The official celebration for the improvements to the CZ Trail has been postponed due to Covid, and the memorial plaque to Wayne has not yet been installed. But check out this article in Portland’s BikePortland e-newsletter:
https://bikeportland.org/2020/06/22/the-crown-zellerbach-trail-is-better-than-ever-especially-for-families-317461
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February 6, 2020
1. Doug McMahon (aka Wayne’s Problem) will be showing Wayne’s 1973 Triumph X-75 Hurricane at The One Motorcycle Show this weekend Feb 7-9 at the Portland Memorial Coliseum. See the photo above. Also see Doug’s blog about Wayne’s bikes at https://waynesproblem.blogspot.com/
2. Put Thursday May 21 on your calendar for the official dedication of the new CZ Trail improvements that were partially funded with Wayne’s Memorial Trail Fund. More later.
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December 16, 2019
You may recall that after Wayne passed away in 2016, an anonymous donor made a substantial donation in his memory to the Tillamook State Forest for use in maintaining the many trails on the Forest.
With a small portion of those funds, two new bridges were built along the Wilson River Trail in March. See pictures in the Gallery. The bridges are 20’ and 40’ long and cross Jones Creek. Along with the bridges a 1/3 mile section of trail was constructed that routes the Wilson River Trail north of Jones Creek Campground. This reduces user conflicts during the summer months where the trail goes through Jones Creek Day Use Area and provides a much better trail experience for users. With it’s proximity to Jones Creek Campground, this new section of trail has created a nice loop that allows campground visitors to easily get out on a trail. Wayne would be proud.
The staff at the Tillamook State Forest really appreciate the support for maintenance projects in his memory. If you are interested in donating, send your tax deductible check to:
Tillamook Forest Heritage Trust
Attn: Ross Holloway, Executive Director
2600 State Street, Bldg B
Salem, OR 97310
Checks should be made payable to the Tillamook Forest Heritage Trust and note that it is in memory of Wayne Naillon.
Dale Latham
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November 30, 2019
Columbia County has just installed several improvements to the Crown Z Trail from Scappoose to Vernonia. And next spring they will install a plaque on the Trail to acknowledge Wayne’s contribution to those improvements. See photo gallery for a peak of the plaque. The watercolor of Wayne was painted in the 1980’s by Wayne’s close friend, Carol Ann Stafford.
The County wants to honor Wayne because we donated $6000 from his memorial trail fund as a match for a $150,000 grant to install trailhead signage, bike repair stations, and other improvements to the Crown Z Trail.
Those improvements also feature large trail maps (see photo gallery) at 10 trailheads along the Crown Z Trail. The map was created by Jeff Smith, another close friend of Wayne’s for over 30 years. The County will also produce a brochure of the Trail featuring this map.
There will be an official celebration by the County next spring, probably in May, and I’ll let you know once a date is set.
Dale Latham
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October 30, 2018
Hello Friends of Wayne
It’s been almost two years since Wayne passed away and his house on NE 15th near Tillamook is still a work in progress. The outside looks great but they still have months to finish the remodel inside. The owner plans to remodel it as an Airbnb and will open it for us to see when it’s done. We will keep you posted.
Finally, here is an update on the work being done on the Tillamook State Forest this year with the generous donation made anonymously in Wayne’s memory: According to Randy Peterson, friend of Wayne’s and Recreation Program Manager on the Tillamook, “We have three trail bridge projects on the Wilson River Trail that will be completed with Wayne's trail fund money. One will be a new bridge on a year round stream and the other two bridge projects will be replacing a bridge on the Wilson River Trail near Jones Creek Campground that is at risk of being washed out by the Wilson River. We will be purchasing materials for the bridge projects this winter and spring and the bridges will be built by our South Fork inmate crew later this summer.
We have also been working with our volunteer groups to develop trail tool caches to support volunteer program activities. We expect to start purchasing the tools for the tool caches later this winter. There will be two tool caches. One based on the west side of the forest and one based on the east side of the forest. We are working on building a more "self directed" volunteer program, which was part of Wayne's vision, and the trail tool caches will definitely help us do that.”
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February 17, 2018
Wayne left his derelict motorcycles to his friend Doug McMahon (commonly known as “Wayne’s Problem”). Doug has created a blog about them and we thought you might be interested. Be sure to subscribe to his blog for future updates. http://waynesproblem.blogspot.com
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January 10, 2018
Do you remember the $6000 many of you donated in Wayne’s memory a year and a half ago? Well, here’s what happened to it: Columbia County issued the following press release today.
Columbia County approved for grant to improve CZ Trail
Oregon Parks and Recreation matches $75,000 for $150,000 in total funding
A desire to memorialize a friend has turned into $150,000 in grants and services for Columbia County’s Crown Zellerbach Trail.
