UFWDA Voice April '18

Protect, promote and provide 4x4 opportunities worldwide

APRIL 2018 • Volume 45 • Issue 1

Board of Directors President Tom Mandera– president@ufwda.org Past President Jim Mazzola III– pastpresident@ufwda.org Vice President Steve Egbert- vpresident@ufwda.org International Vice President Peter Vahry – intlvp@ufwda.org Treasurer Fred Wiley– treasurer@ufwda.org Director of Membership Vacant - membership@ufwda.org Director of Public Relations James Dixon-prdirector@ufwda.org Director of Environmental Affairs Jerry Smith - landuse@ufwda.org

Extended Board of Directors

ORBA Representative - Alexis Nelson anelsom@orba.biz Business Development Manager Ray Stanley- business@ufwda.org 4WD Awareness Coordinator Craig Feusse - 4wdawareness@ufwda.org Website Administrator Milt Webb Design – webmaster@ufwda.org

Legal and Marketing

Legal Counsel Carla Boucher – attorney@ufwda.org

Editorial and Design Editor, Peter Vahry

UFWDA Office and Contact PO Box 316 Swartz Creek, MI 48473 Email: info@ufwda.org Phone: 1-800-44-UFWDA

Departments:

Introductions: Tom Mandera Peter Vahry Alexis Nelson

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Comment:

A brief interview with Scott Tallon, Director of Jeep Brand Marketing North America Oregon’s Trails Getting stuck is regular Motivating the Unconcerned Forest Management Conspiracy and Collusion Looking back to 2008 and it still matters Life’s a Beach

News and Events:

4x4 Competition doubles as disaster training!

Pace Lake 4WD enthusiasts and conservationists come together for Tending the Tracks weekend NOLS Wilderness First Aid Course UFWDA Voice Gets Hung Flagpole Knob Building a new trail link ‘Down-under’ Coconino NF to publish revised Motor Vehicle Use Maps

Lists:

Business Contacts Member Organizations

Cover photo and inside; courtesy of Jerry Smith Stories and articles are submitted from various Association Members and other contributors. The views and opinions expressed in the stories and articles within \ are solely those of the individual, or individuals who submitted said stories or articles. United Four WheelDrive Associations may neither advocate, endorse, nor recommend any of the said views or opinions.

Copyright; United Four Wheel Drive Associations Inc. 2018

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Introductions

appointees if volunteers don’t step forward shortly.

Tom Mandera UFWDA President

Hello fellow four-wheelers.

Peter has a great interview with Jeep and has been re-cultivating our relationship with the vehicle that remains synonymous with fourwheeling and the company that manufacturers them.

Jerry has been prolific again - and makes some very good points. I know we’re preaching a bit to the choir, but the general malaise that seems to have permeated seemingly everyone is harming our collective effectiveness.

UFWDA was founded 40 years ago by our forefathers that saw our opportunities eroding, as lands continued to get locked up as part of the environmental movement which itself was a response to some of our collective excesses in the first half of the 20th century (and earlier).

The pendulum swings back and forth. The losses were slowed and even in some places reversed in small increments, but our access continues to be constrained with every new forest planning. If we are not vigilant, if we are instead lackadaisical, we’ll continue to lose access and opportunities, and bit by bit find ourselves with no place to play. Let’s not be party to any backsliding.

Pleading for more involvement plays right into my next topic - elections. The Board of Directors have a few positions to fill this year the President, International Vice President, and Membership Director positions are scheduled for refreshes in even numbered years.

The by-laws call for 2 Delegates to be part of the nominating committee - it doesn’t say they have to volunteer, so we’ll be looking for some

Those of you that haven’t seen your stickers in a while already know that we need a Membership Director. Here is your opportunity to help be part of the solution and set that position back on track.

Those of you that want to help more in a leadership position should consider the President or International Vice President positions. Take a turn at steering the ship use your passion and energy and help United to promote and preserve our hobby.

Please send your recommendations my way, as well as those that want to be part of the selection committee.

Tom

Peter Vahry International VP Editor

A bit longer than is ideal between editions of the UFWDA Voice, but with your help we would be able to improve on that. Members are out there enjoying our recreation, taking photos and writing reports about their adventures and I know that others would enjoy reading about them too... the email address is simple... editor@ufwda.org.

It seems too that it’s not getting any easier to find people willing to volunteer for roles in many of the organizations that represent recreations, or even those roles with renumeration. UFWDA is unique in that we only represent four wheel drive vehicle based recreation, a continually growing pastime for many... but where are those people who are willing to invest some time into helping ensure a future for our recreation?

Why not give it a go with UFWDA? Please be aware though that we are not just looking for names to attach to Board roles, we are

looking for people to actually get ‘hands on’ with those roles to enhance the progress of UFWDA as the valued advocate for four wheeling.

Another area in which UFWDA need your help, is with our connection to the delegates of our member organizations. The email system that we had been using for many, many years to maintain our list of contact addresses for the delegates to UFWDA was suddenly shut down in February and we lost those links.

UFWDA over the years. Should we add a ‘Life Member’ category to our membership? There are some very deserving people who’ve been outstanding in their efforts to build UFWDA , but maybe all the recognition they’ve had is a jacket with UFWDA embroidered on. Should we bite the bullet and forgo that $15 annual membership fee to acknowledge those efforts?

We need the help of our member organizations to update UFWDA with who their delegates are and their contact email addresses.

Once again in this edition we look back ten years and what was happening then. In part this was prompted by the photo of a seashell and a Jeep, on the beach at Cape Hatteras. Only possible today because of the efforts of many, including UFWDA back in 2008.

As editor, I often wonder if UFWDA should do more to acknowledge those people who have backed us for the long haul by becoming ‘Ambassador’ members. Maybe the world should be made aware of your support with a list of names published in the UFWDA Voice? Or maybe you wish to remain anonymous.... again, perhaps those members could email me with their preferences? (please put ‘ambassador’ in the subject line).

There’s a short interview with Jeep’s Scott Tallon that was done at long range from New Zealand while he was being driven from an airport in CA to a Jeep media event to highlight the new Jeep Compass. It was great that he was willing to accomodate the challenge of a 16 hour difference in our respective time zones! The Jeep media crew were very obliging in coordinating the whole thing, thank you.

I’m going to take the liberty of this medium to expand on the concept of recognizing people who have contributed significantly to the functioning of

volunteer based organizations which range from loosely organized to well managed businesses with both volunteers and professionals.

Alexis Nelson ORBA Representative to UFWDA

Alexis Nelson has been involved in motorized recreation for over thirty years. She grew up in a family that spent many weekends playing in the woods at their family cabin where they went snowmobiling, ATV’ing, four-wheeling, boating, fishing, camping and hiking. She started volunteering at the age of 10 working on trails; removing brush, putting up trail signs, and operating grooming equipment. It was these experiences that led her to pursue her education in forestry; because the last thing she wanted to do was sit still and work at a mundane desk job.

From fighting fires, cruising timber, and GPS’ing roads and trails in Colorado, to monitoring timber sales for best management practices in South Dakota, Alexis worked as a seasonal employee for the Forest Service and NYS Parks and Recreation before (and shortly after) graduating from the University of Montana. What was thought to be a one or two-year stepping stone job, Alexis began her career with the Vermont Association of Snow Travelers (VAST) and it turned into a life transforming experience that spanned thirteen plus years.

Alexis started as the Trails Administrator managing the Statewide Snowmobile Trails Program and working with 128+ local clubs and volunteers to becoming the Executive Director of the non-profit 26,000 member organization. She successfully executed a multitude of programs and projects from the visionary stage to completion. She has the ability to creatively leverage financial resources and personnel to assemble customized programs to accomplish specific goals that produce successful results.

Alexis’ experiences as a volunteer helped her understand the complexities of dealing with

After her tenure at VAST, Alexis began working as an Independent Contractor with the Off-Road Business Association (ORBA) developing their strategic business plan and the creation of a new organization that unites the OHV community together at the National level.

