<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><?xml-stylesheet href="http://www.blogger.com/styles/atom.css" type="text/css"?><feed xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom' xmlns:openSearch='http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/' xmlns:georss='http://www.georss.org/georss'><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16784037</id><updated>2009-12-21T11:56:32.246-08:00</updated><title type='text'>Gold Country Trails - Unifying the Trails Community</title><subtitle type='html'>This site is intended as a place where users of trails in Nevada, Placer and Sierra Counties (Northern California) can focus our efforts to improve trails and trail access in our area.

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Looking for the &lt;a href="http://www.goldcountrytrailscouncil.org"&gt;Gold Country Trails Council&lt;/a&gt;?</subtitle><link rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://gctrails.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16784037/posts/default'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://gctrails.blogspot.com/'/><link rel='hub' href='http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/'/><link rel='next' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16784037/posts/default?start-index=26&amp;max-results=25'/><author><name>John</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email></author><generator version='7.00' uri='http://www.blogger.com'>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>240</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>25</openSearch:itemsPerPage><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16784037.post-1603741483212762376</id><published>2009-12-21T11:53:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2009-12-21T11:56:32.262-08:00</updated><title type='text'>Bullard's is Clear</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.collinslake.com/articles/bullards1.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 223px; height: 179px;" src="http://www.collinslake.com/articles/bullards1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;According to Joe Chavez of the Tahoe National Forest, all downed trees on Bullards Bar trails have been cleared out as of yesterday. Thanks Joe!&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/16784037-1603741483212762376?l=gctrails.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://gctrails.blogspot.com/feeds/1603741483212762376/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16784037&amp;postID=1603741483212762376' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16784037/posts/default/1603741483212762376'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16784037/posts/default/1603741483212762376'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://gctrails.blogspot.com/2009/12/bullards-is-clear.html' title='Bullard&apos;s is Clear'/><author><name>John</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='00719915395010519442'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16784037.post-8856757980995077195</id><published>2009-12-05T17:47:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2009-12-05T18:02:34.376-08:00</updated><title type='text'>Land Trust Trail Ride - Recap</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.nevadacounty4sale.com/logos_nonprofit/nevada-county-land-trust.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 140px; height: 189px;" src="http://www.nevadacounty4sale.com/logos_nonprofit/nevada-county-land-trust.jpg" alt="" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;A collection of Nevada County cyclists started from Auburn Street in Grass Valley on a tour of &lt;a href="http://www.nevadacountylandtrust.org/trails.html"&gt;Land Trust-constructed trails&lt;/a&gt; as part of this month's BONC Gala Ride. The weather was cooperative one last day, allowing us to explore some of our best local trails.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The advanced group hit four Land Trust projects and even managed to pass by Bill Haire and company as they worked on the new trail along Rattlesnake Road. We rode a section of ditch that I've never hit before (behind Brunswick Basin heading toward the Litton Trail).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As usual, we doled out beer and food at the end of the ride. Thanks to Nick Jedenoff and Dave Hughes for help leading the ride and Darwin Leek for providing food and his office to stage the event. Please join us for our &lt;a href="http://gctrails.blogspot.com/2009/11/new-years-day-ride.html"&gt;New Year's Day ride in Auburn&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Oh and if you want to donate to the Land Trust, &lt;a href="http://www.nevadacountylandtrust.org/make_donation.html"&gt;here is how&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/16784037-8856757980995077195?l=gctrails.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://gctrails.blogspot.com/feeds/8856757980995077195/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16784037&amp;postID=8856757980995077195' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16784037/posts/default/8856757980995077195'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16784037/posts/default/8856757980995077195'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://gctrails.blogspot.com/2009/12/land-trust-trail-ride-recap.html' title='Land Trust Trail Ride - Recap'/><author><name>John</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='00719915395010519442'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16784037.post-6156022952924500098</id><published>2009-11-30T13:34:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2009-11-30T13:40:38.721-08:00</updated><title type='text'>Rattlesnake Trail Extension</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.switchbacks.net/images3/trail_013.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 235px; height: 352px;" src="http://www.switchbacks.net/images3/trail_013.jpg" alt="" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;From Gene Haroldsen:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"The following two dates have been set for volunteer work parties to begin construction of the Rattlesnake Trail Extension within the County's Right of Way from North Highland to the Colfax Highway (SR 174):&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;10 a.m. to about 12 noon, Thursday, December 3rd - Volunteers need to meet at the intersection of North Highland Drive and Rattlesnake Road.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;10:30 a.m. to about 12:30, Saturday, December 5th - Volunteers need to meet at the intersection of Lower Colfax Road and Rattlesnake Road.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The initial effort will involve grubbing the trail alignment.  We will have an assortment of Nevada County Land Trust hand tools available but you are welcome to bring your own (i.e. lopper, Pulaski, McCloud, etc.)  Please bring work gloves and anything you may wish to drink or eat.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;For planning purposes it would be helpful if you could let me know if you plan to participate on either or both days.  If you have questions or concerns, please contact me.  Thank you for your interest and support of this joint Rattlesnake Neighborhood Association / Nevada County Land Trust project."&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/16784037-6156022952924500098?l=gctrails.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://gctrails.blogspot.com/feeds/6156022952924500098/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16784037&amp;postID=6156022952924500098' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16784037/posts/default/6156022952924500098'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16784037/posts/default/6156022952924500098'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://gctrails.blogspot.com/2009/11/rattlesnake-trail-extension.html' title='Rattlesnake Trail Extension'/><author><name>John</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='00719915395010519442'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16784037.post-3009354607229438712</id><published>2009-11-30T10:41:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2009-11-30T11:00:54.055-08:00</updated><title type='text'>New Trail Near Pioneer Planned</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos.igougo.com/images/p323220-North_Carolina-Nature_Trail.