The First GMR Clean-up Day: Success by any Standard

Some of the Impact Racing guys - not the first time I have written a post about their impact in our communities

There were some points along the road this morning where the fog swept in so thick that it became nearly impossible to see the trash we were there to pick up. Views of the nearby peaks were non-existent from one minute to the next, while views down canyons toward the city were equally hit and miss. In spite of the limited visibility I would easily judge this first GMR Clean-up Day a sure success. 

Somewhere just shy of twenty people, most from either Impact Racing or the Psycho-lists, participated, played leap frog from turnout to turnout in small groups, sweeping through those wider areas, and more narrow stretches of road shoulder, like human vacuums. Trash-strewn patches of roadside were replaced with nearly pristine verges when they / we were finished. I understand the car club group did their own kind of concurrent event, and may very well have won the prize for most "unusual" find of the morning. I am sure you can imagine the disgusting crap people leave up there. Thankfully, Michael, the event organizer, provided gobs of Nitrile exam gloves, as well as trash bags to get the job done safely; I do believe that Harbor Freight will have a run on those pick-up claws before the next clean up day. The plan is to turn this into a quarterly event, so watch for more information. 

The thanks we got from various riders heading up the road certainly helped mitigate whatever revulsion we may have felt at a particular moment.

Psycho-lists - like Impact Racing, a very community-minded group

one turn-out, before...

and after

up at the top we waited, and so I took a few photos. Fog or no, it was a busy day up there

the mrs. and I collected two bags full

down canyon, and all fogged up

lemonade berry?

here come a small portion of the Claremont High School Mountain Bike Team

would have been good to get all the groups for an end of clean-up shot, but it got cold up there, so I only got three of the groups represented here, before we packed up and headed down the mountain.