SWANSON TRAIL DAY CANCELLED

Frank says all's well and Swanson. Go ride!

Save your strength for Manawa trail day next week!

Branched Oak Area 7 Trail Day - Sunday May 31st at 9 AM

Come on out to Branched Oak Area 7 on Sunday May 31st at 9 AM and help groom the trails, install trail markers, and cut some new trails. The forecast is looking great for a trail day!

T.H.O.R. trail markers will placed at trailheads and other key areas throughout the trail. A new section of trail will also be cut.

Work is scheduled for a couple of hours, so bring a bike and ride the trails afterward!

Friendly reminders:

• Wear long sleeves and pants for protection from critters and poison ivy/oak/sumac
• Wear eye protection
• Bring some leather work gloves
  
• Bring sunblock and bug spray
• Bring plenty of water and snacks (hydration packs work great!)
• Bring loppers, weed wackers, mowers, etc.
  

Thanks!

Iowadirt Workshop open to THOR members

Iowadirt is welcoming THOR members to join their workshop with the Subaru / IMBA Trail Care Crew, June 20th at Lake Ahquabi State Park in Indianola. 

Friday is a classroom session and Saturday will be in the field.Correction: Saturday is not in the field. Here is what how the director described it:"In short, CITA is hosting a 'summit' with the TCC on Saturday as a way to help all Iowa IMBA affiliates -- separately and collectively -- by sharing best practices in running our organizations and discussing ways we can collaborate to improve Iowa mountain biking. "

Schedule:

FRIDAY (w/ Hansi Johnson)
(morning ride at Ahquabi?)
Meeting: "Embracing Iowa Dirt" workshop @ Ahquabi
    10:30a - TCC 'school' content (singletrack 101)
    Noon - Lunch (class continues)
    1:30p - Discussion (roundtable)
    2:30p - Adjourn (visit to Summerset trails)
Dinner: BBQ at Summerset (tentative)
Ride: Summerset @ 6p
Beer: Royal Mile

SATURDAY
Meeting: Iowa IMBA affiliates' summit @ downtown library
    9a - 'Club Care' workshop
    Noon - Lunch (discussion/planning begins)
    3p - Adjourn
Ride: Center
Dinner: Raccoon River Brewing Company
Party: 'Freedom Riders' screening at Hotel Fort Des Moines

SUNDAY
Ride: Sycamore TT (IMBCS race) @ 10

To support any THOR members who wish to go, THOR is offering $75 towards gas and hotel per group of (4). 

For more information and to register, go to http://www.iowadirt.org/blog/embracing-iowa-dirt-event/. Once you register please contact roxzanne(dot)abbott(at)gmail(dot)com so she can get all attendees in contact with each other. One of your party will need to be responsible for organizing travel arrangements and booking a hotel. 

As a reminder, THOR will be hosting our own workshop in later summer/early fall but we thought this would be a great addition and also a great way to make connections with neighboring trail crews. 

PS: Info at http://www.iowadirt.org/blog/embracing-iowa-dirt-event/

Pablo

Just a reminder to all. Memorial Day weekend marks the start of the Horse riding season at Platte River State Park. Please refrain from riding the horse area between the hours of 9am-4pm weekdays and on the weekends. Signs are posted at the top of trial leading from the Wild Turkey parking lot.
Mountain bikes tend to spook the horses and the unsuspecting rider. If even one mtber has an encounter with the horses on the trail that could jeopardize the use of the horse area for the rest of us.
So please enjoy the park, try the main park trails until after 4pm or get out there early and finish the ride by 9am.
It also marks the start of the Bacon ride season.

Swanson Trees Removed

Title sums it up. Two logs gone now.

Small group of folks finishing up the weed wacking Tuesday the 19th. If you have the time join them for an hour or so starting at 5:30. It will help them finish up faster and get to riding their handy work sooner.

tranquility gets a hair cut

Tuesday workday was rained out. Chris, Paul, and I put in some hours over several days and trimmed the highest weeds and branches in the nursery. Not complete manicure but she is acceptable. Didn't spray or pick up trash.

Raised the Nursery trail cooridor roof to 8-10' so hopefully won't have dead branches periodically lowering and tall people getting hit in the face. 8-)

Found this dead limb hanging over the trail. A couple strokes with the saw and she was down.

tuesday trailday at tranquility

***Postponed b/c of rain***

Tomorrow, May 12, we are having a trailwork day at Tranquility.

Location:
Fort St entrance, drive slowly through the farmhouse complex back to the corner with cars. If you are stopped, tell them you are here for the THOR trailwork day.

Time:
6-8 pm.

Work list:
1. Mow the south hill climb, ice loop, south hill descent, inner loop and bypass. 2-4 mowers
2. Spray north creek loop, south creek flats, end of north hill descent. 2-4 sprayers
3. Trim branches in nursery, fort st loop, north hill descent - loppers, saws 2-4 people
4. Pick up trash - 2-4 people

RSVP is appreciated, leave as comment here.

Thanks for putting sweat equity into THOR trails!

tp southhill descent reopened

After the Ice Loop, you can ride to the top of the Inner Loop and go down the regular direction or about halfway along the reroute on top of the hill there are flags to the right that put you back on the Southhill descent. This uses some of the dirt piles to add a few ttfs. Basically, you ride the old trail onto the dirt piles and back off onto the trail.

Note: If construction equipment is active, do not ride in that area.

This option is temporary and may last a short or long time, depending on how long the Parks take to finalize the grade and remove their roads.

tp trail adjustment and bypass

After talking with Joe, the resident park employee, we rerouted the end of the South Creek Flats and beginning of the Inner Loop for safety reasons. There have been several close calls between park equipment and bikers.

The last picture shows a new bypass of the Inner Loop so that we can stay off the 150' of road between the Inner Loop entrance and exit. This section is off limits just like the storage area and farm house driveway.

Joe is very serious about this and signs will be going up stating "No public access, violators will be ticketed". Please stay out of the restricted areas.

Lake Manawa Clean-up Day

THOR members participated in the annual Lake Manawa Clean-up Day. We joined some 150-200 volunteers picking up trash.

The volunteers were divided into groups. As usual, we worked at the Missouri River Boat Ramp / Mountain Bike Trail area. There were about 25 of us picking up trash in that area.

This was also mushroom hunting season here. We encountered a couple with 2 bags full of trash and 1 bag with 2 mushrooms. They had not come for the clean-up day, just figured they could pick up some while walking. Thanks folks!

The photo here shows the trash the crew picked up in less than 2 hours in the mountain bike trail area. It also gave us a opportunity to survey trail conditions.

There is an new(?) group "Friends of Lake Manawa". We exchanged contact information with them.

The next trail day at Lake Manawa is scheduled for Tuesday, June 9th.

SWANSON IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS

Come on out and race, folks. If you're not racing, we need a couple volunteers to sell THOR memberships and Tshirts at the race. PLEEEEEEASE! 10-12 and free food!

Good times!
Email Tim Wieland at tswieland@gmail.com