The AVP Tour Visits Santa Barbara

Friend of the MTC Jeff Minc hit the beach again with partner Ben Koski to play in the AVP Tour at West Beach. They were matched up against gold medalists Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rodges and made the champs sweat till the end but ended up losing 21-17, 21-11.

See more photos from the match

Rattlesnake-Tunnel Connector Trail Project Status....Incomplete!

Dear Trail Users,

Trail maintenance is tough work, there is no way around it. Since the fires there has been an enormous amount of trail work to get our trails open again. Our feeling is that the trails here in Santa Barbara should be more than just passable at best, as several of them are now. Our hope is that we can help our trails back to the level they deserve to be and beyond then help keep them this way for years to come. With only one other organization (SBMTV) actively performing trail maintenance along with the agencies, the burden is huge.

We appreciate all that have supported our efforts and have attended trail maintenance projects over the last year. Yesterdays event scheduled for the connector trail had a turnout of three volunteers and it was decided that rather than try and work the connector with this small group we should focus on problem areas along the main Rattlesnake Canyon Trail. We accomplished a ton of work up to the meadow but were unable to reach the connector leaving it overgrown and washed out in many areas.

We are more than happy to continue the "Happy Hour" idea either once or twice a month but attendance has been dropping and we feel that for now going on hiatus until we find people or groups wanting to get involved is the best solution. Please contact us if you are interested in participating in trail "work"outs and we will schedule around people's availability. There is plenty more work to be done on Tunnel, Jesusita, and Rattlesnake.


SEE PHOTOS FROM TUESDAY'S HAPPY HOUR

Happy Hour Coming To The Connector Trail

Jesusita Fire Trail Repair Project # 3 for 2010!
Join Dave from the Multiuse Trails Coalition for this 3rd "Happy Hour" trail restoration project of the year. This project will focus on the Rattlesnake-Tunnel Connector Trail which lost all of its
vegetation in the fire and now has more than the usual amount of erosion from recent rains.
Somebody has got to get out there and bring the trails back to life, why not you? No other
projects are scheduled for this trail so we will be the only volunteers fixing this trail any time
soon.

If you plan on coming, remember to bring: long pants, long sleeve shirt, (bike) helmet,
sturdy boots or shoes, gloves, lots of water, and sunscreen. All tools and training will be provided
to you, meet at the Rattlesnake Canyon Trail Head.

Photos of some of what we will be repairing

More details...



More Info: multiusetc@gmail.com

Little Pine Was All Mine

Thanks to the gate at Los Prietos being closed, the Buckhorn Rd was free of all ATV traffic. The rainstorm earlier this week caused the SY River to flow just over a foot in depth at the crossing. This is enough so that the gate closes until the water recedes a bit, but not enough that one could walk across or bike across. The Buckhorn Rd is hard packed and fast and the Santa Cruz Trail which recently had some work done is in really great shape. Unfortunately most of the flower action has already past it's prime and the color of the grass is already starting to turn brown. -D

Camuesa Connector

Gopher Snake

Mustard Blooming

Upper Buckhorn

Little Pine Mtn

Last Of The Lupine

Poppies Along The 40 Mile Wall

West Fork of Cold Spring Trail Comes Back To Life- California State Trails Day, 4/10/10

Prior to April 10th to describe West Fork of Cold Spring Trail in one word, "bad" summed it up pretty well. Unsafe, dangerous, and substandard are other good adjectives that could have been used to describe trail conditions prior to April 10th, 2010.

The West Fork escaped any major damage during the Tea Fire in '08 but the Jesusita Fire last year burnt the trail from just beyond the Tangerine Falls cutoff all the way up to Gibraltar Road. The burn area also included all water sheds leading into the West Fork drainage giving it the potential to have massive water flow during the rainy season. Those heavy rainfalls came and during January this year the West Fork sustained heavy damage.

California State Trails Day was an event celebrated locally by the City, County, and USFS with assistance from ourselves, SBMTV, and the Trails Council. In years past events like state trails day, work efforts focused on cutting back brush, opening water bars, and repairing minor tread damage. Since the fires scarred the hillsides surrounding the trails, trail events have taken on a more urgent cause. Repairing washouts, severe rutting, and hillsides that slid over the trails are all standard problems we now face and will face until the hillsides grow back.

