August BONC Newsletter

The August BONC newsletter is online. Read about the latest in Nevada County mtb advocacy, riding and social events.

Movie Event to Benefit Scott's Flat Trail

Join us for a benefit showing of "Pedal Driven" on August 10th @ 6PM at the Five Mile House east of Nevada City. Proceeds from this event go toward the Scott's Flat Trail project, which will result in ~4.5 miles of high quality singletrack between the 5 Mile House and Scott's Flat Lake.

Pedal Driven explores the long-standing conflicts between riders and the federal agencies charged with managing our public lands. The evening will also feature speakers, d'oeuvres and a silent auction. Cost is $30 for adults, $10 ages 11-17, $5 age 10-under.

If you have any questions about this outstanding trail project or how you can support it, please contact Jon Pritchett.

See my earlier post about this forthcoming trail.

Matching Program for Trails

Fact is, no one builds more public trails closer to town than the Nevada County Land Trust. They are the premier trail building organization in our area. Over the past decade or so, Bill Haire and his colleagues have forged relationships with private land owners and government agencies and no one can match their record of success of putting trails on the ground close to home. The result is that more users are on more NCLT-created trails for both recreational and commuting purposes.

The Land Trust also has an incredible donor who is willing to match donations to trail work in Nevada County dollar for dollar up to $10K. Mountain bikers and other trail aficionados can take this opportunity to double your contribution and thereby bring even more trails to Nevada County, like the brand new Deer Creek Tribute Trail in Nevada City.

Trails don't just happen. Donate today!

Bullards Report

I don't usually ride Bullards in July, but conditions in the Sierra are not usual this year. Today I rode everything east of Dark Day.

The trails are in very good shape. If you pay attention, you can see evidence everywhere of the destruction wrought on this trail system by the winter. BONC volunteers, Woods Riders and others put in enormous efforts to repair and improve the trails; without this, I would not be able to ride there today. As is typical at Bullards, there are some sections that need short reroutes or a tree taken out. BONC will host another trailwork day later this year to address some of these issues, so stay tuned.

In the 15 years I've ridden Bullards, I've never seen the lake so high (see pictures).

The landslide west of Dark Day is still gianormous and impassable with a bike unless you are very determined. The USFS still plans to repair this ASAP and rebuild this short section.

Save the RTP Program TODAY!

IMBA is urging us to help save the Recreational Trail Program (RTP) and well we should. The RTP is very cost effective and provides funding for projects like the South Yuba Ridge Trail and other local trails. It creates healthy outdoor opportunities and draws tourist dollars to towns like ours. From IMBA:

We urge you to send a short email TODAY to your members of Congress:

TAKE ACTION

Tell them that you want to see funding for biking and walking programs preserved.

If some Congressional leaders, like Representative Mica and Senator Inhofe, get their way, dedicated funding for three crucial programs — Safe Routes to School, Transportation Enhancements, and Recreational Trails — will be eliminated.

Cost-effective federal investments that are improving our nation's trails and bike paths better could disappear if we don't take action. Your message is critical — please contact your members of Congress RIGHT NOW!

Why does this matter to mountain bikers?

Many of the at-risk federal programs directly help improve mountain biking in the United States. For example, the Recreational Trails Program (RTP) is incredibly valuable — no other federal funding source comes close to creating the trail opportunities that RTP puts on the ground in all 50 states. More than likely one of your favorite trails was funded in part by RTP.

MTB Tahoe North - BRING IT ON!

BONC, FATRAC and the Truckee Donner Land Trust have planned for an exceptional weekend of Tahoe riding, fun, camping, raffle/prizes, singletrack building, free beer and more riding! Join us on Friday July 29 - Sunday 7/31!

Learn all the details and register today.

Latest BONC Newsletter

The July BONC newsletter is now online:

http://www.bonc.org/newsletter_7-11.html

Gala Ride - Saturday 7/2

Join us for a BONC Gala Ride on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at 9AM. Meet at the USFS Ranger Station on Coyote Street in Nevada City. We'll ride formal and informal trails right out of town. As usual, we'll have beer and drinks for participants.

Looking for another ride leader or two, let me know if you want to ride and help out.

