Before the storm...

Taken with my LGVX8600 phone.
From RMStringer

Thought for today...

A stranger should be well-mannered...Fallujah proverb pg48 'Blackwater' Posted via my LGVX8600 phone.

Im starting this book.

I have several going at the same time.
From RMStringer

Dorey Park in eastern Henrico County.

I would love for this park to reopen. I also want to go and check it out even if it is "closed"

Plan could reopen park trail to riders

Club, county work to repair Dorey paths damaged by storm

 

Chris McMillan, 30, a member of Mid-Atlantic Off-Road Enthusiasts, rides his mountain bike at Dorey Park in eastern Henrico County. The club is working toward an agreement with the county to restore mountain bike trails in the park.
Photo By: JOE MAHONEY/TIMES-DISPATCH

By WILL JONES

TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

Mountain-bikers looking to pump their pedals in Henrico County might end up at Dorey or Deep Run parks if they read trail reviews on the Internet.

But according to the county parks department, Henrico has mountain-bike trails only at Dorey -- and they've been closed for several years.

That could change under a proposed arrangement between Henrico and the Richmond area chapter of the Mid-Atlantic Off-Road Enthusiasts.

Last week, the Board of Supervisors agreed to have the county pursue an agreement with the 80-member club to restore trails at Dorey that were closed after being damaged by Hurricane Isabel in 2003.

Richmond MORE, which has done similar, no-cost work at the James River Park System in Richmond, advocates for trails that are designed using methods that limit ongoing maintenance, erosion, tree damage and other impacts.

MORE members say the demand for trails is evident by the unsanctioned, or "social," paths that are worn in Henrico's parks.

"The proof is in the park," said Greg Rollins, trail advocacy director for Richmond MORE and a resident of western Henrico. "If the users weren't asking for it, the leaves would fall on the trail, and the trails would go back to nature."

Henrico discourages the creation of social trails in its parks, but officials say the problem is difficult to control.

Board of Supervisors Chairman David A. Kaechele said working with Richmond MORE makes sense because of the proliferation of informal trails, including at the Twin Hickory Park site, which hasn't yet been developed.

"It expands the uses of the park for different people's interests," he said. "That's what they're there for."

Many of Henrico's parks have wide, relatively-flat, paved trails for joggers, cyclists and parents with baby strollers.

But mountain bikers crave a more extreme experience.

"They don't give the feeling of being in the woods," Rollins said of the wide paths. "The closeness of the trees gives you the feeling of speed."

Several miles of mountain-bike trails were built at Dorey about seven years ago with help of a state grant.

The trails, designed for beginner and intermediate riders, are officially closed, but they've gotten some continued use, based on trail reviews posted by riders at www.mtbr.com.

Rollins said Richmond MORE doesn't endorse social trails, and he sees them as a problem in all county parks. The club had proposed working with Henrico to design trails at Dorey and Deep Run, but the supervisors agreed to proceed at only Dorey despite liability concerns by County Manager Virgil R. Hazelett.

In 2000, a mountain-biker became a quadriplegic after crashing into a ravine at Poor Farm Park in Ashland while participating in a class sponsored by Henrico. Henrico later paid $1 million to settle a lawsuit filed by the rider, Barry Fountain, according to officials.

Richmond MORE's $1 million-per-accident insurance policy covers any trails built by the club, Rollins said. If all goes well at Dorey, the club hopes to design trails at Deep Run and elsewhere.

"We feel it's baby steps," he said.
Contact Will Jones at (804) 649-6911 or wjones@timesdispatch.com.

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RMSTringer
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Some Baltimore Pics...

Sun reflection...


Neat reflection...


Statue in the Inner Harbor Park...


I took all of these with my cam phone. I hope to have some better pics uploaded this week.

What is your opinion?
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Over the weekend...

We made a trip to Baltimore Maryland for a Cheering Contest. We have been doing lots of traveling as of late but now we will be home for a few months before out next trip. I took a bunch of pics with the cam phone and have loaded them on my Fickr page. We went to the Inner Harbor in Baltimore

We did a 4 ship tour, The U.S.S. Constellation, The USCGC Taney, Chesapeake Lightship, The USS Torsk (submarine) plus The Seven Foot Knoll Lighthouse, and i have some pics of them. We went to the Baltimore Aquarium and it was AMAZING! I have been to several aquariums around the country and this one was the best. We ate at the Hardrock Cafe and went to several stores around the harbor. The city was very clean and i was really impressed with it. If you get a chance, go and see it for yourself!


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If you Smell What Ba"Rock" Obama is Running For!!

Is it just me or has anyone noticed how much The Rock and Brarck look and sound alike? Take when Ba"Rock" gets to pitching his campaign speaches and when the Rock gets to saying his tel tel sayings...

Let em know what you think about the two of them..

Here are a few examples:
The Rock:




Ba"Rock" Obama:






What is your opinion?
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