Jay announced the $10,000 donation from Dan Thornton of Free Flite Bicycles will be used to fund the construction of the 1 mile third loop on the Explorer Trail. We will be posting a sign on the trail to that effect. 

Jay continued with discussion points on SORBA Woodstock’s plans for 2012:

• Parking Lot expansion set for April 2012.
• Plans in development for the existing skills yard as well as a new skills yard to be built after the parking lot project. We are working on picking up a large number of boulders that have been made available from a local school construction project.
• Dwelling alt-line will receive at least one new feature and one will be moved to a better location.
• VMT will be the focus of our efforts in 2012 as we look to improve the flow and sustainability of the trail.
• Explorer Trail third loop construction to start immediately.
• Increasing chapter membership will be a focus for 2012.
• Mountain Goat Adventures will be holding 4 events on our trails this year and has made a pledge to donate a total of $10,000 from these events in 2012. 

Jay explained that the inaugural Southeast Bike Expo in Conyers is looking for volunteers for it’s Feb 25^th & 26^th event. Volunteers will be given free admission to the event. 

The final discussion was regarding the need for chapter members to get involved with our newly forming Events Committee. We are looking for members to assist in the planning and running of various events throughout the year. 

Jay closed the meeting after a brief Q&A.

He followed that by announcing that the Board of Directors will remain the same as 2011. All officers are returning to their current posts. There were no other nominations. 

Mark Heiman provided a brief recount of the IMBA-SORBA Main Meeting that was held in Gainesville in November. 

Jay informed that the December work party will be at Blankets Creek on Dec. 17^th from 9am -1pm. Clearing drains and deberming on the Dwelling Loop will be the focus. 

Jay provided some updates for the Blankets Creek Trails:

• Thanks to Chris and Richard for the reroute on Mosquito Flats in the area that has eroded too close to the creek.
• The Dwelling Alt-line is once again under development and will be receiving some additional features in December.
• All BC trails have been leaf-blown except South, which will remain unblown.
• The parking lot expansion is now set for an April 2012 construction start. Trail head improvements will include permanent restrooms, storage room, meeting space, bike washes and wi-fi hot spot.
• The major focus for trail improvements in 2012 will be the Van Michael Trail. Efforts will center on widening switchbacks, improving flow and adding some technical trail features. 

Jay continued with discussion points for the Rope Mill Trails:

• Charlie informed that the Explorer trail is now complete and open. Flagging has begun on a proposed additional 1 mile loop on this trail.
• Bill is working on the signage for Explorer.
• The Implementation Plan for trails on the north side of  Little River has been submitted. 

Jay closed the meeting.

• It’s been determined that the mini-ex is not suitable for finishing the backcuts on the Explorer Trail. The Board voted 7-0 to pay Ken Nicks $2,500 to complete the backcut by hand and do the final cut with the dingo.
• Jay presented a brief outline of some monies that may be available to the chapter in 2012 for funding the remaining trails at Rope Mill.
• Construction of permanent restroom facilities is planned for the hillside behind the pavillion. Construction date TBD.
• Jay informed the chapter that the proposed trail leading from Rope Mill to the Aquatic Center will need to be rerouted to avoid the existing road leading to the dredging yard. 

Malanda Murchison informed all that the chapter Christmas Party is to be held at the Crestmont Clubhouse and will be catered by Beetles BBQ. All members are welcome and encouraged to RSVP by 11/14/12. 

Mark Taylor gave a brief update on the Bike Patrol including the need to make the payment for the Fire Dept Bike Patrol jerseys.

 Jay Wilkes continued with discussion points for the Blankets Creek trails.

• The proposed expert trail will require a wetlands delineation study at a cost of  $1-2K. We are aslo working on the Implementation Plan for this trail.
• Jay and John Hicks will be attending a meeting on Nov 18^th to discuss the details of the BC parking lot and trail head improvements.
• We are pursuing a standard boardwalk engineered drawing that we can use for all future boardwalk installments.
• We’ve secured the county rate for the port-a-johns and are planning to reduce to two port-a-johns during the winter months.
• Some discussion around the current and future skills yards. There are some boulders available from a local construction project. It was decided that we are interested and need a method to transport them.