If it wasn't for the 30 or so volunteers that came out to help with this event the work could not have been completed- thank you to all that helped out. A special thanks goes out to the Santa Barbara Chicken Ranch for donating the best tri tip and chicken in town to feed all the hungry workers. The trails are going to need your help for a long long time so stay involved! Don't forget about the next "Happy Hour" on Tuesday April 27th to repair Rattlesnake-Tunnel Connector Trail. - Dave

Staging Area-West Fork Cold Spring Trail On Gibraltar Road

Hiking into Cold Spring Canyon Storm Damaged Water Crossing in January

Same Crossing- Better Conditions

High Creekflow Washed Out This Section Of Trail

The Newly Built Support Wall Passes The 700 Pound Test-
From Left- Jim, Corey, Mondo, Dave

Kerry Kellogg From The USFS Leads Repairs On A Deep Crossing

One Of The Bad Washouts In January 2010

After

Volunteers Busy At Work

Santa Barbara Chicken Ranch Saves The Day!

More Pictures From California State Trails Day

Specialized Speedzone Computer Found on West Fork

This fall off your bike? We have it, so email us.

Figueroa Mountain Wildflowers 2010- Early Bloom

It is not quite peak bloom yet at Figueroa Mountain but the flowers are really starting to come out. Me and the GF spent last Easter Sunday at Figueroa Mtn. hiking in the cold temps and overcast skies. Here are a few snaps of the lupine and poppies from Sunday 4/4/10. -D

State Trail Day Is April 10th!

Volunteers Needed For The Santa Ynez Valley Classic

Hello Local Mountain Bike Riders,

This weekend Friday - Sunday we will be doing trail work out on the race courses being used for the 10th Santa Ynez Valley Classic, in Los Olivos and we could really use any help with that. Also, if you have a motocross moto you are welcome to come ride the XC course Friday and Saturday. Hours for both trail work and motoing is 9-4. The race is right around the corner. Directions here http://www.ridesb.com/directions.htm

I also write you to ask for your help on race weekend. As most of you know I have organized the areas largest competitive mountain bike race for the past 10 years. The SYV Classic takes place in 10 days and starts on Friday April 9th and runs through Sunday the 11th. This event is part of 3 different race series and has both Cross Country and Gravity events. Two different National series (the USAC MTB National XC & DH Calendars, the Kenda Cup West) and the CA State Championship Series.

This is not a small time event. We need local cyclists and cycling fans to step up and volunteer on race weekend. Here is the schedule http://www.uscup.net/up/file/pdf/10_kenda_cup_santa_ynez_schedule.pdf.

PLEASE LOOK AT THE SCHEDULE AND PICK AT LEAST ONE 5 HOUR WINDOW TO HELP. You will be fed and entered into a volunteer prize raffle. I'd also suggest that ALL of you race it too! Even if you race there is plenty of opportunities to help out. If you race and volunteer for 5 hours on race weekend, I will comp your entry fee. (No, you can't volunteer and have someone else receive a free entry.) If you want race you can enter here https://www.sportsbaseonline.com/events/index.xhtml?categoryId=19800

I don't ask you guys, the local mountain biker for much anymore, this time I am asking you to help me pull this event off. I am stressed beyond belief, and I need help.

I look forward to hear from all 50 club members as soon as possible. Just think how easy it will be if everyone steps up and helps!

Thanks for your continued support of the Santa Ynez Valley Classic (Formally known as Firestone Classic)

Enjoy the ride,

Mike Hecker

Tunnel Trail Happy Hour Re-Cap

A small but dedicated crew hit the trails this past Tuesday to prepare Tunnel/Jesusita Trails for the big opening today. Tunnel Trail was the focus of this trail work as it suffered the most damage from the rains following the Jesusita Fire. The area most damaged was just below Rattlesnake Connector where washouts edged up to sheer drop offs. Thanks to Chase, Joani, Matt, and Cinder that area has become safe again but due to the size of the group and amount of work many problem areas still exist and will be the focus of future trail work. - Dave

The crew heading up Tunnel Trail
One of the few problems on Jesusita trail
Problem solved

Matt at work

Tunnel washout before

Tunnel washout after Joani and Chase did work

The large rockfall section

Now, just like the rockfall never happened