Spring Thaw

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Saturday, July 31, 2010

..:: Articles » Spring Thaw ::..

Conditions

TRAIL OPEN: Ride with the Arrows for 1 Way Traffic.

The trail is just dry enough to ride normal direction, but there is some debris on the ground. Take the time to hike the trail, kick off the crap, then ride it. There is still MUD on the fronstide and FAR CREEK - avoid those areas, jump up on the higher ground. . There is a new tree down on the long downhill near the trucking company in the eastside dark side. This tree is at head level on a fast section so USE CAUTION.

The Front Side is muddy: Creek bottoms are very wet.

The Dark Side REGULAR route is OPEN:

Far Creek = OPEN, .

Trailer Run tacky mud sections is OPEN:

Basement is muddy with some minor standing water: You can ride abound most of it, but I short cut it.

7/29/10 No air Bud

Weather

Valparaiso, IN

67°F
Feels like 67°F
Partly Cloudy Day

	UV Index:	3 - Moderate
	Dew Point:	64°F
	Humidity:	90%
	Visibility:	10.0 mi
	Pressure:	29.87 falling
	Wind:	10 mph SSE 150°

Extended Forecast
Sunday	Monday	Tuesday

85°F / 66°F	91°F / 73°F	89°F / 74°F
Sunny Day	Partly Cloudy Day	Lightening

Spring Thaw - Ride Ban

It's a terrible shame that the weather turns nice before the trail is ready to ride. In March 60° F weather just means mud. Mud and LOTS more mud.

So yes, there is the snow that melts. But then there is all the snow from the entire winter that melted, entered the soil and then froze. Not just that, it's all the moisture from fall as well. So, as you can see it's a lot of water to dry. And with 40°F temperatures more frequent then 60°F, it takes quite a bit of time for things to dry.

Now consider the consequences of riding the trail in this quite fragile state. True, one tire tread isn't going to do much harm. But when you run through the mud, you mix it up and drive the water deeper. This means it takes even LONGER to evaporate. Your little harmless fun will delay the opening of the trail.

Believe me, the dedicated volunteers of the Outback Trail Commission are as eager as anyone to start riding. After all, we're so enthusiastic that we build and maintain the Outback Trail. So please trust us. We're not hogging it all to ourselves. WAIT TO RIDE, we'll let you know when it's ready.

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