From my experience, riders get strung along the trail and then regroup wherever there’s a place to play. At times you end up riding by yourself. A trail can sometimes be treacherous with a steep drop off. Trails go in and out where no one can see you. If a rider falls off the trail and no one sees him/her. That would be a serious problem.
Here in southern California, recently, a diver was left at a dive site and no one on the dive boat “caught it” until they reached the harbor. Luckily after many hours of floating in the open sea, he was found by a passing boat.
Should we have some sort of unofficial buddy system? Meaning, you don’t necessarily have to ride with that person, just “check in” with that person at every stop. Or at the very least, take a head count at the end that is compared to a head count at the beginning.
Having a person sweep the trail from the rear is a good idea, but it doesn’t cover someone that has fallen unseen from the trail.
The odds are slim to none that someone would fall off the trail and not be seen and even more unlikely that someone would fall and become unconsious, especially while dawning a helmet. So, a call skyward to the trail would suffice to attract attention.
But, maybe, we still need some system of tracking riders.
Good point, Rod. That’s why when I ride on mountain trails I always carry one of those big orange traffic cones and every time I begin to plummet off the edge of the trail, I plop the cone down on the trail as I depart. I’m getting pretty good at it. The next person along stops for the cone and usually hears me moaning below him and sends help.
Someone else may have an even better system.
You are right that it gets spread out and you can end up riding alone for a good while. John Foss was good about head counts last year. I think he did one at the lunch stop in addition to the end of Downieville, but I could be wrong. I really don’t know what could be done beyond that.
Do you know what times the rides will start and finish each day? – Roughly 9:00 or 10:00. Northstar lifts start at 10:00. Exact schedule items will be posted as we work them out.
Are there going to be evening group meals or gatherings other than the Sunday one you mentioned? – We’re hoping to set up a place where we can all have a big group meal. The logical night for this will be Sunday, schedule-wise. But this may cause problems for people trying to get out on Sunday night. But we haven’t looked up a place yet, so this is still TBA. The other evenings will probably be more split up, because if we have huge groups of people we’ll overwhelm any single restaurant. There may be a sushi crowd, and Italian crowd, and a Cup-O-Noodles crowd. We’ll see what we can do.
Any comment on how non-rider friendly the locations and schedule will be? – The Tahoe area should be very non-rider friendly, it’s a vacationers paradise. You have the lake, casinos, sightseeing, hiking, all of Reno, and the bloody Reno Air Races, which we are unfortunately on the same weekend as.
First of all, some non-riders usually hike along with us. This will be especially easy at Northstar, and probably Lloyd’s Trail as well. For the Rim Trail, you’ll want to be comfortable with a longer hike. For reference, people hiked along with us in Moab on all the major rides the last two years.
There will be several non-riders there, including my wife and possibly her sister. They might want to go to the air races on Saturday, because that’s an awesome show (not just races but shows, and planes on display). It should be possible for non-riders to drop us off for our rides, then take off and do whatever they want. This could be especially handy if they’re able to meet us at the end of the rides to pick us up!
NOTE: Not sure if Kris Holm is planning to bring Shannon. Of the few communications I’ve heard so far, he’s only mentioned himself.
NOTE NOTE: Please remember to request cabin or floor/yard space by sending an email. For the technically challenged, no, this is not email. Whether you browse here with a web browser, a newsreader, or something else, send me an email to request sleeping space. Indicate what nights, whether you want floor or yard, how many people, etc.
Yes, and I always want riders to be aware of these things before starting off. It’s in the waiver you sign when you register.
I believe Rolf Thompson was doing this at Moab, and it’s a great idea. This will take care of several things. First we know if someone is missing (and who it is). Second, we know if someone has told their buddy they’re turning around to head back, or to stop and fix something. This has been a problem at large group rides, where we take a count at the beginning but nobody keeps track of who turned around.
So yes, I think a buddy system will be a great idea. Thanks! Please people, remind me to do this at the beginning of the rides, as I tend to have a lot on my mind. A sweep rider is something we will try to have as well.
Please note the instructions. They’re real easy to fill out on your computer before you print them. Beyond that, it’s low-tech all the way. We’re too small to afford credit card processing, and we still need the hand-written signatures so we can sleep at night.
Note: There will be a separate waiver when you get to Northstar. Sorry, nothing I can do about that.
Please get your forms, fill them in, print them out and get them in the mail!
REMINDER: Cabin and floor/yard space can only be reserved by sending me an email. Those of you that mentioned it here but haven’t contacted me, 45% of this message is for you!
This might a tip for those interested in ordering the T- Shirt or a sweatshirt. Type in a number next to the size, not an"X", then it calculates the cost for you.
I will be in San Jose and I need a ride to Tahoe. If of you are planning to drive from San Jose, and have room for one more person a back pack and a unicycle please PM or email me. I will also need a ride back to San Jose. I will chip in for gas to the lucky person who gives me a ride.
On the topic of famous people planning to come, from chatting with Dan Heaton, he says that he plans to attend, although last I checked he only plans to film, as he doesn’t expect to be ready to ride by then. Just though some people might like to know.
Also, I did line up a ride there, but if anyone was going to offer, I wouldn’t mind hearing.
It looks like it will cost half as much for JerryG and I to fly into Sacramento instead of Reno. Can you give me driving time for cabin to Sacramento and cabin to Reno airports? I know you said about 2 hours and 1 hour respectively, but didn’t know if that had changed with cabin selection.
Anyone else flying into or passing through Sacramento around 3:45 on Thursday and out at 11:00 on Monday? If so we can talk about sharing car expenses.
