I build trails

2011-01-27T15:10:00.000-08:00

2011-01-26T23:51:00.000-08:00

2010-07-21T19:29:00.000-07:00

I'm pooped!
Spent the day at the Vernonia Bike Park.
Got there at round 10am to find a big old pile of bark dust just waiting for me!!
I use this to put around the shore stunts to help cut back on the weeds and help create a better fall zone for the newbees!

I also got started on the Dual Stunt Area. Not to much done there yet, I'll need a few hands on this one I think.

Those things are HEAVY! I just need to get a font loader and push then in all the way, and cut them to size! About 2.5 feet.

Another nice thing I found is that people are riding the new stuff!
The JR. Drop Zone has tire tracks and even a skid mark on the taller of the two, I think some one was trying to get the gonads to hit it, even if it is only a 3 foot drop, got to start somewhere right?

Vernonai Bike Park in Pics!

2010-07-19T21:42:00.000-07:00

Check this out!

2010-07-07T23:46:00.000-07:00

It's a map that me and some other riders from round the Country and Canada are working on!
Also go take a look at MTB Gear Tech Dot Com's site!

View MTBGearTech.com's DH/FR Trail Locator in a larger map

2010-07-07T22:08:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I got the tech skills area weed whacked, some stuff put back together and added a small Rock Garden and move that teeter in to a better spot. You should go have a look, I'm proud of what I got done for one day! I was thinking I'll be back on Friday to unearth the jump line! I was thinking of see if we could build a Dual Stunt Course there, this would allow for another kind race to be held at the park! The one in the link is a bit more flow oriented, like the one the North West School Of Freeride has, I would want to build one that is more Techy and more about balance and skills. We could start it off the back side of the starting mound that is there now.

Cool stuff in the works!

2010-07-06T15:56:00.000-07:00

I've got the go ahead to revamp the Skills Park at Vernonia Lake, I want to build more jumps (fix what is there) a pump track and tons of shore stunts, and the guy in charge of it Scott wants me to build some stunts on the short track, they are very laid back about what I want to do out there and they don't need care about going the red tape rout, it's like this, we show up look at where we want to build a line, and build it, we do have to build it correctly and make everything we build, built to last!

If your up to give me hand, drop email me at vallymtb@yahoo.com

I'll need all kinds of riders to help with this, from newbs to crusty old vets, this will allow us to build something for everyone to ride.

Well...

2010-06-22T18:31:00.000-07:00

It stopped raining! Finley! Sorry I haven't been around to update as of late, there isn't much to report with all the rain we have been getting here in the Portland area. But today I got some stuff done, I got some much much needed maps from Steve Kruger at L.L. Stub Steward State Park.

I then headed out to the MTB Zone Trail Head to bench out the crossing on Cattywomper Way,
If you don't know what benching is, your in luck I jacked this from IMBA site!

The ground I had to cut was at one point a logging road, so the dirt and soil is more like like that of clay and old dried cookie dough, but a good 3 hours of work I got it looking good!
Before:
After:
Sorry about the blurry pic, my phone camera isn't so good...

Tomorrow I'll be heading down to the south side and put the maps to good use and scout out the creek crossing, it's in a very steep area and will be a real challenge to get from the creek up to the the trails on both sides.

In other news, I'm kind of bummed, I had a Mclaskie snap on me! Bogus I tell you! The head is still good, how ever, there is no way to replace the handle on such an occasion, so now what?

That's a $139.00 walking stick!

Is there a Dr. in the house?

2010-05-17T23:27:00.000-07:00

OK, maybe not the house, but there sure as hell was one in the foot hills of the coastal range today!

Dr. Jeremy Neal from Blaq Design out of Kent Ohio has been in town for a few days, he cam out to give me a hand at L.L. Stub Steward State Park. We got about 200' of new trail cut today.

Afterwords we headed over to Reheer's Camp instead of sitting rush hour traffic for two hours, I showed him the Gales Creek Trail, Then tried to find Ravens Ridge with no luck, after which we explored the logging roads looking for rumored secret freeride trails, Sad to say, we didn't find any thing, except a washed out road.
Over all a good day, we got a lot of new trail cut in some thick dead fall, got lost in the forest, and found a big hole in the road. Tomorrow I'm off to Sandy Ridge in the AM.

2010-05-12T22:05:00.000-07:00

Off to Sandy Ridge in the A.M.
I have to say, from what I have heard, I'm looking forward to this.

