Diane,
I just got done marking the trails with my mountain bike last night and tonight. I like to do that part last minute to decrease the chance of some joker pulling them down. Everything looks good.
The short loop is 5.0 miles and takes 1-1.5 hours to complete. I'm skipping excursion #2 because the long loop is 9.5 miles and I think will take 2-3 hours to complete. (Pattaquattic is 2.7 miles extra and the Lazy Acre excursion is 2.5 miles but cuts out 0.7 miles of the short loop). The distances should be very accurate from my calibrated mountain bike computer.
The excursions are a good challenge (single track, change in pitch, vegetation...) so I don't want to make things too long or difficult. If riders want more then they can do the short loop after the long loop or check out some other areas on the map. If riders want less there are a few short cuts on the excursions.
Its real dry and rocky out there. Not too many puddles but there should be enough to keep everyone refreshed. At Lazy Acres, there is a good place for a horse to wade in to cool off or swim.
The forecast is:
Saturday night: Mostly clear skies this evening will give way to mostly cloudy skies overnight. Low 63F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday: Variable clouds with scattered showers in the morning followed by showers and a possible thunderstorm in the afternoon. High 77F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
Sunday night: Partly to mostly cloudy skies with a few showers possible. Low near 65F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
I'm not worried about possible showers. If it rains it will only be a short shower (I'm not bringing rain gear) and will help to keep things cool. I'll post this e-mail on the website in case any last minute riders are hedging. You can forward this e-mail to your riders. I think it will be a great ride. Thanks to Granby Regional Horse Council for the support!
Matthew J. Domnarski
www.DomnarskiFarm.com
p.s. I hope the participants bring their digital cameras so I can post pictures on our "current news" blogger. It would also be great if they would add their commentary/reply when pictures are posted (good and bad) so we can share everyone's individual experience.