RUBICON TRAIL GETS $4000 FROM BFGOODRICH TIRES

 Rubicon Makes List of BFGoodrich Tires Outstanding Trails

Volunteers celebrate with a work weekend

By Del Albright, Motorized Recreation Advocate

Rubicon Trail volunteers continue to kick access and keep the Rubicon alive and well for all of us. On August 18-19, 2007, Friends of the Rubicon (FOTR) gathered a force of folks to work hard, eat well, receive a grant, and celebrate with BFGoodrich Tires!

 BFGoodrich Tires partnered up with Tread Lightly! and United Four Wheel Drive Associations to establish recognition of six trails across the country for 2007. Every year, new trails will be added to this list of Outstanding Trails.

 FOTR received a grant of $4000 from BFGoodrich Tires on this work weekend. The money is designated for the preservation of motorized use of the scenic Rubicon Trail. Trail Boss Del Albright says it’s all about the volunteers.

 “The volunteers who work to keep the Rubicon maintained and open to all of us are setting the example worldwide for other trails and riding areas, “said Albright. FOTR has the specific goals of mitigating erosion and providing user education. 

 “We have our own Trail Patrol providing user information and outreach, as well as a massive Internet outreach program designed to educate users on responsible use of the trail so we can have it forever,” added Albright.

 BFGoodrich Tires is a major name in the off-road recreation industry and has committed to helping preserve the sport. “We want to show our appreciation to the volunteers who work so hard to keep special trails open with such passion and commitment to conservation,” said Joe Mazur, Light-Truck Brand Category Manager for BFGoodrich Tires.

 FOTR turned seven years old in 2007 and has logged over 20,000 hours of sweat, dust, and hard work on the Rubicon Trail.   At least three major work weekends are scheduled each year, with many other smaller work groups in between. 

 The Rubicon volunteers have very few meetings and no dues. Anyone who wants to work can join up and help, and you’ll be assured of a productive and fun day. Trail Boss Del Albright developed a unique project and volunteer management system that organizes each project, with everyone knowing their job and expectations.

 “With our leadership system, we can effectively plan a project and productively employ anywhere from a few dozen to several hundred volunteers,” said Randy Burleson, President of the Rubicon Trail Foundation.

 The work weekend that celebrated the Outstanding Trails program was just another example of FOTR volunteers doing amazing things in very little time. In one short day, FOTR moved over 200 tons of rock to fill huge mud holes over a 4.5 5-mile section of Wentworth Springs Road using towed utility trailers and some heavy equipment from the Eldorado County Department of Transportation.

 FOTR is supported and endorsed by every major off-road organization in California. http://www.delalbright.com.

MORE HELPFUL LINKS:

DEL'S BOOKS (LAND USE, WILDFIRE, DEATH VALLEY, COWBOY POETRY, AND MORE)

WEBSITE (HOME PAGE)

PINTEREST (BOOKS, ARTICLES, AND MORE)

FACEBOOK

INSTAGRAM

DEL'S ARTICLES (LAND USE, LIFE, WILDFIRE, VOLUNTEERISM, AND MORE)

 More land use and volunteerism help here:

• MEETINGS:
• RUN A BETTER MEETING
• NEPA: 
• LEARN MORE ABOUT NEPA
• LETTERS: 
• WRITE A LETTER
• SPEECHES:  
•  GIVE A SPEECH
• FACILITATE: 
• LEARN TO FACILITATE MEETINGS
• CLUBS:
• WHY JOIN A CLUB
• CONVOYS:
• ORGANIZE A CONVOY
• JOIN:
• JOIN THE RIGHT GROUPS
• TRAINING:
• GET VOLUNTEER TRAINING
• LEAD:   
• LEAD VOLUNTEERS
• JOBS:  
• CHOOSE THE RIGHT JOB FOR YOU

RUBICON TRAIL 2006 - THE HISTORY OF WHAT A YEAR!

 Rubicon Trail Roundup 2006 – What a Year!

By Del Albright, 2006 Trail Boss, Friends of the Rubicon (FOTR)

(AUTHOR'S NOTE: This article brings back and records some history of the famous Rubicon Trail and the Friends of the Rubicon).

 With nearly 20,000 documented hours of volunteer work time since 2001, the Friends of the Rubicon (FOTR) has set new records for keeping a trail alive and well!  2006 was another spectacular year, with our final work weekend being August 19-20, with 80 volunteers hard at work.