She provides ongoing operational support to ORBA from contributing to the National Advocate, to association development, marketing, and planning.

Alexis started her consulting business, Lat + Long Resource Group, in October 2014 and has worked with a myriad of non-profit organizations. Lat + Long is based in Reno, Nevada

A brief interview with Scott Tallon, Director of Jeep Brand Marketing North America On 1 March 2018, your UFWDA Voice editor was able to have a short interview with Scott Tallon by telephone; below is a summary of our conversation.

Peter Vahry

the history of its home nation yet recognized around the world, and one that is protected with such a passion by its owners, fans and followers.”]

A little background on United 4WD Associations… established in 1976, we’re an international organization of volunteers, based in the USA and that is solely dedicated to advocating for 4WD recreation such as…

• Education of Jeep and other brands owners through our ‘Awareness’ program that provides guidance on off road use of 4x4’s • Lobbying state and federal legislators about access to public lands • Working with our member organizations to improve the way our recreation is perceived by others in the wider community.

Hello Scott, thank you for your time today.

Jeep is the first vehicle ‘Cult Brand Honoree’. http://thenewswheel.com/jeep-earns-officialcult-brand-status/ What’s it like to lead a ‘cult’, as Jeep has been identified recently?...

“Jeep are pleased with the recognition, as identified by Mike Manley” [Mike Manley, Head of Jeep Brand – FCA had stated “The global Jeep community is like no other. There is no other automotive brand that is so instantly recognizable and woven into

• We publish a monthly eNewsletter and a less frequent online magazine ‘UFWDA Voice’, in which the upcoming edition will report on this interview.

UFWDA are part of the ‘off road dream’ and want to keep it alive… which of course helps sell Jeeps. Obviously the Jeep brand has a strong recognition among our membership and is certainly predominant in North America.

We recognize that a large proportion of Jeeps sold may never leave a paved road… but they

are invariably marketed as being capable of doing so. If there is continuing restriction on 4x4 vehicle use of public lands, would Jeep shift its marketing focus, or might we see some support for limiting such access restrictions?

“Jeep would keep marketing based on Jeep capability and think that options such a private parks etc would cover that need. All the Jeep models offer a Trailhawk version for capability”

they’d also “drawn attention to the issue of driving in water bodies, which could be seen as a positive”.

Do Jeep actively offer any help to organizations promoting motorized access to roads and trails on public lands?

“Jeep are supporting some access programs…

Jeep Jamboree and Access Fund are a couple.”

(Ed note: Access Fund is a rock climbing advocacy organization listing FCA as a $100,000+ supporter https://www.accessfund. org/ )

Many thanks for your time Scott and your interesting comments, … UFWDA would enjoy the chance to work with Jeep to build our mutual brands.

UFWDA had a positive relationship with Jeep up until the Chrysler financial problems about 10 years ago. Among our efforts was managing Jeep trail activities at the then very popular ‘Camp Jeep’ in Virginia and elsewhere.

I had the pleasure of assisting with a Camp Jeep in 2004. There is still an interest among our members… Could the old style Camp Jeep come back?

“Not really, by using Jeep Jamboree and a program of ‘mini’ Camp Jeeps, a wide market is reached” Do Jeep have any figures around Wrangler owner buying of Moparts, or even things like how many owners do engage 4WD? “Mopart accessories for Wranglers are popular, with over 250 options “ Some controversial questions… the launch marketing of the 2019 Jeep models at Super Bowl raised some eyebrows among enthusiasts and the environmental community… should it be necessary to have explanatory statements with adverts saying things like ‘the waterfall used was man-made’?

UFWDA spends thousands of hours trying to convince 4x4 drivers to avoid such places and are undermined by such material. Can we work together to find other options?

“Jeep recognize that the water scenarios were maybe not ideal”, but Scott suggested that

Diesel Jeeps in North America… are they still likely for some models, given the recent FCA statement that diesel’s out by 2022?

“Jeep will continue with current plans for diesels in North America”.

About Jeep Brand Built on more than 75 years of legendary heritage, Jeep is the authentic SUV with classleading capability, craftsmanship and versatility for people who seek extraordinary journeys.

The Jeep brand delivers an open invitation to live life to the fullest by offering a full line of vehicles that continue to provide owners with a sense of security to handle any journey with confidence.

The Jeep vehicle lineup consists of the Cherokee, Compass, Grand Cherokee, Renegade and Wrangler. To meet consumer demand around the world, all Jeep models sold outside North America are available in both left and right-hand drive configurations and with gasoline and diesel powertrain options.

Follow Jeep and FCA US news and video on: Company blog: http://blog.fcanorthamerica. com Company website: www.fcanorthamerica.com Media website: http://media.fcanorthamerica. com Jeep brand: www.jeep.com Jeep blog: blog.jeep.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/jeep or https:// www.facebook.com/FiatChrysler.NorthAmerica/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/jeep or www. instagram.com/FiatChrysler_NA Twitter: www.twitter.com/jeep or www.twitter. com/FiatChrysler_NA YouTube: www.youtube.com/thejeepchannel or www.youtube.com/fcanorthamerica

Enjoy Four Wheeling?

UFWDA

is Your Advocate

Become a Member, or Donate to help UFWDA efforts United Four Wheel Drive Associations Inc.

Oregon’s Trails

Words and photos by Mona Blake

Central Oregon offers some mighty-fine technical four by four engaged trails, built by Pacific Northwest 4 Wheel Drive Region 6 club members and friends from near and far.

The Millican Valley OHV Area, Edison Butte OHV Trail System, Ground Hog Rock Crawl and OHV Play Area, Santiam Pass OHV Motorized Recreation Area (Trail 210 marked still under construction) and Cline Buttes Recreational Area; these trails are all shared use trails. Meaning your wife and her horse buddies can camp right along with you while you wheel to your content. These trails are on the web and on the map and ready to roll with you.

Now here is the really good news: many more miles are in the works, Rim Butte Jeep Trail, Three Trails OHV and the completion of the North Millican Class II trail system; all awaiting volunteers to complete.

The United States Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management and all public lands agencies have the responsibility to change course as dictated by Congress. Government’s involvement, my friend, is the reason we vote at each election season, right?

Travel Management Plan ( https://www.fs.fed. us/recreation/programs/ohv/final.pdf ) from 2005 was one such directive from Washington DC. The TMP process generated an avalanche of opinions within ‘written comment periods’ on specific processes sent to the USFS. The largest numbers of comments were from the extreme anti-access think tank clubs.

Region 6 Pacific Northwest 4 Wheel Drive Association members Pat and Tom Harris, fresh from a BlueRibbon Coalition meeting, shared with us USFS’ Chief Bosworth’s work (FORGING A SUSTAINABLE SYSTEM OF ROUTES AND AREAS FOR MOTORIZED USE comments by Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth) affirming motorized use on public lands and the new Travel Management Plan process being law.

The Forest Service was charged with each local National Forest polling their communities to know where and how their forests were being utilized. Travel Management Plans and process began a National endeavor in and around 2005 for us.

We knew it was coming and we had prepared.

Those years of process began with many

public meetings being held, then written comment periods came and went. Those of us with ‘written comments’ on record were given a voice if we disagreed with the USFS’ Record of Decision. We did disagree, and we were given audience, through these ‘appeals’ we gained.

We the public, unaccustomed to attending USFS or BLM meetings, let alone writing comments to save our favorite motorized vehicle areas, lost much access.

Region 6 of the Pacific Northwest 4 Wheel Drive Association and Deschutes County 4 Wheelers became research specialists. Patti Pyland lead the charge. Fluent in dealing with agencies and land issues she taught how to comment in these process plans. She taught us appeal process. Randy Drake had, since the 1970’s, contended with these agencies for designated Class II trails in Deschutes National Forest and Central Oregon’s Bureau of Land Management’s public lands. We were set, we knew who, what, where and tried to be when.

