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November 30, 2004
Inner Peace
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I have not made a big deal about my back problems because everyone has problems and who cares to hear about mine. So, be forewarned if you read on.
Anyway, I spent all last week laying on my back as this was the only comfortable position I could find. Back on Nov. 9th I tweaked my back. No, I was not riding or even doing anything related to motorcycling. I was sitting at work when the phone rang. Instead of swiveling the chair I twisted my body to reach for my headset. SNAP. Actually a little snap. I took it easy except for a bunch of walking around Las Vegas that following weekend. Then during the week leading up to the first workday, it got worse day by day. Probably should not have been picking up posts and fencing material and digging post holes on the 20th. Consequently, by Monday the 22nd I could not stand or sit for more than a minute or two before I would get tremendous pains in my leg and buttocks. The medical term is Sciatica.
It can get pretty boring being stuck in bed and not being able to even turn on your side. I have never been much of a reader so I watched a bunch of TV and a majority of that was History Channel or some form of sport. Every once in a while I would flip channels in search of something interesting. On one occasion I came across Dr. Phil and he was talking about inner peace. With the pain deep in my left butt, inner peace was something I was desperately seeking.
Dr. Phil proclaimed the way to achieve inner peace is to finish all the things you have started. So I looked around my house to see things I started and hadn't finished; and that afternoon I finished off a bottle of Merlot, a bottle of White Zinfandel, a bottle of Baileys, a bottle of Kahlua, a package of Oreos, the remainder of as Valium prescription, the rest of the pumpkin pie my wife had made, a bag of pretzels and a box of chocolates. You have no idea how freaking good I felt.
I am passing this on to you because it definitely worked for me and we all could use more inner peace in our lives. By following the simple advice I heard on a Dr. Phil show, I finally found inner peace, at least temporarily, until I had to get up and go to the bathroom!
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November 29, 2004
Weekend Report
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Our welcome crew was a bit spotty this weekend so we don't have a good handle on how many people traveled to the Creek. I understand that all of the staging areas were full on Sunday morning. Unfortunately I can't translate that into a solid number. On turkey day Matt was at the entrance for 2.5 hours and only saw one pickup with two people. Josh wrote to say that on Sunday they greeted 50 riders driving in for the day. Have not heard from Bob yet to learn what Saturday morning was like but I understand it was busy. I read on Thumpertalk that Hollister was closed on Friday for much of the day because they were at capacity.
Seems to me that we have a real crisis on the central coast with too many riders and too few places to recreate.
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November 27, 2004
Stretching
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As my back has been acting up, I had to visit a chiropractor to try to set things right. One of the first questions they always ask is if I stretch before I ride my dirt bike. The obvious answer for me is NO. Then I learned from a Yahoo forum that in fact I did stretch. Here's how:
Stretch 1)
I balance on my rear on a picnic table or trailer and pull my knees up one at a time and then shove my leg down into my riding pants. This results in the occasional rollback onto my back with knees in the air and one leg halfway down into riding pants, and the even less frequent appearance of one or both of the boys.
Stretch 2)
Standing, I bend over at the waist and reach down crosswise and clamp down the buckles on my riding boots. There has been one occasion that this particular stretch has ended my ride with a back spasm, and frequently results in a cool head rush if you stand up to quickly afterward.
Stretch 3)
Stand next to bike. throw one leg up in an attempt to get it over the seat, but most likely get it stuck on top of the seat. You can stand in this position for a moment and enjoy it, or just grab you foot with your right hand and shove it the rest of the way over your bike.
Stretch 4)
Grab the front of your right leg and pull it up to and set your foot on top of the kick started. Now with the left leg on the footpeg, jump up and then on the way down push with kickstart lever as hard as possible. On occasion, if you are riding a large displacement machine, this will result in a backfire and the kickstarter will launch you and your now broken ankle to the ground. If that is the case, go back to stretch 3 and start over.
