Coconino Trail Riders Blog

6:00 pm, Wednesday, November 19 at Flagstaff Motorsports on Butler Avenue.  Tomas, Neff and Anthony have a new edition of the newsletter, which should be posted here sometime soon as well.  We look forward to seeing everyone!

edit - corrected date.

Many of you took the Arizona State Parks Survey on recreational trails.  THis is the next step:

The Flagstaff meeting is at:

November 5 - Flagstaff
Riordan Mansion State Hist. Park
409 W. Riordan Road
6pm - 8pm

See You There!

Arizona Trails 2010: Statewide Motorized and Non-motorized Trails Plan
Arizona State Parks is seeking input from the public and land managers during Regional trail workshops to provide information on public trail priorities on both motorized and non-motorized trail issues.

Arizona State Parks is midway through the public involvement process for the Arizona Trails 2010 Plan. The Plan identifies the needs, attitudes and preferences of Arizona’s recreational trail users, both motorized and nonmotorized, and provides recommendations to focus trail management efforts. The Plan also determines funding priorities for the Trails Heritage Fund, Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Fund and the federal Recreational Trails Program.

The next step in the public involvement process is a series of regionally based workshops for interested citizens and for land managers. Staff from Arizona State Parks will be holding meetings in eight locations throughout the state.

These workshops are the time to discuss new ideas and trail needs and issues of regional concern, to explore questions in more detail than can be asked in a survey format, and to gain a better understanding of regional perspectives. We also want to know what you think are the priorities that land managers should focus their time and resources.

Coconino Trail Riders had some window stickers printed up.  Colors are white, green, yellow, and orange.  Size is approx. 14″x6″.  Best to come to our meeting to get one.  Price is ten bucks.  Proceeds help the club funds.

Revised meet-up location at 9:00 AM.

Meet at the intersection of Rocky Moto and Pipeline at 9:00 AM

If any Coconino Trail Riders would like to gain a little exposure about fun off road racing, going to this enduro event by Wickenburg is a good experience.  We have a couple of riders racing this event but the sponsors always need help with the event.  Perhaps we can get a group to carpool down for the day?  If interested give me a call by Sept 30th.  More information can be found here. http://www.amraracing.com/2008/schedule.php

Tomas—

Wednesday, September 17 at Flagstaff Motorsports on Butler Avenue.  6:00 pm.

Last year was the first Pedals vs Pistons challenge.  There was a motorcycle race that weekend, and the pedal-bikers won in a cakewalk.

I’m not sure of the reason for the low turnout of bicycle folks this year, but we had the opposite result.  There was a large contingent of volunteers from the Arizona Trail Riders, and an excellent turnout from CTR.  Brian Hawthorn from Blue Ribbon Coalition even showed up.  (he rode the entire Peaks Loop Sunday - rumor has it he likes it..)  Anyway, CTR now has the coveted Pedals vs. Pistos vs. Horseshoes vs. Hiking Boots Trophy.  If someonw has a picture, I’ll put it up.

Speaking of the Horseshoes vs. Hiking boots part.  Somewhere, in some smoke-filled room, the Pedals vs Pistons challenge was deemed to be too exclusionary, although Flagstaff Biking and CTR are the only organizations who sponsor regular trail days.  No horsepeople showed up - I’m not sure who was to be the sponsoring organization for horses, but I don’t think any were really expected.  The “hiking” organization was supposed to be the Sierra Club.  A few days before the event, they politely declined - apparently there was not enough time for them to rally the troops and make a respectable showing.  A pity for all of us hoping for Sierra Club assistance in constructing motorized trails.

September 6th is CTR’s next Trail Day which will be the 2nd annual “Pedals vs Pistons” (PvP) event.  PvP is a “shared” trail day where CTR competes with the good folks of Flagstaff Biking (FBO) (yeah, the spandex wearin’ bunch) for which club has the most show up.

Last year, FBO whooped CTR pretty bad (I think AMRA had a race that weekend….. at least that’s the excuse I’m stickin’ with). 

WE CAN’T LET THIS HAPPEN AGAIN !!! FBO has had “our” trophy for almost a year now….. that’s just wrong.

