Lumos & Associates’ Tom Young and Chas Macquarie survey the Ash Creek bridge site

Carson City and Muscle Powered have been working with the U.S. Forest Service and public for many years to develop a trail system along the foothills of the Carson Range with connectivity to Carson City. Most of the trail will be located on Forest Service lands and some will be on Carson City lands. The project proposes to construct approximately 6 miles of single-track trail designed for non-motorized uses including mountain biking, hiking and equestrian between Ash Canyon and Kings Canyon. Trail access points will be Kings Canyon Road, Waterfall Road, and Ash Canyon Road

This meeting is one of the last steps before we can start construction on what is sure to be a fantastic trail!

If you would like to learn more about this project,  have questions, or would like to show support for the trail, please attend this meeting.

Thanks!

In the super-abridged version of the story, Jeff Potter complained to city supervisors in 2006 that more mountain bike trails were needed in the area.

Their response: Then do it.

Of course, it wasn’t that simple. There was the master plan to consult. Permits needed to be acquired. Plans needed to be drawn up.

But after years of working with Carson City’s open-space manager, Juan Guzman, to negotiate with city, state and federal agencies as well as private property owners, the plan is starting to take shape.

Max Jones, who owns Spooner Lake Cross Country and Flume Trail Mountain Bikes, lent his expertise to determining three routes connecting Kings Canyon to Ash Canyon.

Potter said they settled on the mid-line route, traversing seven miles along the east-facing slopes of the mountains. It begins around 5,600 feet and climbs 1,100 feet to the highest point of 6,700 feet. The average grade is 6 percent.

Potter said it was an easy decision.

“If this was the only trail I could put in, it would be a killer trail,” he said. “Plus, we had fewer obstacles with this option.”

He said the gradual ascents with some steep climbs will make the trail a challenge for the experienced mountain biker while still being accessible to the novice.

“This is for everybody,” Potter said. “All skill levels.”

The trail also will be open for other non-motorized use, like hikers and equestrians.

While there are some trails now in the hills of east Carson City, they are what’s known as non-system trails. They don’t connect in a meaningful way and may not have the proper permits.

The trail, with access points in Kings Canyon and Ash Canyon, will make sense to users, Guzman said.

“It’s from a very well-known point to another well-known point,” he said.

It also could draw other outdoor enthusiasts to the area, Guzman said.

“This is the kind of thing that people will drive thousands of miles to come and experience,” he said. “We have a hidden spot here. People do not realize what a unique place this is. The Sierra Nevada is just spectacular.”

Potter said while users will be able to begin at either point, he imagines most will prefer to begin from the Kings Canyon side and climb about 2.5 miles to the highest point.

Once there, they’ll be on an outcropping with views of the entire city, along with Job’s Peak, the Sweetwater Range and Washoe Lake.

From there, it will a 5.5-mile descent into Ash Canyon. Along the way, there will be other overlooks for users to take in the view.

Work on the trail is expected to begin in the spring and could take up to five years to be fully complete.

Guzman said he appreciates the dedication and expertise of volunteers like Potter.

“This is the perfect use of our lands,” he said. “This corner of Nevada is just fantastic.”

The link to the online survey is here:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NevadaStatewideBicyclePlan

Here is the PDF Version of the Flyer if you’d like to share it.

Don’t forget to complete the survey by Tuesday, December 6th, 2011!

Saturday, November 12 - TAMBA Trail day with Carson Valley Trails Association.

We started the season here with the IMBA Trail Care Crew visit in April. CVTA has been busy all summer working on the Sierra Canyon Trail with trail machines putting in around 13 miles of new trail. Now they are trying to finish the last half mile section by hand. Let’s head down there and help them out!! Meet at the end of Carson Street (2 blocks south of the 4-way intersection) in Genoa at 9am. Bring your own lunch, we’ll be eating on the trail, about a 15 minute hike in. For those that stay till the end, TAMBA will buy the first round at the oldest bar in Nevada, walking distance from the trailhead! Wearing layers would be good and typical safety items like safety glasses/sunglasses and gloves. We’ll have the hardhats. More info on TAMBA website: http://mountainbiketahoe.org/

Lower Sierra Canyon Work Day – Photo courtesy of CVTA

This is the plan from CTVA on the rest of the season:

Starting this Saturday November 12, we will have trail building opportunities every day through November 20th from 8 a.m to 3 p.m. each day at the end of Carson Street in Genoa. The project site is a 15 minute walk from the trailhead. There is work in the sun or shade depending how cold it is. Wear layers, some days will be chilly and if you’d rather come a bit later in the morning, go for it.