 FOTR started in 2001 when a rumor hit the Internet that a gate was going up on the Tahoe side. We said NO GATE, and FOTR launched full-blown into history to save the trail and keep it OUR trail.

 Since then, FOTR has grown to be the strongest and most active volunteer force imaginable, with a substantial amount of political clout. With no dues and only one meeting a year, people are amazed at what FOTR can do. Every year, we achieve new heights in projects, management,, and involvement.

 2006 was one of our best years yet.  In June we had two major work weekends.  One weekend in July, we worked extensively on the Tahoe side.  And in August, we had our big work weekend to develop erosion control measures on and near Walker Hill of the Rubicon Trail.  Projects included the construction of a log bridge with rock abutments, closed-off bypasses, a log ramp built at the base of the hill, construction of erosion measure water bars, and general trail maintenance.

 We ended the work day with a huge Mexican food buffet sponsored by Hummer and put on for us by Robbs Resort (www.dorobbs.com).  Hummer has been a generous donor to the trail this year and holds the title as the first manufacturer to donate directly to the Rubicon Trail Foundation and FOTR.  They also hold first place for contributing workers to Rubicon Trail projects.  On the July work weekend, Hummer sent eight folks with strong backs to help us on the Tahoe side work day.  For the August work day Hummer of Sacramento (http://www.hummerofsacramento.com/en_US/) sent 5 strong backs. Thank you, Hummer!

  FOTR prides itself in getting the job done while having fun – and being productive.  Every task is clearly laid out and properly planned.  Every volunteer has a job and gets credit for the work they do.  We use the Recreational Incident Command System (RICS) as developed by the author to ensure our projects come off as organized, safe, and productive.  Most all team leaders within FOTR have had some sort of leadership training, either one of the author’s courses or some form of business leadership training.  It makes a difference to the end result.  After an FOTR project, people walk away feeling satisfied and productive.

 FOTR is truly a team effort.  By using specialized email networks and lists, we ensure communications are ongoing and thorough.  All opinions count.  There are no Robert’s Rules of Order, no formal bureaucratic structure, and no delegates.  With the help of www.pirate4x4.com, we share opinions and ideas on the Rubicon Trail Talk forum.  Anyone can chime in and help.

 We rely heavily on our Team Leaders and email network administrators to provide the leadership that is sorely needed in our sport. Each level of leadership provides clear expectations and objectives to those on their Team. For the most part, leadership is earned in FOTR—not given. FOTR folks earn their place in line by hard work and a demonstrated passion for helping. 

 In addition to FOTR, we have developed a separate 501.c3 non-profit educational foundation called the Rubicon Trail Foundation.  This Foundation intends to raise money and help support FOTR and the Rubicon Trail into the future.  Eventually, we hope to buy land as funds become available.  FOTR and the Foundation work hand in hand to keep the Rubicon Trail our icon of four-wheeling.

 There will be a few more projects in 2006, perhaps with short notice.  But stay tuned and check in often at the links below or visit the Rubicon Trail Talk on Pirate4x4.com.

 The prospects for a solid, lasting, well-maintained Rubicon Trail have never been better.

Please visit our websites to learn more:

www.delalbright.com/Rubicon/rubicon.htm

www.rubicontrail.org

www.friendsoftherubicon.com

(NOTE: FOTR and the Rubicon Trail Foundation are alive and well as of this writing, still saving the trail for access for all into the future).

##

 MORE HELPFUL LINKS:

DEL'S BOOKS (LAND USE, WILDFIRE, DEATH VALLEY, COWBOY POETRY, AND MORE)

WEBSITE (HOME PAGE)

PINTEREST (BOOKS, ARTICLES, AND MORE)

FACEBOOK

INSTAGRAM

DEL'S ARTICLES (LAND USE, LIFE, WILDFIRE, VOLUNTEERISM, AND MORE)

 More land use and volunteerism help here:

• MEETINGS:
• RUN A BETTER MEETING
• NEPA: 
• LEARN MORE ABOUT NEPA
• LETTERS: 
• WRITE A LETTER
• SPEECHES:  
•  GIVE A SPEECH
• FACILITATE: 
• LEARN TO FACILITATE MEETINGS
• CLUBS:
• WHY JOIN A CLUB
• CONVOYS:
• ORGANIZE A CONVOY
• JOIN:
• JOIN THE RIGHT GROUPS
• TRAINING:
• GET VOLUNTEER TRAINING
• LEAD:   
• LEAD VOLUNTEERS
• JOBS:  
• CHOOSE THE RIGHT JOB FOR YOU

BRC Congratulates FOTR at 14 Years Strong

"Founding Father" BRC Congratulates Rubicon Trail

By Del Albright

Founding Trail Boss, FOTR
Founding President, Rubicon Trail Foundation (RTF)

In March of 2001 I worked with Lance Clifford to set up the first ever forum for one trail, the Rubicon Trail, on http://www.pirate4x4.com. Friends of the Rubicon (FOTR) was born then, with the forum going live in April 2001.

