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December 21, 2006

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I would like to wish all my readers a Merry Christmas (and a Happy New Year given the frequency of my writing these days!). 

With the holidays upon us, I would like to share some eating tips for enjoying the holiday parties and dinners:

1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit.  In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately.  Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.

2. Drink as much eggnog as you can.  And quickly.  Like fine single-malt scotch, it's rare.  In fact, it's even rarer than single-malt scotch.  You can't find it any other time of year but now.  So drink up!  Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip?  It's not as if you're going to turn into an eggnog-alcoholic or something.  It's a treat.  Enjoy it.  Have one for me.  Have two.  It's later than you think.  It's Christmas!

3. If something comes with gravy, use it.  That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone.  Pour it on.  Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes.  Fill it with gravy.  Eat the volcano.  Repeat.

4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk.  If it's skim, pass.  Why bother?  It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.

5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it.  Hello?

6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's.   You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do.  This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.

7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge.  Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention.  They're like a beautiful pair of shoes.  If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.

8. Same for pies.  Apple. Pumpkin. Mincemeat.  Have a slice of each.  Or if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin.  Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert?  Labor Day?

9. Did someone mention fruitcake?  Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost.  I mean, have some standards.

10. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention.  Reread tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner.  Remember this motto to live by: "Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, martini in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"

False Alarm:  Earlier this month I mentioned that I heard a rumor that KTM was coming out with an electric start two stroke.  A friend later sent me a picture of just such a bike. apparently taken at a motorcycle show in Europe.  I stopped by Pinit Motorsports in Salinas and asked Steve Polk, the owner and fellow Rambler, if there was any truth to this rumor.

He responded by saying that nothing about the bike had been mentioned at their dealer meetings and that there was no e-start 2 smokes planned for 2007 in the USA.  He then said that the trial balloon that KTM has floated has resulted in about four calls a day to his shop asking the same question I had just asked.  Lets hope the word gets back to KTM HQ that this bike could be a best seller!

If you haven't checked out KTMs lately, they now offer a fully street legal version of their popular off-road models with only minor changes.  No reason (except lack of money) to screw around trying to get an old green sticker bike licensed in CA.  Now you can buy some of the best off-road bikes made with a valid CA license.  Way to go KTM!

KTM Demo Rides: KTM and Pinit will be hosting demo rides at Hollister Hills on Jan. 4th starting at 11 AM at the vintage motocross course at Hollister Hills.  For information you can call Pinit at 831-444-6309

Singing of Two-Strokes:  Carl sent me the following link to a YouTube video titled "2-Stroke".  Enjoy!

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December 13, 2006

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Well, we finally got some substantial rain at the Creek this past weekend and, weather permitting, it should give some good riding conditions this weekend since we have had a cloud cover so far this week.  I just hope that it doesn't rain again although it is predicted to do just that.  Lets hope that the rain "keeps up".

Google Map:  South Bay Riders web site has a link to satellite photos of most of the popular riding areas in Northern CA. You must join and be logged on to use the function.  At the top of the forums page there is a link for maps.  Clicking this link will take you to a selection page.  Select Off-Road and you will receive a map of northern CA with many popular riding areas flagged.  Click on a flag for a riding area and at the top of the next page, click on the coordinates.  On the next page, click Submit and you will go to a Google map.  Click Satellite and then zoom in.  The Clear Creek link will take you to Oak Flat and you can move around the map from there.  The Oak Flat map appears to be about a year old.  Have Fun!

T140 Trespass Exposed:  With the new Google satellite photos it is very easy to see the degree of trespass perpetrated by our neighbor, Steve Amaro.  I wrote about this issue starting back in November 2005.  The Ramblers filed a formal complaint in August 2006 and last weekend I understand that the BLM was to meet with Amaro after the OHV meeting to sign a settlement agreement with him that would require him to have a formal survey done and to relocate his fence onto that line. Click HERE to view a Google satellite photo showing the trespass.  The rectangle in the left of the picture show the approximate property lines while the angled lines follow the fence line that he built and must now rip down.

Two Thumbs Up:  If you haven't seen it, I recommend that you rent "The Worlds Fastest Indian"  This the entertaining story of a bloke from down under in New Zealand named Burt Munro who comes to the US to run his highly modified 1920 Indian at the speed trials at Bonneville Salt Flats back in the 1960's and sets a world land speed record.  His character is played by Anthony Hopkins who said that this was the most enjoyable movie he has ever made.

When I rented the movie, all I knew about it was that it was a story involving motorcycles.  Colleen and I found it very entertaining, in part because Anthony Hopkins reminded us of her Uncle Cess from Australia.  Cess was quite a character, much like Burt Munro apparently was.  I met him the first time when he visited the US in the early '80s and then again when we visited Australia in 1998.  By then, he was in his late '70s and no longer able to drive so he had converted his garage into a brewery where he and his wife Phil made beer.   In the middle of the garage, he had a table and chairs and every day his mates would come over for a mid-morning beer and then a late afternoon beer. 

I have never drank so much beer in one day, not even on my best day in college, as I did the day we visited Cess and Phil in Nambour.  Following mid-morning beer with his mates, we had beer with lunch.  After lunch he took me up to the lawn bowling club where we drank more beer and rolled some games.   This was followed by the late afternoon beer with his mates and then more beer with dinner.  Needless to say, Aussie's love their beer.

As I mentioned, Cess was quite a character.  I recall him telling us about a time when he was in Hawaii that he encountered a Japanese tourist.  Cess had fought the Japanese during WWII and hated them to the day he died.  He walked up to the young tourist and said to him "You're very lucky!"  The tourist, who spoke English was stunned and asked why.  Cess said he replied "because I missed your grandgpa by this much" holding up two fingers spread a inch apart. With a laugh, he walked away.  Another indication was when we arrived at his front door we were greeted with a sign that read " Jehovah's Witnesses Beware, Catholic Dog".

Last Man Standing:  Jordan Brandt was invited back to the Red Bull Last Man Standing earlier this month and because of rain and snow it turned into a tough endurance test.  Making it even tougher was the fact that spectators were not allowed this year to assist the riders over obstacles; riders had to help one another.  Jordan survived the first 40 mile loop and was one of 11 (out of 126 starters) to start the second loop.  He burned up his clutch mid way through second loop and believes that he finished 8th overall.  David Knight won for the second time in a row.  Story and partial results are at dirtrider.com.

This is truly impressive considering he has only been racing since 2003.  At the club meeting last Thursday, Jordan said that this was the hardest thing he had ever done and that it was five times harder than the ISDE in New Zealand where he was the 603rd rider to leave the paddock each day and had to fight through deep ruts and quagmires.  despite starting at the back of the pack each day, he finished on Silver and less than two minutes off of a gold medal.

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December 7, 2006

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Last weekend was a busy weekend.  On Saturday, the Ramblers hosted a meeting of OHV organizations to discuss the new Clear Creek plan and we invited the new BLM manager, Rick Cooper, to attend.  We had a good group representing both four wheel and two wheeled enthusiasts.  Rick talked briefly about his challenges in managing Clear Creek and implementing the new plan.  He also discussed the new user fee program that the BLM plans to implement next October. 

Saturday evening I did something I had not done before.  I attended a high school play.  Actually it was a musical, Smokey Joe's Cafe,  performed by the Coalinga High School Drama Group.  William's daughter Breanna participated as a Junior Cast member since she is only in seventh grade.  Breanna has great stage presence and performed two songs.  IMHO, she was one of the best performers in the entire musical.

On Sunday, the Ramblers hosted another Doc Wong off-road riding clinic.  Doc had a good group of mostly novice riders. For 80+% of them it was their first time to Clear Creek.  They were easy to spot - no hand guards or skid plates.  After the clinic was over I took a small group for a tour of Clear Creek. Dave Wasson helped me with sweep.  We started with ten riders, led them up our main road and before we reached the top gate I had lost seven of them. One mother had a flat tire and a son who crashed three times on the road. Another mother had fallen over an broke her clutch lever. We were left with a father named Phil, his12 year old daughter Christy on a CR80 and another boy Eric on a XR100.  I led them first to the Picacho Mine, then to the play area around Picacho Peak and then out to the Green Fire Mine where the kids looked for and found some green garnets.  They all stayed upright throughout the ride and we only had to help Christy up two challenging hills.

Yesterday, Doc send me a copy of an e-mail that he had received from Phil.  It reads: "Hey Doc.  My Daughter and I had an absolute blast at your clinic on Sun. We really enjoyed riding with Ed Tobin on a ride after class,  he's really a terrific person.  Our ride was like a lesson in many subjects, dirt riding, geology, history of clear creek, geography and a little rock hounding.  And the skills we worked on at your clinic are sure to help us enjoy this sport even more. So a huge thank you to you, Ed and the Ramblers for one of the best riding days we have ever had. Please let me know when you schedule another clinic as we can't wait to do it again." 

Notes like this make it all worth while. I really enjoy showing new people the Creek and letting them experience one of the greatest places on earth to ride!  Also, thanks to Doc Wong and his support of the Clear Creek Legal Defense Fund.  The riders attending the clinic donated over $1,000 to the fund!

My next bike: I heard a rumor that KTM was developing an electric start 300EXC.  If this rumor is true, then this might be my next bike.  Because of three knee surgeries on my right knee, my range of motion is shot.  Now my right hip hurts all the time and it is literally a pain to kick start my 1997 300EXC.  The 300 is a blast to ride but with the high position of the kickstarter it hurts to kick it over.  My Suzuki needs new wheel bearings in the rear and I have them in the freezer but have not had the time to install them so I have been riding my XR440 because it is easy to kick over because of the low position of the kickstarter.

Just off the Wire: API, London, Southwick Computer reported today that it has developed a new computer chip that can store and play music after being surgically implanted in a woman's breast.  This is considered a major breakthrough, said a Southwick Computer spokesman, because women are always complaining about men staring at their breasts and not listening to them.

Looks like Rain:  Figures that it might rain this weekend as I have to help someone move. We really need some down at the Creek.  The BLM should start the rainfall count all over because the little bit of rain we had in October and November is gone.  Why can't it rain on Monday or Tuesday?

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November 26, 2006

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OK, I took another break the past three weekends. This time it was to spend time with my daughter Julie and her husband Jess while they were visiting and then to work on replacing my roof.  In between I spent a lot of time at work.  Two weekends ago we stripped off the old roof and that exercise showed me what horrible shape I am in.  I also destroyed my right hand with blisters including one in the middle of my right hand that is taking its time to heal.  I was exhausted by the end of Saturday and had a hard time climbing the ladder on Sunday to help with additional clean-up work.  Was I glad to get to work last  Monday so I could take a break!  We finished the roof yesterday so now all I have to do is to paint some new wood. With this project behind me I guess I can get out and do some riding!

ISDE Coverage: Congratulations to Jordan Brandt, Pat Garrahan and Brian Sperle for finishing the ISDE held last week in New Zealand and winning medals!.  For only the third time in history, the Junior Trophy team won the overall, besting France and a slew of other countries.  Jordan, Pat and Brian raced on club teams.  Pat and Brian were on the Gofaster.com team which finished seventh overall in team competition and Jordan rode on the Merced Dirt Riders club team that finished eighth overall.  Coverage of the event can be found on the AMA web site and at Cycle News.

Riding the ISDE was something I had always wanted to do but I was just never fast enough to compete at that level.  At best I was a fast B rider.  I rode a ISDE qualifier early in my riding career.  It was the Bad Rock Qualifier that held in eastern Oregon in 1976.  I was then a rookie novice without a clue and was amazed at how fast some of the experts went.  On my row was a fellow named Mike Hannon who was a factory rider for Bultaco.  We took off on day one in a light rain and Mike disappeared down a wet paved road never to be seen by me again except for the one special test I was early for.  Mike was stopped outside the check, working on his bike, smoking a cigarette and joking around with other fast guys.  I was sucking wind.

The special test started and Mike disappeared.  I struggled through the cross-country special test that included rocky stream beds, wood and pasture land.  Half way through, it started to pour and, back in the day before Gortex, I got soaked.  Then, just before the end of the test I hit a rock in a pasture and went over the bars, landing face first in the mud churned up by previous competitors.  I was wearing an open face Bell helmet with a snap on face guard.  When I hit, the face guard collapsed and my entire face and glasses were covered in mud.  So much mud that I had to scoop it out of the front of my helmet.  It was ugly.

Once I was able to see again I went to pick up my Can-Am.  The impact of the crash had ripped the Preston Petty headlight number plate off of the bike and had broken my throttle body.  End of my first ISDE qualifier ride.  I got the bike started and stuffed the headlight into the front of my riding jacket. With the throttle broken, I had to pull on the throttle cable end to get her moving.  I motivated on through the course as quickly as I dared, staying to the side as competitors flew by.

I crested a hill in the pasture and proceeded down a steep grassy slope on the other side.  At the bottom I could see the riders turning left.  They were turning left because of a barbed wire fence. Too late I realized that I was going a little too fast to make the turn and hit the rear brake.  Whether it was exhaustion or adrenalin,  I over reacted and locked up the rear brake which caused the rear wheel to kick out to the left.  Next thing I know, I am sliding down the hill sideways on the wet grass (did I mention that it was still raining) with the bike pointed opposite from the way the trail went at the bottom.  I stuck out my right foot to balance because there was no way at this point to straighten the bike out.  So here I am sliding down the grassy slope in a three point slide like a flat tracker and I am mentally preparing to lay the bike down before I hit the fence.  For reasons I still do not understand even today,  as I neared the bottom of the hill and the fence line, the rear of the bike swung around first pointing me back up the hill and then continued until, as the bike came to a halt, pointing me in the direction of the turn. A 270 degree turn!  All I could do was laugh and give the throttle cable a tug.  As I started up the trail I was passed by a rider who apparently witnessed the entire episode and as he went past he gave me a thumbs up. 

I rode a second ISDE qualifier in 1989, again in Oregon -the Trask Two Day Qualifier in McMinville, and won a gold medal.  So much for my ISDE career.

The Election:  I did not surprise me at all that the Republicans lost control of Congress earlier this month.  Their enemies had been saving up dirt for quite a while to dump on the American electorate. Of course the war in Iraq did not help, but the Republicans, unfortunately, were their own worst enemy.  For at least the past six years and probably longer they have been like pigs feeding at the trough and the biggest pig, at least appearance wise, was the Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert.  As soon as this guy was selected for the Speaker position I remember thinking that it was all downhill from here.

The Republicans lost sight of the core value that put them in control, i.e. fiscal responsibility, strong ethics, reducing taxes and limiting the size of government..  Many of these values were engendered in the Contract with America created by Newt Gingrich  Unfortunately, once Newt was gone the Republicans lost their way and fell into the bad habits that many in Washington suffer from.

Now the Democrats are in control but they have no agenda, no Contract with America, no plan for Iraq.  It will be interesting to see what happens over the next two years and who runs to replace President Bush.

Gas Prices:  The day after the election gas prices jumped a couple cents per gallon and have risen gradually ever since.  I was talking with the VP of an oil distributor back east the day after the election and I asked him what was going on with the market. His comment was "Well, the Republicans lost so we are punishing the American people for electing Democrats".  He laughed and then said that speculators were driving up crude prices in expectation of increased demand for home heating and motor fuel.  Which do you believe?

Rainfall and the Clear Creek Rain Gauges:  The big question on most rider's minds is "When is it going to rain at Clear Creek?"  I can't answer that but I can tell you how to find out how much it has rained once it starts.  The State of California maintains weather stations with weather gauges throughout CA to track rainfall.  There are four gauges in the Clear Creek area.  One is located near Hernandez Dam, the second on top of Santa Rita Peak (second towers), the third is above Spanish Lake and the fourth is located somewhere near New Idria.  I have posted links to the web sites for these weather stations on the Salinas Ramblers Clear Creek page.

I was talking with a rider the other day who had been checking the on-line rain gauges two weeks ago after a very small rain event (approximately two tenths of an inch of rain, barely enough to wet the soil) and they thought that more rain had fallen at the Creek than actually had fallen. With the rainy season almost upon us, I thought I would spend a couple minutes explaining how the rain gauges at Clear Creek work.

 The rain year begins on October 1 each year and ends on September 30.  All of the gauges except the Spanish Lake (SPA) show the hourly rainfall information.  The SPA link shows the day to day rainfall measurement.  To determine how much rain has fallen in a storm event, subtract the last reading shown on the page from the amount of rain before the storm started.  To get the earlier reading you may have to hit the "Earlier" link once or twice.  The readings are hour by hour.  Here is an example:

In the above example, the rain started between 5AM and 6AM. It continued raining until 1PM (13:00) and a total of .18 inches of rain fell during this period (22.97 - 22.79).  Another thing to check, especially on the Santa Rita peak (SRI) gauge is the temperature.  During the winter it will often snow at the 5,000 foot elevation and the gauge will not read accurately so I usually check the HDZ or IDR gauges which are at a lower elevation.

If you wish to see several days at a time, click on the "Daily SRI Data link and this will show you the totals by day rather than by hour. Note: for some reason, the rainfall did not reset to zero on October 1 on the hourly view.  Here is the daily view showing the correct total for the rain year.  No ran has fallen since Nov 17 and only a half inc has fallen so far in the 2006/2007 rain year..

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Doc Wong Riding Clinic: Doc Wong is going to hold another off-road riding clinic on the SRMC property next Sunday, Dec 3.  To learn more about the clinic, visit Doc's web site that lists his off-road clinics.

Thanksgiving:  We had a very filling Thanksgiving family get together on Thursday.  I love turkey and look forward to the holidays.  Even more so I look forward to the Hors d'oeuvres before dinner.  Yes, I spoil my appetite for the turkey dinner but Colleen always cooks a turkey the day after Thanksgiving so I get my fill, just a day later.  This year the spread included shrimp, jalapeno poppers, salmon log, cheese pop-overs, veggies with spinach dip, artichoke hearts with melted Parmesan cheese and pepperoni slices with a cream cheese and chopped pineapple mixture rolled up in the pepperoni. 

Salmon Log Recipe:

1 can of red salmon

1 large cream cheese - 8oz

Pinch of salt

1 Tablespoon chopped onion

1 Tablespoon Liquid Smoke

1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice

Remove any skin and bones from the salmon. Mix ingredients together and let sit for several hours in the refrigerator. Roll the mixture into a log. Roll into the log chopped dried parsley and chopped walnuts. Remember to buy crackers or thick tortilla chips to spread the salmon on.

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November 6, 2006

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This is a light entry because my daughter and son-in-law are visiting from Florida.  Since they were busy on Sunday with other activities, I snuck in a trip to the Creek with my friend Bear.  Just a day trip and in fact it was a daylight trip as we didn't leave Salinas until 8AM and was home before dark.  No greeting this weekend at the entrance.  There was only one other group of riders at the Rambler camp and didn't hear but two groups of riders all day Sunday.

We took a Gentleman class  ride (Bear is 67 yo) around the Creek for 25 miles which was about all Bear's shoulder can stand.  I told him I knew a good surgeon if it turned out to be a torn rotator cuff.  As usual, we had some good discussions on the trip down and back and Bear tried to educate me on the principles of electricity after I asked a question about batteries and inverters.

I did receive an e-mail from Harrison with a picture of the BLM entrance station with it's windows knocked out.  Someone vandalized it on Thursday nights.  If anyone has any information about this incident, please let me know.  The assholes who did this should be severely punished.

Don't forget the raffle for Dan Brandt's bike.  I was glad to learn that some readers have already contacted Charlotte and purchased some tickets.  This is a good deal with good odds.  Only 300 tickets are being sold at $10 each!

I will be away from the Creek for a couple of weekends as my daughter is visiting and I will be putting a new roof on my house so I can't promise that I will post anything meaningful for a while.

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October 29, 2006

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Did just one morning of greeting this weekend as I had a home project to accomplish before my daughter and her husband come for a visit later next week. Actually, truth be known, my wife had a home project that she wanted to have completed and it required my participation. 

I suspected it would be slow because of a forecasted temperature near 80 and a D36 enduro running up north.  It was slow.  Just 13 vehicles and 21 people went through the entrance between 8 and 11AM.  Because it was so slow, I got in some rock throwing. enough that my shoulder is sore as I write this update. 

Fumigation:  A couple of weekends ago we had the house fumigated for termites.  I had noticed the telltale signs of the pest and decided to protect our investment.  We got quotes from four different companies and selected a company that another member of the family had used.  I am writing about this because I thought I would share what I learned in the process.  It turns out that none of the termite or pest control companies that I contacted actually did the fumigation work.  They all subcontracted the work to companies that specialized in fumigation.  The moral of this story is to seek out the subcontractor as they will often act as the prime contractor and you can save money.  One of these companies, and the one that did the work at my house, is Justin Pepper Fumigation.  Justin is an off-roader with a quad and a rock crawler and he is thinking about getting a bike. He lives in Los Banos and does jobs in Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, and Monterey County on the coast and in the valley.  To reach Justin, call 209-829-1790.

Hats off to the Timekeepers:  Once again the Timekeepers MC is making a big contribution to the Clear Creek Legal Defense Fund.  They recently held their Prime Time Hare Scrambles and collected fees and donations totaling over $2,500. Way to go TMC!!!

The new Quicksilver format:  The Ramblers will be hosting a national enduro again next year and it will be unlike any enduro we have run before.  As I wrote earlier, the national enduro format is changing in the hopes of attracting new and younger riders.  As currently planned, the 2007 Quicksilver will consist of two loops totaling about 65 miles.  Instead of a 7:30 key time, the new rules call for the event to start at 9AM.  The event will consist of a series of special tests separated by transportation sections.  Riders may arrive early at the check-in of each of the special tests and may leave when their flip card number comes up.  Scoring will be done as it is done today for enduros.

Because of the new format, no computer will be required to be competitive.  This, of course, is not a new concept for the Quicksilver.  Many riders have sniveled over the years that they didn't need a roll charts or computer to do poorly at the Quicksilver.  This is particularily true for C-riders.  With the new format, if a rider is on time throughout the event and if we give long enough breaks between the tests, every one should be happy. 

Disease Diagnosed:  I have finally learned what the name of the disease I have been suffering from since 1974.  It is called Enduroitis. I believe that I have a companion disease named Clearcreekitis which is a uncontrollable urge to go to Clear Creek as often as possible.  There is no known cure for this disease but it has been known to have been put into remission by marriage and the birth of children. Doctors from the AMA however are divided as to whether these two treatments should be recommended as they can lead to severe mental problems and depression.  In fact one study has now suggested that a cure for depression might actually be to give the patient a mild case of Clearcreekitis although recent actions by the BLM have somewhat lessened the effectiveness of this form of treatment.

Help Wanted: Received an e-mail from Joe (Racer) Wytman stating that he was in need of full or part time help.  Here is his message: "JOERACER PRODUCTS in San Jose is looking for Full and Part time counter sales help.  Minimum requirements are able to use a PC and have effective phone skills Salary is hourly and commission based. If you love bikes and like to sell give a call at 408-807-6052 or email me at joeracer@pacbell.net and put jobs in the title header."