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 179px; height: 257px;" src="http://photos.igougo.com/images/p323220-North_Carolina-Nature_Trail.jpg" alt="" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;While picking up a Christmas tree from their farm, I spoke with Willie and Sue Bruisin about plans for a new 1/2 mile trail that will descend down to the &lt;a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/place?oe=UTF-8&amp;amp;sourceid=navclient&amp;amp;gfns=1&amp;amp;um=1&amp;amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;amp;q=rock+creek+nature+study+area&amp;amp;fb=1&amp;amp;gl=us&amp;amp;hq=rock+creek+nature+study&amp;amp;hnear=Nevada+City,+CA&amp;amp;cid=16779184713166829252"&gt;Rock Creek Nature Study Area&lt;/a&gt; from Pioneer. Working with the USFS, the &lt;a href="http://www.goldcountrytrailscouncil.org/"&gt;Gold Country Trails Council&lt;/a&gt; (GCTC) is spearheading this effort. The trail is flagged and once the EA docs are done, the GCTC will be looking for donations or grant funding to build this trail. The plan is to use California Conservation Corps for construction.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The new trail will replace the existing steep trail that descends from Pioneer from almost directly above the Rock Creek NSA. Though this existing trail is fun to ride and challenging, traffic down it has exposed a 4" cable that poses a serious hazard to trail users. Personally, I am OK with this change if it means that no one becomes injured. Plus, the new trail will be longer anyway.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/16784037-3009354607229438712?l=gctrails.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://gctrails.blogspot.com/feeds/3009354607229438712/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16784037&amp;postID=3009354607229438712' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16784037/posts/default/3009354607229438712'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16784037/posts/default/3009354607229438712'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://gctrails.blogspot.com/2009/11/new-trail-near-pioneer-planned.html' title='New Trail Near Pioneer Planned'/><author><name>John</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='00719915395010519442'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16784037.post-2401064173843320203</id><published>2009-11-24T14:14:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2009-11-24T16:05:21.841-08:00</updated><title type='text'>New Year's Day Ride</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/3/8/0/c/global_10574348.jpeg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 135px; height: 180px;" src="http://photos1.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/3/8/0/c/global_10574348.jpeg" alt="" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;BONC will hook up with &lt;a href="http://www.fatrac.org/"&gt;FATRAC&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="http://mtb.hammerinwheels.com/"&gt;Hammering Wheels&lt;/a&gt; for a News Year's Day ride. Join this big fun group event and see how well you ride with a hangover.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As usual, we'll offer different levels for riders. The advanced group will ride from the top of Stagecoach (Russell Road) at 9:00 (&lt;a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&amp;amp;ie=UTF8&amp;amp;msa=0&amp;amp;msid=115423189930634931495.00047926b751550b14dae&amp;amp;ll=38.938449,-120.996208&amp;amp;spn=0.117099,0.264187&amp;amp;z=13"&gt;map&lt;/a&gt;). Intermediate and novice/beginners will start at 10:00 at parking area across from Drivers Flat on Foresthill Road (&lt;a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&amp;amp;ie=UTF8&amp;amp;msa=0&amp;amp;msid=115423189930634931495.00047926b751550b14dae&amp;amp;ll=38.938449,-120.996208&amp;amp;spn=0.117099,0.264187&amp;amp;z=13"&gt;map&lt;/a&gt;). All rides will end ~1:00 and we'll offer some food for participants.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Please consider bringing something to share (soda, cookies, pie, chips, ham, salad, cake, etc.). See you there!&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/16784037-2401064173843320203?l=gctrails.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://gctrails.blogspot.com/feeds/2401064173843320203/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16784037&amp;postID=2401064173843320203' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16784037/posts/default/2401064173843320203'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16784037/posts/default/2401064173843320203'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://gctrails.blogspot.com/2009/11/new-years-day-ride.html' title='New Year&apos;s Day Ride'/><author><name>John</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='00719915395010519442'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16784037.post-4443884802693329932</id><published>2009-11-18T13:59:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2009-11-18T15:03:20.596-08:00</updated><title type='text'>Tour du Bill Haire - Sat. December 5th @ 10AM</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_KaA4mQGvi0M/SY9CdEg15VI/AAAAAAAADZ4/eTYs-LGAGek/s800/IMG_2677.JPG"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 238px; height: 178px;" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_KaA4mQGvi0M/SY9CdEg15VI/AAAAAAAADZ4/eTYs-LGAGek/s800/IMG_2677.JPG" alt="" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Did you know that the &lt;a href="http://nevadacountylandtrust.org/"&gt;Nevada County Land Trust&lt;/a&gt; has built miles of trails close to town? For the next BONC Gala ride, we'll celebrate these beautiful, fun trails by a riding bunch of them. Think of this as the Tour du Bill Haire :-)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Please meet at Back Body and Beyond (Darwin's office) at 605 South Auburn Street in Grass Valley (&lt;a href="http://tinyurl.com/darwinoffice"&gt;see map&lt;/a&gt;) at 10AM on Saturday December 5th.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We'll offer various ride options from *advanced to beginner*. The beginner group will be a No-Rider-Left- Behind ride. When we finish, we'll gather to enjoy some complimentary food prepared by BONC. Please bring a bike, helmet, water and mid-ride snacks. If you want to join BONC, we'll have memberships available. As usual, we could use volunteers for this ride, including ride leaders, food bakers and someone to hang out at our booth during the ride. Let me know if you can help out, thanks!&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/16784037-4443884802693329932?l=gctrails.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://gctrails.blogspot.com/feeds/4443884802693329932/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16784037&amp;postID=4443884802693329932' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16784037/posts/default/4443884802693329932'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16784037/posts/default/4443884802693329932'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://gctrails.blogspot.com/2009/11/tour-du-bill-haire.html' title='Tour du Bill Haire - Sat. December 5th @ 10AM'/><author><name>John</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='00719915395010519442'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://lh5.ggpht.com/_KaA4mQGvi0M/SY9CdEg15VI/AAAAAAAADZ4/eTYs-LGAGek/s72-c/IMG_2677.JPG' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16784037.post-5419965171203712377</id><published>2009-11-16T09:51:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2009-11-16T10:00:13.522-08:00</updated><title type='text'>Local Cycling Collaboration</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.pricepoint.com/images/styleImages/D_065%20IROTC7.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 193px; height: 193px;" src="http://www.pricepoint.com/images/styleImages/D_065%20IROTC7.jpg" alt="" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Thanks to all who joined BONC for beer and ice cream last night! We had great turnout and a lot of fun. I especially enjoyed hearing about future collaborations between SEBC/SERT, YBONC, APPT, BONC and others. There was consensus that our whole is larger that the sum of our parts and that local cycling advocacy efforts are more effective when we coordinate our efforts. We'll explore this more in the coming months. We are lucky in that our little area has such proactive groups.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;BONC membership has doubled this year, which I like to think is because of our increased effectiveness as a social/advocacy organization. I would like to double our membership again in 2010 by offering even more to our community.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;On a related note, BONC is in need of a membership coordinator. This is a modest obligation that would allow you the opportunity to interact with other cyclists and focus on increasing and retaining our members. If you are at all interested, please let me know, thanks!