This little piggy went...
.... who knows? Little more than two weeks ago, she was in her place in the woods, and just Sunday, it was discovered that The Pig was missing; gone without a trace, by NIBU Capt. Anonymous and Lt. Identity Withheld. Some of you may have run across The Pig while mountain biking in the late summer and fall months this year. For those of you who never got the chance to meet The Pig, she was a friendly and squatty structure, wide enough not to intimidate, but yet a fun feature not typical in North Iowa that could be appreciated by any mountain biker. The Pig, of course, was the modest but well-built teeter totter placed carefully in the wooded armpit of several converging properties; a place where it would be the least likely to have been discovered, bothersome, or invasive.
The Pig was not originally built to be placed out there; but after her completion and several days of enjoyment in her birth-place, it seemed only natural to release The Pig into the wild, for others to come across at random and enjoy. There was a certain amount of time and effort put into her construction, and even more so to her delivery into the woods. So, I will say with much conviction as a member of the placement party, that whoever wanted The Pig removed from her spot, REALLY wanted her gone.
The above musings bring me to my point... Where we wrong in placing The Pig there in the first place? After EF's pondering of the simplicity of the banana seat, I felt the same way when carting The Pig into the woods that night.
1.) What if somebody finds it?
2.) What if that person doesn't want it there?
3.) What if they find out who put it there, and what if we get in trouble?
The third point is what had been bothering me since we found The Pig missing this past weekend. The first two questions have been answered. Someone found it, and they didn't want it there. Have I or anyone else gotten in trouble for it yet? No.
My concern for "trouble" encompasses a larger "we" than myself and the few others responsible for The Pig. My concern is simply, what if mountain bikers over step their bounds and have Lime Creek and the surrounding areas made off-limits to them? What then? Gravel grinding, my friends, is what then, because Lime Creek is the best and largest space we have to get our knobbies dusty in North Central Iowa. I love it out there, and the thought of not being able to ride my bicycle there tugs my heart strings. Were we wrong to place a man-made structure in the woods and assume it ok? In hindsight, I think so. Is it too little too late? I hope not.
I would not sleep well for a very long time knowing that I was a contributing factor in the ban of mountain bikes in Lime Creek. I have been mountain biking there very regularly for over ten years, and have come to know the relationship that exists between the Conservation Board and mountain bikers at large has ranged from tedious to down-right bad. There are, and have been for a long time, a network of "off-shoot", "renegade", unofficial trails. These trails have changed little in the ten plus years I've been riding them which illustrates two things: A.) they are sustainable, owning to their existence for many years, and B.) that the Powers that Be turn not a blind, but a passive eye over these trails.
Somebody did not let a passive eye float over The Pig. Instead, it was removed without a trace as stealthily as it was originally placed. Somebody is paying attention... somebody said "stop". It took that much for me to realize that we were foolish, and that The Pig should not have been put there in the first place. Harmless and out of the way... hell, out of reach as it seemed to me at the time, it now seems very clear to me what is and is not acceptable in the woods between the City, Holcim and Lime Creek.
Bridges, jumps, drops and launches seem to be permissible and acceptable in Evan's Preserve, as evidenced by the handiwork of many. It is now that I suggest, to myself and everyone else, that we keep that kind of construction there, and that we keep enjoying Lime Creek for what it is, without trying to add to it. The trails there have existed for longer than I've been riding there, and as long as they stay open and cleared of dead-fall after a storm, I am content not to build further, either with dirt or with wood. Whether we know it or not, we all ride a skinny when we're out there... to respect and enjoy what we have, and leave the rest alone. The Pig has taught me this, with her disappearance, and I am human enough to admit that I was wrong in putting her there, and putting our riding there in jeopardy. I ask the same humility from everyone else sharing the trails, so that we can continue to ride there for many decades to come.
Faithfully,
NIBU Capt. Anonymous.
The Pig - Photo is posted as supplied from the author. Any modification to the photo was not done at the NIBU offices.
The Pig was not originally built to be placed out there; but after her completion and several days of enjoyment in her birth-place, it seemed only natural to release The Pig into the wild, for others to come across at random and enjoy. There was a certain amount of time and effort put into her construction, and even more so to her delivery into the woods. So, I will say with much conviction as a member of the placement party, that whoever wanted The Pig removed from her spot, REALLY wanted her gone.
The above musings bring me to my point... Where we wrong in placing The Pig there in the first place? After EF's pondering of the simplicity of the banana seat, I felt the same way when carting The Pig into the woods that night.
1.) What if somebody finds it?
2.) What if that person doesn't want it there?
3.) What if they find out who put it there, and what if we get in trouble?
The third point is what had been bothering me since we found The Pig missing this past weekend. The first two questions have been answered. Someone found it, and they didn't want it there. Have I or anyone else gotten in trouble for it yet? No.
My concern for "trouble" encompasses a larger "we" than myself and the few others responsible for The Pig. My concern is simply, what if mountain bikers over step their bounds and have Lime Creek and the surrounding areas made off-limits to them? What then? Gravel grinding, my friends, is what then, because Lime Creek is the best and largest space we have to get our knobbies dusty in North Central Iowa. I love it out there, and the thought of not being able to ride my bicycle there tugs my heart strings. Were we wrong to place a man-made structure in the woods and assume it ok? In hindsight, I think so. Is it too little too late? I hope not.