We were not 100% effective; some deadlines were missed with these the letters of comment, or appeals were set aside by the agency and they did not have to consider the appeal or the letter of comment. Through this process with Deschutes National Forest and surrounding National Forest we were, should I say ‘allotted’ for lack of better terminology, around 60 miles of Class II (4x4) trails in Deschutes National Forest. The final Record of Decision wasn’t what we asked for, but it will be ‘some good trails’. The USFS closed many of our favorite spots and left us with this challenge; here’s 60 miles of technical/difficult to extreme trails.

BUT: you must build it.

Rim Butte Jeep Trails is the first of the 60 miles to be addressed. Building started in 2016 well after several years of the Deschutes National Forest GPS-ing while walking the area and governments’ bureaucratic environmental studies. DNFS’ Brent Jenkins is our contact for our trail build at Rim Butte. He has gathered many varied wheelers through social media and word of mouth to attack the monumental task of building this trail system. Signing up to help is easy: cbjenkins@fs.fed.us a note to Brent and exchange of information will get you on the list for build dates to attend a work party.

2018; we the 4-wheel drive community, have built around 16 miles of difficult to extreme Class II trails in the Rim Butte OHV Area. The helpers come from Washington State and from all over Oregon. I have seen California represented also. The trail system is now open, but we have much left to accomplish.

The final 4 miles and signage, along with a hardening of the trail should be accomplished by 2018’s autumn breezes.

1969 to 2018 is a long time to advocate for something. Success didn’t come without organized clubs, money and sweat equity.

Educating ourselves, attending meetings, writing letters, begging for our peers to write letters, more meetings, dealing with the National Environmental Policy Act and now the actual strenuous tedious job of building the trails. This is Trail Advocacy, being what you need to be to get the job done.

k c

u t s g ! n i r t a l t u e G reg is

Words and photos; Bill Burke

We all love getting out and about! Whether it is to our back porch BBQ, the Gym, the Disco or way out to nature, we love getting to “that spot” which helps us clear our heads – if even for a moment.

The reason we own a 4WD rig varies across the spectrum of grocery getter to King of the Hammers.

Most of us, though, just like spending time in the outback hanging around a fire and enjoying the company of friends and family.

We customize our vehicles to improve the capabilities, safety and comfort in order to be confident with that rig when we do venture away from the neighborhood. Good snow tires for that safe commute to the ski slopes. Lockers for the favorite rock-crawl trail, you get it! What we all have in common is the fact we will get stuck in or on something!

We just need to plan for that eventuality. So having a good Stuck Assessment plan, and equipment to facilitate that extrication is part of our vehicle build up thought process. Stocking appropriate items in the vehicle for that time is important as well.

In past issues of this newsletter, I’ve written about the equipment safe use skills, given lists of items and wrote of the various ways to get yourself out of a stuck situation. This issue, I just want to write about how we all get stuck at some time and how it gives us great stories when we get back to the office, home or social event. If nothing happened on an adventure… then we have nothing to tell. We love to hear stories and folks just love to hear of our travails of near death from when we got stuck

and put a tree saver strap around that tree stump – only to find out it was a termite nest!!! Good stuff that!

When I was a young pup I drove a friends CJ5 through some deep water while skirting some Mangrove in the Everglades area. There was about 2 feet (61cm) of standing water all around with Lily pads floating about. I felt the front tires drop into a ditch of some sort. Then we realized it was one of the many under water streams that flowed around the ‘Glades. We realized this as the whole Jeep sunk in, and immediately our knees were now below the water. This was Florida, so no top, no doors and we were kids, so no tools of any sort. Ahhhh youth!! The engine hydro locked and we didn’t want to damage the Jeep any further. So, hike out about 3 miles (5Km) to a pay phone – remember them?

– to call somebody that cared! Luckily our Scout Master with his Land Rover 88” Series was around.

He had allll the right stuff! My first official recovery lesson began that day.

Over the years I’ve learned to drive well, pick a line, keep the vehicle flat and use traction aids if needed. Still, I get stuck. Sigh! There is no plot or moral to this story. I just wanted to share with folks that getting stuck, hung-up, delayed, stymied is just part of the game of ‘wheeling off the pavement. I carry good recovery equipment, I have learned how to use it safely and don’t mind taking time to make a plan before I just jump in!! Enjoy the photos.

See you on the trail! BB

Bill Burke’s 4-Wheeling America Premier Training and Guided Back Country Trips 970-858-3468…bb4wa@bb4wa. com... www.bb4wa.com

4x4 Competition doubles as disaster relief training!

CLARK FREEPORT --- Officials of the Rainforest Challenge (RFC) stated that 4X4 offroad drivers and teams are sent to disaster relief operations. Roberto “Robby” Consunji, RFC Philippines representative, said their group continues to train in terms of off-road driving and develop motor sports for disaster response.

“There is a practical application to the (driving) skills and from the Land Rover Club we have drawn the Rainforest Challenge teams from that experience and we’ve deployed for various relief operation such as Typhoon Yolanda in Tacoban,” Consunji said. Consunji was joined

by Rainforest Challenged Malaysia Founder Luis Wee and Fuel Autotek Philippines marketing manager Kevin Buenaseda and RFC Philippines Chairman Rene Romero during a press conference at the Matam Ih Restaurant here on Saturday. Rainforest Challenge started in Malaysia in 1997 and eventually become a global series, according to Wee. Read more: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/pampanga/local-news/2018/01/29/rfc-road-teamsdeployed-disaster-relief-operations-586131

PAMPANGA. Rain Forest Challenge Malaysia founder Luis J.A. Wee; lawyer Roberto Consunji (right), president of Land Rover Club of the Philippines; and Kevin Buenaseda, marketing manager of Fuel Autotek PH brief members of the media on the upcoming Rain Forest Challenge Philippines 2018 in July this year. (Chris Navarro/SunStar Photo)

Pace Lake A recap from 2008 by Jerry Smith

This is an old story going back to 2008 when we (myself and my Jeep “Happy Trails�) spent some time reopening a little known Jeep trail that Mother Nature had closed some years before.

Pace Lake is in a very remote place south of Gateway, CO. Services are few and it would be a long walk to any kind of help.

The Pace Lake road was one trip I had been looking forward to trying again since last fall. That first attempt at Pace Lake had ended in failure when some very dark clouds came over the mountain right above Pace Lake when I was about one-quarter of the way up the mountain and I retreated as fast as possible.

There are two things you need to know about the Pace Lake road are: • When it rains in Sinbad Valley, the lower Pace Lake road becomes incredibly slick (the upper road isn’t too sticky either).

• If it rains enough in Sinbad Valley, Salt Creek canyon... the only way in or out of the valley for water or vehicle, can flash flood making access either very dangerous or nonexistent.

Last fall, just days before I had traveled through Salt Creek toward Sinbad Valley and the Pace Lake road there had been a gully washer in Sinbad Valley. Salt Creek crosses the road into Sinbad Valley twice and in both crossings it was clear that the roaring water had been 3 to 4 feet deep. That was warning enough. This day had rain in the forecast too. If you Jeep in canyon country, you learn to watch the area weather closely... one way or the other!

After entering Sinbad Valley and about half way to the foot of the mountain toward Pace Lake, the road had signs of what it would be like if real wet.

One track or across the center of the road was cut up to 24” deep with near vertical walls snaking back and forth from the deluge of rain runoff. The clay like surface was just damp and it still built up in the tires limiting traction to near nothing. Being here while it rained would be “dumb”.

Staying out of the deep channel was a full-time job but soon the elevation changed enough that there was a river rock-like surface that was “slow-going” rough.

Sinbad Valley is a bowl with 800 - 1400 foot high, near vertical cliffs surrounding all but the Salt Creek canyon. Eons ago, it was a small salty sea that dried up leaving a salt dome the width of the valley.

It is thought that the weight of dust from Utah’s southern region eventually collapsed the dome.

This helps explain that the water going down Salt Creek is about 2/3 as salty as seawater. The creek bottom turns white as the creek recedes and dries.

Nearing the bottom of the mountain the road splits.

