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May 22 is the date for the spring Bird Farm Trail ride this year.
For those not familiar with this event , it is 5 miles of beginner friendly single track on our farm west of Garnett Ks. These trails are a good place to bring the kids and family for a family day out in the country. There are also some challenging spots for those so inclined. As in the past parking area is across the driveway east of the windmill in a large grassy area. You can come anytime after 9am and stay all day if you like. You will need to bring snacks ,water ,and a sack lunch as it is 12 miles back to town. If you come through Garnett on the way out I would recommend stopping at the 7th st grocery , 22800 Nw 1700th Rd, Garnett, KS 66032. (used to be Yoder community store is pretty much same just changed hands) store to pickup fresh made sandwiches and any thing else needed for a trail lunch. That is where we shop . In fact you can just tell the gal at the deli that you want a "Larry sandwich" they will fix you right up with the custom sandwich I order. (smoked turkey ,Beef and cheese) for under $4 for the sandwich. They have most everything else you will need also. Our farm is 11 miles on west of the store on the same road.
We will have ride waiver for you to sign
Questions: call Larry at seven 8 five forr four 8 four nine four two.
There is more information from past rides in these links

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=3260
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2979
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2913
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2913

Argh, we will not be able to make, but thanks for opening your place Larry! This is such a cool place to learn at and have a good time with the little ones!!!!

I plan to be there! Thanks, Larry!

Larry, I'm sorry I'm going to miss this. It is always fun throwing a big ADV bike though your place.

PS. My wife has seen pictures of the cutting board. A couple weeks ago, she saw it and called it a "piece of art".

Larry,

With all the rain we've been getting (and forecasted) is this ride still on for Saturday?

It sounds like a great place to practice some riding skills in a friendly community environment.

-josh

Joshua, I have been pondering that same question for a few days now. Encouraged by todays sunshine in spite of a rain and cloudy forecast I went to the woods on the mower to do trail maitance sure enough as soon as I got well into the woods a shower came up , not to be daunted I persisted ,it soon passed and after and hour or two of mowing ( more correctly described as mudding ) the grass even dried off somewhat. Then another bigger shower came up with the sun still shining, by now I have had enough and started working my way back to the barn. I did get half of them mowed, at least the places I could get to, some spots were inaccessible due to water and mud.
The reality is even with sunshine from now til saturday there are many spots that would still be unridable due to standing water ,low muddy spots and lots of water running in the creeks. NO rocks here just dry dirt or mud depending on the moisture content.

"It sounds like a great place to practice some riding skills in a friendly community environment."
It is just what you have suggested , I know I have been able to improve my skills on them as have others . Several people have learned to ride here also. The community environment is created by the ridefourm people who participate.

MAY 22 RIDE POSTPONED TO A LATER DATE TO BE ANNOUNCED

Due to conditions I have just described in the above post I have decided to postpone the Bird Farm trail ride. I would like to try for May 29 but weather and conditions will have to be monitored for a few days to determine if it is possible. I am thinking we will need at least a week of no rain and drying conditions to get the trails into good enough condition.
I will post up the new date when I come up with one.

Damn, I was looking forward to it, but thats totally understandable. Hopefully the weather improves quickly.

-josh

Unfortunate, but no doubt the right call. Josh, Birdman's farm is a great place to play for riders of all skill levels--including brand new riders. Look forward to seeing you put that Tiger through it's paces there if it works out! I'll bring my 300 2-stroke to play just a little bit harder.

After a night of rain I looked out the window this morning to see that a significant portion of the trails are now under water. So to ride trails today a kayak or jet ski would be proper equipment. It will be a few days before an assessment of repairs needed can be made.

Upon further checking close to 90+% of the trails are under water
This was taken from the road looking south the big opening in the trees is the main creek crossing. The cars area is just to the left out of frame of this pic

I see people keep checking this post so an update is in order. I think today was the first day we haven't had at least a little rain, and some days a lot of rain, in a couple weeks. It is extremely wet still. The low spots are still full of water and the creek is still running, will probably be a week before the trails are even dry enough to navigate. I am estimating 2-3 weeks before conditions will be good enough for a ride considering the rain slows down to an occasional shower.

This is not fair. I deserve to be riding trails. Larry, why can't you just move the farm to higher, drier ground?

** UPDATE** New Ride Date

Lets try Saturday June 26 for the Bird Farm trail ride

Patience Troy , It will be not be higher but will be drier by July . In fact it is getting close although the low spots and crossings are still quite muddy. Some more drift wood clearing , mowing ,again, and should be good to go.

Fingers crossed for good weather! I'm hoping to make it, although it might be mid-afternoon before I can get there that Saturday.

Good news, Spent a lot of this last week getting the trails ready and they are now ready and in good shape. They are finally drying up nicely and I think even if we have a shower of rain this week it will still be dry enough to ride. As long as we don't have any more wind storms they should stay clear.
With all the rain we have had things have grown quite well. It is ok to ride off the mowed paths but caution must be used as you could encounter unseen stumps , drift wood (logs), ditches/holes or whatever in the tall grass ,but that can be part of the fun. Having said that just because you stay on the mowed path doesn't mean you are "completely" safe, always be aware of possible hazards.
With the good foliage the trails are virtually completely shaded , so don't be intimidated by the possible heat. With the shade and a breeze blowing through the trees I have found it to be quite pleasant and noticeably cooler while working on the trails this past week.
Parking will be east of the windmill on the grass as in the past. Bring plenty of water/drinks and snacks/lunch .
Come and enjoy a day on the farm in the woods this saturday.

Larry has worked very hard. I can personally say the trails are perfect! Got a little preview. See ya there! Thanks for hosting Larry!

Here at the farm we only got a quarter inch of rain yesterday so everything is still good......but the forecast for today doesn't look very favorable , will just have to wait til morning and see what has happened. Check here or call me before heading out in the morning.

*RIDE CANCELED FOR JUNE 26 *

I am going to go ahead and call it..... rain storms 2 -- bird farm trail ride 0

We just had one and a half inches of rain with more in the forecast for tonight and tomorrow.

We are considering July 10 for the possible new ride date. Will post the new date as soon as possible