2. Bicycle! Bicycle!
  3. 2009 Cuban MagLab Beginner Rides

27 August Cuban MagLab Higher Ground Beginner Ride

The Cuban MagLab Higher Ground Beginner Rides: You need not be Cuban, MagLab, Higher Ground, nor Beginner to participate. Show up and ride with us! NEXT RIDE: 3 September, 6:30pm, we'll be meeting at Forestmeadows Tennis & Athletic Center to ride Red Bug Trail. REMEMBER, meet at FORESTMEADOWS, NOT NOT NOT at the actual Red Bug trailhead between #1 and 103 where we met for the 9 July ride. 27 August ride notes: I got down to Munson Hills Trail early on Thursday after an all day drizzle. Now an all day drizzle is perfect trail prep for a sand trail like Munson. But I was expecting pretty much a zero turnout. You know, gray skies all day, rainy, no one's going to drive down to lower Tallahassee and ride in the woods. Really? Take a look at the photos and count the gang! Quick count is 20 for the main group. Add 5 folks who met us late in the ride at the south end of the Tall Pine Shortcut. Thanks to that late arriving Mike Hernandez for finding us out there with three of the newer riders. More attaboys for Ken Foster riding corral duty again, and to a long lost Jose Sanchez for riding lead. Ken, please more stories and history about Munson's creation! I'll listen to all you care to relate, but post 'em here for everyone to read. Ken also performed an on the trail "Derailleurectomy and Reassemble as Single Speed" rescue. Add a chainbreaker to your kit and know how to use it folks. Or be prepared to walk yourself out. I like this very good multi-tool. Thanks to Fred Dietrich for the chain tool video link! Btw, if you're smart-alecky enough to be using a Shimano HG chain with their goofball iconic pins, you're really on your own, m-kay? Unless you're willing to accept one of our lowly SRAM gold Power Links on your precious Shimano jewelry. (Genuflects and backs away reverently.) I keed! Oh yeah, THE ROUTE: We pedaled ~1.25M/2Km down the St. Marks (paved) Trail to the official Munson Hills trailhead. We rode an anticlockwise complete loop, meaning we did not ride the 1M Tall Pine Shortcut. Return on the paved bike trail. I had total distance at 10.38M/16.71Km, but I do need to recalibrate. Undoubtedly the GPS track will show something shorter, as it adds an assemblage of line segments. We made good time, particularly for the beginner group. Munson's not really technical, but the sand can intimidate when it's dry. I rode the loop two days before the group ride. It wasn't really bad, but there were a bunch of typical sandbox spots. Thursday's ride benefited greatly from that rain. Remember to come to Munson and Twilight Zone trails when you have to get your woods ride on, but don't want to slop through rainy day mud. A few Munson Hills/Twilight Zone Trail links of interest: Ken Foster's Munson Hills blog. Dixie Davis, Linc Clay, and Ken Foster's Fans of Munson Hills/Twilight Off-Road Bike Trails Facebook page. Jim Schmid's Munson/Twilight Mtn Bike Trails blog. USDA Forest Service's National Forests in Florida blog post. My Munson/Twilight Zone pages. 23 September jaunt through Maclay Gardens State Park here. 17 September mini gallery of our Piney Z mudfest is here. 10 September Munson's westside action is here. 3 September action is here. 20 August ride gallery is here. 13 August stuff is here. 6 August ride vids and photos are here. 16/30 July ride fun is here. 23 July ride was canceled for a MagLab student going away party. 9 July ride photos are here. 2 July ride was canceled (weather call). 25 June ride photos are here. 18 June ride photos are here. 11 June ride gallery is here. 4 June ride was canceled (weather call). THIS SITE is private property, and doesn't necessarily represent any other individual or organization. You are welcome to download/use my photos for your private enjoyment, including printing them. Any other usage/linking must come from me in writing (email ok), with credit given. Questions, pre-scoldings, comments, ID, complaints? Thanks, John Kalin Email me "If I fall you're going down with me" - Trail running advice from my Dixie Chicks http://www.tallahasseetrails.com/
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  • Couldn't pull the 27 Aug ride track off my beat up GPS. This is a mashup of a couple of tracks. We rode down the paved trail from the parking lot (upper right). And back the same way. We did not ride the Twilight Zone Loop (south of the east-west white line (gas pipeline) in the middle. We also (as a group) did not ride the ~1M entrance trail, the Tall Pine Shortcut, nor the Luge. See also this official map for an explanation of some of those terms.