BlueRibbon Coalition (BRC) is the reason I was able to work nearly full time as founding Trail Boss of FOTR to develop, organize, train, build and lead this awesome group of volunteers for many years to help make it what it is today -- 14 years strong.

I facilitated the start up of the Rubicon Trail Foundation (RTF) as a follow up to FOTR in 2004, and lead this group for several years as founding President.  It was truly an honor.

We should never forget BRC's role in making all this happen.  And if you want to say thank you, and see more success stories like this, JOIN, RENEW or DONATE to BRC at:

https://www.sharetrails.org/support/join-or-contribute

I am proud to have held the helm for so many years, but also very thankful that BRC gave me the blessing to do all that I did for FOTR and RTF with my BRC hat on.  I would never have been able to do it otherwise.

Del

##

Albright Jeep Morphs Again

C UN RD (Seein' Red), the 1997 TJ Wrangler changes again with the addition of MetalCloak front bumper/stinger, Master Pull Winch Rope, Daystar Hood Wranglers and D-Ring Dampners, and BFGoodrich 37" A/T's.  

Red will be at Friends of the Rubicon (FOTR) Annual Meeting (10 year anniversary) this Saturday April 2 in Sacramento; then to Easter Jeep Safari in Moab April 16 - 24.   The Land Use War Machine is going strong, even after nearly 150,000 miles and 14 years (of lots of trails). 

NOTE: Special thanks to Nemesis Industries for supporting my BlueRibbon Coalition travel to Moab this year.  Sweet!  More on Nemesis at http://www.nem-ind.com/

At your service....

Del 

Rubicon Trail Volunteers Bring Us Up to Date

Friends of the Rubicon (FOTR) Annual Meeting 2010 Report from Jacquelyne Bebe Theisen
The FOTR Annual meeting went very well. We had a full day with lots of great information from our own membership and from our agency partners.


We began the meeting with introductions and comments from Del and Daphne Greene to kick things into gear.  (full room; 100 folks)

We then had a recap of workdays on the trail for the year, both the El Dorado side and the Placer side, I recapped the El Dorado and Doug Barr recapped the Placer. We have accomplished a ton last year and have even MORE to do this year.

I introduced a new oil cleaning product, that after*two trials on the trail, was modified to include a detergent free surfactant, an enzyme and a microbe. It took all the best of the two products we used to remove old oils stains from the granite, and added an enzyme for the fast acting breakdown of petroleum, and a microbe that contines to breakdown any oil that gets into the soil over time. The new product is called "S'oil Cleanse" and has now been added to the County's Grant request to be added to the free spill kits that we hand out on the trail, in convenient 8oz squeeze bottles. The product will also be available to the public and can be purchased in larger volume containers.

There were some meaningful highlights, one of them being a "Lifetime Achievement Award" presented to Mr. Dana Holland. Dana's achievements on the Rubicon go back over 30 years. One of the most notable projects being the Rubicon Springs Bridge, with the most recent being the Wentworth Springs Kiosk, Oil Containment Bdlg, and the Wag Bag collection Receptacle. I'll send out some photo's when I get them together.

Rubicon Trail Foundation recapped their grant funding and status for 2009-2010 grant cycle. They also had a show and tell of the new Pooper Unimog that will be used on the trail for pumping out the new toilets that will be installed (hopefully) over the next couple of years at remote locations like Spider Lake and Buck Island Lake.

Del held the annual election of the Trail Boss, and by a show of hands, I was elected by the present members. Del apologized for not holding an election at the time he chose to appoint Todd and I last year, but said he did what he did, and apologized again.

Shortly after we went straight into the business of the new Org Chart for FOTR, and all current appointments remained the same, and a couple of empty positions were filled. I can e-mail you the chart if you would like one.

