2009 Dirty Dawg Mtn Bike Race

Results from 2009 Dirty Dawg Mtn Bike Race

Rank	Name	Time
	Expert Men
1	Derek Dotson	2:22:28
2	Bryan Wender	2:23:55
3	Zachary Morrey	2:24:49
4	Gary Roach	2:25:49
5	Chris Pohowski	2:40:10
6	Robert Drinkwater	2:45:38
7	Chris Dobroth	2:47:23
8	David Tompkins	2:50:40
9	Ashwin Amanna	3:06:34
10	Brad Williams	3:08:48
11	Stacey Simmons	3:33:49
12	Bob Welsh	3:40:49
	Gordon Vadsworth	DNF
	Scott Stone	DNF
	Sport Women
1	Kristin Colonna	1:54:34
2	Magda Kanska	1:57:08
3	Jeni Walke	1:59:34
	Sport Men
1	John Eppen	1:08:39
2	Jon Gotow	1:17:48
3	Todd Fisher	1:21:51
4	Marvin Addikis	1:22:01
5	Richard Brecht	1:23:59
6	Steve Butler	1:24:48
7	Jim Steven	1:25:33
8	Ahmed Qureshi	1:27:44
9	Mark Zhu	1:27:47
10	Paul Johnston	1:27:57
11	Steve Aken	1:28:05
12	Dave Szakelyhidi	1:28:36
13	Michael Brady	1:29:03
14	Jeremy Ferrell	1:29:18
15	Andrew Rogers	1:30:34
16	Kerry Wood	1:30:50
17	Cole Harden	1:31:19
18	Ralph Robertson	1:44:38
19	Thomas Hash	1:51:21
20	Nathan Sharp	2:10:52
21	John McKenna	2:11:19
22	Donald Sharp	2:12:22
	Joe Blair	DNF
	Beginner Women
1	Rachel Higginbotham	0:55:22
2	Naomi Pomrenke	1:10:35
	Beginner Men
1	Ian Million	0:54:50

The lake is continuing to rise from our recent rains. The shore is about 5 feet from the extended boat dock. Here are a couple pics that I took yesterday after work.

And the rain goes on

We have received a record amount of rainfall here at Mountain Lake these past couple months! In May alone, we received approximately 10" of rain! We have been monitoring the lake level too. On June 4th, the lake was 36' below full pond whereas on April 30, the lake was 43' below full pond. That means our lake has risen around 7' in 5 weeks, averaging 1 foot per week! Below are some photos I took this morning.

View from the old boat dock




Only 10 more feet and our pontoon may float!
Standing on the extended boat dock

View from the extended boat dock looking out towards Newport House

Environmental Education program with Harding Ave Elementary

Today, 44 2nd graders from Harding Ave Elementary visited Mountain Lake for their field trip. They learned all about different habitats and the animals and plants that are in this area. Below are a couple pictures I took during their program.

Sarah talking about different tree species

A red spotted newt they found in the wetland

Jack-in-the Pulpit along the carriage trail

Sara identifying a striped maple

Spring Mountain Beauty

Below are some photos I have taken throughout the month of May. The colors are vibrant and wildflowers are popping out everywhere. There are yellow lady slippers on the Old Golf Course road and firepink is starting to come out along Bald Knob road. We are hosting National Trails Day on Saturday, it's free for the community, come join us for a day of hiking, biking, clinics and more! Visit MtnLakeConservancy.org and click on special events for event information.

View from the overlook on Route 700

Enjoying War Spur overlook on an evening trail run.

Pinkster Azalea

War Spur Trail

Mountain Lake Birding Weekend

We just hosted our Mountain Lake Birding Weekend from May 29-31, 2009. Unfortunately, the Migratory Birding Festival canceled for this year due to low enrollment so we decided to still offer a birding weekend for those who had already booked their stay at Mountain Lake. Below are a few pictures from our trip to Glen Alton.

Elderhostel : Taking Flight: Birds for Everyone!

This week we held our first Elderhostel of the season: Taking Flight: Birding & Butterflies for Everyone. This is one of our most popular Elderhostels and it is taught by Jerry Via and Bill Akers, avid birders who lead birding programs all over the world. Over half of our group of 16 participants were returning to Mountain Lake for this particular program. Below are some pictures I took from our trip to the Biological Station down the road to spot some birds and wildflowers.

Jerry talking about the Chestnut Blight. Despite the devastation the blight caused to the American Chestnut tree, the root collar and root system of the tree are fairly resistant to the blight, so a large number of small American Chestnut trees still exist as shoots from existing root bases. However, the shoots are seldom able to grow enough to reproduce before the blight attacks them.

Look at those birders go!

Jean is quite excited about what she sees in the trees!

Ferns unfurling from their fiddlehead stage

Foam Flower

Lily of the Valley

Red Trillium