Keystone trailwork day, Nov 9th 2002please note that this event was not organized by the OEF - all credit goes to Mr. Duke... Wow, Keystone State Park was witness to an incredible effort this past weekend! Because of 30 dedicated individuals there is now a new place to mountain bike and hike in Oklahoma, especially for those who live in and around the Tulsa area. Volunteers were divided into two groups and we managed to succeed in our task of completely cutting and clearing two full loops. The loops are beginner and intermediate level but can definitely be enjoyed by all. The tread will be soft initially and the only way to solve that problem is by riding it, which somehow I think won't be a problem. The Keystone trail system will consist of 4 loops, and they will travel in the clockwise direction from the parking lot. From where you will be parking, follow the double track around to the left and you will soon see the single track trail head on your left. Look for the green flagging tape. As I mentioned before, there are two full loops completed and ready to be ridden. But, there is more! I'm also excited to announce that a third, more advanced and longer loop is very close to completion! This particular loop will require a little more work but should be finished relatively soon. We can all thank Randall Clayborn and a few of his friends for completing most of this loop. Also, there is another individual that deserves a great deal of credit, and his name is Randy Ralls. Without Randy, this whole project may have never become a reality. Randy began inquiring about the Keystone area well over a year ago and because of his efforts the Oklahoma mountain bike community now has another wonderful area to ride. If you ever have the opportunity to meet either of these gentlemen, please tell them how much you appreciate their efforts. They are a fine example of volunteerism at it's best. It just takes a couple of individuals like these guys to get the ball rolling on a project like this. When you decide to make it out to Keystone to ride there are a few items you should be aware of. The parking area is quite adequate and is grass. There is a very good possibility that it will be graveled in the future. For direction to the trail please see my previous posts at okearthbike.com Right now the beginner loop is flagged with green tape, the intermediate with yellow and the advanced loop with pink. A short, even more advanced section will be cut at a later time and will be marked with orange tape. If your wondering to yourself. Why these colors? It was what was available to us, so we went with them. This may not necessarily be the color scheme when the permanent signs are put in place. All loops will lead you back to the parking lot. Maps will be available at the Keystone State Park office, they will be glad to give you one. Also, the trail will open from sunrise to sunset. Approximately 30 minutes after sunset the gate will be locked, so please give yourself plenty of time to exit the trail. If you have any questions or would like to help out with the maintenance of the trail please feel free to contact me and I will provide you with any and all the information that I can. There is a particular group of individuals I need to especially thank, and they are the representatives from Oklahoma Earthbike Fellowship. They allowed us to use their trail building tools as well as offer great advise on how to build and maintain trails. Seven of them made the trip up from the Oklahoma City area as well as one from Tulsa, and they all did a tremendous job. Thank you very much!
Before I end this, I think everyone who attended the first official work day at Keystone should
give themselves a huge pat on the back! You deserve it! Everyone worked great together and we
succeeded in what we set out to do. Collectively we performed approximately 150 hours of trail work
in a single day! What an accomplishment! You can now say with pride that you played a key role in
the development of the Keystone State Park Mountain Bicycle/Hiking Trail system. Congratulations,
you earned it!
Nate Nelson-Haskell
Sincerely,
Pics by Marcel Slootheer and Walt Brittain © 2002 
The Group... 
Cuttin' trail... 
More of the same... 
John Ressmeyer... 
Moving rock to form a solid creek crossing... 
Taking A Break... 
Ward Combs... 
Charles Duke... And on Sunday a few of us checked out Turkey Mountain... |