Jay announced that all current Board members are planning to remain in their seats for the upcoming year and informed the general membership of the process for nominating and electing officers according to the chapter by-laws. 

Jay closed the meeting.

Later that afternoon the Jump Jam at Quehl Holler provided fun and excitement for kids of all ages and gave everyone a chance to see just exactly how this trail should be ridden. There was a huge crowd that lined the full length of the course. We’re very much enjoying the new community of riders that have come to Blankets Creek to ride and develop the Holler; it’s great to have these guys join in our efforts and bring a youthful dynamic to the park. We’re also currently working on setting up some Holler riding classes led by the trail’s builder and namesake Ethan Quehl. Stay tuned for more info on that soon. 

The very much less interesting, yet ever so important side of managing our trail system at Blankets Creek continues as well. The Wall Ride safety netting is pending approval from the COE. We’re submitting an engineered drawing to the Corps for use as a template for all future boardwalk constructions. A Wetlands Delineation study will soon be ordered paving the way for the new Expert Trail’s Implementation Plan. The parking lot expansion project is finishing its 30 day public comment period and we are anticipating construction will begin in November. 

One of the major components of the parking lot expansion at Blankets Creek will be the new restroom facilities. We spent some time discussing the SORBA-W annual budget at this month’s meeting and, believe it or not, the Port-A-Johns at BC account for almost a quarter of our expenditures. We have recently secured the county rate for the Porta-A-Johns, but it will still be a great relief to get those off our books. 

On the income side of the ledger, the donation box at Blankets brings in on average about $12,000 annually and is our primary source of revenue. We want to say “Thanks!” to all those that contribute in this manner. Purchasing the raw materials and maintaining the tools that we use to build trails is a regular expense and we couldn’t do all this without your support. 

2011 brought us a new, much needed, flow of funds from the race events organized by Mountain Goat Adventures. The three very successful and popular events conducted so far this year have meant an additional $6,000 for our chapter. We are truly grateful to have such a competent and generous partner in Lisa Randall and MGA. The first ever Dirty Duathlon at Rope Mill in late October will be the final event of the year and we expect it to be a great one. Check their website for details. 

This Dirty Duathlon will send the runners down the new trail at the Taylor Randahl Memorial Trails which is inching nearer to completion. The trail consists of two loops with the first loop of .4 miles being a very smooth and flowy section of beginner trail goodness. The second loop, which has been rough cut and is rideable with caution, is 1.6 miles long and brings a bit more challenge. The entire trail is designed to provide a stepping stone for those that aren’t quite ready for the Avalanche loops. 

The leaves are piling up and the days are quickly growing shorter; soon our thoughts and efforts will be targeting winter projects. Keep us in mind and check the website often for opportunities to help us get some more trails built and more features added in preparation for next year! And night rides, who’s ready for some night rides?

Mother Nature tried to complicate our lives by delivering a tornado through the heart of the Woodstock/Sixes area. Due to the fear of major damage and with an eye for the safety of our trail users we were forced to close all the trails. While major damage missed the trails themselves, several of the area's subdivisions suffered damage to many of their homes. Jeff Plyler and Richard Pilczuk were out there the next morning and with two outstanding individual efforts had all the trails cleared by mid-afternoon. 

Blankets Creek was again the beneficiary of volunteer contributions from several work parties formed informally by the Quehl Holler riders. One new feature, several tweaks and some drainage work was completed during the weekday evening sorties. A larger party was formed in the last weekend that added several benches and picnic tables to the Holler. 

The Wall Ride’s safety netting has been designed and ordered. The engineered drawings have been completed and submitted to the COE as well. The system will be installed this fall and when completed will provide some assurance of safe use by all riders. We are working hard for all parties involved to make this a feature that can be enjoyed for years to come.

Rounding out Blankets Creek news, the parking lot expansion is in the 30 day public comment period and a Wetlands Delineation Study is being planned for submittal to the COE with an Implementation Plan for the new expert level trail that we are planning for the eastern side of the park. Watch our website for more news about this new trail in the coming months.