So….. bring along friends/relatives/in-laws….. anybody who can wear a CTR t-shirt (we’ve got plenty), and we’ll “put things right” this year.

Well, after a lot of studying, planning and wading through usual/normal
government “red tape”, the re-route of “Secret Trail” (some secret)
away from the Owl’s nesting area is complete, with the exception of a
few areas of “touch-up” to the NEW portion of the trail which we are
going to do at our next trail day, September 6th.

Here’s a photo montage of Saturday’s project……

A couple of weeks ago the “Flag Line” (layout) was put in and checked
(re-checked) by the USFS before we started work.

Here’s Noah and Mace (Mister Muskels) “scratchin’ in the line”…..

“Rough Line”

Here’s Dooley showing how well his wife’s anti-persperant works…..

Here’s Dooley actually working (building a “drain”).

Thomas, Robert and Anthony scratchin’…….

USFS Brad, Ugly Jankowski and Flag Speaker work on a rock ramp
(actually, Brad & Dominic were working….. UJ was “rythmic grunting”……
they thought it helped)

Here’s Chalkpaw and GrayMutt keeping USFS Brian from working (notice
GrayMutt’s alternate usage of his pick-mattock)

Happy moto-head (Viking) putting “first tracks” on the NEW trail……

The PRETTIEST sign EVER !!!

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Brian Hawthorne of the Blue Ribbon Coalition is 99% sure of coming to our CTR Trail Day  Saturday August 16th, at 8:AM.  (We are meeting at Junction of 6273 and the Pipeline.  6273 ties into Shultz Pass Road near Sunset Trailhead (also near Shultz Tank).  Go north a quarter mile to Pipeline.)

……here’s the e-mail Greenwalt sent him last week to convince him and “The Big Boss”, Greg Mumm that it’s NECESSARY for Brian to bring his “trail tool” down from Ideee-ho and attend this event  

“Brian……

It would be awesome if you could attend CTR’s monthly “Trail
Day” Saturday, August 16th. This is a “special” Trail Day for a
number of reasons.

1) We (CTR) are going to use special ‘tools’ to “burn in” a
section of NEW trail located on the Coconino National Forest
(CNF). These tools are known to most people as DIRTBIKES
with knobby rear tires.

2) The USFS reps in charge of Trails/Recreation will be present
and directing our work efforts.

3) This trail is a “re-route” of an existing multi-use/motorized
trail that is being built at the request of the United States Fish
and Wildlife Service (USFWS), to mitigate disturbance (by ALL
users) of a Mexican Spotted Owl (MSO) nest site. As you know
the MSO is listed as a “threatened” species under the
Endangered Species Act of 1973 and as such is protected by
the USFWS.

4) This trail is also located within a Goshawk PAC (Protective
Activity Center). The Northern Goshawk is protected as a
“sensitive” species under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

5) This trail is located within some of the prettiest forest in
Arizona. Aspen, Spruce, Fir, Ponderosa Pine, ferns and other
flora are in abundance.

6) This trail is located within the boundries of the proposed
Traditional Cultural Property (TCP).

http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/coconino/nepa/ea_peaks_withdrawal.html

7) This trail is a planned motorized travel route under the “Fort
Valley Ecosystem Restoration Project” (a USFS plan approved
in 2000 ) and as such WILL be included as a “designated route”
under the Travel Management Rule (TMR).

CTR serves the best lunch(s) for Trail Days - hot BBQ
sandwiches with fixin’s (no sissy bagel vegan sandwiches like
the mountain bike/spandex crowd).

9) Trail rides after/during work and on Sunday.

10) I’ll be there.

Excuses ???

See You there ???

Let me know…….

Keith Greenwalt
Land Use Officer
Coconino Trail Riders   ”

This event is HUGE for all of the reasons mentioned above.

The new section of trail only about 2/10th’s of a mile, so with
“proper tools”,  the “work” ( ) should be finished quickly.

If you have a QUIET tool (NO LOUD PIPES !!!   ), and would
like to join us, pleas come up