Here comes July

NBL Line is running and hopefully to the end this weekend.
Hip right had been removed from NBL line so left transfer in on into berm.
Roller line future berm to???

Roller line decision maker. Right easy? Left harder?

Weather permitting, alot of people are suppose to be coming to town to help ride the trails in. Most of the lips completely rebuilt this spring are still having troubles hardening up to try out. Its been the first dry week this season so hopefully some curing took place this week. Water table is still high at the trails and everything still looks like it was formed yesterday.

The Roller line expansion project is making progress and splitting into 2 directions. Option right will continue to be a beginner line with a roller step-down going into real sets of doubles. Small, but hopefully get some younger kids jumping doubles. Option left will start by jumping into a berm followed by Terrasi's imagination taking over.

Between crappy weather, completely new lips and my absent shovel, the trails are way behind schedule compared to last year. Brad's been doing the best he can along with Jordan and Terrasi on ocassion, but its alot for one person 90% of the time. It's alot, even if we had 2 or 3 more totally dedicated people like Brad, but we are getting there. This fall should one of the best ever. Want to come ride, dig and hang out? Shoot me a message for info. First riding pics this weekend? Lets keep our fingers crossed.

Pennsyl-freakin-vania

Roller Line Expansion Project thru the NBL berm area.

Main Line's new 5th lip stacked and waiting for finishing.

Main Line's new 6th set now in the form of a long-n-low.

Main Line's berm after the long-n-low has been gutted.

Progress at the trails is still going slow, but everything is getting worked out. I have been missing from the trail, so that's the explanation for the lack of blog updates. Weather is still not trail riding friendly, but it is helping us build and stack when we normally couldn't this time of year.

This morning we are leaving the Georgia coast and heading towards Pennsyl-freakin-vania. Can't wait to get away from this sand and back to where there is real dirt. Missing the trails and need a vacation from vacation, before I head back to work Monday. Hopefully I can get the new ride thrown together Sunday and get some saddle time in.

Ferns are back

I love this time of the year. The ferns are back and the folliage has the trails shaded again. I really haven't had the chance to enjoy it yet, but we are getting closer.

About time you did a post

What can I say, I've been a little busy. Work has gone from busy to insanely busy with all of the deadlines we have quickly approaching. I don't sleep much to begin with, but a 3 week old little girl has cut that in half. Missing the trails right now and the rain is not helping. Too tired to write captions and I deleted 3 of the pics I wanted to show anyways.

Quick run-down of trail happenings:

Main Lines first 4 sets are ready to go if it ever stops raining.

Huge digging crew 2 weekends ago that I didn't witness.

Old last set in Main Line is becoming a long-n-low heading into the berm.

NBL Line has been raked out and waiting good weather.

Jimmy town locals working on quarter near Roller Line old 1st set.

A digging crew finally

Chevy, Thor and Brad work on the old 6th landing, new 5th landing in Main Line.
I knocked down the old last lip, new 6th lip in Main Line in order to thicken up and make wider. The lip used to be twice the height with the same amount of dirt that is shown.

Joe T. was dialing in the new entrance / exit to the 360 berm.

Chevy's wife Megan is in 2nd place behind Brad on wheel barrows done this year and making alot of the locals look bad with here digging skills.

Another view of the 6th lip in Main Line. Wide enough to hit with a truck for now.

Brad's nice fire to keep us warm on about the first day we have not needed a fire to keep warm. The rain broke in the afternoon and we got into the 70's finally.

Had 5 diggers out today along with a dog the size of a small horse that helped pack some landings in. Everyone was scattered out over 3 different areas getting some good work done in a short amount of time. Still to cold and muddy to dial stuff in yet, but some much needed re-stacking of lips and landings getting done. If the weather stays crappy it might be to the other end of the trails to work on the new stuff coming back. We will see what happens. Come out and get your dig on.

Good Friday

Main Line 4th set
Main Line 4th lip and 3rd landing

Something is missing here

Main Line looking towards the roll-in

Fire, MTB's and another landing getting ready to go up

It was a good Friday. 4th lip in Main Line was re-stacked and 4th landing started going up. The gap was looking really big compared to last year, but as the lip approached its correct height, everything was looking better. Brad and Jordan got the 3rd landing staked higher the night before and the flat bottom is starting to tighten up nicely. The Main Line's steroid dose has it pumped up compared to last year and we are finally to the area where the old 5th set was removed before winter. The new 5th lip and landing will be the next area of focus while it is still stacking weather. The Roller Line's old 1st lip is now gone and drainage excavation is slowly taking place in that area. Brad showed me a couple of Jordan's crazy ideas and we are wondering who will have the skills to do them besides himself. His idea for the NBL Line extension all makes sense and hopefully will make progress this year.

No pictures from last Sunday's dig session with Brad, but 3rd lip in Main Line was restacked while the 2nd landing in Main Line and Geronimo was dialed in. Geronimo's 2nd set is looking big again after lip and landing both went up a another foot. We are estimating the 3rd gap in Geronimo is going to have to be atleast 4 foot bigger once everything is dialed on the 2nd set. The short set out of the 360 berm has donated alot of dirt to the area for the better. It was extremely windy all day and widow makers were constantly falling out of the trees trying to impale us. Farmboy Dinger made it down, tried using MY shovel and I didn't see him leaning against a tree once. He says his tree leaning pic on the Heathens blog was blackmail since he has had no vehicle to get to their trails. Progress is slow, but stuff worked on is looking good.

Trail Nazi's???

