason for my departure, I'm not interested in continuing to work with the county at this point. 

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1 hour ago, rugger said:

I definitely agree, the loss of this trail is not a major issue, I certainly enjoyed it prefer it over going down to BCRT. The fact that they wouldn't even discuss an alternative lower trail to avoid both the houses and the BCRT and several other factors were the catalyst. One of there primary issue has always been the intersection of singletrack and BCRT, this is absolutely understandable. We proposed a solution to avoid going down to the BCRT while providing a singletrack connection to Rim Loop, they were not interested in even discussing this.

As for losing more trail - don't be concerned with the main 1/4 Notch, DD, and Picnic trails (Mulligan is officially NOT part of either Wilco or City trails, the golf course could close it down if they want, Wilco could put fences there and it would not surprise me). However, we had to fight tooth and nail multiple times to convince them to allow us to keep Rim/Dave's open. So, if anything in the future may be closed, it would be Rim Loop. I am NOT saying this was discussed or implied in this most recent mtg, but it was discussed multiple times in the past. 

I repeat the closure of this section is not the reason for my departure, I'm not interested in continuing to work with the county at this point. 

Aside from just being a convenient connector, that was really just an all around awesome stretch of trail in both directions. I understand the situation and will of course comply, but that sweet track will be sorely missed. For what it's worth, I personally would have given up Mulligan in an instant to keep Up-and-Over. 

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2 hours ago, HoneyBadger said:

Following the trail closure,  a plan of action is been formulated to strengthen the relationship between ARR and Williamson County Parks dept. The worst thing that can happen at the moment is for people to ignore the trail closure and keep riding it. No-one knows if that trail will be open again, but I can just about guarantee it won't if people keep using it. Think long term. If you see someone riding it explain their actions are making it more difficult to partner with Williamson County Parks dept.

Also, social media complaining is only going to make the situation worse. Local Land Managers do look at these forums, MTB facebook groups, and twitter to gather information about what's happening on the trails. I personally have had to apologize several times to a Land Manager for things mtber's (i've never met) have posted on line. 

That is why I was suggesting that you craft something. I would say there are several target sites like MTBR, Facebook, this site, etc. that would benefit from a proactive statement that addresses how the builders and the county are working together, etc.

The vacuum of low information is where rumors run wild.

Yeah, it sucks to be the point person on this one. I get a few angry homeowners and whatnot that harass me through my site because someone cut them off on their walk. I know what you mean about having to apologize for some idiot's behavior.

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9 minutes ago, throet said:

Aside from just being a convenient connector, that was really just an all around awesome stretch of trail in both directions. I understand the situation and will of course comply, but that sweet track will be sorely missed. For what it's worth, I personally would have given up Mulligan in an instant to keep Up-and-Over. 

Agreed, I used to add Rim to my routine just so I could do Up and Over in both directions. But, I guess it was never really ours to begin with. I don't remember the last time I rode Mulligan...

Edited by gotdurt
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9 minutes ago, AustinBike said:

That is why I was suggesting that you craft something. I would say there are several target sites like MTBR, Facebook, this site, etc. that would benefit from a proactive statement that addresses how the builders and the county are working together, etc.

The vacuum of low information is where rumors run wild.

Yeah, it sucks to be the point person on this one. I get a few angry homeowners and whatnot that harass me through my site because someone cut them off on their walk. I know what you mean about having to apologize for some idiot's behavior.

ARR is going to take care of letting people know.

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23 minutes ago, throet said:

Aside from just being a convenient connector, that was really just an all around awesome stretch of trail in both directions. I understand the situation and will of course comply, but that sweet track will be sorely missed. For what it's worth, I personally would have given up Mulligan in an instant to keep Up-and-Over. 

I agree. Up and Over was much better than Mulligan.

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