Nebraska Life mag visits for the day !!

We recently had the pleasure of spending the day with Chris Amundson editor and publisher of the magazine Nebraska Life. Chris brought along Dan Spray who is an avid MTB racer/rider to check out Potter's Pasture and do a ton of photo's for a future article in the mag. It was kinda nice to hook up with these guy's who happen to be from my hometown of Norfolk Ne. !! I will hopefully be riding with Dan on the trails they have built when I go back to visit family!! Chris has extended an offer for new subscriptions that are done either on line or via phone !! Just mention “Potter’s Pasture—Free Calendar with subscription” in the order form comment box at www.NebraskaLife.com. Or, you can call them and order directly 800-777-6159 .

The climb out of "New Camp" CQ & Dan Spray
Jeff Caldwell droppin' in on Nugget
Dan Spray enjoying what Potter's has to offer
CQ on Ceder Ridge above "Old Camp"
The man himself Steve Potter !!!!!

Photo DUMP !!!!

I really didn't have a direction to go with the blog at the moment and just thought a few pictures to look at would be cool. Enjoy the pixels and maybe there will be a REAL post in the near future about some new techy trail layouts that haven't surfaced yet !! Get your dirt on before too much of the white stuff piles up my friends !!!

                                                          CQ

                                   

Kyle Vincent rollin' up Trail Ridge

Matt Bergan  

He's awful cute !! Just don't pet him. 

CQ droppin in !!

Lane Bergan heading into the canyon.

CQ chasing Lane Bergan down .

Memorial Weekend

The holiday weekend held true to form as the weather goes. Misty with passing sprinkle and a t-boomer thrown in for good measure. The light show on Saturday night was awesome!!! I was pretty surprised at the folks that showed up even with the weather issues. I believe we ended up with fifteen riders and around 20 or total. We had some very nice entertainment courtesy of Paul Siebert who played a huge array of music that was enjoyed by all !! A huge Thank You to Paul for the free performance. The moisture just enough to make the dirt sticky and a little slimy in a few spots. Over all it was a great time with some new folks and the usual suspects also !! We also discovered a group from Lincoln in old camp. Here are some pics !!
CQ

April Showers

Went to Potter's today to see how the trails held up to the snow and rain we had. I knew it would be a crap shoot at best to even find a decent route. I hit the new Reaper's Ridge climb and some fun in tree's!! It turned out to be a tad bit muddy with snow in areas still. I did a loop around the perimeter that had around 10 miles of some of my favorites. I ended up cranking out two loops for a total of 17 miles. I ended up riding in complete solitude!! It is a totally different experience all alone, but I like it sometimes!! The weather closed in and it started to rain as I was leaving.

CQ





Coming down crack-a-lak was interesting in the snow.


The roots on Reaper's Ridge were fun to say the least!!!!


A nice pic at the top of Pump Hill.

Spring Gathering

It is that time of year again!! Time to get outside, enjoy the trails and have a little campfire time in the evening with some friends. The date for the get together is May 5th - 8th. It was hard to get a date that functioned well for anyone this year. Hope this works for more than a few of the MTB crowd out there. If you have a Mother that rides this could work out well for you!! You could go to your local shop and pick up some Mothers Day goodies and give them to her at the trails!! Potters is in very good shape this spring so come join in the fun!! The location will be at "Festival Camp" . It is located at the southern entrance to the trails and can be found on the trail map you can download and print.
CQ

Breaking in a new ride

I received a call from T Laub that his friend TJ had pulled the trigger on a new ride!! They were heading to Potter's to get a quick break-in ride for TJ's new Rock Hopper. Heck he didn't even let the smell of the shop clear before they picked me up. We did a nice loop to get him familiarized with a few key routes and landmarks. It was a very nice 84 F while we were riding. I was not prepared for what the trails had in store for my legs at all. I was on the SS and it didn't dawn on me till the first climb that I was running a 32x17 which was a bit steep for me at Potter's!! On the way back to "Old Camp" heard T Laub talkin' up the Big Hill descent into camp. Well I cut off onto the single track down and they bombed the two track . I watched as TJ made it and stopped to watch T Laub launch off the nice jump at the bottom. He landed the first one and then dropped into the road cut near the windmill . Not such a good landing here !! Lots of dust and debris flying everywhere!!! He was in one piece and had some very nice raspberries to show off. We discovered that blood had been let so all in all it was a great day at the pasture !!
CQ

TJ all smiles after a great ride !!
T Laub all smiles cause nothing was broke !!!

Trail Work

I headed out to Potter's to get in some trail work on the extension to Reaper's Ridge with T Laub aka "Jack Cleveland" last Saturday. We made a huge dent in the second phase. I have crawled and bushwacked around this canyon for a long time and the trail that I knew could be laid out will soon be a reality. There will be two lines at the original entrance, one is the original with the drop and roots, and the other will be a line that will allow more people to access this awesome trail. Here are a couple pics of the progress.
CQ

Time to Ride

I know there haven't been a ton of updates here lately !! Heck not one all winter!! I have a sneeky suspicion that is gonna be changing. I have been hitting some sweet rides elsewhere in the canyons on some very sweet gravel since Potters tends to stay a little mushy longer. Here is a pic from one of the rides , it ain't Potters but it is still what it's all about !!

