Because Dean asked: I took a break from writing because it was just too painful to think about the screwing we are getting from the BLM and EPA. It is even more painful to go to the Club property and look out at the land where I have spent much of my life outside of home and work. So I don't, except on a couple of occasions for club events. As I near the age of 60, I am thankful that I had Clear Creek as it allowed me the opportunity to maintain a healthy lifestyle and get out of doors. I see too many people my age who are walking basket cases, health wise. After two joint replacements, one of which is not right, I am very limited in what I can do. Mountain biking, tennis, basketball and running are all definitely out. Fortunately I can walk and drag my bike back up on the trail after an off-course excursion. So the loss of Clear Creek is a major blow to my health maintenance, a fact probably never considered by the BLM.

On December 4th, a new chapter in the Clear Creek saga opened with the BLM's release of their "Screw You, OHV Community" Draft EIS. No one should be surprised that the BLM did not choose a preferred alternative that incorporates OHV use in one of the top ten places to ride in the entire US. The BLM has been hinting at this for the last 18 months. Why it took them 18 months to product this document is a mystery. In my opinion, they made the decision 22 months ago to permanently close Clear Creek although no one in the agency will admit this for obvious reasons. Maybe the whole process is timed to coincide with Rick Cooper's retirement date which I understand is coming up in a couple years. Sure, let's drag out this process as long as possible so he doesn't have to deal with any more OHV or other recreation issues.

EPA Declares Carbon Dioxide a Health Hazardous: Duh! That's why we breath it out and will die if we breath too much of it in. Here we go again with another EPA scandal in the making. It's like Clear Creek but on a nationwide scale that will likely affect everyone's pocketbook in a significant way. The socialists led by Chairman Obama want to destroy American capitalism and what better way than to make it prohibitively expensive for industry to make things. Let's not forget that the wealth of a nation comes from industry, not government or the service sector. It comes because a nation products goods and services that are then consumed by its population or the populations of other countries. The shift of industry out of the US is the reason that, in general, our children's children are not likely to have the same standard of living that we have enjoyed.

I understand that the EPA is considering a rule that would require all Americans to cut their CO2 output by limiting the amount of breaths that they take. According to EPA spokesperson Sheila Hixson (probably a blonde) " If every American would take 10% fewer breaths in a day then the US might be able to forgo implementing costly retrofits at coal powered plants. Sheila added that the EPA does not suggest that citizen try to limit their breaths all at one time but rather spread the limiting throughout the day. Limiting your breath for prolonged periods could be more hazardous to your health than the CO2 emissions that our citizen emit."

Bike for Sale:  If anyone is interested, I have a vintage bike that I am selling, a 1977 Can-Am 250cc TNT. I currently have this advertised on a Can-Am oriented web site.  It is in very good shape and needs a new home with a vintage bike enthusiast. It is a street legal 2-stroke, a rare breed these days.  I'm selling it because I just don't ride it any more and I have a second TNT, a 1974 175cc that I plan to restore.  I rescued the '77 from the bone yard at DH Cycles in Modesto many years ago and have enjoyed riding it but now I need to find it a new home.  

ID a Liberal:  There a great web site that has been created to allow conservatives to identify our left leaning fellow citizens. There is no doubt that the tide will turn and when conservatives once again take over power we will need to re-educate our liberal friends.  One of the best ways to ID a liberal is to look for Obama bumper stickers on vehicles.  Seems like almost every Prius has one.  On the Monterey Peninsula there are also a ton of Lexus, Mercedes and BMWs displaying the liberal banner.  So, when you see one, note the license number.  The web site has a license plate look-up with which you can identify the vehicle owner and then add them to the database of liberals.  Check it out, here is the link: IDaLiberal.com

Meg Witman:  Since I am on a anti-liberal tangent, it is important that everyone knows that Meg Witman, the self proclaimed conservative who is running for Governor and who has been running a lot of radio ads is appears to be a closet liberal representing herself as conservative.  Apparently to new reports and this blog, her foundation has donated to liberal causes including the Environmental Defense Fund and she has been seen associating with some very liberal types.  It's not that she doesn't have some good ideas but, I sorry, I was fooled by Arnie and George W, and as the Who once sang I "Won't Get Fooled Again!

Progressive Insurance: After learning that Progressive Insurance is run by a liberal who has heavily donated to Obama and other left wing causes, I called up John at Haaker Insurance and asked him to change my insurance to another company.  I suggest that my conservative readers who have policies with Progressive Insurance do the same.

Broccoli Salad:  Here is a recipe for a delicious vegetable salad that I made for Thanksgiving.  My sister gave me the recipe after I enjoyed it on a visit home last year.  At my wife's suggestion, we changed the recipe that called for raw broccoli and instead I steamed the broccoli for about 2 minutes and then rinsed in cold water.  Enjoy.

This is best prepared 24 hours before serving.

Shred 3/4 lbs of swiss cheese

Dice 1/2 cup red onion into small pieces

Cook a pound of bacon and then chop/crumble

Cut up 3-5 broccoli crowns into small pieces, steam for two minutes, drain and then rinse with cold water, drain again.

In a large bowl, mix the bacon, onion and broccoli.

Combine the following:

1 cup Mayo

1/4 cup sugar

tablespoons white vinegar

Pour and mix with the broccoli/onion/bacon mix

Add shredded cheese and mix.

Refrigerate overnight.

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I have been writing entries infrequently since April but not really having the desire to publish them.  Here they are:

Dear Ed:  I really appreciate what you are doing in spearheading the Clear Creek effort.  It must be really strange dealing with a beast as complicated and entangled as the government.  I think that it might further the Clear Creek cause better to leave out the conservative chants.  I feel for you in that most of what you stand for politically, benefits the rich and you are probably not one of the top 2%.  They use the conservative middle class to espouse their big business supportive rhetoric.  Didn't the invasion of Iraq teach you anything?  We are talking a lot of people dying unnecessarily. I think that your bog has some good links for dirt biking and I appreciate that.  You are entitled to your own opinion of course.  I just think that mixing in the politics detracts from the Clear Creek part and would be better off on another blog. Regards,  JW

I received this e-mail in late August from a misguided soul in El Cerrito whose name I have purposely left out of the blog.   I did not reply to the e-mail because it really pissed me off.  I include it here so that the majority of the readers can see what we are up against.  This guy should apply for a job at the White House because he would certainly fit in well.   

Had replied I would have said: JW, you are right that I am entitled to my opinion and that is what I put in the blog.  If you don't like it, then don't read it.  Who the heck brainwashed you? I think you should grow up and connect the dots.  There is nothing wrong with Big Business. Big Business helped make this the greatest, most prosperous country in the history of mankind.  On the other hand Big Government has closed Clear Creek and it is working hard to close riding opportunity throughout California and across the US.  It is spending the US into second tier nation status and making our currency worthless.  It has burdened every American, conservative and liberal alike, with over $38,000 in debt. And now Obama and the Democrats co-conspirators, Reid and Pelossi, plan to allow the Bush tax cuts to expire next year which will certainly increase taxes on most taxpayers and they plan to pass a Cap and Trade tax on energy.  These two actions will likely stifle the weak recovery that has started and add to the burden on the ordinary American.

Big Business is being blamed by Big Government for our economic woes but IMO one of the biggest causes of the recession was GREED on the part of many facets of our society.  Greed helped create the housing bubble, greed fueled the consumption and consumer debt bubble, and greed created the environment for the failure of our financial institutions.  Greed, Big Government's attempt to make homeowners of people without the means and the failure of Big Government to monitor and regulate our financial institutions all contributed to the great recession.

While our way of life and economy are not perfect it is certainly better than a planned economy with government controlled businesses.  If this is the type of world you want to live it I suggest you move to Cuba, Venezeula, Michigan or some other socialist state.   In the mean time I suggest you buy a bicycle because the roads are still open.  Sincerely, Ed

I am proud to be part of the Tea Party conservative mob. I think that public opinion is swinging to our point of view and the Democratic view of the future for America is becoming the lunatic fringe that they accuse the conservative movement of being. The conservative revolution will begin soon so cling to your guns and religion and be prepared. 