&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/16784037-5419965171203712377?l=gctrails.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://gctrails.blogspot.com/feeds/5419965171203712377/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16784037&amp;postID=5419965171203712377' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16784037/posts/default/5419965171203712377'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16784037/posts/default/5419965171203712377'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://gctrails.blogspot.com/2009/11/local-cycling-collaboration.html' title='Local Cycling Collaboration'/><author><name>John</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='00719915395010519442'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16784037.post-8468344134527849433</id><published>2009-11-09T02:42:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2009-11-10T08:01:22.885-08:00</updated><title type='text'>Round Mountain Re-Route: Done</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_KaA4mQGvi0M/SvY6d3nkSuI/AAAAAAAAFEQ/1gCRBBi01iY/s800/CIMG2030.JPG"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 252px; height: 188px;" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_KaA4mQGvi0M/SvY6d3nkSuI/AAAAAAAAFEQ/1gCRBBi01iY/s800/CIMG2030.JPG" alt="" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;BONC had a super productive, fun day finishing up the Up-and-Over Trail re-route on Round Mountain today. We improved the new trail, closed the steep old section, installed a swanky new sign, moved some boulders to block motos and put in a feature or two. We also had a killer ride in near-perfect conditions.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;For through traffic, please use the new trail: it needs to be used and compacted. Coyote Point is now the destination of a spur trail. The new trail will now re-vegetate and settle in over the winter and by spring, it will start to look like singletrack.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A big thanks to all the volunteers, BLM and the Round Mountain neighbors for making this happen. More great things are in store for RM soon, so stay tuned.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/16784037-8468344134527849433?l=gctrails.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://gctrails.blogspot.com/feeds/8468344134527849433/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16784037&amp;postID=8468344134527849433' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16784037/posts/default/8468344134527849433'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16784037/posts/default/8468344134527849433'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://gctrails.blogspot.com/2009/11/round-mountain-re-route-done.html' title='Round Mountain Re-Route: Done'/><author><name>John</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='00719915395010519442'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://lh6.ggpht.com/_KaA4mQGvi0M/SvY6d3nkSuI/AAAAAAAAFEQ/1gCRBBi01iY/s72-c/CIMG2030.JPG' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16784037.post-1801837248921400895</id><published>2009-11-05T14:37:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2009-11-05T15:00:34.137-08:00</updated><title type='text'>Converting Lower Pioneer to Singletrack</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://vuduvgn.com/Other/IMGP3910.JPG"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 259px; height: 185px;" src="http://vuduvgn.com/Other/IMGP3910.JPG" alt="" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;I've started discussions with CalTrans and the USFS about the potential of rerouting Pioneer to singletrack between the Five Mile House and Lone Grave. They are amenable thus far, though the USFS would consider this a low priority project. I understand this perspective, as there are many other worthy projects on their plate, including the undergoing &lt;a href="http://gctrails.blogspot.com/2009/10/pioneer-musings.html"&gt;re-route of Upper Pioneer&lt;/a&gt; as it descends to Bear Valley.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I am looking at this as a long term project. Such endeavors inevitably take much longer to plan and implement than we would like, but I think this is a worthy one. Imagine being able to ride swoopy, tight singletrack right from Harmony Ridge Market. It would be a much better trail experience so close to town. I do imagine it will be years before we turn dirt on this project, so patience and perseverance are key.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you want to learn more about this or other activities of BONC, please attend our upcoming meeting. Join the &lt;a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bonc-list/"&gt;BONC list&lt;/a&gt; for details or we can chat about it at &lt;a href="http://gctrails.blogspot.com/2009/09/round-mtn-trailwork-and-ride-sat.html"&gt;Saturday's event at Round Mountain&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/16784037-1801837248921400895?l=gctrails.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://gctrails.blogspot.com/feeds/1801837248921400895/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16784037&amp;postID=1801837248921400895' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16784037/posts/default/1801837248921400895'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16784037/posts/default/1801837248921400895'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://gctrails.blogspot.com/2009/11/converting-lower-pioneer-to-singletrack.html' title='Converting Lower Pioneer to Singletrack'/><author><name>John</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='00719915395010519442'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16784037.post-5606154009694277609</id><published>2009-10-25T17:16:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2009-10-25T18:15:29.201-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Pioneer Musings</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.americantrails.org/photos/NRTphotos/PioneerSwim.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 225px;" src="http://www.americantrails.org/photos/NRTphotos/PioneerSwim.jpg" alt="" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Today, I had the privilege of riding the entire length of the Pioneer Trail as part of a Grouse Ridge-to-Nevada-City epic. During the 4+ hours on this ride, I spent some time thinking about this trail and  its importance to our community.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you are like me, you tend to take Pioneer for granted, at least occasionally. It is such a common thoroughfare for our rides that its familiarity can diminish its specialness. Thing is, it is a very special trail and it is becoming even more exceptional.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In recent years, volunteers have joined forces with the &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"&gt;USFS&lt;/span&gt; to build an entirely new &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"&gt;singletrack&lt;/span&gt; portion of this trail as it descends down to Bear Valley. With recent rains, newly constructed sections have begun to settle in nicely. Eventually, the reroute will feature &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"&gt;singletrack&lt;/span&gt; that will be the finest anywhere around here.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Pioneer is also the backbone of all Highway 20 corridor trails. Trails at Scott Flat, Burlington Ridge, Washington Conservation Camp, &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"&gt;Spaulding&lt;/span&gt; Lake, Grouse Ridge and more are all accessible from Pioneer. We are all in debt to the Gold Country Trails Council, who made the Pioneer Trail happen over the past few decades.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Who knows what the future holds for Pioneer. After the Bear Valley re-route, I would love to see wider sections of Lower Pioneer converted to &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"&gt;singletrack&lt;/span&gt;. And of course, Bill &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"&gt;Haire&lt;/span&gt; dreams of Pioneer descending closer to Nevada City. One thing is for certain, the success of all such improvements will be dependent on volunteers like you.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/16784037-5606154009694277609?l=gctrails.