Monday, August 21. 2000
The University Daily Kansan
Section D · Page 13
Mountain bike site blazes cycling trails
By Missy Songer Special to the Kansan
Finding a place to mountain bike in Kansas is easy with the help of one University of Kansas student's Web site.
John Tyburski, Lecompton graduate student, is known as the "Trail Monger" to many Kansas mountain bikers. Tyburski is the mastermind behind the Trail Monger Web site, dedicated to providing in-depth information to mountain bikers in Kansas and surrounding areas.
"As a mountain biker, you hear about various trails around the area, but it's hard to get the specifies," Tyburski said. "I live for riding new terrain that can be accessed in an afternoon or on an overnight trip. Before I created this site, there was no resource for area cyclists to find nearby destinations, so I changed that."
The site lists 39 trails located throughout the state and in Kansas City, Mo. Each listing gives a description, directions and conditions reports.
Jen Dziuveni, Tampa, Fla., junior, checks the site at least once a month.
"The site provides the most extensive list of trails around the Lawrence area that I have seen," Dziuvenis said. "It provides information about the difficulty and hazards associated with each trail, as well as directions to the closest bike shop and local brewer."
In addition to the trails listed on the site, there also are tips about bike repair and maintenance, volunteer information, local biking news and events and mountain biking rules.
"I can't believe how much time he puts into this site," said Brock Ainsworth, Overland Park senior. "You can find almost anything you need to know about biking in Kansas." Tyburski estimates that about 3,000 people have visited his site.
Tyburski said there were several drawbacks to authoring a Web site.
"I have been out riding the local trails several times when other riders say, 'Hey, are you the Trail Monger?' I've seen your Web site," he said. "It is very gratifying because I find out that, even though I have a small audience, people are finding and benefiting from the site."
"You become somewhat responsible for what people do with the information you provide," he said. "You have to be really careful about legality and accuracy, or you will get complaints."
Some visitors expect more than you are capable of providing, he said.
"They do not always realize that the site is just your hobby and that you simply cannot dedicate the time necessary for comprehensive and up-to-date material," he said.
The need for a Kansas mountain biking guide gave him an excuse to make a Web page, he said.
"The opportunity provided a reason to add more than just another goofy personal home page about Frisbee-chasing dogs and Mountain Dew." he said.
dogs and Mountain Bears
On the Net: Trail Monger Web site:
http://falcon.cc.ukans.edu/~tyburski/TrailMonger/TMCore.html
Edited by Mindie Miller
Eclectic bookstores abound in Lawrence
By Karen Lucas
writer @kansan.com
writer @kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Downtown Lawrence offers a slew of bookstores that cater to mystery lovers, popular fiction buffs, antiquarian book collectors, scholars and many others.
The Dusty Bookshelf, 708 Massachusetts, St., is one of several downtown Lawrence bookstores. As the name suggests, store sells used books, iPhoto by Aaron Lindbera/KANSAN
The Raven, 8 E. Seventh St., specializes in mysteries, fiction, Kansas history and other regional books. Pat Kehde, co-owner of The Raven, said her stock included imported British mysteries that were difficult to find as well as some out-of-print and used mystery and fiction titles. The rest of the shop sells books on subjects ranging from biographies to cooking.
Handwritten staff recommendations adorn the shop shelves. A recommendation in the fiction section, for example, says: "Nothing but Blue Skies by Thomas McGuane chronicles Frank Copenhaver's mid-life descent from successful businessman to town kook. He steals cars, chases women and says things you've only ever dreamed about saying to other people. Read this funny book."
On a recent Saturday morning, Bud Hirsch, associate professor of English, browsed at The Raven.
"it's relaxing. It's fun to buy here," he said.
Less than a block away from The Raven is downtown Lawrence's newest and largest bookstore, Borders Books, Music & Cafe, 700 New Hampshire St. With more than 200,000 titles, the store offers new books as well as magazines, newspapers, CDs, videos and DVDs.
"One of our strengths is that we offer such a broad selection of things," said Lisa Bakke, Borders manager. "You can get the latest CD you've been looking for, and you can pick up a book that you've discussed in a class recently and take it to the cafe."
Another newcomer to the downtown booksellers is The Children's
Part of the store --including its cafe and offices -- is housed in what used to be a livery stable. The cafe, which displays works by local artists, often is crowded with students, especially during final exam periods.
"We want our store to be a place that's welcoming, whether it's students studying or people browsing." Bakke said.
In addition to its collection of children's books, the store's merchandise includes bulletin boards, workbooks and other materials for teaching. Parents also can bring their children to the store for story readings and author book signings.
Emily Seaton, employee at The Children's Book' Shop and Manhattan senior, said she enjoyed working at the shop.
"A lot of the people I work with are teachers or former teachers," she said. "We all really like what we're doing here. It's relaxing even when we're packed."
"It's a good place to find low-priced books for classes," said Tanessa
The Dusty Bookshelf 708 Massachusetts St. sells books in many areas from literature to computer science -- which are stacked on shelves and also in piles on the floor and elsewhere.
Strotkamp, manager of The Dusty Bookshelf.
Customers also can trade their books in or sell them for cash. Strokamp said the store got a lot of books from students.
Cat lovers will enjoy visiting The Dusty Bookshelf as well. Alice, a gray tabby, is the shop's cat-in-residence.
"The cat lends something to the store, more of the feeling of being in someone's library than in a store," said Sarah Hill. Hutchinson junior.
Hill also enjoys shopping at Vagabond Bookman, 1113 Massachusetts St.
"It's neat," she said. "It's got more of the older books. It's much more of a collector's atmosphere."
Among the store's 20,000 titles are early editions of Baedeker travel guides as well as six books signed by William Burroughs, the Beat writer who lived in Lawrence until his death in 1997.
"I hunt the nation for rarer, more
collectible items," said Howard Hartog, owner of Vagabond Bookman.
Besides books, Hartog also collects vintage single-speed cruiser bikes, some of which are on display in the store.
Several blocks from downtown Lawrence is J. Hood Booksellers, 1401 Massachusetts. The store, owned by two KU alumni -- John and Gloria Hood, has 90,000 used scholarly books.
browsers wandering through the shop's many aisles of 10-foot-high 'shelves will find titles in such specialized areas as museums, Eastern literature and earth sciences.
"It's all well-organized by subject and then by author," Gloria Hood said.
While the store is open to visitors six days a week, she said it did as much as 80 percent of its business on the Internet.
"It's our growing edge," she said.
— Edited by Ben Embry
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