NOTE: the GCTC Poker Ride occurs on this same day out of Skillman. We'll stay away from all the equestrian traffic in that area.

Free BONC Water Bottles!

BONC will provide free BONC water bottles to the first ten volunteers who help build the Tribute Trail on Wednesday 6/22 and Saturday 6/25! Help us complete a hand-built section of singletrack right here in Nevada City.

In addition to water bottles, BONC will try to score additional swag for participants. Come join the fun! On Wednesday, meet at 4PM at Pioneer Park Tennis Court parking lots on Nimrod St and on Saturday meet at the same location at 9AM. Please come prepared with long pants, closed-toe shoes, gloves and water. Matt will provide snacks and cookies. Bring trail tools (shovels, mcleods, pulaskis, rock bars, and hoes) if you have them.

This multi-use trail will be the south side of the Deer Creek Tribute Trail, and will eventually connect to the trail on the north side of the creek by way of a suspension bridge just downstream of the Nevada City Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Build Nevada City Singletrack on Saturday!

Please consider joining Matt Frietas this weekend as he cuts new singletrack right in Nevada City! This project will replace steep sections of the STP trail and connect to the Tribute Trail (see below). This is a great local volunteer project.

Meet this Saturday, June 8 at 9AM at the Pioneer Park Tennis Court parking lots on Nimrod St. Please come prepared with long pants, closed-toe shoes, gloves, and water. Matt will provide snacks and cookies. Bring trail tools (shovels, mcleods, pulaskis, rock bars, and hoes) if you have them. Rain cancels.

If you can't make it this weekend, other volunteer days are coming soon. Check out my earlier blog post for these dates and times.

Friends of Deer Creek has partnered with the City of Nevada City to build a trail between Jordan Street and Providence Mine Road. This multi-use trail will be the south side of the Deer Creek Tribute Trail, and will eventually connect to the trail on the north side of the creek by way of a suspension bridge just downstream of the Nevada City Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Input Needed: Potential Park in Grass Valley

The City of Grass Valley is applying for a large grant to develop a ~3 acre park at the northeast corner of Sutton Way and Idaho Maryland Roads. The City is hosting public meetings about this endeavor. Times include:

06/08 - Wed - 5:00 pm-7:00 pm
06/09 - Thur - 11:30 am - 1:30 pm
06/11 - Sat - 9:00 am-11:00 am
Location: 125 East Main St, Grass Valley

Please consider attending one of these sessions. BONC and NEO are pursing a bike park facility in Grass Valley (see BONC newsletter). Here is your opportunity to speak about some trails on this small potential park (though the GV bike park may be located elsewhere).

Tell council members how cycling has helped you improved your lifestyle, engaged you with the outdoors, etc. Your voice can help influence change with the decision makers in Grass Valley. We need to show up in numbers to let the Grass Valley Council know there is a huge local cycling community.

Scott's Flat Trail Impressions

Recently, my dogs and I had the pleasure of walking the proposed trail corridor for the Scott's Flat Trail. This entirely new section of trail will begin at the 5 Mile House and wind its way down to Scott's Flat Lake at the NID campground, where it will join the lakeside trail.

This is a *big* project that will result in ~4.5 miles of new singletrack close to town. Volunteers have done a good job picking the route, which follows a gentle grade across forested NID and USFS lands. I saw little evidence of much rock in this terrain, so I envision the trail will be very smooth. The gentle grade means that the route will be quite rideable in both directions, unlike the existing Scott's Drop Trail it will replace. And of course, much longer.

When the time comes, I hope BONC volunteers will step up to support this very local trail. The working group has already done a lot of preparation; as with most projects, the majority of required effort for a trail occurs long before any dirt is turned. If you have any questions, let Jon Pritchett know at http://www.bonc.org/contact

Tribute Trail Ride Postponed

Because of high probability of rain showers on Saturday morning, the Tribute Trail Gala ride is postponed. We will try to reschedule this event ASAP.

Help Continue to Build the Tribute Trail in June

Matt Frietas passes along this information. A great project for local volunteers!