This one I bypass usually since I bought an electric start thumper unless I leave the switch on for a week. Fortunately the Suzuki DRZ400 starts very easy and I only have to do one repetition of Stretch 4.
Thanks to Russ on SFDirtbikes@Yahoogroups.com for the exercises!
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November 26, 2004
McCollough Hill
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Last Saturday I helped lead a work party building fence in upper clear creek canyon. The Rambler name of this piece of Clear Creek is McCollough Canyon, named after Sonny McCollough of Greenfield who was the first person to top the most prominent hill in the canyon. A portion of the hill can be seen in the first picture on the Workday web page on the Rambler's web site.
With today's equipment, this hill would be little challenge to a good novice or intermediate rider on a 450cc KTM or Honda. But back in the day when 250cc two strokes put out under 20 horsepower and most riders were mounted on 125 or 175cc two strokes or British singles, this was a very challenging hill. What made it particularly tough was the fact that it was soft at the bottom and then about three quarter ways up it was much firmer and rocky. Many a rider, including yours truly, made it to the hard surface and then looped it. The worst part of not making it was having to get the bike turned around and then getting it down the hill. One became very skilled at riding down the hill until you developed the skill to get up it. I first climbed the hill on a 1974 175cc Can-Am (what the hell is a Can-Am) which was more powerful than most 250cc bikes of the time. Nevertheless, McCollough Hill persuaded me to move up a step to a 1975 250cc Can-Am.
Not far from the corner posts in the third picture I came across a steel fender remnant. This thing looked to be 1950's or 1960's vintage. I suspect that if you searched the area carefully you would find all kinds of motorcycle pieces scattered amongst the plant habitat as this was the area where you started your run. The fact that the plants grows here tells me that it likes disturbed soils because we sure disturbed this soil for thirty or more years.
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November 26, 2004
Clear Creek Road
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I fell truly sorry for everyone who have to drive into Clear Creek on R001, Clear Creek Road. I have ridden the road on my bike a couple of times last year and did not notice the poor condition it is in. On Saturday morning I had the misfortune of driving the road from the entrance to staging Area Six. Thank goodness I was in a truck with upgraded suspension. Seemed to me that the road is really bad between Staging Areas One and Three. I can not imagine anyone with an expensive motorhome or trailer going beyond Oak Flat especially if it is muddy.
Many years ago the BLM did a very good job of repairing a section of the road between Halfway Hill and Indian Hill. This stretch was notoriously bad during the wet season as is was almost at creek level, on the north slope in the shade and had a seep above it. In other words, it was always wet and muddy during the winter, The BLM dumped a ton or rock into the road to stabilize it and raise it higher.
I have been told that the reason that the road has gone to hell is because of a lawsuit. Apparently a drunk ran off the road at a spot the BLM had repaired and is now quadraplegic. He was never tested for alcohol by San Benito County Sheriff or charged with drunken driving. To settle the case I understand that the government has bought him a handicap equipped house in Sunnyvale. In the mean time the road has turned to crap because the BLM is now afraid to fix it and the County of San Benito has abandoned maintenance on it too.
It is no wonder that people rarely get out of Clear Creek canyon when they are forced by the road conditions to park at Oak Flat or Jade Mill.
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November 23, 2004
Weekend Report
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A big thank you to everyone who showed up to help with the fencing project and also to those who wanted to help but could not find the work site. Brian, the CC Project Coordinator said that he counted 20 people but I know that there were a few more than that who straggled in after the main group arrived. This was actually the approximate number of people that Brian was hoping would show up to kick off the project. We distributed the building materials around the perimeter of the plant habitat and then proceeded to dig post holes. Towards the end of the day we even rolled out a length of fence and put it up.
I was hurting with lower back pain and it got progressively worse as the day wore on. A friend today said that I was too old to be doing this kind of thing (sounded like my Mom) but I explained that I was taught in the army to lead by example. Fortunately the work crew didn't follow my "example" on Saturday afternoon when I had to lay down on the ground when the pain got real bad. Also thanks to Denny, the BLM maintenance worker helping with the project, for the Advil.
