Mountain Bike Park As An Economic Driver

Yes...now watch the video.

We are preaching this same thing all over the country and here the "liberal" media is picking up on it.

We are still in Orlando working away on the design and scheduling of a new bike park, with lots of local support. Ironically, there are four buildings screaming to have indoor bike parks in them all.

Hope to get the design up on here in the next couple days.

Orlando...Biketown USA?

Seems like this little area has been VERY underestimated. With Santos as the closeby destination for this "big" city in Florida, Orlando has quite a few mountain bikers, like a meet up group with about 750 members...Whaaaa! Yeah. So, we have been summoned to this little desert of mountain bike experience to give people an oasis to vent their energy when time is too scarce to travel. Below are some photos from day one of the design week. This area is cool, loads of character and more land than the estimated budget can fill out. We may even throw in a Dirt Velodrome, just to get those roadies tires dirty...bwawawawaaa. More stuff coming as the design comes together, but for now...do you see what I see?

A week of offices and riding...

Well, we finished the Augusta park and lost the Valmont bid, so it feels like a transition period coming on right now. Check ou the locals shredding the pumptrack in North Augusta.

We got done with the track and headed over to the Victor's for a little out the door R and R. The FATS was great, it was Jenn's first real ride, which she stomped, and my first 20+ mile ride of the season, which I survived.



After the Fats, we headed to Gainesville for a couple days to see Jenn's friends and family and now we are camping for the rest of the week at Santos. We got two rides in today and expect to do the same until we roll out on Sunday. Jenn is doing great riding and this whole experience of teaching someone who is a natural athlete new sports is GREAT!




When we aren't riding work is piling up. I am working on the design for the project in Middleton that comes up after the Summit, we head to Orlando for a design next, and I have about 4 bids either in process or in writing which will decide our Summer, the second wave has come a bit early which makes me wonder what the end of May will look like. Onward and upward for the next little while and riding a bike as much as WE can...tired legs today, happy legs in a week.

Happy. Sad.

Well, we finished the build today by completing the log rides and dialing in the pumptrack some more. This thing needs a heep of rain and a bit more shovel time to really be bad ass. The logs came together perfect and are more fun than I thought.




The pumptrack is pretty much the coolest thing ever. Easy line to the outside and a tight rager turn to a little pedal kick to a nice little set in the middle of the whole thing. Check out the boost on this whip...on a pumptrack...WHAT!!!!



So tomorrow we depart, we are honestly really going to miss this crew, the mountain bikers ruled the roost over the weekend, then the BMX crowd showed up during the week to dial it all in. Can't wait to get back and show people from around the globe how we roll. BIG HUGE SHOUT OUT to the locals. You all are our brothers from another mother. Keep it real and watch out for Hurricanes and Kagey folks.

Logs...

Prepped everything for the log rides: cut, wedge, cut, split...FUN-repeat!!!

A day off, but a RIPPIN' afternoon.

A photo of the watered down back nine...just coming into form. The usual suspects and the inside line is dialing in.

Session and chill...ride and repeat.

Another stellar day at the North Augusta pumptrack. Lots of riding and shaping happened today. Thankfully more riding than digging was required though. We are about 75% there. Some more compacting and work on the inside and crossover lines and we should be sitting pretty. We even solicited some child labor today!



Little guy chillin with the big boys thinking about his run...this is a Victor, thanks Bill.



The afternoon riding crew, 60 year old mnt bikers and 16 year old BMX kids, how can you not get it. Get it!

A great day...

Dialing in the track with some volunteer assistance.






I think the pictures paint it out...

Starting to start

We fishined the machine work on the Pumptrack in North Augusta today and are beginning the hand shaping. Some will be easy, other parts will be tougher. The beauty of this project is the amount of time we will have to dial this beast in. This track should really rock. We are also looking at adding a small singletrack section and a few logrides to showcase "the other stuff" we can do. The photos over the next couple days should reflect things tightening up and we should be riding it in by Saturday night. YeeHaw!!

Better.

Well, today started off on about the same note as yesterday, but had really turned a corner by the end of the day. The poor little Bobkitten got a new set of shoes by about 3pm and its big brother showed up this afternoon to help finish the job its little brother started. By tomorrow afternoon we should be shoveling. Here are some pics from the day, tomorrow promises much more, including maybe dropping some BIG trees for logrides.

A case of the Monday's...

Well, today, combined with yesterday being Easter, and us being in SC; turned into a case of the Monday's. I still needed to get the project from last week wrapped up with finalizing maps and the trail plan as well as the all important invoice, so the current project already started behind the eight ball. Good thing we have two weeks. Thank you preplanning.

Today in North Augusta SC we began the pumptrack, I got the design done once all the logistics were taken care of and low and punched a hole in the tire of the little machine we were given. Makes me contemplate buying my own piece of equipment until I look at the prices. The machine below managed about half an hour of moving the dirt from once side of the pavilion to the other before deiding that was enough of that. So tomorrow we fix a flat, do laundry and try to move the rest of the dirt. Ah yes, being on jobsites...with machines...DOH!!! Here is to a fruitful Tuesday and getting into a rythm while building rythm.

Ol' Fort's Ol' Fort

So first off Happy Easter to those folks who appreciate it. I know I don't usually post on Sundays, they kind of are our day. But with the day we had yesterday and the fact we have a full day today I figured I would take a little time next to this sweet creek and do a bit of typing.

Yesterday we were invited by the owner of Catawba Falls Campground to come witness and participate in the building of a revolutionary era fort that the local citizens are reconstructing. This particular fort represents one that sat at the base of the mountains and was used as a safehaven against Native Attacking forces. There is a lot in that which facinates me but, will have to wait for another time. The highlight of the trip down there was getting to make handmade shakes/shingles. This is something I have been wanting to learn because the technique can easily be adapted to building bridges and is a dying craft that deserves reserection.



A big THANKS goes out to Joe, my instructor and patient mentor for the day. I only got to spend about an hour and a half actually cutting bolts and shakes, but every minute of it was prized.



Here you see me cutting "bolts" from the eigthed log, a HUGE piece of white oak. As you can see this isn't an easy process, but is one of the most gratifying feelings when that froe finally breaks the grain and busts the bolt off. This is about as far as you would need to take the process for decking on a bridge. It also takes very little skill and makes for a great introduction for volunteers on a bridge project.


Now, just for my own personal experience I went on to the step of making the shake, which required far more skill and dexterity. This was a tough job, but on that made you truly appreciate the complex structures of wood grain. All in all one of the best experiences of the year. Being back on the road has already paid off in experience. Now on to North Augusta and more fun in the sun.

Beating Spring...

Well, the last few days have been crazy on the Three Creeks job, I have found a new respect for the peadmont and mountain joining of forces. Everything from super flat marshy terrain to crazy huge rock out crops and funky noses/ridges. Today we got most of the flagging done and are on a good schedule to have all the on the ground work of the design completed tomorrow. But, today I was trying to beat the leaves to opening, I know this because in this design we went over the same area a number of times and literally saw the leaves coming out bfore my very eyes...with about an hour delay between visits, CRAZY COOL!!

The scenary on this project is astounding and I have had a hard time capturing it with the bright Spring light. But here is our lunch spot for the day to give you a shot of the more...exposed areas, the hidden ones are even more amazing.



After the day in the field we stopped at Andrew's Geyser just to check it out, I have heard all about it in my time in the area, but had just never gotten to see it. Pretty cool I must say. They capture river water from some 1000+ feet up the mountain and send it through reducing diameters of pipe until...KAPOWEE!!! Huhu...awesome.