olywrestle
Duct Tape
- Location
- Syracuse, Utah
So I received this email in my Admin account...wondering 2 things.
1. Is this person a member of RME?
2. if anyone else received something like this?
1. Is this person a member of RME?
2. if anyone else received something like this?
My wife, XXX, and I bought our first 4WD in '87, a 4-cylinder, base model, Isuzu Trooper with manual transmission and std. steel wheels. We took our children, XXX and XXX on dozens of picnic trips and almost as many camping trips. By '89, the Trooper had 77,000 miles on it and we traded it for an almost identical '89 Trooper. Over the next 10 years we put 260,000 miles on the '89 many of which were going on those same kinds of camping and picnic trips. In '98, Ross decided to buy a used 4WD of his own. I wanted to wait 'til he decided what to buy so I could buy a new vehicle more capable than his. What he bought was a Ramcharger. When I saw what that thing would do, I gave up on the idea of one-upping Ross. We sold the
'89 Trooper to Heidi and bought a new TJ SE with the 4, manual transmission, 15x6" wheels. It doesn't even have air conditioning or a tape deck. We did ask the dealer to bolt on a set of tow hooks and Sally did go out the very next day and trade the p-rated 205 tires for LT-rated 235 tires. But no, it won't go where a stock Ramcharger will. About that time, I made a list of places where we had been on camping and picnic trips. There were more than 200 places on the list.
That was also about the time I started driving busses for Thrifty at the airport. So I had a chance to talk to people from all over the world. I had been active in trying to keep public roads on public land open to the public. But after talking to dozens of people from the eastern U.S. about the issue, I developed some rather definite ideas on the subject. After driving busses for Thrifty for about a year, I drove busses for Holiday Inn Downtown. Same song, second verse. I talked to people from all over the world and my ideas became even stronger. The use of such phrases as "off-road" and "off-roading" are killing us in the court of public opinion. Referring to primitive or unimproved roads as "trails" is almost as bad. Even the term "four-wheel driving" is understood by almost everyone east of the Mississippi as indicative of people out tearing up the countryside.
While I was driving busses, I cranked up my efforts to persuade the local clubs and the United Four Wheel Drive Association to be more careful about the language being used to describe driving street-legal 4WD rigs on public roads on public land. I even made phone calls to the UFWDA lawyer in Washington but no one seemed willing to even try to adopt a sensible definition of a road. The more I tried, the more discouraged I became. We joined the Rockhopper 4WD Club and those folks were nice enough. But they were interested in having fun. They weren't interested in even talking about how to keep the roads open.
Last month, when Sally said she would pay for our son and grandson and me to go the "Off-road Expo", I hesitated. I was afraid even going to something with that kind of a name would lend credence to the theories of the people who want to close the public roads on public land to the public. But I relented and went.
While there, I spoke to two gentlemen who were manning the Utah Four Wheel Drive booth. I asked one of them to tell me how he personally defines a "road". He indicated that he is accustomed to referring to a paved road as a road but hardly ever refers to unpaved routes as roads. So I explained my theory, but I was
discouraged. (More about this aspect of the issue at
your request.)
Not last week or the week before, but the week before that, I took our three-year-old grandson exploring in the Cedar Mountain area. One of the places we found was one where I had never been before. Anthony like it so much, he called it "my place". So on my log, I wrote "Anthony's place".
Last week, I wanted to buy a couple of canteens. I hardly ever go to REI anymore because they lean so far to the right on this subject. But many years ago I had bought some Oasis canteens there and decided to see whether they still offered them for sale. They didn't. But while I was there I saw the SUWA magazine, so picked it up.
I didn't know until I read that magazine that parts of the Cedar Mountains were designated Wilderness as of January 6, so I went to the BLM office to see whether I could get a map and to see what else I could learn.
The first lady with whom I spoke was just answering telephones. So she called someone else.
The second lady said she would try to find a map for
me. As she left to look for a map, she said, "They
have just started to sign the area and close the roads."
When she came back, I said, "Please understand that this is not a personal attack on you, but I want you to understand why the general public is so confused about the matter of designated Wilderness. If they know that in order to qualify for Wilderness status, an area must be roadless, and then someone like yourself or someone in the media says that the roads in the designated Wilderness are being closed, can you see why they find it confusing that roads are being closed in a roadless area?
It sacred her so bad she called her boss, Mike Nelson.
Mr. Nelson seemed very interested in understanding what I was trying to explain. Namely that the dichotomy exists because the definition of "roadless"
used to qualify an area for Wilderness Study makes no sense and the definition of "roads" the lady in the BLM office was using probably does make sense.
He said that someone had been there (in that office) recently trying to bring their local staff up to speed on Wilderness issues because this year is the first time that office has been involved in the administration of a Wilderness area. (I didn't dare ask WHO was teaching the office staff about Wilderness for fear I would show my contempt for the whole
process.)
Sunday, some friends of ours and I did some driving on the roads that are still open in the vicinity of the Cedar Mountain Wilderness Area. The road to Anthony's Place is now marked "closed".
I'd like to see whether certain other roads in the vicinity are marked closed. More importantly, I'd like to take some of the Salt Lake BLM office staff to those places so they will have some idea of what they are being charged to administer.
I don't see how I can devote any day to doing that before Friday. In fact, I seriously doubt that I can do it anytime this week.
Do you know of anyone who is available (a retiree, for example, or someone who is self-employed) and who might be knowledgeable enough and articulate enough to do this week what I don't have time to do?
Roger XXXXXX XXXXXX@yahoo.com