I also briefly went over the CGS map provided to me by the County last week, that showed all of the areas that need our attention. We will again spend the majority of our time on the west side of the trail this year, but now have specific projects laid out before us. I will need folks to step up for Incident Commander Positions as we will have 5 work days this year. I can email a Calendar with all of the pertinent dates.

I asked the membership to assist with a project that will include a lot of buckets, and the major organized runs this year by JJUSA, Jeepers Jamborees and others like TLCA, Marlin Crawler runs too. We have a couple of areas that need to be filled back up to Original Grade. These will not be done during our normal workdays, nor by the County, but we will be handing out buckets to be filled with rock from a location on the trail, and dropped at Walker Hill and Winter Camp, the two more incised areas of the trail. More details to come as things come together.

We broke for lunch and were stuffed to the gills with the most amazing Rockhead food ever, Dale Robins whipped up some chili verde, chicken and beef for a plethora of tacos. Wow, no wonder they are the official Cook Crew of FOTR! They Rock!

The Agency panel was very informative, and included USFS, EL Dorado County, Water Board and OHMVR Representatives. Grants for upcoming projects were discussed, as well as Forest Service Projects, and a continued vote of support from OHMVR.

Daphne Green from OHMVR communicated how important FOTR is, as it sets the standard NATION WIDE for what a collaboration of Volunteers and Agencies can accomplish together, and we were congratulated by other agencies on out talent, resources and our die hard desire to keep the Rubicon alive and well for future generations.

Diane Rubiaco from Pacific District spoke about defining some dispersed camping areas along the trail, and also providing a route to some of these areas. While details were not readily available, in a previous meeting, both Buck Island and Little Sluice/Spider lake areas were discussed. Very encouraging. She did say that they may not look like we image they should. but that she is looking forward to a collaborative process.

Vickie Sanders of El Dorado County told us about the grants being requested by the County on the Rubicon Trails behalf, and again thanked to volunteers for their work on the trail. Vickie is truly the lady who makes it all happen for us, working with both the DOT, Legal and the Supervisors office to advocate for us at every turn. I can't thank her enough.

Phil Jenkins of OHMVR described a collaboration of 4 Law Enforcement Agencies that will be active on and around the trail this year. He is working on a project to include 2 State Parks officers that will be placed at a mid trail position during the Summer.

Law enforcement this year will be the largest presence we have ever seen on the Rubicon Trail, with 2 full time State Parks LEO's, 2 Forest Service FPO's, and 2 full time Sheriffs officers.

Marty Hartzel from the Water Board came to tell us how we were progressing on the CAO, and let us know that everything is going as planned, all reports have been submitted on time, and that they are looking forward to the Long term management Plan and the Saturated Soils plan due this year.

As we wound things down, Duncan Waldrop took the time to discuss a Trail Patrol Project he has been working on for RTF. RTF hired him to design a trail patrol program that will be self sustaining. Duncan also presented the CalStar Program to members of FOTR, and we had to vote to be called a group just for this purpose. It was overwhelmingly approved, and now all members of FOTR are eligible for Cal Star Helicopter Insurance for $35.00 per year. If you are interested - contact Duncan, and he will get you the necessary information.

Thank you all who attended, presented and committed your time to the Friends of the Rubicon. We couldn't do it with out each and every one of you.

Thank you all for your vote and your vote of confidence. We are going to have a GREAT year, a PRODUCTIVE year, and will be one step closer to lifting the Clean up and Abatement Order.

Bebe, Trail Boss
***************

Rubicon Trail Users Oppose Plan, Need Support

Friends of the Rubicon

Contact: Jacquelyne "Bebe" Theisen
Telephone: 530-888-8302
E-mail: bebehumr@gmail.com
Auburn, CA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

RUBICON TRAIL USERS OPPOSE PLAN

Friends of the Rubicon fighting for Little Sluice and trail bypasses

January 20, 2010; Placerville, CA. Friends of the Rubicon (FOTR) asks for user support to change the future of the Rubicon Trail in El Dorado County. El Dorado County Department of Transportation (DOT) will present staff recommendations at a public meeting, January 26th, at 2pm in the County Board of Supervisors Board room. DOT Staff has published a recommended Route Recognition plan so that the Rubicon Trail in El Dorado County is defined as ordered by the California Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board's Clean up and Abatement Order issued to El Dorado County and the Eldorado National Forest Service last spring.

