The Gnome

[biking_stickman]

Does anyone else miss the gnome that was out on the XX loop?

Where did he go? Another fallen tree in Colorado? A rock in Moab? The rafters of Rays in Cleveland?

How can we bring him back?

[mcarples]

I noticed that about a month ago...I was wondering the same

[gopherhockey]

Does anyone else miss the gnome that was out on the XX loop?

Where do he go? Another fallen tree in Colorado? A rock in Moab? The rafters of Rays in Cleveland?

How can we bring him back?

This is quite a story actually.

The original trail gnome was mine... I nailed it up on the tree the first year of the XX and it lasted most of the season, only to find its fate at the hands of hungry animals who basically shredded it and ate it up. It is interesting to note that later I found out that the thing was worth over $100 on eBay brand new, so I did not jump to buy a new replacement.

http://www.morcmtb.org/photopost/data/513/1IMG_0063.JPG

The next year I placed a ceramic gnome on the same tree painted with the morc web site address and logo. It was a gift from my wife Liz. It lasted maybe one week before someone busted it to pieces.

http://www.morcmtb.org/photopost/data/513/1trail0011_013.jpg

Since then I gave up hoping that I would run accross something more suitable at some point in time.

I do miss the gnome and hope to get something back one of these days... I have a feeling anything short of a gnome made out of strong enough material not to be easiliy shredded or broken would just fall into a similar fate.

If anyone has a gnome or idea they think might work let us know! We do take gnome donations... I'd be willing to try just about anything, even if we have to replace it from time to time.

There has not been a gnome on that tree since May of 2004.

[Tetreves]

The girls are trying to dress me up as a gnome for Renfest.

They're all going as fairies (4 of them), so I'm pushing to be Oberon, the fairy king (from A Midsummer Night's Dream).

Does that count?

[biking_stickman]

The gnome looks to be on vacation in Moab...

[mara]

so I'm pushing to be Oberon, the fairy king

Puck would probably be a bit more appropriate ;)

[Tetreves]

Puck would probably be a bit more appropriate ;)

meanie

:p

[gopherhockey]

TOO FUNNY!!!



The gnome looks to be on vacation in Moab...

[aliensporebomb]

Maybe hang him up in a tree high enough where someone would
have to go thru a lot of effort to get at him to do him some damage
but low enough to be a notable landmark.

Some people just can't let people do something cool like that. Sigh.

[gopherhockey]

Some people just can't let people do something cool like that. Sigh.

Thats kinda where I left it, unfortunately... it was fun while it lasted.

We'll see.. maybe next year we'll try again. Putting it somewhere visible but unreachable is a good idea.

[KleinCrazy]

one word,


solid, cast concrete statue. you see them for sale in little towns and such in places and they have to have a gnome or 2 we could get and paint up.

[bigwheel]

one word,

solid, cast concrete statue.

That's four words. :p

[LightWeight]

Maybe a pink flamingo instead? I happen to know where you can get lots for cheap. We could clean up my neighborhood and add a little spice to Leb. ;)

[h2oskierc]

We could clean up my neighborhood and add a little spice to Leb. ;)

Why would you push that plaque on the very spot that many people go to bike? You just want the trail to yourself, don't you? ;)

solid, cast concrete statue

He hit it on the concrete nail head. They have to lift it to steal it...

[gopherhockey]

Concrete would be perfect... as long as it was large enough. I found a lot of concrete gnomes online but most were too small. Was hoping to find a nice big concrete form or something we could actually build on-site that would never walk away.

I saw one that hangs from a tree and holds a solar powered light - that would be cool for the night rides...

Or if we had someone good with a chainsaw we could carve one into a (dead) tree...

[bigwheel]

I saw one that hangs from a tree and holds a solar powered light - that would be cool for the night rides...

Good idea, but a solar light won't work. They need *direct* sunlight for several hours a day. Even the shaddow from a little branch makes solar panels practically useless.

Or if we had someone good with a chainsaw we could carve one into a (dead) tree...

I can turn a tree into a dead one, but my art skills are limited to drawing stick figures.