FOIA:   Recently Don Amador sent me the files that the BLM provided as a part of our Freedom of Information Act request.  I have just started to go through them and have found some interesting stuff.  For instance, Mike Pool notified Washington in February that they were going to close Clear Creek in May, Rick Cooper expressed regret in an e-mail about having to mislead the Resource Advisory Council during a tour of the Creek in March, an EPA toxicologist from Denver submitted an alternative to Rick Cooper in February and a peon on the Hollister staff belittles two respected scientists, much in the same way that the EPA scientist made degrading comments about Dr. Ilgren (more on that below). 

Town Hall Meetings:  The BLM should be paying good attention to what is happening at town hall meetings across the country on the subject of health care and then plan for a ten or one hundred fold (or more) increase in anger from the recreation community that has been locked out of Clear Creek for 16 months.  They lied about the schedule for the EIS process just like they have lied about so many other things.  In fact, don't be surprised if they wimp out and hold virtual meetings because they will so fearful of the turnout and anger that comes with these meetings.

More Tax Dollars being Wasted at Clear Creek:  I had a report of new work being done at Clear off to the side from where the entrance station was located.  A local resident told the reporter that the BLM was building a new decontamination facility.  So how much is the BLM spending to build this decontamination facility for an area that is closed to the public and into which their own employees should not venture?  Here is a ballpark and some pictures.  Piss you off.  It does me!

Update:  A person working for the contractor building the new decontamination facility recently told a friend that their contract was for $1.6M.  What does the BLM need a $1.6M decontamination facility for unless they are planning to do a lot of work in Clear Creek.  If they are planning to do a lot of work, how can they justify the exposure to their employees?  They are human, aren't they?  Their lungs would react the same way mine or yours would?  Or, maybe they are inhuman as some have suggested!

Rick Cooper Lied to Me:  I guess it didn't really come as any surprise that Rick would lie to me after the deceitful way that he misled the Resource Advisory Council in March.  Still a government official should not lie to a member of the public.  This is sad and pathetic behavior. 

The latest incident began with a report I received that heavy equipment had been seen entering Clear Creek back in February. In early March a friend of Clear Creek arranged for an overflight and pictures were taken of the staging areas along Clear Creek road.  The pictures did not show any recent activity and just some clean up work that was done around Staging Area 2.  I called Rick on Friday, March 13th to ask him some questions, one of which was "Has the BLM been doing any work with equipment in Clear Creek?"  Rick's answer was "No".  Now I find out that in fact the BLM had heavy equipment in Clear Creek, using rippers on bulldozers to "restore" (destroy) trails that were not included in the route designation EIS.  To make matters worse, they were using Green Sticker funds to pay for it.  Double pathetic!

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April 18, 2009

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Yes I know that it has been a month.  Yes, I had some ideas to write about but just didn't find the motivation.  I have even missed the last two Rambler meetings.

Road Rider Parking Lot Sale:  Road Rider in San Jose are holding their 31st Anniversary Parking Lot sale on Saturday May 2nd  from 9AM to 5PM and again on Sunday May 3rd from 10AM to 3PM.  I haven't made the trip to san Jose for these sales but I understand that several Ramblers have in the past and found some good deals on tires, helmets, etc.  Check it out!

Congressman Sam Farr Meeting:  Last September Steve Polk (Pinit Motorsports in Salinas) and I spoke to Congressman Sam Farr at one of his town hall meetings and asked him to get involved with the situation at Clear Creek and to set up a meeting with the local recreational users, the EPA and the BLM.  The meeting was finally happened this past Tuesday.  Attending the meeting on the government side were three representatives from the EPA, Rick Cooper of the BLM, Sam's chief of staff - Alec Arago, Sam's Santa Cruz office representative - Julian Chacon.  Representing recreational users were myself, Ray Iddings (Picacho.org), Steve Koretoff (RAC OHV representative), Steve Polk and Daphne Green of State Parks.  I guess you could count her on the government side but in this case she was really speaking for the OHV user community.  She was also feeling good because State Parks had just won a liability lawsuit involving an accident at Hollister Hills.

The EPA was represented by Jere Johnson, the woman who insulted the 600 people at the May 2008 Santa Clara meeting by insinuating that OHVers run over animals in Clear Creek, Arnold Den, a toxicologist (that title should tell you everything you need to know) and Jim Vreeland who I presume manages local EPA relationships with politicians.

Sam started the meeting by asking me what outcome I wanted to see and I said I wanted the BLM to lift the emergency closure in the Fall and work with the OHV community to come up with a solution that would preserve OHV recreation.  Sam asked Ray for some background on Clear Creek and Ray related how relatives had lived and mined inside Clear Creek for years without and health issues, especially mesothelioma.  Arnold Den then stated that "meso" was a very rare disease and that out of a population of 10,000 people maybe one would contract the disease.  He stated that the EPA was more concerned with lung cancer.

When Ray pointed out that most of the routes that the EPA used during their sampling went through staging areas that had all seen mining activity and were potentially contaminated with foreign asbestos and that only a small portion of Clear Creek was sampled, Arnold Den said that the people doing the sampling rode "all over the place".  This statement directly contradicts what is stated in their report.  Steve Koretoff also pointed out that it was common for an independent monitor to oversee the sampling but the EPA had none.  Make you wonder what other things they lied about in their report?

As we neared the end of the hour allotted for the meeting the real issue surfaced - liability.  Regardless what the BLM says about protecting human health, the real driving issue is liability and finding an acceptable solution in this area will, IMO, be the key to restoring OHV recreation in Clear Creek.

Draft EIS Now Due Out in June:  During the meeting Rick Cooper was asked when the Draft EIS would be released and now it is pushed back to June.   So much for the speedy process the BLM led people to believe.

Tea Party:  For just the second time in my life I went out and demonstrated at the Tea Party against the massive government spending that will undoubtedly lead to higher taxes in the future.  For this, I and million of other conservatives around the country have been branded racist, bigots and worst by reporters and commentators on CNN and MSNBC and are probably on a watch list with the Department of Homeland Security because of our un-American activity.  I happen to think it is un-American to be warming relations with Cuba and cozying up to Hugo Chavez as our President is doing, but then birds of a feather flock together.

Man on the Street:  It seems that the left are winning the battle for the hearts and minds of Americans.  Obama is leading the charge towards socialism with the help of a Democratic Congress and is creating an atmosphere where there will be increasing class warfare in America.  Why do I say this?  Just read the stories on the internet or listen to the radio.  It is all around us.  Here is a prime example.

A couple of Thursdays ago, Sean Hannity interviewed people on the street and asked them if they agreed with this philosophy: "From each American according to his abilities, to each American according to his needs."  All three people, young New Yorkers in their mid-twenties said that the agreed with the statement and all three said they had voted for Obama.  This weekend Colleen told me about a conversation that she had with a co-worker who is nearing retirement age, doesn't have a penny saved and who thinks that Obama is going to take care of them when they retires.  I sure hope she is in for a rude awakening!

Conspiracy Theory:  This came to me while I was out weeding. I had listened to Michael savage on the way home from work yesterday and then went out to the back yard to weed.  I find it very relaxing to weed and I get some good ideas while doing it.   Here is a conspiracy theory that came to me yesterday:  Everything that Obama is doing with the appointment of all of these radicals to positions of power in his administration, shaking hands with Chavez, warming up to Cuba, etc is all designed to inflame the right wing fringe of this country and hopefully provoke a domestic terrorist attack on one of these leftists he has appointed. They are covering their bases with the release of the memo by Napolitano that generally identifies the groups who might be responsible for the domestic terror act. He has set up a bunch of good targets by picking radicals to head many Secretary positions. The biggest target would be Hillary Clinton. Here he or his handlers could kill off two birds with one stone. Get rid of his nearest competition on the liberal side and have an excuse to declare a national emergency and confiscate guns, silence talk radio etc.