On the tech side of Trail Building, I just want to show you this, it's called a The McLaski™ it is one of the best trail building tools I have ever used. The scraper is awsome for both scraping dirt and scraping bark off logs and dead fall your going to use for building features. The Axe is sweet for cutting roots that like to pop up in the benching that you just did with both the hoe and scraper, a lot of the other tools on this "7 in 1" are made for fire fighting, However, in the right hands, such as mine, you can find new way to use this all the time, The "Wildland Spanner Wrench" doubles as a beer bottle opener for the end of the day trail beers! The "Fire Rake" is good for pulling the Duff or Heather off the soil, it comes in handy to clean up you fire pit back at the camp site too! Weighing in at only 6lbs this is the only tool you'll need to take in to the woods! The only fall back is the price. The base model starts at $139.00! Here is a ling to see for your self mclaski.com for more info. So here what it comes down to, the McLeod and the Pulaski meet in a bar one night, 9 months later you'll have The McLaski.

FYI

2010-05-07T00:32:00.000-07:00

Some of you may not know this, but I write electronic. Here is something I did with some other MTB riders back in Cleveland.

Courtesy Nothing impresses so much like Subaru Impreza WRX Sti

Pics from Stub

2010-05-05T20:47:00.000-07:00

Just sitting there, saying "ues us, we want to be shore stunts!!" and we will!
Keep out, not open! But soon! One of the 1st Mountain Bike only trails in an Oregon state park!

Dave found a friend!

Pic from Black Rock

2010-05-05T11:35:00.000-07:00

Here are some pic from 5-1-2010 at Black Rock.

Stump at Stub!

2010-05-04T16:08:00.000-07:00

I had the task of pulling a stump out the side of the All Mountain Trail on the south side trail at L.L. "Stub" Steward State Park (try saying that 5 times fast!) not a very big one, but it was in deep for sure.
It took about 45mins to dig out under it and then cut the roots with an ax.
And that of course that destroyed the trail as I worked it out of the ground, so not wanting to have gaping hole in the trail, I had to head back to the Gator and get the McCloud and rebuild the trail and fix a few wet spots along the the way. I hate wet spots, they always form in the worst spots, like the part of the trail that you get your flow going and, SPLAT! slide, and your down! So I try to keep the trail free of wet spots the best I can.

I'm beat, I need a hot shower and cold beer! It was kind of cold out there today, It was starting to lightly snow as I was heading out of the woods!

Dakine Builders Pack!

2010-05-03T23:36:00.000-07:00

I'm digging (no pun intended) this!

You can cary everything you need on you back, And I'm sure I can hook rhino on there some how as well. I think I just may go and order one next time I get payed! Now if it only had a beer cooler... Maybe not.

2010-05-03T18:45:00.000-07:00

I'm heading out to Stub Steward State Park tomorrow AM to pull a stump out and redo some benching on the North side, I may take my bike and get a bike in too! If anyone in the grater PDX want to join me, I'll need to be at the Park by 10am!

I'll be out there till about 4PM, I really like what we have going on out there, the "XC/All Mountain" Trail should be fun, with not much climbing involved, and lots of flow. The freeride area will be a lot of fun as well, it's small, but I think that will work to it's own advantage. The smaller size will allow it be more of a social area, much like my old stomping ground in Cleveland at Ray's MTB, you can go do a run, come back up, hang out with your buddies, and the do another run. I know I'll be there a lot! See you on the Trails!

Wow, So here I am... Realy?

2010-04-09T22:22:00.000-07:00

So in December, no that's not right, is it? This story goes back a bit farther. I guess, it would be September? It was right before Sarah (my wife) and I got married, two friends of mine to told me they were going to move to Portland Oregon, I have to admit I was a bit jealous. I mean why are going to live in the mountains, they don't ride bikes, WTF!? Don't get me wrong, I was happy for them. Lets fast forward a bit, Oh by the way, we lived in Cleveland Ohio, I'll talk about that more latter, some day. So anyways, that December Sarah came to visit our friends here in the "PDX" as the hipsters say. I think we were here for an hour or so when Sarah said to me "I can live here..." and that was it, we decided to move here. And on Feb. 28th 2010 at noon we hit the road, 5 days and 3500 miles latter, we came home to our new home here in Portland.

That's all you get for now. I'm not feeling very blogy tonight, next time I'll tell you all the story about how I became a paid trail builder.