We will be doing it again on Saturday, December 4, weather permitting and will need another 20 or so people each day to finish up the project. I had a lot of people write to say that they would help but just not last weekend. I hope that with some advance notice that we can muster the necessary workforce. More on this next week.
Didn't spend a great deal of time at the entrance on Saturday morning, just about an hour and greeted about 50 people. We were out at the entrance for three and a half hours on Sunday from 7:45 to 11:15 and had a total of 67 people enter, all of whom were there for just the day. There was also another 14 people who rode off of the SRMC property.
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November 19, 2004
Bumper Stickers Sales
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I am pleased to report that we have raised close to $3,500 for the legal defense fund solely through the sale of bumper stickers by clubs, at events and shops. If you recently sent an order to the Salinas Ramblers for a sticker, we hope to ship them next week. We have had a great response from District 36 members and ran out of stickers. In fact, the club secretary is having to check the mailbox every day to keep up with the requests. My thanks to everyone who has helped support Clear Creek. The money is going to be needed as we develop our strategy to fight this lawsuit.
As much as we need money, we are going to need people to volunteer to help with projects. I want to get an accurate count of visitors some weekend, we need help with greeting and educating at the entrance and the BLM is going to need help with some fencing projects since the green sticker commission drastically cut their funding. Let me be very clear about the fencing. I am not building fence to close an existing OHV opportunity and would not ask you to either.
Please let me know how and when you can help. Off to the Creek. Check back on Monday for updates.
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November 17, 2004
BLM Work Project Update
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OK, the BLM has arranged for fencing supplies to be airlifted into upper Clear Creek tomorrow and they would like OHV volunteers to help with the fencing project this Saturday.
People interested in helping should meet at Staging Area 6 on Saturday between 9:00-9:30AM. We will ride into the canyon on private property, park the bikes and then there will be a short hike along the creek, maybe .5 mile to the work area. Please bring pliers and work gloves. BLM to supply the tools. Also bring any food and water you will want to eat/drink.
BLM would like to have 15-20 people if possible. Remember, many hands makes for light work!
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November 15, 2004
BLM Work Project
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The BLM has asked the OHV community to assist with the fencing of the last unprotected San Benito Evening Primrose site in upper Clear Creek canyon. While this canyon has been closed to OHV use for years, there are still renegade The BLM has arranged for a helicopter to airlift fencing material into the canyon and now they need manpower to erect the fence. The project could begin as early as this weekend. I don't have details yet on when, where to meet, what to bring, etc. I will be working with Brian White to figure all this out tomorrow.
At the Hollister meeting in September the crowd of OHVers was asked if they would volunteer to help keep Clear Creek open. The response was an overwhelming YES. Well, now it is time to show up. I will post more information as it becomes available. Stay tuned!
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November 14, 2004
Weekend Report
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I didn't get to the Creek this weekend because I was in Las Vegas representing the Club at the 2004 AMA Sports Awards banquet. The Ramblers were nominated for Organizer of the Year. Unfortunately, the award went to the Ridgerrunner Motorcycle Club from New Hampshire that promoted a national hillclimb this year.
The AMA has a tremendous sports program that recognizes the young talent in the sport. Colleen and I were at a table with two kids who were national champions in their divisions at dirt track. Throughout the room were families whose daughter or son had won a championship. Of course there were adults recognized too and from our area Heather Wilson was acknowledged as the female rider of the year because of her tremendous results in the GNCC series.