NOTE: This is not the trail across the new bridge at Stocking Flat, but rather the Sewage Treatment Plant trail (STP). We're going to be cutting new trail to replace the excessively steep sections of the existing trail, as well as to expand the trail system into new areas of the City-owned land between Jordan St. and Providence Mine Rd.

Please join us at our twice-a-week work days this June! Wednesday evenings (June 8, 15, 22, and 29): 4pm until dark Saturdays (June 11, 18, and 25): 9am to 2pm. Meet at the Pioneer Park Tennis Court parking lots on Nimrod St, as parking is limited at the site. We’ll carpool from the park.

Please come prepared with long pants (poison oak!), closed-toe shoes, gloves, and water. We’ll bring the snacks and cookies. Bring trail tools (shovels, mcleods, pulaskis, rock bars, and hoes) if you have them. All work days are weather dependent. We won’t be working if it’s pouring.

Come help us build a trail in Nevada City this June! For more information or questions regarding the volunteer days or the project please contact Matt Freitas at (530) 265-6090 ext. 251.

Friends of Deer Creek has partnered with the City of Nevada City to build a trail between Jordan Street and Providence Mine Road. This multi-use trail will be the south side of the Deer Creek Tribute Trail, and will eventually connect to the trail on the north side of the creek by way of a planned suspension bridge just downstream of the Nevada City Wastewater Treatment Plant.

South Yuba Ridge Trail Progress

On Sunday, Art Clarke joined Joe Chavez of the Forest Service to continue surveying the South Yuba Ridge Trail route. Art has devoted many hours to this project and we are very appreciative of his tireless efforts. The USFS tells me that we need one or two more volunteer days to complete the field work.

Once this is done, BONC will complete a grant application to fund construction (likely an RTP grant). We are in need of volunteers to help prepare this application; please let us know if you are interested.

BONC Ride - Friday 5/20

Join us for a BONC intermediate-advanced paced ride this Friday, May 20 @ 5:30PM. Meet at the USFS Rangers office off Coyote Street in Nevada City (map). Helmets and waiver signature required. We'll ride trails in the Highway 20 corridor or over to Round Mountain.

Perhaps beer afterwards? See you there!

Pioneer Rock Garden SAVED!

The USFS is planning a re-route of the lava rock garden on Pioneer near Washington Overlook. The original Forest Service plan was to close the rocky section, which the USFS suspected was eroding. The rocky section is also difficult to ride for equestrians.

THE GOOD NEWS: I met with the USFS in the field this week to discuss this, as I was concerned that we might lose one of the few fun technical sections of this trail. We walked the existing alignment and the new one. After lengthy discussion, I am happy to report that the USFS will likely keep the rocky section in tact!

The new plan is to only reroute the steep 100'-long section on the east end of the rock garden, as it presents an erosion problem, but leave the rest of the rocky section alone. Volunteers will build a new alternative trail route just uphill from the rock garden so that there will be a challenging alignment (the existing rock garden) and a new tamer section for equestrians and others. NOTE - All of this is tentative and pending USFS approval.

Want to support trail advocacy and improvement efforts like these? Join BONC today!

Tribute Trail Gala Ride - 6/4

Join BONC and the Nevada County Land Trust as we celebrate National Trails Day and the new Deer Creek Tribute Trail! We will being our ride on Saturday, June 4th @ 8:30AM. Meet at Pioneer Park in Nevada City. Helmets and waiver signature required.

We'll break into groups based on ability and ride trails close to town, starting with this new trail. This is a No Drop ride, and BONC will provide refreshments and perhaps swag afterwards.

This new trail begins at Pioneer Park in Nevada City, winds its way through the city streets, and then out Champion Road and onto a system of service roads, trails and canal banks to the new trail and the Deer Creek bridge site. Thanks to the hard work of Bill Haire and the Land Trust, this trail is open to all non-motorized users, including mountain bikers.

Come join the fun!

May Gala Ride Recap

We had a terrific turnout for last Saturday's BONC Gala Ride from the Five Mile House. The Trail Raiders from Seven Hills School joined BONC regulars and some new faces as we enjoyed a social paced ride up Pioneer. This was a poker ride that ended with a raffle of some pretty sweet bike swag: free jerseys, helmets, pumps and more. Adults enjoyed free New Belgium beer.

