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Thanks EVERYONE for making our trail section GREAT! August 15, 2008 - Trail Party
the trail party we had this past saturday went very well. the group which consisted of about twenty people put new wood on four picnic tables and weed wacked and pruned trees and shrubs around the entire parking and picnic area. then after the work was done we enjoyed a nice lunch provided by richard. it was one of the most productive and rewarding work parties we have had. June 21, 2008 - Trail Party
where did the trash come from? back on 15 february the rio rico high school interact club held a cleanup of the santa cruz river. due to short fuse notification (sound familiar?) there was no support group available, atca or foscr, to assist in getting the trash from the cleanup area to the collection point. so the trash has been sitting next to the anza trail in an area south of the barrio and north of clark's crossing since then.
the cleanup lasted about two hours. the project consisted of re-bagging the trash as many of the bags were broken from being in the sun for four months. we used our two gators to load the trash to the dumpster at clark's crossing provided by gary brasher's group, the tires we loaded to the frontage road for sc county to pickup. atca provided trash bags, water and snacks. collection 41 bags, 24 tires. April 11, 2008...Trail Status
the bridge at clark's crossing is up. mike and i repaired it yesterday. for about a two hour period the bridge was completely out and up stepped that sob murphy, six women showed and wanted to cross, so mike loaded them all in the gator and ferried them across the river, of course my camera was at home.
the clark's crossing road is now a major access for heavy trucks. while we were working on the bridge there was a constant flow of heavy trucks (10yd type) loading gravel. the road crosses the river twice and crosses roy ross' property and enters clark's property through his gate and continues northeast. we were really pressed for time so we couldn't investigate but mike thinks that the road was improved for union rr work.
November 25, 2007 - Trail Party
the plan was to open the trail between the cow pen and the restroom on the tubac golf resort. we had a very good day. everything went well, we had enough people, all the required equipment and material and we accomplished our goal. we put in two foot bridges - a 20 footer and a 16 footer, cut a trail about a quarter mile and installed trail markers.
why didn't we continue across the golf course? mike, richard, and ron alred had a meeting to discuss the path the trail would take. as i understand it , ron said he did not want us to put anything on the golf course that would interfere with the mowers. mike has a couple of ideas but they are not ready for prime time.
From the Bosses...Trail Status as of November 24, 2007
since we are building two bridges it requires twice as much prep work. after yesterdays scouting party and all the material we bought - about $300 worth.
when we got through scouting the area about 530pm, mike decided that he wanted to return some of the lumber and get 4" planks instead of the normal 2" for the 16 foot crossing. so first thing in the morning on his way to work he goes to home depot. later that day i load my tools in my truck, go by mike's house pick up the cross beams and river supports and drive to the rio rico firehouse where mike and i cut the supports to size and pre drill all the holes. i then go back to scout the golf course area to locate a way to drive the trailers as near as possible to the work area. mike gets a couple of hours sleep, then goes home for dinner and then off to work. mike gets off at 630 the next morning and we meet at his house at 7 load the tools and the gator and drive the two trailers to the golf course and meet the crew. he does it because he loves it, i do it because i like it.
  Mike Burns Glenn Vierra From the Bosses...Trail Status as of November 23, 2007
mike, richard and ron alred had a meeting at the golf resort to determine where the trail would cross the golf course. they did not walk the route but looked at the area. this is not the best area to put the trail but is is what we have. there is a large log jam nearby and it requires two bridges. one crossing is the river itself and the other is a flood channel. the river still passes under the log jam but a bottle dam is starting to form. my vote is to get in the water and chain saw it clear. we need to deal with it before monsoon.
i am not sure but i believe the section of trail from the cow pen south to bridge road was not part of their discussion. the last i heard the trail as it is now goes through two lots that the golf resort is trying to sell and there is the issue of the restrictive covenant.