On Saturday I went to the final round of the Supermoto. A club member, Steve Polk of Pinit Motorsports (Salinas) was there working on a bike for a German rider and he had two other motors running in the 450 class. I didn't get to see the heats, just the semis and the superpole before the finals. In the premier event, The AMA Supermoto (450cc) Jeff Ward chased the German Jurgen Kunsel for 16 laps (of 18) before block passing him in a tight turn just before a jump. I was sitting in the bleaches right in front of the jump and you could see it coming. Both riders had been taking the inside line leading into a hard, banked left-hander before a jump. On the 16 lap Ward pulled up just behind Jurgen before the turn, took the outside line and then cut hard inside and below the German's line and cut him off. It was a gutsy move as Kunzel was high on the banked turn and could easily have bumped Jeff and knocked him down. The pass worked and when they came around for the last lap, Kunzel thought the white flag was the checkered, backed off, and was then not able to challenge Ward in the last lap.
Kunzel did not have a good day. After that mistake, he got a flat tire while leading the Unlimited class final. He had to win this event to take the national title. The flat cost him the event and the title, dropping him to fourth in the overall standings as Las Vegas was a double points event. You can see this event broadcast on the Outdoor Life Network this coming Wednesday (11/17) from 8-10PM PT. and you can real about it at Cycle News.
I had an enjoyable weekend away from the computer but now it is back to finishing my comments that are due tomorrow.
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November 12, 2004
Environmentalist Lies and Distortions
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I think I have made it very clear in my writing and my actions that I firmly support the protection of the endangered plant. It is very disappointing that the Hollister Office has failed to adequately do this and head off this lawsuit. What I find even more disappointing are the lies that the CBD and CNPS are trying to foist on the unsuspecting public who would have the misfortune to read their press release. Here are a few of them taken from the Center for Biological Diversity's press release:
"The Primrose lives only on the asbestos-rich serpentine soils found at Clear Creek." WRONG. The plant has been found on serpentine soils outside of the CCMA. Of course it is not to their benefit to search for the plant outside the OHV use areas in Clear Creek because then it might be determined that the plant is not endangered. It is also not to their benefit to investigate the plant to determine if it is really a unique sub-species rather than an existing species that is attempting to propogate in marginal soils.
"..the
"Currently
"Off-road vehicle damage to the Clear Creek's fragile serpentine barrens has also expanded exponentially." WRONG. I wonder if the people who wrote this understand the meaning of exponentially. I doubt it. Almost every barren in Clear Creek has had some type of historic usage because it was an OPEN USE AREA until 1998.
"..the
"Two to three hundred motorcycles participate in the enduros, causing widespread habitat damage and sedimentation onto Primrose populations." WRONG. All of the enduros went through an Environmental Assessment process and were run on approved routes. In fact the BLM denied use on several routes to avoid even the appearance of conflict.
You have to love their opening line "Groups challenge Bush administration to protect endangered species..." I should remind them that the current management plan was developed during the Clinton/Gore administration and the first two years of inaction were on their watch. I think it would be very fitting for the Bush Administration to implement the plan developed during the previous administration.
The bottom line is that these people hate us and they have a zero tolerance for our form of recreation. The filing of this lawsuit and the publishing of this press release exposes them for what they really are and marginalizes their importance. It is time for the BLM to seek some reasonable people in the environmental community to bring into the process. Perhaps the environmental members of the Resource Advisory Council can recommend some new faces who do not hold the prejudice that these groups obviously do.
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November 11, 2004
November Newsletter, Part 3
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In the newsletter the BLM has a section titled Outreach and Information. It states: Do you know the rules about firearms? Did you know that there are many plants that grow only in serpentine soils? Now your questions can be answered by BLM staff at the entrance to Clear Creek during weekends starting this winter.
Three weeks into the riding season and the only greeter so far has been William but then it isn't officially winter yet, is it? Guess I should cut them some slack until after December 21st. What do you think. Maybe they will show up now that the radical greens have filed a lawsuit.
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November 10, 2004
November Newsletter, Part 2
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In another item from the November newsletter, it appears that the BLM is planning some sort of additional closure in the canyon. This time it is "resource protection fencing for the Jade Mill area." We need to watch this one closely. I agree that there has been a great deal of route proliferation around the Jade Mill and that some fencing may be required especially around the upper camping area that the BLM is developing.