BLM November Newsletter: As his last official act, Brian White sent out the November newsletter.  You can read it on the Rambler's Clear Creek page.

Wraps: One of the more healthy meals that I make from time to time is a Mesquite BBQ Chicken Wrap.  I marinate skinless chicken breasts overnight in a mesquite marinade and then BBQ the chicken.  While the chicken is cooking, I slice up some sweet onion, red bell pepper and an avocado. On a sun dried tomato wrap I spread cream cheese.  This can be regular or flavored, like Ranch cream cheese.  Then I pile on the chicken and veggies and top it off with a little salsa, my current favorite being Pineapple Peach that I get at Safeway. 

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October 22, 2006

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First, I would like to thank everyone who wrote me here recently, asking if I was OK.  Rest assured, I am fine and  back in action. I hit one of those periods where I stopped doing the stuff that I normally do and did other stuff.  The blog was one of those thing that fell by the wayside as did my adventures in cooking.  Call it a mental vacation, call it writer's block, call it laziness, the result was the same.  Hopefully with CC back open I will find things to write about to keep you informed and hopefully entertained.

Entrance duty:  For the first full weekend of the riding season, I had some volunteers out greeting riders as the entered CC.  My thanks to DJay and Ben, Carl, Don, David and Clifton.  We met up at the entrance to hand out new information sheets that I made this week along with the asbestos surveys that we are asking riders to complete and mail back to the BlueRibbon Coalition along with a donation check.  As I was telling riders, perhaps our most difficult and costly battle is still ahead of us - the EPA threat to close Clear Creek to all human activity.

Here are the vehicle and people counts

No motorhomes or camping trailers pulled in while we were at the entrance.  David and Clifton rode through the canyon and counted vehicles starting at 8:15 can found 37 vehicles parked between Oak Flat and Staging Area 6.  Seems that a lot of people drive in on Friday night if they are planning to stay the entire weekend.

Saturday was a big day for rock collectors.  I guess they had pent up demand just like the OHV community.  Eighteen or so of the vehicles and about 37 people arrived intent on looking for rocks and gems. 

Sunday, as I sort of expected, was very slow.  Some of my helpers returned but there wasn't much to do as you can see from the table below.  In fact we probably talked to almost as many people who were leaving as were arriving.  Interestingly, no one vehicle drove up from the Coalinga direction.

Jordan (Dan) Brandt Fundraiser:  We had a good party at the Rambler's property on September 30 for the Jordan Brandt ISDE fundraiser.  Dan earned a place on a club team and will compete at the ISDE this November in New Zealand. The event wasn't as well attended as Fullthrottle Motorsports, his sponsor, had hoped for, but we still had a decent crowd, good food and a great band.  In addition to the party, we had a poker run on the property, a XR100 race that Dan, naturally, won lapping everyone at least once and some multiple times.  One rider told me later that during the race he set a goal of not being lapped FOUR times.

Heather Wilson, nine time Women's national champion at GNCC and cross country, attended and conducted a women's riding clinic. Later over dinner she and I traded stories about our recoveries from shoulder surgery. We also had a golf challenge and skeet shooting challenge.  After a delicious chicken BBQ prepared by the Rambler cooking crew led by Matt Beck, it was party time.  A few month back, the Ramblers were fortunate to acquire a bar out of a restaurant/lounge in Salinas that had a fire.  The bar was undamaged and has found new life at Clear Creek.  Mike Orr, a Rambler perspective member did a great job of rebuilding the bar, well enough so that it was able to support the Rambler's own Coyote Ugly dancers.

Providing music was a four piece band out of Salinas named Westside Willie.  The played a combination of old rock songs and blues that had the dance floor active most of the night. If you are looking for a good band for an event or party, give a call to Tony Worley at 831-757-7165.

Motorcycle Raffle:  Would you like to own a bike raced by this year's District 36's hare scrambles champion, Jordan Brandt?  Fullthrottle Motorsports is raffling Dan's 2003 KTM 250XS.  Charlotte Gomes made up about 300 tickets and is selling them for $10 each.  Click here for details.

New use for duct tape:  I use duct tape to hold lots of things together.  I carry some in my toolkit along with zip ties.  If it can't be fixed with duct tape, zip ties or JB Weld, it is likely going to be an expensive repair.  This weekend I found a new use for my roll of duct tape.  I usually stop in King City and get a Big Gulp Pepsi before heading out of town and I can't tell you how many times the cup has tipped over and spilled its contents on the floor of my truck when I forget to put a hand on it in a turn.  While this can be a major pain, it did have one positive aspect - the Pepsi did a good job for loosening the dirt embedded in the mat on the trucks floor when I wiped it up.... and that's about the only way the inside of the Pig Killer gets cleaned!

Pig Killer is the name I have given my 1987 Ford Ranger following the run in with a wild pig back in February of 2005 (see Feb 7).  I have been readying the Pig Killer for another season of trips to the Creek.  The tires were shot and the left front was wearing abnormally so I took it Matt Beck at Lamar Brother in Salinas for an alignment and new tires.   If you live in the Monterey Bay area are in need of tires for anything that rolls, Matt is your man.  Tell him you heard about Lamar Brothers on the blog and ask him for the special "blog discount".  After he stops laughing, he will take good care of you!  (831) 757-5273

I also got a new clutch put in as it was making noise and now it sounds like the water pump is going.  Oh well, what can you do but fix it?.  Considering how little I paid for the truck when I bought it used in 1990, how little I have spent in the ensuing 16 years and how many times it has hauled me and the bikes to the Creek and Nevada, I think it deserves a little TLC.

Giving credit where credit is due:  I got to chatting with one of the BLM staff at the entrance on Sunday morning and he told me that he was disappointed that I had not acknowledged the great job that the BLM and the federal lawyers did in killing the environmentalist's lawsuit.  The fact of the matter is that the government attorneys did an excellent job and built their case on a foundation of evidence provided by the Hollister BLM staff. The government assigned a young, aggressive attorney to the case and he would not back down or concede anything to the Center for Biological Diversity.  In fact, our attorney commented to me one day that it was refreshing to work with this new government attorney because in the past the government had not been nearly as aggressive in other cases and had conceded too much, in his opinion.  Because of his success with the Clear Creek lawsuit, the US attorney has now been assigned to handle a lawsuit brought by the Center for Biological Diversity in the desert.

Since I am giving credit, I guess I also need to give the BLM credit for destroying three "T" designated routes and turning them into a freeway .  Seems that since I was laid up with the shoulder repair, the BLM improved T151A, T240 and T148 to take the place of the portion R008 that they have gated closed and now you can drive your grandmother's station wagon on these routes.  This is great for the rock hounds in their Suburbans but it sucks for OHVers.  It is time for the BLM to update their maps to reflect the fact that they destroyed three jeep trails, and to rename these routes R008A  They have created a great opportunity for high speeds and head-ons, so be careful.   Seems to me that the BLM should reopen three closed "T" routes to make up for this latest loss of OHV opportunity.

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September 24, 2006

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The big news this week is that we are losing another Clear Creek project manager.  On Friday, Brian White sent out a sent out the following e-mail:

To all,

The time has come to move on from what has been the most challenging assignment yet in may career as the Project Coordinator for Clear Creek.  I have accepted a position with BLM in Idaho as the Recreation Planner in the Coeur d'Alene Field Office. The move is for many reasons, but is primarily for my wife and future children - I guess I could call that the beginning of a family.

The struggle here has been bitter at times, but this project now resembles something that may work in the long-term. This has, however, been at the expense of untold stress, toil, and personal sacrifice on my part. But I'm not the type that accepts failure as an option.  I know my efforts have been appreciated, and many of you have reciprocated by volunteering and offering other forms of support through some very difficult times. Thank you!

Several of the high points thus far in my career have been the positive and direct comments made by the public (many of you) in support of myself, my staff, and the results of our tenacious efforts in Clear Creek. I am proud to have led this turnaround.  I have also developed many important "intangible" interpersonal skills, as well as technical skills that will serve me - and more importantly the public - throughout the remainder of my career.  This experience has firmly cemented in my mind the fact that I have correctly chosen a career in public service via land management.

I hope that the positive efforts and budding spirit of cooperation are carried forward for both the resources and unique recreation opportunities found in Clear Creek.

Brian White

Clear Creek Project Coordinator

BLM - Hollister Field Office

(831) 630-5044

This is a big disappointment but not totally unexpected.  I learned a while ago that Brian was probably going to look for another job once he had put some time in at the Clear Creek position, which was a pay grade step up for him from his previous job at the BLM.  I guess this is a normal way to progress through the ranks in the government.

I wish Brian well.  He worked very hard and had to endure the hell of working with Julie Ann Delgado and the last days of the Bob Beehler administration fiasco.  I say he did a pretty good job but as you can read in his e-mail, it took a toll on him.  To his credit, he stuck it out for over two years, longer than the previous two project managers combined, got the last primrose sites protected, got the greeting station running, almost completed the upper Jade Mill campground project and his crew got a bunch of trails signed.

I encourage those of you who had the opportunity to work with him to give him a call to say good-bye.  I hope Rick Cooper can find another project coordinator as good as Brian!

Interesting news article: From the San Francisco Chronicle  A man who inexplicably drove at a group of bikers while waving a pool cue in Contra Costa County suffered minor injuries after he got out of his car, left it in reverse gear and was struck by his own vehicle, authorities said.  Richard Brooks, 50, whom authorities said had been drinking, was driving on Hwy 4 Thursday when he saw a group of motorcycle riders, many of whom were wearing Harley-Davidson attire, including leather and skull caps, California Highway Patrol officer Scott Yox said.

Brooks became enraged, waved a pool cue at them and swerved towards the biker, who split into two groups to try to get away, Yox said  Brooks then aimed his car at two bikers who had pulled off the highway, Yox said.  Brooks got out of his car with the pool cue, but before he could do anything, he was knocked down by his car, which had been left in reserve, Yox said.

The impact sent Brooks sprawling into traffic.  As his car continued in reverse and hit the center median of Highway 4, some of the bikers pulled him out of danger, Yox said.

This needs a better title than "Driver hit by own car"  How about "Car attacks driver who attacked bikers"

Green Fire Mine: Had an e-mail last week from a rock hound complaining about all the fences blocking access to rock collecting sites and I got to looking at the latest map and realized that the rock hounds will now become criminals if they drive up to the Green Fire Mine as they traditionally have done because the route to the mine is now closed by the new management plan.  This is just another indication of how unknowledgeable or inept the BLM staff was that designated the routes in Clear Creek.

Something to Offend Everyone

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September 17, 2006

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I was having a conversation yesterday with Joe from Full Throttle Motorsports, Jordan Brandt's mechanic and sponsor, and I learned that I am what they call a light bulb mechanic.  This is a rather demeaning job description that master mechanics give to novice mechanics who aren't trained to do complete repairs on whatever equipment they are responsible for or do it so poorly that they end up needing help. 

I have known for years that I was not a mechanic.  When I was in college, I had a 1968 250 Triumph.  I bought it because it looked cool, like a dirt bike, with its block pattern tires and raised pipes.  Unfortunately it was a poorly built bike that vibrated parts to the point of breaking or falling off.  I forget the problem that I had but I decided to try to fix it myself and proceeded to start disassembling the motor.  When I finally came to the realization I didn't have a clue what I was doing, I put the loose parts in a box and had a friend with a pick-up drive me to the local shop.  A day or so later when they got around to working on my bike I received a call asking why I had disassembled some part of the ignition.  I said it was in the way of what I was trying to do.  They said that they had never seen anyone disassemble this component, had no idea how to reassemble it correctly, and would have to order another complete one from England.  Sometimes we learn things the hard way or in this case the EXPENSIVE way.  From that point on, whenever I needed motor work done (except for top ends on my two-strokes), I have paid a real mechanic to do the work.  It's far LESS expensive in the long run!

Pot Bust:  According to the Hollister Freelance, there has been another pot bust down in the Clear Creek area.  Seems like every year they are finding gardens down there.  You would think the the pot growers would find another area after continually losing their crops.  The largest pot bust in California history, at the time, occurred in Clear Creek just to the north and east of San Benito Mountain (first tower).

Wilderness Proposal:  I understand through the grapevine that the Sierra Club is once again trying to promote the idea of a new wilderness area in the Joaquin Rocks area.  They have been floating this proposal for a number of years but so far they have not gotten any traction with it.  There is a new, first term, Congressman named Jim Costa, (20th District) whose district covers that portion of Fresno County and so they are making a run at him.  If you live in Jim Costa's district, we will need you to contact his office and let them know that this wilderness proposal is not needed and would raise conflicts with a long established OHV use area - Clear Creek.

Dirt Rider 24 Hour:  The BRC is once again asking for nominations to attend the Dirt Rider 24 Hour test at Hungry Valley OHV area in January or February.  I have several in mind, people who have been a help at Clear Creek and I will be contacting them to get their resumes in.  This is one of the perks of helping with our land use battles.  Ii can't be all work and no play.

You can help build up your resume by helping out at the entrance to Clear Creek this fall and winter greeting riders.  If you can help, please shoot me an e-mail and we will get you on the schedule.

Metcalf Newsletter:  For those of you who frequent Metcalf, here is the park's newsletter.  Note that the Timekeepers Prime Time Hare Scrambles will be held there on October 7 and 8.

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September 10, 2006

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I was reminded yesterday that there was a family connection to the town where Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter who died earlier this week in a freak accident while diving on the Great Barrier Reef, developed the Australian Zoo along with his parents.  My mother-in-law, Rita Winn, was born in Australia and became a war bride during WWII.  Her father owned one of the only stores, a bakery, in Beerwah, a whistle stop on the rail line running north from Brisbane.  Back in the 1940's, Beerwah was a very small town with only a grocery store and butcher shop in addition to bakery that Rita's father ran.  Now the area north of Brisbane has developed into quite a tourist destination.  Known as the Sunshine Coast, it is a holiday getaway location for both Australian and international visitors.

Colleen and I spent some time in the Brisbane area back in 1998.  Rita went back home periodically to visit with her mother, brother and cousins and on this trip we accompanied her.  During the vacation, we took a train from Brisbane heading north to Nambour to visit with her brother and along the way the train passed through Beerwah and Rita pointed out where her dad's bakery had been. 

We had a great trip.  We visited Sydney for a few days, then spent a week and a half living with relatives in Brisbane.  We then took a plane ride up to Cairns in the north of Queensland and played tourist for a week.  Of course, I had to do some riding while I was there. Here is a story wrote after the trip about my dirt biking experiences Down Under.  I originally wrote it and submitted it to the American Motorcyclist magazine but they returned it saying that they had recently done a piece on Australia and would not do another for some time.  So much for my literary career.  Or maybe not. Since AM would not publish it, I decided to publish it myself on the web and this was the start of my web publishing hobby.

Needless to say, I really enjoyed our visit to Australia.  Sydney is a modern city with wonderful beaches and attractions, Brisbane has the Gold Coast in addition to the Sunshine Coast and Cairns is the hub for visiting the Great Barrier Reef.  Naturally, we took a Quicksilver snorkeling tour of the reef and I wore a Quicksilver Enduro t-shirt on the boat!.  I heartily recommend a visit to Australia for anyone looking to go oversees to a friendly country. 

Reminder about the Jordan Brandt fundraiser:  Speaking of Down Under, I would like to remind you about the fund raiser that Full Throttle Motorsports is putting on for Jordan Brandt on the weekend of September 30/Oct.1..  Jordan has been selected to ride on a club team at the ISDE in New Zealand.  The fund raiser will include a catered BBQ dinner and overnight camping.  While Clear Creek will still be closed, the Ramblers hare scrambles course will be open for riding.  I understand that two bands are going to be performing and the will be other activities such as trap shooting, a golf challenge, a women's off-road riding clinic conducted by Heather Wilson, a children's poker run and other activities.  The donation to attend is $50.

New Idria For Sale:  Got a note from John Haaker this week with a link to an item on Craig's List.  The town of New Idria is listed for sale for $7M.  As I read through the posting I had to laugh because there is no mention of the abandoned mines, the red tagged buildings, the toxic tailings piles or the orange creek that flows through the property. The ad conjures up an image of the town of Bridgeville that was for sale on eBay twice in the past four years. NOT!

I checked with Ray Iddings of Picacho.org and he told me that he does not think that the Futures Foundation or the people who once controlled this non-profit organization can legally sell it.  I can't imagine anyone in their right mind buying it but then there are a lot of people out there with more money than brains.  I will keep you posted as this story develops.

OR836:  I was out riding with Don Amador on the Timekeeper's Wild Weekend (that wasn't except for the snow storm) in early March and as we were traveling along R5 above Four Corners we came across a trail marker that seemed to me to be in the wrong place as it was planted in the side of a steep bank on the side of the road.  I have since learned that the trail marker pointing up a steep bank to a break in the brush is one of the routes that the Hollister staff declared an open route in the new management plan. 

If there was ever a reason to revisit the decisions made in the EIS, this is it. It appears to me that someone with a GPS turned off R5, wandered through some diggings and then dropped down onto the road.  I would like to know who it was that mapped this route.  It doesn't appear on the maps released with the Draft EIS.  And, I can't believe that someone on the Clear Creek team would actually mark this ?trail? and not question it.  Guess they just are good soldiers following the orders that the Hollister office gave them.

OR836 is the perfect example of what happens when you let a bunch of bureaucrats with no OHV recreation experience and no on-the-ground knowledge develop a management plan.  To them it was just another line on a map and they had no clue what they were doing.

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September 4, 2006

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Now that the lawsuit has been dismissed, it is time for the BLM to meet with the OHV community to discuss corrections to the recent management plan.  Time for some Adaptive Management!  There is a lot to be fixed in the current management plan.  Of course, what would you expect when you allow a bunch of bureaucrats who have no clue about OHV recreation to design a recreation management plan.  What is truly sad is that the BLM had a person on staff who knows Clear Creek better than anyone else in the BLM and who understands OHV recreation.  They could have integrated him into the planning process but chose not to. Worse yet, they allowed an acknowledged OHV hater to be a part of the team that created this plan.

A good starting point for discussion would be the Alternative E that the OHV community submitted as comments to the Draft EIS.  I don't think we publicized it much at the time we submitted it to keep it under the radar. The BLM, of course, completely ignored it.  I will send it to Rick Cooper this week because I am sure he has never seen it.  I am sure that Bob Beehler, George Hill and Julie Ann Delgado declared it DOA and filed it in the round file along with the previous record of decision that they didn't like either.

BlueRibbon Magazine:  This month's BlueRibbon Magazine features the press release about the Repsol promotion - A Case for Access.  The article includes a picture I took of the fund raising package that we were selling at the Hollister National Hare Scrambles.  In the package was a Save Clear Creek sticker, a can of Repsol chain lube and some stickers and flyers about the promotion. 

Also in the magazine were several articles about the Forest Services' Travel Management Plan.  One in particular discussed the fact that environmentalist were attempting to define most OHV trails as "renegade" trails because the government did not create them.  In fact, many of the best routes in our national forests and at Clear Creek were created by users during a time when open cross country travel was the rule. These trails provide a great recreation opportunity and need to be preserved. 

Favors (or how Leonard from LA saved the day):  A number of years ago I was riding with some friends up in the mountains in western Nevada in late October.  The majority of the group decided to take a "hero ride" shortcut back to camp that turned into a fiasco and later nicknames like Skipper and Gilligan were awarded to a couple members, but that's another story .  I was leading the walking wounded squad as I was recovering from colon surgery.  With me I had Rob on a CR500 and Ken on a Husky.  Rob was nursing a bruised right hip from a crash earlier in the day and Ken was still sore from a get-off in a sand wash the day before.  I was surprised that Ken was even riding as the day before he had gone over the bars at speed in a sand wash, flew (he says) 50 feet and landed with his first point of contact being his ass. He hit so hard that both buttocks had turned black and blue from the impact. 

Anyway, we are up in the mountains, a good 40-50 miles from camp and Rob is running low on gas.  The CR500 didn't get very good gas mileage at 11,000 ft.  I was guiding and had picked an easy route back to camp on fire roads and some county paved roads.  I made the mistake of telling Ken the route back and next thing I know, he disappears down the road.  I had enough gas in my XR600 tanker to get me home, but Rob was not going to make it.  Smartly, he had brought extra oil.  This time of year, it is deer hunting season in this region.  As we proceeded down the mountain on a well established dirt road, I came across a guy sitting in a jeep scanning the next mountain range with binoculars.  We stopped and asked if he might be able to spare some gas. He introduced himself as Leonard from LA and said he was up scouting where they planned to hunt that night.  To my surprise, he said he could give us some gas and proceeded to fill up the tank on the XR from a jerry can on the back of his jeep.  When I tried to pay him, he refused to take any money.  Instead, he asked me to do someone a favor sometime, as he had just done for us.  Cool!

A couple more miles down the road we came across a motorhome parked along the side of the road.  At this point we were needing to transfer and mix some gas for Rob's bike.  I pulled up to the motorhome and was met by a woman who was up with her husband who was out hunting.  I explained our situation and she went out of her way to empty the remains of a gallon of milk from a plastic jug into other containers in the motorhome and rinse it out.  We thanked her and again offered some monetary compensation which she refused. 

I have always done favors for people.  I guess that is my nature.  However, I will not forget Leonard from LA and the favor that he did for us that day.  I have returned it many time since and each time I tell the person receiving the favor to do a favor for someone else as a way to repay me...and Leonard.

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August 27, 2006

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Lawsuit Dismissed:  I know this will be old news for some but it was finally made official with a press release from the BRC this past Tuesday that the radical environmentalist's lawsuit over Clear Creek was dismissed in earlier this month.  Being the poster child for the Salinas Ramblers, I once again got my picture posted on the web in the web version.  I am the good guy in the white hat.  Good guys always wear white hats, right!

When the press release was being put together, there was no mention of other activities that our lawyer was engaged in or other possible threats.  I suggested that we include a paragraph so that the general public would think the battle is over because it is far from over.  In fact,  I am afraid that the worst is yet to come, namely the EPA.  We can't rest on our laurels or asses but must remain alert and continue to raise money to address these future threats.  At least that is what I intend to do.  You will notice that they did included a mention of the appeal we have pending over the summer closure and other unspecified threats.  I don't mean to sound like Oliver North predicting to Congress the threat posed by Osama bin Laden to the United States, but in my mind, the EPA is every bit as nasty. They are zealots just like the radicals we are dealing with in Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan.

I have received several e-mail this week asking me if I think the situation at Clear Creek is going to change now that the lawsuit has been dropped.  The short answer is NO.  The BLM has a management plan in place that they need to implement to designate routes and barrens.  Included in the plan are the wet and dry season closures.  If the BLM does not act on their plan, then the zealots can go back to court to force them or to again ask a judge to close Clear Creek until they do.  The fee program could come to fruition during the 2007/2008 riding season if the BLM can convince an advisory body that the fee program will provide a benefit and not produce marginal income after expenses.

