Tag Archives: Lisa Neitge

CROCT leads an overnight youth group mountain bike trip at Cuyuna Lakes

Planning for an overnight youth group trip to the Cuyuna Lakes Mountain Bike Trail System began way back in January when Melissa Bernhard, Recreation Coordinator with the Northfield Public Schools Community Services Division, contacted us via email:

Melissa BernhardI am specifically looking for your group to lead a mountain biking adventure…..anywhere for youth and their families. I received a grant for the Adventure Mania program and would like you to be involved in giving the youth in our community a great experience on a mountain bike. Any ideas? This past summer a group of ours went to Lebanon. Since I have grant money, I’d like to really use it by traveling somewhere special and then later on if there is no grant, I’d plan to be as local as possible.

When I forwarded her email to fellow CROCT Board members, Carl Arnold wrote:

Do you have a location in mind, since they are looking for an adventure trip that doesn’t have to be local? Cuyuna? Less than 3 hr drive. Great campgrounds! Could we get a bus?

Carl’s vision became reality.

On Thursday morning, Aug 13, kids and families met at the NCRC Building where we stuffed bikes, Gear Resource Outfitters camping equipment including lots of binoculars and a rangefinder to view nature, many  bodies into an EcoTrans mini-bus and CROCT President Marty Larson’s trailer:

Melissa and some parents gave us a proper send-off:

Three hours later, we arrived at our group site in the DNR’s Portsmouth Campground in the Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area.  Marty’s wife Lisa Neitge had taken charge of the grocery shopping  and meal preparation so we all got a terrific lunch after setting up camp:

Since the bikes were still in the mini-bus, we hauled them to the bike park/pump track in the little town of Cuyuna, about 3 miles from the Cuyuna Lakes Mountain Bike Trail System which is adjacent to the twin towns of Crosby-Ironton.  For most of the kids and parents, riding the rollers and berms and jumps was a new experience: Continue reading CROCT leads an overnight youth group mountain bike trip at Cuyuna Lakes

Photo album: first CROCT trail work day at Sechler Park

We had lively and hard-working crew show up at Sechler Park river bottoms for our first ever CROCT trail work last Saturday.  We clipped branches and cleared brush and leaves on a demonstration trail that we plan to show members of the Northfield Parks Board (PRAB) in the next month or so.

CROCT trail work day, Sechler Park, April 19. L to R: Jeremy Bokman, Galen Murray, Marty Larson, Lisa Neitge, Michael Lehmkuhl, Ryan Hutchinson, Kevin Herman, Josh Seifert

Back row, L to R: Jeremy Bokman, Galen Murray, Marty Larson, Lisa Neitge, Michael Lehmkuhl, Ryan Hutchinson, Kevin Herman, Josh Seifert. Front row: Marty and Lisa’s girls.  Not shown: Michael’s wife and two kids who later showed up to help, too.

Album: