It is what it is. I used to like to climb too. That and the start were how xc races were won or lost. You could be slow as shit down the hills and those guys would never make up what they lost going up, or eating shit on the start... ever been in 200-300 bike start? It's kill or be killed... people going down everywhere, hooking your bar ends, falling in front of you... it's fuckin' chaos. You can win an amateur race right there... just don't fall, and don't get stuck behind the moron who falls or gets off their bike. It's that simple... but not really. So you can see why I never cared much about the dh.Rokjox wrote: Sorry about being a Flatlander. It's hard to imagine.
Maybe I'll invest in a mountain bike again
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MikeK
Re: Maybe I'll invest in a mountain bike again
Re: Maybe I'll invest in a mountain bike again
LOL. Damn that sounds fun. We've got an awful lot of wilderness and some good little hills around here, but no 6000'/11miles!!! That is a whole different thing than the mountain biking around here. We've got steeps and lots of exposed rock, but not any real elevation and hardly anything that justifies shuttling/riding a lift, although they still do it.Rokjox wrote:
Sat. I did about 11+ miles, with about 6000 feet drop.... So we went downhill for 8 out of 11 miles, maybe more
Sorry about being a Flatlander. It's hard to imagine.
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MikeK
Re: Maybe I'll invest in a mountain bike again
I hate to say it but I'm pretty sure people shuttling to do long dh runs is what gave bikers a bad name. No one seemed to give a shit when it was just guys and girls (like me) riding on hiking trails who actually did xc cycling. Then it turned into a Mountain Dew ad (now Red Bull) and everyone starts turning their back on bikes... well duh! No one wants to be run off their hike by some maniac in body armor with bike that resembles a motoX bike more than it does a bicycle.
And now they have 'trails' like the do for dh skiers. Green, blue and black. WTF is that? It just used to just be fire road or singletrack. You used to just be able to ride your bike wherever (except designated Wilderness areas, and even that wasn't enforced), now hikers give you the stink eye and there are signs at cevery trail head saying no bikes. Thanks a lot guys!
Unfortunately there are a lot people doing bike camping or riding single track who want to be out away from the resort who don't actually tear shit up too bad and don't disturb hikers.
And now they have 'trails' like the do for dh skiers. Green, blue and black. WTF is that? It just used to just be fire road or singletrack. You used to just be able to ride your bike wherever (except designated Wilderness areas, and even that wasn't enforced), now hikers give you the stink eye and there are signs at cevery trail head saying no bikes. Thanks a lot guys!
Unfortunately there are a lot people doing bike camping or riding single track who want to be out away from the resort who don't actually tear shit up too bad and don't disturb hikers.
Re: Maybe I'll invest in a mountain bike again
I'll see what I can post as to a TR tomorrow or the next day, maybe I can show what the locals are working with.
And I can show you a small house for sale, 3br, 1b, large with lots of room for upgrades... good prices by Eastern standards,damn good. Live like a king here for less than rent there...
Gotta watch Jeopardy...
And I can show you a small house for sale, 3br, 1b, large with lots of room for upgrades... good prices by Eastern standards,damn good. Live like a king here for less than rent there...
Gotta watch Jeopardy...
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MikeK
Re: Maybe I'll invest in a mountain bike again
Hahaha - Rokshox, you sound like a typical non-NY'er. You probably think I live in a hi-rise and say 'cawfeee'. I'm probably more of a redneck, hillbilly than you are. The stereotypical NY'ers live on a little island that is going to sink into the sea in a few decades... when that happens we'll both be fucked... you by Californians, me by Long Islanders. I gather you are a geezer, so unless I die young, you'll probably be the lucky one.
Cost of living relative to income is actually pretty low where I am by eastern standards... look it up, I have a million and one times because I want to move, I just can't afford to!
Cost of living relative to income is actually pretty low where I am by eastern standards... look it up, I have a million and one times because I want to move, I just can't afford to!
Re: Maybe I'll invest in a mountain bike again
Danger, NSFW. Severe bragging ahead. ((Its not braggin if its true?))
http://www.mtbproject.com/directory/166352/boise
Here is the place I live, on a MTB site thats pretty good. You see there is a large trail system being put together around the local ski area, about 16 miles above the north edge of town. In the low foothills is an old military reserve shooting range (big guns, artillery... BOOM! don't go digging around too much.) on the edge of town, and that has been converted into a hiking/bike trail system. The highway connects the two area, as do a number of unofficial pirate trails. Its all part of a system that to me is new, I been riding for decades here, the trail system (Official) kinda follows stuff everybody did decades ago, but now a lot of old trails get less use as the official trails are on the maps, and the old byways are not, being overgrown pretty good. There used to be a two track jeep trail system all through the mountains, as mining and timber interests did what they wanted, so there is a third trail system lost, but superimposed on the terrain, too. And when some slopes proved to be unstable during fierce rains, they terraced many of the steeper slopes to make them stable, and guess what? You can ride the better terraces, and if they eventually fail, well, there is another terrace ten feet away going the same way... and then there is also a motorcycle dirt trail system somewhere up there too. Bikes allowed, but the trails are sometimes messy and often loose.
http://www.mtbproject.com/trail/6168331/thunder-monkey#
That is a link to a description of a ride I don't do exactly (or, havn't, exactly, although I have ridden each of the segments mixed in with other rides, maybe I've done this one, once or twice,) I got so many miles along trails Its hard to remember, and I certainly never used that name. But its close enough to the the trip I rode last week. The names are all new, I'd never choose Thunder Monkey, thats for sure. The Dry Creek segment is very well defined, has several small variations with or without the numerous creek crossings, very cool in summer, water year round, watch out for rattlesnakes. And its less known than you might think, more primitive and got all kinds of terrain to keep your speed down, despite the steep segments. Boise is building a first rate trail system. Gonna bring in a lot of tourism some day. The guys that wrote this description ignore a trail split thats real important. They probably never noticed the split as they charged past a bushy section... it drops into Shingle Cheek before swinging back into dry creek. No matter...
A lot of the local terrain may cross various lands, BLM, FS, private, commercial logging, mine claims. So some trails can't officially be recommended, other stuff is discouraged (fenced) or whatever. Many of these trails are being added to our "Ridge to River" trail system the city is trying to slowly build. Many never will be. A lot of trails are still a combination of natural game trails, natural drainage and ridge lines and a series of skunky pirate lines connecting those features. Its all in development, so to speak. Unofficial trails existing side by side with engineered lines the city built (more or less, funny/imaginative financing).
Way to the south of Boise, (60 mi?) is a place where a Chinese migrant labor colony run by a rancher in the 1900(?)s built a very dramatic aquaduct/trail to bring a creeks water down to some cows, several miles of stone aquaduct on either side of some canyons, these are a popular horse trail system that is quite bike friendly and the not so regularly used trails are kinda decrepit, leaving you riding a raw rock wall 50 feet above the creek in some places as you try and connect the broken segments of trail that have not yet collapsed into the creek already. As a bike system, its almost unknown locally, the cowboys don't mix much and are close mouth. You can hunt the area too. Yes, from a bike if your wanting... Also, Snake River Birds of Prey, with a nice dam and a volcanic rift canyon... slightly different direction...
Rock climbing up to 120 foot pitches mostly, about 5 miles out, Several miles of it. Several reservoirs within 20 miles, fishing, hunting, rafting (raft the Boise river, down through the center of town, alongside the University with thousands of others...). We got a small dirt track stock car racing population, some smaller towns have tracks, Meridian Raceway used to be 18 miles from here, I am not sure if it still is. We got hundreds of lava tube and fissure caves nearby, but all but a few are secrets held by the local grotto, they ain;t real democratic with their locations. There is some other things some people do here, me too, but I can't recall. There are a couple problems here too, mostly the government and such, some with the people who elect the government...