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://gctrails.blogspot.com/feeds/5606154009694277609/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16784037&amp;postID=5606154009694277609' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16784037/posts/default/5606154009694277609'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16784037/posts/default/5606154009694277609'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://gctrails.blogspot.com/2009/10/pioneer-musings.html' title='Pioneer Musings'/><author><name>John</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='00719915395010519442'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16784037.post-9147049227919130517</id><published>2009-10-19T14:05:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2009-10-19T14:11:20.892-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Trimming Our Trails</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.readingtontrail.org/Images/pruners.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 175px; height: 144px;" src="http://www.readingtontrail.org/Images/pruners.jpg" alt="" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;This post is nearly identical to one from last year, but heck, it bears repeating.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As the windy, wet season returns, please consider carrying small trimming tools during rides/hikes. A few minutes clipping and sawing here and there collectively makes a big difference. For example, I've taken out lots of overgrowth on Osborne Hill over the years during hikes with my dogs. My tools of choice are hand clippers, a folding saw and these &lt;a href="http://www.fiskars.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&amp;amp;la%5C%20ngId=-1&amp;amp;catalogId=10101&amp;amp;categoryId=10257&amp;amp;productId=10479"&gt;incredibly light, powerful loppers&lt;/a&gt; that fit in my Camelbak.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Then again, if you dig the camaraderie, fun and free food/beer offered by group trail work days, &lt;a href="http://gctrails.blogspot.com/2009/09/round-mtn-trailwork-and-ride-sat.html"&gt;join us at Round Mountain&lt;/a&gt; on Saturday November 7th.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/16784037-9147049227919130517?l=gctrails.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://gctrails.blogspot.com/feeds/9147049227919130517/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16784037&amp;postID=9147049227919130517' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16784037/posts/default/9147049227919130517'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16784037/posts/default/9147049227919130517'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://gctrails.blogspot.com/2009/10/trimming-our-trails.html' title='Trimming Our Trails'/><author><name>John</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='00719915395010519442'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16784037.post-6277207886109277674</id><published>2009-10-12T15:24:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2009-10-12T15:29:26.018-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Unified Trail Day and Round Mountain</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.bonc.org/images/bullards_05_5_mid.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 235px;" src="http://www.bonc.org/images/bullards_05_5_mid.jpg" alt="" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;UNIFIED TRAIL DAY&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;BONC had a very successful Unified Trail Day, pairing up with the &lt;a href="http://www.woodsriders.org/"&gt;Nevada County Woods Riders&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="http://www.sierraexpressteam.org/"&gt;Sierra Express&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="http://www.goldcountrytrailscouncil.org/"&gt;Gold Country Trails Council&lt;/a&gt;, mtb race teams and others to make short work of big trail improvements at Burlington Ridge. Thanks to everyone who participated. Mountain bikers were able to make a significant showing of manpower on this day, which bodes well for our reputation. Events this large require careful planning and infrastructure. Special thanks to Fred Bergman who orchestrated BONC's involvement. It was a great day!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;ABOUT ROUND MOUNTAIN&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Yesterday, Rob Heller and I took a look at the rough trail cut in by the BLM above the Coyote Point overlook. Though the bench cut looks something like a fireroad now, given some solid trail work, a season's worth of rain and time to re-vegetate, this section will be solid singletrack. It will be key for us to put finishing work on it before the long winter, so please &lt;a href="http://gctrails.blogspot.com/2009/09/round-mtn-trailwork-and-ride-sat.html"&gt;join us on November 7th&lt;/a&gt; as we work on this trail and ride Round Mountain.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/16784037-6277207886109277674?l=gctrails.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://gctrails.blogspot.com/feeds/6277207886109277674/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16784037&amp;postID=6277207886109277674' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16784037/posts/default/6277207886109277674'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16784037/posts/default/6277207886109277674'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://gctrails.blogspot.com/2009/10/unified-trail-day-and-round-mountain.html' title='Unified Trail Day and Round Mountain'/><author><name>John</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='00719915395010519442'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16784037.post-5685872679418933900</id><published>2009-10-09T10:41:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2009-10-09T11:00:23.107-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Good News for Empire Mine</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.empiremine.org/images/Park%20Sign.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 173px;" src="http://www.empiremine.org/images/Park%20Sign.jpg" alt="" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Great news regarding trails at Empire Mine SHP. According to Ron Munson, "this is a very encouraging signal that the Osborn Hill Trail Network Project is poised to start possibly in November, so hopefully we can look forward to reopening much of the Osborn Hill area in the not-too-distant future." In other words, trails that have been fenced off for years now may&lt;br /&gt;be re-opened soon and we will see new trails as well :-)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;For Immediate Release: Contact: Sheryl Watson, Information Officer&lt;br /&gt;October 10, 2009 (916) 997-7898&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Empire Mine State Historic Park&lt;br /&gt;Temporary Trail Closure&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;WHO: Trail User Alert at Empire Mine State Historic Park&lt;br /&gt;WHAT: A California State Parks crew will be installing a temporary stream crossing, with culverts, at Empire Mine State Historic Park in preparation for the Osborn Hill Trail Network Project. This first step in the project implementation will enable crews and equipment to access the trails being rehabilitated and redesigned, due to begin this Fall. The stream crossing is&lt;br /&gt;being completed in keeping with the California Department of Fish and Game and the US Army Corps of Engineers permit specifications.&lt;br /&gt;WHEN: Tuesday through Thursday, October 13 – 15, 2009&lt;br /&gt;WHERE: Where the Hardrock Trail crosses Little Wolf Creek, 100 feet east of&lt;br /&gt;the intersection with the Osborn Hill Loop Trail.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;PLEASE NOTE: Extra caution is advised for all trail users at Empire Mine State Historic Park where heavy equipment hauling materials will be working and visibility may be limited. Please pay attention to all warning signs  and directions from park staff. Thank you for helping us move forward with&lt;br /&gt;this exciting trail project, and stay safe.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ron Munson&lt;br /&gt;California State Park Superintendent&lt;br /&gt;Sierra Gold Sector&lt;br /&gt;(530) 273 - 3212&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/16784037-5685872679418933900?l=gctrails.