SUWA's letters of shame

[Clutch]

http://www.suwa.org/page.php?page_id=220

These are letters of peoples experiences, mainly in Utah, that are not very flattering for our community. I now some our stupid and petty, but after yesterday's issues with e82Bimmer, I wanted to see what they had on thier site. Look at some of the pics they have on the OHV site. Hmmm, wonder where they got those from??

 

[Bone Down]

well with a 4 day trip to moab, I only came across 2 pedestrians, somewhere near the entrance to fins and things (joggers with dogs), wide open road.

I drove by them very slowly and politely.

next day came across 6or7 mtn bikers of which again we showed politeness to and gave them plenty of room.

not once did I get a snear, rude remark.

most of these stories are just people lashing out mainly to the fact that the sport is becoming more popular, orv sales are thru the roof, and there once secret place has now been discovered.

one guy mentions that he lives near a pictoglyph cave with artifacts in it, and until lately (had been some time since he was there last) the cave has been raided, he eludes to the fact that no one but himself and orv's and paintballers are ever in the area, and there for it has to have been the orv'ers that raided the artifacts (though not wittnessed).

Blindly making comments like this is what does more damage to any orv sport period.

For all this guy knows it could have been a hunter on horse back that thought they had made the intial discovery and took proof of it.

Or BLM could have cleaned up the ruins and turned over the items to a university for study, and or a local museum.

The guy has no clue but will voice his assumption as if he had seen it happen.

"Jimmie C. Rosenbruch"

 

[Clutch]

I would suspect that some of those letters are very true, BUT... i would think many have embleshments(sp) and some people just like to B*tch. It kills me to hear the ones that say they will never visit Utah again because of a bad experience. GOOD!!! Stay out!

I have composed a letter I want to send in to them and see if they will publish
it. Basically and nicely stating there are a few bad apples in both groups that ruin itfor the rest of it.

 

[Zukimog]

http://www.suwa.org/page.php?page_id=220not very flattering for our community.

It will be a never-ending battle and I do feel the way you do. When I started to read some of those letters, yes there is some truth in what they are saying and there is a lot of fluff. Obviously these people are a little extreme and hate the recreation that we so love to do. The funny part is after they get done complaining about the ORV usage, they will be attacking the horseback riders, mountain bikers and eventually the walkers. The bottom line is the extreme Eco-Nazi's do not want the land used by anyone. They would rather it just sat and have nobody enjoy it, but we should since we are the land of free and the home of the brave. Just the idea of living in an America that does not allow its faithful citizens to enjoy the some of the natural resources we have available to us. That's depressing.

:greg:

 

[offroaddave]

All of our trips revolve around hiking. We were very grateful that people were honest with us. When we asked about hiking in an area, we were told that it would have many off-road vehicles. Thus, we were saved from an unpleasant experience and have only fond memories of Utah and its beauty.



This stuff is classic. I'm going to be laughin my ass off all night.

 

[RWH]

You are only allowed to enjoy Southern utah in extremely good shape... and without shoes on.... If you flatulate you will be barred.....

 

[offroaddave]

My four rescue mutts (Shadow, Skipper, Scamp and Libby D.) and I love rural Utah because of the unofficial "dog parks" that surround our chosen home town (Vernal). Those dog parks are "going to the dogs (NOT)" by ORV/ATVs. Everywhere we go (and we "go" every day), we are bombarded with noise, compacted soil, and danger.

The mutts don't chase cars. They do chase ORVs. Probably because of the intolerable noise that they make, at a decible level by which not only a dog's auditory senses are offended. (That noise offends me and, at 57, I suffer hearing loss.)

When the mutts chase the offensive ORVs, they are placed at risk. Some ORV drivers try to run over them. Others act as if the mutts have no business in their playground and kick and scream at them and me.

The mutts and I have tried everything. We have tried going on our outings early, early in the morning; late, late at night; at noon (when the exhausted because of their hardy exercise ORVers are eating a massive lunch, chowing down on their favorite chicken-fried steak, mashed spuds and laods of gravy) to no avail.

That's INSANITY!
Who in the hell would believe any of that?

 

[offroaddave]

I hate being bombarded by compacted soil.????

 

[RWH]

I hate being bombarded by compacted soil.????

My doctor told me that gold bond mixed with vaseline will cure that up in no time.

 

[pumpkinbronc]

This seems a little far fetched

This is the first year IN MY LIFE that I have not taken at least one trip to Utah, though five was the norm. It's just too depressing! Everyplace I remember going as a child has been trashed - the Factory Butte area, the Big Triangle area, just about everyplace around Moab and St. George, and now, increasingly, even the Escalante area. And the horror stories I've read of armed ORV riders who are so beligerent that they have shot at the people who own the property they're trespassing on! It makes me truly fear ever running across one of these nutjobs out in the wilderness.

I hope this helps. Utah's spectacular wilderness deserves better.


Heres another wacky one

Jeeps have made many of the places I once loved around Moab undesirable and dangerous. Not just because of the traffic but because many of these people are bigoted, gun toting, inconsiderate and intolerant. I have many mountain biking friends who have been threatened by these gas-guzzling reprobates on trails where OHVs are hypothetically not allowed. The 4x4 and OHV enthusiasts have removed or shot up the signage restricting them at many of these trailheads.

