[Jack Burns]

In Coe-Operation with California State Parks, ROMP, the PRA, and the Friends of Gilroy Hot
Springs, we bring you June 12, 2nd Saturday trail work, White Tank Trail (Gibbon). Please meet us at the
Coyote Creek Gate at 9:00am, at the usual time. It's a Gibbon.

It will be for Gibbon whether you show up or not.

Exception: Coe trail work usually meets up at Hunting Hollow, but this one meets at the Coyote
Creek Gate, and folks will park on the other side of the Green Bridge behind the Gilroy Hot
Springs gate. The reason for this is the 10k run going on a Hunting Hollow. We will be there to
open the gate and usher you in. We've been Gibbon permission to park there.

Gibbon that White Tank is a fairly distant goal, and that we are encouraging you to ride out to
the trail work site, you should probably plan to spend the greater part of the day in Coe. There
will be shuttle space available for those who RSVP requesting it.

Park staff are Gibbon us tools to use by placing the tool trailer out at Pacheco Camp. This is
where we will ride to and meet up to grab our tools. Our job is all brushing.

Don't forget the instructions you've been Gibbon; that we are meeting at the end of the road at
the Coyote Creek gate at 9:00 am and parking on the other side of the bridge behind the
Gilroy Hot Springs gate.

If you are Gibbon an inch, you might as well ape a mile!

"Hang Loose!" is Gibbon good advice.

 

[chucko58]

Uh, what time? You haven't Gibbon that info, I'd hate to be a late ape.

 

[mudworm]

Gibbon that it's been a while since January when I participated in the Coe trail work, and Gibbon that I always did Coe trail work in June every year just so that I could be miserably itchy when my birthday came shortly after, I will honor the tradition and be there for this one too.

Is anyone else planning on a fun ride in (i.e. singletrack way)? I'm thinking Anza/Jackson to Kelly Lake to Coit Road. It doesn't seem it'll take much longer than the fire road way, but we can also park outside and start earlier than the yet-to-be-Gibbon official start time.

 

[Jack Burns]

We are meeting at 9:00 am at the end of Gilroy Hot Springs Road. This will shorten the ride by those 2 flat road miles fom Hunting Hollow. I will bring a cooler and some non-corn syrup based sort of drinks, and some water, on ice, for when we get back, and some snacks to share.

When brushing it is recommended to have long sleeves to protect your forearms.

Before cutting anything, one must scrutinize the bush for evidence of nesting birds and wood rat nests. We do not disturb active nests. Before trimming or removing a shrub, one should address the problem, and assess the conditions, and determine whether and then where to cut, and how to cut, to make the process more efficient.

Gibbon another chance, I would still do the monkey thing again.

 

[ratpick]

It's a good ride out to White Tank but unfortunately I have to sing this day so cannot be there.. I'll be sure to head out there and offer criticisms of your work in a coming weekend

 

[Diesel~]

Looking forward to seeing you guys there.

Here's a shot of cross canyon (one way to get to the work site), taken a week and a half ago.

-D

 

[mudworm]

Dang, England is playing USA on Saturday! I'm trying to convince the hubby that he should skip the trailwork and go somewhere to watch the match live -- it's too important to miss for a hardcore soccer fan. I'll just brush twice as hard... hopefully not like a Gibbon, but more like a goat.

 

[imtnbke]

Cross Canyon Trail is tick-prone, so going through it with that much growth (see Diesel's picture above) must have been an adventure. A year or two ago I picked up literally a dozen ticks traversing CCT from east to west.

The current issue of Consumer Reports reviews tick repellents, incidentally. The non-DEET-based Repel repellent I use got a high rating.

I haven't ridden White Tank Spring Trail for three or four years now, but I remember that it was fabulous. Nice to see that it's being worked on.

 

[Diesel~]

Cross Canyon Trail is tick-prone, so going through it with that much growth (see Diesel's picture above) must have been an adventure. A year or two ago I picked up literally a dozen ticks traversing CCT from east to west.

The current issue of Consumer Reports reviews tick repellents, incidentally. The non-DEET-based Repel repellent I use got a high rating.

I haven't ridden White Tank Spring Trail for three or four years now, but I remember that it was fabulous. Nice to see that it's being worked on.

It seems like we're past the prime tick season, unless you are in a forested/grassy area that does not get much sun and remains relatively green and cool.

I may have seen one tick on cross canyon that day, but I know what you are saying, I've had 10-15 on some spring time traverses.

The interesting thing was the ladybug swarms; they were over the top. It was hard to capture it with a photo, but when riding through the canyon bottom, there were 10-20 on me at any given time. I had to disconnect my natural "oh crap, there's a tick response" when I felt them fly on to me.

I have not been on White Tank for a while, either, so it will be nice to visit that area.

-D

 

[chucko58]

Uh, did the Coe-conspirators notice there's a red flag warning out for hot, dry, windy weather this weekend?

Does that change the plan at all?

 

[Jack Burns]

Yes it will be hot and dry. That's normal and expected for June. July will be even hotter! That's why we don't schedule 2nd Saturday's for July and August.