Fall weather is here and it’s time to get out there and take full advantage before the short, cold days descend upon us. Ride baby ride!

We’ve finally broken ground on the new beginner trail in the Taylor Randahl MTB Trails system. It will be a rolling contour trail, much like the hilly side of Mosquito Bite, and will be approximately 2.5 miles in length. Located on the west side of I-575, access to the trail is via the crushed rock doubletrack trail that leads from the west parking lot and travels under the I-575 bridge. We will be holding a work party on September 10^th at 9am to build the two necessary bridges and to do some finishing work on the completed sections of trail. 

The installation of the numbered trail markers is nearly complete on the Avalanche Trail. This system is the same as the markers recently installed at Blankets Creek and is designed to assist emergency personnel in reaching distressed trail users. To that same end, the Woodstock Fire Department has recently completed training and outfitting of a new unit of Firemen Bike Patrollers. This is really a special program and we’re very pleased to have this kind of support for our local trails. 

For our part in the safety of the trails, our IMBA Bike Patrol Director Mark Taylor has completed his Training Instructor certification which will allow SORBA Woodstock to conduct our own Bike Patrol training courses. This is also the final IMBA Bike Patrol criteria for us to meet as a chapter. Look forward to bike safety, maintenance and skills classes that will be held and facilitated by Mark and his band of Patrollers in the coming months. 

As the hot and dusty conditions continue at Blankets Creek, we continue to keep an eye on the future for the next steps in the development of this park. The parking lot expansion project is still forecast for an October 2011 start and we are drafting plans to take full advantage of it. Discussions are centered on making adjustments to the Mosquito Flats loops, creating direct access to Van Michael and relocating the Skills Area. 

Quehl Holler is also the subject of enhancement plans. We’ve been pleased to see a new community of riders form around the Holler and these guys have been great about doing maintenance and suggesting tweaks to some of the features. The As-Built engineered drawings for the Wall Ride have been completed and accepted by the COE, a very crucial step. Additionally, plans are being drafted to install a safety net along the top of the Wall Ride to meet the final requirements of our land managers and secure the future of this very popular feature at Blankets Creek. 

Rounding out BC news, the rescheduled Jump Jam is set to take place in tandem with the IMBA Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day on October 1^st. This will be a great day of family fun and outdoor entertainment. Watch our website and Facebook pages for more info in the next few weeks.

Woodstock area trails, Greenprints Alliance and SORBA-W enjoyed some great press recently with write-ups about the Taylor Randahl Trails appearing in the Cherokee Tribune and Dirt Rag magazine. There’s a good deal of buzz around all that is developing in our little neck of the woods and we really appreciate all that the local community and leaders are doing to promote mountain biking here. You can do your part by coming out to enjoy the trails and telling your friends about our sport and our facilities. Well, and coming to a work party now and again, of course.

Blankets Creek received the majority of our attention this month. The “Turnpike” portion of Hamilton’s Hop has been built-out further to be wider. This allows better bi-directional traffic in that area as well as fixing some drainage issues. Quehl Holler got some new permanent signs and the Wall Ride got some finishing touches designed to meet the necessary structural codes. We are having an “as-built” drawing drafted to provide the COE with all they need to sign-off on this project. This is key to ensuring that we keep this great feature for many future rides. 

Up at the main trailhead for Blankets, our best estimate is still October for the parking lot expansion project to get rolling. We’re also working on getting a lower rate on the three port-a-johns there to try and stretch our donated dollars as far as we can. This is a substantial expense for us and it is funded entirely by the donations placed in the box near the kiosk. So if you’re a regular donor, thanks! 

The Rope Mill park pedestrian bridge is open! Unfortunately the land on the north side of Little River is not yet ready for primetime and it looks like a lot of effort will be required to get this area restored and developed. Much of the damage has been from ATV use and the City of Woodstock Police are encouraging anyone that sees any motorized activity out there to please call 911 so that WPD can respond.

We are fully expecting to start work on the next trail in the Taylor Randahl system in August. The City of Woodstock has provided us with the funds and we expect the final approval of the EA and Implementation Plan by the end of July. While this trail will be machine-cut, there will be lots of opportunities to come out and give it that loving touch that only a well-swung Pulaski can provide.