Thank you to the Bicycle Recycle Project, which made a huge contribution to this event. Also kudos to Chris Rose for sweeping and making sure that no rider was left behind.

See pictures of the event.

MTB Tahoe North - 7/24 - 7/26

Join FATRAC, BONC and the Truckee Donner Land Trust as we celebrate a weekend of riding, more riding, beer, camping and trail building! This year, we will focus on North Shore fun as we camp at Martis Creek, ride classics like the Tahoe Rim Trail and work with the TDLT to build a new section of Donner Lake Rim Trail singletrack.

Please register online today:

http://bit.ly/mtbtahoe2011

BONC Gala Ride - Saturday 5/7, 10AM

Rich Looney will lead May's BONC Gala Ride. From Rich:

"What is a Gala Ride? Good question.

We meet once a month for FUN casually paced group mountain bike rides at

different locations throughout Nevada County. ALL these rides are "NO-DROP

group rides (we will NOT leave you behind or get you lost). Rides usually last 2 to 3 hours and are great opportunities to meet other mountain bike riders at your skill level and discover the BEST trails in our area without having to do it by yourself! ALL BONC Gala Rides are FREE and open to the public and led by experienced local mountain bike riders familiar with the trails.

Groups for ALL Skill Levels:

Skill Building Beginner Group: The ride starts off slow and easy paced, focused on skill development and FUN!

Adventurer Intermediate Group: Moderate pace, we'll stop and enjoy the view once in a while and re-group, focus is developing skills, fitness, and FUN!

Advanced Group: Faster pace, little stopping along the way, sometimes challenging terrain and obstacles, keeping it FUN! (This is NOT a race group)

Join us for snacks and refreshments after the ride!

Date: Saturday May 7, 2011 (5/07/11)

Start Time: 10am (2-3 hours)

Start Location: Five Mile House

Route: Pioneer Trail (Hwy 20)

Skill level: No Drop, ALL Levels. (This means that we encourage beginners as well as advanced riders to join us)!

FREE Tune-up adjustments (Basic Tune-up) and equipment safety check for beginners.

* PLEASE contact us to schedule Tune-up on your bicycle (work on bicycles will be conducted at the Five Mile House before the ride)

Families welcome, this BONC Gala ride is along the historic Pioneer Trail and will serve ALL types of riders and skill levels.

Happy Trails!

BONC"

Kicking Butt and Building Singletrack

We had an especially fruitful day at Bullard on Saturday, building a new section of singletrack. BONC efforts continue to earn the admiration and gratitude of the Forest Service (see note below) as we open up great trails for everyone. More details about the event in our upcoming newsletter. Some pictures of our fantastic volunteers in action:

http://bit.ly/boncbullardsspring2011

"BONC:

I just want to thank all involved in the setting up and implementing the 200' reroute on Bullards Trail on 4/23/2011. From the pictures, it looks great and turned out just as planned. It is one of the biggest pleasures in my job to be working with the great folks like those who were part of this making things happen for benefit of the users and the environment. John, Moss is a great addition to the BONC group and will be a asset to the Bullards Trail System. Great job! Joe

Joe Chavez

Public Service Officer

Yuba River Ranger District"

Want to support these efforts? Become a BONC member today!

Trees Out at Bullards

Joe Chavez of the USFS asked me to pass along the good news that all downed trees have been taken out of the Bullards Bar trail system. Those of you who have ventured out there in recent months know what mess it had become. Volunteers are still needed for sections where the trailbed itself was damaged. We will accomplish this at our 4/23 event and open up the rest of the trails for the season.

As for the major erosion canyon west of Dark Day, it still remains. The USFS plans to repair this during the fall with a contractor who will fill in this section and carve in the trail (no reroute will occur). The CA Department of Boating and Waterways will fix the cause of the problem, which is runoff from a recently-built parking lot.

Pictures: Round Mountain Volunteer Day 4/9

BONC volunteers put in some high quality work yesterday on the Rock Creek Flume Trail near Round Mountain. We rock armored one perpetually wet section, cut a re-route around a mud hole and improved drainage elsewhere. Full write up coming soon. See us in action here.