What I do see happening is a fine tuning of this plan.  The BLM has a process called Adaptive Management that they can use to make changes to an existing plan without having to do a whole new major plan.  I would hope that Rick Cooper will now use this process to fix some of the things that are wrong with the current plan.  By this I mean changes to the wet season closure that would permit OHV use under certain conditions while restricting large vehicles from the roads.  This will be important if they want to sell season passes.  I see the reopening of some closed routes and the additional of routes not included in the BLM's current route inventory.  The OHV community has appealed the dry season closure as I mentioned above and we are preparing for that battle.  I do not see that changing, unless our appeal is upheld, until the problem with the EPA is resolved.  I will be glad to answer your questions so send them using the Comments link at the top of this page.

Speaking of the EPA:  Our lawyer, Paul Turcke, and asbestos scientist Ed Ilgren have put together a questionnaire that we will be distributing starting later this month to Clear Creek OHV users, asking about their riding habits, their Clear Creek usage and whether they are experience any health problems related to asbestos.  It will first be distributed to District 36 riders in an upcoming newsletter and then in a mailing to clubs.  When Clear Creek reopens we will be handing it out to riders entering the Creek.  If you know someone who has been riding Clear Creek for a long time, let them know we need to get their input.  We are particularly interested in getting feedback from riders who have been recreating in Clear Creek for over 20 years and from young adults who grew up riding the Creek.  More on this in future editions of the blog.

T140 Update:  In a letter dated August 17 (postmarked August 21), Rick Cooper, the Hollister Field Office Manager, informed the Salinas Ramblers that the trespass issue with our neighbor Steve Amaro would be settled in September and that the BLM would then begin work to construct a bypass route around his property,  This is good news because T140 is an important route in the network.  Many novice riders traveling on T104 from the Goat Mountain area, especially younger riders with smaller bikes,  are intimidated by a rocky, uphill stretch just after the intersection with T140.  T140 offers a downhill route to a major route, R7.  There is one opportunity on T140 for these riders to panic, however, when they come to a hard packed downhill section that appears to be near vertical.  It isn't but it can elicit fear and white knuckles from novices.  This is the spot the Salinas Ramblers have recommended the construction of a bypass while retaining the original trail.

Cooking:  My blackened chicken set off the fire alarm in our hallway.  I guess that is one way to test to see if it is working!  Nothing serious, just a lot of smoke, fortunately. Had to open all the doors and windows and turn on a fan to clear the air.  This adventure in cooking did not turn out quite as I had hoped but it was edible.  Back to the drawing board! 

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August 20, 2006

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The deeper we get into the summer the less there seems to be to write about.  The BLM has not send any e-mails by mistake revealing their secrets.  Rick Cooper has not responded to the Club's letter concerning T140.  No word from the attorney about the outcome of the lawsuit.

More on the Quicksilver: Several Club members including myself made the long drive up to Vacaville on Wednesday afternoon to attend the District 36 monthly meeting.  We didn't know what to expect from the District or from the other clubs.  Dave Pickett was gracious enough to put our topics at the top of their evening agenda as we had such a long drive home.  We explained the changes that the AMA was planning to make to the National Enduro series and asked the District if they would support us and allow us to run as part of the Enduro B & C series.  The overwhelming response was positive and the Enduro Steward, Kraig Traum, indicated that the Quicksilver could remain a part of the series.

While there were a couple people who bemoaned the fact that timekeeping was being eliminated, most of the crowd realizes that the sport of enduro is growing old, like the riders who attend, and that it needs to be rejuvenated or else it may have  to be resuscitated.  I believe the general feeling was that the District should give the "American enduro" format (that's what the AMA is calling it) a try.  They are not ready, however, to abandon the tradition timekeeping enduro format.

So it remains to be seen how the new format will be accepted by the enduro riders.  Anyway, I would like to thank D36 and its President, Dave Pickett for allowing us to go first.  It eased the pain of 5.5 hours in the truck.

Another Story:  I can be a wise ass sometimes.  For instance, when Dave Pickett was introducing us at the D36 meeting, he said "I would like to thank the Salinas Ramblers for driving up her tonight.  I interjected that only took one of us to drive, the other three rode along.  After I said it I got to thinking about an experience back in my Army days.  As a serviceman (serviceperson) you can catch free airline flights on the Military Airlift Command (or at least you could when I was in).  You could also catch free flights to Hawaii with the naval reserve.  I was fortunate enough to catch a ride on a P3 from Moffett Field to some airfield in Hawaii once. 

The P3 is a four prop plane with an elongated tail that is designed to hunt for submarines.  If you lived in the south bay you may have seen them flying in and out of Moffett.  On the flight I caught were a half dozen Navy reserve pilots.  Some brought their wives.  I was the lone Army guy.  I got to talking with the pilots and learned that flying to Hawaii was how they got their mandatory flying time in.  One of them took me up to show me the cockpit and explained that they took turns logging flight hours while the plane was flying on autopilot. So much for getting any practical experience, except for the two who took of and landed the plane.  As soon as we were parked on the tarmac the naval reservists changed into civilian clothes and I found myself standing under the wing in the shade in my uniform waiting for transport with what looked like a bunch of tourists.  Guess I joined the wrong branch of the service.

Jordan Brandt Fundraiser:  Club member Jordan (Dan) Brandt was selected to ride on a club team at the ISDE in New Zealand in November.  Going to the ISDE to compete is an expensive proposition so Fullthrottle Racing, his major sponsor, is hosting a fund raiser at the Salinas Rambler Club property on September 30 and October.  Overnight camping will be provided along with a host of activities, a BBQ and a band on Saturday night.

Clear Creek, unfortunately, will still be closed but you can ride on SRMC property and adjacent BLM land that is not subject to the closure.  There will be no riding off of the SRMC property into Clear Creek allowed.  Here is the flyer for this fund raiser.

Recipes:  Didn't do any cooking during the week.  Made another batch of Macaroni salad yesterday and today I will try to make blackened chicken fettuccini.

Macaroni Salad Recipe:  I like a lot of veggies in my salad so I increased the amount and types of vegetables that I put into my macaroni salad.  Here is my sort of standard recipe:

1 pound elbow macaroni, cooked, drained, and cooled

3/4 cup sweet pickle relish

1/2 of a green bell pepper, diced

1/2 of a red bell pepper, diced

1 can of chopped ripe olives

1 cup of diced celery (3-4 stalks)

1/4 cup of chopped parsley

1 small red onion, diced

1 cups mayonnaise

1/2 cups of Miracle Whip

1/2 cup of sour cream

6oz honey dijon mustard

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August 13, 2006

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Repsol Promotion Results:  I mentioned in the blog back in June that we were working on a press release announcing the results of the Repsol promotion.  Due to vacations and other stuff, it has taken a while to get all the parties together to get the press release done.  I am now pleased to announce that the Repsol promotion raised over $10,000 for the legal defense fund.  Don Amador published the press release last Wednesday on the BlueRibbon Coalition web site.

I would like to thank everyone who contributed to this effort by helping with the promotion and/or buying Repsol products. This was a tremendous grassroots effort by a lot of people.   I would like to encourage you to continue buying Repsol as I believe that they are planning to continue to help District 36 with LAO fund raising.

Back in the Saddle:  I went to see the doctor last Tuesday and he proclaimed me healed.  I asked if that meant that I could go riding and he said YES!  I had not expected that answer because before the surgery he said he wanted me off the bike for 6 months. Guess I am a fast healer.  Helps to have good surgeon too! 

Since I needed to check on my trailer after the summer rainstorm, I loaded the XR440 yesterday morning and headed down to the Creek.  I asked a couple of Ramblers to go along with me but all had other plans, so I decided to ride alone.  As I have said before, I don't recommend that people riding alone in Clear Creek.  In other words, do as I say, not as I do!

What a beautiful day!  Whenever it is foggy at home in Marina with little hope of clearing at the coast, it is usually nice at the Creek.  I drove through the fog all the way out of King City up G13 to Hwy25.  It cleared just as I turned onto Coalinga Road.  It was nice and cool in camp at 8:30.  I quickly dressed and headed out on my dual sport down Coalinga Road for Clear Creek Road.   Before I left camp I let a club member who was down hunting where I was going, just in case.  On the way down the road I discovered that one of our neighbors had planted palm trees at the entrance to his property.  Next thing you know they will be building a Wal-Mart.

I stopped at the entrance to toss a couple rocks at the telephone pole.  I didn't throw real hard because the doctor warned my to take it easy with overhead motions for a while longer.  I can tell you that the surgery did not help my accuracy at all.

I headed into Clear Creek and passed a bunch of people who were working on weed abatement.  Probably our friends from the native plant society.  Didn't see any BLM people with them.  There were a few vehicles parked at Oak Flat, most likely hunters because it was the first weekend of deer season.  I was surprised to find water in the mud holes on the road.  The downpour on Laguna Seca MotoGP weekend caused some serious runoff.  There was a new layer of silt/mud all along the banks of Clear Creek and a lot of water flowing everywhere.

I headed over the grade to R11 and then up to Santa Rita where I turned down R15 to the paved road.  There were a couple groups camped on private property along the river and I stopped to talk with them.  In one group, one of the hunters had been on the Ramblers' web site and had read the blog.  I think he was surprised to actually meet the author.  I screwed up by not packing some Blue Ribbon flyers with me but I got a couple of e-mail addresses.

Further down the road I ran into our neighbor Lee Scazighini who was in search of some hunters who had trespassed on his property.  Lee owns the hunting lodges down the paved road below the second locked gate.  Lee doesn't like poachers and he doesn't like dirt bikers on his property so a word to the wise, don't ride south of the second white gate, please.

After parting ways with Lee, I retraced my steps until I reached the turn to New Idria, which I took.  I had an invitation to visit from Kate Wood at the Whimsy Mining Co. just below New Idria.  She is the reporter who has written articles about Clear Creek in the Pinnacle.  Kate wasn't there so I headed back up the hill.  I was shocked to see how bad the road through New Idria was.  I was on the pegs both ways. 

When I got back to camp, the odo read 69.5. Not bad for a first ride to start getting back into shape.  I am hardly sore today, just some tightness across the shoulder blades and neck, about what I would expect after a four and a half month layoff.

If you need a good shoulder surgeon and live near Salinas, you might want to check out Albert Doornik at Precision Orthopedics.  He did a great job for me!

More on T140:  I had one reader get back to me to let me know that his wife had crashed hard on the off-camber downhill beside the fence Steve Amaro illegally built on BLM land during the Wild Piglett.  The reader told me that they lost 15 minutes while his wife caught her breath and collected herself.  Just before my operation I took my niece Emily up along the fence so that she would know what to expect when she rode the Piglett.  Fortunately she had no problems.  This should be a top priority for the BLM this Fall before someone else gets hurt.

Marshall:  Ran into one of my old buds, Marshall Cook, the other day outside the physical therapy office.  He is healing from his latest (and he claims last) road bike crash.  Didn't get all the details but it left him with a busted right shoulder and I really felt sorry for him because at the stage he is at he could not raise his right arm at all from his side and is still sleeping in a recliner a month after the accident.

Marshall is a life member in the Ramblers, a past president, and one of the many people I burned out working on the Quicksilver.  He and his riding partner Ron Carson gave me a lot of help over the years with the enduro.  Whenever I ride one the trails they cut I always give them credit.  Unfortunately, to most the current Ramblers, Marshall and Ron are low number, life member names that never turn in points at roll call.

Marshall suffers from a bad back, as many of us older riders do, and this is what forced him off his dirt bike.  The last time we went riding together was in Nevada six or seven years ago.  I was leading a ride near Gold Point and managed to wander into the north end of Death Valley.  Should have known we were back in California because of all the damned Route Closed signs we started running into. Anyway, we spent a bunch of time trying to find a way out of the park and a six hour ride turned into a 12 hour expedition, with Marshall probably thinking to himself "what the hell did I get myself into?" as we rode back to camp on headlights.  For me it just another normal ride, coming in on lights!

Each year on our Nevada trip we award a trophy to the person who screws up the worst.  It is a color plaster cast of a Mexican looking character (nicknamed Pepe) with a big sombrero riding a dirt bike in the desert. One guy got it for center-punching a cow.  My brother-in-law Brian go it for drowning his bike in a little muddy ditch and having to pump it out.   Each winner scratches his name into the bottom along with the year they won the award.  Mine simply says ET '93.  I made the mistake of crashing right in front of Marshall who nominated me.  We were working our way down a boulder strewn hill and at the bottom was a series of stair steps.  Marshall cleaned the section, stopped and turned to watch me.  Me and my trusty DR350 were fine until the last step.  As we dropped off, the front wheel found soft sand and stuck.  Unfortunately me and the rest of the bike didn't stop.  In what would have probably won an award on American Funniest Home Videos had we had a camera, the bike pivoted on the front axel  and body slammed me into the ground.  It happened so quick I don't think I even took my hands off the handlebars.

Marshall was awarded Pepe for crashing and blowing out the seams on his Malcolm Smith riding jacket, something that is not easily done!  The way Marshall tells the story, he was flying across the desert, leading the pack when a deep sand wash snuck up on him.  With no hope of landing in one piece, he ejected from the bike.  As he was flying through the air, he unzipped the top of his jacket allowing it to fill with air which in turned cushioned his return to earth before the seams burst.  His riding partner Ron told a different story.  He said Marshall was trailing a group in a dust cloud, didn't see the wash until it was too late and hit the bottom like a sack of potatoes.  I suspect the truth lies somewhere in between, but probably closer to Ron's version of the story.

Food:  The chocolate cheesecake came out good.  My wife loved it as did her Mom.  I guess I was expecting something different because it didn't seem as good as my first effort.  Don't get me wrong, I like chocolate and ate my share, but next cheesecake will be fruit flavored, maybe lemon..

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August 6, 2006

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Clear Creek Lawsuit:  There may be some good news in the offing.  The radical environmentalists may be calling it quits with their Clear Creek lawsuit.  They failed to file additional motions by a deadline and now I understand they are asking the Government to pay their legal costs for the suit.  Sure hope that doesn't happen.  The worthless bastards started the lawsuit, failed to prove any of their points and now they want the taxpayers to fork over money.  If I were the Gov't lawyers I would tell them to pound sand.  The next and hopefully last court date is at the end of August.  I will keep you posted.

T140:  This week the Ramblers sent a letter to Rick Cooper asking that the BLM act quickly to repair the damage done by our neighbor Steve Amaro when, while building a fence around his property, he trespassed onto BLM land with his fence in an attempt, IMO, to close T140.  Why?  Because he hates dirt bikers and he wanted to stop riders from using that route.  He is also the person who built the grazing fence that you will see along T104 in the Goat Mountain area with the BLM's permission but unfortunately without their supervision.  That is why the fence is right next to a major route, waiting to rip up a rider who makes a mistake. 

The Salinas Ramblers had raised this issue last year but the BLM took no action. As a result, novice riders on the Timekeepers Wild Piglett enduro were forced to ride a very difficult section along a five strand barbed wire fence.  I did not hear of any injuries but it could have been ugly if someone went into the wire.   I understand that part of the reason for the delay was that someone in the Hollister Office "forgot" to mail a letter notifying Steve Amaro about the trespass. 

It is time for the BLM to get their act together, get the fence line put on the property boundary and repair/reroute T140 around Amaro's property.  We have also asked that the BLM do a minor reroute around one steep section of T140 that is very difficult for novice riders.

T193: I also asked Brian White to make the repair of the eastern end of T193 a priority.  I don't believe that I rode this route at all last winter so I can only speculate on how bad it has gotten.  I took this picture of Bear Hornady stuck in a rut on T193 in early May of 2005.  The entire route needs help.  Back in the old days this was a fun trail to ride but over the years it has turned into a whooped out mess.  As much as hate to say it, perhaps we need to have the BLM trail machine clean it up.  What do you think?  Let me know.

National Enduro Format - More:  The changes that the AMA are making to the national enduro series are not sitting too well with District 36 riders.  There have been quite a few negative comments made on the District 36 message board.  Apparently some of them made their way back to AMA HQ and Chuck Weir felt compelled to try to explain what they are doing.  He sent an e-mail out with more information about the National Enduro Promotions Group, the people behind it and some more information about the format and the start control.

After reading it I am still confused.  He repeatedly says that this is still an American Enduro, but you won't need a computer or clock.  My take on it is that it is a bunch of enduro special tests with an unobtainable speed average strung together with "transfer sections in which there can be no checks".  Sure sounds like a Qualifier to me, maybe without all the penalties.  It sure doesn't sound like an American enduro. I wonder if you even need an odometer?  Motocross and hare scrambles bikes don't come with odometers and that is type of rider the AMA wants to attract to the series.

If they wanted to make it easier for people to get into enduros, then they should eliminate the use of computers and revert back to just using an odometer, clock and roll chart. 

Cheesecake:  Tried my hand at baking this week.  A while back the Food Channel had a couple of pieces on cheesecakes and so I decided to bake one.  I went on-line and found a recipe for a blueberry cheesecake.  I was doing good with the recipe until I got to the part where it said to use a springform pan.  What the heck is a springform pan???  Fortunately Colleen knew what it was and confirmed that we didn't have one so it was off to Target to buy one.

Once I was past this hurdle, it was a piece of cake, so to speak.  I did deviate from the recipe by mixing in a half cup of blueberries that I chopped/blended to give the cake some color and flavor.  It came out great.  In fact it was the best cheesecake I ever made.  The graham cracker crust held together coming out of the pan and tasted great.  Now Colleen wants me to make a chocolate cheesecake.

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July 30, 2006

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BLM Update:  Spoke with Brian White earlier this week to get an update.  They finished their grant request and have set it off to the BLM State office for review and submission to the OHMVR (green sticker) division of State Parks.  They are not doing much work at Clear Creek because of the hot, dry weather.  The trail signing is on hold until it rains and the ground softens up.  The brown Carsonite posts tend to shatter when driven into hard rocky ground.

The BLM will be soliciting another round of comments and suggestions from the public regarding the layout of the upper jade Mill campground this Fall.  Determining the location of vehicle barriers will be the primary goal of a meeting.  If you like to park at this campground, then you should provide some input,  The meeting will happen after the Creek reopens so stay tuned.

Finally, the BLM will be hiring one or two temporary (six month) park rangers later this summer to work during the fall and winter..  The duties will include cleaning the restrooms, collecting garbage, general maintenance and some patrol.  The BLM would like to find people who can operate a dirt bike and/or a quad.

Honorable Mention?:  Well, maybe not honorable but my name was mentioned in the latest edition of the District 36 News dated July 4th.  In the front page article, Rhys Lloyd wrote about his recent experience riding the Fools Gold Enduro last month along with a flashback to his early days of riding enduros.  In his flashback, he related that the Quicksilver National was his first enduro and that he got "his butt whooped".  He went on to say that "I swore after that race the Ed Tobin (whom I had never met) hated me personally...I did not meet him until two years later, but that whole day, I just knew that he hated me."

I got reacquainted with Rhys this spring when he attended a Doc Wong clinic at the Club property and made a big donation to the save Clear Creek fund.  Back in the good ole days, I was a bit of a demon when it came to laying out the Quicksilver because I was trying to build up its reputation as one of the toughest races in the US.  Back then, I threw rocks onto the trails.  Its a little known fact but most of the trails in Clear Creek were relatively rock free until I came along. Now it is just the opposite, I take rocks off the trails and it is getting to the point where they don't want me to help with the course because I make it too easy.

Speaking of National Enduros:  There are some big changes coming to the AMA/FMF National Enduro series next year.  The days of timekeeping and expensive enduro computers is history, at least for the national series.  The AMA has entered into partnership with an organization named National Enduro Promoters Group to implement the changes that they feel are necessary to improve the sport.

The Ramblers voted on Thursday night to host another national enduro. I abstained but probably should have voted NO.  I don't think the Club realizes what they are in for.  We can no longer use our enduro scoring program because it was designed for the traditional style of enduros.  The course will only be 65 miles long and we will have to run youth classes.  The Club is hoping that a non-timekeeping enduro (sounds like an oxymoron) will attract more hare scrambles riders because you will not need a computer, clock or roll chart (Sorry JART and ICO). 

Call me old school, but I would prefer to keep timekeeping element but do away with computers.  The thing that separated an enduro rider from a hare scrambles or motocross rider was having the ability to think, to keep track of time, mileage and speed averages and still go fast on the trails.  Computers, in my opinion, were the first step towards the demise of enduros and now the AMA and NEPG are putting the nails in the coffin.  Some, like Chuck Weir at the AMA or Alan Randt of NEPG, will call this progress but to me, an enduro purist whonever bought a computer, this is the end of real enduros .  They should just rename the series the National Qualifier Series and drop the Enduro from the title completely because it is no longer an enduro.  This is kind of like Bombardier resuscitating the Can-Am brand for a bunch of quads (see June 5th entry).

Fried Green Tomatoes:  I didn't make them this week but I did have them as a side dish when we were in Alabama earlier this year.  I saw someone on a cooking show earlier this week making them and it dredged up a story from my memory.  Many years ago, before cell phones, I was heading to the Creek during the summer when I came across a fellow with a broken down pick-up on Hwy 25 between Bitterwater - G13 and Coalinga Road.  I stopped to ask if he needed some help and he asked if I could give him a ride back to King City which I did.  He offered some money for gas but I refused it so he offered to give me some tomatoes.   This I accepted.  We stopped at Meyers Tomatoes plant by the railroad tracks and he took me inside where they were converting green tomatoes to red tomatoes.  If you have ever driven Hwy 152 or 101 in the summer, you probably have seen trucks pulling two trailers loaded with green tomatoes.  Before these tomatoes can be processed, they need to be rippened (or at least their color changed) from green to red.  They do this by storing the tomatoes on trays in a large container and filling the container with ethylene gas that changes the tomatoes color.  You can do the same thing at home by placing a green tomato in a sealed paper bag along with an apple.  The apple gives off ethylene gas naturally and the green tomatoes will turn red but this does not necessarily mean that they are ripe as this article will explain. 

War Story:  Since I am dredging up memories, here is another.  The bus ride to the MotoGP at Laguna Seca took us past my old stomping grounds from my army days - the inland rifle ranges. I worked on several rifle ranges as a range safety officer.  Safety officer is just a nice way of saying scapegoat because your neck was on the line if ever a trainee were to be injured.   I had a motocross track at Range 37 that I would play on before training and it had jumps made with old ammo boxes covered with dirt.  It was on Range 18 that I had a run-in with the LTC Smith who I wrote about on July 5, 2005. 

