TRAIL DIRT

By Michael Walsh

September 2001

Oh summertime!  It’s always time for another ride.  I’ve managed to increase my saddle time this season.  Little things, like my job, were getting in the way of trail riding and exploring, but not now.  Biking is a high priority for me, after my family of course.  I really don’t need an excuse to ride, just a place.  The bike travels with me when I have to go out of town.  Sometimes, if feasible, I also take the family along with me.  Driving to distant lands is the main mode of travel.  However, there are other times when I have to take to the air.   I have a few procedures I use when I take the bike on the plane to avoid the extra charge.  Here is just one bit of advice for airline travel: get a good hard side box (no cardboard) for the bike and keep it under 70 lbs.  I’ll take the bike wherever, “just in case”.   Then, when I arrive back home, there are places I’ve taken my wife, Kelly, and my two boys, Nicholas and Erik, out for rides.  Sure, its not extreme, technical trail, but trying to ride with two little boys can be technical in its own way.  Watching the determination of the little ones and seeing them accomplish a small hill is rather rewarding.  They would love to be carried along, but in the end when they do a ride themselves, they are quite happy.   We’ve been to some parks in the area and also Lula Lake Land Trust.  (LLLT is a great place for families to go for gentle rides or even the extreme rides.  That area has all levels of challenge for cyclists.   BE PREPARED.) Even rides around the neighborhood with them have been fun.  I’m looking forward to rides with my boys on the trails.  They know, however, that I need some good hard trail riding at times.  They’re there to help me get ready for a ride and they greet me when I arrive beaten and bloody.

So, I believe these little guys will be ready for the Ocoee / Tanasi Mountain Bike Festival on the 19th to the 21st of October.  I’m getting ready.  The Bike Club is getting ready.  The trails are really close to being ready.  Dylan Mantooth has a trail maintenance day scheduled for September 9th, 2001, so let’s all be there to help the trails be ready.  He was rained out on the last trail day in August.  The Azalea Trail will be repaired.  There is a wet section that will be rerouted to reduce damage to the environment.  The Arbutus Trail needs some repair as well.  There was some minor damage from the logging operations this past spring.  Also a few spots on the Slickrock trail need some attention.  The Clear Creek Trail remains “officially closed” by the USFS.  We will not include this trail on our Festival rides unless it becomes “officially opened” by the USFS.   It currently has some dead pine trees alongside and it’s a “ride at your own risk” area.   So, come one, come all.  We need to help the trails.

Still have not heard anymore information on the CSX RR situation.  Time has not allowed me to follow through with that project.  The CBC is still looking for a “few good cyclists” who can follow this project and monitor the legal proceedings.  Please volunteer.

The IMBA. Summit at Roan State Park is actually gonna be on October 5–7, 2001.  There was some mix up on the calendar from our source in that area.  I still plan to attend and represent the Chattanooga Bicycle Club.  However, I’ll miss out on the Race at Lula Lake.  I was hoping I could have done both.   I feel as though the IMBA Summit would be beneficial for the Bike Club.  It’s amazing how many great trails exist in the Chattanooga and North Georgia area.  With the help of IMBA maybe we can have more quality trails in the area.  The population of East Tennessee is not getting any smaller and more bicycles are being sold for mountain biking.  We need to be ready for the increased usage of our trails.  I’ll keep y’all posted on the Summit.

O.K., off to another ride and hopefully I’ll keep the rubber side down.  I haven’t had much luck with that recently.  Good thing I have a high quality helmet.  I still remember my name is Bob.

Michael Walsh   mtnbikingmantra@yahoo.com

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