Cross Farming

The cooler temps are signalling the onset of two of my favorite seasons: cyclocross season and caramel season. I love fall. Crisp clear air, low humidity, cold mornings, cool afternoons. Perfect for campfires, camping, riding, and just being outside. We're hosting a TBRA cross race out at our Cadence Creek Riding Center with the fine folks at Cross The Way. We've been working hard to get the course ready for racing. Grooming it for bikes rather than just marking a path in a field. I really want this course to shine, taking cues from the recent Olympic XC course and the Eva Bandman cyclocross park in Louisville. I want it to be a groomed course ready for riding at all times, competitively, for recreation, with your dog, or on a horse.

We've  been working really hard, but we won't have it 100% as I want it before the race, but it will be close. The new 3 in 1 rake tool H. bought for the tractor has really sped up the grooming of the lanes. It's also allowed for some new fire roads to be cleared through the woods. Not to bad considering we've only been here since February and I'm averaging 1 day off to work a week.

Along with cleared fire road lanes and groomed field sections, we've been clearing trail in the woods. There is a creek that runs along the back of our property that has been dry all spring and summer. The base is solid even when wet so I've been working to clear it for additional riding fun. Unfortunately, the banks are the only "hill/run-up" options on the property. However there are plans for building a fly-over and creating some technical sections with the ton of large rock we have still piled up at the barn.

Other than that it's been work as usual with some riding thrown in for good measure for both me and the pups. Days are growing shorter, work hours seem to be growing longer, and time keeps tick, tick, ticking into the future. Some days it feels as though we'll never catch up to the laundry list of "to do" chores.

But just because there is still a lot of work to get done it doesn't mean we don't take the time to enjoy a little down time every now and then. All this trail work has stacked up plenty of fire wood and the camp fires have been roaring most of the week. I think it's going to be a good fall.