Announcements

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Chris King Ringtone - Ringing the Bell for NWTA! 

Chris King  - supporting NWTA in their own creative way - again!  If you've ridden on or around bikes specced out with some of the northwest's finest, you may have noticed an iconic "angry bee" drone chasing you down the hill (or leading!).  When the pedaling stops and the bike keeps going- that's when the magic happens.  Of course, we're talking about the holy grail of hubs- Chris King.  Whether you are barreling downhill, or tackling the descent of a technical switchback it's hard not to be lulled by the zen-like buzz.

Here's your opportunity to represent!  Now you can have that unabashedly awesome sound as a custom ringtone on your iPhone with a simple click in the iTunes store (must be accessed from your iPhone). The best part is that $99c of each purchase goes directly to NWTA!  (Hang on Droid users, your version coming soon.)

"Ride to 1,000" Membership Drive 

Whether your outdoor adventures mean two feet or two wheels, you simply can't ignore the sublime mountain bike experience right here in our backyard. Bursting with drive and enthusiasm, Ride to 1,000 is meant to celebrate that experience.

A short peek at where we ride and it may be hard to believe there is such amazing resources here in the PNW, and groups like Northwest Trail Alliance continue to help make it happen. Part of our mission is to help provide a safe and enjoyable places for riders - but make no mistake we couldn't do it without our volunteers, members and sponsors.  As much as there is going on in the MTB scene right now - with new trails being added through our region - NWTA's Ride to 1,000 campaign is all that more important.

To support the continued progress of our trail systems, we would like to share an invitation to join in the membership drive efforts.  Your help ensures a home for a community who shares a vision for our outdoors, and we all will know it was possible because of you.  So, get on board and be part of a milestone in northwest mountain biking!

We still have some work to do before we hit 1,000 members.  If you are looking for a new way to be involved, this is a perfect opportunity!  Encourage your friends, acquaintances, and co-workers to Join Us! 

Our Friends in Salem

In case you haven't heard, the greater Salem area has a ton of riding opportunities and our friends over at the Salem Area Trail Alliance are set making it even better!  They have been working closely with Oregon State Parks for the past two years to draft the Salem Greenway Trail (SGT) plan. The SGT is an extensive 
(100+ mile) multi-use natural terrain trail that will connect the natural beauty of rural Salem to its city center. Conceptually, the SGT will resemble the Kingdom Trail in Vermont and has the potential 
to connect several Oregon State Parks along the Willamette River with local vineyards, farms, and inns. Recently, SATA was awarded a Specialized Dealer Grant that allowed them to hire IMBA's Trail 
Solutions to conduct a large scale trail study. The results of this study will guide a visit by IMBA's TCC in October of this year. SATA would like to invite NWTA members to the IMBA TCC event (October 14th 
& 15th, 2011). More details to follow in about a month. SATA representative, Jeff McNamee, stated that SATA appreciates NWTA's rich history of trail stewardship and looks forward to working with the  

NWTA in the future. You can read more about SATA and its goals at the SATA website or on facebook.

After a long delay due to heavy snow packs, setbacks, and heartbreaks, a very successful Helens Fest II is now history!  Thirty-two Evergreen and NWTA mountain bikers experienced great riding conditions, awesome scenery, and gave back to the trails we all ride and enjoy.  The wildflower display on the Plains of Abraham were at their peak, especially the Lupine perfuming the air.  Rides were held on the epic Ape Canyon and Smith Creek Trails, Lewis River, and Toutle, and Butte Camp trails.  Riders ascending the Wright Meadow and Craggy Peak Trails even ran in to 3' deep snow drifts above 5,000' elevation - even at this late date.  Five riders explored a portion of the unknown West Fork and Kalama Ski Trails which connect to the Toutle and Butte Camp Trails and found those trails 

great fun.  The Kalama Ski Trail combined with other trails on the south-west side of the

mountain has the potential to be another epic ride on the Mountain!  Brian

Pautler, Evergreen's AmeriCorps trail work coordinator, organized and coordinated five work parties for Saturday's day of stewardship with Gary Walker and Sharon Steriti trail stewards with the Mount St Helens National Volcanic Monument.  Projects completed include repairing a washout in the first gully on the Plains of Abraham; repaving a section of water damaged trail high

on the Plains; brush removal from Upper Ape Canyon trail; brush removal and 

tread repair on the lower Smith Creek Trail; and brush removal and tread 

repair on a mile of the Kalama Ski Trail east of the Toutle Trail.  Several intrepid riders made the Ape Canyon/Smith Creek loop ride for the 2nd time

in two days carrying with them loppers to complete and removal of brush on 

a half mile section of the upper Smith Creek Trail.  All in all a successful work day under hot sunny skies.  Demo Trek Fuel Ex 9 and Remedys provided by the Bike Gallery enabled Forest Service employees the ability to get to work sites along with MTB'ers.

 

Saturday's post work party day meal was sponsored by the Bike Gallery and prepared by Chef Dan Schafer who put together a Taco Bar spread that nourished and pleased participants.  That meal will be a tough act to follow.  We were honored to have Monument Manager Tom Mulder join us

join us for our meal and talk with us afterwards.  He told us how important our trail work is to the Monument and how much it saves Taxpayers monies.

 

A big thanks goes to the Bike Gallery for providing raffle items and their demo bikes for participants to try, GU, and Clif Bars for supporting the event.  Evergreen and Laurelwood also provided items for our raffle.  The Mount St Helens Institute provided Hansens Soda for our crew.  Huge thanks go to Gary Walker and Sharon Steriti and the trail crew of the Forest Service for their support of the event, without them it wouldn't happen.  Jon Martin of the Mount St Helens Institute provided a lot of logistical support for our trail work day.  A big

thanks to all who helped make the event a success.

 

Dates for next year's event have not yet been set, but they will be announced soon.

PS. Don't forget about the National Public Lands Day event out at Gifford Pinchot National Forest 

      Check it out HERE 

Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day

Searching for an excuse to get the family out in the dirt?  Well, look no further.  You're invited to go mountain biking with us for the eighth annual Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day at Stub Stewart State Park on Saturday, October 1st!  Kids, families, anyone is welcome.  It's simple.  Just bring bike, a helmet, and $5 for park admission.  If it's your first time, or you don't have the gear, you needn't worry.  Northwest Trail Alliance will be there to supply bikes, helmets, instruction and the fun!  Transportation to the park from Portland is also available if needed.  After a fun-filled day of excitement, stick around for a post-ride BBQ.  We'll get to chat about the latest happening with mountain biking, NWTA and the park.  We look forward to seeing you out at Stub!  Be sure to fill out the registration form on the NWTA website by September 24th.  For more information, check out the NWTA website or contact Jon Pheanis at jonp@nw-trail.org.

Sunday Parkways 

Show NE Portland Some Fun- NWTA Style  

FYI, the Mobile Skills Course is Fun for Big Kids, Too!

We all knew the time would come- the last Sunday Parkways until next year.  It's been a blast.  NWTA's work with the Parkways has truly been rewarding.  We were able to meet a great bunch new friends and share in the celebration of being outside.  NWTA may have been the new to a lot of folks, but we've definitely been a big hit with our sweet mobile skills course.  If you haven't had a chance, this the perfect event for those of you who have been looking to get to know your neighbors to the north... um, east... er, northeast.  Remember this is the last Sunday Parkways of the year. So if you've been thinking about coming out, this is it!  For a few short hours you can help with setting up and staffing the event. Let's show 'em how it's done!  Join us from 12am - 5pm on September 25th for the Northeast event.  For more information email Will at will@nw-trial.org  See you there!

Spotlight on Service

Welcome to one of our favorite sections, where we showcase a different member each month who has, in some way or another, been invaluable to NWTA. These are the people, like all our volunteers, who have made what we do possible.  

Undoubtedly, Jenn is guru in all things bike, and we are forever grateful that one of those things is NWTA. Simply put, she is a dynamo.  If there was ever any question about it, all you need do is read below. Thanks Jenn!

You're Involved Because...: "Last year, I moved 3,219 miles across the country from Albany, New York specifically to live in a Platinum-Level Bicycle Friendly Community.  Imagine my surprise, then, to arrive in the much-lauded "Biketopia" and discover the lack of access to quality, purpose-built singletrack within city limits that would enable cyclists to RIDE to the ride.  Refusing to become one of the city's residents who began sentences with, "yeah, I used to mountain-bike, but then I moved to Portland and I don't want to drive to ride," I was fortunate enough to met Tom Archer at Pedal Nation 2010 and link up with the NorthWest Trail Alliance, connecting with a number of committed cyclists who are passionate about creating and fostering a strong mountain-bike community and number of great places to ride here in the Pacific NW."

Why we do what we do:  "Just like Amsterdam and Denmark, Portland did not magically become a bicycle-friendly city overnight.  In 1990, alternative transportation advocates were asking themselves, " Why is it so hard to ride a bike in this city?! "  Then they got busy making change happen. 20 years later, advocates, planners, engineers and bike-fun motivators are taking the next steps to make Portland even more bicycle-friendly (and snatching back the #1 ranking from Minneapolis/St. Paul).  NWTA is ensuring that includes those who prefer trail to tarmac and soil over cement.  I am continually motivated and inspired by the NWTA Board and leaders who have stepped forward to make change happen:  with an at-capacity crowd of 200 cyclists gathered at the opening night of Trail Fest this past April to discuss how to improve the mountain-biking experience here in greater Portland, the "Si, se puede!" spirit emanating from the room would make Dolores Huerta proud."