 

[40_Below]

Jeeps have made many of the places I once loved around Moab undesirable and dangerous. Not just because of the traffic but because many of these people are bigoted, gun toting, inconsiderate and intolerant. I have many mountain biking friends who have been threatened by these gas-guzzling reprobates on trails where OHVs are hypothetically not allowed. The 4x4 and OHV enthusiasts have removed or shot up the signage restricting them at many of these trailheads.

What a stereotyping asshole. Someone should post that on pirate... along with his email address which I have.

 

[Tacoma]

oh no! gun toters! just looking to shoot up some innocent earthlovers!

gas guzzling reprobates. HAHAHAH I just bought a big block dually crewcab, you bet it's 4wd! it's so I can tow my other big block monster! YEEE HA!!!

where'd them restricter signs get to anyhoo? I got me lots o' bullets! YOOOOOOOO PIGGIE!

 

[Bone Down]

some of these stories are just way over the top and truly unbelievable.

 

[OCNORB]

My personal favorite-

"The next year we had no luck finding decent primitive camping that wasn’t 40 miles from Moab so we ended up at Sand Flats Campground – how bad could it be – right? Well, it just so happened that we camped at the starting point to “Fins and Things”, a short technical, torn up 4x4 route through sand and rock and cryptobiotic soil. Well, at 12:30 that night I was lying in my tent and there was a roar from the distance. It got closer and closer and before you know it there were over twenty 4X4’s IN our campsite, revving engines, blaring music, drunk on Coors Light and waiting their turn to get onto Fins and Things. This is all 20 feet from my tent. I could not believe it."

When I did Fins and things this summer it was in very good shape - the trip was quiet and there was nearly zero litter. (We packed out a sweatshirt someone had dropped). What a genius -camps on a major trailhead and then complains when people actually use it!

His letter could just as well read- "I camped at the base of Parley's canyon and was appalled to find that people with gas-guzzling internal combustion engines were actually using the paved highway adjacent to my camp at all hours of the night. I must assume that most them were of a much,much lower IQ than me and probably drinking; why else would they do this?"

 

[DaveB]

Unfortunately there is some truth to some of the stories, the last time down to Moab I saw lots of places where the ATV and motorcycle riders have driven right past clearly marked signs and into areas where they shouldn't have been. I have seen areas in the Uintas, Stansbury range and many west desert areas that have ATV tracks all over where they shouldn't be, even into wilderness areas. If these riders don't stay on the trails they just give SUWA and others all the ammo they need to close off the areas to all motorized travel.
On one trip a couple of years ago we were camping in the primitive camping area at the start of the Pritchett arch trail with our Jeeps when a group pulled in next to us late in the evening. We knew we were in for a long night when they cranked up the rap music and broke out the kegs. At 3 AM I asked them nicely to turn it down a bit so we could sleep, they started calling me every bad word they knew and told me to come and fight them about it. They then got on their 2 stroke dirt bikes and drove right through our camp multiple times trying to provoke us into a fight. We don't camp there anymore and most likely never will. We have since found a much more secluded place to camp and haven't had any more trouble.

 

[Clutch]

Well Daveb, maybe that night, you should have been "bigoted, gun toting, inconsiderate and intolerant", since according to some....we are!!

 

[Rusted]

.... they cranked up the rap music and broke out the kegs. At 3 AM I asked them nicely to turn it down a bit so we could sleep, they started calling me every bad word they knew and told me to come and fight them about it. They then got on their 2 stroke dirt bikes and drove right through our camp multiple times trying to provoke us into a fight....

Defiantly a criminal matter that needs to be enforced, not a land use issue. Too bad that the suwa likes to bring issues like this into land access conversations. Loud music and irresponsible behavior happens everywhere, and should be addressed the same everywhere. Did you or were you able to contact a law enforcement officer?

 

[Cory]

What I find funny is that a lot of the letters said that they used dirt roads to get to where they wanted to camp or that they were out riding mountain bikes. Do these people not realize that SUWA's goal is the creation of wilderness and that by definition no more Bikes, no more dirt roads to get to your favorite camp spot.

I don't like people tearing stuff up and bothering me at night when I'm camping, etc. but that doesn't mean I'm going to run out and join SUWA and get everything closed down. I really like the person complaining about the Slick Rock Bike Route and motor cycles. If the person had any idea, then he should know that the Slick Rock Bike Route was developed by motor bikers not bicyclists and wouldn't even be there if not for motor bikes.

 

[Zukimog]

Do these people not realize that SUWA's goal is the creation of wilderness and that by definition no more Bikes, no more dirt roads to get to your favorite camp spot.

I agree 100%

The funny part is after they get done complaining about the ORV usage, they will be attacking the horseback riders, mountain bikers and eventually the walkers. The bottom line is the extreme Eco-Nazi's do not want the land used by anyone.

 

[DaveB]

Defiantly a criminal matter that needs to be enforced, not a land use issue. Too bad that the suwa likes to bring issues like this into land access conversations. Loud music and irresponsible behavior happens everywhere, and should be addressed the same everywhere. Did you or were you able to contact a law enforcement officer?

I didn't have a cell phone so I didn't call them in but I should have driven back into town to report them. I know this happens stuff everywhere, since it has happened more than once to our family, but when it is done by off-roaders it gives SUWA types more "proof" that all off-roaders are like that.