I made a deliberate attempt to find a place smaller than usual with a great recreational opportunity/location and I first picked Idaho, then Boise, because I thought I could make a living here. I was kinda wrong about the last, never made any money here. Might as well have moved to rural Louisiana... but it had low crime, was the "millionaire capitol of the USA" and was very clean. It also promised to offer Skiing throughout my lifetime, which the SW did not. (Suckit Mt. Lemmon)
So I forget what its like to not live in a low pop rec heaven with significant drop available locally.
But I do know NY a little better than maybe you think, (but your still right.) I only know manhatten and queens. I got family there in Astoria that school the locals in a variety of things... and something about the business of scheduling performance art for Columbia. I never understood theatre, but thats where you go if you want to make a living in it I suppose.
Dood, if you are still young enough to tear up, and you got a million bucks to bag and bring with you, you should transplant. Tell everybody you know goodbye and devote yourself to the inside of a old van, tour the west and demand your Right to hot/cold weather and big drops.
The skiing sucks though. right now nothing but mud covered by a white layer of crunch. Ah, you could still ski the Sawtooths, they got Idahos Freezer and the elevation. Gotta be willing to trudge, though. Sawtooths are a real trudge, especially until the ice busts off the lake and Redfish Lodge puts the Bull in the water. Its an extra five miles each way if you can't rent the boatride. Might be able to ride your bikes to the edge of the wild, though, carrying your skis. I think I could keep you amused for a couple months...
http://www.mtbproject.com/directory/166352/boise
Here is the place I live, on a MTB site thats pretty good. You see there is a large trail system being put together around the local ski area, about 16 miles above the north edge of town. In the low foothills is an old military reserve shooting range (big guns, artillery... BOOM! don't go digging around too much.) on the edge of town, and that has been converted into a hiking/bike trail system. The highway connects the two area, as do a number of unofficial pirate trails. Its all part of a system that to me is new, I been riding for decades here, the trail system (Official) kinda follows stuff everybody did decades ago, but now a lot of old trails get less use as the official trails are on the maps, and the old byways are not, being overgrown pretty good. There used to be a two track jeep trail system all through the mountains, as mining and timber interests did what they wanted, so there is a third trail system lost, but superimposed on the terrain, too. And when some slopes proved to be unstable during fierce rains, they terraced many of the steeper slopes to make them stable, and guess what? You can ride the better terraces, and if they eventually fail, well, there is another terrace ten feet away going the same way... and then there is also a motorcycle dirt trail system somewhere up there too. Bikes allowed, but the trails are sometimes messy and often loose.
http://www.mtbproject.com/trail/6168331/thunder-monkey#
That is a link to a description of a ride I don't do exactly (or, havn't, exactly, although I have ridden each of the segments mixed in with other rides, maybe I've done this one, once or twice,) I got so many miles along trails Its hard to remember, and I certainly never used that name. But its close enough to the the trip I rode last week. The names are all new, I'd never choose Thunder Monkey, thats for sure. The Dry Creek segment is very well defined, has several small variations with or without the numerous creek crossings, very cool in summer, water year round, watch out for rattlesnakes. And its less known than you might think, more primitive and got all kinds of terrain to keep your speed down, despite the steep segments. Boise is building a first rate trail system. Gonna bring in a lot of tourism some day. The guys that wrote this description ignore a trail split thats real important. They probably never noticed the split as they charged past a bushy section... it drops into Shingle Cheek before swinging back into dry creek. No matter...
A lot of the local terrain may cross various lands, BLM, FS, private, commercial logging, mine claims. So some trails can't officially be recommended, other stuff is discouraged (fenced) or whatever. Many of these trails are being added to our "Ridge to River" trail system the city is trying to slowly build. Many never will be. A lot of trails are still a combination of natural game trails, natural drainage and ridge lines and a series of skunky pirate lines connecting those features. Its all in development, so to speak. Unofficial trails existing side by side with engineered lines the city built (more or less, funny/imaginative financing).