Early this year the BLM published an interim management strategy for the protection of the San Benito Evening Primrose in which they showed the closure of a large area above Jade Mill. This is not primrose habitat and is not even part of the serpentine mass. Both Terry Pedersen of the Timekeepers and I have proposed that this area be developed for intense recreation, as an area where the folks camped at Jade Mill can take young riders and let them recreate close to camp. Again, I need someone to help track this issue.
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November 9, 2004
November Newsletter, Part 1
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I have posted the BLM's November newsletter on the SRMC's Clear Creek Page. A few things to note. First, the BLM plans to build a fence around a plant population in Hillclimb Canyon and is asking for volunteers to help with the project. Hillclimb Canyon is the Rambler name for upper Clear Creek canyon. I have also heard it called the Valley of the Hillclimbs and Eagle canyon.
Many of the new people frequenting CC would think it is already part of the San Benito Mountain Research Natural Area because it has been closed for about ten years. Not so. This was an area that was a destination for OHV visitors for many years until, as I understand it, a botanist on the Hollister BLM staff declared it ground zero for the San Benito Evening Primrose and had his cohorts in the Native Plant Society threaten a lawsuit if Bob Beehler did not close the canyon. At the funeral of one of the Club's life members last year they displayed a photo of Frank along with his son Dick and grandson Frank astride 1970's vintage Suzukis at the base of one of the climbs, the same one where I learned to climb hills on my 1974 175cc Can-Am. This area, some of the most heavily used hillclimbs in the history of CC, is now proposed to become part of the natural area. What a joke!
I am not surprised that people are still trespassing into the canyon to climb hills. There are a lot of people out there who hate the BLM and who could care less how their actions affect the rest of the OHV community. On the other hand, the BLM has utterly failed to protect the boundaries of the natural area and are as much to blame because of their poor management. Now the solution is to fence the actual plant population and the BLM is asking for our help. I don't have a date or manpower requirements and will let you know more as I learn it.
The second item of interest is the EA for the Jade Mill Recreation Site Development. I understand that the BLM is developing a campground plan for the upper area where the old shack was. I encourage a reader or readers to get involved and work with the BLM on this project. To be continued...
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November 8, 2004
Weekend Report - First Snow
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Saturday: Josh and I worked the entrance and greeted around 125-150 riders to whom we we gave comment forms to be send into the BLM. It was surprising how few people were repeat visitors so far this year. No one from the BLM entered Clear Creek between 7:45 and 10:10 Saturday. We meet a fellow and his son from Visalia who are friends with the Republican legislator from that area and who agreed to present Congressman Devin Nunes with a copy of the briefing paper I have prepared for Congressman Sam Farr.
Josh and I did some single tracking for a while and then met up with a friend in Oak Flat, Thumpertalk's Big Bob, and went for another ride. Another surprising thing I noticed was how many people were in Oak Flat at 1PM. Now I realize that I may not be the typical Clear Creek user because when I leave camp I usually stay out until I run out of gas, daylight or riding partners. I get my stress relief by pounding out miles of tight rocky trail. With so many people around the campgrounds it can mean only one thing - most people never venture out of the Clear Creek drainage. Reminded me of Hollister Hills behavior. Ride, eat & drink, maybe ride again, go home by 3PM. We had ridden low elevation stuff on our way to Oak Flat. On the second ride we climbed up to 4,500 ft elevation and found traces of snow in the bushes. This explains why the rain gauge at Santa Rita Peak was running behind the one at the dam.
Sunday: Had a lot of help this morning. Matt, his son Casey, Eric and Josh. Also making a guest appearance was Teresa Albert, the former BLM park ranger along with her friend Tom, the Club's tax accountant. We had a good steady flow of people between 8:30 and 9:30. Teresa recognized and chatted with a couple truck loads of Clear Creek regulars. The flow tapered off by 10:00AM as everyone entering today were daytrippers - i.e. not planning to stay overnight, at least by choice. No BLM personnel entered Clear Creek during our stint at the entrance. We did have a family from Monterey arrive with three brand new Yamaha's - wheels had never touched the dirt! The father asked me where they should ride and I said Hollister Hills. He shot back that it was too crowded and dangerous.
