by Larry Bain (photos by Larry Bain and Bill Bushnell)

Oct. 18, 2008 – I was among several hundred cyclists who gathered at Cupertino City Hall on this brisk October morning for a somber ride up to the dedication of permanent memorials to for Kristy Gough and Matt Peterson.

The City of Cupertino has graciously created permanent plaque memorials for the two cyclists near site of their tragedy, along with a striking “Ghost Bike” structure (www.ghostbike.org) overlooking the vista near the entrance to Stevens Creek Park.  The Sheriff’s Department closed Steven’s Canyon Road to all vehicle traffic during the morning and also provided a motorcycle escort for the caravan of family and those of us that cycled from City Hall.

During the dedication we reflected on the moving words offered by the parents of Kristi and Matt which touched on many themes including the difficulty of coping with the tragedy for the many loved ones left behind, the preciousness and fragility of life, and the joy and inspiration that Kristy’s and Matt’s lives had brought to others.

As inscribed on their memorials:

In Memory of Kristy Gough
Free from Imaginary Lines and Limitations

In Memory of Matt Peterson
Rethink What is Possible

Categories: Coummunity Service
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submitted by Paul Metz

From Ken Yeager, County Board of Supervisors:

Greetings,

Today, the Board of Supervisors unanimously supported a memo that Supervisor Blanca Alvarado and I wrote regarding trails. It directed County of Santa Clara staff to participate in the Three Creeks Trail (formerly the Willow Glen Spur Trail) Technical Advisory Committee with City of San Jose staff. As long-time advocates of this important project, we wholeheartedly support these efforts to move forward on the development of this trail, and they welcome the opportunity for continued collaboration with the City.

The City is requesting a contribution of $4 million toward acquisition of parcels along the eastern alignment. Any potential contribution would come from the Parks Charter Fund and would need Board of Supervisors approval. Such funding would enhance the County’s existing investments, which are intended to develop much-needed urban trail connections within Santa Clara County .

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to call me at 299-5040 or contact me via e-mail at Ken.Yeager@bos.sccgov.org.

Ken

Tags: willow glen spur trail
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Bike Parking Volunteers for the
Webcor King of the Mountain Ride

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by Paul Metz

6 members of ACTC attended a crowded meeting on the status of the Willow Glen Spur Trail. They were myself, Tony Le, Marvin Laurence, Debbie Wade, Marylou Avanzino, and Paul Rotschi (aka Paul Raymond). Click here for most of what is known. The money mentioned would seem to allow purchase of about 2/3 of the properties needed to connect the Lonus trailhead to HW 87. Connecting the trail from HW 87 to Kelley Park along the UPRR right-of-way is problematic: mid-block crossings, and a lack of visibility to the trail means that it could be hard to monitor the trail for crime. They may improve Alma instead, which is pleasant east of Monterey Highway and a deathtrap west of Monterey to HW 87.

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Silicon Vally Bicycle Coalition will be parking 3000 bikes for the Amgen Tour of California Palo Alto Prologue, and needs your help! We are organizing the largest bicycle corrals you’ve ever seen. With each massive bicycle corral capable of holding at least 1000
bicycles each, we need a volunteer force just as massive.

Join our 75-person massive volunteer force and help us affect how professional stadiums and concert venues think about bicycle transportation. From taking pictures, bringing food to parking bikes, every volunteer job is very integral for us to be able to promote the
bicycle for everyday us.

Shifts are split up to ensure all volunteers can watch at least one hour of the races. Please check out our website for more information.
http://svbcbikes.org/amgen

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Sunday, January 20th 10: 00 am

Twenty ACTC’ers gathered in front of the Tamien train station for the inaugural Guadalupe River Trail clean up. ACTC has adopted a portion of the bike trail that runs along Hwy 87 between Curtner and Willow, and like every other activity we do, we hit this with high energy and a great sense of fun.

The club contributed 40 total hours to cleaning up the trail. We gathered up a lot of junk, swept up broken glass, painted over graffiti, and gave the city a good “to do” list for repairs and repainting. Though everyone worked hard, it was a fun, social event for all! After approximately 2 hours of work, we regrouped in the parking lot for a group picture in front of our newly formed pile of junk. We cleaned the trail, and it was now the City’s job to pick up the garbage!

Not quite ready for lunch, most of us took an entertaining tour of the crazy (but useful) Guadalupe River Trail. We then ended our day at Deb Wade’s house for a well deserved lunch.

Thank you Debbie and Randal for inviting us over! ACTC will be hosting “trail clean-up” days every month. Look for the next event on February 10, and join us for a fun, new, social event!
David, Deb, and Deb

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The following information was received about the Santa Clara County Parks Volunteer Program Trail Watch Team. Click the following link for a PDF flyer.

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