Friends of the Rubicon is appreciative of the involvement of the Department of Transportation in working with all interested stakeholders to come up with a framework for the future maintenance of the trail - which FOTR looks forward to assisting the County in its implementation. However County staff recommendations do not reflect our user-groups priorities, consensus or recommendations.

FOTR will present a 10 minute counter-presentation to the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors on behalf of motorized Rubicon Trail users and the volunteers that work tirelessly to maintain the health of the Rubicon Trail. The presentation will focus on keeping the trail open, alive and well for all users.

Del Albright, Ambassador, Blue Ribbon Coalition and founding Trail Boss of Friends of the Rubicon said, “El Dorado County staff have been essential in developing a long-term plan for the health of the Rubicon Trail, but this current recommendation flies side-ways in a couple key issues critical to responsible users of the trail. FOTR has the right recommendations and we will be advocating to the Board of Supervisors to support FOTR’s approach.”

Of the three alternatives presented to the Board of Supervisors by the Department of Transportation, Friends of the Rubicon supports a modified Option 3 that includes all of the Recommended Variants and a maintenance corridor at Little Sluice and Buck Island. This should preserve all existing variant routes within the corridors currently on the Not Recommended list.

“After years of work and several public meetings, we still find ourselves in partial, yet significant disagreement with County staff,” says Jacquelyne Theisen, Trail Boss, FOTR. “At this meeting we plan to show, once again, how the responsible users of the Rubicon Trail know what’s best for an overall trail management plan, and are willing to make it happen on the ground,” she adds.

Friends of the Rubicon will ask the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors to add the following Variants Not Recommended to Option 3 so that they are included in the Long Term Management plan currently being developed:

Map location (C) the USFS portion(s) (14N34B). This area is a historical ingress and egress to the Rubicon Trail, and highly valuable for the following reasons; It provides easy access for the extrication of broken or damaged vehicles, or those bringing in parts to repair a vehicle, or for expedited egress for an injured recreationist, or in the event of a wildfire, expedient access to two lakes for human safety. It does have very minor erosion issues that are very easily remedied.

Map location (D) a short section of trail east of Ellis Creek. This area is being requested for the following reasons; It is a section of the original trail, and provides a optional route of increased difficulty, which is a integral part of the Rubicon experience.

Map location (E) the obstacle known as Soup Bowl is a newer area of the trail, that provides a play area. The impression that the trail is constantly blocked and creates a safety hazard is an exaggeration. We are asking that it remains open and that some type of natural barrier be installed to prevent further vegetation loss and that regular maintenance plan be developed to prevent sediment loss.

Friends of the Rubicon is dedicated to working with El Dorado County DOT and the Eldorado National Forest Service to continue to provide the many hours of volunteer labor needed to maintain the health of the Rubicon Trail and to provide a unified voice to motorized users of the world’s most famous trail, the Rubicon.

If you would like to assist FOTR, participate at a FOTR work party or educational outreach efforts at one of our Kiosk information centers, please sign up here at: http://www.rubiconfriends.com .

The meeting on January 26th is located at:
El Dorado County
330 Fair Lane, bldg A

Placerville, CA 96667

NOTE from Del:  the Rubicon Trail Foundation (RTF) will be presenting to the Board of Supervisors as well, with many of the same recommendations as FOTR.  More on RTF at http://www.rubicontrailfoundation.org/

###

Friends Groups -- saving trails together -- How to.

I get asked often about saving trails with a "friends" type group (or coalition).  It's easy to do and very powerful.  Friends of the Rubicon (FOTR) is the most famous friends group in the country and the largest coalition ever formed to save just one trail -- the Rubicon Trail.  Here's why friends groups work so well.

Friends groups set aside club issues and bring everyone together under one banner.


Friends groups are usually multiple use (wheeling, dirt bikes, hunting, fishing, atv's, etc. and access in general).

Friends groups become the central point of contact for agency folks (USFS; BLM). It makes it easier for all of us to work together.

Friends groups become powerful proponents of public lands (quickly), recognized by the agencies as the folks to deal with!  Let alone that friends groups are the ones that get the work done.

Go here to learn more and see how (step by step) to start a friends group (or coalition) for your trail or riding area: http://www.delalbright.com/Articles/coalitions.htm

Del

Rubicon Trail Little Sluice (meeting)

I really enjoyed the public meeting tonight and I’m sure there will be a lot of posts about it. We filled up the room pretty much with about 25 folks speaking up. Tom Celio from Eldo County DOT said he had about 70 emails also (submitted testimony). I was very proud of everyone who was there.