We have built about about 1,000 feet of trail over the past 8 work days, some of the most challenging you may ever build, thank you. We have about 2,300 challenging feet left to go to connect and open the final ~8.1 mile Genoa Loop.

Important:

• Required work wear is long pants, long-sleeved shirts, sunglasses or other eye protection…very important, good hiking shoes and work gloves.
• Bring lunch and water.
• Tools and hard hats are provided.
• Check the CVTA website for cancellations if the weather is questionable.

This is an urgent call for help building trail up Sierra and Genoa Canyons (up to the Tahoe Rim Trail) to all mountain bikers.

Background: The CVTA is dedicated to providing access and developing trail in the Carson Valley for all users (hikers, bikers, and equestrians). Under a matching state grant program, the CVTA was able to build a significant new trail network from Eagle Ridge (N of Genoa) to Genoa Canyon and up Sierra Canyon to the TRT (near Genoa Peak) this summer. The mountain bike possibilities on this trail are tremendous including loops and downhill runs starting from the TRT between Daggett and Spooner Summits.

Construction on the Genoa Foothill Trail System

What is needed: CVTA is in desperate need of volunteers to help build trail (at this point mostly trail cleanup). Hours are needed to comply with the matching portion of the state grant. The deadline to provide matching volunteer hours is the end of calendar year 2011. If bikers are going to be users of this trail it is only fair that they pitch in to help build and maintain the trail.

What you can do: Trail building dates are posted on the CVTA web site: http://www.carsonvalleytrails.org/Programs-Calendar.html

All tools are provided and NO experience is necessary. We need all cycling groups to post this message to their members. Help is needed urgently as future trail development is contingent of the success of this major initiative.

Please pick a date and show up. If you enjoy the trails you should realize that they are only exist because of the hard work of many volunteers. Won’t you be one of them?

CVTA invites you to “Build for Bill”

Saturday, October 22, 2011
8am to 3pm
Genoa Canyon (located at the end of Carson St in Genoa)

Come to Genoa Canyon and “Build for Bill” on Saturday, October 22. Every hour of trail building that you donate will be an hour of support for Bill Hay, CVTA president, who was recently diagnosed with stage 4 esophageal cancer, which prevents him from doing the trailbuilding he loves. For more information on how you can help, see the “Build for Bill” flyer (.pdf).

Although they woke to a blustery morning, the Gudmundson girls did not waver in their commitment to walk to school as part of International Walk to School Day on Wednesday.

“The girls were going to walk, rain or shine,” said their mother Amber Little. “We’re kind of like the post office today.”

Mayor Bob Crowell walks kids to school - photo by Teri Vance / Nevada Appeal

Little, the president of the parent-teacher association at Fritsch Elementary School, encouraged other parents to walk their children to school as well.

“Part of the mission of the PTA is to empower children by engaging families in school,” she said.

As a bonus, she invited Mayor Bob Crowell to join them on their walk.

“It’s a good way to involve community leaders,” she said. “And he can show his Bulldog spirit.”

Undaunted by the rain, Crowell accepted the invitation.

“I think it’s wonderful, because it not only promotes education, but it promotes a healthy lifestyle,” he said. “Those lessons are critical, and it’s good to learn them early in life.”

They also were joined by the girls’ grandfather Jim Atkins.

“I usually don’t get a chance to see them get to school in the morning,” he said. “So this is a first for me.”

Sponsored by Safe Routes to School, International Walk to School Day encourages students to walk or bike to school “as the first step to change community culture and create environments that are more inviting for everyone, young and old,” according to the organization’s website.

The purpose is to enhance health, to improve the environment and to create safer routes for walking and bicycling.

Brooke Gudmundson, 8, was honored to be accompanied by Crowell.

“It’s kind of cool,” she said. “Not many people get to walk with the mayor to school.”

Her little sister, Riley, was less impressed.

“I don’t mind,” she said.

