Tour De Tillamook ride and camp event

Thank you Joe and Bob (http://www.nw-trail.org/node/1390) for sharing your photos and videos documenting this successful event. If folks have more photos and videos, please feel free to share them here.

Thank you all for coming out to the Tour de Tillamook event (http://www.nw-trail.org/node/712) this past weekend! We also wanted to thank everyone that made this event possible, including the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF), dedicated Tillamook State Forest volunteers Wayne Naillon, Fred MacGregor, John Stegmaier, Lee Duncan, Cage Aaron, Joe Rykowski, and all of those that helped out this spring to clear the Wilson River Trail during the NWTA led trail work parties, and of course the many event sponsors (Kettle Chips, Tim's Cascade, Kona, Bike N Hike, Sellwood Cycle Repair, Giant, NWTA, Dave's Killer Bread, and Hammer Nutrition, and a few personal donations)! We also had quite a bit of critical help from our friends in Oregon Equestrian Trails (OET), including the mowing of the Smith Homestead Meadow (Wayne Salisbury with OET and Wayne Naillon NWTA) and transporting the Mobile Skills Park (Wendy Zurcher with OET). We of course are thankful for the creation of the Mobile Skills Park (Will Heiberg), and that it continues to be a hit with mountain bikers of all ages. Without all of your support we could not have had a successful event!

A recap of the approximate numbers:

• 60 attendees (Thank you everyone for attending!)
• 15 children participants in the mountain bike skills instruction course
• 20 campers throughout the weekend at Jones Creek Campground
• 2 dedicated children's mountain bike skills instructors (Thanks Cage and Dennis!)
• 4 Tillamook State Forest Volunteer Mountain Bike Trail Patrollers (Thanks Lee, Wayne, and John S.!)
• 1 volunteer event first aid support (Thanks Kristen!)
• 1 dedicated onsite bike mechanic (Thanks Nick!)
• 8 volunteer ride leaders and sweepers (Thanks Shanti, JD, Shane, Lee, John S., Ted, Fred, John J.!) Many other volunteers (registration table, skill park loading/setup/ tear down, meal setup/cleanup - Thanks Kevin and Taitee!)
• 10 demo bikes on hand to try out (Thanks Bike N Hike, Kona, and Sellwood Cycle Repair!)
• 4 great Oregon Equestrian Trails members helping to prepare the Smith Homestead and transport NWTA's mobile bike skills park for the event (Thank you Wendy/family and Wayne!)
• Many ODF staff members helping NWTA put this event on through the permit process, location planning, and equipment/facility usage (Thank you ALL!)
• 50 hours donated to brushing the Sickter Lars Trail for over $1,000 equivalent volunteer labor contribution (Thanks for those that participated! As an FYI there is still more work to be done on this and other trails in the Tillamook, please watch for future NWTA led work parties and come lend a hand. With your help we can accomplish these tasks more efficiently and ALL get back to having fun using the trails faster! Remember, trails don't maintain themselves :) )

We had participants come from as far as Longview, WA, Corvallis, OR, and from as close as Portland, OR and Tillamook, OR.

We hope that you had fun, that you learned a new bike handling skills, a new portion of single track trail, met new people, and are excited about the existing and future mountain biking opportunities that we are working to provide in the Tillamook State Forest (only a short drive from your homes). The event was hosted in order to provide mountain bike skill instruction to children, allow for family focused mountain biking fun, and to showcase the facilities that have been made available in the Tillamook State Forest through the hard work of ODF and volunteers during the past 10 years. We continue to work hard to strengthen our relationship with ODF and hope that you will continue to support these efforts through participation in NWTA events, trail work parties, ODF sponsored volunteer programs (including work parties, Trail Patrol, and use community meetings), and of course utilizing the existing facilities (trails, campgrounds, and etc.).

Lost and Found: One blue camoflage hat - contact me if it is yours

Thank you everyone and looking forward to next year's event!!

Ryan K.

Tillamook State Forest Recreation Advisory Committee (TRAC):

Mountain Bike Community Representative 2008-2009