On the Trails in Schenectady

Why You Ride: "To ride is to live. Out loud, in the present moment, fully engaged and present, in your element (and/or railing against the elements).  There's nothing else that makes me feel as firmly rooted to and simultaneously transported from the earth."

Favorite Trail(s):  "There's so much of Oregon I have yet to see/ride/discover, but thus far I've gotta say my favorite "local" trail is Surveyor's Ridge.  If the climbs don't take your breath away, the panoramic views of Mt. Hood certainly will ;)"

Best Post-Ride Grub/Drink:  "Deschutes Black Butte Porter or Hopworks IPA"

Handshake, Hug, or Hi-Five (if given a preference): "I'm a hugger, definitely"

What's on Deck:  "Pandora playlists mix things up and surprise you with some old (and new) favorites every once in a while."

There you go folks, your monthly dose of "Spotlight on Service."  Until next time, drink it in, it always goes down smooth.

Upcoming Events: Mark Your Calendar 

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All Month Long!  Ride to 1,000 Membership Drive This is a really important event and worth mentioning again.  We've been rolling out projects with some HUGE momentum and when we hit 1,000 members it will surely put NWTA on the map!  If you've got a friend that's been itching hit the trails, get them on board with the NWTA train- next stop 1,000 members!  WHOOT! WHOOT!

Wed, Sep 7rd, 14th, 21st... (5:30pm) - Weekly Forest Park Ride 

Join us for our regular Wednesday night ride in Forest Park. 

Wed, Sep 14th (7:00pm - 8:30pm) - Tillamook Trail Patrol Here's your chance to show of that Magnum P.I. mustache you've been workin' on.     

Sat, Sep 17th (9:00am)- BiketoBeer Fest  Come visit us at Hopworks famous BiketoBeer Fest.  Bikes, Bands, Beer! 

Sun, Sep 18th (9:00am)- NWTA Womens Group Ride  Whether you're a beginner or more experience rider, join in on the women's group ride on Mount Hood.  Location TBD by conditions, though, it will most likely be out at Timothy Lake, Crosstown/ Pioneer Bridle or Road 44 trails. Bring helmet, water, lunch. Meet at Gateway at 9 a.m.

Sat, Sep 24th (2:00-6pm) Eichler Bike Park Grand Opening! If you've been helping out at the build parties, you know what a blast Eichler has been.  Just image how much fun it'll be when you're actually on the track riding.  So, please join in on the festivities! This is a great opportunity to meet everyone who has worked so hard to make this happen.

Sun, Sep 25th (12:00pm - 5:00pm) Sunday Parkways This is the last Sunday Parkways Event of the season.  Be sure to swing by Northeast and show 'em how it's done!

Tue, Sep 27th (7:00pm - 8:30pm) - September General Meeting  This month we're back at HUB- it should feel just like coming home.  Stop by and find out about current projects and rides, and get the insider scoop on upcoming events as well. Members and non-members are always welcome.

Thurs, Oct 1st (9:00am)  Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day If you missed the chance last year here's you opportunity to bring the whole family out for some MTB FUN.  The adventure starts at 11:00am when we meet up at the Stub Stewart Hilltop Day Use Area.  After a day full of fun, we'll settle in for some grub at the post rid BBQ. 

Support Our Sponsors! 

This is the space where NWTA has the opportunity to thank some of our dedicated sponsors for their continued involvement and support.  They have shown us true generosity and have been a tremendous help. Our family of sponsors have been more than donors, they are part the mountain bike community- and that sets them apart.  Whether its a place to ride, a bike shop and their service, gear for us riders, gear for our dogs, or a refreshing post-ride beverage- they are part of our lifestyle. Their committed support and donations have helped bring us to where we are today.  Next time you're restocking on all the goodies you need to ride, please be sure to tell them thanks.  When you patron our sponsors, you are supporting NWTA, and you are supporting our trails.

This month we would like to thank our good friends at Portland Design Works.  They have stood by us with their committed support for some time now, and we'd like to show some appreciation for every thing they have done.  So next time your in need of some distinctly awesome neo-swank gear for you bike, be sure to check out all their in house designed goodies.  My favorite?  Their Machete rear fender!  Perfectly at home hacking mud and rain as it is hordes of zombies- you really can't be too prepared.  THANKS PDW!