As the general direction toward Pace Lake was to the right, we (Happy Trails & I) took the right fork.

In about 200 yards, we came to the remnants of an old log cabin. The current resident (a lizard) ducked for cover as I rummaged around taking pictures.

Back on the road, we immediately began a steep climb. Another 100 yards brought us to a bad scene. The lower side of the road no longer existed. It was a deep, wide channel at least 3-4 feet deep and about as wide.

After walking up the road nearly a quarter mile, I determined that this way was not going to be passable without some serious excavating. We backed down to the cabin and turned around for a look at the other fork.

blocking progress just above the intersection. I got out to see about removing the tree when I looked up and saw a terribly black storm cloud rolling over the mountain above in the direction of where Pace Lake would be.

The left fork of the Pace Lake road circled the foot of the mountain with another fork along the way. Staying right, we came to a wash that looked intimidating. The near bank was almost 5 feet straight down and then the climb out began exactly at the foot of the mountain. No hill for a climber.

Having the knowledge of what rain meant to the lower Pace Lake road and creek below, it seemed like a very good time to get out of there. By the time we hit the bottom of the mountain it had begun to rain. This was not good.

After some shovel work to break the bank down, we jumped the wash and soon began climbing the mountain section Pace Lake road. The road narrows as you go with deep V-cuts in the lower side from runoff and many large rocks scattered from the hillside above litter the roadway.

The first mile or so required nearly two hours of work moving rocks over the side and into the V-cuts to slow the erosion. Without doing this, the road would become impassable with another hard storm.

The Pace Lake road had been closed by Mother Nature for at least two years according to the BLM. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I had a goal in mind that drove me onward.

A little way up the mountainside an old burn is still evident. Old burnt trees still stand though many have fallen or are about to. Coming to a fork where the eroded road from the cabin intersects, the Pace Lake road begins a quite steep climb. There was a large burnt pine tree across the Pace Lake road

Long before we got to the clay portion of the Pace Lake road, rain had thoroughly wet it making it exactly slick. Staying clear of the deep cut washes in the road was difficult, but we were doing well... until a large rock protruding up from the right side of the road left only inches between the left side tires and the deep ditch. Add to that the off-camber leaning toward the deep ditch tripled the danger on the Pace Lake road.

After 4 unsuccessful attempts to get by the rock, we slid into the ditch and became high centered with the axles firmly on the ground. Bummer!

Pace Lake had just become very difficult.

As it was raining hard, I decided to wait for the storm to pass (I hoped). After a half-hour it let up enough to get out without becoming wet and cold.

After a quick assessment of the situation, out came the winch line to a nearby tree and soon the recovery was over. Luckily the creek had not swollen and we left the Pace Lake road for another day.

Pace Lake (part 2) 5/10/2008 The Pace Lake road was firmly in the crosshairs today. The previous failure to reach Pace Lake needed to be rectified.

In talking with the BLM (yes, we actually have a very good working relationship with the BLM) about the Pace Lake road, it was clear that Mother Nature had closed the trail at least two years before and probably more. This would possibly be the first reopening of a trail I had done since moving to Colorado from Montana.

magnitude, they simply turn around. Not so with me.

Experience has taught me things. I have made a habit of walking well past the bad area to see if working on it would be rewarded or just scoffed at later. After about a ½ mile walk, I made up my mind that the Pace Lake road could be overcome.

The first attempt at straddling the deep notch ended up with the entire left rear tire hanging below the road surface. This was really a bad kind of stuck but we crawled out after a little rock and tree limb placement.

Reopening trails is something that brings a wealth of pleasure to me. I have fought road closures from Montana to Utah and Colorado since back in the mid 1970s. It’s become an overwhelming passion.

There was some damage done to the fender flare and a little scuffing of the corner paint, but it’s a Jeep. The bad part was that this was the first real damage done since Happy Trails was new in ‘06.

Pace Lake would be remembered.

This trip I knew the Pace Lake road would be traversed further than the first time barring any major changes to the roadway between then and now.

OK, this would require some serious fill work to make it passable. After gathering all the downed trees and large rocks nearby, I began shoveling the high bank into the ditch until it looked good enough a little over 3-hours later. You can›t believe all the dirt and debris it took to partially fill that ditch.

The lower Pace Lake road offered little resistance but as we (Happy Trails and I) began the ascent up the mountainside, there was a repeat of the last trip. (While I do often go alone, I do not recommend it by the way).

The winter of 2007-’08 had been dramatic in this little area of heaven.

Many new rocks had rolled into the road where they had been cleared on the previous trip, and the V-cuts in the lower roadside had been enlarged so the work began early. It was obvious that the spring runoff had been dramatic this year. Severe water runoff damage to the Pace Lake road was everywhere.

After an hour of more rock moving, we were finally up to that pesky tree blocking the road just above the intersection. The Mile Marker HI9000 hydraulic winch made quick work of it. Pace Lake or bust!

For the next mile or so, we stopped several times for rocks, trees, and brush overgrown into the roadway. This was the easy part. Brush trimming is a common occurrence where we go and we go prepared with the tools to do it.

A few turns later we encountered another «challenging» obstacle. Pace Lake wasn›t giving in yet.

This one had both erosion and three major boulders in the way. The boulders were nearly hood high, so going over was not a good option. They blocked the road in such a way that going around the low side of the first two would work, but the third one was too close to the lower side of the road to get around.

After some technical «calculated eyeball» measuring, I decided IF we could get past the first two and go hard left between the second and third rocks and then go high enough on the upper bank, we could make it past.

The first part of the plan went well. Crawling the very steep upper road bank tightened the seat cover to the breaking point. To say we were leaning over was like saying there is sand at the beach or some salt in seawater.

The next major obstacle was a 60-70 yard stretch of the Pace Lake road where the middle and lower side of the road was a three-foot deep gully.

The rear couldn’t or wouldn’t climb the bank and the right rear wheel hooked the point on the third boulder breaking a chunk of the faux bead lock out and mutilating the center cap. More damage!

When most encounter an obstacle of this

With more rock rolling, tree removal, and miles of

brush trimming, we cruised through the gate into a meadow where Ponderosa Pines grew. To the left of the meadow was a serious barbed wire fence on the Colorado/ Utah border and Pace Lake just across the road on the Utah side of the fence.

The JB Ranch patrols the fence line and no trespassing is permitted. After a very late lunch with a beautiful view of Pace Lake, we proceeded further up the road to the National Forest boundary where the signs say, «closed to motorized travel».

Known locally as the «Little Forest», this small isolated parcel is closed simply because the MantiLa Sal Forest Service doesn›t want to manage it.

Note: I have recommended that the BLM assume responsibility for the area and that they allow us to reopen a short road to the east to connect with another road ends that comes from the John Brown road. This would create a “Loop Road” that is so popular with land management these days. We are currently working with the BLM, USFS, and a private landowner to build this connector trail.

On the return trip to the meadow, I was rewarded with the sight of several elk on the Pace Lake dam.

It’s always great to see wildlife.

As the day was getting late, we had to go down the Pace Lake road at a much faster pace than the ascent. With most of the bad obstacles passable now, that was not much problem.

The Pace Lake road was open once again. Pace Lake was worth the effort to see and the trail is a dandy class 7 or 7+. If you’re going to attempt the Pace Lake road, you better come equipped and capable.

(The trail is currently rated more like a 6 or 6+. The

years have mellowed some of the obstacles due to erosion and people moving things) The views from the upper Pace Lake road are incredible. The Sinbad Valley is beautiful and you can see over the south end clear down to the San Juan Mountains near Ouray.

The Pace Lake road is and will be a challenge for the foreseeable future. We offer it as an option during the annual Rock Junction event around the first of June. I hope you make an opportunity to see Pace Lake.

One last thought; when you come to a fork in the road, take it! Adventure is where you find it.

Happy Trails to you.

Copyright 2008- 2018, Happy Trails 4wd, all rights reserved.

Note: Most of the pictures in this article are from other trips to Pace Lake.