The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department approved a $75,000 matching grant request to provide improved access, safety and services along the 23-mile trail, which runs from Scappoose to Vernonia. Additions will include kiosks, maps, signage, safety crossings and user amenities.
It all started with an idea to memorialize a friend and $6,000 to do so. After Wayne Naillon, a cycling enthusiast and trail advocate passed away in 2016, family members and friends gathered the funds in the hopes of finding a way to honor him.
“Wayne loved the CZ Trail and wanted more people to know about it, so we thought that promoting use of the trail would be a good way to memorize him,” said Dale Latham, Naillon’s friend and co-manager of the Wayne Naillon Memorial Trail Fund.
Latham and family member Marcus Iverson approached the county with the idea of using the $6,000 to improve access to the trail. That’s when Casey Garrett, the county’s General Services Manager, suggested the county apply for a grant from OPRD, which they did in May 2017. By December, the initial donation of $6,000 had turned into an approved $150,000 matching grant, with promises from the county, Oregon Equestrian Trails, and cartographer Jeff Smith partnering to provide labor and pro bono personal services. Smith was a good friend of Naillon’s and is an active advocate for biking trails in Oregon.
Much of the work will take place at the Chapman trailhead, which is located 8.5 miles west of Scappoose. A covered picnic area, bicycle rack, bicycle repair station, signage, ADA horse mount assist and an ADA-approved vault toilet will be constructed near the trailhead.
Kiosk signage for five other existing trailheads are also planned along the trail, and maps designed by Smith will be made available. Safety features include installing a flashing crossing at the intersection of Scappoose-Vernonia and Cater roads, additional safety crossing signage at other intersections with county roads, and adding milepost markers to the last seven miles of the trail.
Oregon Equestrian Trails, which has provided a significant amount of labor in other county parks, will construct the ADA horse mount, similar to the one the group built at Camp Wilkerson. The county’s Parks and Road departments will provide labor for other trail work as well as landscaping at the Chapman trailhead.
“The CZ Trail is a jewel, and we’re thrilled to be able to make it safer and more accessible, and to spread the word about this beautiful place,” said County Commissioner Margaret Magruder. “I thank the friends of Wayne Naillon for starting us on this incredible journey.”
Work will begin in spring, and is expected to last up to two years.
Approval of the grant comes at a time when the county is developing a renewed CZ Trail Advisory Committee. In 2006, the county formed an ad hoc committee to study how to develop the trail into a recreational facility for cyclists, pedestrians and equestrians. A concept plan was also drafted.
The new committee, which was formalized by county ordinance in January 2018, will focus on the goal of previous plans to connect the CZ Trail with the Banks-Vernonia Trail in Vernonia, along with related land transfers and possibly developing Camp 8 as an equestrian camp.
Columbia County commissioners believe finalizing these projects will elevate the CZ Trail and serve as a catalyst for linking to other trails in northwest Oregon such as the proposed Salmonberry Trail, which would run from Banks to the coast, and the Trees to Seas Scenic Byway along Highway 6.
The county is also joining a coalition organized by the Washington County Visitors Association to connect these bike trails and scenic byways as a way to promote visitor activity in Washington and Columbia counties out to the Oregon coast.
“We’re excited about joining this effort,” said Magruder. “Increasing visitation to smaller communities like Banks, Vernonia and Scappoose will have a positive economic impact for all of us.”
The CZ Trail is a regionally significant part of a larger trail system in northwest Oregon. The property lies along a trail constructed in the early 1800s to transport logs harvested from county forests. It was purchased by the Crown Zellerbach Corp. and converted to a road in the 1950s, and then sold to Hancock Timber Resources, which maintained the road for access and fire suppression. The corridor was purchased by Columbia County in 2004.
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June 17, 2017
I took the photos of Wayne's new bench on the CZ trail that were in Dale's June 16 post and participated in the putting in of the bench on the CZ, though Lori and Marcus did the main work, I was able to field the camera, dig a few shovelfuls and hold boards. Audrey was with us the whole time, and as they worked we all regaled Lori with great and funny stories of Wayne so she felt she knew him. Lori was incredible throughout the process and is such a fantastic person. She is someone Wayne would have really appreciated and vice versa. Thank you, Lori, for this huge gift and your sensitivity and company, which are both outstanding. Not to mention your great skills handling all those tools! .
Though I had thought ahead of time it would be so hard to be there, quite the reverse was true. It was an unexpectedly amazing time as I felt Wayne gave me, us, a huge additional abiding gift that in that the place is one of the most peaceful, beautiful spots in the woods I can imagine. I felt serenity wash over me there. It was dusting us with rain as we found the spot which brightened the deep green of that forest. The bench is nestled in below some huge alders near the creek. It gave me great comfort to imagine the deep peace of those woods for Wayne, and this place I can go sit over time and know he chose this cathedral in the woods for us to return to..We felt closer than ever to Wayne there. There is good access from a road nearby so it isn't a long walk which made it so accessible for Audrey.