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://gctrails.blogspot.com/feeds/5685872679418933900/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16784037&amp;postID=5685872679418933900' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16784037/posts/default/5685872679418933900'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16784037/posts/default/5685872679418933900'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://gctrails.blogspot.com/2009/10/good-news-for-empire-mine.html' title='Good News for Empire Mine'/><author><name>John</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='00719915395010519442'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16784037.post-8279488200200993862</id><published>2009-09-22T15:03:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2009-09-22T16:39:55.930-07:00</updated><title type='text'>BONC Gala Ride - Saturday, 10/3</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_KaA4mQGvi0M/SqLI4uWZGzI/AAAAAAAAEzc/sB8J0uZ2xYY/s1024/CIMG2013.JPG"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 261px; height: 195px;" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_KaA4mQGvi0M/SqLI4uWZGzI/AAAAAAAAEzc/sB8J0uZ2xYY/s1024/CIMG2013.JPG" alt="" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Please join us on the monthly BONC ride on Saturday, October 3rd @ *9AM* (note the start time). We'll ride trails in the Highway 20 corridor, including some lesser known fun sections. Meet near the &lt;a href="http://tinyurl.com/bonc-oct-09-ride"&gt;Harmony Ridge Market on the north side of the highway&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;We'll offer various ride options from *advanced to beginner*. The beginner group will be a No-Rider-Left-Behind ride. When we finish, we'll gather to enjoy some complimentary food prepared by BONC. Please bring a bike, helmet, water and mid-ride snacks. If you want to join BONC, we'll have memberships available.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;As usual, we could use volunteers for this ride, including ride leaders, food bakers and someone to hang out at our booth during the ride. Let me know if you can help out, thanks.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/16784037-8279488200200993862?l=gctrails.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://gctrails.blogspot.com/feeds/8279488200200993862/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16784037&amp;postID=8279488200200993862' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16784037/posts/default/8279488200200993862'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16784037/posts/default/8279488200200993862'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://gctrails.blogspot.com/2009/09/bonc-gala-ride-saturday-103.html' title='BONC Gala Ride - Saturday, 10/3'/><author><name>John</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='00719915395010519442'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://lh6.ggpht.com/_KaA4mQGvi0M/SqLI4uWZGzI/AAAAAAAAEzc/sB8J0uZ2xYY/s72-c/CIMG2013.JPG' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16784037.post-4623338608659171631</id><published>2009-09-08T17:43:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2009-09-08T18:07:20.657-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Round Mtn Trailwork and Ride - Sat, November 7th</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/velojohng/RZhko7kCoQI/AAAAAAAAACM/U2OWUDpxo6g/IMG_2244.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 256px; height: 268px;" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/velojohng/RZhko7kCoQI/AAAAAAAAACM/U2OWUDpxo6g/IMG_2244.jpg" alt="" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Join BONC as we put the finishing touches on a re-route of the Up-and-Over Trail on Round Mountain. Meet on Saturday, November 7th @ 10AM just off Rock Creek Road (&lt;a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;msa=0&amp;amp;msid=115423189930634931495.0004731a8593c11e5e7fd&amp;amp;ll=39.30973,-120.992947&amp;amp;spn=0.115022,0.261097&amp;amp;z=13"&gt;map&lt;/a&gt;). We'll break at 1PM and then have our BONC Gala ride starting on the trail we just help build!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This project will divert the main trail away from the Coyote Point Overlook. The overlook will still be accessible, but the current trail will become a spur trail. The main trail will continue above the overlook and reconnect with the existing trail. A few hundred yards of trail will be re-created. The BLM has already roughed in this trailbed, which some of you have seen. BONC will finish up this trail on 11/7. Working with Round Mountain neighbors, BONC has spearheaded this project.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Please join us for this event. We'll offer food and drinks for participants. Please bring long pants, shoes and gloves and of course water, helmet and snacks for your ride.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/16784037-4623338608659171631?l=gctrails.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://gctrails.blogspot.com/feeds/4623338608659171631/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16784037&amp;postID=4623338608659171631' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16784037/posts/default/4623338608659171631'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16784037/posts/default/4623338608659171631'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://gctrails.blogspot.com/2009/09/round-mtn-trailwork-and-ride-sat.html' title='Round Mtn Trailwork and Ride - Sat, November 7th'/><author><name>John</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='00719915395010519442'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16784037.post-6282883042239593878</id><published>2009-09-08T10:26:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2009-09-25T12:27:45.951-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Unified Trail Days - October 10,11</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://vuduvgn.com/Other/IMGP3910.JPG"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 246px; height: 175px;" src="http://vuduvgn.com/Other/IMGP3910.JPG" alt="" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="http://bonc.org/trail_work_2009_unified.htm"&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span"  style="color:#FF0000;"&gt;Register for this event!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Please join us for the 2009 Unified Trail Days. This year, we will improve Burlington Ridge trails east of Nevada City on October 10th and 11th from 9AM till 1PM. Pick which day is best for you. A free BBQ lunch will be served on Saturday.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Staging area will be at &lt;a href="http://tinyurl.com/unifiedtrail"&gt;Chalk Bluff Road &amp;amp; Hwy. 20&lt;/a&gt;, east of Nevada City.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Don’t forget your gloves, snack and water for the trail work. Wear closed toed shoes and long pants. We will be clearing brush, rocks and dirt. If you have a shovel, rake or McCloud please bring them. Note that the heavy work will already be completed :-) Bring your family, friends, Boy and Girl Scout Troops to help out. We need volunteers for trail work, food prep and clean up.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This project is sponsored by the Nevada County Wood Riders, Gold Country Trail’s Council, BONC and the USFS. This is an important opportunity to partner with these other user groups and demonstrate that local mountain bikers are an essential part of the trail building community. Please join us.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/16784037-6282883042239593878?l=gctrails.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://gctrails.blogspot.com/feeds/6282883042239593878/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16784037&amp;postID=6282883042239593878' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16784037/posts/default/6282883042239593878'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16784037/posts/default/6282883042239593878'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://gctrails.blogspot.com/2009/09/unified-trail-days-october-1011.html' title='Unified Trail Days - October 10,11'/><author><name>John</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='00719915395010519442'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16784037.post-7513424541948737524</id><published>2009-09-06T10:53:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2009-09-06T11:02:11.315-07:00</updated><title type='text'>September BONC Gala Ride: Fun!</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_KaA4mQGvi0M/SqLI4uWZGzI/AAAAAAAAEzc/sB8J0uZ2xYY/s912/CIMG2013.JPG"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 231px; height: 174px;" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_KaA4mQGvi0M/SqLI4uWZGzI/AAAAAAAAEzc/sB8J0uZ2xYY/s912/CIMG2013.JPG" alt="" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;We had a great time and a great turnout (~25 people) for yesterday's BONC Gala Ride. We rode Pioneer Trail and explored other trails in this area. Free watermelon, bagels and beer was had. I met a lot of cool new people and enjoyed some great conversations. I am stoked to see this event growing more successful each month. Thanks to everyone who helped out. &lt;a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/velojohng/BONCGalaRideSeptember2009#"&gt;Pictures&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Please join us for the next Gala ride on Saturday, October 3rd. Stay tuned for details.