We also drove by Range 19 which was one of the qualification ranges.  In 1974/75 I ran the rifle marksmanship group at Fort Ord.  I had eight officers and about 50 enlisted reporting to me.  I hated working in the office so I often inspected training. One day I was out on 19 doing just that.  Range 19 was located immediately across North South Road from a housing  development in Seaside.  When I arrived, the range committee had just brought a group of trainees up to the firing line and were showing them their targets down range when I heard a round go off.  This report sounded different from the sound of an M16 and I heard a crack in the air.  Now I was fortunate never to have been in combat but I have been in exercises where they fired live ammunition over your head so I knew that someone was firing from behind the range.  We immediately got the troops off the firing line and got the rest of the training company in the prone position on the ground.  For some reason, the sargeant in the control tower continued to raise and lower targets and each time a shot would ring out.  We quickly determined that the shots were coming from Seaside and we contacted the Seaside police who later arrested a drunken, retired army NCO who had decided to take to requalify with his hunting rifle from a bedroom on the second floor of his house.

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July 23, 2006

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Earlier this week I called Brian White's phone number and there was no personal greeting and I could not leave a message.  I next tried the directory and did not find his name listed.  What's going on?  We can't lose Brian right now, can we?  Fortunately, the next day I called his number again and this time he answered the phone.  Turns out that he had been on vacation and the BLM had installed a new phone system and no one set him up in it. Boy was I relieved.  We finally got a decent project manager for Clear Creek and I didn't want to have to train another one.  I wish that there was more to report but there isn't.  Brian is finishing up the grant submission for the OHV money from the state and that is taking all of his time.

Katrina Aid - Bikes, Brews & Bands:  For those unfamiliar with the Gulf Coast, Bayou La Batre is a fishing village in Alabama about 30 miles from Mobile that was immortalized by the movie Forrest Gump.  It was hammered by Hurricane Carmen in 1974 and most of it's fishing (shrimp) fleet was wiped out.  Hurricane Katrina dealt it another blow last year with one of the highest storm surges - 16 feet - ever recorded along that part of the coast.

Bayou La Batre, AL has a sister city in California - Truckee. On September 23, sister city, Truckee, is holding an event titled Brews, Broads and Bikes as a hurricane relief fund raiser.  That's about all I know right now.  Carl sent me a link to a flyer on the event.  Should be a good event.  There sure is a lot of good riding up in that area.

Making Sausage and the Law:  German statesman Otto von Bismarck is reported to have said "Those who love sausage and obey the law should not watch either being made."  I think Don Amador of the BRC would agree with this statement.  He has been deeply involved with the fight against a wilderness bill that was introduced by Mike Thompson and Barbara Boxer.  As soon as you see Boxer's name you know it is a pile of shit.  Anyway, after a long struggle, Dan and other advocates for multiple use recreation were able to scale back a portion of the area that these legislators were trying to ram down our throats.  Here is a link to a BRC press release on the legislation that has passed from committee and will almost certainly be approved by the House of Representatives in this session of Congress.  You'll note that our side was able to protect in this legislation a critical OHV resource in the north bay - the Cow Mountain Recreation Area.

The Inferno:  Normally I don't go out to Laguna Seca for road races.  I don't even watch them on TV.  Just doesn't do anything for me.  However, this year I got a couple of free passes so I headed out to the track.  I knew it was going to be hot from the weather reports and this was confirmed by the lack of fog at our house in Marina.  My daughter Kelly and I took the shuttle because I don't have a bike you can ride two up on.  When we stepped off the air conditioned bus, the heat slapped you in the face.  It was HOT!  The newspaper reported that it was 101 on the track at 2PM for the start of the Superbike race and hotter yet in the vendor area.

We headed over to the Repsol tent as I had an invitation to visit and we found some relief in the shade.  While we were there, I met Denny from Bay Area Rider Forum who was doing interviews for a DVD that Repsol was putting together for the GP and so I gave an interview, thanking Repsol and Motorcycle Stuff for their help with the legal defense fund raising earlier this year. (I expect a press release next week).  The girl holding the umbrella is the Salinas Rambler's Repsol Girl,  Amber, the daughter of one of our members.  I didn't stick around for the Superbike race even though Rambler member Doug Chandler was entered.  It was just too hot for my liking. 

I didn't get to experience the queue for the return bus ride to the parking area because we left early and there was no waiting time. I understand there was a considerable wait after the races.  I did experience the loading of the buses and the person who designed the single queue should be fired.  It was worse than a Disneyland ride.  Instead of one queue, they should have had four or five, one for each bus that was able to pull up to the loading area at one time.

Cooking:  Not much new to report this week.  Didn't make anything new.  We had a going away luncheon at Gino's in south Salinas for a guy at work who found a new opportunity and I had blackened chicken fettuccini.  It was very good and so now I am going to try to make that this week.  Something different from all the pork and spice.

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July 16, 2006

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Each week right now it gets harder to find things to write about during the summer.  Couldn't even think of a title.  Much of free my time this past week was spent working on the club's financial records. Guess I will have to call the BLM on Monday to find out what they are up to.  Haven't heard from them so it can't be good.  With the BLM the saying "no news is good news" does not apply.  What it usually means is that they are plotting some new attack on our riding opportunity.  I had a report that one of our old enemies, Bruce Delgado, was spotted in Clear Creek.  He is the BLM employee banished from Clear Creek in the 1990's for building a warning fence that the AMA attorney, upon viewing the photographic evidence, declared to be a "trap" intended to cause bodily injury to OHVer.  Bruce built the trap with the aide of a Sierra Club work party.  About the only smart thing Bob Beehler did was take Bruce off the Clear Creek team and assign him to Fort Ord where he could harass mountain bikers, horse people and hikers who dared tread on his precious native plants.  I sure hope that Rick Cooper has not let this anti-OHV member of his staff back into Clear Creek!  This would be two steps backward, in my opinion.

Reader Comments/What's Your Opinion:  During the week I received an e-mail from a reader who lives in the North Bay.  He wrote: "It is good to hear that user fees won't happen before Fall '07.  In addition to higher gas prices (and poor user estimates by the BLM), there is another recent event that in my estimation decreases visitor counts.  It is the January ruling to limit the total trail mileage available! 

It is a 3.5-4 hour drive for me to get to Clear Creek from Sonoma County.  Over the past several years, this drive has been well worthwhile in order to experience the unique trails, terrain and soil conditions that were available at CCMA.  Even if Grindstone and Upper Lake Ranger Districts in Mendocino NF were NOT typically covered by snow in the winter, I would still make the 4 hour drive to experience The Creek. I have to say that will very seldom happen now that much of what made the area unique has been shut down.

So there are a few less of us North Bay folks that will be crowding the trails at CC, and a few less riders that will be willing to pay a user fee."

I guess the big question will be how significantly the increase in gas prices, the reduction of routes and the increased likelihood of head-on accidents because of the closures will change how many times you plan to go to Clear Creek starting this Fall.  Send me an e-mail and let me know how these circumstances might change your usage of the Creek.

Red Bull U. S. Grand Prix and Laguna Seca Parking:  The US Grand Prix is next weekend and if you are planning to attend, please be aware of the new parking arrangements and ways to access the track.  It appears that they have eliminated all access from Hwy 68 into Laguna Seca.  Motorcycles only will be allowed to enter through the East Garrison gate on Reservation Road east of Marina.  All car will be required to park at California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB) near Hwy 1 (unless you are lucky enough or rich enough to afford one of the limited car parking passes) and race goers will then take a shuttle bus to the track.  They estimate an hour at peak times to get from the parking lot to the track with wait and travel time included.  If you have a bike, that would be the way to go. 

Used Dual Sport Bike:  Another reader wrote to ask if I had any ideas where to find a good used dual sport bike.  I wrote back mentioning the two on-line sources that I have used in the past, Cycle Trader and the local Auto Shopper.  I have purchased bikes and sold bikes using both.  I guess you should always check e-Bay.  My brother-in-law Brian recently found a cherry CRX230 on e-Bay in Sacramento.

Story time - Back in 1991 I was looking for a DS bike and not having much luck.  Nothing showing up in the print media locally and the internet was still something that scientists used.  I was looking for a Suzuki DR350S but since they were pretty new there weren't many being sold on the used market.  Anyway, one day my travels took me to our office in San Francisco for a meeting.  On a break I hit the men's room and in the stall was the classifieds for the SF Chronicle. Lo and behold, there in the motorcycle section was an ad for a 1990 DR350S.  Exactly what I was looking for!  I immediately called the number and got a woman on the phone who confirmed that her husband was selling the bike.  She actually sounded surprised to have a call about the bike because it had just appeared in the newspaper that morning.  I called back that evening, made arrangements to drive up to Vallejo to see the bike and bought it.  The guy was selling it because he couldn't start it.  He was about 5'6" and had a hard time with the seat height and because the bike was very hard to start.  I even had a hard time kick-starting it.  Lucky for me, I stopped by the local Suzuki shop and learned that there was a new technical bulletin out about the hard starting.  The fix entailed some carb work and new jets.  Since the bike was under warranty, all the work and parts were free.  After that, following the proper starting drill, the bike would fire on first kick.  Sweet!

I also suggested that the reader contact Joe Wytman at Off-road Only in San Jose.  Joe buys up used XR400's and readies them for the road.  He also makes a kit to add electric start.  Many will say that the XR400 is long in the tooth (meaning old and out-dated).  While this is true when compared to a KTM450 or Suzuki DRZ, I still have a place in the garage for my 1997 XR440 because it is the perfect bike to take on long rides in the Nevada desert.  It's rock solid, good on gas and has no radiators!  So if you are looking for a used dual sport bike, give Joe a call.

Backcountry Recreation Areas:  Don Amador of the Blue Ribbon Coalition  is out with a new press release following a survey taken in Northern CA.  There is a wilderness proposal for the northwest forests by Congressman Thompson and backed by Sen. Boxer and Feinstein - all Democrats.  The majority of locals interviewed in Butte and El Norde counties would prefer a backcountry designation so that they don't get locked out of their favorite areas by a bunch of environmental zealots and politicians on the take.

Cooking: I didn't cook anything interesting this week.  I had some delicious skirt steak at a friend's house so that will be my next purchase.  I bought some large scallops at Albertsons yesterday and will try them on the BBQ this week with a simple recipe.  The macaroni salad was a big hit at the family get-together last weekend and it was almost completely consumed so I made another batch yester to snack on.

Cajun Cooking Magazine: My thanks to Kraig Traum, the D36 enduro steward, for sending me a copy of Chile Pepper magazine.  What a surprise!  The edition he sent focused on cajun and creole cooking and a tour of Cajun country.  I gave it a glance last night and fully intend to dig in and check out the different recipes.

Teresa's Salmon Recipe - Salmon Packets on the Grill - Salmon with Lemon, Capers, and Rosemary.   This recipe is from Teresa who worked as a park ranger at Clear Creek for a number of years.  She sent it to me earlier this week and then on Friday Colleen brought home part of a salmon that her brother had caught, so I guess we will give it a try this week.

4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary leaves

8 lemon slices (about 2 lemons)

1/4 cup lemon juice (about 1 lemon)

1/2 cup Marsala wine (or white wine)

4 teaspoons capers

4 pieces of aluminum foil

Brush top and bottom of salmon fillets with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and rosemary. Place each piece of seasoned salmon on a piece of foil large enough to fold over and seal. Top the each piece of salmon with 2 lemon slices, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of wine, and 1 teaspoon of capers. Wrap up salmon tightly in the foil packets.  Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Place the foil packets on the hot grill and cook for 10 minutes for a 1-inch thick piece of salmon. Serve in the foil packets.

Grilling PAM:  A lot of last weekend's discussions at the family get-together centered around cooking and the cooking channel.  Maybe they always talked about this stuff and I never noticed?  Anyway, during one of the conversations, my sister-in-law mentioned that she used Grilling PAM on the tray that she cooks her vegetables on when using the BBQ.  I know we have PAM for the skillets but I had not used anything on the grill before.  So tonight I tried cooking some peppers and it worked great and made the clean-up very easy.  

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July 8, 2006

Reprieve

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User Fees:  The big news this week is that Clear Creek visitors have received a reprieve from the BLM for the 2007 rain season (October 1,2006 to Sept. 30, 2007).  I received a letter yesterday from Rick Cooper, the BLM manager in Hollister, announcing that they had dropped their ill-conceived plan to start a visitor use fee in the middle of the season. 

Rick wrote:  "Based upon recent comments received from the Central California Resource Advisory Council (RAC), members of the public and Off-Highway Vehicle enthusiasts (I guess we are a special class now!), we have decided not to charge fees until the fall of 2007."

I applaud this decision by Rick and the BLM.  It appears that common sense has returned to the Hollister managerial level, something that has been quite lacking this century so far.  I believe his staff needs another season of data collection, especially in light of the surge in gas prices.  Thanks to all the members of the elite Off-Highway Vehicle enthusiasts segment of the "public" who contributed comments, attended the grants meeting or otherwise spoke out against the current rendition of the fee program.  I will give a call to my friends on the RAC to get their take on things and report more in coming weeks.

RECRAC: Rick also mentions that the State BLM office will be forming a "Recreation Resource Advisory Council to approve or disapprove new fee sites, services and to provide guidance to the BLM... California is currently in the process of soliciting nominations for the REDRAC.  Upon formation for the RECRAC, the Hollister Office will seek approval to move forward with our fee collection proposal in the CCMA."  I could only find three pages on the BLM's web site about the RECRAC.  This appears to be a subcommittee of the Resource Advisory Councils, staffed by one member of each California RAC in addition to RAC members from the Forest Service.  I also see that that one state OHV leader, Don Klusman of California 4-Wheel Drive, is opposed to the joint BLM/FS RECRAC concept.  More on this as I learn it.

Missed Another Birthday: I am really bad at remembering birthdays.  It is even worse when it is something near and dear to me...like the blog.  It is hard to imagine that it has been two years since I started the blog.  Back then, June 2004, blogs were in their infancy.  You might say that I was on the cutting edge of this new concept.  Now it seems like everyone has a web log about just about everything imaginable. It has been enjoyable writing the blog and it has also helped my mental health too, I think.

To all my readers and contributors, I say THANKS!.  Please keep the ideas coming my way and I will try to find something meaningful to write about.

Camp Trailer For Sale:  My sister-in-law  and her husband are selling an almost brand new pop-up camping trailer.  They bought it, used it a couple of times and decided they were not campers.

Reply to: sale-178387203@craigslist.org   Date: 2006-07-04, 2:43PM   POP-UP LIKE CAMPING TRAILER

Sets up in 30 seconds!  2006 ALINER Expedition Model: Brand New (well almost...used once last week) Solid Wall Folding Camping Trailer. Purchased April 30, 2006 new. Has all bells and whistles: indoor and outdoor stove, AC Air Conditioning, Propane Heater, Sink and Outdoor Shower w/ hot and cold pumped water, refrigerator/freezer that runs on AC, DC, or propane. EASY set up and take down in 30 seconds! Three skylights...two that vent and one with reversible fan. Two 5 gallon propane tanks installed plus outside awning. Also has magnetic brakes.  I am into this for $18,499 plus (I have the papers) and will sell it for $15,000. (Firm) It has a transferable stem to stern 7 year warranty that I bought for $700....Save $3500! I can do financing if necessary through the dealer I bought it from.

Here are the links for more info and pictures:
http://www.aliner.com/
This link takes you to the Expedition Model:
http://www.aliner.com/page10.html   Original URL: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/rvs/178387203.html

Gas Prices:  I sell software and services to the retail petroleum industry, i.e. convenience stores and service stations.  I am as pissed off as the next person about the run-up in gas prices.  Unfortunately, everything I am hearing is that they are likely here to stay.  While some decrease could come about if the people forced the environazis in CARB to back off the special formulations the state requires, there are many other factors contributing to high prices.  These include : turmoil on the political fronts, Venezuela, Iraq, Iran to name a few,  the lack of refining capacity in the US, and natural disasters along the Gulf coast.  Probably the biggest reason for the high cost of oil is the growing appetite by China and India.  As these two economies continue to grow they will be bidding up the price of oil.  Just recently China cut a deal with Hugo Chavez in Venezuela to buy more of the oil produced there.

I work with fuel retailers every day and the one thing I hear consistently around the country is that they are not making any money sell gas.  They do make a small margin but most of this is eaten up in credit card fees.  According to reports I have read, the cost of a credit card fees can be higher than the margin on fuel that some retailers are receiving. I am surprised that more retailers have not started to offer a cash price along side a credit price.

At the same time the big oil companies are flush with profits.  I don't see that changing any time soon so I will probably be investing in some energy funds this year. 

Weight Gain: It had to happen.  I crossed back over the 200 lb. mark on the bathroom scale after spending ten days on the east coast eating three meals a day, mainly cheese steaks and hoagies and not getting a lot of exercise.  I was tasked to work a ChevronTexaco trade show at The Breakers, a 5 star hotel in Palm Beach, FL the last week of June (tough duty I know) and after that I went up to NJ to visit my Mom, brothers and sisters.  Colleen went along for a little vacation.  I didn't take my laptop because I had to carry a company computer so I took a break from the blog last weekend.

While Colleen and I were in FL, we had dinner at a seafood restaurant and I had a sea scallops.  These were the large, meaty kind and they were delicious.  So,  I decided to branch out in my cooking endeavors and try my hand at seafood.  When I got to New Jersey I checked out the local grocery stores and purchased the largest sea scallops I could find.  I marinated them in lemon juice for four hours and then cooked them in butter and olive oil in a skillet.  I also sautéed bell peppers and Portobello mushrooms while cooking the scallops.  My Mom cooked some sweet potatoes and farm fresh green beans and we had a feast!

Adventures in Cooking:  Since I have been home I made three new dishes (at least for me).  The first was a BBQ chicken wrap.  I marinated boneless breasts in a mesquite marinade overnight and then grilled it.  On Mission Sun Dried Tomato Basil Wraps I spread a thin layer of Philadelphia cream cheese.  I thinly sliced a half of a green and red pepper and part of a white onion.  I chopped the chicken breasts up into bite size pieces, layered on the peppers and onions, threw in some raw spinach leaves and topped this all off with some roasted tomato salsa.  I sweetened the tomato salsa by mixing in some peach pineapple salsa.  This a quick easy meal and very healthy with all the raw veggies.

I also fried some catfish fillets.  They are on sale at Albertsons this weekend thru next Tuesday.  I marinated in lemon juice and Louisiana red pepper sauce overnight.  I then coated with a New Orleans Fish Fry and fried the fillets separately until golden brown.  I then warmed in the oven until we were ready to eat.  Colleen found the dish to be a little spicy for her tastes so when I make it again on Monday night I will decrease the amount of red pepper marinade I use and will cut the spicy fish fry with a more bland fish fry.  Served it with cole slaw, potato salad and baked beans.

For a birthday party today I was tasked with making a macaroni salad.  I pretty much followed the direction at this web site but increased the portions of peppers (red and green) and olives, added celery and substituted Miracle Whip for some of the mayonnaise.  I found it somewhat bland so I added a half cup of honey dijon mustard to give it some taste.  I used both macaroni salad pasta and elbow pasta to give it a different look.  Tastes good to me.  We'll see how the family reviews it!

Summer Music Festival:  The City of Seaside has free blues concerts each summer.  The first is tomorrow.  Here is a link to the schedule and the artists performing.  Never seen a bad show.  One must see for me will be Rod Piazza.  Seaside has typical California coastal weather this time of the year meaning that there is a better than average chance of there being a breeze and high/low fog/clouds.  Concerts are in a park so bring a blanket to lay on or low chair. Get there early for a good seat! There are some food vendors in the park and right next door is a Chili's across the parking.  Great way to spend a Sunday afternoon if you can't be riding at the Creek!

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June 25, 2006

Our Suspicions Confirmed

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Conflict of Interest: I reported back on April 4th that Julie Anne Delgado had been transferred to another group in the BLM.  I have learned that she sent a parting e-mail to the staff of the Hollister Field Office and in it she stated  "I look forward to the day when Clear Creek Management Area is closed to OHV "recreation".  Even with all the hard work that has been done to get designation out there, I will always support closing it to the destructive activities that currently occur in that amazingly sensitive and unique area."    

This is that same person who was quoted in a Pinnacle article (Badland Botany, week of June 5, 2003) as saying: “None of us want to close this down to OHV use, but we do want to protect the area.”  So, since she will always support closure, she apparently lied to the reporter, Kate Woods when she was interviewed.  Of course, she had to say that so the BLM would not remove her from the group of people working on the route and barrens designation because of bias.

In light of this admission, I must conclude that every report that Julie Anne made regarding OHV trespass and every bit of work that she did on the recent EIS was tainted by her hatred of our sport.  Therefore every decision that she had a hand in preparing should be reviewed.  I will be consulting with the state OHV leadership group and our attorney to determine the most appropriate course of action.

Lost a good friend this week:  I am sorry to report a tragedy and serious loss this week.  Please no cards or flowers.  Services have already been held and the friend laid to rest.

Junk Mail Revenge:  We seem to get a lot of mail at our house with three adults living here and who knows how much of it our neighbors get because our mailman seems to leave a lot of their mail in our box. If you are tired of all the junk, don't just shred it, return it along with some of your junk.  Click here to see how its' done.

Reader's Recipe:  Here is a recipe from D36 enduro steward, Kraig Traum. "I liked your way of grilling the peppers, I used to subscribe to “CHILE Pepper Magazine” had ordered a pepper holder to grill/bake peppers. I like to stuff jalapeno’s, get some large Serrano or jalapeno’s, cut off top and de-seed (an apple corer works great) I like to stuff with either a seafood spread/dip or an artichoke/parmesan dip I get at Raley’s, then put a slice of bacon over the top and draped down both sides (put tooth pick through bacon) I find it’s usually easier to pre cook the bacon a little bit so the grease won’t run so much and flame up. Always goes down good with an ice cold beer!!!

Next Update:  Please check back around July 9th for the next installment of ed's clear creek blog.

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June 18, 2006

BLM Meeting and other topics

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 The Bear (Rambler's VP) and I drove over to attended the BLM OHV Grants meeting this afternoon in Hollister.  Eighteen members of the public, all from the OHV community, showed up for the meeting with both the Timekeepers and Ramblers being well represented.  The BLM was also well represented, led by the Field Office Manager Rick Cooper.  Also in attendance to answer questions were Brian White, Clear Creek Project Manager, Gerry Tuma, Law Enforcement Supervisor, Lesly Smith, Outdoor Recreation Planner,  Dave Moore, Trails Coordinator,  Harrison Gruman, Park Ranger and Eric Zaborsky, Archaeologist.

OHV Grant Request: The BLM is still finalizing their numbers for the grant but the total as of today was a whooping $1.6M broken down as follows:

The members of the public were generally supportive of this grant request and the BLM asked for letters of support from the public and from clubs by the end of the month.  This seems like a large number and it is. It is also likely to get cut first at the BLM state office and then later by the OHMVR staff before it gets to the commission.   However, the BLM received $0 from the green sticker program last year and it has been a goal of the environmental thugs on the OHV commission to eliminate as much state funding as possible in the hope that the BLM will fall on its face and not be able to manage the area well enough to satisfy the federal judge hearing the lawsuit.  If you have questions about the grant you should call Brian White at 831-630-5044 or via e-mail - Brian_White@blm.gov.

