TCC2 Drops Anchor In Ashland

TCC Trail Building School in Ashland Oregon. 50 people including SOMBA members, UBI students, Rogue River National Forest Service and trail enthusiasts from all over the Northwest attended.
Trail Assessment on the 100-yr old Toothpick Trail, Joey showing a makeshift way to check outslope with an inclinometer and a McCleod.
Becky, Emo and Tim from SOMBA building our new trail to connect FR 2060 with the Toothpick trail.
Emo surfing the contour swells of the Applegate!

TCC2 has been on the road for 20 consecutive months, passing through 11 countries, 34 states we have driven 64,000 miles and experienced 3542 miles of trail by foot or pedal. The town of Ashland, OR finally got me to drop anchor lured in by old friends, a warm house and great food.

Last year Kathy and I passed through Ashland, visiting Montezuma's Revenge co-sufferer Mikey-D and meeting Ron Sutphin, president of the United Bicycle Institute. We shared stories of other communities whose trails were improved by local bike clubs, examples of the voice of mountain biking being heard and strengthening the bonds with land agencies. This spring, the Southern Oregon Mountain Bike Association was formed and they began a partnership with Mike Ricketts; trails manager in the Ashland Watershed representing the Rogue River National Forest. This partnership will help both parties reach their goals, revamping the trails in and beyond the watershed. Ashland is known for it's popular Shakespeare Festival and Mike would also like it known for fantastic trails. Local mountain bikers want more technical trails and all trail users could benefit from additional contour trails. The watershed is a unique basin with steep slopes and fickle soil stability. Decomposed Granite is the majority of what trails lay in throughout the watershed. DG particles are large and come apart easily during the dry months of summer. However, during the wet months these same particles enable water to drain through and trail surfaces harden, hence it is never muddy. The trails in Ashland are actually better after some rain (like skiing on a powder-day)!

In October, Mikey-D co-chair of SOMBA scheduled a TCC2 trail building school. This was to be SOMBA's coming out party, so he involved nearby businesses and bicylce industry sponsors. SOMBA raised over $3,000 of swag for new members and trail school students. Patrick, at the Siskiyou Pub helped out with libations and grub. Friday night, 50 students watched a TCC slideshow focusing on trail design techniques, construction, maintenance and awesome trails from around the world. Saturday we did inclinometer skills and a walking trail assessment. Sunday, we worked four hours on new trail in the watershed and that night was a giveaway party at the pub. The event was a success, sparking a new interest in trails, bringing new friends together and enlightening the community of future trails.

TCC2 returned to Ashland, leading more trailwork days and with SOMBA's help we left a model section of trail. We were invited to speak at a Forest Service Seminar on partnerships for the Siskiyou and Rogue River National Forests. 150 Forest Service people attended, along with every imaginable user and partner group. Mike Ricketts gave an inspirational presentation on the value of partnerships. Ron and I made a few contacts afterwards including a possible trail seminar with trail builders from the Northwest Youth Corps and REAL corps for next season. The visit to Ashland was uplifting, seeing a new club off to such a great start. SOMBA has all the best ingredients, passionate cyclists, a promising future with the Forest Service, plans for many new trails and of course a cozy pub to kickback in. Thank you SOMBA!

Almost shipwrecked in Ashland,
Joey Klein, TCC2.