New Federal Taxes:  This week the EPA declared that greenhouse emissions pose a danger to the public's health and welfare, a move that could trigger a series of federal regulations affecting polluters from vehicles to coal-fired power plants.  This sets the stage for the Democrats that control the Congress to pass Cap and Trade legislation that will tax polluting industries.  The bottom line is that these taxes will be passed on to everyone of use that uses energy, be it to heat our home, drive our cars, or the hundreds of things that use electricity.  Don't be fooled by statements like "95% of Americans are getting a tax break from the Obama administration".  The only break the citizens of the US will be getting is a broken back from the tax burden being put upon us by the federal government and the State of California. 

State Taxes:  California already has one of the highest (if not the highest) income tax rates in the country.  I encourage you to review the propositions on the ballot for the special election on Tuesday May 19th and to VOTE "NO" on the propositions 1A to 1E.    It appears that these propositions are just another gimmick by our legislators and the Governor to postpone true reform and the downsizing of our bloated state government.  

Electricross:  We are planning to remodel the kitchen and so we have been making trips to the South Bay to check out granite countertops.  Two weekends ago we made another run and I have to tell you that this is a really hard task as neither of us have a home design gene in our bodies.  Last week Colleen took our sister-in-law up to Santa Clara and found what we thought was a good match for our kitchen but the shop only had a sample and the full slabs were in their shop in Hayward.  So, off we went to Hayward only to find that they only had one slab (we need two) and the one they had was cracked.  So it was back to the drawing boards.  After what seemed like hours of looking at granite slabs, they all sort of ran together.  

The trip wasn't a total waste.  On the way out of the valley we stopped by the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds.  Colleen went to the Home Show while I stopped over at the Electricross, a 24 hour torture test of electric motorcycles put on by Zero Motorcycles of Santa Cruz.  It was very strange watching the bikes run around the track with just the sound of chain slap and tires on dirt.  This may be the future but it still has a way to go.  Battery life ranged from 15 minutes to around 25 minutes depending on how aggressive the rider was.  Pit stops consisted of battery swaps accompanied by the dousing of the electric motors with bottles of water to cool them off.  

Don Amador of the BRC was there to sound test the bikes and he told me that the sounds of people talking was louder than the sound of a dozen bikes leaving the starting line.  You can click here to see Don's write-up.

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March 15, 2009

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Barack and I agree on something:  For riders who might lean left (politically, that is) I don't want you to think that I am so right wing that I could not agree with our new president on something.  On my daily walk the other night I got to thinking about something I heard on the radio that morning.  On the Mark and Jim Show on KION 1460 they were talking about imports and exports and how the US has become a net importer after being a net exporters for much of the 20th century.  Being a net importer means that our country imports more products than we export.  The product that has tipped the scales is energy, mainly oil.

What I agree with Barack on is that we need to develop a comprehensive energy strategy and become energy independent.  How we get to energy independence, however, is where we disagree.  I think that we should be building more nuclear and coal power plants and drilling for oil off our coasts and in Alaska.  Barack thinks that we can get there by building solar and wind farms, burning corn and soybeans and conserving.  I hate to clue him in but that ain't going to work.  We can't grow enough crops to feed the country and create fuel for one thing.  And asking Americans to conserve and pay higher prices for energy to heat our homes and power our cars while our major economic competitors, China and India, are using cheaper oil and gas is a recipe for turning the United States into a second world economy.  You can be sure that these countries are not going to ruin their economies with cap and trade schemes.

While in California we don't get much (if any) of our electricity from coal, much of the country does.  Coal is the most plentiful energy resource that the United States has, with reserves greater than any other country in the world.  Estimates are that we have over 200 years supply at our current consumption rate.  So why does Barack hate coal?  Because it creates greenhouses gases that the environmental guru Al Gore claims are going to destroy the world if left unchecked.  Barack's solution, again, are wind, solar and ethanol.  Barack's Energy czar wants to build windmill farm off the coasts of the US but environmentalists, and even Teddy Kennedy, are up in arms because windmills kill birds.

Like the asbestos controversy surrounding Clear Creek, global warming is another scare foisted on the American public by people who want to dictate to us how we should live our lives.  Here is a link to a youtube video showing Al Gore presenting his theories and a group of scientist refuting them. While the planet may be warming it isn't necessarily warming because of greenhouse gases.  Geologic history tells us that the planet warms and cools in cycles and mankind needs to learn to adapt to these cycles.

Beginner's Luck:  I saw a great story on the internet today about a gal who took golf lessons and then on her first swing in first her first round of golf hit a hole in one.  While not quite as exciting or newsworthy, I managed to win the first game of Texas Hold'em that I ever played.  Last Friday evening I was invited to play Texas Hold'em on Friday night with a fellow club member, Dave, and a bunch of his Rotary friends.  I has been years, make that decades, since I have played poker.  I don't like to gamble because I don't like to lose.  Whenever I go to a casino with Colleen I play the nickel slots. I would play penny slots if I could find them.

The last time I sat in a poker game was back in the '70s down at Clear Creek with Bob Day and Bob Parker in the A Frame.  Don't remember the games we played that evening or how I did but I suspect that I lost money.  I usually do.  When Dave invited me to play the first thing I asked was " Looking for a sucker to donate his money"?  To prepare for the evening I printed instructions on how to play.  I also had to print the order of winning hands.  I spent a few minutes on a break at work talking with our resident card shark, David, about strategy.  On the first hand of the night I was dealt a pair of Jacks.  On the flop I picked up a third Jack.  Maybe because it was the first hand a number of people stayed in and bet to see the Turn card and then the River card.  At this point I just kept matching the betting because I knew I had a good hand and none of the cards turned up could easily create a straight or flush.  When it came time for the showdown I had won beating the next best hand that had two pair.  Suddenly my small pile of chip grew substantially.  

We played a number of different games with names like Omaha, Dog and Between the Sheets.  I sat out and watched a few of the games to learn how they were played.  In the end I cashed in to cover my initial chip purchase, my donation towards pizzas and still came out ahead a little bit ahead.  I found the evening very challenging trying to learn strategy based on position and how the other players would play.  I am going to have to try it again some time but I didn't wake up Saturday morning with a burning desire to find a card game.

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March 8, 2009

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I have taken to writing about politics and the economy because there hasn't been much to write about regarding Clear Creek and because I think that some in the OHV community might benefit and become motivated to become more active in challenging the socialist juggernaut being pushed by Obama, Pelosi and Reid.

I am a register Republican and have been for many years but I am considering changing to Independent because of how badly the Republican party has let down the conservatives in the country and in California.  Someone from the Wall Street Journal (can't find the article) wrote recently that the republican and Democratic parties are both for big government, just different types of big government.  This is certainly true given the last two decades and it looks like it is just going to get worse.  I guess I will have to check out the Libertarian Party

Monterey Tea Party - Tax Protest:  I have done a lot of political action work and fund raising but I had never before participated in a protest rally.  I added this to my repertoire on Saturday by participating in the Monterey Tea Party at the Window on the Bay in Monterey.  I went down there with my neighbor Dave who is a staunch conservative and we held signs and talked with a bunch of like minded people.  For flag colors, I wore my Team USA jacket that I got when I went to the ISDE in Germany in 1989. (No, I didn't race, I was a spectator and managed the paddock and checkpoint gas supplies).  Not sure of the exact number of people who showed up for this demonstration but I estimate about 150 people at the peak.  A lot of cars honked at us and waved, a few Obama supporters gave us a thumb down or middle finger up and one black person in an old pickup drove by and called the crowd "Bigots"  and screamed "Black people have to eat too".  If you live on the central coast and would like to participate in upcoming event, check out this website.

Splitting California:  Bill Maze of Visalia is promoting the idea of splitting California into two states.  I met Bill when we served together on the Central California Resource Advisory Council after he was appointed by the Secretary of the Interior to serve as an elected official in Category 3 .  Now I read that Bill is leading the charge to split CA into two states, not north and south but rather Liberal and Conservative.  While I think this is a great idea, I live on the wrong side of the split as do many of the readers of the blog.  If this were to occur, I guess I would have to move because I would not want my tax dollars to go to fund the whacked out liberals in SF and LA.