Use Fee:  This program is a big can of worms.  I understand that the BLM needs money because Washington keeps cutting their budget, but this plan is still half baked in my opinion.  They don't really know how many people actually use the area or how many are repeat visitors.  They have not factored in $3+ gas or the likelihood that visitors, especially from northern CA would choose a different recreation destination because of the added cost of entry. I have voiced my concerns both yesterday and at the Resource Advisory Council meeting in March.  The BLM has backed off their estimate of 50,000 visitor use days per year but I believe they are still overestimating how many people use the area.

I can understand the use fee being charged in places like Glamis which gets a million visitors a year but at some point, where the cost of the program outstrips or is just slightly below the revenue the program can generate, you have to question what value the program will bring versus the distraction it will cause from the goal of managing Clear Creek.   Right now I believe that this program will provide only marginal results and in fact their documentation indicates that for the partial use season next year they will need a 90% compliance rate (of what I believe is an overstated visitor use number) just to break even.  This just does not make sense.

The user fee program can't by law be started until six months after the federal register notice is published and this hasn't happened yet so probably the earliest they could start the program would be Jan 1, 2007.  My recommendation is that they abandon the program for the partial 2006/2007 fiscal year and spend their limited time and resources designating routes, collecting better visitor use information and managing the area.  If the numbers that they collect this winter make sense, then implement a full year/season program during the 2007/2008 fiscal year.  Of course this decision is probably out of the hands of Rick Cooper, having been mandated by the state office in Sacramento, so don't be surprised if they go through with it and then have nothing to show for the effort.

Cost Recovery for events: The third topic the BLM covered in the meeting was cost recovery for competitive and commercial events.  They informed the Ramblers and Timekeepers that they didn't charge us properly last year and that the cost recovery fees will likely be higher in 2007.  While the Quicksilver and Wild Weekend can probably absorb some added costs, this cost recovery program could kill less well attended events.  Not only are the fees going up but the clubs will also have to pay up-front the full amount of the estimated fees before the BLM will process your special recreation permit.  Small organizations without deep pockets could be hurt by this also.

If you would like more information about the recreation use fee or the cost recovery you should contact Lesly Smith at 831-630-5015 or via e-mail - Lesly_Smith@ca..blm.gov .

Thank You:  I would like to personally thank all the dedicated Clear Creek riders who turned out for the meeting as well as the many 1st timers.  I sense a new spirit of cooperation growing between the BLM and the OHV community and this meeting was a good step forward.  We expect the BLM to involve the riders more in the planning for what goes on at the Creek, especially with regards to route maintenance.  We also expect the BLM to schedule a time to meet with us to address the concerns that we have with the trails and barrens plan.

My Recovery:  Last Sunday I pulled the Suzuki out of the garage to wash it.  I had hosed it down the last time I rode it in late March but had not given it a serious cleaning.  The tires squeaked a bit on the concrete driveway because of low air pressure.  After washing I started it and rode it back up to the garage.  Don't tell my wife or doctor!  It felt good to sit on the seat and I was able to raise my arm up and put it on the handlebar without using my left arm to lift it.  Not quite ready to muscle it around Clear Creek yet.  I have little muscle left in my right arm and this will need to change before I hit the trails.

I must be getting better because today I pulled the XR440 out of the shed, removed the forks and dropped them off at Faultline Suspension for Joe Mullens to work on.  They were severely beat up a couple of years ago when I loaned the XR to Jordan Brandt for a week in Nevada after his bike broke.  There is nothing worse than being in the middle of the desert, 400 miles from home and no bike to ride.  I always take two bike on our week long "boys trip" to Nevada just in case my primary bike has a problem.  Dan made the old XR do things that I could only dream of and in the process severely taxed the forks.  I am just getting around to fixing the XR with the hope of making the Nevada trip again this year.

Repsol Promotion:  It has been almost three months since the Repsol promotion came to an end.  The accounting is done and the press releases is in the works.  I hope to be able to report the results in an upcoming blog entry so stay tuned.

Increased Law Enforcement in Clear Creek:  Gerry Tuma, the head BLM ranger, told me at the meeting that they are going to ramp up their enforcement next season.  This means that more tickets are going to be issued for sticker violations and out of bounds riding.  He has two new rangers joining the Hollister staff and part of their time will be spent patrolling the Creek - on bikes.  They will also have duties at Ft. Ord and the Panoche Hills but will spend a lot of time in Clear Creek during the winter riding season. 

Riding Video on Google:  Carl sent me a link to a riding video - a bunch of guys in Europe tackling some nasty terrain and doing a lot of crashing.  There are also a whole bunch of other videos that you can view or download.

Recipes: Last weekend I made a blooming onion and it was a blooming nightmare to prepare.  I am going to stick with onion rings, both beer battered and regular.  I scaled back on my cooking this week because my wife complained I was cooking too much fattening food.  I told her she was eating so much.  Actually, there wasn't much in the weekly ads that caught my eye this week. 

One rider at the BLM meeting asked me if I had any more recipes to share so here goes: I have been cooking stuffed Anaheim peppers on the grill.  They are easy to prepare and Safeway has a good price - $.98/lb. on then thru the middle of August. This is better than at the little farm market on the edge of Salinas.  I cut off the top (stem) and then slice them their entire length and clean out all of the seeds.  I then stuff them with mozzarella cheese and sprinkle some McCormick 1 Step seasoning on the cheese.  I cook them on the top rack away from the heat.  Grilling time varies depending on what else I am cooking and at what temperature.  Rule of thumb, when the cheese is totally melted and the peppers get soft, they're done.  Next time I am going to use a blend of cheeses.  My brother-in-law Brian just shoves part of a stick of mozzarella in the pepper.  I have been using packaged graded cheese so I can stuff it all of the way into the pepper.

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June 10, 2006

New BLOG Schedule

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With the summer closure upon us, I have decided to scale back the blog to a weekly entry.  This will give me more time for the honey-dos and to work at making some money at my job.  I know there are a bunch of you out there who look forward to you periodic fix of the blog, so I will do my best to put together something interesting to read.

Our Enemies Are Still At Work:  I spoke with the BLM area manager Rick Cooper the other day and he told me that our enemies are still at work.  Brian LeNeve and another person have sent several letters them complaining that riders were trespassing on closed routes.  This is exactly the type of situation that the OHV community tried to avoid by getting State Director writing in Encouraged and Allowed routes in the 1998 Record of Decision.  Of course the new BLM management knows better and so now we find ourselves in this situation

On-Line Petition Against More Wilderness:  I encourage you to click on this link and fill in your name, zip and e-mail address.  Senator Boxer is at it again, trying to lock us out of our public lands.  Only takes a minute.  I am signature #16820!

Blooming Onion: As you can tell from reading recent blog entries, I am on a bit of a cooking kick right now. In fact I may have gone off the deep end.  The other day I came home and was going through the mail and there was a Chef magazine and my daughter's Victoria's Secret catalog and I open the Chef magazine first.

Last weekend I brought the deep fryer out of hibernation and cooked boudoin balls, hush puppies and some fried chicken.  This weekend I am going to try to make a Blooming Onion.  I bought three Vidalia onions yesterday and tonight I will try to make a blooming onion and tomorrow I might make beer batter onion rings.  On this last web page is a long list of crock pot dishes too!  I also have a nice London Broil that I am going to marinate in wine, garlic and onions before I cook it.  Should be good!

The Future of National Enduros: There is a move afoot at the AMA to change the format of the National Enduro program.  The AMA is thinking of changing the format to more of a qualifier (ISDE) format and also making promoters hold the event on a closed course so that non-street legal bikes and youth can participate.  I guess the AMA has been told that the need for time keeping equipment and a street legal bike were keeping many riders from participating.  I told them that if people don't want to keep time then they should ride a hare scrambles and if they want more youth participation, then encourage clubs to promote family enduros.  I understand that the AMA will have strict guidelines in 2007 for the conduct of national enduro/scrambles/qualifiers.  It remains to be seen if the Ramblers will host a national enduro in this new format or if we will go back to running a District 36 event.

Metcalf:  If you enjoy having a park close to San Jose, then I recommend that you get involved with the Friends of Metcalf.  The same forces trying to close Clear Creek are probably trying to find a way to eliminate this place too.  Check out the County of Santa Clara's  June newsletter to learn how to get involved.

BLM Meeting on the 17th: Don't forget that the BLM will have an open house next Saturday to present their grant request to the public and to seek comments.  They will also be discussing the proposed fee program for next riding season.  Click on the link at the top of the page to go to the Salinas Rambler's web site for more information.

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June 5, 2006

Can-Am Reborn

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I rode Can-Ams for years.  Some people will say I stuck with the brand for too long.  I still have three old Can-Am out in the shed and I hope to get out there and start two of them some weekend this summer.  One is a 1977 250cc TNT that I found in the back of DH Cycles in Modesto (great people to deal with, by the way!).  They were a Can-Am dealer for years and kept up a supply of parts after Can-Am shut down.  In their back room they had a collection of old Can-Ams that were either traded in or left after the owner found out the cost to repair them was more than the bike was worth.  I rescued a couple and sold them to other Can-Am lovers and kept the best one for myself. 

My other two Can-Ams are 1974 175 TNTs.   One is my first Can-Am was a 1974 175 TNT that I bought in December of 1974.  I rode it all over Clear Creek that winter and then entered my first enduro, the Sawmill, on it in the Spring of 1975.  I soon outgrew both the motor and the suspension and so I upgraded to a 1975 250cc MX2, the bike that was dominating the Supercross series.  I had the dealer put in a TNT rotary valve and a larger tank so I use it for enduros.  One of the smartest things I did was to put the original tank and fenders in a box up in my garage.  Several years ago I traded a 1981 350 Qualifier for a cherry 1974 175cc TNT and so now I have an almost new looking bike.

The title of this entry is Can-AM Reborn and it seem that Bombardier, the company that built Can-Ams (and is best known for their Sea-Doo and Ski-Doo brands) has now tagged the Can-AM logo onto a line of quads.  In my opinion, this is a terrible thing that Bombardier has done.  Isn't there any original thought up there in Canada.  Apparently not.  They even are showing flashbacks to the early Can-Ams on the web page.  Of course, perhaps they are hoping that all the old guys who once rode Can-Ams on two wheels will now run out and buy the four wheel version.  I am not one of them!

This is proof that the off-road market is strong and growing.  Bombardier Products had to spend a lot of time and money to design and build the quads and you don't do that in business unless you are pretty confident that you can capture some market share.  So I wish them luck!  I sure hope they have better people running this program that they had running the Can-Am program!

If you were a Can-Am enthusiast then you might want to check out Mike Rydman's Can-Am pages.  I contributed a bunch of material when he was just getting the web-site started as well as a project bike that Mike rebuilt.

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June 3, 2006

Clear Creek Meeting

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The BLM has announced that they will hold a meeting on Saturday, June 17th from 1PM to 4PM in their Hollister office to discuss their grant proposal for 2007.  Other topics open for discussion are the visitor use fee program that the BLM plans to implement late this year or early next year.  If you are a frequent Clear Creek user, expect to pay around $40 this coming use season when the fee starts and $60-80 in the 2007-08 for a season pass.  The BLM will also be prepared to discuss cost recovery with organizers who are planning to hold events in Clear Creek.

I realize this is the Father's day weekend and a Saturday.  The BLM moved the meeting this year from a weekday night to the weekend in the hope that more people would participate.  Since Hollister Hill is open, perhaps you can head down there for a morning ride and then swing by the BLM office located at 20 Hamilton Court in Hollister.  Hope to see you there.

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May 30, 2006

Honey dos

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There is at least one person happy about the summer closure - my wife.  Now that I  no longer have Clear Creek as an excuse and I can't ride again until September or October, she has a long list of things for me to do this summer.  My shoulder is getting better each day and while I am still only suppose to lift it with assistance, I can still get some things done.  This past weekend it was installing new mirrored closet doors and replacing electrical outlets and switches in the two rooms my wife painted this spring.

Not sure what she has in mind for next weekend, but I know what I want to do.  I am on a cooking kick right now after eating all the good southern food while on vacation.  This weekend I am planning to cook some cajun shrimp and make boudoin and boudoin balls.  I had boudoin balls at a crawfish festival in Pensacola and they were delicious.  I tried the crawfish but it seemed like a lot of work to get the little tails unpeeled.  Maybe if I had been drinking beer...?

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May 29, 2006

Assume the Position 2

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My daughter's friend Deanna, who lives in north Texas, stopped by the house yesterday.  She was home for a family reunion.  During the course of our conversation the topic of gas prices came up and she told us that unleaded is $2.66 a gallon where she lives.  The posted price for unleaded in Marina where I live is $3.25 and I know it is higher in Monterey, especially on this holiday weekend.  I find it very disgusting at the way that the big oil companies are ripping off Californians.

I also had a e-mail for Joe "Racer" Wytman after I posted the original Assume the Position on May 25th and he explained in more detail how we are getting screwed by our expensive gas:

"Did you know that cars in California get 7% LESS performance and efficiency from a gallon of gas then say in Idaho? Know why? All of the shit that is put in the fuel takes away from the potential energy stored in the fuel.  In other words a gallon of gas in California has 7% less raw fuel then a gallon of gas any where else. And oxyginators make the gas have a lower specific gravity so it tends to vaporize at temperatures faster. So California gas puts out less power, cost more, evaporates faster, and gets less mileage per gallon, all in the argument of clean air. I would bet a calculation would show a wash on the pollution reduction."

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May 27, 2006

Inspirational Stories

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I admit it, I'm a sucker for a good, come from behind, underdog triumphs, rags to riches story.  There have been lots of these stories in print and in the movies.  Some based on real events while others that are totally fiction.  Right after March Madness I wrote about the story of Maryland women's come from behind victory in the NCAA tournament (April 15 blog entry).  Earlier this year, I saw Cinderella Man which was based on the story of Jim Braddock's unlikely boxing championship. 

Last week the Ramblers ran the 7th Annual Ricky Graham Memorial Short Track.  The event is dedicated to one of the greatest motorcycle racers of the last quarter century.  While Ricky was very talented, what truly made him great was his 1993 championship.  Before the 1993 season, many people on the Grand National circuit considered him to be washed up, but Ricky proved them wrong.  He overcame alcoholism to not only win another championship but to set a record for consecutive national wins that may never be broken.

While listening to KPIG the other night, they played a song by Gretchen Wilson, a girl whose rags to riches story is equally inspiring.  Gretchen was born to a teenage mother who was deserted by the father when Gretchen was two.  She and her mother bounced from trailer park to trailer park in rural Illinois during her early life, living in aluminum.  At 14, with only an 8th grade education, she helped her mother manage a bar where she would entertain the customers by singing along to records and eventually worked as the lead singer for local band.  Seeking to make a career in music she moved to Nashville where she worked as a bartender and struggling musician until she was discovered.  Her 2004 album "Here for the Party" sold over 4 million copies and made her an overnight success.  Her latest CD is titled "All Jacked Up".

Life is filled with stories like these.  Not many make it into a book or movie but they are all around us and I draw inspiration from them to keep fighting to keep Clear Creek open.  I hope you do too.  Remember, the glass is half full!

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May 25, 2006

Assume the position!

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NO, its not the BLM this time. Tonight it is the oil companies and the wacked out environmentalists who have driven our gas prices in California above $3.00 a gallon.  I am sorry to report that we are really getting screwed here in CA.  During my trip to Alabama and Florida I did not pay over $2.93 a gallon at a freeway station for unleaded and when I filled up the rental car in Mobile gas was $2.71, $.50 cheaper than in Salinas at the same time.  During the trip, gas in Mobile decreased from six cents in the space of a week while it increased in CA..

Working on the fringe of the petroleum industry I can tell you that it is not the gas station or convenience store owner who is raking in the profits.  It is the big oil companies and the credit card companies.  Often the credit card fees are more on a gas purchase than the profit that a store owner makes.  The problem is exacerbated in California because of the special blends that the environmentalists have concocted.  They are not like elsewhere in the country so we can't import gas and are held prisoner by the limited refining capacity, again, because environmentalists won't let new refineries be built.

So, instead of the current road signs along the freeway indicating a gas station ahead perhaps we should have this sign.

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May 24, 2006

When in doubt, fry it!

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One of the first observations that my daughter Julie made when she moved to the south was that there were a lot of fat people down there.  I thought she was exaggerating but it seems to be true.  Southerners like to eat, especially fried food.  In fact their motto should be "When in doubt, fry it."   Seems like everywhere we ate the majority of the items on the menu were fried unless it was a BBQ spot.  Fried green tomatoes, fried pickles, fried hush puppies, fried boudan balls, fried soft shell crab, fried chicken, you name it, the south will find a way to fry it. 

A second reason there are a lot of pudgy people is because of the portions.  If you left a restaurant hungry, it was your own fault. I didn't!  In fact, several nights I took home enough food for the next night's dinner.  Finally, every place we went to served sweet tea, as much as you could drink.  Would you like a little tea with that sugar?  I tell you, if I lived down there I would have to be on a permanent diet or I would weigh a ton and need stiffer springs on my Suzuki!

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May 23, 2006

Wouldn't it be ironic!

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I haven't checked the long range forecast, but wouldn't it be ironic if it rained on June 1, the day the BLM plans to close Clear Creek?  I wish my shoulder was healed so I could ride this week.  It should be great after the nearly 2" of rain we got on Sunday.  Wouldn't it be ironic if there were still mud holes this time next week. Unfortunately the spineless management in Sacramento and Washington that run the BLM today would rather close Clear Creek than stand up to the EPA like former State Director Ed Hastey did.  I think it's time they grew a pair.  What do you think?

Naturally, the BLM has now closed Clear Creek for three day because of their stupid closure rules.  Tuesday and Wednesday should be absolutely great but you won't get to experience it because of their inflexibility.  I hate to say it but if I were healthy, it would be time for some civil disobedience.

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May 22, 2006

Got to go on a diet!

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I recently got back from visiting my daughter and brother on the Gulf Coast.  That is why the blog was out of action for a while.  While the primary reasons for the trip were to attend Julie's graduation from nursing school and to see my brother Mike's new house and new Harleys.  The secondary reason was to eat.  I like BBQ, southern fried and cajun food and the trip offered ample opportunity to gain weight. 

While I have been laid up following shoulder surgery I had lost about eight pounds, mostly from inactivity and partially because I cut back on my eating.  I can tell when I have lost weight because I can put on my jeans right after my wife washes them and they fit.  We started our trip with a visit to a Mobile BBQ spot named Dreamland for lunch and it lived up to it's name from the moment we walked in the door.  Didn't look like much from the outside but you can always tell a good restaurant by how few parking spaces there are.  We lucked out an found someone leaving just as we arrived.  After ordering, the waitress returned with a plate of Sunbeam sliced white bread and dipping sauce to wet our appetite.  The sauce was delicious and I had to restrain myself so I would have room for the baby back ribs I ordered.  It is impossible to describe the taste of the ribs so I won't even try. Suffice to say, they were great and, complemented by cole slaw and sweet tea, I was set.

As much as I ate at lunch, I could hardly imagine eating dinner but seven hours later we were pulling into the parking lot of Two Dollar Bill's Kin Folk Catfish Restaurant.  This place until just recently was known as the Cock of the Walk and had very good on-line reviews.  With a change of ownership came the name change but I can tell you that the food is still great and plentiful. Prior to the main dish, they served plates of corn bread and bowls of cole slaw and Jess, my son-in-law Jess ordered up a bowl of  fried pickles.  I had the blackened catfish with a sweet potato and hush puppies and could only eat half the meal.  I wish that I was more hungry because the food tasted so good.

So, day one of my southern eat-fest ended and I had consumed more food than I had in the past three days put together. So what could I do to top this?

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May 2, 2006

Jade Mill Workday and BBQ

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Just a reminder that the final Jade Mill workday is this coming Saturday.  Here is Brian White's note:

A reminder that the BBQ lunch and volunteer appreciation day is scheduled for this Saturday, May 6 at Jade Mill.  I realize some volunteers have other commitments, but had to pick a date and stick with it.  Please show up at Upper Jade Mill at 9am for a couple hours of work and discussion, or at 11:30 to have some lunch.

Thanks again to all who have contributed. 

WE ARE SHORT ON CHAIRS; BRING YOUR OWN or a tailgate or two would work.

Hope to see you there,

Brian White

Clear Creek Project Coordinator

BLM - Hollister Field Office

(831) 630-5044

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April 30, 2006

Weekend Report

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I have been suffering from withdrawal because I had not been to the Creek for four weeks.  So this weekend I drove my car (can't shift the Pig Killer yet) down to greet riders on Saturday and to host another Doc Wong riding clinic on Sunday.  Racers Under the Son had a club ride scheduled this weekend and it looks as though their prayers were answered as the weather was PERFECT.  I could have greeted riders in shorts on Saturday morning it was so nice.

Saturday: With the riding season winding down, I didn't expect a lot of day trippers so I wasn't surprised when I tallied the riders and only came up with 105 people entering Clear Creek.  Here is the breakdown

Things were pretty slow most of the morning and as it warmed up I migrated from my normal spot to the shade of the big tree behind the phone pole.  Besides OHVers, I got to talk to other public land users.  There were three vehicles with folks from the Civil Air Patrol who were heading out to a remote area of Clear Creek to conduct an "exercise".  They wouldn't disclose the nature of the exercise except to say that they were not investigating a crash.  They looked real pretty in their orange jumpsuits with white name badges.  Of course, they could have been environmentalist or EPA in disguise?  If I were one of these groups I would be afraid to show my face in Clear Creek.

I had a nice chat with 10 members of Bay Area Mineralogist who were headed out to rock hound behind Indian Hill.  In exploring their web site I found they had posted a copy of the Save Clear Creek bumper sticker in their September 2005 newsletter.  They are upset by the BLM's seasonal closure because they too are locked out of their collection sites and for years they have enjoyed summer trips to the Creek to collect rocks.   I also talked to three groups of hunters who were returning to their camps in Clear Creek after hunting at Laguna Mtn. or Condon Peak.  One group was from the LA area, had been coming to Clear Creek for 20 years and were really pissed that the BLM was closing the Creek again this summer and preventing them from accessing hunting areas north and east of R002. 

Other notes: A rider camping on the New Idria side stopped by the entrance and reported that there were five vehicles and about 12 people in the Mexican Flat area.  I only counted three RVs among the 51 vehicles heading into the Creek.  I stopped and dropped off some bumper stickers for RUTS to sell to their members and guests.  I overheard one of the wives saying that they made 200 sandwiches for lunch.  It didn't look like there were enough vehicles for 200 people so I guess they must have been hungry after riding.  I rarely eat anything big at mid-day personally except on Don Ivan trail rides when he serves food on the trail.

When I got to Rambler camp I found that only three riders had headed into Clear Creek and one of them had quickly gotten a flat and had returned to camp.  Many of our riders were down in San Luis Obispo for the Cal Poly dual sport ride.  I guess the rest stayed home because we have a club get together next weekend at the property.