November 3, 2007 - Trail Party
the working party did a great job. we were able to groom the entire section between rio rico drive and the railroad culvert. the crew did the side work, mike mowed the trail and jerry behn and i did the high cut. the trail is in the best shape i have ever seen. sorry no photos of this one, next time for sure.
thanks to the volunteers listed here including the Boy Scouts of America Troop 555 for the helping hands and smiles!
jerry behn, ken larriva *, eric larriva *, rick solomon, susan hill, joy anderson, michael anderson, maggie steffen, colin steffen, lee blackwell, mike burns, sherry sass, roger brambila *, aron french *, glenn vierra, (*bsa troop 555)
From the Bosses...Trail Status as of October 30, 2007
the trail is open from rio rico drive to palo parado, about 4 miles. mike and i removed the fallen trees so the trail is open. trail party this weekend to prune it back. October 6, 2007 - Trail Party
the work party was productive this morning. we did some pruning and cut the canopy to allow for the horseback riders.
lisa carrico (nps sup) was there to meet the atc group. we had a nice visit.
 October 4-5, 2007
the work on the trail continues. we have had some setbacks but we are moving forward and the trail will be ready for anza days.
saturday is the trail working party ... hope to see you there! October 1, 2007
short version: the trail is clear between the presidio and the north gate of nps.
long version: clark's crossing is dry except when the wastewater plant sends its daily discharge and then the water is very slight and won't require a bridge. mike and i have put a two plank temporary bridge across the main channel, it has no railing or center span support, east of clark's crossing.
on friday (9/28/07) we went out with the gator and chain saws and blasted our way from clark's to the nps gate. there were a lot of fallen trees. i used the word blasted because we cut a path wide and high enough to drive the gator through. we also had to cut some new trail to avoid a large mud area. an inspection of the area between the gate and the first nps river crossing revealed more muddy areas. the plan is to let the area dry and then mow the best path between the river crossing and the gate.
on sunday (9/30/07) we went back out with the gator and the tractor and widen the trail and cut the canopy to provide for horseback riders.
talked to steve at tumacacori about widening the nps north gate. he said no decision has been made but he hopes one will be made this week.
now what?
1) trail working party. the only day available prior to anza days is october 6th. 2) install footbridge nps river crossing, thursday 10/04/07 3) mow trail between nps river crossing and nps gate - no date set.
September 21, 2007
this evaluation is applicable to only that section of the anza trail between the tumacacori mission and bridge road in tubac.
short version:
horseback riders no problems. hikers will have to deal with walking through the river (3x) and some muddy areas.
long version:
the clark's crossing area is a mess. the footbridge we put in last year when the river moved to the east is gone. the river has been moving back to its original location (west), something that has been going on for several months and has created a large mud hole with a small stream running through it. we will have to reroute the trail and build a bridge possible 2 bridges to correct the situation. this is our number one problem on the trail in the tubac area and with anza days in a month it needs to be fixed soon. we expect a group of walkers to accommodate the riders on the 21st of october. mike is out of town until 9/28/07
footbridge is out on nps grounds. mike and i moved the remains of the bridge to high ground in july. fixing this is time and material and should not be a big deal. however, time is short.
personnel/horse gate at nps northeast corner is too narrow for our equipment. this makes it extremely difficult to get our equipment onto the trail between the gate and clark's crossing. i have talked to steve at the mission regarding this matter, he said he would talk to the new super and get back to me. this also impacts anza days as the gate is too small to accommodate 20 to 30 horses at on time. we can make a detour just for anza days so the gate is not a show stopper but it needs to be addressed.
trail needs mowing. the entire trail hasn't been mowed since last year.
trail markers. add and/or move. normally done during mowing.
muddy area. fill with rock or reroute trail. a muddy area exist 1/4 mile south of bridge road. mike and i have already fixed two, one between clark's crossing and the barrio and another just south of the presidio.
lazy susan gate at bridge road is blocked by river debris. so the trial north of this point is most likely muddy and blocked in some places by river debris.
a large cottonwood has fallen across the trail in the bridge road area. the trail is not blocked. however, it does pose a potential danger to riders and hikers.
the trail passes very close to the new homes in the tubac barrio, as close as five feet from some property markers. the trail should be moved east to create a buffer between the houses and the trail. in some areas we can't move the trail because of the river but in some places we have space to move the trail. mike has talked to gary brasher about this problem. one homeowner has cleared his property so he has an open view of the trail from his patio. what was he thinking?
so what happens next?
1.get small items off the too do list.
2.follow up this week with nps regarding the gate
3. work on the bridge
anza trail pre-ride check will be the week of the 15th of october. exact date will be determined once the above items have be completed or scheduled.
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