Saturday Ride 5/17, 7:00 a.m., LOP

Saturday Ride, 7:00 a.m., Land of the Pioneers: Hey Everyone! Man, what a great morning we had for riding on Saturday. The weather was perfect, we had a great crew of twelve riders, and our ride leader took us on an "unconventional" route. We got in more riding than advertised (16 miles) and had a blast doing it.

Best of of all, we had one of the best young mountain bikers in the White Mountains along with us on this trip to give us some entertainment during our ride. Asher, popularly known as the "Blonde Rocket," was along and gave us quite a show on Murder Hornet. It's amazing how easy he makes the drops and jumps line look and, at only twelve years old, it left the "elderly" riders in awe. Asher is trying to build up his Instagram account. So let's help make him famous! Go follow him on Insta: @theblonderocket. You'll be glad you did!

The "Blonde Rocket" goes off the big drop on Murder Hornet on May 10, 2025.   

This coming Saturday, we are going out to the Land of the Pioneers (LOP) trail where Mike and Carol from Cycle Mania will be leading us on the "Director's Cut" of LOP and the surrounding area. Due to the fact that it appears summer has arrived, we are moving our rides time back to 7:00 a.m. to avoid the heat. On Saturday, meet at the LOP trailhead off of the Vernon-McNary Road. We'll ride 12-15 miles at a nice social pace. As all of our Saturday morning rides are, this is a no-drop ride and we'll make sure everyone gets out of the woods that goes in with us. For directions to the trailhead, please see the TRACKS webpage: https://trackswhitemountains.org/take-a-hike/land-of-the-pioneers-651/

There is plenty for you to see on the LOP ride, including pioneer cabins, the ruins of such, and completely random things in the forest. This for instance:

An old railroad car that was hauled up to the LOP area at some point in the past. And this is what remains. From examining the ground, it appears to have been filed with a tar-like substance at one time. Who hauled it up here? How long ago? And for what earthly reason? Why is Zeus so happy about it? Those are just some of the unanswered questions.

One thing is for sure. With Mike and Carol leading us around, we'll see the best of the best. So don't miss next weekend!

STBVF Annual Meeting Minutes from May 9, 2025:

Annual Meeting Minutes

Save the Buena Vista Foundation

Friday, May 9, 2025

Time:  7:00 a.m.

Location:  Advantage Realty Offices, Show Low

1.      Call to Order/Roll Call:  The meeting was called to Order by President Fernau at 7:04 a.m.   Todd Fernau President, Jason Moore Vice-President, Treasurer Amy Johnson, Secretary Dave Moore and Member-at-Large Mischa Larisch were all present.

2.      Officer Reports  

a.)     Treasurer’s Report – Amy Johnson:  Treasurer Johnson reported that at the present time, STBVF currently has more than $14,000 in its checking account.  Note:  After the meeting, Treasurer Johnson reported that the amount stated during the meeting was before paying the last invoice of Logan Simpson, and the correct balance as of the time of the meeting was $9,219.71.

3.            Old Business -- None

4.      New Business

a.      Buena Vista Trail Approval:  Meeting w/USFS 5/1/25: Jason Moore

            i.     Paul Hancock overseeing now:   Mr. Moore reported that oversight of the Buena Vista project has been taken over by Paul Hancock from the Springerville USFS following Joya Swalinski’s retirement in December.

              ii.      Status of NEPA Study For Trail Plan: Per USFS, 90% of the NEPA process is finished for the Buena Vista project.  What remains include notice to the State Historic Preservation Office (SHIPO) and tribal governments and an opportunity for them to respond, as well as a sign-off from a wildlife biologist.

                   iii.      Decommissioning of Old Buena Vista:  According to the USFS, a decision has been made to decommission the Old Buena Vista trail.  The USFS will be responsible for taking care of decommissioning the old trail, although portions will be left on the ground for fire access and forest thinning purposes.

                    iv.      Trail Naming/Signage:  STBVF and TRACKS have been advised to start making a trail naming and signage plan for the area in preparation for project approval.    The Board discussed a potential proposal and it was the consensus that Jason Moore and Steve Dobbs will work with the USFS on getting a plan approved.

                    v.     Logan Simpson Study for Murder Hornet:  We were informed by Erick Laurila from Logan Simpson that the Murder Hornet archeological survey was completed earlier this week, and no cultural resources sites or occurrences were identified during the study.  The previous report to the USFS will be revised to include the Murder Hornet findings and will be submitted within the next couple of weeks.

b.      Second Generation STBVF Jerseys:  The artwork has been finalized for the 2nd generation STBVF jerseys featuring Walter at Hole-In-The-Rock.   We are working to get the jersey design in order, and discussion was held about having a long-sleeve version of the jersey with a centered rear-pocket.

c.      EATC Madness – Federal Funding Issues:  Discussion was held regarding federal funding cuts and the contract cancellation of the agreement between EATC and Southwest Decision Resources.   The municipalities, TRACKS, and others are stepping in to fill-in the funding for EATC.   It was discussed that STBVF really has no funds to support this since the money we have on hand needs to be reserved for trail signs.

d.      Phase II:  Chihuahua Pines proposal to compliment Los Caballos proposal from TRACKS:  Steve Dobbs explained the TRACKS proposal pending before the EATC to improve and replace the Los Caballos trail to make it user-friendly.  The master plan was developed by Sean Gregory from Big Loops trails in cooperation with the City of Show Low and TRACKS.  It is proposed that a similar maser plan be done by STBVF and the City for the future trail system in the Chihuahua Pines Corridor.  Jason Moore moved that STBVF take action on the idea.   Motion was seconded by Mischa Larisch. Motion passed 5-0.

e.      STBVF Board Elections for FY 2025-2026: Board Elections were held for FY 2025-2026.  Motion was made that all five board members retain their seat for upcoming fiscal year by Mischa Larisch.   Motion was seconded by Dave Moore.  Motion passed 5-0.  Offers for 2025-20226 are:

                                        i.     President:   Todd Fernau

                                      ii.      Vice-President: Mischa Larisch

                                     iii.      Treasurer:  Amy Johnson

                                     iv.      Secretary:   Dave Moore

                                       v.     Member at Large:  Mischa Larisch.

4.      Open Agenda Items

a.      Board discussed the possibility of STBVF acquiring a piece of land near the end of Wagon Wheel Road to use as trail access.   Todd Fernau will look into this possibility.

b.      Fundraising ideas were discussed for STBVF to raise funds privately.   A booth at the Pinewood Showdown and the TOWM were discussed, as well as the possibility of a raffle for a bike.

5.      Next Meeting Date:  August 1, 2025 at 7:00 a.m.

6.      Adjourn:  The meeting was adjourned at 8:34 a.m.