Took the entrance workers for a little ride that lasted about four hours and covered about 35 miles. Came across a large group of riders in the mini-lumps below Picacho Peak. Seems someone built a ramp (metal and wood) so they could launch across the road and get some good air in the process. Watched a couple of guys demonstrate their jumping skills and then we took off in search of single track. Once we got out beyond the airplane loop we did not see anyone the rest of the afternoon. During a break in the ride Casey, who has only been riding for two years, says to me "you really know some brutal trails!" I don't think they are so brutal, just your average AA enduro routes!
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November 5, 2004
Lines
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Matt and I were out riding single track two weekends ago and, after a good dose, we stopped for a break out above the paved road. As I looked out across the vast hills covered in in brush and pines, I could barely distinguish just one old mine road and certainly none of our single track trails that we use for the enduro. I occurred to me, in a moment of inspiration, that the problem with the Clear Creek plan was the size of the lines that the BLM draws on the their maps. They are totally out of proportion to all of the other features on the BLM maps and totally distort a viewers understanding of the situation. Anyone looking at a BLM map with the thick road and trail lines would get the impression that everywhere you would look you would see roads and trails. While they may be easier to distinguish if you are flying over the Creek in a small plane, it certainly isn't the case from ground level.
This got me to thinking about how much of Clear Creek we really use. If you assume that there are about 500 miles of roads and trails in the Clear Creek Management Area and if you assume the each route is 6 feet wide (which they aren't as evidenced by the tears in my jersey), the the total acreage consumed by these routes and our use is 364 acres. This represents 1.2% of the land mass in the hazardous asbestos area, .7% of the 50,000 acre management area and just .5% of the expanded Clear Creek Management Area. If you add the 937 acres of barrens they are suppose to leave open, then the OHV community's use impacts just 2.6% of these public lands.
So my suggestion to the BLM management that sit around the Hollister Field Office all day doing I don't know what is to throw away all those old maps that adorn the wall of the conference room and have Eric print some new ones with the routes depicted in the smallest point size or weight possible. Then when you look at the maps from a distance you might not even be able to see the .7% of the area that is used by OHV recreationists and forget about us.
Gone to the Creek. Next entry on Monday.
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November 4, 2004
SRMC Award Nomination
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Last week the Salinas Rambler's learned that they had been nominated for an AMA award - 2004 AMA Sports Off-Road Organizer of the Year. The winner will be announced at AMA Sports Awards Banquet in Las Vegas on November 12th. The Club voted to have me represent the Club at the dinner so I will off to Vegas next week. Looks like we will have some stiff competition as we are up against Racer Productions, the organization that Dave Coombs, the legendary race promoter (Blackwater 100) founder.
I see that Mark Kariya was nominated for Photojournalist. Mark is a frequent guest at the Quicksilver National Enduro and has had several great picture from the event published. Another nominee name is Jeff Fredette for Veteran/Senior Rider of the Year. In Jeff's case it should be Rider of the Century considering the record of wins and ISDE gold medals that he has compiled over his career. I had lunch with him one day during the 1994 Six Days of Michigan (an event I highly recommend) and later that week he helped repair a broken pipe mount on my DR350. Great guy and very deserving of the award!
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November 3, 2004
Time to put his money where his mouth is...
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...is a slang term meaning to live up to one's word or act according to one's own advice. Earlier this year the BLM State Director, Mike Pool, told me that Clear Creek was one of his top five priorities in the state. To me it has been hard to tell up to this point. But now Mike has an opportunity to demonstrate his commitment by funding additional support for the Clear Creek program out of federal funds since the OHMVR Commission slashed the BLM's request for Green Sticker Funds.