Along the Seabird to Guilderton track. Picture: Barry Callen

4WD enthusiasts and conservationists come together for Tending the Tracks weekend January 18th, 2018, Written by Tyler Brown North Coast Times News Western Australia THE four-wheel drive community and conservation groups recently came together for the first Tending the Tracks event.

More than 100 participants from groups including Trackcare WA, the WA 4WD Association and local coast care groups attended the January 13 and 14 event coordinated by the Conservation Council of WA and supported by the Northern Agricultural Catchments Council (NACC).

On the Saturday, small groups visited selected hotspots along the coast between Guilderton and Sandy Cape to hear from expert speakers and local guides before camping overnight.

The Sunday featured a forum and workshop at

the Jurien Bay Sport and Recreation Ground that focused on developing community-based management of the coastal off-road environment.

“If we don’t look after it, we won’t be allowed in it,” WA 4WD Association chairman Bruce Brinkley said.

Conservation Council of WA citizen science coordinator Nic Dunlop added that state and local governments struggled with the “lack of staff and resources to effectively manage the coastal zone environment”.

“This partnership will hopefully provide opportunities to improve environmental outcomes and provide some assistance to the coast care groups and traditional owners currently striving to protect the coastal areas north of Perth,” Dr Dunlop said.

The input from the workshop will now be used to develop a range of joint on-ground projects and environment monitoring as well as to inform longer term educational and policy development.

The event was funded through the Federal Government’s National Landcare Program.

Motivating the Unconcerned Are YOU the “Lack” in Lackadaisical?

By Jerry Smith Director of Environmental Affairs for the United Four Wheel Drive Associations

According to Dictionary.com, lackadaisical means: without interest, vigor, or determination; listless; lethargic: a lackadaisical attempt.

Whoa!! A new word for many of you.

If we break it down a bit, “lack” means; “deficiency or absence of something needed, desirable,” Hypothetically, let’s say you love steak. You eat steak nearly every night for dinner. A perfectly done steak is what makes your day brighten and you sleep a peaceful and restful sleep because you had your favorite meal.

Introducing the Department of Agriculture. Some groups of bureaucrats have determined that steak is not good for human consumption. Therefore, they are REQUIRING that all beef be ground for hamburger with a 25% fat content effective immediately. If you ever eat hamburger, you like 90% lean meat.

Are you going to stand for this… or just sit there and let this travesty go on?? Are you lackadaisical??

Then there are more groups of government bureaucrats who have determined that if they simply ration gasoline, the planet will survive and the resource will last much longer. From now on, you will ONLY be allowed ONE tank of gas per week. How is that going to affect your plans? For some of you, that will get you to work about two or maybe three days per week. That’s okay; you can ride your bicycle to the store for food… food you can’t afford because you can’t get to work five-days a week anymore.

Recreation??? That 4x4 parked in your driveway just turned into a giant paperweight. You can’t use

it… no gas. You can’t sell it. Who needs or wants a vehicle that has no fuel to go anywhere? You’ll part it out?? Who’s going to build a vehicle they can’t use?? Those parts aren’t worth two-cents on the dollar you paid for them.

If you think these scenarios are a bit silly you’d be wrong. They are happening all around you every day.

Take gun control for instance. They haven’t yet taken your guns away (yet), but they’re limiting the amount of bullets you may purchase and have driven up the cost of them to where you may not enjoy firing one. And they’ve limited the size of your legal magazines.

In the last 15-years, the Forest Service and BLM have limited the number of trails open for motorized vehicles. In fact, in most ranger districts, the newer travel plans have CLOSED 50% to 75% of the trails that once were open for your pleasure. Were you “lackadaisical” while they did that?? Be honest… what did YOU DO to stop this from happening??

Did YOU write and submit a comment?

Did YOU support someone who did?

Did YOU attend the meetings to discuss this with the land managers?

Did YOU ask your County Commissioners to submit their recommendations to the land managers to keep YOUR trails open?

Unless YOU did at least one of the above, YOU were and are lackadaisical.

What if I told you that there are more rounds of trail closures coming?

Would THAT finally get you up off your lackadaisical butt??

Okay, you have a life and time is a premium. We understand.

Attending meetings is expensive and time consuming.

Writing a “substantive� comment requires research and thought. Maybe your grammar or your typing abilities are poor. There are innumerable excuses.

We understand that too.

But did you make an effort to support people who have the time, the knowledge, and the passion to do what needs to be done? Would it hurt so bad to send a check supporting the organizations that are trying to do what you are unwilling or unable to do?

Some of us do have the time and knowledge to do this work. But why should we, as individuals, pay the expenses to go to meetings, or attend events to talk with locals that have more details than we can know from afar? Some of us would gladly work FOR you if you would only show some support.

You can continue your lackadaisical ways. We are happy to allow that. But please consider becoming

a member of the United Four Wheel Drive Associations. The membership dues are not that expensive. In fact, they would be cheap if they were doubled if we can keep just a few of your trails open to motorized use.

United once had paid staff to do the work. The resources and support dried up, and the staff had to go.

United once had an attorney on retainer who produced wonderful support for trail access. The resources and support dried up, and the attorney had to go as well.

Volunteers are difficult to come by. Volunteers who are willing to work for nothing are even more difficult to find. Volunteers who are willing to spend their own money to travel to meetings and events are even more difficult to find. Why should they??

Ask yourself, is your club or is your state association actually DOING the work necessary to keep your trails safe from closure?

We at United are trying, but without support from the people we represent, there is little that we can accomplish. Please help.

NOLS Wilderness First Aid Course August 26, 2017 CORE Admin

This past weekend several CORE members got the chance to participate in the NOLS Wilderness First Aid Course offered through REI. While not cheap, costing $225-$255 per seat depending on REI membership status, for the CORE Members that made it the training was money very well spent.

While we had 6 members sign up only 4 were able to make it.

The 16-hour course was taught over a two day weekend. Taught at the picturesque Piscataway Park right on the Potomac across from Mount Vernon, the course was taught both inside the Visitor Center/Meeting Room and outside. The training was a mixture of classroom instruction on various topics and examples of dealing with simulated patients, our fellow classmates, as we learned the steps to best assess and handle various types of injuries and conditions that we may encounter in the backcountry.

What was most interesting about this course was its focus on dealing with these situations often in locations far from help. In our hobby we frequently find ourselves miles from the nearest paved road, often in wooded terrain (no heli support) and past terrain that would take people many hours or days to traverse on foot, and in terrain not traversable my normal rescue vehicles. Because of this, as some of us have seen on the trail, being able to handle injuries as they happen to those in our own group, or others recreating in the same areas, could literally be the difference between life and death.

Topics covered in the course included: Patient Assessment Emergency & Evacuation Plans Spine Injury Head Injury Shock Wilderness Wound Management Musculoskeletal Injury How to make various splints Heat Illness Cold Injury Lightning Altitude Sickness Medical Conditions and Treatment Anaphylaxis Additional course information can be found here: https://www.nols.edu/en/coursefinder/courses/ wilderness-first-aid-WFA/ Probably the most fun part of this course was that 1/3 of the time you were the patient, often covered in fake blood, acting the part of an injured climber or hiker or bird enthusiast! All four of us that attended the course would highly recommend it to others. We hope we never have to use what we learned, but we’ll be much better prepared if we find ourselves in those emergency medical situations again.

Forest Management Conspiracy and Collusion Does it exist and why?

By Jerry Smith

The Transfer Act of 1905 transferred the management of forest reserves from the General Land Office of the Interior Department to the Bureau of Forestry, henceforth known as the United States Forest Service.

For many years, the job of “forest ranger” was a highly respected and even a very desired position. So what changed that?

Like many of the US federal agencies, the US Forest Service has been suspected of and accused of being corrupted. It’s safe to say that there are likely good reasons for these accusations.

