Paul Hates Grass

Paul had a mechanical with the mower yesterday, but I learned this morning that he got if fixed in typical MacGyver/Paul fashion and kept mowing until 10:00 last night. That's right, he mowed until 10:00. Keep that one in your mind when you think it takes too much work to trim the cedar that just smacked your face when you're bombing down a trail. Paul either loves mowing or has some sort of unresolved personal issues with vegetation. The dude is a mowing animal!

Paul says that most of the open areas are rideable and ready for your holiday weekend. We all owe Paul for his attack on grass. Now it's our turn to finish the job and tidy up what's left.

Paul's trusty mowing steed.

Mowing off into the sunset . . . seriously.

Progress

Paul has been on the move with the trail work. He found the mower, arranged the purchase, got to work, broke the mower, and shelled out more cash to fix it. The good news is that we will soon have our trails back. The bad news is that we still have a lot of hand work to do.

If you ride Potter's, think about donating a few bucks to finish paying for the mower. Paul has paid more than his fair share.

If you don't swing the pulaski out there, you should be overwhelmed with guilt and chip in. If you have never held a mcleod, think about coming out and seeing one in person (you can even use one of mine). If you want to know what a "fall line" is and why we've been rerouting some old trails, come on over. If you like beer, help with some water bars and we'll share.

The new rig ready for work.

Reclaiming "Pump Hill"

P.S. If you said to yourself; "What's a mcleod?", or "Pulaski who?". Slap yourself with a tapered head tube (I guess the cool kids are in to it) and get to Googling.

Ante Up and Kick In

It's time for pasture riders to come together to help make Potter's rideable again. Currently the grass and trees have grown to a degree that riding is almost impossible. If we can get a number folks together, I'll rent the brush hog and help out as well. Over the past year, there have been only a few who have helped with the mowing, trimming, and dirt work. With all the rain (and subsequent vegetative growth), it's just too much for the few of us to tackle with hope of success.

Post a reply in the comments section with your availability if you are able to help out. If there are no takers, then I'll be heading for Wyoming this weekend to get a helping of singletrack.

The pictures below were taken before another 4+ inches of rain fell on the area.

"Camp Trail" . . . good luck finding this one.

The first climb on "Rip Off" is dangerously green.

The entrance to "Brian's Way"

The CQ/Llama secondary fire pit at new camp.

This is what some trails should look like if we get it mowed soon.

For now, the wildlife have their run of the place.

Green Alert

Summer is taking hold of the pasture and a few friendly reminders are necessary.

Start looking at your calendars, because we're going to need to get a group together to mow some of the taller grass and trim back the cedar growth (Church Grove is getting dangerous).

The cows are in. This means that closing gates behind you is critical. Additionally, cows are docile animals, but are very large and powerful. If spooked, they can be dangerous. When approaching the herd, slow down, talk to them in calm voice, and try to pass on the outskirts of the group. Never go barreling at full speed through the center of a mass of cows, they will freak out and endanger themselves and you.

With cows comes dung, so keep your mouth closed, wipe off your water bottles, and call out the "freshies" so your buddies behind you can take appropriate action.

The snakes are out in full force. We've seen far more in the past month that all of last season.

Many snakes are harmless, but beware, the rattlers are out. Be careful in the tall grass, keep the tires rolling, and use the buddy system. You don't want to be alone if you get bit by one of these nasties. Even if you have a cell phone, the valleys offer no reception.

I have more video to edit that includes a cool run down Hornitos, and an old post from "CQ in Electronic Exile" that needs to get done, but for now, the trails are calling.