Want to support these efforts? Become a BONC member today!

Bullards Recon 4/3

BONC could use some volunteers to recon trail conditions at Bullards Bar for our upcoming trail work day later in April. Meet at the Camptonville USFS ranger station on Sunday, 4/3 at 10AM. Volunteers will scope out tree blowdowns and sections that need our help. A bit of trail work may occur, as well as a ride.

Accurate GPS devices could be handy.

Culvert Trailwork

FATRAC and others will host a trail improvement day on the popular Culvert Trail on Saturday 3/25/11 at 9AM. Meet at the Mammoth Bar OHV area entrance at 9AM. Tools will be provided.

Support for Hole-in-the-Ground Parcel Acquisition

BONC has issued the following letter of support for the Trust for Public Land's effort to acquire parcels on which Hole-in-the-Ground trail is located.

The TPL hopes to use a federal program to purchase parcels on which the Hole-in-the-Ground trail is located. Should they be successful, a large portion of the trail which is now fireroad could be converted to singletrack. Access to the trail would also become more permanent. The TPL has asked for letters of support for this program.

"The Honorable Diane Feinstein

United States Senate

Washington DC 20510

Dear Senator Feinstein:

I am writing in support of funding for the U.S. Forest Service program of checkerboard consolidation in the Sierra Nevada mountains. After a national ranking process, the FY 2012 President's Budget request recommended $2 million from the Land and Water Conservation Fund for the Sierra Nevada inholdings protection effort.

National forest lands entirely or substantially surround these checkerboard lands, and consolidation of these properties will give the Forest Service an improved ability to manage its lands for recreation. The inholdings feature significant trail resources. One tract is critical to accessing and improving the Hole-in-the-Ground-Trail a trail popular with mountain bikers.

For this reason, we support acquisition of this land (sec 3 and part of 9 of Township 17 North, Range 14 East).

Your strong support for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) has been crucial to great conservation achievements in California and across the country. Your continued leadership on behalf of LWCF as Congress completes the FY 2011 budget and begins the FY 2012 process will help ensure that this project will receive the necessary funds.

Thank you for your support of protecting California's exceptional recreational resources.

Truly,

John Gardiner

Chair, Bicyclists of Nevada County"

Gala Ride with FATRAC - Sat 4/2

Note that this venue has changed to Round Mountain.

FATRAC will join us for a ride in our own backyard on Saturday, April 2, 2011. Meet at the Uren Street and Highway 20 @ 10AM. We'll show off some of our local Round Mountain singletrack stash to our flatlander friends (just kidding FATRAC :-).

This is a No Rider Left Behind ride, so everyone is welcome. We will provide New Belgium beer to adult participants. We will have BONC membership applications available so you can join up (membership is not required for the ride).

Bullards and Downed Trees

Joe Chavez of the USFS and others have put in many hours taking out down trees at the Bullards Bar trail system. Regardless, the place is a bit of a mess. Note that BONC will host a trailwork day on 4/23 to address these challenges. This update from Joe:

"I had a chance to personally see the damage from the last heavy low elevation snow storm on the Bullards trail system yesterday (March 13). Myself, plus three moto volunteers went out to do some clearing. Its bad! I have never seen so many downed trees (many stump pulls on or near the trails), it looked like bombs went off in the area. It is 5 times worse than November's low elevation snow storm. We could not go more than 50 yards without coming across another downed tree. The current status of the trails is as follows:

TRAIL/STATUS

8-Ball/Cleared

Rebel Ridge/Cleared (Be aware of a stump pull hole adjacent to the trail towards the top end)

7-Ball/Cleared

Schoolhouse/Cleared (cleared by FS fire crews)

Bullards/Vista to Dark Day- cleared of logs, large washout near Dark Day (cleared by FS fire crews - FS has submitted for an internal grant to repair this - status on funding currently undetermined).

Dark Day to Camptonville- Many downed logs across the trail, several stump pulls near or on the trail (tread work will need to be done at the stump pulls and some minor reroutes will be needed to get around some damaged spots). Expert faller needed to clear area 1/3 mile west of Dark Day (I will be requesting continued help from the FS fire crews to assist with this). "

Bullards Trail Event Rescheduled to 4/23

Due to current snow conditions at Bullard's, the USFS and BONC need to re-schedule this weekend's trail event at the lake. The new date is Saturday, April 23.