Way to the south of Boise, (60 mi?) is a place where a Chinese migrant labor colony run by a rancher in the 1900(?)s built a very dramatic aquaduct/trail to bring a creeks water down to some cows, several miles of stone aquaduct on either side of some canyons, these are a popular horse trail system that is quite bike friendly and the not so regularly used trails are kinda decrepit, leaving you riding a raw rock wall 50 feet above the creek in some places as you try and connect the broken segments of trail that have not yet collapsed into the creek already. As a bike system, its almost unknown locally, the cowboys don't mix much and are close mouth. You can hunt the area too. Yes, from a bike if your wanting... Also, Snake River Birds of Prey, with a nice dam and a volcanic rift canyon... slightly different direction...
Rock climbing up to 120 foot pitches mostly, about 5 miles out, Several miles of it. Several reservoirs within 20 miles, fishing, hunting, rafting (raft the Boise river, down through the center of town, alongside the University with thousands of others...). We got a small dirt track stock car racing population, some smaller towns have tracks, Meridian Raceway used to be 18 miles from here, I am not sure if it still is. We got hundreds of lava tube and fissure caves nearby, but all but a few are secrets held by the local grotto, they ain;t real democratic with their locations. There is some other things some people do here, me too, but I can't recall. There are a couple problems here too, mostly the government and such, some with the people who elect the government...
I made a deliberate attempt to find a place smaller than usual with a great recreational opportunity/location and I first picked Idaho, then Boise, because I thought I could make a living here. I was kinda wrong about the last, never made any money here. Might as well have moved to rural Louisiana... but it had low crime, was the "millionaire capitol of the USA" and was very clean. It also promised to offer Skiing throughout my lifetime, which the SW did not. (Suckit Mt. Lemmon)
So I forget what its like to not live in a low pop rec heaven with significant drop available locally.
But I do know NY a little better than maybe you think, (but your still right.) I only know manhatten and queens. I got family there in Astoria that school the locals in a variety of things... and something about the business of scheduling performance art for Columbia. I never understood theatre, but thats where you go if you want to make a living in it I suppose.
Dood, if you are still young enough to tear up, and you got a million bucks to bag and bring with you, you should transplant. Tell everybody you know goodbye and devote yourself to the inside of a old van, tour the west and demand your Right to hot/cold weather and big drops.
The skiing sucks though. right now nothing but mud covered by a white layer of crunch. Ah, you could still ski the Sawtooths, they got Idahos Freezer and the elevation. Gotta be willing to trudge, though. Sawtooths are a real trudge, especially until the ice busts off the lake and Redfish Lodge puts the Bull in the water. Its an extra five miles each way if you can't rent the boatride. Might be able to ride your bikes to the edge of the wild, though, carrying your skis. I think I could keep you amused for a couple months...
Last edited by Rokjox on Wed May 06, 2015 6:14 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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MikeK
Re: Maybe I'll invest in a mountain bike again
Cool beans Rok. Thanks for sharing!
I've been doing lots of searching to see what's going on locally... man have I been out of it! We have bike parks and all sorts of shit! It's not exactly the type of riding I was hoping for, but it should be fun now and again. I talked to a kid who bought my old bike and he gave me the run down on all the parks here in town. Then there's some stuff out in my old stomping grounds that looks more my style, but it's farther away...
I'm actually kind of riled up about this whole bike thing. I'm super excited to ride again - but I'm also discouraged as to what MTB has turned into. All this dh skiing influence is something I'm not a fan of.
Cool thing is some of these trails might actually be fun ski trails in the winter - I need to look into that. Might be some fun and challenging XCD using them as a rough guide.
Anyways... I got to reading about the shit IMBA proposed for the Adirondacks... I hate it! Here is a link:
http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/lands_forest ... wfbike.pdf
Pump park? Stacked loops? What the fuck is this, a goddamn theme park? No way. Not in our Forest Preserve, not as long as I'm living.