For some time, I have said there is a “Preservationist Wing” or “cult” within our land management agencies… the BLM and USFS primarily. This “cult” is comprised of radical preservationistas who will do absolutely anything to complete what they deem to be their mission --- “to preserve and protect” every square inch of public lands from human use (with the exception of their own of course).

You may think these are terrible accusations and that I’m way off base, but read on and see if these arguments don’t convince you.

USFS personnel deal with a mountain of laws and their own agency rules everyday. When you are required to work under all of these entities, you would think that eventually you would have a strong idea of what is required and how to implement it.

Add to that the many programs and decisions that are handed down nearly daily and you might think they should be well versed in writing ironclad documents. Yet we have one after another “decision” heading directly from the Ranger District Office to the courtroom.

Have you ever wondered why so many Forest Service management decisions end up in court? Wouldn’t you think that after 112-years the people who write forest management decisions would KNOW how to do it without leaving loop holes that the “Environmental Community” can exploit in court?

Not being a trained detective nor a star prosecutor, I cannot prove what I’m about to allege, but it would seem that logic might lead one to suspect that it might be true.

There is hardly anyone who doubts the fact that the USFS is heavily loaded with hard-core preservationists. For many years, anyone even remotely involved in public land use and has worked with the USFS can tell you they are masters of the political ways of delay and mislead. Getting a straight answer is like asking a politician caught on video if that really was him shooting the President. They have 500 answers that mean exactly nothing and will claim zero is not a number.

If you can find a “not-so-radical” USFS person who will speak the truth, they will often tell you that they cannot even disagree with the “radicals” or they will find their job in jeopardy or be moved to another National Forest.

Now, think about this. If you were a radical preservationist in the USFS, what would be an easy way to tie up projects that did not include “preserving and protecting” the lands you personally want to have set aside in Wilderness, National Monuments, National Wildlife Refuges, or some other entity that has severely restricted human access? Does the court system, with its many delays, backlogs of cases, and unscrupulous lawyers seem like a good way to slow progress?

Of course, with the current so-called “legal system”, lawyers can find something to sue for in just about any matter, so maybe this “conspiracy” is a bit far fetched, but when you think about it, it is possible.

Either way, the commonality of every USFS decision needing a court proceeding to bless it is still a fact.

Another fact is that we seem to still be on the treadmill toward more “preservation and protection”. Every few months, some new designation “protecting” some “endangered species” or creating a sub-class of Wilderness comes along. It may not be a congressional designation, but the results are the same…

motorized us of the area will be curtailed and it will be largely managed as though it were Wilderness.

The day of “Roadless Areas” has yet to be settled. Every year more “Roadless Areas” are either added or expanded. Congress can’t seem to get off their collective butts to decide anything, much less finally settle the plight of Wilderness Study Areas and Roadless Areas that have been around for most of 50-years.

Personally, looking at many of the WSAs (Wilderness Study Areas) I have at least some doubts as to the actual Wilderness Qualities of many. Too many WSAs have most of the actual qualities of Wilderness as described in the Wilderness Act, but there are also many other qualities that should eliminate the areas.

Many “qualities” that originally would have disqualified these WSAs have been allowed by “rule” changes, not by law.

The way I see it, adding watered down expectations of what constitutes quality Wilderness is not the way this railroad should be run. True Wilderness such as the original Wilderness Areas ARE a true blessing to all Americans. But many of the later additions to the Wilderness System are a disgrace. When you allow roads, buildings, logged areas, and other unquestionably man-made things, the area may be designated and may be managed as Wilderness, but my disappointment in going there expecting a REAL Wilderness experience would be shattered.

To me, Wilderness is more than just real estate. It is truly about the experience of going back in time to when man was just a

blip on the evolutionary calendar. I have been fortunate enough to have backpacked into the Bob Marshall, Bitterroot Selway, and Frank Church Wilderness Areas. THEY are what Wilderness was meant to be.

I have also been in some of the later designated Wilderness Areas like Welcome Creek in Montana. First of all, I had Forest Service maps showing a road, a sawmill, and other man made items that do not belong in ANY Wilderness Area. One afternoon, I decided to drive up the road to see where the Wilderness boundary was.

As I drove, it was very obvious that the area had been logged in years past. Sawn tree stumps were everywhere. The road hadn’t seen much use in a long time, but was still very much a road. When I came to the first sign announcing the Wilderness, I had to get out of the Jeep and walk around the sign to read it.

Yes, I had just driven through a congressionally designated Wilderness (not the first time either).

This Welcome Creek Wilderness deserved this designation about as much as any Interstate Highway. It is so common, there is nothing other than the stupid designation that says Wilderness about it. Slow rolling hills with mostly lodgepole pine and spruce growing on it. Nothing outstanding at all.

765 Wildernesses and 109,129,657 acres 640 million acres, about 28% of the 2.27 billion acres of land in the United States.

UFWDA Voice gets Hung Back in 2015 I saw this article about setting up your garage. http://www.fourwheeler. com/…/1510-what-to-do-…/photo-09.html They mentioned, as a joke, that good wall art was poster sized prints of magazine covers featuring your vehicle. A perk of the job I guess when you work for the magazine. But then in 2016 our vehicle was featured on the cover of a magazine! Cherie took that cover, replaced the image with the high res original for printing, then printed it and framed it!

Happy Valentine’s Day indeed!

Andrew Taylor

Looking back to 2008 and it still matters

Flagpole Knob June 24, 2017 One sunny Saturday a bunch of us all agreed that it was the perfect day to climb a mountain just to see the view. The spot we chose, Flag Pole Knob located west of Harrisonburg, VA within the lovely GWNF. A few of us decided a breakfast of champions with a fitting view of mountains was a good place to meet and start the day. A Denny’s in Strasburg fitted the bill. Fed and happy, we hit the road to join with everyone else at the Sheetz in Harrisonburg. We arrived to quite a crowd of eager off roaders. We got our lunches to go and our rigs gassed up. A quick meeting got all the drivers in sync with our route plan and details of our adventure. We would head down US-33 to Skidmore Fork Rd and take that all the way to the top. After lunch on the knob, we’d head back down via Union Springs Rd. I remember this trail being very stock friendly.

So friendly, I’ve taken my stock s10 blazer up it dozens of times. I was informed that over the years, it’s gotten a little more challenging and we’ll have to be careful for some of the new folks and make sure they get over the obstacles intact. At first, I thought “it can’t be that bad?” but later I happily learned that the trail has really become a fun challenge.

The first mile or so was only challenging because we needed to find a place to air down everyone without blocking the trail. We were going to use the clearing near the boat ramp but some mis-communication made us go past it. Found a nice side cut to use instead.

Aired down and everyone lined up in a happy order, we started our climb. It was a beautiful day and the tree top canopy provided plenty of shade all the way up. It was a good steady climb with no real challenges.

We hit the T in the road and a few wanted to run down to the left to see the rock obstacle and come back up it. We would be going down later, but I heard it was a bigger (and more fun) challenge to come up. The rest of us headed to the knob. Took the easy way up to the clearing.

And what a view. Weather was definitely in our favor. Could see clear across the valley. We broke for lunch and chit chat. Plenty of pictures ensued as well.

Now the easy part was over. Time for the fun.

Heading out after lunch I decided to take a more fun, which means more flexing, path off the knob. A few joined me and the rest went around and caught up down the trail. The fun path takes you over two full flex hills and can get you on three wheels if you don’t pick a good line. Can be a good suspension test.

We headed back the way we came till we hit the intersection for Skidmore Fork. To get down the mountain we went straight instead.

This part of the trail became very rocky and had plenty of small challenges. The first big event was the drop.

The drop is this series of stepped rocks.

There’s 3 or 4, depending on the line you choose. This drop will rip your bumper off and bend a drive shaft if you take it wrong. Spotting was needed. And some more rocks. We stacked a good bit of rocks to ease the drops for the stockers among us. One by one we each came over the edge and each with a bit of a pucker factor and white knuckles.

Thought we were done with the hard part.