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/16784037-7513424541948737524?l=gctrails.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://gctrails.blogspot.com/feeds/7513424541948737524/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16784037&amp;postID=7513424541948737524' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16784037/posts/default/7513424541948737524'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16784037/posts/default/7513424541948737524'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://gctrails.blogspot.com/2009/09/september-bonc-gala-ride-big-and-fun.html' title='September BONC Gala Ride: Fun!'/><author><name>John</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='00719915395010519442'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://lh6.ggpht.com/_KaA4mQGvi0M/SqLI4uWZGzI/AAAAAAAAEzc/sB8J0uZ2xYY/s72-c/CIMG2013.JPG' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16784037.post-5263783370206041027</id><published>2009-08-17T13:10:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2009-08-17T15:50:38.752-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Tahoe Trail Event is Sah-weet!</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_KaA4mQGvi0M/Som5Vew0YEI/AAAAAAAAEnA/oUxytLYWeSI/s1024/CIMG1972.JPG"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 257px; height: 192px;" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_KaA4mQGvi0M/Som5Vew0YEI/AAAAAAAAEnA/oUxytLYWeSI/s1024/CIMG1972.JPG" alt="" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;We had a fantastic weekend on riding and trail construction at Tahoe this weekend. Some 70-80 volunteers completed a lengthy section of the &lt;a href="http://www.tdlandtrust.org/donnerlake.html"&gt;Donner Lake Rim Trail,&lt;/a&gt; including some very impressive rock work. All sorts of rides occurred, including Sawtooth, Tahoe Rim Trail, Dirty Harry, Tahoe Meadows and more. Much swag was given out at the campground and New Belgium provided large volumes of free tasty beer. It was an incredible success. &lt;a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/velojohng/TahoeTrailEvent#"&gt;Pictures&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you have a MTBR.com account, you can see some &lt;a href="http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?p=6014456#post6014456"&gt;pictures of the trailwork and riding&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Tremendous thanks to New Belgium Brewing, Fox Racing, Truckee Donner Land Trust, BONC, FATRAC, ROMP, BTCEB, MBOSC and others.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/16784037-5263783370206041027?l=gctrails.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://gctrails.blogspot.com/feeds/5263783370206041027/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16784037&amp;postID=5263783370206041027' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16784037/posts/default/5263783370206041027'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16784037/posts/default/5263783370206041027'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://gctrails.blogspot.com/2009/08/tahoe-trail-event-is-sah-weet.html' title='Tahoe Trail Event is Sah-weet!'/><author><name>John</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='00719915395010519442'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://lh3.ggpht.com/_KaA4mQGvi0M/Som5Vew0YEI/AAAAAAAAEnA/oUxytLYWeSI/s72-c/CIMG1972.JPG' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16784037.post-203819659808368815</id><published>2009-08-12T10:09:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2009-08-12T10:12:40.738-07:00</updated><title type='text'>BONC September Gala Ride - 9/5</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.americantrails.org/photos/NRTphotos/PioneerBikes.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 173px;" src="http://www.americantrails.org/photos/NRTphotos/PioneerBikes.jpg" alt="" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div&gt;Please join us on the monthly BONC ride on Saturday, September 5th @ *9AM* (note the start time). We'll ride trails in the Highway 20 corridor, including some lesser known fun sections. Meet near the Harmony Ridge Market on the north side of the highway.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;We'll offer various ride options from *advanced to beginner*. The beginner group will be a No-Rider-Left-Behind ride. When we finish, we'll gather to enjoy some complimentary food prepared by BONC. Please bring a bike, helmet, water and mid-ride snacks. If you want to join BONC, we'll have memberships available.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;As usual, we could use volunteers for this ride, including ride leaders, food bakers and someone to hang out at our booth during the ride. Let me know if you can help out, thanks.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/16784037-203819659808368815?l=gctrails.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://gctrails.blogspot.com/feeds/203819659808368815/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16784037&amp;postID=203819659808368815' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16784037/posts/default/203819659808368815'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16784037/posts/default/203819659808368815'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://gctrails.blogspot.com/2009/08/bonc-september-gala-ride-95.html' title='BONC September Gala Ride - 9/5'/><author><name>John</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='00719915395010519442'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16784037.post-7708204181900669833</id><published>2009-07-25T12:39:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2009-07-25T12:49:51.515-07:00</updated><title type='text'>More Trails at Loma Rica Ranch</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.switchbacks.net/images3/trail_013.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 204px; height: 307px;" src="http://www.switchbacks.net/images3/trail_013.jpg" alt="" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Jet Lowe continues to work with Bill Haire and others to build cool new trails at Loma Rica Ranch. The group could use your help. From Jet:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"Please join us for a couple hours of evening trail work. We have bug spray, technu, drinks, and homemade blackberry cobbler. Enjoy the rest of the evening under the gazebo.  Please dress appropriately with long pants, long sleeve shirt, hat, etc. Status:  Finished 3 of 5 single tracks&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Dates: July 27-28&lt;br /&gt;Time: 6pm&lt;br /&gt;Location: Loma Rica Ranch, meet at Farm Stand&lt;br /&gt;10980 Brunswick Rd.Grass Valley, CA"&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/16784037-7708204181900669833?l=gctrails.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://gctrails.blogspot.com/feeds/7708204181900669833/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16784037&amp;postID=7708204181900669833' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16784037/posts/default/7708204181900669833'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16784037/posts/default/7708204181900669833'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://gctrails.blogspot.com/2009/07/more-trails-at-loma-rica-ranch.html' title='More Trails at Loma Rica Ranch'/><author><name>John</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='00719915395010519442'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16784037.post-6325192895364216352</id><published>2009-07-21T09:24:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2009-07-21T09:31:57.553-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Loney Meadows Trailwork</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.garlic.com/%7Elbha/Loony/WRenoGrouseLake.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 231px; height: 148px;" src="http://www.garlic.com/%7Elbha/Loony/WRenoGrouseLake.jpg" alt="" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;From the &lt;a href="http://www.goldcountrytrailscouncil.org/"&gt;Gold Country Trails Council&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;LONEY MEADOW RIDE/CAMP/TRAIL WORK - July 24-26, 2009&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This is close to home and a beautiful area to ride. Camping is in an unimproved area, but does have a creek near by for stock water. You will need to high line your horse, tie to the trailer or bring your own portable corral. Start the weekend on Friday or come early Saturday for the 9:00 AM departure of the work party.