I am planning on heading down to Ft. Lauderdale this weekend and was thinking of trying out the trail at Markham Park. I heard that the trail may be underwater due to the recent rains, is this true? Should I wait for another time to go for my first time, if so is there another park nearby I can hit while I'm down there? Thanks
Cutback on Gunrange is complete :thumbsup: and a few minor growth issues on Outback have been addressed also. There were 5 of us and even with power tools it took over 3 hours just to clear Gunrange!!
This coming Sunday July 1st is trail maintenance day in Markham and we sure can use a few peeps with cut back of the overbearing vegetation... There will be some trail repair too, but personally I will focus on cutting the veggies which in turn will reduce the bugs too...
We are currently doing MAJOR work at Markham Park and tomorrow we will try to revamp Armadillo trail. We hope to get a few people out to help. We finished rebuilding the pump-track today and it is CLOSED till Monday. If you have a few hours to lend a hand, it will be greatly appreciated. Even if you can't lift heavy stuff some much needed cut-back of the vegetation is needed in a bad way. The majority of the heavy lifting work will be dome with the Muck-truck and the bulldozer we have BTW...
Lend a hand if you can, even picking up trash is of value!!!!
Ohh yea, I should be there today after work with a couple friends. Weather has been pretty nice. Do you guys have a link to the facebook page? I tried looking for it but only found a page with like one picture and almost no posts. I joined it anyways but im not sure if thats the official page. Thanks.
Im a web designer/graphic designer by day so if you guys need any help with a website or flyers, etc give me a shout out. Im part of the Florida Marine Aquarium Society (FMAS) and i volunteer my services to them as well whenever i can. Send me out a message if you guys want.
The only issue which I found annoying was all the vehicle traffic which kept coming past the goneriding trailer... vehicles that just seemed to be driving by sight seeing, not realizing the road was closed.. it was gridlock at times.. kinda wish they had a big ROAD CLOSED sign, so people would turn around way earlier
The trails were in great shape and those tight turns leading to the finish made for some good racing. :thumbsup:
Got in my first ride this morning on the new bike. I spent 45 minutes checking out mostly blue trails and the occasional black, by accident and had a blast. Only one fall which draw a little blood, remindiing me of when I used to come home from riding when my kids were little and they would ask mom why dad liked biking when he always came home with bloody shins. Not a bad ride considering its been at least ten years since I've been out there. I hope to make it out tomorrow. Congrats to you guys for putting these trails together!
If all you riders really like what we have done, please lend a hand for what we are about to do...
There are some MAJOR changes planned that will add a lot of yardage to the trails. There are a few re-routes planned and if we get a lot of help, this will happen sooner rather than later.
We had a planning session yesterday and IF we get the volunteers to come out on the next trail build day, we could get very far with these plans. Don't forget that Markham is YOUR park as well....
First Sunday of each month is when we do most of the work,,,
This weekend we opened up a new section in Alligator Alley and it is an amazing extension to the Black Snake section which is now almost a 1/4 mile longer...:smilewinkgrin:
Not to derail the current thread about trail maintenance or tire inflation numbers but a re-ocurring issue keeps happening and needs to be addressed openly and since more people seem to check in here, i figured I'd post it here. First, let me start by saying this is my first post however I have been riding for several years and visit this forum frequently,I Just don't comment much but enjoy the experience of all who post.. I feel it's unfortunate that I have to go into detail about the issue but if I don't someone is going to get hurt.
Last week I was riding, as I do every Mon, Wed., Fri. not once but twice, was nearly hit by bikers coming off of two different trails, specifically the exit of the warm up loop right across from the warm up area in the front and the long trail exit coming out from route 66 where it exits at the big palm tree with the picnic table adjecent to the entrance of rock garden.
I hate to label anyone but these 3 guys were in typical road bike atire, riding wheel to wheel and exiting at least 20-25 mph into the open riding area that all of us traverse going to whichever trail we choose. For whatever reason they feel they need to exit a trail into an open area where other riders are staging, resting or riding slowly, at that speed is obsurd to say the least. We all know how horific the injuries are of the road bike riders on the road with motor vehicle crashes but think for a moment of hitting someone broadside coming off a trail that fast on a bike. The injuries could be just as bad, especially if it's a kid. It's just a matter of time before it happens and there is really no reason for it. Mountain biking has not ever been about speed and riding wheel to wheel
(unless its a mountain bike race) as fast as you can go against time, it's more technical riding and building endurance. It has only happened now that the road bike riders are now riding mountain bikes and trying to bring the road ride to the trails which is only going to hurt someone and themselves.
Another issue is that from what I know as a rider approaching a slower rider that you intend to pass, is a verbal notification of your intentions and give the person a chance to move over. Again, the racers feel that if you don't stop.....litterly on the trail..... and let them pass so they can keep their pace, you are intentionally trying to hold them up. I can tell you that I am not stopping on a trail a foot in width with a 10-20 foot drop on both sides simply because it would be disasterous for all involved. Again common sense is key here and I know some might feel a little cocky with the new bikes that they got for christmas but if you've seen some of the injuries that people are removed from the park with, you would think twice about your riding habits, trust me.
I like to ride agressively where I can and am not implying that anyone should not do the same, but others are noticing and commenting on way some of these riders are getting out of hand and making it dangerous for everyone when someone is going slower in front of them or when exiting a trail. Just use common sense. If not when you leave the park after riding, drive across SR 84 at the entrance to markham without stopping and see what happens. Why would you do the same on the trails.
I really don't think Oscar needs to put a stop sign at every intersection of trail exits. A little common sense goes a long way.
