shotwellian

It's also important to know though that many of the urban segments of the Great Redwood Trail are happening much sooner. Ukiah just completed two segments, Willits has a grant to build the trail through downtown next year, and the last phase of the Humboldt Bay Trail (part of the GRT) will start work next year. The Annie and Mary Trail in Blue Lake (the northernmost bit of the GRT) is starting work next year. In the Bay Area, numerous segments of the trail in Petaluma, Santa Rosa, and Windsor will get built in the next 1-2 years. I made a map of the status of all the project, here, although it's already a bit out of date.

Leinster

That's a fantastic visual, thanks!

I don't suppose you could add the Napa Vine Trail on there? I understand if it's not in your scope.

shotwellian

Napa Vine Trail is a great project, but it's separate from this north / south bikeway, so I'm not including it here. I made this map originally for an article I wrote for SFGate awhile back, here. If you want to make a similar map of the Napa Vine Trail, Google makes it pretty easy (and fun, if you like maps!) to create your own.

Leinster

And then I see this on Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1782895678517398/

"Set your calendars for a virtual Trails Summit on June 6th, 9am - 11am. Senator McGuire will provide an update about progress on the Great Redwood Trail!"

Korina

That's a truly awesome map, Shotwellian! Do you plan to keep it updated? I need to share this with the rest of the Humboldt Trails Council. Thank you!

shotwellian

Thanks! Yes, please feel free to share widely. I update it periodically. If there are any progress on projects not shown on here that you know of, let me know!

Korina

Cool. FYI, the Arcata Rail Trail is actually the Humboldt Bay Trail North, and it goes past the Bayside Cutoff to just before the watery bit. NBD.

Korina

Save the date. 2020 Trails Summit registration.

shotwellian

If you're part of planning this, will it be possible to either record the session or post the key info afterwards for people who can't be there in person?

Korina

It'll be available on Access Humboldt TV, and possibly on YT after, not sure yet. BTW, no one's going to be there in person; it's on Zoom.

Korina

Just a reminder that the Trails Summit is on Saturday from 9 - 11.

You can send in questions ahead of time to
humboldttrailssummit@gmail.com

You can watch it live on Zoomhttps://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...QLKIUhctG9Gj5Q

Live on Access Humboldt channel 12

Live on YT https://www.youtube.com/user/accesshumboldt/live

Or live on Fb https://www.facebook.com/humboldttrailscouncil/

Admission is free, BYOS. See you there!

Korina

For anyone who missed the Trails Summit, here ya go.

EDIT: (ahem) Leaving the other, because it's cool.

curbtender

Cool, you mean we get to ride middle earth?

Korina

Of course. Because one does not simply walk to Mordor.

Korina

shotwellian , did you see the Summit? If so, what did you think?

Anyone else?

shotwellian

Yes, I watched it afterwards! Thanks for the tip about it.

I thought it was great, and it was exciting to see how committed to the project Sen. McGuire is. I was also really interested to see the new trail "the Dennis Wendt Memorial Trail" open in Fortuna, because it seemed like folks there built it without the usual endless permitting process. If that's right, it would be helpful to know whether it would be legal to similarly open other portions on an interim basis (cut back the overgrowth, dump some fine gravel on top of the rails) while the years-long planning and permitting process for the permanent version of the trail happens.

Korina

Yeah, that trail is a classic example of "better to ask forgiveness than permission". Fortunately they did a very good job with it, making it easier to grant retroactive permits. It would be awesome if local folks took it upon themselves to go do some tactical trail building. Speaking as a private citizen, of course; as a Humboldt Trails Council board member, it's best to suck it up and go with the speed of bureaucracy, i.e. v e r y s l o w l y. At least until we get this sucker railbanked. After that I may go out with a shovel and a wheelbarrow of gravel myself.

Korina

For anyone interested, the state has released its report, an assessment of the NCRA and the possibility of the GRT. I'm still in the executive summary.

Korina

Sorry! Sorry, forgot to post a link to tonight's GRT Town Hall, but it's on YT. It was pretty interesting; for example, 75% to 85% of the Eel River Canyon is suitable and ready for a trail. It's the other 15% to 25% that's hair-raising.

Korina

Dejavu all over again! Here's Senator McGuire's latest GRT Town Hall.

Joe Bikerider

Is this related to the hassle between the train people and others in the city?

https://www.sfgate.com/california-po...-Editors-Picks

Thanks.

Leinster

looks like the Skunk Train is a branch line off the main Redwood line, so probably a separate entity. And their fight with the City is definitely a separate fight.

Be interesting to see what they would plan when the Trail goes ahead; their potential rail line would terminate at a bike path in Willits. I could go either way on that. But from the article, I wouldn’t trust the “We’re a utility! Honest!” guy from the railway co as far as I could throw a concrete railroad tie.

Korina

I'm sure it's just a coincidence that they both popped up right after the NCRA submitted their railbanking application. 🤨

Korina

I should clarify; when the Senator said the railroad co. had a lot of money, he means they applied to the federal DOT for a $1.2B loan, which is why they'd have to run 400 (not 800) cars per day to pay it off. The DOT is getting a poop-ton of opposition to the loan.

The really sad thing is, this coal is coming from Indian land, by the tribe.

Calsun

It could hookup with the Avenue of the Giants that goes from Garberville to Rio Dell. It was the only time that the freeway engineers left the old Hwy 101 intact and available for cyclists to use. The Avenue of the Giants is one of the most beautiful and relatively traffic free places I have found to ride and my favorite bike ride for the past 50 years.