See a full description of this event.

Round Mountain Event Rescheduled to 4/9

Because of snow and ice conditions, the Round Mountain trail day has been rescheduled to Saturday, April 9th @ 10AM.

In the meantime, please consider joining our Bullard's trail day + ride on Sunday, March 6th.

BONC March Newsletter

The BONC March newsletter is now available online. Please check it out to learn about local riding, trail building, advocacy and social events for our mountain bicycling community.

BONC Clothing Order

BONC is taking orders for club cycling clothing! Members can order jerseys, jackets, shorts and bibs. More information here. Deadline is March 1st, 2011.

Not a member yet? Well, what are you waiting for? Help promote trail building and advocacy in Nevada County. Join today!

DA Flagging Continues

Big thanks to Dieter King and Jerry Henderson. Together, we flagged a full mile of the new Diamond Arrow Trail alignment on Saturday. This section turned out to be more complex than I thought. On paper, it seemed very straightforward, but conditions on the ground are always different than what your topo map or software will tell you.

Regardless, the route we picked for this section is great and conforms with BLM standards (the BLM will build the trail by machine with grant money acquired by BONC). It largely avoids switchbacks and incorporates wide-radius turns. One fine day, this trail will be a great resource for local trail users.

I plan to flag again on 2/12 and perhaps 2/26, Let me know if you want to help out, thanks.

North Yuba Trail

Today, Jon Pritchett, Chris Rose, Rob Heller and I rode the North Yuba Trail out of Downieville. This was the first time we've ridden this section. Looking for something new, I selected it as our destination for my birthday ride.

I want to acknowledge all the people who put in the effort to extend this great riverside singletrack. This includes Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship, Joe Chavez, Bill Haire and others. It was a huge project that extended the better part of a decade. The result is a joy to ride.

Like a lot of new trails, the North Yuba Extension could use some tweaks here and there. The narrow benchcut + sloughing off of soil from the uphill side occasionally pushes users to the soft edge of the trail bed. But it is still a great local trail asset. Note that there are some trees down on the section we rode, one of which damaged the bridge just east of Goodyears Bar.

I suggest that local trail users support the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship. Their paid staff and volunteers have done some great work in the Tahoe and Plumas National Forests.

Bullards Conditions - 1/15

Is there a better place to ride than Bullards on a beautiful winter's day?

Yesterday, I hooked up with Mark Demartini and Matt Provencal for a loop at the lake. Trail conditions are good, though I counted about 10 downed trees, mostly on Bullards Bar Trail. The good news is that none of the trees are large (about 12" in diameter). There were about 4 washouts (3 on BBT and one on 7 Ball). We can tackle these on our 3/6 volunteer day.

However, the big news at Bullards is the massive canyon of erosion just west of Dark Day. It is ~40' deep and hundreds of feet long. Mark (a civil engineer by trade) tells me that this was likely caused by the parking lot recently constructed above it. Talking to the USFS, it seems likely they will plan a trail re-route at this section. Not sure how that solves the erosion problem though.

Please be careful around the slide. It is unstable and a fall into it could ruin your whole day.

Bullards Bar Trailwork and Ride - 4/23

Note that this event has been rescheduled to 4/23.

Join us as we improve and ride this singlespeed-singletrack paradise. Under direction of the USFS, we will re-route blown out sections of the Bullards' Bar Trail.

Meet at 10AM on Saturday, 4/23 at the Rebel Ridge trailhead (see map). Please bring long sleeves, long pants, appropriate shoes, a snack and some water. BONC will provide New Belgium beer to participants. Ride will occur afterward, helmets required.

Map: http://goo.gl/maps/LrLv

Round Mountain Trailwork and Ride - 4/9

Note that this event has been rescheduled to 4/9.

Once again, we will give this precious local trail system some attention. On Saturday, 4/9, meet at the corner of Rector and Lake Vera-Purdon Roads at 10AM.