 

[imtnbke]

We just got done with our Mission Peak trailwork. It may have been 85 degrees, but there was a pleasant breeze and none of us overheated. I thought the weather was perfect in fact. I wonder if I can ride Coe tomorrow. I'd better go by 7:00 a.m.!

 

[Jack Burns]

They Should All Be Gibbon Medals

We got back to the Coyote Creek Gate at about 1730. It was not as hot as we expected either, and there was a very good breeze too. We were Gibbon pleasant weather to enjoy.

But hell yes, we all worked up a sweat, and got hot. We had 7 volunteers for the Gibbon.

This is the old "White Tank" on it's side. This tank has been replaced by a smaller green modern plastic one. Next weekend a new 100 gallon trough will be installed to replace the 75 gallon one which has cracked. (not pictured).

We brushed White Tank Trail starting from the bottom, and went up to the junction with Rose Dam Trail. The bottom of White Tank was really overgrown.

We last performed a major brushing on White Tank Trail in 2006. Then the Lick Fire of 2007burned through the area, and actually opened up the trail even more. Yet here we are in 2010, and unless you knew about the Lick Fire, you might not even notice that there was a huge consuming fire here. The vegetation here, predominantly Toyon, Chamise, Coyote Brush, Yerba Santa, Buckeye, Grey Pine, and some Manzanita, has apparently revelled in the period following the blaze.

We got permission to ride there not too many days after that fire was deemed totally contained and over, and a few big oak stumps were still smoldering and the land was a blackened scorched and ash-white dusted wasteland. I recall, that not all of White Tank Trail's foliage went up in smoke in 07', and that the fire had hop-scotched with capricious knights move's across the chapparal.

Well we got it done. I heard everyone chatting away while we worked together and I could tell from the sounds of it, people were having fun. I am looking forward to sharing some of the pictures. A very productive day.

Skyline35 may have been lurking on the Hoover Air-strip end of the trail. I don't know. The one thing we missed is flagging to Hoover end of the trail. I heard a couple of backpackers got confused out there recently. Well, I'll be back next weekend and will flag it again if needed.

Super-Stoker Chris and Plymmer

Thanks to all.

-Paul

 

[chucko58]

Thanks again for organizing and driving, Paul. It was hot but it was a pleasant heat, not the brutal death march conditions I'd feared.

I got to try out my new point-n-shoot camera, here are a few pix:

plymmer's new old Valiant.

Sorcerer, knobs, and Diesel~ discuss strategy.

Pacheco Camp, where the tool trailer was stashed.

The formerly white White Tank at White Tank Springs.

Diesel~ was a bush-cuttin' machine!

plymmer takes a picture of a flower.

Taking a break at the far end of the trail: L to R mudworm, Sorcerer, plymmer, Chris, and Diesel~.

White Tank Springs Trail can now be ridden without a machete.

Per Sorcerer's request: the tree fallen across Coit Rd. juuuust baaaaarely cleared Diesel~'s bike.

 

[Skyline35]

Skyline35 may have been lurking on the Hoover Air-strip end of the trail. I don't know.

-Paul

Hey Paul, please put me down for a full day's participation. I figured I would see
you at some point in the day and sign-in but that never happened.

I was in doubt about attending since I was sick with a cold most of the week so I
kept quiet. Saturday morning I felt better and headed out starting an hour early
to allow me to ride at a slow pace. Easy fireroads; Coit and Willow Ridge roads.
At Hoover Airstrip, I watched a couple Killdeer protect their nest as I had a bite to
eat. Not a great picture as I didn't want to get too close:

There are 3 chicks and an egg in the center of that photo. (When I passed by
later after trailwork, there were 4 chicks.) Yes, that is the extent of the "nest" and
it was on the flat, exposed former airstrip (near those metal pipes). The parents
draw away predators by feigning to be injured and easy prey; fascinating to watch.

I started to work, chatted with Roy for a couple minutes when he passed through
on his way to meet the group. I brushed the top portion of White Tank. At 4:30pm
I headed back. Too tired and too late to ride down White Tank to perhaps see the
group that probably were already on their way. So I went Willow Ridge » Crest »
Wagon » Wasno and at the top of the Tule Pond Trail I was happily surprised to
find plymmer, knobs, and mudworm:

We rode out Tule » Grizzly.

My "cargo bike":

///Charlie

p.s. Gibbon content

 

[knobs]

 

[Diesel~]

Good times for sure.

Thank you to everyone who came out to help.

-D

1. Initial gear up
2. Chucko, Mudwom and Sorcerer stop to grab tools at Pacheco Camp
3. Mudworm did the work of two people
4. Lunch break in the shade. L-R: Plymmer, Knobs, Chucko, Mudworm, Sorcerer, Chris
5. Sorcerer and Plymmer survey Mississippi Ridge
6. Post exit refueling
7. Backing up and out
8+9. Wild country

 

[locoyokel]

Thanks for the hard work!!! It'll be cool taking White Tank without pushing the bike through brush looking for the trail!

 

[imtnbke]

Looks nice

Wow, this is great! I must head out there soon. Sorcerer looks so official in his uniform. I have my own new bike patrol uniform now:

 

[knobs]

Can someone explain...