We already have that kind of riding experience at ski resorts and nordic/bike parks like this:
http://inletny.com/wp/wp-content/upload ... Trails.pdf
We don't need more of that. We need real trail. Long trails. Trails that go places. And we actually have most of that infastructure already, it just wasn't designed to handle bicycles... it goes through swamps and shit. It just needs to be properly planned out, and rerouted in certain areas. There are actually a ton of good rides in this area. I've done most of them back in late 90s, and most of them are still open to ride actually. Some need like a couple reroutes and bridges and they'd be great... others should not allow bikes and build new routes because the trail is not conducive to cycling for various reasons. Some of them are great rides as they are and shouldn't be touched.
I also found out that the town of Webb in this area owns a huge chunk of land which they maintain with snowmobile trails for the winter. I forget how much mileage there is but it's ungodly. Lots of good trail, most 6-8' double track. That could all be open to bikes, with single track reroutes around very steep or heavily rocked sections. I believe most of it is open for bikes, but it all could be... and IMBA is petitioning the state to build more? And dinky 1-2 mile loops upon loops which degrade the character of the land? Seems fuckin' stupid to me... especially when you can ride 5-10-20-30-40? miles double and single track that isn't some groomed backyard loop! A typical ride in that area for me used to be between 20 and 30 miles with some pavement, some dirt road and some trail. It could be all trail if they did it right. Shit the Black Fly Challenge race is 40 miles of dirt roads right through the area in question.
I've been doing lots of searching to see what's going on locally... man have I been out of it! We have bike parks and all sorts of shit! It's not exactly the type of riding I was hoping for, but it should be fun now and again. I talked to a kid who bought my old bike and he gave me the run down on all the parks here in town. Then there's some stuff out in my old stomping grounds that looks more my style, but it's farther away...
I'm actually kind of riled up about this whole bike thing. I'm super excited to ride again - but I'm also discouraged as to what MTB has turned into. All this dh skiing influence is something I'm not a fan of.
Cool thing is some of these trails might actually be fun ski trails in the winter - I need to look into that. Might be some fun and challenging XCD using them as a rough guide.
Anyways... I got to reading about the shit IMBA proposed for the Adirondacks... I hate it! Here is a link:
http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/lands_forest ... wfbike.pdf
Pump park? Stacked loops? What the fuck is this, a goddamn theme park? No way. Not in our Forest Preserve, not as long as I'm living.
We already have that kind of riding experience at ski resorts and nordic/bike parks like this:
http://inletny.com/wp/wp-content/upload ... Trails.pdf
We don't need more of that. We need real trail. Long trails. Trails that go places. And we actually have most of that infastructure already, it just wasn't designed to handle bicycles... it goes through swamps and shit. It just needs to be properly planned out, and rerouted in certain areas. There are actually a ton of good rides in this area. I've done most of them back in late 90s, and most of them are still open to ride actually. Some need like a couple reroutes and bridges and they'd be great... others should not allow bikes and build new routes because the trail is not conducive to cycling for various reasons. Some of them are great rides as they are and shouldn't be touched.
I also found out that the town of Webb in this area owns a huge chunk of land which they maintain with snowmobile trails for the winter. I forget how much mileage there is but it's ungodly. Lots of good trail, most 6-8' double track. That could all be open to bikes, with single track reroutes around very steep or heavily rocked sections. I believe most of it is open for bikes, but it all could be... and IMBA is petitioning the state to build more? And dinky 1-2 mile loops upon loops which degrade the character of the land? Seems fuckin' stupid to me... especially when you can ride 5-10-20-30-40? miles double and single track that isn't some groomed backyard loop! A typical ride in that area for me used to be between 20 and 30 miles with some pavement, some dirt road and some trail. It could be all trail if they did it right. Shit the Black Fly Challenge race is 40 miles of dirt roads right through the area in question.