    Couldn't pull the 27 Aug ride track off my beat up GPS. This is a mashup of a couple of tracks. We rode down the paved trail from the parking lot (upper right). And back the same way. We did not ride the Twilight Zone Loop (south of the east-west white line (gas pipeline) in the middle. We also (as a group) did not ride the ~1M entrance trail, the Tall Pine Shortcut, nor the Luge. See also this official map for an explanation of some of those terms.

  • Home made map from here. There's also a metric version there, if you like. Text accompanying it: "Munson/TZ Imperial It ain't pretty, but it's content rich, okay? From this GPS track: http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/5377092 Munson Hills Trail and Twilight Zone Trail current as of 12 April 08. "On the ground," the trail loops are blazed blue, connectors and entrances are blazed white. One mile = 1609 meters. Munson Hills Trail (not including Tall Pine Shortcut and entrance) is 7.87M/12.67Km. Tall Pine Shortcut is 1M. Paper Cup entrance is just over 1M. Twilight Zone Trail (not including Gun Range connector aka J-Turn and entrance) is 9.92M/15.97Km." Those distances were accurate when the track was taken.

    Home made map from here. There's also a metric version there, if you like. Text accompanying it: "Munson/TZ Imperial It ain't pretty, but it's content rich, okay? From this GPS track: http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/5377092 Munson Hills Trail and Twilight Zone Trail current as of 12 April 08. "On the ground," the trail loops are blazed blue, connectors and entrances are blazed white. One mile = 1609 meters. Munson Hills Trail (not including Tall Pine Shortcut and entrance) is 7.87M/12.67Km. Tall Pine Shortcut is 1M. Paper Cup entrance is just over 1M. Twilight Zone Trail (not including Gun Range connector aka J-Turn and entrance) is 9.92M/15.97Km." Those distances were accurate when the track was taken.

  • In the St. Marks Bike Trail parking lot, getting everyone geared up. Colter Foster, Jose Sanchez, Ken Foster.

    In the St. Marks Bike Trail parking lot, getting everyone geared up. Colter Foster, Jose Sanchez, Ken Foster.

  • Poopees! See her in action here. She got her run on tonight!

    Poopees! See her in action here. She got her run on tonight!

  • Danny

    Danny

  • Our derailleur victim to be (left), Mark, and Fred.

    Our derailleur victim to be (left), Mark, and Fred.

  • Brooks!! She's contemplating how much homework to pile on her 5th graders for the first school weekend.

    Brooks!! She's contemplating how much homework to pile on her 5th graders for the first school weekend.

  • James has ridden out here, but not with the group. Found us on tal-rides.

    James has ridden out here, but not with the group. Found us on tal-rides.

  • Sara and Ken

    Sara and Ken

  • DSC_8958

    DSC_8958

  • DSC_8959

    DSC_8959

  • Scott, Poopees, Danny

    Scott, Poopees, Danny

  • Being this close to Willkillya County, we like having Taylor along.

    Being this close to Willkillya County, we like having Taylor along.

  • Ken describes Munson to more of our newer riders.

    Ken describes Munson to more of our newer riders.

  • DSC_8963

    DSC_8963

  • DSC_8964

    DSC_8964

  • DSC_8965

    DSC_8965

  • Sandi

    Sandi

  • I asked Jeff to strike a TdF pose for us. Holy fromage.

    I asked Jeff to strike a TdF pose for us. Holy fromage.

  • There's our official start for tonight's ride. 15.5M/25Km to St. Marks - just take a straight! We'll turn into the woods after ~1.25M/2Km on the pavement. There's also a parallel sand singletrack on the right. Get off that if you spot equestrians using it.

    There's our official start for tonight's ride. 15.5M/25Km to St. Marks - just take a straight! We'll turn into the woods after ~1.25M/2Km on the pavement. There's also a parallel sand singletrack on the right. Get off that if you spot equestrians using it.

  • Looking back northward into the parking lot.

    Looking back northward into the parking lot.

  • DSC_8970

    DSC_8970

  • DSC_8971

    DSC_8971

  • DSC_8972

    DSC_8972

  • DSC_8973

    DSC_8973

  • DSC_8974

    DSC_8974

  • Here we go...

    Here we go...

  • DSC_8976

    DSC_8976

  • DSC_8977

    DSC_8977

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