This is a recent email sent out by the Central Colorado Mountain Riders (CCMR) club – their Spring update to their members. CCMR is responsible for the great riding on the Monarch Crest Trail! – TPA
Hello CCMR!
It’s been a while since the last update but now that the weather is a bit nicer and some snow is melting I know riding is on most of our minds. Hopefully some you have had a chance to get out and enjoy some laps around Big Bend or a cruise down the re-opened river road between Wellsville and Howard. It’s getting closer but with most North facing slopes at low elevation still holding snow, you will likely find some should you venture too far out of the valley floor. If your itching to go riding the Western Slope, Montrose, Delta, Grand Junction are all good to go.
On to CCMR business! The CCMR team has been meeting regularly planning for the 2020 riding season. Since our last membership meeting, we have been working on extremely exciting things such as BOD insurance and various other insurance requirements needed to be awarded the grant for Chinamans Gulch ST! Also the ongoing process of our organizing CCMR documents and paperwork. Boring- yes but all part of it. Probably the most exciting thing we worked on over the dark days of winter was getting CCMR Hats!! You will all need one to go with your T-shirts this season. And in other CCMR business.
Trail Cents – As many of you may or may not know Arlie Dales’ Jug Liquors, “The Jug,” collects a voluntary 1% donation on all sales which is split and distributed as .5% to Salida Mountain Trails and .5% to CCMR. March will mark the end of the first year of this program. Collections for the first 11 months totaled $3,291.52 for each organization!!
CCMR Spring Membership Drive – Saturday, May, 2nd 2020 5:30 PM at the Salida Golf Clubhouse. This is always our biggest event of the year with big prizes, auction items, etc. This year will be no different and we will most likely have some of the grandest prizes yet! Stay tuned for details but put it on your calendar now!!!
Chinaman Gulch ST & Grant – All our ducks are in a row to be funded. Once the snow clears stay tuned for some last-minute trail workdays on this BRAND NEW single track! With any luck, we will be riding this bad boy in the late summer/fall of 2020.
Work Days
- 3rd Thursdays will begin April 16th with a re-installation of the Multi-use sign panel at FR 110 and the Rainbow Trail East Bound that was lost in the Decker Fire
- Chinaman Gulch- TBD but we will be hitting this hard this year
- Headwaters Hill- Early August. Located just west of Silver Creek on the CT/CDT this section is CCMR’s adopted section through the Colorado Trail Foundation. We will be stockpiling material for the CTF crew that will be doing the trail work late August.
- Of coarse ongoing trail patrols of all our adopted sections.
- And possibly a collaboration with SMT on the Rainbow Trail between 110 and Sands Gulch TBA.
Other Updates
- Texas Creek ST. The final orientation is very close. Once the snow is clear a small section will be finalized and then sent to the BLM for final approval. CCMR will then seek OHV Grant money for trail construction most likely in 2022.
- Rainbow Trail Hayden burn area. This July marks 4 years since the fire. Major re-routing, multiple agency, and private landowners coming to agreement on details is our current hold-up. Once a plan everyone can live with is agreed upon CCMR will pursue grant money for the re-route.
- Kevin and Michelle Busch are at it again! Headed to their 5th Mexican 1000 this April! Check out this article from advpulse.com and wish them luck! https://www.advpulse.com/adv-news/this-couple-racing-two-up-is-racking-up-wins-in-baja/
- Congratulations to Dani Cook and Greg Hamilton on their new positions. Dani is back at the SRD with a full-time position. While she won’t be on her bike day in day out she will be overseeing the OHV crew- awesome news for all of us!!! Greg moved over to a full-time position with the BLM. He will also be overseeing many OHV projects with the BLM including most of the Rainbow Trail re-route and Texas Creek ST. He is also hoping to re-vamp the gear for the Canon City office. If anyone has extra gear they would like to donate please contact Greg directly at ghamilton@blm.gov.
- Rainbow Trail Decker Fire burn area. This is a big question mark for everyone- what will happen to locations affected by the Decker Fire? Trees were cleared for a fire break on much of the area so one thing is for certain- it will not be the same! The FS and OHV crews will need as many updates as possible on the conditions as the season goes on. Feel free to contact me with issues and I can send them on to the right people.
That’s all for now!
Chad Hixon
Board of Directors President
Central Colorado Mountain Riders (CCMR)
www.centralcoloradomountainriders.com