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The trail work will be construction of the trail that will connect Loney Meadow with the Bowman Lake/Mountain trail. A section of that trail was obliterated by past logging in the area. In the event that the Forest Service (Joe Chavez) does not approve of the proposed route (inspection will take place July 23) the alternate work will be trail clearing. A section of the trail from the meadow to Rock Lake is quite overgrown. Please come prepared with loppers, hand saws, shovels, rakes, etc. Wear appropriate clothing...long sleeves, sturdy shoes, hat..bring water, sun screen,  and your enthusiasm!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you have not been to this area before, this is a great opportunity for introduction. If you not a camper, come for the day, as the distance is not too great. Travel time is about 1 &amp;amp; 1/2 hours from Grass Valley and it is a scenic  drive. Take Hwy 20 east. (that is towards Reno) Left on Bowman Road. Travel about 10 miles on paved road. Just after the pavement turns to gravel look for a battered brown forest sign on the right for Loney Meadow. As you drive up that road, stay to the left at the fork. The short climb brings you out into a graveled area. Proceed to the right and across and then left on the continuation of the road to Loney Meadow. As you enter back into the more treed area, camping is on both sides of the road.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Please RSVP to Teri Personeni 273-9144. If you are camping please plan a pot luck dish for Saturday night dinner.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/16784037-6325192895364216352?l=gctrails.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://gctrails.blogspot.com/feeds/6325192895364216352/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16784037&amp;postID=6325192895364216352' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16784037/posts/default/6325192895364216352'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16784037/posts/default/6325192895364216352'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://gctrails.blogspot.com/2009/07/loney-meadows-trailwork.html' title='Loney Meadows Trailwork'/><author><name>John</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='00719915395010519442'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16784037.post-8188378438840090870</id><published>2009-07-20T09:43:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2009-07-20T09:47:50.654-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Pioneer Trail Ride - August 1st</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://vuduvgn.com/Other/IMGP3910.JPG"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 235px; height: 167px;" src="http://vuduvgn.com/Other/IMGP3910.JPG" alt="" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Please join us on the monthly BONC ride on Saturday, August 1st @ *9AM* (note the start time). We'll ride trails in the Highway 20 corridor, including some lesser known fun sections. Meet near the &lt;a href="http://tinyurl.com/bonc-aug-09-ride"&gt;Harmony Ridge Market&lt;/a&gt; on the north side of the highway.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We'll offer various ride options from *advanced to beginner*. The beginner group will be a No-Rider-Left-Behind ride. When we finish, we'll gather to enjoy some complimentary food prepared by BONC. Please bring a bike, helmet, water and mid-ride snacks. If you want to join BONC, we'll have memberships available.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As usual, we could use volunteers for this ride, including ride leaders, food bakers and someone to hang out at our booth during the ride. Let me know if you can help out, thanks.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/16784037-8188378438840090870?l=gctrails.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://gctrails.blogspot.com/feeds/8188378438840090870/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16784037&amp;postID=8188378438840090870' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16784037/posts/default/8188378438840090870'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16784037/posts/default/8188378438840090870'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://gctrails.blogspot.com/2009/07/pioneer-trail-ride-august-1st.html' title='Pioneer Trail Ride - August 1st'/><author><name>John</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='00719915395010519442'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16784037.post-8295739963349499799</id><published>2009-07-09T10:09:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2009-07-09T10:15:41.157-07:00</updated><title type='text'>BONC Comments on Osborne Hill Development Plan</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.rvhpa.net/mtbike/images/syuba1035.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 241px; height: 321px;" src="http://www.rvhpa.net/mtbike/images/syuba1035.jpg" alt="" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;The Osborne Hill area adjacent to Empire Mine State Historic Park contains a valuable network of trails. For years, BONC has worked hard to advocate for the preservation of this trail system. Below is the letter BONC submitted to the Nevada County planning department in response to plans to develop the area. A big thank you to Nick George who spearheaded our most recent efforts.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;BONC constantly works to improve and preserve local riding opportunities such as Osborne Hill. Please support our efforts by &lt;a href="http://www.bonc.org/bonc_membership.htm"&gt;joining or renewing your membership today&lt;/a&gt;. As a 501c3, we also accept tax-deductible donations.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;Bicyclists of Nevada County (BONC)&lt;br /&gt;P.O. Box 1311&lt;br /&gt;Nevada City CA 95959&lt;br /&gt;Nicholas George - Secretary&lt;br /&gt;John J. Gardiner - Chairman&lt;br /&gt;bonc.org&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;July 9, 2009&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Mr. Tod Herman&lt;br /&gt;Senior Planner&lt;br /&gt;County of Nevada&lt;br /&gt;950 Maidu Ave&lt;br /&gt;Nevada City, CA  95959&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;SUBJECT: comments on Draft EIR for Osborne Hill, SCH No. 2006122098&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Dear Mr. Herman:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the May 2009 Draft EIR for the proposed development of Osborne Hill, SCH No. 2006122098&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;With many in our community, the Board of Directors of Bicyclists of Nevada County (BONC) have serious concerns with the development's impact on existing trails frequented by non-motorized users. The proposed development covers an area containing a trail network, long valued and utilized by area residents. Our mapping confirms more than seven miles of existing trails. (This total under-represents trail lengths, given the labyrinth of such trails on Osborne Hill).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;BONC is pleased to note that consideration of trails have been given substantial attention in the DEIR, with some 257 occurrences of the word "trail" within 16 documents (not including Appendix 15.11). This qualitative treatment notwithstanding, the plan is short on several key specific mitigation measures. After the development is completed, users want to be left with trails of similar length, character, and connectivity. The objective of all new trails should be to maintain connectivity to trails outside the development that is lost by the construction of homesites, roads, sewage treatment facilities, utilities, etc. Without maintaining connectivity, the loss of the trails becomes significant for trail users because they can no longer get from "here to there". Trails that merely circulate within the development are inadequate mitigation.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As shown in Table 3-8 of the DEIR, the only proposed trail with wildland characteristics (orange line "Proposed new multi-use trail"), at roughly one mile in length, is far too short to be considered adequate mitigation for the loss of more than seven miles of existing non-motorized trails. BONC concludes that the single orange line "Proposed new multi-use trail" is inconsistent with the claim on Page 3-22 that the developer's proposal is a "replacement" for the loss of more than seven miles of trails.