I also protected one of the critter that inhabit the Creek.  While greeting I noticed that a small snake had parked himself (or herself - how do you tell?) on the concrete crossing.  I cautioned three vehicles to avoid it.  The snake then disappeared into the river for a while but  reappeared right when another vehicle prepared to cross.  Again I cautioned the driver to avoid the snake.  Enough is enough.  After taking a picture I prodded it with a stick until it disappeared into the grass along the river bank, not to be seen again.

Saturday night: I have had difficulty sleeping ever since the operation.  My system got all screwed up sleeping in the recliner and later on the couch and many nights I have found myself waking up every two to three hours.  So Saturday night I took a Jack Daniels sleeping pill and slept like a baby for seven hours straight. Hopefully this will break the pattern.

Sunday:  Another beautiful day.  T-shirt weather from the get go.  Had a good group for the Doc Wong riding clinic and raised about $460 in donations for the  legal defense fund.  As beautiful as it was, only three Ramblers showed up to go riding.  Go figure?!

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April 28, 2006

Dirt Ranger in the Press and the Wild Weekend

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Don Amador recently published an article in the BlueRibbon Magazine that featured two pictures of Dirt Ranger William Schwarz doing his job in Clear Creek.  The article praised the Timekeepers for their decision to postpone the Wild Piglett and Wild Boar enduros in early March because of the weather and ground conditions in Clear Creek.  The TMC was also forced to postpone the first reschedule date, again because of heavy rains.  They finally were able to put on both events last weekend and I understand they did an excellent job.

Rambler's club member Jordan Brandt had a good day at the Wild Boar finishing second behind his friend and riding partner Billy Russell who was faster in a special test by a minute or some fraction thereof.  I understand the Wild Piglet was well attended.  For my niece, Emily, it was her first enduro and she did well, finishing third in her class (lost second on tiebreaker points) and 72nd overall.  In fact she did better than some Salinas Rambler's members who shall remain nameless.  I would like to thank Rambler's Joe Gomes and Richard Schonert for riding with Emily and her friend Stu on their minute.

Another first time enduro rider didn't fare as well.  I received a note from Kraig Traum, D36 enduro steward, who wrote "it was also my 14 year old daughter's first event (she hates downhills and makes them much tougher then they need to be). Her KX100 broke the clutch or tranny at 14 mile mark and she now has the experience of towing/pushing a bike into camp for 10 miles!!   The last 6 being down the road."  All I can say is "been there, done that!"  Too bad it had to happen on her first enduro though!  I have a couple good enduro stories about pushing a bike but I will save them for another day.

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April 26, 2006

Polaris Donates Money for Jade Mill Campground Improvements

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I am pleased to tell you that Polaris, the manufacturer of ATVs, snowmobiles, watercraft and Victory motorcycles, has donated $10,000 to the Hollister Field Office to help with improvements to the upper Jade Mill campground.  Thanks go to Don Amador of the BlueRibbon Coalition for his efforts to get this money donated to the BLM to improve this camping area.  Hopefully the money will go towards improving the road to the upper campground and/or for the development of a nice mini/small bike track adjacent to the campgrounds.  You can read about this grant and the other $260K in grants that Polaris is donating on their web site.

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April 24, 2006

Crock Pot Weekend

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This is a little out of the norm for the blog but I think you will enjoy it if you try it. Since I can't really do anything for three more weeks, I stayed at home this weekend and did some cooking.  On Saturday, I cooked country style boneless pork ribs in the crock pot.  I started with about three lbs. (six pieces) that I first browned in a large skillet with some olive oil.  Then I cut the pieces in half and placed in the crock pot.  To this, I added a whole onion cut into medium size chunk.  Then I poured in two cups of BBQ sauce.  I used one cup of Cattlemen's and one cup of Bull's Eye original.  Placed the pot on low at 8:30 and by 5PM had tender, delicious pork dinner.

Sunday was round two for the crock pot.  Let me first acknowledge Mike Orr, a perspective club member and LAO volunteer, for introducing me to his pork loin recipe.  Many people marinate and then BBQ their pork loins but Mike slow cooks his in a crock pot.  This weekend I bought a 7 lb. pork loin.  I cut it in half and froze half.  The other portion was cut into two pieces and placed in the crock pot at 9AM.  Over the meat I poured one 24 oz. jar of Safeway Salsa Verde.  I cooked this on low for eight hours.  At 5PM I removed the meat from the pot and shred it in a large bowl.  Before returning it to the pot, I drained the juices, fat and the remains of the original jar of Salsa Verde.  This is optional.  Mike keeps the juices and adds a second jar of Salsa Verde.  This time I chose to drain and then put two jars of Salsa Verde in the pot along with a half cup of water. I then reheat the meat and salsa on high for 15 minutes. It is then ready to serve either stand-alone or in a tortilla.

I encourage you to try either or both of these recipes.  Simple and easy recipes to prepare.  I promise you won't be disappointed.  The county style pork ribs are on sale at Safeway through Tuesday.

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April 23, 2006

Grassroots Fundraising

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Yesterday I mailed off checks amounting to $5,000 to Cycle Gear. This is money raised at our hare scrambles from the raffle, chain lube sales and donations.  I understand that Cycle Gear will match this amount and our legal defense fund will be $10K richer.  The same day, I received a new declaration from our attorney supporting the OHV community's appeal of the Record of Decision so the money is going to good use.

I am taking some time this weekend to start to write up a story about our fundraising efforts over the past three years.  A lot of people and organizations have contributed and I intend to recognize them.  Hopefully the BlueRibbon Magazine will publish the article so it can get nationwide exposure, especially for some of the companies like Cycle Gear, Repsol, Motorcycle Stuff, Western Power Sports/FLY Racing, Motion Pro and Billet Racing Products, who have gone the extra mile to help with the fight to keep Clear Creek open.

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April 21, 2006

New Idria Tour

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Ray Iddings publishes a newsletter each month with articles about the history of southern San Benito County.  Click here to view the April 2006 edition. On page four are instructions on how to subscribe.  I get mine via e-mail.

On page three you will find an invitation for a guided tour of the town of New Idria.  The tour will be conducted on Saturday, May 13th starting at 10AM.  Reservations are required.  Ray is an amateur archeologist and has been doing extensive research into the history of New Idria and it's mines.  I am sure you will learn a lot about the history during the two hour tour.

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April 19, 2006

Fighting Junk Mail

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For some reason we seem to get a lot of junk mail.  Maybe everyone does?  But it seems like half the mail every day is junk that we have to shred.  A while back I got an e-mail, can't remember from whom, suggesting that, to fight junk mail, everyone should mail back the postage paid envelopes with nothing in them.  Or better yet, put some other piece of junk mail in it and mail it back.  So today I took action and mailed back three envelopes empty.  It felt really good.  So I get home tonight, energized, ready to repeat the process and guess what, no junk mail!  Now I can't believe that this was a result of my action this morning.  Probably just coincidence.  Anyway, I have a new outlook on junk mail.  I can't wait to get some more so that I can help support the US Postal Service.

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April 17, 2006

Washing the car

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When I got home tonight I had this urge to wash the car.  I can't remember the last time I washed it but it was probably back in 2005.  Fortunately the car is a gray metallic and doesn't show the dirt like a dark colored or white car.  However, I passed on the chance, on the first decent day we have had in a while, to go for a walk with my wife.  While I was out walking I came to my senses.  What was I thinking???  We have great weather forecast for this week and even the weekend is shaping up.  If I washed the car I surely would piss off the weather gods and cause a great looking forecast to turn ugly.  I just couldn't do that to the Timekeepers who are hoping to run their enduros this coming weekend.  So I guess I will put my car washing on hold until next Monday. Then again, maybe not because RUTS is having a ride the following weekend,  Guess I continue to drive a dirty car for a while!

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April 15, 2006

Motivation             

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Did you see the Finals of the Women's NCAA basketball Tournament on April 4th?.  It was far more exciting than Florida's drubbing of UCLA the night before in the men's final.  Probably the most interesting moment of the game was when the camera showed the inside of the Maryland locker room at half time.  The network broadcast a part of Brenda Frese's halftime talk with her team.  At this point Maryland was 13 points behind Duke and facing the second largest halftime deficit in tournament history to overcome if they were to win the championship.  Brenda entered the room and said to her team "I just walked past the Duke locker room and do you know what? They're celebrating!  They think they have this game won" (or words to that effect).  She then challenged her team to play the type of basketball. that had gotten them to the finals.  That they did, overcoming the deficit with five minutes left to play.  The lead then ping-ponged back and forth until the game was sent into overtime on a dramatic three pointer by Maryland's 5' 7" freshman guard, Kristi Toliver, who was guarded by Duke's 6'7" senior center.  Nothing but net! 

Maryland celebrated as though they had won the game because they knew that "overtime was their time."  This was the sixth time this season that they had been in that position and in the previous five games, all away games, they had won.  And win they did at the end of the five minute OT period to become the national champions.

So what does this have to do with Clear Creek?  Not a great deal except for the motivation aspect.  Coach Frese found a way to motiviate her team to overcome a huge hurdle and to succeed.  I received some motivation a couple days later in the form of an e-mail from an apparent friend of Julie Ann Delgado who chastised me for my rant on April 4 in the blog.  It reads:

Hey Ed,

An important point you seem to have missed in your rant about Julie Anne is that she will be even more successful in containing the destructive ORV activity you and your accomplices do to the land at Clear Creek.  By working from the outside, with her inside knowledge, Julie Anne will accomplish things she was unable to accomplish while at the HFO.  Her supporters have also organized a large network of conservation activists dedicated to land preservation in the southern Diablo.  That new group is waiting in the wings to support the next phase.  So enjoy your last few rides at Clear Creek because the will soon be over.

Fred Goodsell

I responded politely and told him that I hoped he was wrong.  Since he reads this blog, let me assure him that the April 4 entry was far from a rant.  I've a lot better than that.  This brief note, however, should give you some insight into the mind of our adversaries.  I am often asked by riders I greet at the entrance why the environmentalists won't leave us alone to enjoy an area that no one else seems to care about.  My reply is that they are not interested in protecting Clear Creek, its threatened plants, nor is it clean air or clean water they are after.  Their only agenda is to eliminate off-road riding.  It is clear from the e-mail that the writer is a part of that camp.  Identifying my fellow riders as "accomplices" and our legal activities as "destructive" should give you a good idea of what we are up against.  These people hate you  and I because, in their mind, we are destroying mother earth with our weapons of mass destruction.

So to Fred I say, thank you for providing some additional motivation to keep on fighting to keep Clear Creek open!

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April 13, 2006

Dynodays to benefit the CCLDF                    

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Joe (Racer) Wytman is planning to do dyno run this weekend in Carmel for any riders interested in learning how much power you bike makes.  Here is a flyer about the event.  Proceeds will be donated to the Clear Creek Legal Defense Fund.  The dyno will be at the Running Iron Restaurant & Saloon in Carmel Valley Village,   While you are there, grab something to eat and drink.  Colleen and I had lunch there last year and it was very good!  Hopefully the rain will stop and we can see some blue sky like that in the picture on the Running Iron web page.  Almost forget what it looks like!

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April 11, 2006

Rock Throwing                      

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I went to my first physical therapy session today and during the initial evaluation my therapist asked me for my goal at the end of therapy.  My response was that I wanted to be able to throw rocks at a telephone pole.  Sound wierd?  Guess it did to her because she gave me this strange look.  So I explained. On Saturday and Sunday mornings when I am working the entrance, William sometimes joins me to checks green stickers.  During lulls in the action, we would have rock throwing contests - best out of ten.  The target, the telephone poll.  This has been a ritual for the past five riding seasons that we have greeted riders.  Back in the early days of our friendship, back when my knees would still work, we would play one-on-one at Section 8, the BLM compound on Coalinga Road where he lived.  As my knees gradually went bad, we reverted to games of HORSE.  So, I am looking forward to getting back into rock throwing shape.  Of course, PG&E needn't worry unless, magically, my aim improves which is highly unlikely.  Since it will be six month before I can again take aim, perhaps someone else might chuck a few rock at the pole on the way in to go riding.  There are plenty of rocks behind the pole to choose from, far more than in front of it!

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April 9, 2006

Good Planning???                      

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On my last ride before surgery, I took pictures of two routes, one open, the other now closed.  They represent a good example of the lack of planning that went into the latest BLM decision.  The first picture is of R008 at the point that it has been signed closed as you head up to Four Corners.  The second is of the route that replaces R008, T151.  No comparison.  On an earlier visit, Don Amador and I observed a group of quads who were following the rules and attempting to use T151 in muddy conditions.  Several members of the group were not able to make it through the ruts and the entire group had to turn back.  We directed them to T134 as an alternative.

To top it off, the BLM is building a gate to prevent vehicles from using R008.  So now if you break down on the open routes between Four Corners and the gate, basically you're screwed.  NO more towing a broken bike because you won't be able to get past the gate.  And good luck finding someone with a key at the end of the day because they are probably on their way to decontaminate at the BLM office 8 miles from Clear Creek.

This is, of course, just one of many issues that the OHV community has with the EIS/ROD.  Just goes to show how poorly you can plan when you don't have a clue what you are planning for or what condition the routes are in.  What the hey, one line on a map looks just as good as another when your sitting in an office 60 miles away.  And, you don't have to get dirty and decontaminate.

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April 7, 2006

Resource Advisory Council Meeting.                       

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On Friday, 3/24, I attended the Central California Resource Advisory Council meeting in Aptos.  Why Aptos, you ask?  The reason for Aptos was because the RAC was taking a field trip to the Davenport area north of Santa Cruz on Saturday to tour the Coast Dairy property.  This is an area along the coast that the BLM is planning to acquire and, of course, close to most types of recreation so that it can be preserved.  Ron Cash of the Santa Cruz Ridgerunners has been following this project for several years and has given up on seeing any type of motorized use.  For the life of me I can not understand why the BLM would take on this project seeing as how they are under-funded already and struggling to make ends meet.

The meeting followed its normal course with presentations by the State Office and the Field Area office managers.  The RAC was updated on the Resource Planning process in Hollister that offers no new OHV opportunity despite the 300,000 acres involved.  There was also a briefing about the Coast Dairy property by the current land use manager.  After lunch the RAC took up the question of the user fees for Clear Creek.  As a pre-emptive strike against my comments, the BLM acknowledged that their visitor use numbers were probably overstated and more likely the actual number of visits was not 50,000 but 35,000.  I was glad to hear that they were willing to concede that they have been publishing bogus numbers for years, but 35,000 still sounds high.  During my comments I informed the RAC that Clear Creek had only been open for 31 weeks last year because of seasonal closures and this would mean that every week over 1,100 people would have to visit the area. Quite unlikely based on my observations.

I had two disappointments come out of the meeting.  First, Rick Cooper was not able to attend because of a family emergency and he was not able to hear the voices of the OHV community who showed up for both the entire session (thanks Lowell Webb, Ron Cash and Dan Peterson of CORVA) and the numerous other people who filled the hour long public comment period.  Special thanks to Dave Pickett, President and LAO of District 36, for making an guest appearance after spending five hours stuck in Friday traffic in the Bay Area.  Unfortunately, most of what was said was not heard by the BLM Associate State Director who attended the meeting.  I found him out in the breezeway talking with two other field office managers while the OHV community was making their comments.  I would like to believe that the State Office cares what happens in Clear Creek but they sure don't show it by their actions.

It is uncertain what will come of this meeting.  One of the RAC members I worked with while I was on the RAC, Carl Twisselman, asked me about the visitor use during a break and indicated he was going to question the BLM about the visitor use later during their two day meeting.  I will be sending each RAC member an e-mail highlighting my comments and a link to a consolidated page on visitor use that I have complied from my three years of postings.  You are also welcome to contact them.  Their e-mail addresses may be found here.

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April 5, 2006

And now for some bad news.                       

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The Wild Weekend at Clear Creek has been cancelled again by the Timekeepers because of a flooded campground and swollen creek crossings. Check the D-36 message board for more information.  At the same time I learn that the BLM has signed an Environmental Assessment document authorizing another dry season closure this summer.  Hopefully it will stop raining so Clear Creek can dry out for the closure.  Wouldn't it be ironic if the rains kept up through the end of May?  Would they reconsider the start date of the closure?  And what would happen if we get a half inch of rain during the dry season closure?  Would they open the Creek for a couple of days?  Don't hold your breath.  They didn't last year when a summer downpour of over .5" technically closed it because it was too wet during a dry season closure.  Only a government agency could have rules that screwed up. 

Since I will be rehabing my shoulder for five months, I guess I will get some chores done around the house this summer so that I can spend the fall and winter enjoying what's left of the Creek.

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April 4, 2006

And now for some good news.                       

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Every once in a while the BLM will do something right and when they do, I give them credit.  This latest instance is the transfer of Julie Ann Delgado from the Hollister Field Office (and Clear Creek).  Just before the operation I found this news article out on the State Office's website. I had heard rumors of this for a while, most recently from a Clear Creek neighbor who has had run-ins with her.

I'm sure that she is telling everyone that she received a promotion and I suspect that they probably did give her a pay raise to get her out of the Hollister Office. I feel this was a smart move because the last thing a new field office manager needs is an employee with an agenda like hers.  The only better thing they could have done is fire her for her conflict of interest but I suspect they would have had a hard time making that charge stick.

So she is off to manage the coastal rocks.  Maybe she can convince the sea gulls to stop defecating on them as it makes them look so ugly.  Better yet, maybe they will have her go out and scrub the rocks down.  Start in the north and work her way to Socal.  By the time she's done, it will be time to do it all over again.  This will keep her occupied and out of our hair at Clear Creek.

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April 4, 2006

Back at it, hopefully.                       

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The operation is over, my right arm is in a sling and it hurts.  Just as I expected.  As a part of the operation they numbed my right arm which blocked the pain for almost 24 hours and left my fingers numb like your face feels after the dentist shoots novocaine in it.  The doctor also prescribed some strong painkillers which I dutifully took as ordered until I started itching so bad I could hardly stand it.  My sister, who is a nurse, told me that it was a very powerful painkiller named Norco and that the pills sell for $5 each on the streets of Philly, not that I am planning to go into the drug business, mind you.  She said to hold on to them in case I did something else stupid on my bike, which will undoubtedly happen as I don't plan to give up riding.

The drugs and the operation really mess up your system and schedule and I will be glad when things get back to normal.  Sleeping in my recliner is not much fun either but the doctor said to keep the shoulder higher than the heart in order to lessen the pain.  The good news is that without drugs the pain is bearable and so I will soldier on (too much History channel) with an occasional ice pack.  Will know more tomorrow after visiting with the doctor.

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March 28, 2006

Busy                       

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Please forgive but I have been really busy the last five days with the RAC meeting, the hare scrambles, work and preparing for surgery on Friday.  I don't have time to write right now.  I will try to get some new entries this weekend if I am able to sit up and type one handed.  Check out the hare scrambles write-up.

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March 23, 2006

Forest Service Funding                   

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I received e-mails from both Rick Guidice of CERA and Don Amador of the BRC today asking OHVer to contact their elected federal officials and tell them not to reduce the Forest Service's budget  for trail maintenance.  Here are links to the BRC's Action Alert and Americans for Responsible Recreation Access web page on this issue.  With more and more people recreating in our national forests, it is very important for Washington not to reduce the budget for trail maintenance.  Rather you should encourage them to increase it.   Please take a moment or two from your busy day to let Washington know how you feel about this issue.

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March 22, 2006

E-mails and comments about last weekend's closure                     

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First, a couple of comments from OHV users: 

"Yea , somebody SUCKS -- I took my grandkids to CC and got turned away.  I called sat. morning at 5:40 AM it was still open.  Well when we got there we were turned away.  These kids were very upset.  We had planned this trip for a while.  They are getting just what they want - for us not to return and we probably won't.  How can you plan a trip to go there when you don't know if you can even go in? They suck big time."

"I just talked with a friend that "played by the BLM rules" this past weekend and got ROYALLY SCREWED by the management team of BLM (I might be too nice in calling it management). A long story short. He called the BLM number Friday afternoon and the official word was CCMA was open for the weekend so he loaded the family up and made the four and a half hour drive only to be kicked out by William Saturday morning.  

Now I have been a supporter and spokesman for OHV users playing by the rules but it is becoming VERY difficult to continue that stance when people like Mr. Hill pull shit like this! I can hope that our new manager has some idea of the consequences of his actions, apply some common sense and will actually play by the rules set forth. Perhaps even know where Clear Creek Management Area is and come speak with some of the users of the area."

Now George Hill's side of the story:

"As rainfall can vary across an area this large and with substantial elevation changes, we use the 4 stations in and immediately adjacent to the CCMA to give a reasonable average of precipitation across the region to determine if rainfall threshold (0.5 inches/24 hours) has been exceeded resulting in wet season closure. This rainfall event began at 0400 hrs at HDZ on 3/17/06. Rainfall totals and US Weather Service forecasts were monitored throughout the day. At 4:15 pm that day, I met with staff to brief on the current situation. It became apparent that because of freezing temps at Santa Rita Peak (SRI) that this data likely could not be used in the 4 station average (only 7 hours of the 24 hour period were above freezing where rainfall could be recorded.) Adding data from SRI would have skewed actual average precipitation across the area. The rainfall totals as of 4:00pm on 3/17 were as follows; SPA - .33, HDZ - .51, IDR - .36, for an average of 0.40.

I determined that I would check the rainfall totals later in the evening to see if there was any further accumulation. The rainfall totals as of 10:00pm on 3/17 were as follows; SPA - .40, HDZ - .52, IDR - .64, for an average of 0.52. I contacted Brian White at 10:30pm and informed him that we had exceeded the thresholds and that we would likely have to close the CCMA in the morning. As this rainfall data is preliminary and subject to change, I informed Brain that I would check the rainfall totals at 0500am on 3/18 and make the final call on closure. The rainfall totals as of 04:00am on 3/18 were as follows; SPA - .40 (+ snow likely), HDZ - .53, IDR - .64, for an average of 0.523.  I contacted Brian and LE William Schwarz at 05:30 and informed them that the CCMA would be closed for 3 days pursuant to the criteria in the Wet Season Closure Federal Register Notice. Brian then updated the CCMA Hotline to inform users of the closure.

User's of the CCMA need to be aware that during the rainy season, the CCMA is subject to closure at any time based on the FR Notice.   We strive to do our best to answer questions from the public during business hours and promptly update the CCMA Hotline to reflect changes, to ensure the public has information related to the latest conditions and enactment of any closures. "

Seems to me that the BLM did a very poor job in this instance.  I can understand if the precipitation was a tenth or two tenths over the threshold, but two hundredths?  With two of the reading being outside the CCMA, I would have allowed my on-site team do an assessment of the conditions before pulling the plug rather than deciding from the comfort of my home using only rainfall totals.  But that's me and I'm not in charge.  Hopefully on April 4th things will change in Hollister when Rick Cooper takes charge.  I sure hope so!

