Elings Park Trail Prep

This past Wednesday, 4/29 Ed Brown set up the first Elings Park Trail Maintenance for the Bike Fest this June. About 10 people showed including members of the Multiuse Trails Coalition, SBMTV, SB Chicken Ranch, one hiker, and several other local cyclists. We worked on the section of trail typically overgrown by mustard and helped get the trail back into it's original condition. Hope our work helps all you riders out there enjoy Elings Trails and mark your calendar for 5/30 when another Elings Maintenance will take place.

Our Crew

A Narrow, Sloughed, Overgrown Section
Same Section Restored To It's Original Condition

You Gotta Love Little Pine In April

I had to head up to LP this past Sunday after hearing that a trail crew had come through and fixed the Santa Cruz Trail. I was happy to find that the information was correct and the crib walls as well as other parts of the trail had been recently worked on and are looking great. If I had to guess, it's probably the best condition I have seen the trail for many years. Sure still some overgrowth but totally rideable top to bottom.

The other really good reasons to head to LP are the flowers are blowing up on top and the heat is only gonna get hotter. Buckhorn Rd was in good condition and hard packed most of the way. The gate a Camuesa Rd was still closed, making the road up to Happy Hollow very hard packed and nice. Only 3 other cyclists on the road this day but they turned around before reaching the saddle-maybe cause it was 95 degrees?

As for the flora, as soon as you can see the peak you can tell there is a yellow color up there. Around the back of LP were once charred hills now looking yellow and orange. Some say that fire helps bring out extra large blooms and from what I can remember there are flowers on the hillsides I never saw before the Zaca Fire.

By the time I reached the Happy Hollow turnoff you could smell the scent of flowers blowing over the still blackened hillside. It reminded me of the time I spilled a whole bottle of Febreeze and made my apartment smell really nice. At the summit of LP is a field of fiddlenecks, lupine, and other flowers all in bloom- but starting to brown. This area at the summit burned during the Zaca but is starting to show some signs of life. Further down the Santa Cruz Trail to the mustard meadow, there is no mustard in sight. Actually one of the first times I can remember riding my bike this time of year through the meadow without having to stop. This meadow burned also and is mostly grass now but several patches of lupine and poppies.

All in all a good ride and if you have time in the next week or so get out there before its all gone. Following this ride I spent the afternoon at the Earth Day Festival helping my friends at Bicicentro park all the bikes that people rode to the event. I think something like 500 bikes were parked all day! Good job to Ed France and the rest of the Bici crew for getting it done.

Dave

Little Pine

Buckhorn Road Poppies Beyond Little Pine

Little Pine Summit

Little Pine

7 Mile Wall Poppies and Santa Cruz Trail to Santa Cruz Camp

Mustard Meadow Now More Like Lupine&Poppy Meadow

Figueroa Mountain Wildflower Bloom 'N Hike

The GF and I decided to head out to Figueroa Mtn. Easter Sunday to see the wildflowers and get a hike in before it all dried up. We drove up to the S.W. edge of the mountain where a small trail follows the ridge. The trail is unofficial but does eventually take you all the way up to the summit in a little over a mile distance and about 1200' gain. Along the way are great fields that are mostly poppies but some lupine as well. A few other people were out with the same idea but nobody else took the ridge trail to the summit with us. If you haven't ever made it out there to see the flowers before you best do so quickly because it will be all dried up in a couple more weeks.

Dave

Our Route in Red

S.W. Slope of Figueroa Mtn
The Slope Up Close

Downslope

Up Closer

Santa Ynez Mountains in the Distance

Figueroa Mtn Locals

Sunset

Santa Ynez Valley Mtn Bike Classic Needs You!

HI everyone!
It's time for the 9th Annual Santa Ynez Valley Mountain Bike Classic, April 23-25. We need your help to make this race a success. Most of you have been a tremendous help in the previous years and we hope you enjoyed contributing to this ever growing event. This year I plan to improve the volunteer raffle so that you get to draw for a prize immediately following your shift. Anyone who won a raffle prize last year but did not receive your prize can follow up with me at the race and I'll take care of it.
Please respond to me and let me know what day and times you can help and your preferred responsibility. We need help Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Course marshalls, registration, parking, timing, water stations, set-up, tear-down and more. Volunteering at the water stations during the cross country race has been fun for high school kids in the past and it's a great way for them to earn volunteer hours for their school programs. And it is vital to the racers when the conditions are so hot and dry. We also need EMTS for Saturday and Sunday. Free parking, free camping, free lunch and raffle ticket for all volunteers!
Pass this message along to your teams, clubs, friends and family. Participate and take pride in our 9th Annual Santa Ynez Valley Mountain Bike Classic.

http://www.ridesb.com/
http://www.mtb-uscup.com/index.php?schedule
Cheers!
Kim Lyons kimlyons@myway.com
805-252-8217

Tom Curren and Redswitch Rock For Green Schools!

I had to put this post up for my friends in the band Redswitch who rocked out at a great show last night with legendary surfer Tom Curren at a Green Classrooms fundraiser. A couple of hundred people showed for this event held in the patio of what used to be NU restaurant at 1129 State St. The event included a silent auction, a non-silent auction, free food and drink, and of course the music. Tom Curren's band was unable to make it so Redswitch played as the opening act, the back up band for Tom, and rocked out afterwords also. Let's not forget about the cause, teaching people in Mexico about sustainable building techniques and helping to build the first "green" school in Mexico.

Dave

Tom Curren and Redswitch

Da Crowd
Redswitch