Economic Indicator:  Many people watch the financial news to try to determine how the economy is doing.  I watch for trains.  This might sound strange but think about it.  Trains carry a huge amount of the products consumed by Americans.  I don't recall the exact percentage compared to the trucking industry but it is considerably greater.  I work in a building next to railroad tracks in Salinas.  The past few years there has been considerable train traffic up and down the coast line.  Trains heading south quite often were loaded with lumber and building materials while trains heading north were carrying cars and trucks.  I could tell when a lumber train was passing because the building would shake from the weight of the railroad cars passing by.  A couple of times I almost thought we were having an earthquake.

Well, the number of trains has fallen dramatically like the DOW Industrial Average and the building hasn't shaken much because there isn't much demand for lumber.  I will know that the economy is recovering when the railroad traffic picks up.

GO East, Young Man:  Back in the mid-1800's the saying Go West, Young Man was popularized by journalist Horace Greeley. He was referring to opportunities on the American frontier.  The new mantra, especially for college graduates struggling to find work after graduation may become "Go East, Young Person (to be politically correct).  There doesn't seem to be a recession in the Washington D.C. area, according to this article in the Yahoo news.   This, unfortunately, is just another sad indicator of where our country is headed.

Cal Poly Dual Sport:  A number of Ramblers have ridden this event but each year there seems to be some reason why I can't make it down to San Luis Obispo.  I am signing up this year as I have heard that the Penguins put on a great ride.  If you are looking for something to do in late April and you have a street legal bike, give it a try.  Event Flyer

Molina Ghost Run:  If you have a jeep and want to get together with other jeepers, then you might enjoy participating in the 2009 Molina Ghost Run that will be held at the Upper Ranch at Hollister Hills.  The Molina has been displaced by the Clear Creek closure.  Past events were staged from the Rambler property and we hope to see the day when the Molina returns to Clear Creek!  Event Information

Family/Group pictures from RUTS:  If anyone has a family or group picture from the RUTS events in Clear Creek, please send them to me at the e-mail address above.  Thanks!

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February 28, 2009

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Another Saturday in late February and I was out doing what I normally do in late February, cleaning course markings.  Seems like many Ramblers  get involved setting up our events and then disappear when it is time to clean up. There isn't a sense of urgency, I guess, because there isn't a Timekeeper's event three weeks after ours so I guess people figure they can clean their section of the course any time.  It is not quite like cleaning up the enduro because of the extensive use that we made of the wide tape to line portions of the hare scrambles course. That tape can fill up a backpack fast.  I made multiple trips down the hill to empty the backpack in a fire pit.  

It was very warm today in advance of a weather system and I did a lot of walking and sweating as I picked up the course markers.  Before clearing the course I put a tarp over the roof of my old trailer as it has sprung a couple of leaks.  Up and down a ladder plus all the walking and kick starting brought on major leg cramps this evening reminiscent of the aftermath of a tough enduro.  Guess I am getting too old for this stuff

The Three Stooges:  Thanks to Don for sharing this picture.  But don't be fooled into thinking that these three are stupid.  They are at the heart of the biggest changes to affect our country since the 1930's and if we don't watch out they will turn us into a socialist nation like France... or worse.

Three Generations of Ramblers:  Recently I posted a thread on SBR asking for pictures of family recreation in Clear Creek.  Frank Rodgers gave me this picture of three generations of his family recreating in Clear Creek.  From left to right are:  Frank Rodgers, one of the founding members of the Salinas Ramblers, Richard (Dick) Rodgers, Frank's son and one of the Ramblers responsible for starting the Quicksilver Enduro, Frank Rodgers, Dick's son and one of the loop leaders for the enduro, and Frank's brother.

I understand that Frank Sr. started to ride in the Clear Creek area after the war around 1946.  At first the riding was limited to roads because of the bikes they had at the time.  When the British invasion (Triumph and BSA) started in the 1950's riders were able to explore the side trails and expanded their use of Clear Creek.  This picture is circa 1973 and was taken at the Indian Hill campground in an area now enclosed by the pipe barrier.

Ed in Clear Creek - thirty years ago:  Thanks to Gary - Never too Old - on South Bay Riders for posting this picture of a Rambler enduro work party taking a break in Clear Creek.  I am at the far right of the picture.  It is hard to make me out but I can identify myself by the helmet with snap on face guard, blue Barbour wax cotton jacket, leather pants with the yellow stripe and leaning against the tree is my 1975 Can-Am 250 MX2 with the red/orange accessory 3 gallon tank that Can-Am cam out with in 1977-8.  Other riders I can identify in the picture are Jim Chisum (gray helmet), Art Rodgers (red helmet and jacket), and Dick Rodgers who is taking a picture of Gary taking a picture.

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February 17, 2009

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Enduro Masquerading as a Hare Scrambles:  Another Picacho Creek Hare Scrambles is in the books and this one came off without a hitch, just like the Club planned it.  Weather cooperated for a change which was amazing since the AT&T golf tournament ran the same week and didn't complete the Sunday round.  Not that the weekend was without some drama, with several inches of snow and a road blockage on Friday morning, a dusting of snow in camp on Saturday morning and strong gusty winds all day on Sunday.  Nevertheless, the Ramblers forged ahead and pulled off another great event.

Some riders were questioning whether they entered an enduro or a hare scrambles once they got going around the course.  One A rider came up to me after his event and commented that our event was an enduro masquerading as a hare scrambles.  He then went on to say he loved it and wished the other hare scrambles were as technical as ours!  Not everyone shared his opinion.  I guided one youngster on a 65 back to the pits on Saturday morning because the course was too hard and he wasn't having any fun.  I can relate to that.  I quit one race for the same reason.  Don't remember the year but it was the Jackhammer Enduro run out of Fout Springs.  The club started us off into the trail system going east directly into the morning sun.  It had not rained and the dust made it impossible to see the waterbars and the time schedule demanded that you went fast.  After nearly going over the bars the third time I hit a waterbar in the dust I called it quits rather than getting hurt.

Jordan Brandt won the A race on Sunday which was not a big surprise because the kid is fast and he had a bit of home court advantage because as a kid he grew up riding at Clear Creek and on the trails on the Rambler property.  I sponsored his Dad into the Club years ago and we did a bunch of riding together before Carl's job moved to Colorado and he and Dan went with it.

I know a bunch or riders stayed home because they believed the weather prognosticator's predictions of a washout or a snow out.  I admit I was one of them.  With snow on the mountains surrounding Salinas on Friday morning and a dire forecast for rain and snow on Saturday night and Sunday, I wasn't really looking forward to going down to Clear Creek to freeze my ass off.  I went none the less as it is my duty as a Club member and luckily I was proved wrong.  The storm stalled just off the coast and fed wave after wave of rain into the Santa Cruz mountains, San Jose and the Bay Area while 60 miles to the south all we got was a couple of scattered showers. 

Just as the A race was about to start one of the aforementioned showers made an appearance over the property and I feared that this was just the start of an ugly day.  A couple of minutes later it quit but I went into the trailer and got out my trusty yellow farm worker rain suit and proceeded to wear it the rest of the day.  My brother-in-law Brian did the same.  Joe Gomes, one of the key organizers, wore his rain slicker all day too.  Once I put the rain suit on the sky brightened and not a drop of rain touched me the rest of the day.  Several Club members told me that I next year I had to come down to the property of Thursday and wear the rain suit the rest of the weekend!