Some great events are coming up this summer. The Georgia State Games will be at Rope Mill for the trail running and mountain biking events the weekend of July 23-24. They are still in need of volunteers for both days – contact Malanda at events@sorbawoodstock.com if you can help out. 

Mountain Goat Adventures will be holding the Race To Sunset 6 Hour at Blankets Creek on August 13^th. This looks to be a huge day with a festival atmosphere leading up to the start of the race at 3pm and post race shindig after. Get all the details on MGA’s website.  

If you’re a fan of the Jake & Bull Mountain trails, you’ll be pleased to hear that there has been a great deal of new work done out there in the past year. Already considered an IMBA Epic Ride, this area is getting even better and there is a planned Mega Work Party being coordinated by all the nearby IMBA-SORBA chapters and the Chattahoochee Trail Horse Association on August 6th. We will be attending with two dingos and as many hands as we can muster. If you can swing it, we’d love to have you come out and help us lend a hand. Further details here.

Next time you're out on the Dwelling Loop, keep your eye out for the new Alt Line. Unofficially dubbed the "Dragon's Wing" this new advanced section provides an alternate trail that includes a table-top and then three fast, small jumps. This is a one-way trail everyday leading in the clockwise direction. So if you are riding Dwelling counter-clockwise, you'll pass the exit of the Wing first and then come around to the entrance. We will be continuing to tweak and refine this trail but it is ready to start getting ridden in so if you are up to it, give it a go.

Also at Blankets, Mosquito Flats has grown almost a half mile with it’s newly cut section on the northwest side of the loop. While not completely finished, it is ready to ride. We have a few more changes in mind for the Flats and are discussing options for all the traffic flow on the Mosquito trails and for getting out to Van Michael. Stay tuned! 

The pedestrian bridge at Olde Rope Mill Park is in place! The construction company is finishing the access to both sides of the bridge and it should be open for public use in the coming weeks. This, of course, will open up the north side of Little River for us to begin on the layouts for two new trails there. These trails are included in the master plan and the EA that we are currently waiting to be approved. 

The inside word is the EA is very close to being approved by the Corps of Engineers. The immediate impact of this will be the opportunity for us to get started on the beginner loop which has already been laid out for the west side of I-575. We’re very anxious to get this started and are excited to have this option ready to use in the Taylor Randahl system. 

Come join us for a group ride at Tanasi on June 4^th. Details are on the homepage.

We got off to a ceremonial start this month – our own Charlie Schultz was presented with a CRPA Volunteer of the Year plaque. Charlie was recognized for the tremendous amount of time and superb contribution that he makes in his work for our chapter and the community. In a not-so-surprisingly brief acceptance speech, he agreed to accept the award on behalf of all of our volunteers and thanked everyone for the recognition. Way to go Charlie! 

Lisa Randall of Mountain Goat Adventures was also on hand to voice her appreciation for everyone’s efforts in making this year’s Dirty Duathlon a rousing success. Lisa and her husband Scott did an amazing job organizing and staging the run & ride formatted race and we are looking forward to more race events on the Woodstock trails with them at the helm. You can find the results of the race on their website. 

Big news at the big park, Blankets Creek will be getting some additional trail! Our Board voted unanimously to fund the construction of additional trail on our beginner loop, Mosquito Flats. The 1 mile trail will be getting an inner loop section that we hope will yield an additional .5 mile. We have quite a few folks that regularly make multiple laps of the Mosquitoes trails and this should go a long way to making those circuits more fun and interesting. We’ll have more details on this as we start to lay it out and begin cutting it in. We expect that this will go fairly quickly. 

Quehl Holler’s yet to be officially christened Wall Ride is shaping up nicely. There’s still much to do but take a look when your next out there and you’ll see that this is going to be an incredible addition. Thanks for everyone’s patience, we are trying our best to get this and the downhill run completed soon so that we can get t’ Hollerin’! 

Perhaps less exciting but every bit as needed, we’ve added a third Port-a-John to the Blanket’s parking area. These will all be replaced with permanent facilities as part of our trailhead and parking area makeover that looks to be set for this fall. 