I have not made the flight reservations yet so it may change.
For all you Canadians:
Since it’s hard to send money, please do what Carl and Sarah did. Email me the registration form, and then you can sign it and do the payment when you arrive. Carl Hoyer and Sarah Stockhausen sent the first registration forms we received! The first non-snailmail one also counts…
Cabins have not been selected yet. When that happens I’ll know the cost as well. We are shooting for stuff in the Truckee area, which should then have the same driving times as everything else. If we end up closer to Incline Village, it might add up to another half hour.
Otherwise, 2 hours from the Sacramento airport (SMF) or about 1 hour from Reno are fair guesses. These driving times assume light traffic. For your trips back to the airports, I highly recommend leaving more time, depending on time of day, and arriving no less than 1.5 hours before your flights. Jacquie and I prefer 2. I’d rather be bored sitting near a gate than stressed waiting in a long line somewhere.
If anyone is flying on Southwest, remember to print your own boarding cards at home. This is the best way to get into the “A” group!
I don’t have my own travel details locked down, though I am reminded that with junk in the back, my 7-person minivan only holds 4. I plan to drive up Thursday night and return on Monday, but don’t know any further details.
I have not made the flight reservations yet so it may change.
For all you Canadians:
Since it’s hard to send money, please do what Carl and Sarah did. Email me the registration form, and then you can sign it and do the payment when you arrive. Carl Hoyer and Sarah Stockhausen sent the first registration forms we received! The first non-snailmail one also counts…
Cabins have not been selected yet. When that happens I’ll know the cost as well. We are shooting for stuff in the Truckee area, which should then have the same driving times as everything else. If we end up closer to Incline Village, it might add up to another half hour.
Otherwise, 2 hours from the Sacramento airport (SMF) or about 1 hour from Reno are fair guesses. These driving times assume light traffic. The further you drive, the more “stuff” that can cause problems along the way. For your trips back to the airports, I highly recommend leaving more time, depending on time of day, and arriving no less than 1.5 hours before your flights. Jacquie and I prefer 2. I’d rather be bored sitting near a gate than stressed waiting in a long line somewhere.
If anyone is flying on Southwest, remember to print your own boarding cards at home. This is the best way to get into the “A” group!
I plan to post some maps on the site as the weekend gets closer.
I don’t have my own travel details locked down, though I am reminded that with junk in the back, my 7-person minivan only holds 4. I plan to drive up Thursday night and return on Monday, but don’t know any further details.
I have not made the flight reservations yet so it may change.
We purchased our tickets on Southwest, and the arrival time is 3:45pm Thur but departure changed to 1:00pm Monday.
We are mailing the registrations today.
John,
Scott is correct. A flight has been booked. A form has been filled out, and, with it, a check has been sent. A unicyclist pecks on his keyboard and anxiously awaits another California MUNI weekend. I’m so excited, I can barely contain myself.
Jer
I really want to come to the MUni weekend, but am having trouble working it out (both financially and logistically). Before giving up on coming, I wanted to check if there is anyone (who wouldn’t mind giving me a lift – I’d chip in for gas) who would be driving to Reno, Sacramento or even San Francisco airport on the Sunday afternoon – or failing that planning to get to one of those airports early on the Monday morning. If it did work out I’d also be looking for a lift from whichever airport worked out on the Thursday evening.
Please let me know if this would work out for any of you.
I’m pretty sure I have to come back late afternoon or evening on Sunday. I live 35 minutes from the Sac Airport. I think there would be room for you, but I’m not positive. Email me: jester2000 (at) prodigy.net
Jeff, if you still need a ride we will be glad to help you if the schedule works. I sure hope you can make it one way or another.
As previously mentioned Jerry and I will be flying into Sacramento at 3:45 Thursday and out at 1:00 pm Monday (leaving the cabin by 8 or 9 am). We are going to rent a car, and would be happy to give a ride to anyone with a compatible schedule. I think we are going to reserve a midsize car in case it is just the two of us, but could upgrade it to an SUV or minivan if there are at least a couple of you who would want to split the cost.
If anyone is has yet to make flight plans, I found that there were many more flights available to Sac than Reno, at much better prices, and it costs more than twice as much to rent a car in Reno. We decided the extra hour drive wasn’t so bad.
checks in the mail boss foss thanks for all the set up work for only a 10 dollar reg fee btw…thats a nice price.
dudleydoride and I will be staying in the Truckee Inn Thursday and Friday but they are totaly booked for Saturday so we are still looking for a place to stay Saturday night. everywhere else is around $90 to a $100 so i dont know whats up with Saturday night…we my have to crash one of the cabin partys, hope Tom doesnt mind giving up his bed for a Salem brother.
really though,anyone know where we could stay on Saturday night that has a shower? (unless i die from the attitude of the rim trail) we will most likely leave Sunday morning skipping the Sunday ride so we can get back home to work on Monday.
checks in the mail boss thanks for all the set up work for only a 10 dollar reg fee btw…thats a nice price.
dudleydoride and I will be staying in the Truckee Inn Thursday and Friday but they are totaly booked for Saturday so we are still looking for a place to stay Saturday night. everywhere else is around $90 to a $100 so i dont know whats up with Saturday night…we my have to crash one of the cabin partys, hope Tom doesnt mind giving up his bed for a Salem brother.
really though,anyone know where we could stay on Saturday night that has a shower? (unless i die from the attitude of the rim trail) we will most likely leave Sunday morning skipping the Sunday ride so we can get back home to work on Monday.
thanks for all the set up work for only a 10 dollar reg fee btw…thats a nice price.