Where do you plan to move?  As I mentioned above, Jordan's Dad relocated with his company after Colorado made the company an offer they couldn't refuse.  High taxes and over regulation drove Velcon Filters out of California and now the Democrats who own this state are about to make the situation for business (and the general public) unattractive again.  Thank goodness that a few Republicans are holding firm against the huge tax increases that the Democrats in the legislature are proposing and which our RINO (republican in name only) governor is going along with. Another 1% on the sales tax, 12 cents per gallon of gas and double the car registration tax so we can keep a bloated state government structure in place.  If the State of California were a business, it file for bankruptcy, reorganize and downsize until expenses were more in line with revenue.  But heaven forbid that a single state worker be laid off or state programs be cut!  I e-mailed  Abel Maldonado on Sunday night and thanked him for standing firm against this flawed budget and recommended that he should start by getting rid of the CA Air Resources Board and the CA EPA.  Wouldn't life be so much better with these bureaucrats gone?

Getting back to the original question, there was an article in the financial news today written by the Wall Street Journal about what other states are doing to persuade California businesses to relocate as Velcon did.  Interesting reading. Couldn't find the original article but here is a recap and another article about what other state are doing to increase jobs in their states.  California is a prime target.  http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=100665214&ft=1&f=1006  http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123353481151637695.html

On Any Sunday Picture:  Thanks to Brian in San Jose for sending me a picture taken of his Dad and friends in Clear Creek back in 1973.  Looks like it could have come off a poster advertising On Any Sunday, that classic movie by Bruce Brown the chronicled dirt biking in the early 1970's.  Brian reports that his father is 68, rode Clear Creek for many years and is in good health.  If you have any old pictures of your family recreating in Clear Creek in the '60s and '70s, please send me an electronic copy.   If you can't scan them, then I will arrange to have you mail me the picture and I will scan it and return it.

I can certainly relate to this picture,  I started riding the Creek in 1973 wearing High Point boots, open face helmet and leather riding pants.  Rode a 1972 Yamaha 250MX that I bought from Ricky Graham's dad.   I still have a couple of relics from those days.  If you check out the bed of my new Ranger you will find a piece of plywood that I bought along with wheel racks, leather pants, kidney belt and an open face helmet from a Sergeant Mike Smith shortly after being stationed at Fort Ord in 1973.  I also still have the Bates kidney belt tucked away in a foot locker under my work bench in the garage.  Unfortunately it seem to have shrunk over the years as there appears to be a 6 inch gap when I tried to put it on tonight and it fit perfectly when I put it in storage after I bought my first Gold Belt!

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February 8, 2009

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Rejection:  Here is a copy of the BLM's letter to the Timekeepers rejecting their permit request for a Wild Boar/Wild Piglett weekend in March. Cudos to the TMC for at least requesting the dates and forcing the BLM to respond!

Youth Ban on Motorcycles and ATVs:  Need another reason to hate the government?  How about the government not allowing the sales of mini-bikes and small ATV for c\hildren under the age of twelve?  You can read about it on Don Amador's blog.  

Honey, I saved you a $100!  Heard that one before?  Women and democratic senators are great at saving us money.  The only problem is that they have to spend a whole bunch in order to "save" us the money.  Last night on the news on the way home from work they had a sound bite from some Democratic senator saying that they had "SAVED" the public $100 Billion dollars by cutting that amount from the economic stimulus package being considered by Congress.  I was sitting at a light at the intersection of Main and Blanco in Salinas and started screaming at the radio "How about saving us another $800B".  People around me probably thought I was crazy.  The government can do that to you.  Anyway, in another week or so Congress and the new Messiah will have put another $800+ Billion on the nation's credit card and our children's children will be saddled with the payments for decades to come.  I just hope that the economy recovers and Obama doubles taxes to pay off this debt before the next election.  Then we will see if the American public are ready for any more of his "Change".

The Little Red Hen:   Thanks to Dave W for sharing this.

"Who will help me plant my wheat?" said the little red hen.

"Not I," said the cow.

"Not I," said the duck.

"Not I," said the pig.

"Not I," said the goose.

"Then I will do it by myself," said the little red hen, and so she did. She planted her crop, and the wheat grew very tall and ripened into golden grain.

 

"Who will help me reap my wheat?" asked the little red hen.

"Not I," said the duck..

"Out of my classification," said the pig.

"I'd lose my seniority," said the cow.

"I'd lose my unemployment compensation," said the goose.

"Then I will do it by myself," said the little red hen, and so she did.

 

At last it came time to bake the bread.

Who will help me bake the bread?" asked the little red hen.

"That would be overtime for me," said the cow.

"I'd lose my welfare benefits," said the duck.

"I'm a dropout and never learned how," said the pig.

"If I'm to be the only helper, that's discrimination," said the goose.

"Then I will do it by myself," said the little red hen.

 

She baked five loaves and held them up for all of her neighbors to see. They wanted some and, in fact, demanded a share. But the little red hen said, "No, I shall eat all five loaves."

"Excess profits!" cried the cow. (Nancy Pelosi)

"Capitalist leech!" screamed the duck. (Barbara Boxer)

"I demand equal rights!" yelled the goose. (Jesse Jackson)

The pig just grunted in disdain. (Ted Kennedy)

And they all painted 'Unfair!' picket signs and marched around and around the little red hen, shouting obscenities.

 

Then the farmer Obama came. He said to the little red hen, "You must not be so greedy."  "But I earned the bread," said the little red hen. "Exactly," said Barack the farmer. "That is what makes our free enterprise system so wonderful. Anyone in the barnyard can earn as much as he wants. But under our modern government regulations, the productive workers must divide the fruits of their labor with those who are lazy and idle."

 

And they all lived happily ever after, including the little red hen, who smiled and clucked, "I am grateful, for now I truly understand."

 

But her neighbors became quite disappointed in her. She never again baked bread because she joined the 'party' and got her bread free. And all the Democrats smiled. 'Fairness' had been established.  Individual initiative had died, but nobody noticed; perhaps no one cared...so long as there was free bread that 'the rich' were paying for.

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February 1, 2009

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Picacho Creek Hare Scrambles:  We are just 12 days away for the annual Picacho Creek Hare Scrambles hosted by the Salinas Ramblers.  Its not Clear Creek but it is the next best thing.  In addition to the youth hare scrambles of Saturday we are having a night hare scrambles that evening.  Details about the events can be found on the flyer and on the information sheet.

Tax Cheats:  Now I understand why it is so easy for Democrats to raise taxes, ...because they don't pay them themselves.  Here we go again, another Obama nominee tainted by a tax problem.  Are you telling me and the American public that Tom Daschle is the best and only candidate for your cabinet post.  Give me a break.  The first thing Republicans should do when they get back in power is audit the returns of every Democrat that works in Obama's administration!

There is no quick and easy fix for our economic problems but spending over a trillion dollars ($800B plus interest) is not the solution, IMO.  It is going to take time and patience to get through this crisis.  The worst thing that the Obama administration can do is not dig us in any deeper than we already are.  Massive government spending didn't work for FDR in the 1930's and it didn't work for Japan in the 1980's.  The economic stimulus last year under Bush II didn't produce any tangible results so why should we waste five times that amount this time around.  The worst thing that Obama can do is run up the deficit more than it already is.  Maybe Obama should enlist Bob Brinker who host the Money Talk radio show.  Bob and his callers have a lot of common sense recommendation.  Or maybe Suzy Orman should do a "can I afford it" on the stimulus package.  I am sure that Obama would be REJECTED!  It is time for him to stop listening to economic advisors who are closely linked to Wall Street.

Redistribution of Wealth:  The House economic stimulus package seeks to redistribute wealth is two ways that I know of.  First is by giving a tax refund of $500 ($1,000 for married couples) regardless if the recipient earned enough money to actually pay taxes.  Give me a break.  I work hard for my income and to have my taxes given away to people who don't work is a crime, IMO.  The second way the House stimulus package seeks to redistribution wealth is by eliminating the cap on welfare payments by the Feds to the states.  If the bill is signed into law, welfare reform as passed by the Republican led congress and signed into law by President Clinton is dead.  The stimulus bill leaves the amount available to the states at whatever is available in the US Treasury.  Very scary!

