I think Larry just doesn't "get it" yet but there's no shame in being ignorant of the joys of mountain biking. Riding good bikes in dirt is certainly the best fun per dollar I've ever known. And I'm not alone in that. Maybe he should try it. 
muzungu might want to have a look at what is being done before slamming the concept and finish reading the article to get his facts a lot straighter before shooting mouth off. Some of what he/she said may have merit. More miles would be good. But as a start building 3 to connect up 7 seems to make sense. The other disinformation is just inflammatory. It wasn't Municipal money, it was federal. It wasn't Parks and Recreation Department, it was Alaska Department of Natural Resources. And who says the quiet solitude is automatically gone? It's a pretty big area, there might be room a lot more open mindedness.