I'm a little P.O.'d right now.

[USMC 0369]

By now, I'm sure you've all heard about the eight wonderful representatives of the off road community that had to be air lifted out of the Angeles Nat'l Forest while illegally wheeling in an area closed to off road.

If you haven't heard...just google it.

Several things are annoying me about this. First, I noticed when I looked it up after seeing in on the local ABC news channel...that it's EVERYWHERE!!! Every news channel picked it up. Great... but where is the coverage when we clean the trails or try to keep public lands open for LEGAL trail riding?

Next on my rant is that they "get cited?" That's it? How about confiscating those rigs, and sell them at auction to pay for the air lift out of there! Maybe help differ some of the cost of repairing the damage they did to the forest. Yep, seems a bit harsh huh? Well, until we start crushing people, this type of abuse is going to continue. Which will lead to more restrictions and give more ammunition for the anti-off road community to use against us. And NO, I've never gone off the trail or made an illegal bypass...so harsh consequences don't bother me because I don't break the laws.

Third is not a rant, but an observation. I've tried to look for stickers and/or some type of club affiliation on the Jeep that got stuck. I've never heard of an Isuzu Amigo club, but it may well exist. I want to send some type of, "You allow this guy in your organization?" letter...but have no outlet for that anger. Which further lends me to think...the bulk of off road abuse is not caused by people that join a club, organize trail runs or have some knowledge of 4x4 use. Yet, we're the ones who get the blame and suffer the aftermath.

I really just wanna choke these geniuses.

[ECV Jeep]

Your feelings are shared by many, if not all, responsible members of the off-road community!

[fun4wheelerguy]

I was watching that on the news today......... I have to totally agree with you.

Brett

[skeletor]

I saw some douche bags going off the trail at cleghorn and it just made me sick. These were 17-20 yr old kids in a 4Runner and a Jeep.

[Materdaddy]

Well said Nick. Maybe there will be a "rant" section of the site?

[Materdaddy]

I saw some douche bags going off the trail at cleghorn and it just made me sick. These were 17-20 yr old kids in a 4Runner and a Jeep.

Did you say anything? If you ever see that again, you can at least call the rangers. I'm trying to find the number. We should all probably put them in our phones for when we're out there and can't "look it up".

[Old Fart]

Did you say anything? If you ever see that again, you can at least call the rangers. I'm trying to find the number. We should all probably put them in our phones for when we're out there and can't "look it up".

Better yet, "stealthly" take digital pictures of them and PM them to a certain OHV representative who lurks on this board...

[Roger]

He He, good idea old fart! I like it. You are a sneaky old fart aint you??!! I should have guessed looking at your avatar....

[Old Fart]

Whom, Meom?

[YJwonderboy]

Oh, it's just as bad out here. Constantly are local kids being prosecuted for trespassing on private land. Many of the local high school and college students (Yeah...I'm dissing college students and I am one) will illegally wheel in places they got no business wheeling in anyway. Around here, if you're caught wheeling illegally you are subject to prosecution by the land owner, slapped with a hefty fine, charged with trespassing, and your vehicle is impounded...I like my jeep...I'd prefer it remain in my possession instead of the 5-0. Personally I don't see the advantages of taking the risk. We have Windrock, Tellico, Wilborn, Woolies, and other trails that I can't think of off the top of my head. Also, there are hundreds of acres of club owned land. Like I tell my friends who own 4x4's and brag about how they went mudding, if you're really into wheeling, don't just drive...get involved.

[Shadly1]

"Four of the youngest were treated for dehydration and exposure"

Seriously? Dehydration and exposure for an overnight stuck? Survivorman is hanging his head in shame. I bet that's the last time they wheel without water and blankets, eh?

[RAT]

Nick, does this work?

I just sent this to the reporter who wrote the LA Times story on the bone heads that got stuck up in BB.

Molly,
[COLOR=#666666][FONT=Arial]8 young people rescued from Angeles National Forest[/FONT][/COLOR]
[RIGHT][RIGHT][COLOR=#999999][FONT=Arial]template_bas[/FONT][/COLOR][/RIGHT][/RIGHT]
[COLOR=#666666][FONT=Arial]template_bas[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#333333][FONT=Arial]Four of them, ages 18 to 20, got stuck in the mud overnight while driving in a restricted area. They called four friends for help, but they also got stuck. Firefighters finally were called.[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#666666][FONT=Arial]By By, Molly Hennessy-Fiske and Times Staff Writer
March 26, 2008 [/FONT][/COLOR]


Hello, my name is Kurt Kauffman. I belong to a group of off roaders that spend a great deal of our free time volunteering in the San Bernardino National Forest, helping preserve that environment and repairing the damage that careless people like the kids you recently reported on cause. As I look around the internet, reading article after article about the apparent stupidity of off road enthusiasts, I very seldom see an article that shows what the real majority of people in the off road community do to help the forestry service, the BLM, fire departments and rescue agencies. There are literally thousands of us out on the front lines, every weekend, doing what we love; enjoying the outdoors and keeping our forests and public lands clean and safe for everyone to use. We volunteer our time, money, physical effort, and expertise in a variety of areas in an effort to keep what little open spaces we have left open.
Case in point, a recent discovery that the 29 Palms Marine base is looking at a possible purchase of most, if not all of the Johnson Valley OHV area and surrounding lands was met with a virtual rally on a local off road website. This rally was hastily put together by the people who run this site. It was a success in that it brought to the forefront the fact that there are many (thousands) of responsible off road enthusiasts that want to keep our lands open for public use. We came out in force to make a point; I believe the point was made. Many people that I know have been attending meetings with their local representatives to get our voice heard. This is only the start. There are more meetings to attend, and more volunteer work to do. As a matter of fact, we’ll probably be back up in the forest repairing the mess those kids made.
My point is this; we (responsible off roaders) don’t get much air time. I believe that’s because we don’t make the dramatic headlines that irresponsible, careless people do. We don’t flaunt what we do; we do it because we love what we do. I believe it may be time for us to start flaunting. What will it take to get your paper, and others to come cover us when are doing our thing out there? If I were to contact you with information about what, where, and when we will be working in the forest, or attending meetings, or one of a hundred other things we do to make outdoor areas better, safer, and more enjoyable for everyone, would you do a story, or stories, on what we accomplish? What can you suggest that would get us a higher profile in the media, to help get our story out there? We need to change the perception that the general public has about off roading, and the folks that enjoy it. We are not a bunch of hoodlums or idiots with 2500 pound environment mashers, tearing through the forest Hell bent on destruction. We’re responsible, and we want the word to get out as easily as this negative stuff does.

I really look forward to any suggestions you may have. And as I said, we’re out there all the time, so finding us won’t be difficult.

Thanks for spending the time to read this,

[womb raider 940]

good one Kurt:thumbs_up

[Schmo]

Just another typical disgusting display of the youth in America. I saw the report on the news this morning. They actually interviewed one of the teenage girls as if she'd survived a plane crash and was missing for days or something. Luckily, the report I saw portrayed them as idiot kids, out where they shouldn't be . . . actually it wasn't so much the report, but rather the girl herself that came off as a total moron. What do you expect when Paris and Britney are role models?

[Shadly1]

What do you expect when Paris and Britney are role models?

Purse dogs and sex tapes