Main Line's and Geronimo's 2nd landings going up. Geronimo's long-n-low, side view. Geronimo's long-n-low, head on view.

Main Line's 2nd lip has grown a foot since last year.

Main Line's 2nd lip from different view.

The trails are still pretty quiet. I think everyone is waiting for Brad to get them dialed, then people will show up to ride. The lack of help has led to numerous trail nazi discussions and whether a no dig / no ride policy should be enacted. Also makes Brad and me wonder what will happen to the trails if we ever become "too busy" or "too old" to work on the trails. Funny thing is that we are already too busy and too old, but we are there getting shit done. It makes me sad that people don't appreciate the trails, while other riders across the states would die for a safe place to start or build trails. I will leave it at that and quit my disgruntled, no one is helping, but they will come and ride rant.

Progress has been going slow at the trails, but it is getting done and looking proper. The improvements on Main Line have us drooling while we are digging and riding in our heads. I'm pretty sure I heard some motocross sounds escape from Brad throughout the night, while my music was cranked. Should be more effortless then last year and no choice but to roast. 2nd lip in Main Line is stacked and ready for someone to slap in and dial. 2nd landings in Main Line and Geronimo getting close to being stacked to height. Hopefully we will finish the landings this weekend along with getting the 3rd lip in Main Line stacked up again.

Looks like Saturday might get rained out, so get down Sunday to get some stacking in and help put a smile on the old fart's, disgruntled faces. It looks like Farmboy Mitch needs to get a shovel in his hands and quite giving us a bad reputation down in the Beury Patch. Just kidding bud. Ha ha ha.

Git R Done

First landing in Main Line has been boosted about a foot taller and squared up.

Second landing in Main Line grew a large dank pad. Not really. Getting ready to go up another foot.

Third lip in Main Line was demo-ed to remove roots and import good clay to fix the self destructing problem child for good.

Different view of Main Line's beefed up first landing.

What's that pile of dirt there for? How about the landing for a long-n-low before Geronimo's first set.

Skipped out of work early to get to the trails, because Sunday looks like 80% chance for rain. Had a good digging / BS session with Brad and Jordan. Always a wide range of topics to keep you laughing while digging. Still too muddy to start dialing lips in, but perfect for stacking and working on landings. Many discussions on what to do with the beginning of the Roller Line, but we will wait for Aaron and Joe T to show up to discuss some more. Come on down and get some digging in. Someone will be there.

Dialed Mess

I had a hilarious post almost ready with the trails writing captions for each of the above photos asking people to come visit and fix stuff. I posted it yesterday and shit blew up and went everywhere and it made no sense at all. Probably some of my better stuff, but I guess we will never know.

Anyways the trails were pretty frozen on Sunday, but Brad and I got started on raking the trails out and tweeking the berm after the old last set in Main Line. Starting to change to a regular berm with no roller on the exit going into the step-up. Still too muddy to start dialing stuff in, but got some good improvement work in.

There is alot of raking that needs done before we really start smaking stuff into shape. Don't want to dig, come rake. Don't want to rake, come chop up downed trees. Don't want to do anything, then you forfeit you right to complain about anything at the trails once they are running. Brad has been hitting the trails up regularly, mostly solo, so come lend him a hand.

Digging should be getting done all weekend, so come join the party.

Concrete Weekend

Athens, Ohio Hell yea!!!

The text message responses I got back from this sent picture and the "not coming home" message where quite entertaining. I can not repeat my wife's response, but we were rolling on the ground.






Athens
Lines for days if you can get the kid with the RC car out of the big bowls.










Athens, over vert corner near capsule. Just a big berm.












Florence, Kentucky













Post-grommit evacuation plan













Brad, X-uping the hip



























Yes this is a trail blog, but concrete is the next best thing. Great weekend of riding and getting in shape for the trail season. We left Saturday morning with hopes for a Wheeling West Virginia concrete stop, but it looked like a bust. Rolled in to skaters 25+ deep on the street course, no BMX'ers to be seen and the big bowl empty besides 1 old school skater. Took some pics and figured we didn't want the hassle and hightailed it to Athen, Ohio. Arrived in Athens around dinner time to a busy street course and empty big bowl area. Perfect. Race track lines for days and that is where stayed. Rode into the evening hours not knowing if it would rain on Sunday. Sunday morning was cold and arrived to an empty park for an hour. Tried lines thru the whole park, but lived in the big section until it started sprinkling hours later. We were tied so we started heading to Cincinatti where we had to be for work Monday morning. The closer we got the warmer and the nicer the weather got. Decided to hit up the Florence Kentucky park since it was only 40 miles from were we were going. Arrived to a concrete skatepark that looked like alittle kids playground. Grommits everywhere just going in circles. Stuck in the bowls. 50+ kids going at a time and running into each other. Not the place 30+ year old trail riders go, but we were there and going to ride, some how. It took a while, but we got the kids cleaned out of the bowl and had a couple hour session with some Binghamton, NY BMX'ers on their way to Cali. As always, Kentucky didn't let us down with the interesting and entertaining people we ran into while riding. No Louisville this trip. Got work done this morning and hauled ass home to crappy, cold weather that we are sick of. Hopefully no speeding tickets are coming in the mail from Ohio.

Frozen Tundra

Frozen Tundra













Dump Zone


















Dig Zone













Wheel Barrow Path

















Brad is continuing to make progress at the trails. Earth moving and tree cutting is going on. I finally made the trek to the trails Sunday for some quick pics. Still alot of snow, but we are in the woods. More daylight in the evenings is definitely helping week digging sessions. All the trail blogs are coming back to life after a long winter. All good.