Urine Test -- This guy has a point!  This was written by a construction worker in Fort McMurray .  Read on . . ."I work, they pay me.  I pay my taxes, and the government distributes my taxes as it sees fit.  In order to earn that pay check, I work on a rig site for a Fort McMurray construction project.  At any time I am required to pass a random urine test, with which I have no problem.    HOWEVER, what I do have a problem with is the distribution of my taxes to people who don't have to pass a urine test.  Shouldn't one have to pass a urine test to get a welfare check because I have to pass one to earn it for them?   

Understand - I have no problem with helping people get back on their feet. I do on the other hand have a problem with helping someone sit on their butt, drink beer and smoke dope.  Could you imagine how much money this country would save if people had to pass a urine test to get a public assistance check? "  If you agree, please pass this along to your friends.  Hope you  pass it along because something has to change in this country.

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January 18, 2009

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I don't usually comment about politics but the recent election and inauguration have pushed me over the edge.  I don't know about you but I am getting sick of news reports about our new President, or should I say our new Messiah.  The media is having a love fest over this guy and giving him a pass by not asking tough questions.  Or is it that he  won't allow anyone in the press to ask him a tough question.  Nor are they questioning his picks for key jobs in his administration.   Can you believe that he nominates a tax dodger as Secretary of the Treasury, the person who will have control over the IRS??? On top of this, Geithner was the Fed official responsible to oversee the banks in New York, many of which have now gotten TARP bailout funds.  Why should we trust that he will do any better job overseeing all the banks in the country?  Couldn't Obama found someone better??? 

If a Republican president presented such a nominee the media and the Democrats in Congress would be having a field day and would be calling for the withdrawal of the nomination.  Just the fact that he employed an illegal alien should be enough.  But there has been no criticism by the Fourth Estate except for talk radio.  This is a sad time in our country's history but we survived Bill Clinton and I expect that we will survive Obama.  Let's hope we only have to endure four years. 

Disenfranchised:  I was listening to Glenn Beck on the way back from the property this weekend and he was talking about the disenfranchisement of the general population and how this could ultimately lead to a revolution.  A caller told Glenn how she could relate to Timothy McVey and his actions against the federal government.  I think that the OHV community is starting to get the feeling of being disenfranchised because of all of the closure of routes by the BLM, Forest Service and other agencies.  While I don't expect OHVers to start blowing up buildings, I believe that the day is near when normal, law abiding riders will start acting like the 5%ers and start riding wherever and whenever they want. What's the point of following the rules, playing the game, when the game is stacked against you. I hope that day doesn't come but just the fact that I feel compelled to write about should be a wake-up call to land managers and our politicians 

Glutton for Punishment:  I have been working on land use issues for a long time and have attended my share of meetings. I'm not quite sure why I keep going to these meetings.  Perhaps because I prefer to think of the glass half full rather than half empty.  I attended another meeting one on Saturday in Visalia.  It was a BLM Resource Advisory Committee meeting to discuss OHV issues in Central CA.  I was glad to see that the meeting was well attended by OHVers from the central valley and by representatives of CORVA and CA Association of 4 Wheel Drives.  Rick Cooper passed out the list of preliminary alternatives that the Hollister Field Office has drafted (Thanks Thurman for posting them and attending the meeting).  They look identical to the list I had seen posted on SBR last year.  Rick explained the EIS process and updated us on the timeline.  Looks like the BLM scheduled release of the Draft EIS has slipped by a couple of months and now we can expect to see the DEIS in late March or early April.  So much for the BLM expediting the process with the temporary closure in place.  Let's hope it isn't released on April 1!

The OHV subcommittee has been organized by Steve Koretoff (Dirtflea on SBR).  Steve is the OHV representative on the central CA resource advisory council, a civilian body appointed by the Secretary of the Interior to advise the BLM on land use issues.  The OHV subcommittee was organized to focus on OHV issues in central CA.  It was not organized to deal specifically with Clear Creek but rather to look into OHV related issues and opportunities in central CA.  Many of the early meetings have had Clear Creek as their main focus by the public attending.  I don't see that there is a lot the subcommittee can do to affect the EIS process and so I hope that the focus can be to preserve and improve existing OHV recreation opportunities and to try to identify new areas for the BLM to consider opening for use.

The Pig Killer is Dead, Long Live the Pig Killer:  You won't see me in the familiar brown 1987 Ford Ranger with the bashed in front fender any more.   After 17 years of service I retired the Pig Killer by donating it to Charity to benefit the Boy Scouts.  The Pig Killer died on me over Thanksgiving weekend on my way to the Club property.  I was able to nurse it home from Greenfield but was unwilling to invest any more money in the vehicle.  In addition to the poor engine performance the tranny was making a lot of noise.  My new transport vehicle is a 1998 Ford Ranger that I found on Craigs List.  It is very clean with just 74,000 miles and the best thing was the price - $5,300 out the door.  Sweet!  

I drove down to the property on Friday night to camp out (my wife calls staying in our trailer camping out).  On the way to Visalia on Saturday morning I encountered a large pig.  Fortunately there was a fence separating us.  I really don't want the new truck to earn a nickname, its too pretty.

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January 1, 2009

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Happy New Year! (I guess!)  Lets hope that 2009 turns out better than 2008!   I took some time off from writing because it was just too damn depressing thinking about Clear Creek.  I have worked so hard since 1984 to keep Clear Creek open only to have some assholes at the EPA and BLM slap an emergency closure on it.  I can now understand the sentiments of some of our older life members who went through as closure at the Panoche Hills before I arrived in California.  It is not hard now to understand why a portion of our society hates the federal government.

I have only been down to the Club property twice since May 1, again because it is depressing to look up to the Picachos and see what has been taken away from us.  It is also been depressing because the BRC has not come up with a strategy to attack this closure.  They talked the good talk right after the closure and got donations, mine included.  They did submit a study that was done earlier this year that showed that the areas sampled by the EPA were contaminated by amphibole asbestos left behind by generations of mining. I understand that the BLM has taken actions to clean up some of the toxic hot spots identified by the study.  So where does that leave us?  Stuck with an emergency closure, sitting on our hands and waiting for the BLM to reveal their intentions in the DEIS.  Great Strategy!  Looks like I will be over 60 before they lift this closure, if at all, and they will have stolen two or more years of what little riding I still have in me.  Fuck Them!

Everything is broken:  As if the closure of Clear Creek was not enough, I have been having a streak of bad luck with "stuff" lately.  It started right after Thanksgiving when the pig killer died on me outside Greenfield.  I was heading down to the Creek for a Club workday but never made it.  I was able to nurse the truck home but decided to get a newer ride,  The '87 Ranger has been a good reliable truck but it struggled to pass smog two years ago and with the new problems I decided it was time to replace it rather than invest more money in it.  Was lucky to find a 1998 Ranger on Craig's List.  Nice clean truck, single owner with only 73,000 miles.  I just hope I don't get to name the new truck Pig Killer II!

A week later the hard drive in my computer started to make a funny noise so I backed up my files, just in case.  Good thing because the next day I started to get nasty operating system messages followed by nothing.  Because the computer was five years old, I decided to get a new system as prices are pretty good right now.  I went back East a week later to install software  and just before I left our main TV started to act up and an electrical circuit in the house died.  To date the TV is hanging in there but I had to have an electrician diagnose and fix the electrical problem.  Not sure what will go wrong next but I can't be blamed for not stimulating the economy this past month.

Bright Spots:  I guess it has not been all doom and gloom.  In August I took a ride up in the Sierras on a bunch of routes that the Forest Service probably will close. (Fuck them too!) I did get to ride on the Supermoto track during the September Superbike races at Laguna Seca in a Club members race.  Members of the Ramblers built the dirt portions of the track and helped with flagging duties during the weekend of racing.  In return we had the opportunity to have a club race using the promoter's CRF150s.  I set a goal of not crashing and finishing the race and I achieved my goal.  At one point I actually had the chance to not finish last when another Club member crashed coming off a jump right in front of me but he was up quickly, caught up to me and passed me.  That was good fun plus I got to work with Chuck and his sidekick Seph (or is it the other way around).  They are two of the hard working Clear Creek volunteers at most workdays and both race supermoto and help organize the Norcal events. 