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As a single trail connecting Osborne Hill Road (on the West) with the PG&amp;amp;E transmission line maintenance road (on the East), the Table 3-8 orange line "Proposed new multi-use trail", is vulnerable to user type restrictions, as provided for in Section 5.4-32. For these reasons, BONC insists that at least three "Proposed new multi-use trails" be required of the developer, so that should a trails management plan recommend the segregation of user groups on different trails (equestrians separate from pedestrians, separate from bicyclists), connectivity will not be lost for any user group. Ref: Section 5.4 "Bicycle and Pedestrian System". Ref: Appendix 15.11 Open Space and Habitat Management Plan.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The edge-of-road and edge-of-homesite trail (Table 3-8 blue line "Proposed new roadside trail') is significantly different in character from the orange line, in that it does not provide a wildland user experience; therefore it is not appropriate mitigation for loss of wildland trails. BONC notes that edge-of-homesite trails are often encroached upon by homeowner activity. The ridgetop section of blue line trails in Table 3-8 (and Appendix 15.11, Table 4) does not appear to meet the intent of the requirement in for 50 foot vegetative privacy buffer between trail and development, as Elder Drive and Lots 7, 8, 9, and 10 are all part of the "development". Ref: Appendix 15.11 Open Space and Habitat Management Plan, Page 29.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Leaving trails management to a Homeowner's Association doesn't work, because there is an inherent conflict of interest between trails easement enforcement, and residents who may not yet be enlightened enough to value trails adjoining their property boundaries, especially if such trails are used by "outsiders". Ref: Section 8-21, MM 5.7-8i. Homeowner's Associations have little motivation to spend time and money for trails used by non-residents, or not used by residents.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Trails management should be performed by a separate entity, such as a Nevada County Parks and Recreation District, a land trust (perhaps the Nevada County Land Trust), or a non-profit, such as BONC. Funding for trails management needs to come from an assured source (such as taxes or an endowment), not merely a variable assessment to development's residents, that is vulnerable to reduction by votes of a Homeowner's Association. Until such time as management is transferred to one of these entities, specific audits for compliance to the CC&amp;amp;Rs need to be conducted, as recommended in Appendix 15.11 Open Space and Habitat Management Plan, Part 1, Page 9.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The recommendations for Trails Management contained in Appendix 15.11 Part III, Pages 21-26, while laudable, are only recommendations. What actually happens (or does not happen) on the ground can be very different, without enforcement and auditing by an outside entity.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We ask that the County of Nevada insist that the developer resubmit a new plan that more adequately addresses these issues.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Thank you for your consideration.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sincerely,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Nicholas George&lt;br /&gt;Secretary, Bicyclists of Nevada County&lt;br /&gt;(a 501c3 corporation)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/16784037-8295739963349499799?l=gctrails.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://gctrails.blogspot.com/feeds/8295739963349499799/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16784037&amp;postID=8295739963349499799' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16784037/posts/default/8295739963349499799'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16784037/posts/default/8295739963349499799'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://gctrails.blogspot.com/2009/07/bonc-comments-on-osborne-hill.html' title='BONC Comments on Osborne Hill Development Plan'/><author><name>John</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='00719915395010519442'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16784037.post-5340808105815268521</id><published>2009-07-06T13:01:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2009-07-06T13:10:12.004-07:00</updated><title type='text'>July BONC Gala Ride Recap</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2125/1564195569_1a28a5a14f.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 235px; height: 265px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2125/1564195569_1a28a5a14f.jpg" alt="" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div&gt;As expected, we had a modest turnout for the July 4th BONC monthly gala ride, but what we lacked in numbers, we made up in sheer fun.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Starting from the USFS ranger station, we played around on some very cool features at Noab for a while. I've ridden more skinnies this weekend than during the previous 12 months. We left before anyone got hurt and then headed up Snow Mountain Ditch &gt; Taxi Cab. TC sees much less traffic now that Miner's is mostly singletrack, but it is still a cool trail that provides a nice alternative. We rode Pioneer, looped around the Rock Creek Nature area and headed back down the hill.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Do you have a ride venue in mind for a future gala ride? Let us know and maybe we can make it happen.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/16784037-5340808105815268521?l=gctrails.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://gctrails.blogspot.com/feeds/5340808105815268521/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16784037&amp;postID=5340808105815268521' title='2 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16784037/posts/default/5340808105815268521'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16784037/posts/default/5340808105815268521'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://gctrails.blogspot.com/2009/07/july-bonc-gala-ride-recap.html' title='July BONC Gala Ride Recap'/><author><name>John</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='00719915395010519442'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>2</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16784037.post-589605509103094597</id><published>2009-06-25T14:56:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2009-06-25T14:59:45.789-07:00</updated><title type='text'>BONC Gala Ride for July - Nevada City</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.epa.gov/region09/waste/features/nevada-city/images/creekside.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 230px; height: 304px;" src="http://www.epa.gov/region09/waste/features/nevada-city/images/creekside.jpg" alt="" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Please join us on the monthly BONC ride on Saturday, July 4th @ 10AM out of Nevada City! We'll ride some better and lesser known trails from town, including the reinvigorated Noab area.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We'll offer various ride options from *advanced to beginner*. The beginner group will be a No-Rider-Left-Behind ride. When we finish, we'll gather to enjoy some complimentary food prepared by BONC. Please bring a bike, helmet, water and mid-ride snacks. If you want to join BONC, we'll have memberships available. See you there! Meet at the &lt;a href="http://tinyurl.com/mzhbjf"&gt;USFS Ranger Station off Coyote Street&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;NOTE: We need volunteers for this ride, including ride leaders, food bakers and someone to hang out at our booth during the ride. Let me know if you can help out, thanks.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/16784037-589605509103094597?l=gctrails.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://gctrails.blogspot.com/feeds/589605509103094597/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16784037&amp;postID=589605509103094597' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16784037/posts/default/589605509103094597'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/16784037/posts/default/589605509103094597'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://gctrails.blogspot.com/2009/06/bonc-gala-ride-for-july-nevada-city.html' title='BONC Gala Ride for July - Nevada City'/><author><name>John</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='00719915395010519442'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry></feed>