The Bozeman Connection

Tuesday May 18th started off like every other Tuesday , up at 5 and off to the office to irradiated by the computer screen for eight hours. I was well into the morning when I spoke with Llama only to find out he was not able to hit the TNR at the "South 40 " location . Bob "The Man " was also out . While toiling away I decided a look at MTBR was in order. Maybe that would spark some renewed passion in me. I cruised a couple of boards and then noticed I had a private message !!! Sweet !! It was from a contact I had made that was from Bozeman MT. and they were going to camp and do a layover ride at Potters on the return trip home. I suppose my TNR conundrum is now solved . Now if you've ever been to Potters you know cell phones only function in the "phone booth" so after several missed calls I received a text that they were at Potters. I shut down and hit the road for the thirty mile commute home to load up for the twenty mile drive to the trail head at old camp. The Bozeman crew had went out for a quick ride before I arrived so I took off to find them. I had a darn near full loop in when I ran into Paul B and Jeff. We headed back to camp to regroup . Tyson and Matt were back from the adventure they had on a few of the not so well traveled trails they found. We chatted awhile and the hit the real goods that Potters has to offer . The loop took us on the classic route that includes Church Grove,Upper Hornitos, 6 Man climb " Lower Hornitos , The Desert , and Ceder Ridge. Paul B and his crew bailed when we arrived back at camp. The Bozeman crew and I chatted it up and had some beer that they brought with them . I had a decision to make on the way out between BEER or good FIREWOOD as an offering to the visitors. I chose firewood because it was suppose to cool off and we were between rains . I had a great time riding with you guys and hope to see you again . Maybe next time in Big Sky Country !!!
CQ in exile

Winter is not the off season at Potters

Winter in most areas is often considered down time or the "off season". I and a few other riders in the area don't believe that there should be an "off season". As the days get shorter it is time to start rooting through the backs of closets for the "off season" layers of gear that were long forgotten on the first warm day last spring. It is somewhat of a conundrum as to which bike to hit the trails at Potters with this time of year. Do you take the single, gears , or in the case of Llama is it deep enough for the Pugs ? We have been in snow,ice and wind and have even had to hide in a calm sunny portion of canyon just to warm in the winter sun so we could continue on the "frozen toes tour", anticipating the homemade hot chocolate Llama had waiting back in camp. Sometimes its hard to even go because you just know its cold!! But at the end of the day while you let the hot shower warm your bones you realize it was a great day as are all days on the trails !!
Ready to roll !!!!

Llama on Ceder Ridge
The Pugs !!!!
Q rollin on Brians Way
Q on Ceder Ridge

Fall Camp Out

The annual fall camp out is in the books.  A lot of folks riding in the damp haze through out Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.  It's always nice to enjoy the riding with like-minded folks.  Most of the old crew was there and rode their brains out over the weekend.  Many people came and went through the day, but we kept the fire going and the hot cocoa steaming.  Here are a few pics I pulled from the camera.  Sorry I didn't take more pictures, but the riding was just too good to fuss with the camera that much.  Stay posted for a hint at next year's festivities . . . big changes in the works.

Potters Pasture - Cows as Trail Builders

Potter's pasture teaches a rider many things, one of which is that Cows are crazy trail builders. When they decide upon a route, they stick to it regardless of how illogical.  They typically take the shortest distance between watering holes or open pasture. Which is usually straight up or down an impossibly steep hill.  Trails that have been guided by human builders are easy to spot, they follow the contour of the land, make use of natural features, and are erosion resistant.

I've been riding Potter's Pasture for about three years. Every time I arrive at the top of the first climb, I'm simply in awe of the wide open space and the sheer magnitude of trail options.  

When I first moved to the area, I heard rumors about crazy mountain-starved bikers riding cow trails to get their fix.  I asked around and learned nothing.  I began using a snow bike to ride the sandy canal near my home for lack of a better option.  An unlikely post on a MTB forum let to a contact with someone that had been riding the trails for quite a while.  A few phone calls and emails later, I was on my way to learning more about cows and their trail building tendencies.

Here's the thing about Potter's;  These trails are narrow, rutted, rooty, wide open, surprisingly tight, and anything else you can imagine.  They are raw and constantly changing.  The elements contribute, but the cows walk where they choose.  This place is pure MTB heaven.  Don't expect manicured race trails, be prepared for trails that will test your equipment and ability to steer precisely.  Thousands of acres of pure MTB bliss just a handful miles away from I-80, hidden in the center of Nebraska.  If you think Nebraska is flat, this place will change your perspective.