Silverman 2009 - Elvis visits aid station - Jason

Nov. 9th, 2009 -  The morning after and I feel beat up.  Maybe frank and company should put aid station volunteers through a training program to get in shape for working an aid station on the Silverman?  Aid station #10 is located at the 100 mile mark on the full Triathlon bike ride portion and is the last aid station before completing the ride.  Riders have been on a steady uphill climb for the last 9 miles when then reach this station including the brutal “Three Sisters” at 15% grade.

It was a grand event from our station perspective…Great weather, lots of volunteers, hundreds of biker riders, great hot dogs and chili, no injuries or accidents, and the day ended 45-minutes ahead of schedule.  Our Aid Station theme this year was “Rock ’N Roll” complete with music of the era, costumed volunteers and prop’s which made it fun for all. 

Silverman Sid station #10 Rock 'N Roll crew 2009

During the day we had over 30 volunteers work the aid station. We were also the jumping off location for Henderson Police ATV & Motorcycle patrols of the trail course.  We all enjoyed hot dogs and chili during the day.  We kept hundreds of bike riders refreshed with cold water and Gatorade, Hammer gel, banana’s,and of course rock n roll music, bells, whistles, horns, clapping shouts of encouragement. 

Silverman 2009 racers & aid station in action

   During the day we had visits from Elvis and Peg Bundy and other hipsters yet to be determined.

Silverman 2009 aid #10 celebs Peg - Elvis - ?

Aid Station #10 photo Gallery:

Hoover Dam connector trail canyon wall 2004

Nov. 6, 2009 -  I ran across these old photos of the building of the connecting trail from the Historic Railroad down to the Hoover Dam Visitor center parking garage.  This was probably one of the most expensive trail segments due to the NEPA and historic nature of the area; plus it had severe construction challenges. We had to hang a trail on the side of a canyon wall.

Hoover connector trail - contractor & trail partners 2004

 The River Mountains Trail Partnership was activily involved in the completion of the Historic Railroad Trail including the Hoover Dam connector as it would become a landmark and historic destination on the whole trail system.

 

Hoover Dam connector trail switchbacks down canyon wall to garage...2004

The completion of the Historic Railroad Trail and the Hoover Dam connector trail were dedicated and open to the public in October 2007 with a bike ride from Boulder City to the Hoover Dam. The trail section from tunnel #5 to the dam is only open during daylight hours. 

In the gallery photos below is one old B & W photo from Bureau of Reclamation public file photos showing the Hi-mix concrete plant with a steam locatmotive. This is the same location of the current Hoover Dam Connector Trail.  If you look closely you’ll see the same large crack in the rock formation on the left.

Hoover Dam Connector Trail photo Gallery:

 

 

Nov. 5, 2009 – The subject of electric bikes really  has not been an issue on local trails; but yet the Nevada legislature passed AB 441 this last session specifically allowing them on trails and pedestrian walkways that were built with certain* Federal money.  In the legislation the electric bicylce is defined as follows: 

 AB 441 became effective October 1, 2009.  In summary the bill provides that,

First, electric bikes do not have to be registered as a motor vehicle.

Second, they do not require a driver’s license.

Third, they are okay to ride on federally funded bike trails just like regular bikes.

Fourth, they are to be included in bike riding safety programs.

Fifth, electric bikes must follow same traffic laws as regular bikes.

***************

Are electric bcycles allowed on the River Mountains Loop Trail?  The answer would seem to be yes, but the law states certain Federally funded trails and walkways. Those certain funds appear to be Federal Highways Administration (FHWA) dollars which were used in limited areas of trail construction.  As stated earlier this has not been an issue up to now.  The RMTP is reviewing this legislation and other issues related to authorized and unauthorized uses on the River Mountains loop Trail. 

   

Example of electric bike by Giant

Nov. 4, 2009 – this story has been floating around in the news below the surface so thought I would go to the source and provide the facts as reported by The Canadian Press HALIFAX, N.S. The entire article is copied here. See if there are any patterns to coyote reports in Southern Nevada or along the River Mountains Loop Trail. This attack is rare and apparently the only known death by coyotes.  I have highlight key words or phases that we trail users should take note of and learn.