Student Bike

by Anne Macquarie

I ride an eighteen-year-old black Trek road bike everywhere. It’s my commute bike, errand bike, road bike. It’s comfortable and I like it. I’m attached to it. But now, I’ve seen the future and my old bike might not be in it.
When I was up in Portland last week I stopped by the Museum of Contemporary Craft and saw some really nice custom bikes – prototypes for what might become the city bikes of the future, designed and built by some of the country’s finest bike crafters, including Ziba Design, Signal Cycles, Ideo, Rock Lobster Cycles, Geekhouse, Quixote Cycles, and more. The occasion was a competition to “design and build the ultimate modern utility bike”.
Here are some pictures:

This little green bike was designed and built by students at the university of Oregon. Judges called it fresh, creative, and the ideal campus bike

I loved this bike, second place prize winner designed and built by  Rob Tsunehiro of Tsunehiro Cyles and Silas Beebe of ID+. Its slightly retro look disguises some cool features, like a headlight attached to the stem right below the handlebars that casts light in a 360 degree arc, paniers that in some magical way become huge when you open them up, and  – this is my favorite – the frame paint is retroreflective, so the whole bike glows at night. Imagine seeing that if you’re driving down the road at night (It probably wouldn’t be a good transportation choice for a cat burgler though.)

There were lots more. The winning bikes will be at the Museum of Contemporary Craft until the end of October. Here’s the museum’s website: http://museumofcontemporarycraft.org/

For pictures of the bikes and their makers, go here: http://oregonmanifest.com/challenge/

These bikes make me happy. I hope some of them go into commercial production – Mr Tsunehiro and Mr Beebe, you hear me? – before I’m too old to ride my bike anymore.

Carson City Library will host South Lake Tahoe author Andrew Homan on Tuesday, September 20th at 6:00 p.m. Homan has written a riveting account about one of America’s most famous athletes, Bobby Walthour Sr. The book, Life in the Slipstream: The Legend of Bobby Walthour Sr., is about a great American professional cyclist nearly forgotten by time.

Life in the Slipstream chronicles Bobby Walthour’s rise from a lowly bicycle messenger in Georgia to a two-time national and international cycling champion. Prior to World War II bicycle racing was a hugely popular spectator sport in the United States. Walthour’s career parallels the surging popularity of the bicycle in America. This biography depicts his life against the backdrop of the bicycle craze that swept America in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Copies of the book will be available for purchase.

From the Carson Valley Trails Association:

Volunteers are needed for these upcoming trail building days for the Genoa area trails project:
•  Friday, September 16
•  Tuesday, September 20
•  Friday, September 23
•  Thursday, September 29
•  Friday, September 30
Time: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Location: Meet at Sierra Canyon located 0.5 mi. north of Genoa, west on Centennial Dr. to Snowshoe Ln. Park at the junction of Centennial Dr. and Snowshoe Ln.

No previous trail building experience needed! Work for all or part of the day.

Bring: lunch and water, wear long pants, long-sleeved shirt, sturdy shoes, sunglasses and sunscreen. CVTA will provide hard hats and tools.

QUESTIONS? Contact Jeremy Vlcan at 775-722-8784 or jrvlcan@aol.com.

Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park, Spooner Lake

From Ranger Bill:
More trail workdays are coming up on the Hobart Link Trail – the first of which is Saturday, September 17th. I will be going up Lakeview Rd with parents, teachers and kids from Fremont Elementary in CC to work on the bottom part of the trail. We’ll be working on the section of trail that cuts diagonally across the lower part of sunflower hill to the northwest. If there’s anything that annoys you about mule ears (the sunflowers) this will be you chance to take a whack at them! It is a somewhat rocky slope as well so there will be some rock and rolling…

Help would be greatly appreciated as most of these folks have probably had little experience with trail building. Those with some fitness and a bit of experience would be very helpful to set the example but all are welcome.

We will meet at Lakeview Gate in the Lakeview subdivision just north of Carson City. Simply follow Hobart Rd uphill till you get to the gate. Same plan – leave about 8am from the gate, work till 3pm-ish and head back. Bring long pants, gloves, work shirt, lunch, water, sun lotion, etc. We will provide the tools and direction for the school folks. I think it will be a fun day with all the kids there so please consider coming. SUV’s helpful for transport…