Secret Stash

We headed out the the "Secret Stash", another area much closer to town with limited access. It's not nearly as great as Potter's, but it's a lot closer for an evening ride. Bob lead the way with CQ and myself close behind.Bob is truly the tamer of wild beasts. I've seen him crawl on all fours and infiltrate a herd of cattle, carry on a conversation with a flock of turkeys . . .

. . . and almost father wild porcupine offspring.

At the end of the day, no animals or Bobs were injured and the sun set on a great Tuesday in the Secret Stash.

Trails are Dry Again

The skies cleared and the sun did its thing at the pasture on Sunday afternoon.
Larry and Paul took a couple of days and re-opened a few old favorite trails with the use of some new features.

The new bridges on Horse Shoe Canyon and on Two Dogs open these trails back up. I had forgotten what a blast Two Dogs can be.

A Break in the Weather

With a momentary break in the weather, CQ and I hit some extra-wide single track.

Since Potter's was most likely sopping wet from the 2 inches of rain in the last day, we were forced to do the "Dirty-Roadie" thing to get some base miles. The gravel was compacted and rolled pretty well and the views got better as we got further into the canyons.
At the top of the climb for the day, the weather instantly changed. The temperature dropped 10˚ and the wind started blasting out of the north west. Rain clouds were ahead and we were planning to get wet.
We got a surprise bail out from Bob THE Man who pulled up in his little truck with reports of torrential rain and hail just down the road. I didn't get a picture since there was no room to pull out the camera; Imagine three adult-size guys and one springer spaniel inside a regular cab ford ranger.

Spring Camp Out - Postponed

The forecasted multiple days of heavy rain for this weekend has convinced the organizers from North Platte that the spring camp out should be postponed. A new date has yet to be determined.
Yes, the forecast looks grim for camping and riding, but if for some unlikely reason it's only slightly damp instead of a load up the ark style down pour, lets ride anyway.

The weekend of the 25th & 26th is shaping out to be perfect if the long term forecast holds up. I know that some riders will be at the triathlon, but I'll be pitching the old tent and camping anyway. It may be dangerous for me to drink all this beer by myself, so I hope some other folks feel like showing up too.

Spring Camp Out - April 17th-19th

It's time again for the annual Potter's Pasture Spring Camp Out.

The ruts are deep as usual, but the riding will be awesome.

Bring your "good" bike.

In case of unforeseen mechanical issue . . .

. . . bring a backup bike (single speeds encouraged).

No back up bike? There are always plenty of helping hands . . .

. . . to get you back on the trail.

Enjoy good food at the Saturday evening potluck.

Remember the good beer.

If you're lucky, you may even get to ride with Potter himself.

All ages welcome.

April Snow

It was over month ago that winter had lost its grip on central Nebraska. Since that time, we've experienced two April snow storms. The Pasture is a bit muddy in spots and some snow remains. The ground has that "spongy" feeling that sucks the energy from your tires. Even with the less than perfect conditions, many were out on the trails today.

Tiffany came along for the ride. This was the maiden voyage on her new Soul Cycles Dillinger, a 100mm forked, geared 29er hardtail.

She loved it! It was much more controllable and a better climber than the Pugsley.

Other folks were out despite the cool, windy, and wet conditions. Mike and his crew from Kearney, Luke (I think that's right, I'm awful with names) from Gothenburg, and Mitch (now linked in the sidebar) from the front range. There may have been more people out as well. With newer folks out riding Potter's, it enhances the need to get the signage figured out. Sorry the signage is in a state of disarray, folks. It's difficult to keep signs in good order when the cows are so destructive. We've got a few ideas, we just need to pick one and run with it.