In October I spent a week in the Nevada desert riding with friend and fellow Club members.  Dropped the bike just once in seven days and 800 miles of riding. Much of the riding was dual sport oriented but there was a good portion of cross country and some technical riding.  I did manage to get a severe leg cramp the evening after one ride so I know I got a good workout one day.  If the Creek is closed permanently, I will have to consider moving to Nevada or another state where there is still riding to be had.  California, IMO, is a lost cause.

Mexican Shrimp Cocktail:  For an appetizer on Thanksgiving I made Mexican Shrimp Cocktail.  Yes, I know this isn't typical Thanksgiving fare and would be better suited for Cinco de Mayo (the date my first grandchild is due) but sometimes you have to do something different.  I have had shrimp cocktails before in Mexican restaraunts and Beeny brought a batch to the desert in October that was really good.  I checked out some recipes on the web and then put together my own concoction.  Give it a try.  

3 lbs. shrimp (2 lbs of large shrimp that I chopped and one lb. of cocktail/salad shrimp)

2 16 oz. bottles Clamato Original Tomato cocktail

2 cucumbers, skin and seeds removed, cut and diced into med. cubes.

4 meduim avacados, cut and diced 

3-4 large stalks of celery, sliced

1 tablespoon crushed garlic
1 large red onion, diced into small pieces

1/4 cup of  fresh cilantro, chopped 

1 bottle of hot seafood cocktail sauce

1/4 c. fresh lime juice

I combined all of the ingredients the night before and chilled in the refrigerator overnight.  This recipe served 18 people with a little left over.  I used small clear plastic glasses to serve it in.

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October 5, 2008

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Sam Farr Town Hall Meeting:  On Wednesday evening at 6:30 at the Civic Center in Watsonville, Sam Farr will host a Town Hall Meeting.  I have contact the local motorsports dealers and suggested that they attend and tell Sam how the closure of the Creek is effecting their business.  I also suggest that anyone interested in Clear Creek also attend and ask Sam to intercede with the  BLM to get the emergency closure rescinded.

There will also be another Town Hall Meeting in Salinas on October 22.  Information about the meetings may be found on Sam Farr's web site.

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September 26, 2008

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Summer and summer vacation is over, I guess, if you can call it vacation.  I have gone through one of my periods of inactivity, writing wise, being uninspired to put fingers to keyboard.  As are many of my readers, I am depressed by the emergency closure and would like to exact some sort of punishment upon those who foisted this situation upon us.  We now play the waiting game with regards to Clear Creek, trusting that our dollars and fundraising efforts will bear fruit.  Kudos to John at Moore and Sons in Santa Cruz for the raffle/sale of a new KTM mini-bike on e-Bay that raised almost $4,000 for the legal defense fund.  Kudos to the clubs and individuals who have contributed since May 1st.  I think what really pisses me off is that we the public have to spend our valuable time and money to fight this stupid action.  We were not hurting anyone, including ourselves.  We were just out enjoying the pursuit of happiness and relieving the stress of life when these BLM assholes have to screw it all up.

Losses:  The past few months I have experienced the loss of Clear Creek and the loss of mobility due to sciatica that makes it difficult to stand or walk for any period of time.   I was fortunate to get in a good ride in the Sierras in early August on a Club trail ride but soon after that the sciatica kicked in and life has not been much fun.   But the greatest loss was that of a dear friend - Bear Hornady.  If you read back through the archives you will see that Bear and I shared a bunch of adventures in Clear Creek, Nevada and on other rides around the west.  Bear was a unique blend of intellect and energy, a scientist who rode dirt bikes. 

He joined the Club in the mid-1990s after retiring from Lawrence Livermore Labs and moving to Pacific Grove with his Wife Roo (Barbara).  Being an outsider is hard in a club like the Salinas Ramblers that has drawn from successive generations of Salinas residents.  I know because it took me, this Fort Ord Army guy from New Jersey, a while to blend in too.  I remember the first time we went to Clear Creek.  We met in Spreckles and transferred  his bike into my truck for the trip.  It was a typical California day (when it isn't raining or foggy) with a brilliant blue sky.  As we sped down Hwy 101 past Chular I so noted and Bear asked if I knew why the sky was blue.  I don't remember my answer but it was so significantly poor that Bear spent the rest of the drive to our turn off in King city explaining why it was.  I learned that I could make the trips seem to go more quickly by asking Bear questions that he would gladly answer.

Bear was an accomplished rider and he would follow me just about anywhere in Clear Creek.  It wasn't unusual to have to stop on the way home, usually around the Hwy 25 junction for him to get out and stretch his legs because of the leg cramps he got for enduring the trails I like to ride.  When I asked him to help with my LAO activities and attend BLM TRT meeting, he gladly agreed and joined me in attending these meetings. When the BLM would try to make a point using science, Bear would question and often refute it or, not knowing the answer, research it.  I remember once discussing the widespread abundance of Serpentine in CA and wondering why and where.  By the next time I saw Bear, he had visited the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History and the library and read up on serpentine and the geology of California and was ready for the BLM to say something stupid (which is inevitable).  He endured the TRT process longer than most normal humans would. He finally stopped attending when he tired of "dealing with these idiots" and " having a battle of wits with unarmed people".

After a day of working in the rain and mud preparing for the Quicksilver he noted how long it took boots to dry in front of an electric heater.  The next weekend he showed up at the property with a homemade boot dryer that he built from scratch.  For fun, he built his own computer and wrote an operating system for it.  I am not talking about going to a computer store and buying off the shelf motherboards, chips and disk.  His computer was built with a series of electronic switches much as I imagine they were back in the 1930's and 1940's.  One time I was having an electrical problem with one of my old Can-Ams and he came over to the house to help sort out the problem which turned out to be multiple problems.  Along the way he explained the theory of electricity and drew out the theory on a shopping bag that was lying around the garage.  Sure wish I could find it now!

Bear died of pancreatic cancer earlier this month, a few months after being diagnosed with the disease.  I am going to miss him.  The Club is also going to miss his for the wit, sarcasm, five syllable words and electrical engineering expertise he contributed.  Happy Trails on the other side!

RAC OHV Subcommittee:  The Central California Resource Advisory Council (RAC) has approved a subcommittee to look at the possibility of opening additional BLM lands in Central California for OHV recreation.  The subcommittee is headed up by Steve Koretoff of the Fresno area, our OHV representative on the RAC.  There was an organizational meeting in July and a follow-on meeting on Saturday, September 13th in Coalinga.  Word about the public meeting got out to the gem and mineral society group in the Coalinga, local hunters and landowners and they showed up in force, filling the room.  Attending the meeting to discuss the OHV topic were representatives of CORVA, FOCCMA, Don Amador of the BRC and  the state OHMVR director, Daphne Green.   The locals were upset because the BLM had refused multiple requests for a public meeting in the Central Valley following the closure and so a bulk of the meeting was spent listening to their views and concerns.

During the meeting, George Hill reiterated the company line - that the BLM closed Clear creek to protect the public's health.  After he was done I told the audience that the BLM did not close Clear Creek because of their concern over public health but rather because it is a huge management problem and what better way to make a bureaucrats problems go away than to close the area.  That way they can focus on managing the land without people on it.  Don Amador reinforced my statements and told the crowd that all land management decisions were political decisions and that we would have t work to change this decision.

I am hopeful that this initiative that Steve Koretoff has started will bear fruit one day.  The success of the sub-committee is, unfortunately, entirely dependent upon the BLM working with the public and the advisory group to suggest areas in Central California where OHV use could be encouraged.  I was glad to see Daphne at the meeting as her presence adds weight to the sub-committee along with a possible funding source for any areas that might be developed.  I will post more about this effort as it develops.  It is a long term effort.  I want to assure the readers that this effort is not intended to find a replacement for Clear Creek but rather to find new areas to accommodate our growing sport.