Trail was just getting started. Past this point are several gradual hills going up and down, littered with soccer ball sized rocks, mud puddles, and small steps. It was awesome. It ultimately got us out to Meadow Knob where

we got another breath taking view looking west this time. Onward and downward we went.

Shortly after we came to the big rock step. Its a sharp curve in the trail where there is almost a reverse of what we did earlier. Going up isn’t as easy because you don’t have gravity helping you. I put my jeep in easy mode. 4 low and both lockers. Climbed on up without an issue. The new guys needed some spotting that Andrew and I took turns doing. A few folks decided to challenge themselves and their rigs and find out what they can do. And happy to report they all made it over with no damages.

After this the trail begins its wind down. It smooths out and makes its way down the mountain in a few switch backs. Gradually turning into a gravel road. We stopped at this hill climb clearing to air back up and end the day.

Over all it was a very successful trail run. No damaged rigs. No popped tires. And several people exceeded their expectations on what they could do. I call that a success. Looking forwards to everyone coming out again on this trail or another!

Capital Off Road Enthusiasts, Inc. (CORE)

Building a new trail link ‘Down-under’ Words and photos: Peter Vahry

’ Like many cities, the one I live in… Auckland… has expanded continually with the inevitable loss of many places that we used to use for a bit of four wheeling. Gradually people are being pushed further away to be able to experience some ‘back blocks’ trails. However one of the early places that I went to when I joined the Auckland 4WD Club back some 30 years ago was a block of land around the site of a now vanished mining town called Neavesville that sat in an isolated spot on the Coromandel Ranges, about 1.5 hours from Auckland. All that remains now is one tired wooden ‘headstone’ marking the grave of a Minnie Collins who died in 1908.

There was a network of old logging and mine service dirt tracks, but we never asked who owned the land as no one lived around the area anymore. We and many others continued to access the area for many years and in 2003 when looking for locations that might suit a ‘winch challenge’ contest like the ‘Rainforest and Outback Challenge’ events, I finally researched the ownership of the land. It turned out that there were two blocks of land with different owners and fortunately both owners gave permission for us to run that competition event in return for a modest fee.

The owners though were however getting a bit fed up with all and sundry freeloading on

their land and one owner indicated that they’d sell if someone offered enough money. The land they owned was actually a key ingredient as it had direct road access and effectively controlled access to the other much bigger block of land whose only other access was via a rather rough 11-kilometre track that also passed through someone else’s land.

It took a few years to get an agreement to buy the 100-acre block with road access and through the generosity of one club member the fairly substantial sum of money was found to complete the sale. Since that 2003 competition I’d continued to act as the owner’s representative in an attempt to manage access through permits to various other 4x4 clubs, which did help to reduce the trespassing but never eliminated it.

In 2014 I got a call from the land owner of the larger block of land to advise that they’d leased to a mining company to redevelop an old gold mine and that our access was closed. A real blow to us, as we’d been working for a year or so to identify and clear a new section of trail to create a ‘loop’ with a bit of a difficulty factor and in fact actually had a digger booked to start the earthworks.

Four years on and virtually no mining activity has been identified, so we decided to ask

the owners of that big block again if we might be able to access at least some of their land that would probably not impinge of immediate mining exploration… and they agreed!

That opened up a whole lot of potential options and made it worthwhile to again look at new trail options to widen the scope of the area.

This is land that had previously been logged for timber (apparently a fair bit went to rebuild San Francisco after the fire of 1906) and mined for gold and silver. Researching old documents and aerial photos has allowed us to identify several old routes that today are almost obliterated by the regenerating vegetation.

We even found the overgrown foundations and steel relics of a stamping battery that was built to crush the supposedly rich ore. Sadly, it seems that no one got rich from that particular venture.

Our plan is to continue to clear the thick undergrowth and create those series of new links. We now have great respect for early road builders who managed to establish routes with modest grades despite not being able to see

ahead more that a few metres. Despite having spent years reading books etc. about trail building and the do’s and don’ts, I still find that we’ve probably got more don’ts in our initial trail layout than is really desirable. The terrain is a series of boulder strewn streams in gullies separated by ridges that climb from about 100 metres to over 1500 metres in altitude over a couple of kilometres. Most of the tracks run along the ridges.

Some initial digger work has been done to open a second entry point to the roadside block of land and a couple of serious steel gates have been installed to control access.

Hopefully by the time you read this we may have managed to get another machine in for about a week to rough out more of our proposed network. With winter now approaching down in this part of the world, we may yet be beaten by weather as the terrain is not suited to machine work in the wet.

Quite an adventure with a lot of walking to investigate options for new trails and for a suitable camp-site, it’s just a pity that it’s 180 kilometres from home!

Life’s a Beach

This photo (credit to Ben Wood) was taken Easter Sunday, 4/1/18, out on the point at Cape Hatteras National Seashore in NC. With a permit, off-road vehicle use is allowed in certain areas of Cape Hatteras National Seashore. We love spending time in our

Jeep, especially at the beach. The shelling was FABULOUS this trip. We feel very blessed to have access to such a gorgeous location via 4x4.

Reflecting back to 2008....

regulatory negotiation committee convened by the Department of Jnterior on behalf of the National Park Service (NPS). Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreational Area.

UFWDA Influencing the Focus of Recreation Management By: Carla Boucher UFWDA Executive Director & legal Counsel United Four Wheel Drive Associations occupies one of 30 seats on a

Melissa R. Simmons

The purpose of the committee is to develop a proposed alternative to be considered in detail by the NPS under its proposed rulemaking for Off-road Vehicle (ORV) management at Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreational Area, The committee is comprised of stakeholders representing various interests such as

the federal government, state government county government, civic and homeowner associations. open access user groups.

ORV users. recreational fishing, bird watchers, surfers, pedestrian recreation, commercial fisherman, businesses through the chamber of commerce, county tourism board, national environmental organizations. and state and regional environmental organizations.

The committee was convened in January.

The committee met in January, February. and March, and will meet next in May. 2008. The issues to be addressed by the committee are often-times complicated, complex, and controversial, My experience thus far is that even the issues I think will be “easy” to articulate and agree upon are fraught with complications.

The issues tackled thus far by the committee included whether to have an ORV speed Limit on the beaches and if so how slow in which areas. The speed limit issue remains unsettled where UFWDA and other stakeholders advocate for 25 mph on all beaches unless posted otherwise. with a second speed limit of 15 mph in the excepted areas. Some environmental and civic stakeholders can not reach consensus on the speed limit until the 15 mph exception is lowered to 10 mph. It might seem that both “sides” of the argument could just say it doesn’t matter and move from their stalwart positions. UFWDA feels that a 10 mph speed limit Is so low that it would render forward movement impossible. That’s a round-about way of saying 10 mph is so slow we’d get stuck…. (Excerpt from UFWDA Voice 2008)

Coconino NF to publish revised Motor Vehicle Use Maps Free electronic maps available for download

The Coconino National Forest will be issuing a revised, free Motor Vehicle Use Map on April 15 that shows all of the roads, trails and areas open to motor vehicle use on the Forest.

Once the map is downloaded, it works without cell coverage. Instructions for how to get the free map and app on your mobile device can be found at http://go.usa.gov/PEa (case sensitive).

The Motor Vehicle Use Map is re-issued each year, is free to the public, and can be downloaded for use on smartphones, tablets and Garmin GPS devices. Copies of the Motor Vehicle Use Map are available at all Coconino National Forest offices, nearby national forest offices, and related businesses.

The 2018 Motor Vehicle Use Map and Forest Travel Map include updates and corrections made as a result of public input received over the past year, a list of which is available on the website above. More substantive route and area designation changes requested by the public will be reviewed through the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) planning process.

In addition to hard copy maps, forest visitors can now get a free electronic Coconino National Forest Travel Map, which includes shaded relief topography, game management units, hiking trails, and all designated motorized routes and areas. When used with the Avenza Maps App, this map is GPSactive meaning you can see where you are on the map as you drive or hike on the national forest.