We will volunteer on the Rock Creek Flume Trail, where we will improve drainage on sections that are perpetually wet in winter months. Please bring long sleeves, long pants, appropriate shoes, a snack and some water. BONC will provide New Belgium beer to participants. No doubt some of us will ride afterwards.

Map: http://goo.gl/maps/Xeyk

BONC Gala Ride - 1/30

Join us for a BONC Gala ride on Sunday January 30 @ 10AM.

Meet at the northwest corner of the Twin Cities Church parking lot. We'll ride Kenney Ranch, Deadman's Flat and other lesser known local gems. Helmets required. Beer very possible. Map:

http://goo.gl/maps/vxHa

Bullards Bar Conditions

Joe Chavez of the USFS sends us an update on the Bullards Bar trail system:

"Thanks to a little help from a moto volunteer (Dave Wood), we were able log out (minus a few very small logs) Rebel Ridge, 8-Ball, 7-Ball and Bullards is logged from Vista Point to Rebel Ridge. East of Rebel, Bullards trail has not yet been logged, but last time I mountain biked it in December there was not too much down.

Just west of Dark Day on the Bullards Trail, there is a deep landslide in a channel. Folks can cross at a point about 100 feet up hill."

BONC Meeting - Sunday 1/9

Like pizza and beer? Come participate in the planning of future mountain biking in Nevada County. On Sunday January 9 at 5:30PM, meet at 14204 Plover Way, Grass Valley. We'll discuss future trail projects, social events and rides.

And suck down pizza and beer. Agenda for the meeting:

• Treasurers report
• Next Round Mountain trailwork day
• Round Mountain vandalism
• Agenda and minutes posting
• Trail signs and stickers
• Jersey update
• Volunteer awards
• BONC online store
• February Gala ride
• Board nominations and resignation
• Next meeting

New Year's Ride Cancelled

This sucks, but BONC's New Year's Day ride has been cancelled. Predictions of 32 degrees and snow showers are why. I suppose we could try to toughen up and ride anyway, but who are we kidding... we are Californians.

Hopefully, we can schedule another club ride soon.

BONC January Newsletter

The January BONC newsletter is now available. Get the scoop on local mountain bike riding, advocacy and social events. Read it online:

http://www.bonc.org/newsletter.html

Kids and Trailwork

Recently, I began training my kids to enjoy and participate in trailwork. Like adults, at first they find the work challenging and exhausting, but come to appreciate and deeply enjoy it. Trailwork is an ideal activity for kids; it gets them outside exercising and developing a work ethic, plus they start to learn the intrinsic value of being a volunteer.

The key is to not push them too hard. Give them small tasks that do not require large hikes in or full day efforts. Today, I brought my daughters out to Scott's Drop, where we cleared many downed trees that made the trail impassible. While I did the heavy lifting, I set them off trimming smaller brush with loppers and handheld clippers. After several hours, we wrapped it up, climbed back in the truck and headed home. Both of the girls told me they really liked our outing and would love to do it again.

Which is about as nice a thing as I could hear on this Christmas Eve.

Round Mountain Recap, 12/11

A big thank you to everyone who pitched in at BONC's trailwork event on Saturday. About 25 volunteers installed culverts, took out downed trees, built a bench at Coyote Overlook, repaired a blowout of the South Yuba Trail, finished the re-route project near Coyote Overlook and planned for more trail improvements.

We'll have a longer write up in our upcoming BONC newsletter issue. In the meantime, here are some pics. Darwin posted some additional pics on our Facebook page:

Special thanks to the Nevada County Land Trust (who donated a culvert) and everyone else who has worked on Round Mountain recently.

Join BONC at a New Membership Level!

Bicyclists of Nevada County (BONC) is pleased to announce multiple membership levels, each contributing toward the future success of BONC's advocacy and trails building efforts:

Basic Membership - $20 annual

Trail Explorer - $40 annual

Fat Tire Friend - $70 annual

Singletrack Sustainer - $100+ annual

BONC invites financial contributions in excess of our basic membership level. This encourages those who can, to support trails development financially, even if unable to personally move dirt on BONC's trail-building projects.