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MikeK
Re: Maybe I'll invest in a mountain bike again
Shit I just got a raise today... they keep suckin' me in...Rokjox wrote: Dood, if you are still young enough to tear up, and you got a million bucks to bag and bring with you, you should transplant. Tell everybody you know goodbye and devote yourself to the inside of a old van, tour the west and demand your right to hot weather and big drops. The skiing sucks though. nothing but mud covered by a white layer of frost. Ah, you could still ski the Sawtooths, they got Idahos Freezer and the elevatrion. Gotta be willing to trudge, though. Sawtooths are a real trudge, especially until the ice busts off the lake and Redfish Lodge puts the Bull in the water. Its an extra five miles each way if you can't rent a boatride.
Anyway I'm not sure why? I'm kind of lazy and difficult to work with. I guess I know a couple things, but I don't consider it that difficult... anyone with half a brain and bit of motivation could do it.
My wife was in National news earlier this year for protesting state tests. She thought she might get fired. If that was the case I'd probably throw in my towel too... I'm ready for a change of pace... wish I was independently wealthy. I wouldn't go out west. I wouldn't go very far. Northern NY, Northwestern VT, Southern Quebec would be great for me. I like my lakes - I don't want to go too far from them. Where I am is not bad. I can still eat Inidan food if I want, or Lebanese, or Asian... and the mountains are 3 hours away.
Our skiing is not like yours - but I like it. Would be nice if we have more consistent snow near home as I've noticed more and more places to ski locally... but it's just not as fun... I can't stretch my legs like I can in mountains. I like land... vast amounts. I like to cover mileage. I like to roam... shit... sounds like should go out west... but I just like the way things are here. I like the smells, the trees, the animals... I like oxygen (a plus below 5000')...
Re: Maybe I'll invest in a mountain bike again
about those short loops of trails that go nowhere, remember they are likely meant to be dual use, and little plastic skinny ski mites need loops of about a mile to circle on. My local ski area is been arranging to change their permit to allow more dual season use of the lifts, and yes, its motorized, but it provides a recreation thats controlled and concentrates use, so my trails remain more empty. All good stuff, get helo evac for the idiots who spear themselves into trees. Could be me someday.
The northshore kind of riding hasn't caught on here much, they have some stuff built here and there, but I never really see any advertisments or anything. They got a dirt park off in Eagle, I sorta want to go see, but it hasn't ever happened yet. I've seen a small one in Kuna... not my thing, but the kids are huge into it all over , there are leagues. Yet I don't see a lot of kids overrunning the trails...
You guys gotta understand, I get off when things become too hairy, I don't get air much (inches) and a drop is about 4 feet max. If I don't see it coming. I wear armor some, because I am Clumsy and fall into the dirt and water a lot. I got thin old guy skin, and a thousand bushes scvratching at my arms and legs every hour gets me kinda cut up, and every allergen in Idaho gets pumped into my bloodstream, so I wear hard shell on arm and legs. If I dump going down in loose garbage I dont blow out the front skin on my shins anymore. My heavy pack provides my preferred landing zone. Ordinary helmut, not the darth vader, no turtleshell, gloves not gauntlets. No ad emblazoned lycra ever. Long pants and shirts with sleeves, we got a lot of ticks, and this year is gonna be unusual bad. Just what I need to keep me out of the emergency room and protect my investment into the next decade. Nice soft rides for old men. Cush. Soft saddles that you are expected to actually put weight and wear on. ((GuysTip--Tip them things down in the front whay more than the shop says, you don't want to end up like Lance Armstrong and strangle something. People are using WhaY stupid cheap ass race saddles as trailgear.))
I understand about the smells, they are likely much stronger in the east, more water in the air. And it;s been insane how much water went AROUND this state this year, ending up dumping places that didn't even want it. I got 1 good rain yesterday, first this year, really. Skipped April all together. I am getting 1/3 my water ration for irrigation this year.