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March 21, 2006

AMA Rights, News and Notes                     

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I am a life member of the AMA and monthly they send me an e-mail regarding land use and legislative issues.  This month's edition of AMA Rights, News & Notes mentioned our struggle at Clear Creek and also noted that the BLM is seeking members of the public to participate on Resource Advisory Councils (RAC).  RACs are citizen's panel which advises the BLM on the stewardship of federal public lands.  I served on the Central CA RAC for five years and found it to be a very rewarding experience.  The position I filled on the Central California RAC is now open and the nomination period expires on Friday.  If you would like to learn more about the RAC and what the job entails, please contact me.  I believe that it is important for the OHV community to be represented on these groups.

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March 20, 2006

Reminder, BLM Meeting on Friday, March 24th in Aptos                     

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The BLM's Central California Resource Advisory Council will hold a meeting at the Seacliff Inn in Aptos on Friday, March 24th from 8AM to 5PM. Public comment session will be held at 3PM. One of the principle subjects on the agenda will be the user fee program at Clear Creek. Mark you calendars and plan to attend. If you can't make the entire meeting, at least try to make the public comment session at 3PM.

I recommend that people make comments on the wet weather closure and the increased risk of head-on accidents because of all the trail closures. BLM made a last minute decision on Sat. morning at 5:30AM to close the creek. They made everyone who had driven down on Friday evening leave the campgrounds. I guess they can close it on a whim but the rules they established say that they will close if they get over .5 inches of rain. Today I was told that it was the average of four rain gauges. I did the math and the average was below .5 so I intend to question them tomorrow about this.

There is a new manager coming on board and it would be good to have a good turn-out for the public comment period so that he understands the issues and how we have been screwed over by the current administration.  And now they want us to pay to get screwed over!

Meeting Announcement     Directions to the Seacliff Inn

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March 17, 2006

Clear Creek Stories                       

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I have a lot of stories about my rides at Clear Creek and I am sure a lot of you do to.  After all, it is hard to go the Creek and have an uneventful day.  So I am going to post ride stories that are really interesting and compile them on a story page.  So when you have a really interesting story, send me a note and I'll publish it on the story page.

The first one comes from Gnarly Carl (TT handle) in response to my story about guiding my niece and her friend around the Creek.  Here is Carl's story: 

I had a little adventure with 2 of my daughters the day after the QS Enduro. I gave them a map, told them where we were going and let them find the way. They led me along R2 and down to R014 to the caves where we enjoyed a snack. Next we rode to New Idria to see Dan the caretaker and his 8 dogs. Dan wasn't around so the plan was to ride R011 to R013 up and over to 4 corners and then back to camp. Once we passed R1, it wasn't long before we hit the snowline. The girls were slipping and sliding on the ice but only fell a few times.  We made it to San Benito Mountain where my 10 yr old crashed and her bike puked all of it's oil on the snowy ground. The little DRZ110 was covered in mud and snow and I really couldn't tell where the oil was coming from so I decided to ditch the bike. I told the girls that they had to find the bike when we came back, so they found a QS enduro arrow, folded the corner down and stashed it nearby. I put Helena on the front of my bike and we headed back the way we came, but this time rode up and over R001 into CC canyon. By the time we got back to Oak Flat the sun was going down and temps were dropping fast. The girls were so cold and hungry, they changed out of their riding gear and dug into the cooler before I could get my left boot off!

The kids had no school that week so we went back the next day in my 4X4 and continued the adventure. We drove in through the New Idria side and visited with Dan the caretaker and his dogs for a while and then headed off toward Spanish Lake to find the bike. As we approached R013 I told the girls we might be getting close and the rest was up to them. As we rounded the corner they both spotted the pink arrow with the folded corner and screamed, "There it is, there it is"!!!  I really should be used to it by now, but the sound of young excited screaming girls always catches me off guard. Helena led me to where the bike was and I pushed the frozen little bike to the truck and loaded it up. We threw a few snowballs at each other and then looked for "pretty green rocks" for Mama's garden before driving back down the mountain to San Jose.

When we got home I washed the recovered bike and could find no visible damage. I poured in another quart of oil and waited for a leak…no leaky. I started it up and waited for a leak…no leaky. It ended up being the crankcase vent hose!  Just another day at The Creek.

Carl

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March 15, 2006

Picacho Creek Challenge                       

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The weekend after next (March 25/26) the Salinas Ramblers will host the Picacho Creek Challenge Hare Scrambles.  The event will be held on the Club grounds located about 4.5 miles south of the Clear Creek main entrance.  The entire course is outside the asbestos (or serpentine) zone.  The Club has been busy at work this winter creating new trails on the property and have been able to come up with a 9 mile course for the big bikes.  For enduro riders familiar with the property, we will be coming down the "rocky uphill after gas".

Coming up with the name for the event was an interesting exercise.  Members were asked to suggest a name for the event and there were quite a few offered up.  The best, and just about everyone's favorite, was the Primrose Eliminator Hare Scrambles.  Political correctness, however, prevailed.

If you are thinking of entering the event we ask that you come to the property as compact as possible as we anticipate that parking space will be limited.  With the recent precipitation, this event should be a fun event to ride and a good addition to the AMA District 36 hare scrambles calendar.

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March 12, 2006

Un-Wild Weekend                       

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The Timekeepers were unfortunate enough to get a dose of Quicksilver weather this weekend and as a result they postponed both of their enduros. I know those guys really tried to put something together but the weather was just too much for them. 

As I was preparing to leave Salinas on Friday it was clear to me that they might be challenged because of all the snow on the hills that border the Salinas Valley.  The weather forecast didn't look good either with periodic showers forecast to roll through Central CA the entire weekend.  Over the past two weeks Clear Creek has received almost three inches of precipitation (maybe more) and the BLM has had it shut down for most of that time.  I stated 'maybe more' because the rain gauges don't do a great job with snow.

I left around 3PM because I didn't want drive the Coalinga Road in the dark.  Glad I did because there was a minor blizzard going near the top of the first long grade.  Stopped by the Timekeepers camp to make sure they had enough Save Clear Creek stickers to sell at sign-ins.  Afterwards I headed to Rambler camp to prepare the trailer since my niece and two of her friends were planning to ride the Piglett on Saturday.  While the Timekeepers camp was dusted with snow, Rambler camp was snowless.  That all changed around 3AM Saturday morning.  The morning dawned on about 4 inches of the white stuff.  The Timekeepers initially postponed the start an hour and eventually threw in the towel because the snow was going to make it too tough on the kids.

My niece, Emily, was really disappointed because this was going to be her first enduro.  With the event cancelled but Clear Creek still open, I led the kids and a couple of older Piglett contestants on a tour of the fire roads and trails, seeking out virgin snow and there was plenty of it Saturday morning.  I must be getting old and slow because Emily and Todd were on my rear fender the entire day. In fact the entire group stayed together pretty well.  We made it out to second tower (Santa Rita Peak) area before looming dark clouds convinced us to head back to camp.  Dark clouds and very cold feet.

Later Saturday afternoon I learned that the Timekeepers had pulled the plug on the Wild Boar too.  I think this was a smart decision because of the conditions.  Sunday morning confirmed that this was a good move because Clear Creek got another dose of snow overnight.

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March 9, 2006

User Fee Comment                        

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How do you feel about user fees at Clear Creek?  Here is one person's view:  "I  wouldn't mind user fees of even $100 if we didn't have to have a green/red sticker.  Then the money goes to where we need it, and by golly, we should be able to treat Clear Creek as a closed course.  I've heard that this is what is going on at Hollister.  You still need a sticker, but that they were letting red stickers ride during the summer, claiming that Hollister Hills is a closed course.

Why not for Clear Creek?  After all, it is limited use, only specific routes allowed.  If the feds aren't getting funds from the state sticker fund, then let's cut the state out!  Well, I'll stop dreaming and get back to work... Miguel"

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March 8, 2006

Another Jade Mill workday                        

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The BLM has issued their March Bulletin and in it they announced another Jade Mill workday and this one will have a twist.  On April 8, after the morning workday, the BLM will host a BBQ for the volunteers who help that day.  The BBQ is to thank the OHV community members who have donated over 300 hours of labor to help with the Jade Mill project and the fencing projects to protect San Benito Evening Primrose habitat in upper Clear Creek canyon.  I hope that many of the people who have helped with these workdays can show up one more time and enjoy a small reward.  Unfortunately, I will probably be laid up as I am having surgery on my right shoulder on 3/31 to repair a badly torn rotator cuff.

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March 7, 2006

Another comment on Brian's story                        

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Over the weekend I received another e-mail from a person who is 'in the know', so to speak - Plantguy.  He wrote in reaction the Brian Leneve's statement "Someday I hope the only reason for me to go to Clear Creek is to use a hand lens and botany book. If the attitude of lot of riders is as negative and uncooperative as the few that have called and emailed me, then CNPS will have no alternative but to continue the fight, but as I told CNPS, the fight will be to have regulations enforced, not to stop riding."

David's comment to this "He is full of shit! I have talked with him on several occasions and his goal is to stop riding with any tool possible.  On one occasion he admitted that the habitat requirements for Layia Discoidea do not interfere with dirt bikes ..."

Brian has told me on several occasions that it was not his intent to eliminate OHV use in Clear Creek but here we have a couple of readers who have heard differently.  Makes it kind of hard to believe his story, doesn't it?

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March 6, 2006

Super Taqueria                        

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Not much to report for this weekend.  With Clear Creek closed, there were riders to greet or count.  I had no burning desire to pull ribbons off of the enduro course in the snow.  I done that for 27 years and it is time for other, newer, and younger club members to do that.   So, in the interest of marital bliss, I stayed home to do some things around the house.  This included two trips to Lowes in Gilroy, first to pick up a new vanity top that would look great in the bathroom that my wife is remodeling and a second trip to return the vanity top that didn't go at all with the tile on the floor and had too much pink in it which doesn't match the yellow in the tile but looked really good with the new fixtures.

Do you reward yourself when you do something that isn't exactly high on your priority list but it is still something you have to do?  I do sometimes and on Saturday after picking up the vanity top we stopped at Super Taqueria in Gilroy for a super burrito.  IMO, Super Taqueria makes the best super burrito in the area.  There is a restaraunt in Hollister on the way home from the Creek and another in San Jose that I would take my daughter to when she was going to San Jose State.  If you haven't tried Super Taqueria, you ought to!  (460 Tres Pinos Rd. in Hollister)

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March 4, 2006

The Big Lie                           

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The Hollister Field Office continues to perpetuate the "Big Lie" regarding visitor usage.  The latest case is their business plan to collect use fees next riding season.  Once again they claim that Clear Creek receives approximately 50,000 visitor use days (VUDs) a year.  They continue to do this in spite of the fact that statistics developed by OHV greeters at the Clear Creek main entrance indicate that the number of visitors is significantly less.

Last year Clear Creek was officially closed 133 days during the dry season closure and only a few people used the Oak Flat campground that is located outside the serpentine zone.  This would mean that almost all of the 50,000 visits occurred over the remaining 233 days during the year.  Doing simple math, this would mean that, on average,  215 people visited Clear Creek EVERY DAY.  Give me a break!  We counted visitors on three weekends this year (January 28-29 and February 4, 5,11 & 12) and only one day did we exceed that number of visitors (see the weekend reports below) and this is the busy time of the year!

In my editorial "Figures won't lie, but liars will sometimes figure" I did an estimate of VUDs.  The time period I evaluated matched a time period that the BLM had an estimate for.  Needless to say our numbers were not even close  With the summer closure in 2005 and the jump in fuel prices I estimate that the actual number of VUDs for the 2005 calendar year to be 24,925 and this is being very generous.  Here is how I came up with that number:

It is time for the BLM to acknowledge that their visitor use numbers are bogus and probably double the actual number that they publish.  They are just fooling themselves if they think that the revenues they will generate based on their proposed fee structure will be anywhere near what they estimate.

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March 4, 2006

User Fees at Clear Creek                           

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It is a sad fact but next year we will be paying a use fee if Clear Creek remains open.  It is sad because we already pay federal taxes and OHV registration fees but the federal and state governments are not directing any of these taxes back to our recreation areas.  At the federal level, the Hollister Field Office budget was cut last fiscal year by around 15% and they saw no increase this year.  At the state level, the Democrats who control the Assembly and Senate have appointed OHV commissioners who are anti-OHV and who are withholding green sticker funds from the federal agencies (BLM and Forest Service) in an attempt to force these agencies to limit or eliminate OHV recreation because of a lack of funding.  It should be noted that the lion's share of OHV recreation in CA occurs on BLM and National Forrest lands.

The BLM will be scheduling public meetings in May to present the fee program to the public.  Dates have not yet been announced.  The fee program will also be discussed at the Central California Resource Advisory Council meeting in Aptos on March 24th.  This is not a new program and is common at several BLM OHV recreation areas and national forests in Southern CA.  So start saving you pennies right now because it is going to cost you $5 per person per visit or $40 for a season pass.  More details about the program will be forthcoming in future entries on the blog.

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March 3, 2006

Comment on 'Brian's Story'                           

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I have received a couple comments regarding the posting of Brian LeNeve's side of the story.  Here is one from Chuck:

"In reading the guest entry by Brian LeNeve I found myself a bit perplexed.  I'm not really certain what Mr. LeNeve thought would happen, but a few harassing phone calls and emails... I'm surprised that is the extent of it.  Did he think that everyone would play "nicey-nice" and roll over to let him have his way?  I won't make phone calls or send emails to him.  I just call BULL$HIT on his story. 

In his own words and in person I heard him tell the nearly 20 volunteers building fence in Clear Creek canyon "I'm the asshole who is trying to get this place shut down."  Now we are to believe his backpedaling and attempt to tell us that he really wants us to be able to ride our motorcycles at Clear Creek?  In all honesty, I'm really surprised that he didn't become fertilizer for his beloved flowers that day when he proclaimed with great pride that his efforts were the strongest for attempting to eliminate OHV use from Clear Creek.

I guess that I do share a common interest with Mr. LeNeve... I like rocks too.  I just like to ride through the rocks on a motorcycle.

Chuck
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February 28, 2006

Motorcycle Maintenance Classes                           

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Received a note from Melissa at West Valley College about some up-coming motorcycle maintenance classes.  She wrote: 

Hello, I was looking at your Motorcycle Club website because I'm trying to get the word out about upcoming intro to motorcycle maintenance classes I am putting on this Spring.  I'm hoping that you'll be able to share this info with your members who would like to learn how to work on their bikes, though I'm sure many of them already do.  Please see the attached flyer for the details, perhaps you would include it in your newsletter - I can send you copies.

 Some of the specifics are below:

3 Wednesdays - 7pm to 9pm March 8th, 15th, & 22nd or May 3rd, 10th, & 17th
Classes are held in Saratoga and Campbell
Call 408-741-4694 to register! $125 for 3 week session
go on-line to register www.westvalley.edu/ce
--
Thank you, Melissa
West Valley College
Advanced TransportationTechnology
14000 Fruitvale Avenue
Saratoga, CA 95070
www.attcolleges.org/westvalley

I e-mail Melissa asking if this class was street or dirt oriented and she responded that Frank Nye was the instructor and that the class would be applicable to both street or dirt.  For those unfamiliar with Frank, he owns Engines Only in Campbell and specialized in dirt bikes, especially four strokes.  Fran rebuilt my XR440 several years back and did a great job.

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February 27, 2006

Busy Weekend                           

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Had another busy weekend.  Started it off by stopping out at the National Hare Scrambles in Hollister to help District 36 President and LAO Dave Pickett organize goodie bags for the Repsol promotion.  Repsol has given District 36 a couple dozen cases of chain lube to sell at events.  We are combining the chain lube with a Save Clear Creek bumper sticker for a $10 donation. Ran into a few friends there who were preparing to ride one of Saturday's events.  I stopped racing events at Hollister Hills because I would always get poison oak from the dust.  It was a one jersey day at Hollister Hills with the noon time temperatures hovering around 75 degrees.  What a change from last weekend.

After helping Dave for a while, I took off to the property to help clear course.  Matt showed up around the same time I did after closing up shop at Lamar Brothers Tires in Salinas.  We recruited a perspective member, David, and his brother Marshall and took off about 3:30 to clean up Quicksilver course markings.  Things were uneventful until we got to the first loop bottleneck trail.  Being older and wiser, I started from the top working backwards. (Besides, I had already lost one radiator shroud to this trail back in December when I was working with Jordan.)   For the most part the trail was in good shape except for a few spots where the riders had developed some ugly rock or root step-ups by spinning their tires. 

I have never seen so much ribbon and as many arrows on a single track trail in my life.  A blind man could have followed the trail, reaching from ribbon to ribbon.  When I started the trail, it was still light outside but as I worked my way down it got progressively darker.  The other three had started at the bottom but David's KTM had a problem.  It stalled out and wouldn't start.  This was not the trail to have a dead bike on.  I eventually worked my way down to them and the brothers got the KTM turned around.  By now it was getting seriously dark.  David finally got his bike out of the trail and was able to bump start it on R5.  We headed home with headlights blazing and got back to camp at about 6:40PM.  Every Quicksilver I seem to come back into camp at least once with the headlight on and this year was no exception.

On Sunday the Ramblers hosted another Doc Wong riding clinic.  I also had some members and perspectives greet at the entrance to the Creek.  They said that it was a very slow morning, perhaps because of the threat of rain or because people were going to the National in Hollister.  After my greeting duties were completed, I took off with a fellow named Greg who is creating a video to document our land use struggle at Clear Creek.  Greg wanted to get some panoramic shots of Clear Creek and so we headed up to the top of the hill.  When we got there we were attacked by ferocious winds that were preceding a storm front.  We found a sheltered spot and shot some footage.  The we headed off to R2 to do the same thing above the Larious drainage.  When we got there the wind was even worse so we canned it for the day and headed back to camp.  I'll write more about this project as it unfolds.  Only other excitement was recovering a broken ATK off of T104.  Managed to do so just before the rain got serious...and it got dark.

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February 25, 2006

Guest Entry - Brian LeNeve tells his side of the story                           

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Brian LeNeve is the poster child for the environmental community when it comes to Clear Creek.  He is president of the local chapter of the California Native Plant Society, one of the groups that sued the BLM over their management of Clear Creek.  About a week and a half ago he contacted me because he and his wife had been receiving phone calls from angry OHVers after his picture and phone numbers were posted on some forums and chat groups.  I wrote about this on February 14 - Civility.  In that entry I offered Brian an opportunity to explain his position.  Here is his side of the story.

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February 24, 2006

Mark your Calendars                              

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The BLM's Central California Resource Advisory Council will hold a meeting at the Seacliff Inn in Aptos on Friday, March 24th from 8AM to 5PM.  Public comment session will be held at 3PM.  One of the principle subjects on the agenda will be the user fee program at Clear Creek.  Mark you calendars and plan to attend. If you can't make the entire meeting, at least try to make the public comment session at 3PM.

I will be discussing the fee program that the BLM has proposed in future editions of the blog.  Here is a link to the meeting announcement

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February 23, 2006

New Web Page on Clear Creek Hazards and Asbestos                              

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Ray Iddings at www.picacho.org e-mailed me the other day to tell me that he has published a new page with information about Clear Creek asbestos.  Here is a link to that 'Hazards' page.  Before you follow the link, here is the definition of the word "etiology that Ray uses in the web page.

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February 22, 2006

New BLM Manager                              

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No "story" from Brian LeNeve yet and I did not get a chance to review the BLM's use fee business plan over the weekend, so I guess I can tell you what I know about the new BLM who will be replacing Bob Beehler.  Actually I only know a little more than I have read on the web at the BLM State Office site and on-line at the Hollister Freelance.

I have traded e-mails with Rick.  I may have met him when I was on the resource advisory council and we took a tour of the Cosumnes River Preserve that Rick currently manages.  Right now he works for one of the "old school" BLM managers that I respect - Deane Swickard - who heads the Folsom BLM office.  I have welcomed Rick to the Hollister Office and have encouraged him to quickly open a dialog with the OHV community regarding issues with the management plan the BLM just approved.  Time will tell if we are getting another slick talking, politician type or someone who will get something done and who we can work with. We'll see.

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February 20, 2006

Changing of the Guard                              

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The Ramblers pulled off another National Enduro despite Mother Nature dishing out her annual dose of bad weather for the event.  For the first time since I started to work on the enduros back in 1974 I did not pull the trigger on the staple gun once!  I even gave away my marking vest and did not put batteries in my ICO.  I should say that I did attempt to do some marking, carrying my staple gun in a back pack, but was thwarted by a marking crew who lost their arrow carrier to a flat tire.  Well, I tried.  Guess I'll have to make up by stripping the course next weekend.

I would like to congratulate Jordan Brandt for masterminding a challenging course to test the elite of the enduro world.  I would also like to congratulate Pat Garrahan on his first national enduro overall win and his dad Allen who won the A Master class.  It was a good day for the Garrahan family!  Here is a link to the race results.  I will be adding more pictures and links to the Rambler site as I receive them.

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February 15 2006

Quicksilver Weekend                              

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The weekend starts tomorrow and I will not be on-line again until the 21st.  Topics next week will be a review of the Quicksilver, Brian LeNeve's "side of the story", the BLM business plan for a use fees and information about the new BLM manager in Hollister.  Stay tuned.

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February 14 2006

Civility                              

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I really didn't need to be spending the time to write this.  I've got a bunch to do to get ready for the Quicksilver and I was just going to write a short note asking everyone to check back next week.  However, this afternoon I got an e-mail from Brian LeNeve titled "Just so you know".  In it he let me know that he has been getting calls at his house and at his business from angry OHVers and he is upset about it.  I would be upset too if I started to get harassing calls at home or work and it is time for whoever is doing it to stop.  This total bullshit, completely unacceptable and a real black eye for the OHV community.

Brian and I don't see eye to eye on Clear Creek.  About the only thing we agree on is that the Hollister Field Office has done a lousy job.  He tells me that he doesn't want to see OHV shut down, just managed.  I'm not sure that I believe him because I have heard that from a bunch of so-called environmentalists before and they have all turned out to be liars.  I'm not saying that Brian is a liar but some of the stuff in his court declarations makes me wonder.

In his e-mail Brian offered to explain "his side of the story" if I would publish it on the blog.  I told him I would and hope to do so next week.  In the mean time, certain members of the OHV community to practice some civility.

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February 13 2006

Quicksilver Weather                              

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Round these here parts, it use to be called Crosby Weather.  This, of course referred to the the lousy weather that normally accompanied the Bing Crosby (Pro-Am) golf tournament and clambake.  Bing is gone, the tournament is now the AT&T and it seems that the Salinas Ramblers have now adopted this weather for our Quicksilver National Enduro, hence the name.