Our passion and dedication to the trail shown through like a bright light, even if we all didn't agree on exactly what to with Little Sluice -- to blow or not to blow it.


However, the comment was made that it is turning out to be about 7 to 1 or so (unofficial) for leaving the box alone. Further, it was pretty unanimous that we need a plan before we do anything serious – a plan we are all part of. Co-Trail Boss Bebe did an awesome job presenting good stuff about what FOTR can do and has done.  She made it clear that FOTR fixes anything that is in need of attention on the Rubicon Trail, and has proven this for 9 years.

There was a lot of support for fixing the real problems at Little Sluice – and those are mostly people problems and bad behaviors. Things that need to be managed (fixed) still include petroleum issues and spills, erosion/sedimentation, and sanitation. FOTR can fix all these with a little help from our partners in the feds, the Rubicon Trail Foundation, and the County.  This is not rocket science -- this is commitment, persistence and common sense.

Several businesses (like http://www.mfs-ca.com/ ) and the "Save the Sluice" group made it clear that they are going to be on the trail, at Little Sluice, doing on-the-ground management of behaivour  and providing education on issues at the "box" to include cleaning up messes and spills.  Now THAT is dedication.

The Rubicon Trail Foundation supported having a solid, integrated plan in place to deal with the concentrated use at Little Sluice, and of course reaffirmed their commitment to support Friends of the Rubicon.

Tom Celio was impressed with our dedication, consideration and respect for each other, as well as our commitment to the trail.  He said the next step was for this info (and the email testimony) to be packaged up and given to the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors who will make important decisions like this one about the Rubicon Trail.  I trust Tom to give a good view of our side/testimony to the Board.
You can still email in your comments if you want. tcelio@co.el-dorado.ca.us

Wow, thanks to all who could be there and all who sent support (or email testimony) in their own way.

FOTR Rocks.
Just one man’s opinion and notes,

Del

Rubicon Trail Update

RUBICON TRAIL UPDATE: WATER QUALITY BOARD MEETS - RUBICON STAYS OPEN

SACRAMENTO, CA (April 27) — The Rubicon Trail is open and OHV recreation is sustained on this icon of four-wheeling, according to the Rubicon Trail Foundation (RTF) and Friends of the Rubicon (FOTR). The Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board (CVRWQCB) voted unanimously to issue a Cleanup and Abatement Order (CAO) to El Dorado County and the Eldorado National Forest for the world-famous Rubicon Trail that sustains motorized recreation while enhancing stewardship of the trail. Not only did the Board enact an order that recreationists can live with, but they also went so far as to praise the efforts of the volunteers for addressing trail issues ... read more here on BlueRibbon's Home Page

Rubicon Trail Update from Trail Boss; 10/8/08

Today was the monthly meeting of the Rubicon Oversight Committee (ROC) and here are some highlights from my notes:

1. 
   Bridges on the trail: with grant money and leadership from the great folks at the Dept. of Transportation in Eldorado County (DOT), we are in progress of getting two bridges on the trail. One at Ellis Creek and one at Gerle Creek (Wentworth Springs Road). These will prevent future closures and environmental issues with both these critical watersheds. It will be summer of 2010 before we see these constructed, but the good news is that everyone is on board and excited about having bridges to help us keep our trail open and healthy. Our input will be asked for as the design ideas come forward.
   
2. US Geological Survey folks are out on the trail right now doing some analysis of future maintenance jobs that need to be done to keep our trail in good shape. They are doing this under guidance from Eldo County, so we hope to have a good report and what all we'll be doing these next two summers.
   
3. Loon Lake Toilet: the CXT (big vault pre-fab) toilet is set to be installed in the next week or so at Loon Lake (staging area). The hole is prepared and ready to accept the new toilet system. Again, we are using grant money and the guidance and supervision of the good folks at Eldo County DOT.
   
4. USFS Fire Restrictions have been lifted on the Forest – so camp fires are ok now. Go prepared if you go up; frost is heavy in the mornings. J
   

Before turkey day I'll probably be checking for a good date for our Spring FOTR meeting (most likely February). More on this soon, but in case you're wondering, yes, for sure, I'll be happy to continue as your Trail Boss. We'll have the normal annual election at the spring meeting. 2009 promises to be an awesome year for Friends of the Rubicon. For more on the Rubicon Trail, visit http://www.delalbright.com/Rubicon/rubicon.htm

Del