By Alison Auld (CP) – Oct 28, 2009  HALIFAX, N.S. — A young Canadian folk singer who had just set off on a solo tour to boost a promising musical career died Wednesday after being mauled by two coyotes in what is believed to be one of the country’s first fatal attacks by the animals.   Taylor Mitchell was hiking alone in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park on Tuesday afternoon when a pair of coyotes attacked her, leaving her critically injured with bite wounds covering most of her body.The 19-year-old singer’s screams for help were heard by at least two other hikers, who rushed to the Skyline Trail and called 911 at around 3 p.m. as the animals continued their brutal attack on the young Toronto woman. 

 Mitchell, who was on a three-week tour of the region to promote her debut CD, was to play in Sydney, N.S., on Wednesday night when she decided to go for a hike in the scenic park.   “She loved going into the woods and hiking,” Lisa Weitz, her manager in Toronto, said through tears. “She was absolutely pumped about her first tour on the East Coast and to take her songwriting craft to new audiences…”She just had a wonderful joy of life and sharing music.” 

Mitchell, who had about a dozen concert dates in the Maritimes, was rushed to a local hospital and then airlifted to Halifax. She died at about 3:30 a.m. Wednesday, police said.  Paul Maynard of Emergency Health Services said she was already in critical condition when paramedics arrived on the scene and was bleeding heavily from multiple bite wounds.   “She was losing a considerable amount of blood from the wounds,” he said.  “This was really out of the ordinary – the first I’ve heard of something like this.“  RCMP Sgt. Brigdit Leger said officers shot one of the two animals, apparently wounding it, but both managed to get away.  An official with Parks Canada said they barricaded the entrance to the trail where Mitchell was attacked and were trying to find the animals to determine what prompted such an unusual attack. Helene Robichaud, the park’s superintendent, said there have been a handful of reports of aggressive coyotes over the last 15 years, but they have not seen any attacks on people.  “There’s been some reports of aggressive animals, so it’s not unknown,” she said. “But we certainly never have had anything so dramatic and tragic.”  Officials shot a coyote late Tuesday, but Robichaud doubted that it was one of the two involved in the attack. 

The provincial Natural Resources Department said there is no other record of a fatal coyote attack on a human in Nova Scotia since the animals were first discovered in the province in the ’70s.  In 2003, a teenage girl was bitten on the arm by a coyote while walking on the same trail as Mitchell, said Germaine LeMoine of Parks Canada. The girl’s parents managed to scare the animal away.  Biologists said it’s unlikely the coyotes involved had contracted rabies or were protecting young animals.  Bob Bancroft, a Nova Scotia wildlife biologist, said coyotes shy away from humans. But not all animals – particularly young, inexperienced coyotes in parks – view humans as predators.  “This is probably just a couple of coyotes that saw something vulnerable and went for it,” he said.  “It’s horrible. It’s not something you would expect at all. “Coyotes in the region are larger and behave somewhat differently than their counterparts in Western Canada, he said. Large males in Nova Scotia can weigh up to 60 pounds.  Simon Gadbois, a professor at Dalhousie University who studies animal behaviour, said hikers should always be vigilant and aware of their surroundings.  Should a hiker unintentionally surprise a coyote or other animal, Gadbois has simple, potentially life-saving advice: Never act like prey.”The worst thing you can do is start running away,” he said. “Wave your arms, shout, just show that you mean business basically and most animals will think twice.

“Ethel Merry, who manages a motel 10 kilometres from the park in Cheticamp, said people in the area have been seeing more coyotes in the last three years and are calling for controls on their numbers.  Merry said she and her family have seen packs of up to seven coyotes wandering around people’s yards and attacking pets.  “I’m not surprised at all that this happened,” she said. “The coyotes are all around us. … I am so afraid to walk my road.