You can now go and sit and/or walk a long ways on that beautiful trail, now that the cement has hardened. I know Marcus will be adding a plaque on the bench. Audrey and I plan to add some trilliums, foxglose and ferns around the bench.
Virginia
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June 16, 2017
On Sunday June 11 we gathered at Kinship House in Wayne's neighborhood to dedicate a therapy room in Wayne's name. Kinship House provides mental health services to foster children, adopted children, and their families. Here is their blog with pictures. https://kinshiphouse.org/honoring-wayne-t-naillon-friend-of-the-children. Additional pictures are posted in the Photo Gallery.
In other news, Columbia County Parks Department has placed a bench in Wayne's memory on the Crown Zellerbach Trail, near the area where Wayne died. It's about 2 miles above the County Shed Trailhead along the CZ Trail. Here are some pictures of Wayne's nephew, Marcus Iverson, and Lori Baker, of Columbia County, installing the bench. Wayne's sister Audrey joined them for the finished bench.
Finally, many of you donated to the Wayne Naillon Trail Fund last year after his death. We currently have over $6000 in the Fund and have decided to use it to improve the CZ Trail as the first step toward completing the trail to Vernonia. Using our money as a "match," Columbia County has applied for a $150,000 state grant to improve signage and trail access. We will let you know when we find out whether our grant proposal was accepted, probably later this summer.
Best wishes,
Dale Latham
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April 30, 2017
About 35 of us met today at the Tillamook Forest Center to celebrate Wayne's birthday and dedicate a bench in his memory overlooking the Wilson River. Wayne's birthday was yesterday and close to 1st anniversary of his death. See the Picture Gallery. To find his bench, just turn right after crossing the foot bridge that crosses the Wilson River at the Tillamook Forest Center (located about an hour west of Portland along Hwy 6).
The Center has also created a fund in Wayne's memory dedicated to maintenance of the trails Wayne loved so much. You can donate by sending your tax deductible check to:
Tillamook Forest Heritage Trust
Attn: Ross Holloway, Executive Director
2600 State Street, Bldg B
Salem, OR 97310
Checks should be made payable to the Tillamook Forest Heritage Trust and note that it is in memory of Wayne Naillon.
Tributes
Leave a tributeAnd thanks to your Pal, Motorcycle Vi, we listened to your VM via her phone of your laughter & gratitude to her, from you last March. Your voice n' heart is with us always.
Our hostesses Toni & Marcus again welcomed us well into their Nice Home, treating us to fresh crab, clam chowder soup, Sauvie Isld corn, along with our Potluck Products!
Overall, we enjoyed seeing your 4 Sisters and thanks to Dale, we viewed photos of "Green Lk, CO/UT"--your camping & biking Adventure, what fun & great beauty. Be well always, dear Wayne
Ps: I lucked out, receiving a "coffee mug trinket," from Dale (from you), as I appreciate it greatly, having your name on it.
We shared our favorite times with you, to others. You laughed with us (and at us), as we enjoyed our "host-venue in the forest, and Buster's brisket" (your favorite), plus 99 other tasty dishes.
My past memory: in 2001 at our PIMP mtg, I brought pics as you always liked photos. Little did you know they weren't of "trails n' campouts;" as I shared my "lacerated knee." Sixteen yrs ago, I sailed from my mtn bike, ended up in Oakridge clinic, & have a 'war wound' as proof.
While at your Celebration: I enjoyed meeting Jean, both Carmen's, Raven, & Pimpster Howard. We shared our joy & sorrow.
Lastly, once in my car driving home, what CD reminds me of you? Karen Carpenter (both her voice & lyrics), as I sobbed n' drove; I relived all of our great moments; I miss you Wayne. We always found humor in most things. --Luv, S
I will miss the Wayne banter, the big smile and the amazing heart. He was a good man and made any work party he attended brighter.
As we enjoy the trails in the Tillamook, we should all remember Wayne and his enormous contribution to making them what they are.
I will miss you, Buddy
Wayne was remarkably different from anyone I'd met to that point - I was 24, had grown up on the east coast, and only been in Oregon for a few years. Wayne had tales of working the hop fields, of bear hunting, the handling and mis-handling of firearms, and many other exotic pursuits.
I think I learned a lot from Wayne, though I now feel like I should have been a far better student. Not just the stories and maven-like knowledge of arcane subjects - though those were certainly worthy of attention. He was such a fundamentally decent, kind, generous and caring person who was all these things not because some outside force was telling him that was what he should be (hey, it'll look good on your eternal resume!) but because that's just who he was, to the core. There was absolutely no hint of self-sacrifice, no expectation of payback.