Coconino National Forest is always interested in your feedback on which routes or areas you think should be added or removed from the Motor Vehicle Use Map. Proposed changes to motor vehicle access on the Forest and links for submitting comments can be found at www.fs.usda.gov/ project/?project=47435.

Photo: Brigitte O

Business Contacts UFWDA thank you for your support

4 Wheel Drive Hardware (330) 482-4733 www.4WD.com 4x4 Wire (619) 390-8747 www.4x4Wire.com BF Goodrich (877) 788-8899 www.BFGoodrichTires.com Badlands 4x4 Adventures, Inc. (310) 347-8047 www.4x4Training.com Big Dogs Offroad (410) 440-3670 www.BigDogsOffRoad.com Bill Burke’s 4 Wheeling America, LLC 970-858-3468 www.BB4WA.com

Moses Ludell’s 4WD Mechanix Magazine www.4WDMechanix.com Muirnet.net (619) 390-8747 www.4x4Wire.com Olathe Toyota Parts Center www.parts.olathetoyota.com Poison Spyder Customs (951) 849-5911 www.PoisonSpyder.com Quadratec (800) 745-2348 www.Quadratec.com Survive Off Road LLC (602) 321-0833 www.surviveoffroad.com

Blue Springs Ford Parts (800) 248-7760 www.BlueSpringsFordParts.com

Susquehanna Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep, Ram (717) 252-2412 www.Susqauto.com

Bushwacker (503) 283-4335 www.Bushwacker.com

Tom Wood’s Custom Drive Shafts (877) 497-4238 www.4xShaft.com

California Assn of 4WD Clubs, Inc. (800) 4x4-FUNN www.Cal4Wheel.com Expeditions West (928) 777-8567 www.ExpeditionsWest.com ExtremeTerrain (800) 988-4605 www.ExtremeTerrain.com Hi-Lift Jack Company (812) 384-4441 www.Hi-Lift.com Jeep Action Magazine +61 02 6656 1046 www.jeepaction.com.au

Trasharoo (714) 854-7292 www.Trasharoo.com Turn5 Inc. www.turn5.com X-Treme Mobile Adventures (800) 370-3308 www.XTremeMobileAdventures.com

United Four Wheel Drive Associations would like to thank our Direct Members, Clubs and Associations for their support.

4 Lakes 4 Wheelers, Inc. (Wisconsin) http://www.4l4w.org/ ACES 4X4 Club (Michigan) www.aces4x4.com Arizona State Association of 4-Wheel Drive Clubs www.asa4wdc.org Badgerland 4×4 TNT Club http://www.badgerland4x4.org/ Baltimore Four Wheelers http://www.baltimore4wheelers.org/ Between the Hills Trailheaders 4×4 Club http://www.trailheaders.net California Four Wheel Drive Association http://www.cal4wheel.com/ Central North Carolina 4×4 http://www.cnc4x4.org/ Central Ontario 4×4 Club http://www.co4x4.com/ Colorado Association of 4 Wheel Drive Clubs, Inc. http://www.hightrails.org/ Creeper Jeepers Gang 4WD Club http://www.creeperjeepers.org/ Demon 4×4 Demon4x4.com Four Wheel Drive Australia http://www.anfwdc.asn.au/ Great Lakes Four Wheel Drive Association http://www.glfwda.org/ Hall of Fame 4×4 Trail Riders http://www.hof4x4.com/ Havasu 4-Wheelers, Inc. http://havasu4wheelers.org/

www.core4x4.org •

PA Jeeps www.pajeeps.org

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Eagle Valley Off Roaders eaglevalleyoffroaders.com

www.

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Mid-Atlantic Jeep Club midatlanticjeepfestival.com

www.

Midwest 4 Wheel Drive Association http://www.mw4wda.org/ MN Trailriders http://www.mntrailriders.org/ Montana 4×4 Association, Inc. http://www.m4x4a.org/ New Mexico 4-Wheelers http://www.nm4w.org/ New Zealand Four Wheel Drive Association, Inc. http://www.nzfwda.org.nz/ Rim Country 4 Wheelers, Inc. http://www.rimcountry4wheelers.com/ River City 4X4, Inc. http://www.rivercity4x4.org/ Rock Crawlers for the Preservation of Future Access (RCPFA) http://rcpfa.com/ Rough Country 4 Wheelers http://www.rc4w.com/ Scrambler Owners Association http://www.cj-8.org/ Seven Hills Jeep Club http://sevenhillsjeepclub.org/ Southern Four Wheel Drive Association http://www.sfwda.org/

Indiana 4 Wheel Drive Association http://www.ifwda.org/

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Carolina Off Road Extremists (CORE) http://www.core4x4club.com/

Indonesia Off-Road Federation

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Carolina Trailblazers 4WD Club http://www.carolina-trailblazers.org/

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Cumberland Off-Road http://www.cumberlandoffroad.com/

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Damn Locals 4×4 Club http://www.damnlocals4x4.com/

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East Tennessee 4WD Club http://www.et4wd.org/

http://www.iof.or.id Mesa 4 Wheelers http://www.mesa4wheelers.com/ Middle Atlantic Four Wheel Drive Association http://www.mafwda.org/ •

Capital Off Road Enthusiasts

www.hardrockcrawlers.org

Extreme Ridge Runners http://www.myspace.com/extreme_ridge_ runners

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Georgia Bounty Runners 4WD Club http://www.gbr4wd.com/

KMA Off Road Jeep Club www.kmaoffroad.org

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Middle Tennessee Trailrunners 4WD Club http://www.mttr4x4.net/

Lost Jeepers www.lostjeepers.com

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Ohio River Four Wheelers http://www.orfw.org/

Mechanicsville Mudders varokcrwlr@juno.com

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Rattlerock 4-Wheel Drive Club http://www.rattlerock.org/

Mid-Atlantic Jeepers www.midatlanticjeepers.com

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Rocket City Rock Crawlers 4WD Club http://www.rocketcityrockcrawlers.com

Middle Peninsula Jeep Association www.mpjai.com

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Rock Solid Jeep Club (No web site)

Off Chamber Crawlers www.offchambercrawlers.org

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Rocky Top Trail Riders http://rockytoptrailriders.org

Poor Boys Four Wheel Drive Club www.poorboys4wd.com

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Scenic City 4WD Club http://www.sceniccity4wd.com/

River City Trail Runners www.rivercitytrailrunners.org

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Smoky Mountain Trail Runners http://www.smokymtntrailrunners.org/

Seven Hills Jeep Club www.sevenhillsjeep.club

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Southeast Toyota Land Cruiser Association http://www.stlca.org/

Shenandoah Valley 4 Wheelers www.sv4w.org

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Southern Jeeps http://www.southernjeeps.org/

Southern Mini 4×4 www.myspace.com/443172858

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Trick ‘n’ Traction 4WD Club http://www.tnt4wd.org/

Southwestern Virginia 4 Wheelers www.swva4w.org

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Tidewater Fourwheelers www.tidewaterfourwheelers.org

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Southern High Rollers 4×4 Club http://www.southernhighrollers.com/ Southern Illinois Jeep Association http://www.sija.org/ Southside Jeepers http://southsidejeepers.com/ Sundowners 4×4 Club http://www.sundowners4x4.com Two Trackers http://www.twotrackers.org/ Virginia Four Wheel Drive Association http://www.va4wda.org/ •

Bay to Blue Ridge Cruisers www.bbrcva.org

Blue Ridge Rock Mafia richard.wiggs@nolenfrisa.co • Capital City Fourwheelers www.capitalcityfourwheelerssva.com •

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Hard Rock Crawlers

Western Maine Mountain Jeepers http://www.jeepmaine.com/ What Lies Beyond Jeep Club of Michigan http://whatliesbeyond.org/ White Pine 4-Wheelers jeeptrailcat5440 (at) yahoo.com Wisconsin 4 Wheel Drive Association http://www.w4wda.org/ Wisconsin Off Highway Vehicle Association www.wohva.com Wolverine 4-Wheelers http://wolverine4wd.org/