The washer and dryer have been going non-stop, I almost did myself in spring cleaning today, Michael has been grading our road and mowing grass. The chores seem endless this time of year. Our weather is fabulous for the time being—70 degrees and sunny but we know better than to think ole man winter is finished with us!
Want a different take on what we do for fun—ATVing—take a look at the Spotted Dog Ranch’s newest blog. Do we agree with Chinle—to a certain extent. Moab has become over run with people, jeeps, ATVs, motorcycles, bicycles, hikers, and RVs. Town is a nightmare, traffic is horrible. The boondocking spot we normally use was so crowded it felt as if we were in a RV park! We saw more people on the ATV trails this year than ever before.
OK—with that said, now we start to disagree. We are respectful ATV riders, members of our group have added additional mufflers to quiet their machines, we don’t rip and tear, we stay on the marked ATV trails and if we chance upon a hiker or bicyclist, we slow down, give them plenty of room and try to minimize the dust.
As with any sport/activity there are bad apples who ATV. There are bad apples who don’t pick up after their pets. There are bad apples who are sport shooters, there are bad apples who are snowmobilers, there are bad apples who are hikers—these bad apples end up ruining it for everyone. We are all individuals and each prefer our way of seeing/being in the great outdoors. We don’t always understand the other person’s activity—I struggle with understanding why anyone would want to ride a bicycle on a very busy/dangerous highway—but to each their own.
I used to hike—a lot. I’ve hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and hiked back out twice, I’ve hiked 12-15 miles per day in Zion National Park. Michael and I walk/hike about three miles every day. Neither of us is physically able to do long distance hiking any longer.
We don’t know the answers but we do know we enjoy ATVing very much and would not want to lose the right to do so.
Posts
Thanks for your thoughtful post, Janna. I, too, have met a number of very respectful ATVers. The problem lies with the majority who are not of that ilk. Unfortunately, they are the ones getting everything shut down. I am friends with the BLM rangers and some of the land managers in SE Utah, and I've seen firsthand and heard many of the horror stories of what the motorheads are doing to that very fragile region. In areas like Montana, the land can recover more quickly. In the desert, it can take a long long time, if ever. In my humble opinion, ATV and motor restrictions are necessary to preserve an area some of us love for its essence, not for the challenges of the sport. And if you're the hiker or biker, the noise is heard long before the ATVs arrive, even with mufflers. It's not really a fair match. I personally would love to see ATVs outlawed in most of SE Utah. There are lots of other places to ride, but I doubt if it will happen. Try hanging around Fins N Things next week as 2000 UTVers do the Rally in the Rocks and you'll see exactly what I'm talking about. To me, it's a very selfish thing to put one's fun above the health of an ecosystem and its inhabitants, human, flora and fauna alike.
ReplyDeletethere are good and bad apples in everything..too bad about the 'high traffic'..doesn't seem to matter what you want to do there are crowds..good for your group for being respectful of everyone!
ReplyDeleteInteresting reading both yours and Spotted Dogs take of ATVs and the Moab area. Been a while since we've been in that area, but we've seen the lack of respect for the land and a lack of respect for just other people in general increasing everywhere we go... be it litter along the highways or rudeness in everyday traffic. As you say, the bad apples give everyone a bad name.
ReplyDeleteTwo honest opinions on a very complex issue. And. it's not just with Moab and the ATV's. Read recently where the more traditional wade fishermen on the Boulder were in conflict with the newer float fishermen. More and more people are wanting to enjoy our great outdoors, by whatever means they can. A number have very little respect for others, and the result is a loss for everyone. I see the time coming when a daily permit will be required for most all activities on public lands.
ReplyDeleteI grew up in off-road vehicles in the middle of the desert where we saw no one else - ever. I couldn't believe it when they "closed" the small dunes near us to protect a lizard. We had been going there for years and knew that lizards bury themselves in the sand and aren't harmed by the tires. Later I learned it was the disturbed nesting areas that were causing the endangerment and I wasn't so irritated. Like anything else, education on impact is critical for making informed decisions. With more and more folks able to afford ATVs and other OHVs there will have to be more regulation or we will love our outdoors to death. The same people who deface petroglyphs and carve on trees and throw trash in lakes are the same ones who drive off trail and destroy ecosystems - sadly we will all pay the price of denied access. Good post Janna!
ReplyDeleteI wish more people would know about and teach their children the responsibilities of using public lands. Burying trash and broken glass on the beach or parking right on top of someone else's boondocking solitude as well as assuming neighbors in the next campsite want to hear portable loud-speakers are all of the same problem as disregarding how to safely and quietly enjoy views from the back of an ORV. Places like Yosemite have to have one-way streets and traffic lights to regulate the lump heads who regard public lands as theirs to trash. The TeePee Log Cabin folks aren't the problem: it's the ones who never learned how to share and appreciate nature who ARE the problem.
ReplyDelete