Rubicon Trail Press Release

[nwoods]

I agree with Chuck that Roger and Schmoo's rigs are ready to go. After all, a mildly mod'd FJ Cruiser can make it... except Little Sluice!

[Schmo]

I'm there!!! Gonna be pretty pissed if I don't make it out there this year, so if anyone is heading up there and wouldn't mind me tagging along, hit me up!!!

[peteyg]

While you can compare hot rodding to offroading they are two distinctly different sports requiring different terrain. We don't speed down highways threatening the safety of others. While not the only reason, that was the main reason that drag racing was banned to parks. We have to make sure the opposition sees us differently, and that takes a lot of effort.

Serious Drag Racers were never tearing through the streets, either. It is a very apt comparison, because the exact same thing is happening, and the same message is being promoted: "the things these people are doing are bad, dangerous, and hurtful!" The sad truth is, this isn't a war of facts, it's a war of perception, and we will *always* have a very hard time showing the average person how it is from our perspective, no matter how well intentioned or sincere we are.

Think about it. We can do EVERYTHING right. We can stay on message, do cleanups, be good trail stewards, tread lightly, promote our cause. Everything. We will still get set back to square 1 by some idiot who doesn't care, or doesn't know better.

We even get creamed by LEGAL offroading. Say there's a mud event somewhere, being held legally on private property with permission and all proper permirts, etc. The guy snapping the picture of the 1000 HP mud bogger throwing 20' roosters of mud probably even KNOWS this. That doesn't matter one single bit when the CBD publishes that photo with the caption "Uncaring off roaders tear up pristine wilderness with reckless abandon" and then sends it on a post card saying "donate to us NOW to help stop this horrible abuse". I guarantee that 30 days later they get $10 million+ in their war chest, and all they had to do was snap a picture and send out a postcard. There's not a single thing that can be done after that. The damage is DONE, and no amount of protesting or fact-checking is going to matter.

See how well it worked with your image of wild, lawless drag racers who tear up and down streets and terrorize neighborhoods? That is the image that was promoted in the effort to get it banned and shut down the drag strips. That's not how it actually WAS. Legal racers were always all about keeping it on the track, not the street. That didn't matter one bit, though. The image they promoted was a fantasy used to drive opinion in one specific direction. Ironically, the fantasy became reality, because people will always want to modify their vehicles and then test their capabilities. They created the underground race scene by taking away 99% of the legal places to race. Don't kid yourself that it is any different with us. If anything, the situation is more dire, because we don't just have angry neighborhoods who don't want to hear loud engines. Now we have the greenies, who think every blade of grass is sacred.

Perhaps I am a little defeatist. Here's what I have seen: Every one of my friends that I used to wheel with who have gottent seriously into the land use fight have invariably quit wheeling. They get into the fight, realize it's hopeless, and burn out fast. I'm not going to go down that road. I'm going to enjoy what time I have left with my Jeep, and hope that perhaps some scrap of what I used to enjoy will still be around when I hit retirement. Otherwise, that lawn chair sounds pretty good.

eh...I'm gonna go back to lurking. I always let this get me in a bad mood, and I shouldn't. You guys have a great perspective and attitude, and are doing the right things, at the right time. I hope it's enough.

[Mike]

Wow.....
Um, As usual, I have an opinion...

I agree with Tam that the original message was fairly positive in the wake of some seriously negative public press.
Regardless, everyone has made some good points, but dude, Petey, come on man! Don't play the martyr until you get crucified, bro!

The Rubicon Trail needs champions.
Period.

We might lose the trail to public use, but let it be LONG after we can safely operate a vehicle.
(That might be today for some of us! Hey Chuck, ask your wife.... I'm just sayin'.)

So making the rocks in the little sluice smaller is a bad thing???? Like Tam referred to, this may not be a bad thing in the long run. There was more oil on the rocks there than any spot on the trail. I personally don't want that in any of the lakes nearby.
On the flip side, Chuck is dead-on in my opinion about making the trail easier by adding bypasses. I can completely see the unexperienced person saying, "Come on Honey, they have made the Rubicon easier. I'm sure that our (stock) 4x4 Honda Pilot can make it!"

The Rubicon is a GREAT trail. Love it. Run it. Protect it.

PS: :shout:Schmo, the Rubi is calling you! Your Jeep is over-qualified to run the trail! Really. But I'm sure that they will still let you onto the trailhead. :wink:

[Schmo]

I'm so there this summer . . . I got quite a bit of vacation time . . . no need to limit it to one trip!!!

[RAT]

I'm so there this summer . . . I got quite a bit of vacation time . . . no need to limit it to one trip!!!

Better bring the scratch and dent repair kit with you.

[Schmo]

Better bring the scratch and dent repair kit with you.

If it happens on the Rubicon, it'll be fine . . . and will most likely just be another excuse to add armor or upgrade!

[Roger]

Schmo,

Want me to spot for you?

[Schmo]

Schmo,

Want me to spot for you?

Not until I win the lotto and install additional safety equipment!!! :hide: Still have marks in my seat from that day!

[ocTJ]

Reading into some of the Legalease on this. The trail needed defined borders because there needs to be enforcment of people tearing up around the rubicon. There are simply too many people that are ignorant and have 0 respect for anyone around them. Personally I think they should triple the fine for littering in our forests. Personally I see that as saying the trail is now defined making it more easily defended.

But I also have a strange opinion I don't think beer drinking and vehicle operation should go hand in hand.

[Materdaddy]

But I also have a strange opinion I don't think beer drinking and vehicle operation should go hand in hand.

To some, there's nothing strange about that.