Howdy, I want to clarify some statements I made in the last post regarding leaf blowing at Lebanon Hills. And just in case there is any confusion, I am NOT a dues-paying member of MORC. I was surprised that we were riding through exhaust smoke on a mountain bike trail, something normally reserved for cross-town slogs on the fixed gear through the metro. And while I may not approve of the method of leaf removal on the trail, what I did NOT intend in my post from Monday was to offend John Lundell or any members of the MORC volunteer crue working that day. Far from it. I believe that Lebanon is a bitchen trail system, and we're fortunate to have it in the metro. Not everyone agrees with the trails MORC has designed and built. Some wish it were back to the "old way." But what it boils down to is that you can't please all of the people all of the time, and with trail design comes trail maintenance. There are reasons for removing the leaves from the trail, including, but not limited to, soil degradation from organic decomposition, water "standing" on the trail when leaves form uphill ruts, and the old standby, Safety. In addition, Dakota County land managememt requires it. So be thankful for your local trail systems, and more importantly, thank your local trail volunteers. Better yet, get out and lend a hand. And bring a rake if you don't want to ride through two-stroke smoke. Power to the People. -Hurl