“Mitchell, who graduated from the Etobicoke School of the Arts, had recently been nominated for a Canadian Folk Music Award and was being roundly praised for her songwriting talent.   Mitchell’s MySpace site shows the singer standing in the woods with her guitar and a suitcase at her side, along with the cover photo of her album, “For Your Consideration.”   Weitz said the singer had just gotten her licence and a new car, which she loaded with her CDs before setting off alone on the tour. “She was a beautiful, dynamic, young, talented woman and we’re all so saddened and shocked,” Weitz said.  “She was such a young and old soul at the same time. She just knew how to beautifully craft a song.” Singer Suzie Vinnick met the performer about three years ago and acted as a mentor, teaching her guitar as Mitchell played bars in Ontario and started to garner attention.   “She was really keen and hungry in a really positive way,” she said in an interview. “She was a great lyricist and held a lot of promise. I mean, she was at it for two years and already managed to get a Canadian Folk Music nomination.”

Copyright © 2009 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

 NOTE: SEE OTHER COYOTE RELATED STORIES AND PHOTOS IN THIS BLOG.

Oct. 29, 2009 – The following is from the last issue of the B.C. News; but can be found in the L.V. Sun also. Headline is a little mis-leading as we celebrated the completion of Boulder City’s portion of the River Mountains Loop Trail. We still have a 2.5 mile section between mile marker 8.5 and mile marker 11 to complete by late summer 2010.

Completion of loop trail celebrated

More than 30 people took a train ride and a brisk stroll Oct. 17 to celebrate the completion of the portion of the River Mountain Loop Trail connecting Boulder City and Henderson. Another three people brought their bicycles on the train, then rode the 5 kilometers back to the Southern Nevada Railway depot.

The section connecting Railroad Pass to the Nevada State Veterans Home, was completed last month and now allows hikers and bicyclists to ride from Lake Las Vegas in Henderson through Boulder City and around Lake Mead with only a brief interruption around Industrial Road and U.S. 93, said Gary Zupanic the engineering technician overseeing the Boulder City portion of the project. That portion should be complete by year’s end, he said.

The entire 34.5-mile River Mountain Loop Trail is scheduled to be completed by next October.

The Boulder City Chamber of Commerce sponsored the 5K walk, bike, run and stroll Oct. 17 to mark the completion of a portion called significant by John Holman, chairman of the River Mountain Loop Trail Partnership.

Awards were given to the top three finishers of the run: Jeannine Spicer, first place; Valerie McNay, second place; and Lee Schultz, third place.

Boulder city Cut & Rund oct. 17, 2009 photo by R. Hall B.C>

Southern Nevada Railway & joggers Oct. 17th, 2009 photo by JEH

BMI Water Pipeline along Trail 102409

 

October 26, 2009 -  I get this question every once in awhile, so here is the answer.  No it’s not oil or seweage.  It is the first water pipeline in the Las Vegas Valley.  Built during World War II to provide water to the Basic Management Industrial complex in Henderson (BMI).  The pipeline still provides all the water needs for the BMI plants and a portion of Henderson water needs also.  Basic Water Co. operates and maintains the pipeline. Near trail mile marker #13 is a water guzzler providing water for wildlife and a very large cottonwood tree sometimes referred to as the “Magic Tree” by local riders.  BMI, Basic Water co. and LandWell Development have been long time trail partners in the development of the River Mountains Loop Trail.  Approximatley ten miles of the trail is located within the BMI water pipeline corriodor.  So as you hike, walk, run and ride along the pipeline you are riding along a historic pipeline which brought the first Lake Mead Water to the Las Vegas Valley.

BMI water line MM 13 102409

BMI WATER PIPELIEN GALLERY:

 

Oct. 24, 2009 – While doing our trail watch hours on the trail Saturday we got to see a fair sized ” Brown Tarantula” on the trail.  We watched him for a while and made sure he go off the trail before heading back to the trailhead.  The sighting took place near MM 13 on the River Mountains Loop Trail within Lake Mead National Recreation Area.

