from 2008 Spring Jordan River Bike Event
2011 Jordan River Parkway Bike
Event
9am - around 6pm
Background
The last time an event like this was held on this section of the
parkway was
May 3, 2008. I opened a Geocaching account and found my first
cache on April 12, 2008. By May 2 I had found whopping 19 caches. I
thought I'd show up to this event thing to meet some cachers and
find out more about the whole game. Wow did I achieve both those
goals in spades, not to mention finding 53 caches when I didn't
even show up with a loaded GPS (Hey, I just thought we were going
for a bike ride.). I was so clueless about geocaching. Over the
course of the ride I got quite the education from complete
strangers whom I called friends by the end of the long day. It is a
powerful memory, so much so that I want to have the experience
again and maybe have the chance to provide the same experience for
some other new cacher.
The Ride
The Jordan River Parkway is flat trail that runs along the
Jordan River from near Utah Lake to North Salt Lake where it meets
the Legacy Parkway in Davis County. Unlike three years ago, this
section is now mostly paved. We will only have to leave the trail
once because of an incomplete section between 200 S and North
Temple. At the busiest streets under and over passes are provided
to avoid the traffic. The only climbs are the under and over passes
and maybe a few bridges. Because we will be traveling south to
north, the direction of the river flow, there will be a VERY
gradual downhill throughout the ride.
We will meet at the entrance to the JRP off 700 W just north of
9000 S at 9 AM. There is plenty of on street parking. We will start
to ride at 9:30 AM which should give everyone plenty of time to
unload and prep bikes. The ride will end where the Jordan River and
Legacy Parkways meet off Redwood Road just north of 1700 N. What
time we get there will depend on the pace of the group. Using the
last event as an example, we will probably arrive around 6pm.
Trailers and cold drinks will be waiting for us at the end of the
ride to shuttle bikes and people back to their cars at the start.
[NOTE: I have a couple trailers lined up
already. If anyone else has a trailer they would be willing to
contribute to the shuttle in case numbers exceed expectations,
please let me know. We could also use a couple high capacity
vehicles to be sure we have enough seats to get everyone back in
one trip.]
If you don’t want to join us for the whole distance, you
could turn back when you’ve had enough or make your own
shuttle arrangements. If you want to join us for only part of the
ride and start at a point beside the event coordinates, let me know
and I’ll send you my number so you will be able to hook up
with the pack as we roll by.
CITO
Many may be surprised to see this listed as a CITO.
There’s a lot to find along the Parkway. Thing is, quite a
few people have found part of it already. So what will those people
do while others take the time to find it? Much more fun and useful
than twiddling thumbs would be to clean up the area a bit before we
move on. I will provide trash bags which we can empty and/or toss
as we pass the trash cans in the parks. I hope to have a small cart
to tow on my bike which will help with full bags between the
parks.
What to bring
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A Bike
OK maybe that one is obvious. Helmets are good ideas too |
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Kids
The littler ones may not make the whole distance, but they will
sure have fun while they are there. I remember bikes with training
wheels from the last time. |
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Sunscreen
Apply early and often. Protect those winter white legs when you put
the biking shorts on. |
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Water
Water bottle or hydration pack, just be sure to have something with
water to start. With all the parks along the parkway there will be
plenty of spots to refill. |
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Snacks/Sandwich
This will be an all day event with a lot of energy expended. Be
sure you have enough fuel for it.
**NEWSFLASH** SuperBee and the students in his GPS club have
offered to provide lunch! They will set up at one of the parks
around 54th south, a little less than half way. He has published a
separate event,
Stop n Eat. For those who are hesitant to do the whole ride,
you could use this as your starting point. We can designate one
trailer to drop people off here. |
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Spare Tubes/Patch Kits/Pump
Last time there were a lot of flats thanks to Goatheads (really big
thorns). Having a spare tube will get you rolling again the
fastest. You can patch the damaged tube and let the glue dry in
your pack. You may also want to consider tire liners or tubes with
sealant gel in them. During the ride, try to stay on the pavement
away from the thorns. |
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Camera
There are sure to be many Kodak moments with this many cachers
around. |
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Finally bring your spirit of adventure! This will be a blast
guaranteed! |
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Please mention in your "Will Attend" log how many in your party
will need a ride in the shuttle at the end. I really want to be
sure to have enough space for everyone. Much better than leaving
folks waiting an hour while the shuttle does a loop. Again more
trailers and vehicles welcome; let me know.
You can find a Google Earth map from November 2009 of the entire
Jordan River Parkway here.
Many thanks to Fire Elemental and Dudley
Duright for putting on the events that inspired this one. Hope we
live up to your example.