Originally the HFO (Hollister field Office) requested $443K from the Green Sticker fund and the OHMVR Division staff recommended $335K. At the grants meeting last Friday, the commission, led by four greens appointed by Assembly and Senate Democrats, voted to slash the division's recommendation to a paltry $150K. In a sense I can't say that I blame them. The HFO has been making empty promises about implementing the 1999 Record of Decision for five years and I suspect the commission has finally gotten fed up with them and hit them where it hurts. The timing is unfortunate given that we have some fresh faces in Hollister who want to see the status quo change. Unfortunately, they have to suffer because of the poor leadership in the HFO. Maybe Mike should do something about that too!
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November 2, 2004
Weekend Report, Part 2
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Sunday: Again the Ramblers were out in force to greet. Perhaps because it was Halloween a lot of people stayed home. I don't think we had 100 people pass through the entrance. I printed about 200 comment forms to hand out over the weekend and brought some home because a number of the visitors either picked one up last weekend from us or had attended a BLM meeting and had already sent a response to the BLM. William, the Dirt Ranger, was absent and I later learned that he had crashed on Saturday while stopping a quad rider who was carrying a child with them. Ended up with a bunch of road rash and five stitches in his forearm.
After a partly cloudy start to the day, it cleared and was a bit breezy. Perfect fall riding day. I took it easy and rode around, talking to several groups on the trail. On Saturday, I had heard that some large vehicles with some sort on emblem on the doors had been sighted on Spanish Lake Road. I decided to head out towards Spanish Lake via the paved road for a look around. In a scene right out of a Tom Clancy novel, suddenly heading towards me on the pavement are four Suburbans traveling at a high rate of speed without more than a couple of car lengths between them. As they pass, I see faded emblems that I didn't recognize. I follow them into the Lumps (mine next to the paved road) where I was able to get along side and saw that they are from Stanford University. I quickly passed in a flat section and flagged down one of the vehicles. As the window mechanically opened I could see the young, faces of college students. I think they were surprised when I asked if Dr. Coleman was with them on the field trip. He wasn't. As they appeared to be on a mission to get out of Clear Creek our conversation was very brief and quickly the caravan was on its way again.
Checked the KCAC mine and the gate still did not have a lock on it. Go figure? They lock up the Atlas mine like it was Fort Knox and they leave the other major asbestos mine in Clear Creek wide open for trespass. In fact, the BLM sign in front of the mine states "foot traffic welcome" No wonder the public is confused!!!
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November 1, 2004 Please Vote Tomorrow!!!
Weekend Report, Part 1
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If you were not at the Creek last weekend, you missed another "velcro dirt" occasion. Once again Mother Nature provided the rain on Tuesday and early Wednesday and by Saturday conditions were perfect.
Saturday: The Ramblers greeted about 120-130 people on Saturday morning between 7:45 and 10AM and only four people in two vehicles (paying attention Lesly?) said they were planning to stay overnight. Because of high gas prices, I suspect, more and more people are traveling together with three and sometimes four guys in a four door pick-up.
Worked all day with Brian White, BLM's CC Project Coordinator and Ron Gartland, Trails Restoration Coordinator to review routes for the 2005 Quicksilver. The boys showed up with quads which is like bringing a knife to a gun fight. All I could do was show them the entrance and exits to the AA single track trails they wanted to see. The BLM is suppose to get back to the Club with any remaining trail issues by this Friday, 11/05. We'll see. I had a sore throat during the week and talking to people in the morning didn't help. I also had a pain in my gut but I don't attribute it to Brian and Ron. To their credit, they maneuvered their quads around some technical routes and we didn't get back to camp until almost 6PM. I think these are a couple of people the OHV community can work with.
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October 28, 2004
Comment
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Working the entrance this past weekend I was pleased to hear that several of the people driving in had attended one of the BLM meetings and that they had sent in comments. Here are a couple of additional comments that readers shared with me including a very well written letter from Josh of the Timekeepers.
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