It'd be a better world if more people were made like this.
What a remarkable fellow.
I wish I could be with you on Saturday (May 28th). It would be very difficult for me to travel with a broken jaw, but I do plan to come to Portland later and meet with as many of you as possible. I want to be there to swap stories, of which there are many. Wayne liked stories too and many of you are fortunate that my memory isn’t what it used to be, because there were some good ones about all of you.
How can I find words to describe the Wayne Naillon I have been close to for 40 years? When I was thinking about what to say, I realized that he has had many close friends for at least that long or more. And that says something about Wayne. He cherished his friends and was always joyful to be with them because they brought comfort and a sense of belonging to his life.
Wayne and I first knew each other when he had his group home and I was the social worker for the home. We laughed and cried with those kids. I remember one of Wayne's favorite sayings when a kid came home late: " I know. I know. Your tennis shoes went flat." I loved his marvelous sense of humor and irreverent way of looking at the world. Of course, caring for others was Wayne’s life. Not just the foster kids, but the homeless, the seriously mentally ill, those with addictions—and others who most of the world ignored. He had some great stories there too.
Later, Wayne and I did many things together: We went to the beach—a lot. After I left Portland in 1989, I would try to come back at least once a year so we could make a pilgrimage. Wayne loved Oceanside. The Cranberry Festival in Bandon with little round red balls of children dressed like cranberries was a highlight. We traveled around the Pacific Northwest so he could show me his favorite places: Mt. Rainier, the Olympic Peninsula, the San Juans, Vancouver Island, and, of course, his childhood towns of Washougal and Yakima. And there were the forests and trails where he felt most at home. I thank him for teaching me about those places. To reciprocate, I took him with me to Washington D.C when I went on a business trip. He particularly liked coming up out of the subway at the Smithsonian and seeing topless females playing soccer on the Mall. Gave him a new perspective about D.C.
He taught me other stuff too: More than I ever wanted to know about cars, bicycles, trails, trees and a variety of odds and ends. I called them mini-lectures. They were not discussions. I must say I didn’t retain much from some of them, but Wayne did appear to be knowledgeable. If he loved something, he learned about it. After I left Portland, we talked on the phone and e-mailed. He hated the phone and mostly refused to answer it. I rarely got him to pick up when I called but he did call back when he was able to overcome his loathing of the instrument.
I’m so grateful that Wayne had friends and family like you. I truly wish he’d have allowed some of us to be there for him at the end. But, true to form, he protected us from his suffering. I miss him terribly. I want to call my best friend to give me solace about Wayne’s death. But Wayne was my best friend.
No one on this planet knew more about a@d than Wayne.
I know we will see each other again.
He liked to ware carharts clothes so did my husband I miss him very much and to know how he helped folks out was just the guy he was.
God bless his family see you all on Saturday I live out that way as well.
You provided sincere details, wit, and descriptions of how good (and bad) life is.
I especially enjoyed your Cycling Adventures thru 2000's, as the "best rides of your life." This brought me tears (both happy & sad).
Overall, you provided us with an understanding of all that you endured medically & mentally.
Ps: I know nothing of our 'spiritual world', yet you are with family & friends in true peace. Huggs always, my dear Wayne.
I realized he was the uncle of a friend of mine from High school (Carmen Naillon ) and I felt even more connected to him.
His positive energy and his smile will live on in my memories forever. It was a sad day when I found he was no longer with us. We lost a good soul that day.....
He will be forever missed. Keep riding into the sunset... We will meet up on one of the trails again --one day...Hugs to you in Heaven Wayne.. .. Brenda Kemple-Richards 05-23-16
Leave a Tribute
Motorcycle blog
Here is a blog I have written about the motorcycles Wayne left me in his will. Thought I would share this here.
Trail Idea 2: "Naillon It" on the Sickter Lars Trail
Brian Baurman told me that he recently told Wayne they should get a volunteer crew this fall to clear out the Sickter Lars single track trail on the Tillamook and name one of the difficult stretches after Wayne: the "Naillon It" stretch.
Trail Idea 1: Scappose to Vernonia CZ
Just a few weeks before Wayne died, he wrote the following email to long-time friend and fellow mountain biker Sharon Yee:
Received from Wayne @ 4/2/16:
"Yesterday I went to the Tillamook Forest Learning Center for a meeting on the Salmonberry Trail.
It made me think of those Saturday mornings I waited for you at Fred Meyers parking lot so we could car pool to the Tilly together and cut new trail out there.
Thanks for going with me so many times. The 86 mile trail from Banks to Tillamook is going to happen. It will connect to the Banks Vernonia Trail and I am going to make sure the CZ Trail connects to the BV Trail. So you can ride from Scappoose to the beach.
Now we just need a trail from Forest Park to Scappoose."