Thank you

[R.T.Rybak]

I wanted to thank all the volunteers who have built those INCREADIBLE trials in Wirth! I've had a blast going on them and really apprecaite the great work. Can you please think of ways I can help. I have been telling people about them....and telling them what a great job you folks have done. (There was something about this in Barbara Flanagan today and when I did radio interviews at the Fair Friday I got it on Cities 97, KS 95 and I think MRP)

I was especially impressed when I went out with some of you to see the sensitivity that was used to protect the natural environment....A particular point I saw that impressed me was relocating a track that had gotten too close to the roots of a large tree.

I'd love to help in getting folks who are still riding in other parts of the park, esp. near the Wild Flower Garden, Quaking Bog, etc. to move here. Any thoughts?

In any case, your work is really, really apprecaited...a legacy you can leave for many people.

Thanks again!

R.T. Rybak

[FSSS]

Thank you for the support!!!!:banana:

[ryno lite]

I'd also like to thank you and the city of Minneapolis for this wonderful opportunity to build an incredible trail in the heart of a major metropolitan area! It's greatly appreciated! Your constant effort to increase the recreational opportunities in Minneapolis is appreciated by Minneapolis residents like myself!

[stoneage]

Thank you, RT, for coming out to visit the trail workers last week on your way to another function, We appreciate what you are doing to aid us in this project. Feedback from the city is always appreciated by the wonderful group of volunteers that are building this trail with the guidance of MPRB. As the trail steward at Theodore Wirth, I am especially proud of all the volunteers from Minneapolis and the metro area who have come out every Wednesday and Sunday to make this project a reality.

[Trevize1138]

Glad you like the trails, RT! You should join us for a group ride sometime. :banana:

[thebionicman]

RT thanks for coming out to check the trails out. We have a great group of volunteers out there building the new trails and its nice for us to know that we have your support. We will keep pressing on making trails, hopefully someday we will be able to make our way south of 55 to make use of the great terrain.

You should come out for a group ride. There is one every Monday night!

[Wheels]

I'd love to help in getting folks who are still riding in other parts of the park, esp. near the Wild Flower Garden, Quaking Bog, etc. to move here. Any thoughts?

R.T. Rybak

Thanks for the encouragement R.T.!

As far as the riding in other areas of the park - the primary goal of the pilot program is to demonstrate that we can build and maintain sustainable trail - so as to continue on to, and connect the other areas of the parks system.

This was your original proposal, and some of us reluctantly agreed to use the Twin Lakes area as a test area. Reluctant for fear it would become a bike park, instead of a larger system. But we had to start somewhere.

So yes, we would like to direct people into the authorized area, and away from the sensitive areas like the flower gardern and bog. But we could really use your help in getting approval for the next stage, which will require a single path that allows us to cross these areas to reach the rest of the system.

The parks dept. has our maps of the proposed system and options for passing through the area between 394 and Glenwood Ave. I think that once there is an authorized trail in this area, riders will abandon the more sensitive trails and simply pass though to the better trails.

[syntaxjunkie]

The parks dept. has our maps of the proposed system and options for passing through the area between 394 and Glenwood Ave. I think that once there is an authorized trail in this area, riders will abandon the more sensitive trails and simply pass though to the better trails.

And perhaps more to the point, once we have approval to put in an authorized trail, I'd imagine we'd have much greater latitude to close some of the "unofficial" trails that have popped along the Parkway.

On a related note, I was up north of Detroit Lakes at Maplelag this weekend to ride the trails before the race. Jay Richards deserves a big hand for incorporating sweet singletrack and cross-country ski trails into an entertaining and challenging course. Riding this tral, combined with the progress already made at Wirth, gives me high hopes for a trail network that connects along the Parkway without creating user conflicts or impinging on sensitive areas.