I would not sleep well for a very long time knowing that I was a contributing factor in the ban of mountain bikes in Lime Creek. I have been mountain biking there very regularly for over ten years, and have come to know the relationship that exists between the Conservation Board and mountain bikers at large has ranged from tedious to down-right bad. There are, and have been for a long time, a network of "off-shoot", "renegade", unofficial trails. These trails have changed little in the ten plus years I've been riding them which illustrates two things: A.) they are sustainable, owning to their existence for many years, and B.) that the Powers that Be turn not a blind, but a passive eye over these trails.
Somebody did not let a passive eye float over The Pig. Instead, it was removed without a trace as stealthily as it was originally placed. Somebody is paying attention... somebody said "stop". It took that much for me to realize that we were foolish, and that The Pig should not have been put there in the first place. Harmless and out of the way... hell, out of reach as it seemed to me at the time, it now seems very clear to me what is and is not acceptable in the woods between the City, Holcim and Lime Creek.
Bridges, jumps, drops and launches seem to be permissible and acceptable in Evan's Preserve, as evidenced by the handiwork of many. It is now that I suggest, to myself and everyone else, that we keep that kind of construction there, and that we keep enjoying Lime Creek for what it is, without trying to add to it. The trails there have existed for longer than I've been riding there, and as long as they stay open and cleared of dead-fall after a storm, I am content not to build further, either with dirt or with wood. Whether we know it or not, we all ride a skinny when we're out there... to respect and enjoy what we have, and leave the rest alone. The Pig has taught me this, with her disappearance, and I am human enough to admit that I was wrong in putting her there, and putting our riding there in jeopardy. I ask the same humility from everyone else sharing the trails, so that we can continue to ride there for many decades to come.
Faithfully,
NIBU Capt. Anonymous.
Editors note - I received this email from an anonymous gmail account - it is the first post to take advantage of the NIBU Open Mic. This post brings up a good point. NIBU principals have been in contact with some DNR officials and are working on a presentation to the County Conservation Board to address issues such as listed above. More information will be forthcoming as soon as it is available.
An outstanding post! Great to see the mountainbikers being represented here on the blog. May the Underground bless this author, whomever it may be.
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Deercams...and that was the first time I had a sneaky suspicion this would happen. I'm sure the pig is either homeless person's firewood or packed away in the sheriff's evidence locker. Neverless The Pig never hurt anyone...shit, less than one percent of the City would even know or be skilled enough to use it. She was so big and cuddly!! Warm and fuzzy in a piggy sort of way!! I'll miss you PIGGY! I vote homeless firewood.
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I did have the privilege of riding The Pig once. What a cute little teeter. Loved the stall on the upward slope, it took my breath away when I attacked it with full speed expecting the tooter to do it's job. It almost launched me like a jump before the dropping. It gave me that funny, roller-coaster tummy feeling. She will be missed. BUT, I do agree with Mr. Anonymous as to if this thing should have been placed there in the first place. Maybe we can work something out with the Creek.
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You got butterflies on the pig...you should try the one at Murphy park in MLPS!!
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I have been there. Just expected the pig to drop a bit faster than that. It was fun.
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Nice post Capt. Anonymous. RIP Pig.
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I first visited the area now known as Lime Creek some 45 years ago when I was in Boy Scouts. With permission from the Northwestern Cement Plant, we marked some trails and cleared "den" areas for camping. It was beautiful and unspoiled. It still is beautiful and mostly unspoiled, but used. We like to think of ourselves as something like pioneers in that wilderness.
The dirt trails we hiked way back in the day were basically game trails. Many have not been groomed with crushed lime or even covered in cement, helping to make at least some of the area accessible to disabled individuals. That's cool.
But much of the Lime Creek area is still somewhat primitive and perhaps should remain so. Maybe The Pig didn't belong there - maybe it did. I certainly won't try to argue one way or another. But there is something about riding in an area that is just natural (well as natural as can be in this area).
I'm not a sophisticated mb rider; the existing trails rocks are plenty challenging for me the way they are. If I came upon The Pig, I wold have simply avoided it. At my age, a broken hip would certainly be the result. I wouldn't have removed it or even reported it. I would have just avoided it because a man's gotta know his own limitations and I know mine.
So? I don't know if it was right or wrong for The Pig to be there, but I do think it was wrong for it to be removed without a trace. Chalk it up to experience? Probably.
We all would agree that we want to be able to ride Like Creek forever. Let diplomacy prevail here (between the bikes and the DNR and the County). I hope The Pig is found to find a new place. But, when it does, I'll still avoid it. It scares me.
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I'm most certain that the homeless cut it up and used it for firewood. It only disappeared after the first cold and snow snap. Homeless dosen't mean helpless. I don't think it's even a good idea to bring it up to the "officials". If a vagrant did chop it up for firewood or storm shelter...it is just like turning yourself in for no reason. Now if you found a stolen vehicle or a kid shooting things with a handgun...that would be a pig of a different color! I should pull out the expidetion tent and we can have mini keg and a kumbaya song around the campfire in the Himalaya where The Pig used to roam. I use the word roam because the thing, as heavy as it was, didn't stay in the same spot each day,and you can say that pigs fly. RIP
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