Summer Doldrums are upon us but Group Ride in August at Cloudcroft, NM is still in the works.

It really gets dead around here during the summer. Vacations and heat seem to slow things down a lot.

Keep an eye on the Forums, Ride Section during the year for opportunities to ride other places. A group ride is in the works for August at Clouldcroft, NM. This is a great way to get some riding in while beating the summer heat. This is not a DBSA sponsored ride so anyone is welcome to join in.

I finally got thru with the family business in WV for a while and the other half and I bugged out for a bit of vacation. We visited Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Yosemite, Death Valley, and Grand Canyon National Parks. Got in a good bit of camping, riding, and sightseeing. You can find a link to a short trip writeup with a few photos in the Forums, General Discussion Section.

Membership Meetings for July and August have been cancelled.

Nothing new here as far as the club goes. Turnout has historically been light during the summer due to vacations, summer doldrums, etc. So we've made an official decision to not have the July and August Membership Meetings. You can still contact any of the officers/board members directly with any issues that might crop up.

16 August (Saturday) is the next Work Day.

Work day starts promptly at 8 A.M. and will finish at Noon. Property is closed to riding during the work hours. 2 for 1 on the work hours. We will only work 4 hours but everyone working will get credit for 8 hours. Bring your ATV, bike, loppers, chainsaw, work gloves, etc. At noon we will have a big feed. Expect spicy pork BBQ, hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad, sodas and maybe even a fish fry. RSVP to the Land Manager (jrleerh@sbcglobal.net) because I need a head count for food planning purposes.

May, 2008 Work Days Report.

17 May (Sat) was the third work day of 2008. Only 2 more work days left in the year. Thanks to Ray Byrd and Bill Canion who ran the work day in my absence and thanks to the membership who came out and worked. The pink and orange marked trails got a lot of needed TLC. Face slappers removed and more ribbons and arrows added.

Monthly DBSA Newsletter.

You should recieve a monthly club newsletter either by email or slow mail. If you haven't been getting the newsletter, contact Lori Bennett (fuzzers1@yahoo.com) (DBSA Secretary) and let her know. Chances are that your mailing and/or email addresses are not correct in our membership database. Remember to print legibly when filling out the membership form. We're not all doctors and pharmacists here.

Guest Rider Forms.

The Guest Rider Forms are now available in a black mailbox by the front gate. The mailbox is right next to the white mailbox containing the sign in/out sheets, and is marked by a sign. If you are hosting a guest rider, then fill out the form, collect the guest rider fee, and put the completed form and guest rider fee in the slot on the right side of the blue storage container.

Future opportunity to purchase Zars Ranch. Updated 06 Sep 2007 to reflect closer to current perceived property value.

Lief Zars has decided to change his will and give DBSA first right of refusal to purchase the Zars Ranch riding property upon his demise. The purchase price would be whatever the fair market value of the land is at that time. Right now we believe the 368 acres of Zars Ranch may be valued at $2500 an acre, and the amount would come to $920,000. A huge sum and represents the reason the club fees increased quite a bit a few years ago so we could really build up our land purchase war chest. If you want to know the status of the war chest, come to a membership meeting. The info is available from the Treasurer.