Rope Mill’s Avalanche Trail has received a new “to the right” switchback entrance trail. This allowed us to make the earlier entrance section directional as the “to the left” entrance. Go out and give it a ride so we can get the new section seasoned and bedded-in. The pedestrian bridge over Little River is seeing more delays, unfortunately. Testing is being conducted on the concrete footers to ensure the bridge meets all the requirements. 

In better news, the EA has been submitted to the Corps of Engineers for approval. This is now a 90 day process of review. If approved, we will have the green light to begin construction on the already flagged beginner loop that will be staged on the west side of I-575. The new loop will be between 3 and 4 miles and is situated in a very picturesque area of the woods with views of Little River. This will be a great addition to the Taylor Randahl Memorial trails and Olde Rope Mill Park. 

Next up on the docket is Pedalpalooza!! Come on out to Blankets Creek on Saturday May 7th for a fun-filled day of group rides, bike giveaways, bike demos, food, music and more! If you’d like to help with the event, please contact Malanda Murchison at events@sorbawoodstock.org to see how and when you can help out. 

Jay kicked us off with a preview of the upcoming premiere of the Southern Mountain Bike Summit in Brevard, N.C. We’ll be sending a delegation for three days of learning, sharing and, of course riding (Pisgah, baby, yeah!). If you can make it, it promises to be a great event. Get more info here: http://www.sorba.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=206. If you can’t make it, be sure to hit our next chapter meeting in April for the report. 

National Mountain Bike Patrol will be one of the main topics at the summit this year and our NMBP Director Mark Taylor will be there to gather the info and continue his efforts to organize our Spring calendar. Mark is planning training and certification events for the next couple of months, so it’s a great time to get involved. IMBA-SORBA has also created a new Family Membership add-on for Bike Patrol members that will save you $20/year over the old plan.  Please contact Mark at bikepatrol@sorbawoodstock.org for more details. 

Most of the news this month centered on all the great work our volunteers are getting done. Blankets Creek has some new signage at the main trailhead and we are working on replacing all the trail signs with the new metal signs to assist all users in getting around in the woods. Shultze’s Chute has a new bridge feature that takes you up and over a large pine tree that fell there last month. We will also be skinning the top of the tree to create a great new log ride. The Wall Ride on Quehl Holler has been started and looks to be an awesome finish to this downhill trail. We expect both the Wall Ride and the downhill trail to open prior to the Dirty Duathlon on April 9^th. 

We have also installed new signs over at Sixes Presbyterian Church. Unfortunately, some folks have taken some liberties in using the SPC as a new trailhead. This cannot continue. The good folks at SPC have always been very gracious in allowing us to use the front of their eastside parking lot as overflow parking for Blankets Creek. Please, if you park there, come back out to Sixes road and ride over to the Blankets parking lot to access the main Blankets Creek trailhead. 

We’re looking to make a big effort at this month’s Work Party (March 19^th) at Blankets Creek to get the alt-line finished on the Dwelling Loop. This cool new feature will have several 3’ drops in succession and will provide an exciting new way down Dwelling from the top bench area when riding clockwise (“to the left”). We need everyone we can get this week to make sure we get this done and open! 

Over at Rope Mill, the pedestrian bridge was delayed by the heavy rains last week and we are awaiting news of the rescheduled installation date. The park will be closed that day while the bridge is craned (sorry, no helicopter) into place so keep an eye on our homepage for the announcement of the new date. The rerouting of Rope Mill road and the beginning of the new diamond interchange at 575 and Ridgewalk Parkway has also begun. 

If you’ve seen any of the motorized vehicle activity out on the Avalanche Trail lately, you’ll be happy to know that the City of Woodstock and the Mayor are on this and are developing new Motorized Vehicle ordinances to match those currently in place with Cherokee County. We appreciate the City’s and the Mayor’s support on this issue. 

We have a ton of events and races coming up this year on SORBA Woodstock’s trails. We need volunteers to help make each of these events a success. Please contact Malanda Murchison at events@sorbawoodstock.org to see how and when you can help out. Check our calendar frequently and also Mountain Goat Adventures’ website for more details. And get out there and RIDE!!!