Your membership helps fund purchase and maintenance of tools, trail construction, trails maintenance, trail planning, advocacy, events, club insurance and more. Enjoy a 10% discount off parts at local retailers, upon presentation of your current BONC membership card. Visit www.bonc.org and click Join for details.

Join BONC for 2011 today.

BONC is an 501c3 non-profit organization; consult your tax professional regarding deductibility.

Thank you in advance for your contribution to the ongoing success of BONC!

New Year's Day Ride

Join BONC for an intermediate-advanced ride on New Years Day! Meet at the Rood Center at 10AM... hey you have to wake up sometime :-) We'll meander along local ditch trails, perhaps hit the top part of Round Mountain or Miners Trail. Helmets required.

Please let me know if you can co-lead this ride, thanks. Map:

http://goo.gl/maps/B6D0

Round Mountain Trails Clear

Today I rode Round Mountain (Rock Creek Flume > Up and Over > Round Mountain > South Yuba > back) and was pleased to see that so many of the downed trees from last week's storm have been cleared. Many of these trees were large, so it was impressive to see the trail community step up and put in such an effort. I've advocated such maintenance for a long time; it is good to see that others share this perspective.

Round Mountain is a special place. If you want to help further improve these trails, please consider joining BONC for a trailwork and ride event on Saturday 12/11.

11/27 Ride Cancelled

Because of the forecast of snow/wet/cold, Saturday's BONC ride from the Rood Center is *cancelled*. Hope everyone enjoyed their holiday.

BONC Newsletter

I am very happy to declare that at long last, BONC has a newsletter! Take a look.

We'll distribute this to the group's email list, website and at local bike shops. If you have a story or submission, just let BONC know.

BONC Ride, Saturday 11/27 at 10AM

Join BONC for an intermediate/advanced ride on Saturday, 11/27 @ 10AM. We will explore the new Hirschman's Trail, Cement Hill Ditch and the top of Round Mountain. Bring a snack, water and determination to have a good time! Helmets required. Meet at the Rood Center. Map:

http://goo.gl/maps/B6D0

If you can help co-lead this ride, please let me know.

BONC Support for the Scott's Drop Re-Route

BONC submitted the following letter of support for the Scott's Drop trail re-route. This project will convert the existing trail into a sustainable route beginning at Pioneer Trail near the 5 Mile House and ending at Scott's Flat:

Genice Froehlilch

Yuba River Ranger District

Tahoe National Forest

15924 Highway 49

Camptonville CA 95922

Dear Genice,

Bicyclists of Nevada County (BONC) supports re-routing the Scott's Drop Trail in the Highway 20 Corridor as a non-motorized multiple-use trail. The Tahoe National Forest and Nevada Irrigation District (NID) has begun planning a new version of this trail that is less steep and more sustainable. We applaud this effort.

BONC believes that this trail should be established as a permanent amenity for the public to enjoy. Thus, we support the creation of a recorded trail easement across NID lands to protect such access for future generations. We hope that the Nevada County Land Trust can be involved to establish and hold such an easement.

At the appropriate time, BONC can offer volunteers to help plan and build the trail. We will participate under the guidance of the Tahoe National Forest and NID who own and manage the project.

BONC is committed to responsible mountain bicycling, preservation and improvement of riding opportunities, cooperation with other interest groups and the education of cyclists and non-cyclists alike. We regularly hold group rides and trail building and improvement events.

Yours truly,

John Gardiner

Chair, Bicyclists of Nevada County

IMBA TCC Visit in Pictures

The IMBA Trail Care Crew visited our area over the weekend. Here are some images of the event:

Round Mountain Ride and Trailwork, 12/11

You are invited to join BONC on Saturday, December 11 for trailwork and a BONC Gala Ride. Meet at 10AM at the corner of Merrimas Way and Rock Creek Road (map).

We will install culverts, improve drainage at muddy spots and hang some flagging for a re-route of the Up-and-Over Trail. Please bring long pants, long-sleeved shirt, boots, water and a snack. BONC will provide New Belgium beer for participants.

After the trailwork (around noon or 1PM) we'll do a group ride on area trails.

UPDATE 12/1 - Provided we have enough volunteers, we will also repair the section of the South Yuba Trail damaged by a fallen oak, just east of the Round Mountain Trail intersection.