Only thing I can smell anymore are skunks, catshit and my wifes gas late at night.
The northshore kind of riding hasn't caught on here much, they have some stuff built here and there, but I never really see any advertisments or anything. They got a dirt park off in Eagle, I sorta want to go see, but it hasn't ever happened yet. I've seen a small one in Kuna... not my thing, but the kids are huge into it all over , there are leagues. Yet I don't see a lot of kids overrunning the trails...
You guys gotta understand, I get off when things become too hairy, I don't get air much (inches) and a drop is about 4 feet max. If I don't see it coming. I wear armor some, because I am Clumsy and fall into the dirt and water a lot. I got thin old guy skin, and a thousand bushes scvratching at my arms and legs every hour gets me kinda cut up, and every allergen in Idaho gets pumped into my bloodstream, so I wear hard shell on arm and legs. If I dump going down in loose garbage I dont blow out the front skin on my shins anymore. My heavy pack provides my preferred landing zone. Ordinary helmut, not the darth vader, no turtleshell, gloves not gauntlets. No ad emblazoned lycra ever. Long pants and shirts with sleeves, we got a lot of ticks, and this year is gonna be unusual bad. Just what I need to keep me out of the emergency room and protect my investment into the next decade. Nice soft rides for old men. Cush. Soft saddles that you are expected to actually put weight and wear on. ((GuysTip--Tip them things down in the front whay more than the shop says, you don't want to end up like Lance Armstrong and strangle something. People are using WhaY stupid cheap ass race saddles as trailgear.))
I understand about the smells, they are likely much stronger in the east, more water in the air. And it;s been insane how much water went AROUND this state this year, ending up dumping places that didn't even want it. I got 1 good rain yesterday, first this year, really. Skipped April all together. I am getting 1/3 my water ration for irrigation this year.
Only thing I can smell anymore are skunks, catshit and my wifes gas late at night.
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MikeK
Re: Maybe I'll invest in a mountain bike again
I like to ski on little skinny skis - but they are good for more than just 1 mile loops. Plus, the centers I pointed out were in fact Nordic trails before they were MTB trails. Some of those places are really fun, on skis or bike, but it's not like they need to build more of them, and certainly not on state Forest Preserve land with taxpayer money. Private and town land - fine... do what you want. If people like it, they will come and it will help your economy. If not at least the locals have something to do. Spending money doing the same thing that already exists on land that is scrutinized and governed by the entire state is just ridiculous. I'm probably leaving out way too many details on the rigors of how our Parks (and particularly Forest Preserve lands) are managed... but it's really ugly... and it's been that way since its inception in 1892. One guy wants to keep it wild, the next wants to log it, mine it and build a casino... I'm all for keeping them wild, but at the same time letting people enjoy low-impact recreation (I don't mean impact to your body, I mean to the land).
And yeah I'm not really into desert. High desert. Bleh. But it's been dry here too. I can't remember the last day it rained - everything is catching fire... it's probably going to be a drought this summer... who knows? It's fuckin' 90°F today and it's only May - I hope this isn't a sign of what to expect over the rest of this year. I'll be paddling my boat on rocks and sand. At least maybe it will kill the insects. They need water to breed... but I hear the black flies are coming out already. Heading out next weekend... we'll see... I'm bringing my bug shirt... those bastards HURT when they bite, and they swarm like crazy. Good thing they only live for like 3 weeks on average.
And yeah I'm not really into desert. High desert. Bleh. But it's been dry here too. I can't remember the last day it rained - everything is catching fire... it's probably going to be a drought this summer... who knows? It's fuckin' 90°F today and it's only May - I hope this isn't a sign of what to expect over the rest of this year. I'll be paddling my boat on rocks and sand. At least maybe it will kill the insects. They need water to breed... but I hear the black flies are coming out already. Heading out next weekend... we'll see... I'm bringing my bug shirt... those bastards HURT when they bite, and they swarm like crazy. Good thing they only live for like 3 weeks on average.