bergerandfries

I forgot to add that the Ladonia Lodge is run by Rick Barrett at 972 and 979 and 7482. If you wanted to stop overnight, I think that you could make this place work well. If I can talk the wife into an "adventure weekend", I'm going to try to stay here. I think this is the place and is $69/night and here's what it looks like inside:

https://www.landsoftexas.com/land-for...exas/id/902083

jlynnbob

Of the Devil? Maybe not, but nasty just the same. This is a picture of the trunk of a Honey Locust tree. 3-4 inches is no exaggeration. In addition to littering the trail with branches with thorns attached, there are limbs hanging over the trail in places. Just when you get complacent and comfortable peddling through some branches and using your hand to push them away... Honey Locust strikes! Ouch...

Bill in Houston

ooooo, bad juju.

Bill in Houston

Soooo, what would it take to fix this? Is there a section of trail that is a 5-mile honey locust thicket? Or is it a few clumps along the trail?

jlynnbob

No clumps, just random trees along the right-of-way. Fix it? Tubeless...

bergerandfries

Well, I think the long term fix for the trail is to put some kind of hard surface down. I think it's going to be a while until we see that...

Bill in Houston

I guess this goes back to my question of "what could 5 or 6 motivated people do in a day". As long as there are plentiful tire-killing thorns, it's going to be tough to get normal people out on the trail. But if a few people with a chainsaw and a bob trailer could make big segment safely passable, where the Farmersville to, say, Roxton section could be promoted as a survivable ride, then the whole "if you build it they will come" thing could start to come true. I mean, even for me, knowing that a sharp, experienced guy like bergerandfries flatted twice in a short distance makes me think twice about going out there.

As far as a surface, I hope the Katy trail message sank in and people will quit laying asphalt out there. That asphalt near Celeste is scary. With the packed gravel base they have already, 4 inches of decomposed granite 8 feet wide would be a nice, low-cost, low-maintenance way to get started.

jlynnbob

What are you implying?

I actually don't see the surface of the trail needing a lot of work. To me, it is more the overhanging tree limbs and brush on the trail... if the scrub trees are cut back from the trail, there wouldn't be so much tree branch debris to navigate... We traversed a lot of deadfall on the trail... if that were removed and the sources cleaned up... I don't see a big issue. This work could be done at very little cost and the surface could be done as funding develops.

Bill in Houston

Nothing! I'm just SAYING it.

I like the packed gravel. I was just thinking that maybe the decomposed granite would be more weed-resistant, but I could be wrong. Mainly, I don't want anyone to feel like they should blade the trail, since to me that seems to just mess stuff up. I.e. bringing big rocks to the surface where they can then bang your derailer into your spokes, causing a ride-ending mechanical. Not that I know anything about that.

Ah, okay. Thanks, that makes sense.

DTSCDS

Work day? Pick a section and get it ship-shape?
As my wife will tell you, I'm not very smart but I can lift heavy things.

jlynnbob

I am just offering that the surface is rideable and to make it more inviting to more people, getting the "jungle" factor down a bit is the best thing we could do. The trail coalition will eventually address the surface. I do not like the grading that was done between Celeste and Merrit and would not like to see more of that type of work done until we are ready to put in the crushed granite-type surface down. For now, opening the trail a bit would, in my opinion, get more traffic out there and help generate more interest.

Bill in Houston

Looks like a fun place to stay after a day of riding.

Makes perfect sense to me.

bergerandfries

Lynn, you are anything but typical, my friend. You are an endurance monster.

Anyway, yes, I agree that cutting back brush is Job #1 and would make the trail ride worthy on dry days. However, that grading that was done did two really important things: 1) Removed brush/debris piles that had been built over the trail between Meritt and Celeste. 2) Graded some low spots that got muddy for MONTHS after a rain.

So while the brush whacking is Job #1, Job #2 is a surface that can be ridden after a rain, because there are sections of the trail that can be impassible due to standing water and mud.

Of course, bollards and gates are also needed along the trail to keep out people and vehicles that would harm the trail (illegal dumpers, for example).