Last week I was riding, as I do every Mon, Wed., Fri. not once but twice, was nearly hit by bikers coming off of two different trails, specifically the exit of the warm up loop right across from the warm up area in the front and the long trail exit coming out from route 66 where it exits at the big palm tree with the picnic table adjecent to the entrance of rock garden.
I hate to label anyone but these 3 guys were in typical road bike atire, riding wheel to wheel and exiting at least 20-25 mph into the open riding area that all of us traverse going to whichever trail we choose. For whatever reason they feel they need to exit a trail into an open area where other riders are staging, resting or riding slowly, at that speed is obsurd to say the least. We all know how horific the injuries are of the road bike riders on the road with motor vehicle crashes but think for a moment of hitting someone broadside coming off a trail that fast on a bike. The injuries could be just as bad, especially if it's a kid. It's just a matter of time before it happens and there is really no reason for it. Mountain biking has not ever been about speed and riding wheel to wheel
(unless its a mountain bike race) as fast as you can go against time, it's more technical riding and building endurance. It has only happened now that the road bike riders are now riding mountain bikes and trying to bring the road ride to the trails which is only going to hurt someone and themselves.
Another issue is that from what I know as a rider approaching a slower rider that you intend to pass, is a verbal notification of your intentions and give the person a chance to move over. Again, the racers feel that if you don't stop.....litterly on the trail..... and let them pass so they can keep their pace, you are intentionally trying to hold them up. I can tell you that I am not stopping on a trail a foot in width with a 10-20 foot drop on both sides simply because it would be disasterous for all involved. Again common sense is key here and I know some might feel a little cocky with the new bikes that they got for christmas but if you've seen some of the injuries that people are removed from the park with, you would think twice about your riding habits, trust me.
I like to ride agressively where I can and am not implying that anyone should not do the same, but others are noticing and commenting on way some of these riders are getting out of hand and making it dangerous for everyone when someone is going slower in front of them or when exiting a trail. Just use common sense. If not when you leave the park after riding, drive across SR 84 at the entrance to markham without stopping and see what happens. Why would you do the same on the trails.
I really don't think Oscar needs to put a stop sign at every intersection of trail exits. A little common sense goes a long way.
While I see the point of perhaps too much lime-rock in the repairs, it is the ONLY material that holds up. Carpet has been suggested as an alternative to combat erosion, but if you like that I suggest a visit to Amelia. We have pavers in stock as we rather ride concrete/stone than multicolored nylon even if it is buried. That material has it's drawback's too, and the peeps in Amelia have done a great job working out the issues, but it is not for Markham.
The idea behind all the work we have done so far, is repair the worst spots first and than restore all the lost elevation in all the trails. This is a multi year operation and believe it or not we are planning about 2 years ahead with some projects.
If you see yourself riding in between two walls of dirt, it means that the trail used to be higher-up on that spot. The roots that are popping up, only means that dirt has washed away by rain and all the riders. They are now perceived as part of the trail and a feature, when in essence they weren't there when the trail was first developed.
Then there are the skidders, who have no control of their bike and brake at every turn, every down hill and everywhere in between when they are about to lose control.
Riding within your skill level is posted on several signs at the gate and promptly ignored by most. Then there are the litterbugs giving us even more to do, like I was born to clean up other peoples crap of the trails...:madman:
We do feel we have become a victim of our own success by doing so much work. Yes, the flow is back but we are planning on throwning a few curveballs in the trails in the upcoming months to restore the fear factor. The only thing we have to keep in mind that we are bound by the county safety officer, as safety has a priority in regards to liability. We live in a nanny era where everybody is a 'winner', 'special' and not responsible for their own stupidity. All we can do is add more features and plug away. It will all come together at some point.
Nice! I took a break from Markham and when I went back I was surprised by all the new "fixed" areas....don't get me wrong, I love it, but the "expert" sections aren't really "expert" anymore.
Update on Markham!
It is soggy, wet and overgrown in places....
Last TM day we only had 7 peeps show up and we tried to do what we could, but the Fakawi tour was going on too, so many regulars were riding that instead.
Please stay out of the flooded Rte 66 trail, as nobody will come and get you if you have an accident. You're on your own in there. Oh one more thing, the mosquitos are out in full force, so keep moving when you ride. The bug spray I used, had little effect when I worked in Gunrange...:skep:
Hey Oscar, thanks for all you do there! I have not been back to Markham for some time. Been hitting Amelia Earhart. Hope this week is dry, planning on hitting it up Sunday.
Thank you for your efforts with the trails at Markham. I have been a regular ever since I started off trail riding back in 1997 with my Gary Fisher Kaitai! I have seen the evolution of the trails since then and it is for the better. This past weekend ride I was notified by park staff about the new fee that surprised me that it was not done earlier; it takes much effort, time and money to maintain trails while on the hot - humid South Florida sun with the official state "bird" (a.k.a. The Mosquito) keeping you company does not make it a very fun venture. The trails have provided me with hundreds of hours of great rides and a fit body to experience life with. Continue the great workmanship.
For those of you that have asked about Rte.66 opening up, this coming Sunday we will have a cutback event so that we can reopen Rte.66. We will meet at the trailhead at 8:15. The more people we get to help out, the faster the trail will open up. The rainy season has wreaked havoc in this trail and there is a lot of grass, brush and a few downed trees to deal with. If you like to lend a hand, please bring a weed-eater if you have one. We have two, but the trail is over a mile long..:eekster:
The trail crew has a lot on the plate this year and we are a bit overwhelmed by the amount of work we have taken on. The AMTB trail is coming along, but many other things have detoured us from the master plan. Rte.66 is a major favorite trail so any and all help is very welcome!! Thanks!!
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