Here is a couple of photos:

Tarantula & Trail Watch hat photo by John 102409

October 22, 2009 – Historic Railroad trail is now open again to Hoover Dam.   Reclamation has improved the area that crosses the Police access road.  We have  striped a cross walk, and paved from the exit of the switchyard  to the top of the switchback trail down to the parking garage.

ADDITIONAL WORK PLANNED FOR 2010 - The Bureau of Reclamation Work planned for 2010:

•  install 2 drinking fountains
• Install 1 vault toilet
• Install a shade shelter and table
• Install benches along trail 
• Correct  two dips to bring up to accessibility grade
• open up the back trail loop,
• and develop a trail map complete with lengths, elevations, GPS.

In my opinon these announced improvements will make this one of the best and most unique trail experiences in the Western States.  The back loop mentioned is more of the actual rail bed used to build the dam, which has been off limits to the public for years.  With completion of the bridge next year and these improvements the trail experience will just get better and better.

OCTOBER 13th, 2009 -Starting tonight about sundown a contractor will be ripping out the Hoover Dam Police road to repave it.   Reclamation would appreciate it if NPS and River Mountains partnership ask people to be careful in the area where the Historic Railroad trail crosses the roadway to the POLICE substation.

The contractor will be paving the trail from the switchyard exit bollards to the top of the Zig Zag trail, painting a cross walk across the police roadway, and paving the short term drop off and pick up area.

The trail will still be open dawn to dusk as the contractor is working nights, dusk to dawn on the project.  However, at times their will be some cones and tape to reroute the trail while they pave the trail areas.  This is a 2 week project and should be completed by October 23, 2009.

Reclamation will provide you updates as they become available.

Hoover Switch & Police station work area 2009

(NOTE: This area is just before you enter the paved switch-backs down to the dam parking garage. Be safe and tell your friends.)

 OCTOBER 12, 2009 – I have received many searches for Big Horn Sheep. This recent article by Jean Norman along with related photos really provides some great insight to the some of the issues these big boys face on a daily basis.  I personally prefer to see them out more in the wilds along the trail which is a rare sight indeed.  This park location where the sheep are photographed is only a block off the trail so one can make a quick side trip while riding trail through Boulder City.  The park is located off of Ville Drive and is called the “Hemenway Valley Park”. 

Photo by L.V. Sun Justin M. Bowen

Story by Jean Norman, L.V. Sun & B.C. News

The desert bighorn sheep that live in the River Mountains in Boulder City, seen here on a recent weekday morning, make their way down to Hemenway Park almost every morning. City officials have voiced concerns about the sheep as traffic in the area they roam is set to increase next year with the opening of the new Hoover Dam bypass bridge.

Link to entire article with lots of sheep photos below.

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/oct/05/when-bypass-bridge-opens-bighorn-sheep-could-be-bi/

October 12, 2009 – (This clip comes from Monday A.M addition of Las Vegas Review Journal) links below to other stories…

http://www.lvrj.com/news/in-brief-63987707.html 

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/oct/11/relay-race-runner-dies-drunken-driving-crash/

http://www.ragnarrelay.com/lasvegas

A man running in a race was struck and killed by a motorist Saturday morning.

Henderson police said the 29-year-old man was struck about 4:30 a.m. on Horizon Ridge Parkway near Gibson Road. Further details weren’t available on Sunday. The jogger’s name was not released.

The man was one of some 2,400 runners in the Ragnar Relay Las Vegas race, a news release from race officials said. The release said the motorist, suspected of driving while intoxicated, was arrested at the scene.

The race took place Friday and Saturday and started in Valley of Fire State Park and ended near Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.

(Note: Very unfortunate incident…I posted this on our BLOG as 15-18 miles of the race ran on the River Mountains Loop Trail where no motorized vehicles are allowed.  Silverman Triathlon race is up on November 8th this year and Pumpkinman Triathon runs this weekend Oct. 17th and Hoover Dam Marathon will run Oct. 31st on  portions of trail)