Maybe Some Planes, Definitely Some Trains, and a Lot of Automobiles: History and Insight on RCP

by Cody Lloyd

Rowlett Creek Preserve has a special place in my introduction to off-road biking in the Dallas area. I first rode RCP in spring 2019. Being a newbie to DORBA trails, I had mistakenly started on the trail going the reverse direction of travel on Loop 2. In my blissfully naïve state, I came upon two other mountain bikers going the correct direction — a husband and wife. As I approached, I was stopped by the husband, who told me that I was going the wrong way, as RCP is directional in its layout, depending on if the user is a hiker or bicyclist. I sheepishly apologized. The concept of directional travel for multi-use trails was not unfamiliar to me, and I knew better. As the husband was finishing his explanation, the wife chimed in, telling the husband to “go easy” on me. I assume that I must have looked like a sad puppy dog in the interaction. I would later find out the man that I had run into then was, and still is, the trail steward of RCP today – Jack Sparkes.