Chittenango Polar Bears Trails Blog!

Seven volunteers from our club attended the groomer class held yesterday at the Salisbury Ridgerunners Snowmobile Club in Herkimer County. Believe it or not, they actually have a decent snow base on their trails despite the thaw. Hopefully we will get back to winter very soon!

Attending the class from CPB were Bob Holdridge, John Baitsholts, Tom Hanggi, John Watson, Mike Fischer, Bill Wooldridge and Bill Krauss. This class is the first step in becoming a club approved groomer operator. After additional hours spent in the groomer with other trained operators, these volunteers will eventually be ready to help keep our trails ready for riding. If any other club members are interested in beginning groomer operator training, they should contact the club, as additional training sessions will be held at other venues this season.

In addition to the class, the Ridgerunners also had demonstrations and exhibits of new and used grooming equipment. Art Burghardt, CPB's new Director of Trail Maintenance, also made the trip to check out some of the machines in anticipation of our club adding to our "fleet".We are working to the future, and hoping to create a connector trail to Manlius in order to connect with the Lafayette Trail Riders S53 secondary trail near Rt. 92 and Indian Hill. If we are successful, we would be able to connect through their system to Toggenburg, Cortland and beyond! The first step is building a bridge over Limestone Creek- we are taking a look at potential sites. More to follow!

-Mike

01-07-08 11:00 a.m. A Productive Weekend!

Thanks to the efforts of our trail workers, we have greatly improved the trail junction MD 11 at Bolivar Road and the Erie Canal towpath. The new trail crosses Bolivar Road, and runs behind the storage barn on the Bloss property, but instead of heading straight up the hill turns to the south before heading up a newly cut trail that takes you to the top. This new diagonal cut was completed on Saturday with the help of a bulldozer, and the supervision of Mr. Bloss. We believe this will be much safer than the previously used trail. Signage was completed on Sunday; the trail is ready to go- all we need is snow! Below is a photo of the work crew supervising the rough grading. Remember- when the trail re-opens- ride slow and quiet- respect the landowners!

Don't forget we have a meeting tonight, with a trail signage class. Please try to make it- Delphia's at 7:00 p.m.

-Mike

01-01-08 9:20 a.m. Happy New Year!

Looks like the year is off to a good start- lots of snow in the forecast for this week. Warmer temps this weekend may melt a lot of the snow but hopefully the trails will get a good base. Hopefully we will be able to get the groomer out tomorrow.

NOTE: The proposed route from Irish Ridge Road to Carey's Hill Road is CLOSED and the trail has been re-routed along Carey's Hill Road. Because of the paving of Hodge (Freber) Road, it is no longer a seasonal road and therefore no longer part of our trail plans. The revised trail map can be seen below. We are working on an alternate routing, so check back in a few days or so.

NOTE: There is a new route from the Erie Canal crossing of Bolivar Road. The existing hill trail behind the Bloss home has been CLOSED. The new route turns south and then up the hill on a different path onto the Watson property before crossing Kinderhook Road. This new route is better than the old hill, but it is a little tricky, so use caution. You also have the option of avoiding the hill by continuing south on Bolivar Road to Kinderhook, and then turning right until you rejoin the trail. Check the revised trail map below for more details.

Speaking of the Bloss', Mrs. Bloss was admitted to the hospital yesterday for testing. Not a great way to start the new year. If you have the time, please send a note wishing her better health and a happy 2008. Send it to: Sandra Bloss, 7177 Bolivar Road, Chittenango, NY 13037. Send along a few prayers as well if you are so inclined.

Now for trail status/conditions: Bolivar Rd Trail from Tuscarora Road at Chittenango Creek through the Bolivar Naturewalk and over to Button's Bridge and a junction with Kinderhook Crossing section of C7M is signed and open. Be careful on the farm lanes; with not much base the tractor ruts will be a factor. Also, keep it slow and quiet near any residential areas. The Kinderhook Crossing Trail is open from the new Bolivar Rd. intersection with the Erie Canal trail to Tuscarora Road. Lots of wet spots so take it easy. Be careful when riding along Tom-Tom Rd. and be courteous to the neighbors. Salt Springs Trail from Route 5 to the Tuttle property is open. This trail has been rerouted since last year and is a much easier climb up the ridge. The Homestead Heights and Ridge Road Run Trails between Tuttles and the Falls has not been signed yet. Those sections are closed. Fallsview Trail in the park is open between Rt. 13 and Rathbun Road. From the falls to the east, the Irish Ridge Run is re-routed. Watch out for scrap retrieval operations on Carey's Hill Road. You must follow Carey's Hill Road up the hill until reaching Rowan's Corner (near Irish Ridge and Bearswamp Road intersection). The Bear Swamp Trail is open between Rowan's Corner and the trail junction with the Cazenovia Snow Valley Riders at the Fenner windmills on Bellinger Road. This is also a re-routed trail that you will enjoy! If you want to check it out, you can trailer to the lot at Chittenango Falls State Park and ride east. As always, be careful at all highway and road crossings.

If you get out and ride, please send an e-mail reporting trail conditions or other issues to info@chittenangopolarbears.com and we will post it here.

There was a fatal accident on the canal towpath in Canastota yesterday. The preliminary report is that excessive speed was likely the key factor. The speed limit on the canal is 25 mph maximum; elsewhere not posted 55 mph- please be careful!

-Mike

Irish Ridge Trail Reroute:

Bolivar Road Junction MD 11 reroute:

12-30-07 10:30 a.m.

How about some good news...?

Work Day December 22: 5 volunteers worked all day signing and clearing.

Work Day December 26: 8 volunteers worked all day- including a 17 year old rookie who volunteered to serve as trail captain of the section near his home. Another first-timer volunteered some telephone poles to build a bridge to avoid a small stream crossing- turns out he runs his dogs in that area and figured it was a win-win for all concerned- so that night in the dark we dug out the poles, cut and loaded them for the next day's work.

Work Day December 27: Arrived at bridge location at 9:30 a.m. with poles- 7 volunteers in a freezing rain and wind- Chittenango Lumber (free plug) truck arrived as scheduled at 10:00 a.m.; bridge completed by 11:30- in 2 hours which is a new club record.

Work Day December 29: The best yet- 15 volunteers! We split into three work details and did a lot of clearing and signing. Of the 15, 3 were teenage sons of members, so I feel pretty good about the next generation of club leaders.

I suppose that once we can afford better equipment to clear brush and carry materials etc. we will work much faster, but these volunteers will ride with pride this season because of all their sweat equity.

Totals for the week: 20 different volunteers logged a total of 230 hours! Below is a foto of the new bridge at Peterboro Road. In the foto, and testing the load capacity of the bridge, from l-r: Bob Holdridge, George Fischer, Peter Colman, John Baitsholts and Tim Tuttle.

Mike