1. Trail Build

St. Marks Trail North Extension

Please scroll waaay down past all this text to view the photos. Uh, I left my "real" camera behind. So we're left with these toy camera snaps of a work crew doing cleanup for - well, I think it's best if I let Tallahassee – Leon County Planning Department's Steve Hodges describe it: "This Saturday, July 19th, at 9 a.m., a small group of FSU environmental service students, organized and led by Misty Penton, will gather at the SE corner of Gaines and Lake Bradford to pick up trash along a City-owned trail easement. This easement is intended to be the final trail connection between the City's Lake Elberta Park and the FSU stadium that will connect the St. Marks Trail to FSU. We're looking for additional volunteers to help clean up this corridor. Following the cleanup, City Parks and Rec staff will clear and grade the trail, and hopefully put down a hard surface. City staff are working with CSX to clean up a small storage facility along the easement, and other City staff are working to secure additional property that will connect the trail to the crossing at Gaines and Lake Bradford. This is an important link in the local greenway system, and its opening is closer than it has been in years. Come if you can, and help extend our urban trail system. Bring gloves, closed-toe shoes, bug spray, and drinking water. We'll be done by noon, barring bad weather. Ride your bicycle to this event if you can." And an afternote from Steve: "Approximately a dozen or more people showed up to help pick up trash along this trail corridor. In an hour and a half, we picked up many bags of aluminum cans, bottles, plastic, general trash, four or five bicycle frames, a large truck tire, and all kinds of assorted debris from an old homeless camp. Yay team! A BIG thanks to Misty Penton, who organized the FSU Environmental Service group, and Chuck Goodheart, who brought a City truck and trailer with bags, gloves, pails, trashpickers, and other tools. City Parks and Rec is going to contract out in a month or so the clearing of a portion of this corridor. The contractor will clear a minimum 20' area while trying to save as many large trees as possible, grub and shred, and grade the trail area flat. We hope to be able to put down a hard surface sometime this fall. We're also working to secure land or easements to legally connect the northernmost end to Gaines and Bradford where there is already a crossing. Some folks from the apartment complex on Stearns Street that is being renovated into live-work units have offered to adopt this trail corridor. We hope that people will start using it eventually, and we'll continue wrapping this section into the Lake Elberta trail project. Opening up new trails in the urban area is sometimes simply just a series of problems to be solved among many others, but it can be done with enough cooperation." The specific area cleaned up in these photos was a ~440m corridor. Couple shots of Lake Elberta Park are included as well. I'd like to get back for more shots when the trail construction begins. As to what we removed, can anyone say container deposit legislation?! With a gallery full of shots, you may find it easier to navigate if you change the gallery "style" (top right) from "smugmug" to "all thumbs." Or "slideshow" (very cool for sequences) or "filmstrip" or . . . you get the idea, it's configurable by you. I usually like "journal." 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 TallahasseeTrails on YouTube. "If I fall you're going down with me" - Trail running advice from my Dixie Chicks http://www.tallahasseetrails.com/
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  • From  http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/6300915
This is a saved jpeg via Google Earth. GPS track of my meanderings from the FSU football parking lot, back and forth through the cleanup area, and around Lake Elberta Park.
Load the MotionBased track into Google Earth if you want zoom in-out perspective.

    From http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/6300915 This is a saved jpeg via Google Earth. GPS track of my meanderings from the FSU football parking lot, back and forth through the cleanup area, and around Lake Elberta Park. Load the MotionBased track into Google Earth if you want zoom in-out perspective.

  • We'll enter through that gate to begin removal of years of cans, bottles, and hopefully nothing scarier.

    We'll enter through that gate to begin removal of years of cans, bottles, and hopefully nothing scarier.

  • IMG_0126

    IMG_0126

  • Heavier duty labeled waste that WE won't be moving.

    Heavier duty labeled waste that WE won't be moving.

  • Looking back from whence we came.

    Looking back from whence we came.

  • IMG_0129

    IMG_0129

  • Some of the gang hard at work on this Saturday morning.

    Some of the gang hard at work on this Saturday morning.

  • P-Snoop the Pugsley and the BOB IBEX trailer take a break.

http://surlybikes.com/pugsley.html

http://www.biketrailershop.com/

    P-Snoop the Pugsley and the BOB IBEX trailer take a break. http://surlybikes.com/pugsley.html http://www.biketrailershop.com/

  • It'll be nice if they can weave the eventual paved corridor just a bit. All these berms will of course be graded flat. So if you want to surf the terrain, better get in here quick. It was fun pulling the trailer.

    It'll be nice if they can weave the eventual paved corridor just a bit. All these berms will of course be graded flat. So if you want to surf the terrain, better get in here quick. It was fun pulling the trailer.

  • IMG_0133

    IMG_0133

  • Just a very small sample of what was to be removed. As I note in thew main gallery text, teach your children:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Container_deposit_legislation

    Just a very small sample of what was to be removed. As I note in thew main gallery text, teach your children: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Container_deposit_legislation

  • IMG_0135

    IMG_0135

  • IMG_0136

    IMG_0136

  • Again:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Container_deposit_legislation

    Again: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Container_deposit_legislation

  • IMG_0138

    IMG_0138

  • A peek at Lake Elberta Park from the east side.

    A peek at Lake Elberta Park from the east side.

  • IMG_0140

    IMG_0140

  • Looking back from ~80m beyond (south of) the end of our cleanup.
Note the trailer's convenient "park" mode. No kick stand!

    Looking back from ~80m beyond (south of) the end of our cleanup. Note the trailer's convenient "park" mode. No kick stand!

  • The park has really been cleaned up.

    The park has really been cleaned up.

  • I'm diagonally across the lake from the cleanup area. The lake is nearly 3/4 miles around.

    I'm diagonally across the lake from the cleanup area. The lake is nearly 3/4 miles around.

  • TPRD's Lake Elberta Park, just south of the FSU football stadium. Access and small parking lot off Lake Bradford Road.
The park has been dressed up and is way prettier than last time I shot some photos here:

http://tallahasseetrails.smugmug.com/gallery/1993074

    TPRD's Lake Elberta Park, just south of the FSU football stadium. Access and small parking lot off Lake Bradford Road. The park has been dressed up and is way prettier than last time I shot some photos here: http://tallahasseetrails.smugmug.com/gallery/1993074

  • Visualize a benchcut trail surfing the contour around the interior perimeter of the lake.

    Visualize a benchcut trail surfing the contour around the interior perimeter of the lake.

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