It has been beautiful here in California for the past month and Clear Creek has really dried out.  In fact, all the mud holes are dry and the routes on the north/east slopes are wonderful.  Because of this long stretch of fair weather, you just knew that it was going to change for Quicksilver weekend and Weather.com confirmed it this morning, forecasting clouds and showers the entire weekend.  I guess the good news is that we won't have dust, again!

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February 12 2006

Weekend Report                              

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Saturday: Did my normal greeting duties again this morning from 7:38 to 11:20.  I sure was nice to have a warm morning for a change - no frost on the truck and bright sunshine to warm the old bones.  Was ably assisted by perspective club member Mike Orr once again.  Thanks Mike! 

Total for the morning was 184 people in 98 vehicles.  Not all went into Clear Creek as this number includes about two dozen Ramblers who came down to do course work and marking in preparation for the Quicksilver National Enduro next weekend.  A trend I have noticed is that the vehicles that arrive early tend to more likely have a single person in them while the later arriving vehicles tend to be more crowded.  The sardine award goes to the last group I encountered at 11:20 - six full size guy from the San Francisco area in a crew cab on their first trip to the Creek.  Interestingly, not one RV went into Clear Creek during my watch and only one group indicated that they intended to stay the night.

Three of the last vehicles had families of four and two of them were only there to shoot - they didn't have any OHVs with them.  They were kind enough to offer me a bottle of water as it was getting warm around 11:15.

Saturday, February 11, 2006

In the afternoon I lead a check crew out to their check on the other side of Clear Creek.  We rallied up on R2 at the top of Halfway Hill - R6.  Just as I sent them off towards their destination I saw a ranger truck followed be about 8 motorcycles.  They stop right above the Horseshoe and William proceeds to tell them where it is legal to ride and to lecture them about riding out of bounds.  Don't know how they missed the signs posted along R2 but they did and he observed them riding to the north of R2.   They were from Patterson and had parked on the New Idria side where there is little to no visitor contact  and had not seen any of the new information signs, apparently.

It does appear that the BLM sign crew has been actively marking trails on the Clear Creek drainage, so that is encouraging.  We had some excitement on Saturday evening.   About 6PM some folks from California Department of Forestry showed up at the front gate asking for directions to the mine haul road.  Seems that someone broke both legs in a crash out around Sawmill Creek Road.  Because they had a satellite phone they were able to call 911 and get help.  CDF showed up with an ambulance and a fire engine and I understand they dispatched two helicopters to aid with the rescue.  I haven't heard all the details of the rescue yet and will provide more as the story unfolds.

Sunday:  Worked the entrance until 10:45 with help again from Joe.  Matt and Bob started their morning ride by riding Clear Creek Road and counting RVs in the camping/staging areas.  It was a very slow morning and I sent Joe off early to help mark course.  The total number of people who entered or exited Clear Creek or went down to the Club property totaled only 80!  Only one vehicle was an RV (cab over camper) but they were only there for the day.

Sunday, February 12

Matt and Bob counted 26 RVs in the staging areas and Oak Flat.  If you assume that there are four people with every RV then that would add an additional 104 visitor use days.  In additional to the new arrivals in Rambler camp there were about 20 people who stayed overnight and rode Clear Creek on Sunday.  Finally, add to these numbers an additional 20% for people camped on the New Idria side (which is probably high since Gerry told William it was really dead on Sunday) or who may have driven in on R11 and you have a total of approximately 241 visitor use days on Sunday.

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February 10, 2006

Off to the Creek                              

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Heading down today to work on the enduro and greet riders on Saturday and Sunday mornings.  Check back on Monday.  I will be writing a response to some of the comments that appeared in the Pinnacle article "BLM's Balancing Act" plus a weekend report and other news about the Creek.

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February 8, 2006

Jade Mill Project                              

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I would like to thank all the volunteers, especially the Timekeepers MC members, for helping with the Jade Mill workday last weekend.  I have written this up on the Salinas Rambler Clear Creek web page.  Click here for story and pictures.  I would especially thank Phil and Kyle Larson, the father/son team in the pictures.  They recently attended a Doc Wong riding clinic and learned about Clear Creek and decided to become active by helping with this workday.  How I wish we had more people like this helping out at Clear Creek!

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February 7, 2006

Godfather Of Clear Creek???                              

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According to Kate Woods of the Pinnacle, I am the "spokesman for the Salinas Ramblers who is also known as the “godfather” of the Clear Creek dirt bikers".  I don't know where that came from as I have never referred to myself that way.  Often days I feel like the grandfather of Clear Creek with all my aches and pains and because I am old enough to be the grandfather of some of the kids I ride with.  But the Godfather?  Oh how I wish I had the power to make some people a offer they couldn't refuse.  I'd start with....

This all came about from a couple of articles that appeared in this past Sunday's Pinnacle newspaper.  Kate gave me a ten questions to answer and I did so in my usual verbose manner.  I guess the paper was expecting yes and no answers because they only had room for four questions and answers in the print version but were able to publish the entire interview on their web site.  Here is a link to the lead article titled "BLM's Balancing Act."

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February 6, 2006

Fixing links                              

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I had several people tell me that they could not play the video of William playing his drums (January 30 - Dirt Ranger Wipes Out) or that they could not open the latest Leneve declaration (Feb 2nd - Stupid Hurts).  I have fixed both problems, hopefully.  I cut and paste the Leneve declaration into a web page and converted the video from a .MOV format (that required the Quick Time player) to a .MPG format that plays in Windows Media Player.  Still takes some time to load as it is a 27MB file.  Check them out below.  If you still have trouble with the video, right click the link, select "Save Target As" and then select a folder to save it in.  After it is saved, then open it on your computer.  This worked for me on another video that I could not play off the web.

Also, if anyone tell you they can't get on the blog or that it hasn't been updated since December, tell them to go on the Salinas Rambler's Clear Creek page and hit the link to Ed Tobin's blog about Clear Creek.  Seems that some people bookmarked only the blogmain.htm frame and not the blog.htm page and when I changed internet service providers they were still able to see the old site which has not been updated since December 21.

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February 5, 2006

Weekend Report                              

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Saturday: Got back on my bike this afternoon after giving the old body three weekends to recover from my last mistake. After doing some enduro work around camp I went for a short ride with Bear. Felt really good to get back in the saddle.  Actually I didn't sit much as it was more comfortable to stand since my shoulder still hurts some.  Clouds blew in around  2:30 and the hills were shrouded in what seemed to be pea soup fog.  Came across a rider who was new to the Creek,  had lost his riding partners and was heading the wrong way to get back to the canyon.  Didn't even know which staging area he was parked in!  We took him over to T115 and instructed him to drop down into Indian Hill and then ride carefully down Clear Creek Road until he found his riding partners.

Earlier in the day I greeted riders on Saturday morning with help from fellow club members Don Baker and Bob Leighton.  Last weekend I counted people.  On Saturday morning we were able to count both transport vehicles and people.  I have a breakdown below in half hour segments starting at 7:45 in the morning.  What was interesting about this day is that there was only one RV that entered Clear Creek and it had no OHV with it.  Our total count for the morning rush hour was 133 transport vehicles with 231 people.  This included people heading for the Rambler camp.  On his way over on his bike, Bob had stopped in all the campgrounds from Indian Hill to Oak Flat and counted 26 RV/Trailers.

Saturday, February 4, 2006

After my greeting chores, I headed up to the Jade Mill area to thank all the volunteers who helped with the workday and to get a few pictures.  I will post more about this on the Rambler web site but I would like to thank Mike Zesiger in particular for helping to organize this program.

Super Bowl Sunday:  I had a gut feeling that today would be slow and the this was confirmed between 8:30 and 9:30 when we saw maybe a third the number of the visitors we had greeted on Saturday.  Law Enforcement Ranger William Schwarz was working the Coalinga road side explaining the new rules and Gerry Tuma, the other LE ranger who patrols Clear Creek started his day on the New Idria side and reported a large crowd at Mexican Flats, apparently preparing for a Super Bowl party.  Other than that, Gerry reported that things seemed really slow.  Total entering the Coalinga road entrance on Sunday morning was 58 vehicles with 96 people.

Sunday, February 5, 2005

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February 2, 2006

Stupid Hurts IV - Latest Radical Green Complaint                              

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Sure didn't take long for the radical greens (RGs -California Native Plant Society and Center for Biological Diversity) to file another complaint with the court about the BLM's management of Clear Creek.  Apparently Brian Leneve went down to Clear Creek twice already this month since the Record of Decision was approved and now the RGs have filed another declaration with the court claiming the BLM is not able to properly manage the new restrictions.

I have written it before and will write it again.  No matter how much you disapprove of the new restriction you still need to observe them.  Failure to do so is just more ammunition for our enemies as evidenced by the Leneve declaration. Be smart because we don't want to lose the Creek.

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February 1, 2006

Jade Mill Workday - Saturday February 4th, 10AM at upper Jade Mill campgrounds                              

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If you enjoy parking at the upper Jade Mill and would like to help with the project to improve the area, then please lend a helping hand on Saturday morning.  You don't have to work all day.  Just a couple hours would be great then you can go riding.  Any help will be greatly appreciated!

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January 31, 2006

To much month at the end of the money                              

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You got to love country music.  Where else can you find such a succinct title for a song?  Another classic by Marty Stuart that is played periodically on KPIG.  This just popped into my head tonight as we were eating hot dogs and beans, not because we had to but because we wanted to!  I got a lot of other stuff to write about this week like user fees, indian problems and the latest Leneve dribble, I mean court declaration, but writing this was more fun!

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January 30, 2006

The Dirt Ranger Wipes Out                              

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Its not what you might think.  Sure William Schwarz, the law enforcement ranger at Clear Creek, has had his share of head-on accidents and close calls, but this one was planned and it wasn't an accident.  On New Year's Eve the Ramblers held a party in our new clubhouse at Clear Creek and one of our perspective members offered to bring his band.  Only problem was that his drummer couldn't make it.  So the club asked William to bring his drum set up to the property and fill in.  He did more than just fill in as you will see in this video (be patient, it takes a while to load - 27MB file and quality isn't great because of the lack of lighting).

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January 29, 2006

Good Weekend                              

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I'm still healing up from a little mistake I made a few weeks ago so I spent a little longer at the entrance to Clear Creek on Saturday and Sunday.  I also had help from Denise and Sam, fellow club members, and DEIDRE (hope I spelled it right this time) Jay of the Hollister Hill Off-road Association.  With this help, we were able to get an accurate count of how many people entered Clear Creek through the main entrance between 7:45 and noon.  The count for Saturday morning was 124.  This is not vehicles, or dirt bikes, but an actual head count of people including children.  The count on Sunday morning from 7:45 to 11:00 AM  was not much different - 114, and this included people leaving the Creek in the morning, Ramblers heading to the property and two High Pointers who didn't make it to San Benito Mountain in their car because of sloppy road conditions.  I guess they didn't want to end up like the truck that went off the road last weekend (see Close Call on Jan 25 blog entry).

Maybe the attendance was low because of the Supercross at PacBell Park on Saturday evening.  I understand it was wet and muddy.  The best part of the weekend, though, was coming home to find that my wife and daughter had painted the bathroom in preparation for a new tile floor that is being put in this week.  I hate to paint and so I was overjoyed to find that this chore had been handled.  Maybe I should go down to the Creek more often!

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January 26, 2006

The BRC - Don Amador - on the Moto Show talks about Clear Creek                              

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Don appeared on the Moto Show on World Talk Radio this past Tuesday talked a bit about the Clear Creek EIS, the Repsol promotion, and hearing concerning the OHMVR Commission in Sacramento.  Click on this link to go the the archive of the 1/24 show, select segment 2 and then advance to the 3:42 mark to hear the interview with Don.

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January 25, 2006

Close call at Clear Creek                              

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Ray Iddings is an amateur archeologist and a person very passionate about Clear Creek.  He maintains a web site named picacho.org.  He also has a message board that he started and one of the posts includes pictures of a close call at the creek.  Check it out and then check out the rest of his web site and you will learn a lot about Clear Creek.

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January 24, 2006

D Jay                              

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Congratulations to Deidre Jay on winning the Female Rider of the Year award at the recent District 36 Awards Banquet. Deidre (or D Jay) is a member of the Holllister Hill Off-Road Association and a frequent visitor to Clear Creek. I was introduced to her by Josh Golden last year who told me that Deidre was interested in helping with the fight to save Clear Creek.  She and her husband Ben have been promoting the Repsol promotion in Santa Cruz county where they live, have helped me at the entrance to Clear Creek greeting riders and worked the Repsol booth at the International Motorcycle Show.

Its not enough to just buy a bike and go riding any more.  With all the pressures on our sport we need dedicated people like the Jays to help with the fight to keep our riding areas open.  I appreciate their help and encourage everyone reading this to emulate their efforts to help save your favorite riding area - because every one of them is threatened somehow.

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January 23, 2006

Putting my money where my mouth is - A Case for the Creek                              

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For the past month I have been encouraging fellow OHVers to make a donation to the legal defense fund by buying Repsol lubricants.  Today I made my investment by buying a case for the creek at Pinit Motorsports in Salinas.  In the process I discovered that the cardboard case does not have a bar code on it so I have to revise the Case for the Creek promotion on the Rambler web site.  Repsol is giving a free Repsol t-shirt to anyone who purchases a case of lubricants so now we need to ask that you send in a copy of your sales receipt as the proof of purchase.

I understand that there are quite a few new Repsol users out there.  I thank you and ask that you encourage your friends to also buy a Case for the Creek!

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January 21, 2006

Guest Editorial from Don Amador, BlueRibbon Coalition                                 

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Dear Clear Creek Riders, (Please feel free to post on blogs, forums, etc.)

I have been getting a lot of email and phones calls from riders angry about CCMA moving from basically an OPEN designation to a LIMITED designation where OHV travel is prohibited off of designated routes.   This direction is coming from Washington DC. In the late 1970s the Nixon/Carter Executive Orders directed the BLM and FS to "designate" OHV routes. The train has left the station on this one.   Many units have basically ignored or postponed designating routes including CCMA.  However, many units did move from OPEN designations (where you could go basically anywhere you wanted) to LIMITED designations where OHV travel is prohibited off of designated routes.

Several examples of BLM units doing that are the Cow Mountain OHV Area where you have about 130 miles of routes and two campgrounds on 23K acres.  This used to have wide open riding.  http://www.ca.blm.gov/ukiah/cowmtn.html#southcow

Another example is in OR at the Millican Plateau OHV Area.  This used to have wide open riding. http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/centraloregon/recreation/cohvops/mpindex.shtml

Another example is the Stonyford OHV Area (my favorite spot).  I used to ride there in the 70s/80s when it was wide open and could go anywhere I wanted.  Now, it has about 200 miles of designated or system trails. This area is home to 3-4 AMA D36 sanctioned events each year.  http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/centraloregon/recreation/cohvops/mpindex.shtm

BRC, SRMC, TMC, AMAD36, LADB, and other groups have, and will continue, to fight for OHV access at CCMA.  There will be future green lawsuits against the new ROD/plan that allows for 270 miles of trails, additional use of "event only" trails, and 470 acres of barren riding.  We are also in separate but related legal action regarding the asbestos closure.

I am not saying you should not be frustrated, mad, or angry.  However, I am saying that when you look at the big picture from my perspective (i.e.  for the last 5 years greens have made closure of the CCMA one of their top OHV-related priorities in N. CA,  family OHV recreation and sanctioned events still occur at the aforementioned OHV areas where they went from OPEN to LIMITED or RESTRICTED designations and events will continue at CCMA, there are very few if any public land OHV areas east of the Mississippi, etc.) we could have done a lot worse.  I believe that the decision - however crappy you think it is -- would have been worse if it were not for the legal action taken by BRC/SRMC et al. and your past (and I hope continued) volunteer work out there.

The final chapter has not yet been written on CCMA.  We all have a chance to help write the ending to that book.  Stay tuned and stay involved.

Don Amador
Western Representative
BlueRibbon Coalition, Inc.

*This perspective comes from being involved in OHV and public land access issues since 1990,  serving on the OHMVR commission from 1994-2000 including being chairman for 2 years, seeing how the court system works/rules in CA, serving on the OHMVR OHV Stakeholders group, and reviewing/dealing with OHV issues throughout the West.

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January 18, 2006

Stupid Hurts, Part 3                                  

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I have checked a couple of on-line forums to see what has been discussed about the Clear Creek closure and a few of the posters have indicated that they don't care about the new restrictions and will ride where ever they want.  My comment to them and anyone else who thinks that way is this:  go ahead and do it but don't be surprised when the environmental community goes back to court to have the entire area closed because the BLM can't control renegades like you.

This plan sucks and the people who pushed it through should be punished some how, but please don't punish me by ruining the opportunity we have left in Clear Creek. 

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January 17, 2006

Half full or half empty?                                    

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Is the Clear Creek cup half full or half empty?  A matter of perspective?  Actually both answers could be right.  Half empty because the BLM has screwed us out of half of the routes.  Half full because half the trails are still open!  Am I making sense?

I choose to be an optimist and try to make the best of a bad situation.  It could be much worse.  For the past several years there has been a concerted effort by the environmental community to get Clear Creek closed.  Paul Spitler, the SOB who heads the the OHV Commission has openly called its closure and the California Native Plant Society and the Center for Biological Diversity have asked a federal judge repeatedly to issue an order to have Clear Creek closed. 

We are in a war and in war you sometimes lose a battle.  That doesn't mean you give up ... unless you're French.  To the best of my knowledge I am of English, German and Irish decent and I am not about to turn tail and run.

As a fellow activist wrote on an internet forum, "I'd rather ride the neutered CC than be stuck in just about any other OHV area in CA, including Foresthill, Hollister, Kennnedy Meadows, etc."  My feelings exactly!  So I guess I would have to say the cup is half full!

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January 15, 2006

Pale Image of its former self                                    

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Congratulations to the BLM for destroying one of the greatest OHV use areas in the country.  Sure there will be 270 miles of routes signed open (hopefully in my lifetime at the glacial speed the BLM works), 100+ miles of which are single track.  The problem is that they destroyed the integrity of the route system and this is going to force all forms of use onto a limited number of major routes.  The result is going to be increased accidents but off course they don't care about your safety so long as they can get a judge to dismiss a lawsuit.  As they were going through the trail designation process, they didn't even include the law enforcement ranger who has the best knowledge of the route system, use patterns and who has had his own share of crashes.  Why?  Because they didn't care!  This whole plan was about closing trails to appease the environmental community and to settle a lawsuit, not about providing an interesting, safe and sustainable OHV use experience for the American public. 

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January 14, 2006

You were right, Malcolm!                                    

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Malcolm Bruce is a life member of the Ramblers and part of the generation of Ramblers who got kicked out of the Panoche Hills by the BLM.  Malcolm didn't usually say a lot but when he did, it was usually prophetic. One time was during a club run to a hot tub in Nevada.  He was leaving to return home after a week of riding and the group I was with was staying one extra day.  Just before he left, he said "Now you guys watch out for those naked chicks who come out to the hot tub and don't get into trouble",  Upon hearing that I thought, yeah, right, like some girls are going to show up at the hot tub and get naked around a bunch of dirt bikers.  Well, guess what.  The next afternoon three girls who said they were masseuse in Las Vegas showed up, set up tents, stripped down and went mountain biking.  Later, naked, they joined us in the hot tub.  True story!  Never has happened again on any of my other trip to Nevada, unfortunately.

Malcolm was always giving me shit for working with the BLM.  He had a number of choice names for them that I won't repeat here. In fact he branded me a "BLM lover" at one club meeting which was like being given a scarlet letter to wear.  Anyway, Malcolm told me that it was a waste of time to work with the BLM because they were going to screw us in Clear Creek just like they did in Panoche.

I had hoped to prove him wrong and show that the OHV community could work with the BLM.  For a number of years from the mid  '80s and through the 1990's this seemed to be the case.  Then Ed Hastey, the long time State Director retired, Bob Beehler turned criminal and worthless as a manager, the Hollister Office went to hell (or the environmentalists - one in the same) and the BLM allowed lawyers to dictate the outcome of the EIS process. 

While we haven't lost everything yet it certainly appears that Malcolm's prediction is coming true again and it really pains me to say "Malcolm, looks like you were right"!

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January 10, 2006

Weekend Report                                    

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The first full weekend of the new year was a busy one.  Saturday started with greeting riders at the entrance to pass out flyers about the Repsol promotion.  Thanks to Los Altos Dirtbikers for their help. Sure would be nice to have other clubs help some weekend!  After that I went up to help with the Jade Mill project.  I would like to thank the members of the OHV community who helped with this project to help formalize this camping area.

On Sunday, the Ramblers hosted another Doc Wong riding clinic at the club property and I assisted with some of the instruction.   What a great day it was in Clear Creek on Sunday. The traction was perfect and there was little dust anywhere.  I went up to San Benito Mountain summit to take one final look around.  The BLM will be signing the record of decision soon and I expect shortly after that they will put a gate across the road and lock us out of the scenic overview.  They will also be gating the north ridge route that runs from Clear Creek Road up to San Benito Mountain and now you will be forced to use the R011, a fucking road, to get around San Benito Mountain.  Lots of other closures in store.  Stay tuned.

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January 4, 2006

Reminders - Jade Mill Workday and Wet Season Closure                                             

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Two reminders to leave you with as I will probably not be able to update the blog for several days.  First, there is a workday this Saturday at the upper Jade Mill campground.  The BLM has asked for volunteers to help with some projects around the improved campground that they are developing.  The good news is that the BLM is developing a formal campground with relatively FLAT sites.  The bad news (if you choose to view it that way) is that the BLM will be closing and rehabing many of the eroded trails in the immediate area.  If you would like to give input and make a difference, show up.

Second, over eight inches of rain has fallen this rain year (6" just this past weekend) and the BLM will now start to "manage" the area with a wet season closure when either .5" of rain falls in a 24 hours period or 1" in a 72 hour period.  Closure in each case is for 72 hours (three days).  If there is a chance that it has rained down at Clear Creek, I recommend that you check the BLM hotline at 831-630-5060 before you drive.  There are also links to the rain gauges around Clear Creek on the Ramblers' Clear Creek page about half way down, after Overview and Asbestos sections.

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January 2, 2006

Tempus Fugit                                                

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Time sure flies!  Seems just like yesterday that we were celebrating the start of 2005.  A lot has happened this year regarding Clear Creek.  Our enemies continue to pursue a lawsuit to close the area, the EPA continues to push for the closure of the area, Bob Beehler has been exposed as the derelict that I suspected he was and the BLM has failed to respond to either our appeal over the summer closure or our protest over the EIS.  I guess you could say that things are pretty normal, at least as I define normal for Clear Creek these days.

Needless to say, we have a lot of challenges ahead of us in this new year and it is going to take a lot of legal defense funds to fight these threats.  I am encouraged by the many donations that have been made by groups and individuals as well as by the generous promotion that Repsol and Motorcycle Stuff have put together. 

I wish all my readers a happy new year and help keep up the fight!