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July 28, 2008

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Rick Closure: The more I learn and think about the events that led up to the closure of Clear Creek, the more I have come to believe that Rick Cooper didn't make the decision to close Clear Creek even though he has publicly stated that at the meetings.  I have been told that he argued against the closure in the weeks leading up to May 1st but was over-ruled by the BLM State Director, Mike Pool.  It appears that Rick was just being the good subordinate and taking the heat for the closure to cover his boss' ass.  I sure would not have done it.  So it appears that our anger should not be directed at Rick but rather at Mike Pool, not that it really makes a difference in the big scheme of things.

What's Going On:  I see people on SBR demanding to know what's going on.  Will there be a legal challenge?  What is the legal defense fund doing to end the closure?  I want to assure my readers that there are efforts on-going to address this closure.  Meetings have been held and a report written but I have been asked by the legal tem not to discuss the details.  I ask that you keep the faith as I am doing.

Reality Check:  Some times you just need a good slap to set you straight.  I got one the other day over at Hollister Hills.  A verbal one.  I went over there to do some exercising on the bike.  I hadn't ridden for three months and needed to see if my knee would work well enough to go on a Club trail ride in the Sierras next month. Riding at Hollister Hills is not something I do for pleasure.  It is kind of like going to the gym, something I hate to do.  If you've read the blog at all you know my opinion of Hollister Hills.  Anyhow, I decided to go out and inspect the new trails they recently opened on the Renz property.  I was hopeful that they would be fun but had been warned by Jeff Gaffney that they had deteriorated already from overuse.

The first one I tried was Garcia Gulch and I did not have a good time at all.  The adobe in the trail was broken up, especially in the off-camber turns.  Complicating the situation was the fact that I was out riding my 300EXC for the just the second time in 3.5 years and I was really missing the engine braking of my Suzuki 4-stroke.  I made it through that trail and a couple more and then stopped to take a break.  In the distance, I hear a bike coming and soon a rider appeared on another trail that dumped out at the Windmill.  H rode over to me and greeted me with a Hello followed by "Aren't these new trails great".  I offered a differing opinion which caught the rider by surprise, something along the lines of "if this is the future of motorcycling here on the Central Coast then I am going to sell my bikes and find a new sport".   He countered by saying "hey, its a beautiful day, you're out on your bike, the place is not crowded, what's the problem? you should be enjoying yourself, you need to have a positive attitude.  SLAP!  My response was "these trails positively suck!"  Before we could get deeper into our conversation, his riding partner came down the trail and they took off.

I sat there thinking about what he said and realized that he was right.  It was a beautiful day, perfect temperature, no one on the trails and here I was bitching about it.  I decided then and there to go out and enjoy myself even if it was Hollister Hills.  So what it the trails were breaking up. I would just pretend that the broken adobe were really rocks and ride through them like I would the rocks at Clear Creek.  I took off and attacked the trails with my new attitude and you know what, I had a good time.  I even rode some of the new trails a second time.  It also helped that I was getting more comfortable with the 300 after the long layoff.  So I want to thank Brett (or whatever your name is) for giving me that verbal slap that I really needed that morning in order to enjoy my time riding.

Computer Repair:  Took a vacation back to New Jersey for a wedding since the last post.  While I was back there I played computer technician.  My laptop had been running very hot recently and it seemed to be getting worse so I did some research on the internet and found instructions for the cleaning of the fan and heat sink.  I followed the instructions and everything went fine until the CPU chip wouldn't release from the heat sink.  A little gentle prying separated them and I was able to apply a new coating of silver thermal compound.  Now the laptop is running cool, like it did when I first got it.  Just be aware that a computer technician can clean a laptop that is overheating.  Overheating is bad for a computer and can lead to premature failure and costly repairs.  If yours is running hot, it isn't a big deal to have someone clean it, as I have learned.

I don't recommend that everyone try doing what I did.  I just like to tinker with things.  Been doing it all my life and usually I don't screw thing up too badly.  One time I needed to replace the spark plug wires on my Buick Roadmaster so I pulled them off and took them to the auto parts store to make sure I got the right lengths.  Unfortunately I didn't record where each plugged into the distributor and to which spark plug each went.  Had to go to the local Buick dealer to get a diagram so I could install the new cables.  Another time, while I was a poor college student, I tried to take apart my Triumph 250 because it was not shifting into third gear. This was probably the most stupid thing I have done (except riding through a dust devil out in the desert,  but that's another story).   When I finally decided that I didn't have a clue, I took the bike and the pieces I had removed to the dealer and they told me that they had never seen one of the electrical component taken apart as I had done.  The end result was a life lesson and the purchase of some expensive Lucas electrical parts. So much for trying to save a buck by doing my own work.  Now I take my engines to mechanics who know what they are doing.

Bikes For Sale:  My neighbors are selling their mini-bikes.    Available is a 2003 XR50 for $875, a 2003 XR70 for $950 and a 2001 XR100 for $1,150. The bikes were bought new and really didn't get a lot of use. The kids have out grown them and don't ride any more. You can inquire about the bikes by calling Leroy or Debbie at 831-384-5109 or e-mailing them at leroydebbie1@sbcglobal.net.

Property around Yosemite:  If you are looking to escape the coast or the Bay Area where there is little riding, you might want to contact Brenda Crouse at Greeley Hill Homes.  She was associated with the Salinas motorcycle scene many years ago and now is a realtor in the Sierra foothills around Yosemite.  In her e-mail, she mentioned a 40 acre parcel that borders the Stanislaus National Forest on three sides and has a cedar home and a short track already built.  You can call her at 209-878-8200 or e-mail her at brenda@greeleyhillhomes.net.

Afterword:  I hope you didn't believe that dribble up above about actually enjoying myself at Hollister Hills.  If you did and you need a good salesperson for your marketing team, please give a call.

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June 22, 2008

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Thank You Sky Painter Murphy:  ...for exposing to the public the BLM's real reason for closing Clear Creek. Check out this video from the Hollister scoping meeting.  In it, starting at the 3:30 minute point, Sky Painter Murphy is asked a question about the reason for the closure and he states that the BLM assumes that a federal judge would order the closure if a lawsuit were initiated.  He would not state who would file the lawsuit but it was pretty clear he was referring to the Center for Biological Diversity.  Because of this perceived threat, the BLM felt compelled to issue the emergency closure so they could say they were effectively managing the area.   

Later at around the 7:00 minute point Sky states that the IBLA judges have already agreed with the BLM that the closure is reasonable.  The IBLA is the group of judges in Washington who consider land appeals.  Essentially what he has said is 'go ahead and file an appeal but it will be denied.'  So much for our due process under the National Environmental Policy Act.

In video # 7 at the 8:00 minute mark I ask Sky why the BLM allowed the Racers Under The Son event that included many families to use Clear Creek when Rick Closure had already signed the Federal Register Notice for the closure.  His lame answer is that "we consider the needs of the community and groups like Racers under the Son because they had put a lot of energy and time into that event and we weren't about to pull the plug  at the last minute on them."  My follow-on comment was  "so you will let them go out there and get sick and die".  Murphy responded "These are conflicts we have to deal with and Ed, I certainly understand and that is why this process (the scoping meeting) is an attempt to deal with it ..blah blah blah."

As I said before, this closure has nothing to do with human health and everything to do with the elimination of a management problem at the expense of the public.  Thanks to Papi for posting the meetings on YouTube.

BLM Misleads the Senate:  Here is the text of an e-mail I have sent to Henri Bisson, Deputy Director of the BLM.  "Henri,  I have read your comments made to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on June 5th. I wish that you or someone in the BLM would tell the truth about the closure. In your comments you first state that the BLM attempts to "work with affected or interested parties to reach agreement on options to address a particular challenge before issuing notices of motorized travel restrictions or temporary closures." You then cite the example of Clear Creek, leading our elected representatives to believe that the BLM actually attempted to find a workable solution before taking action to close this area. Shame on you. The BLM made no such attempt to work with the public before this closure was put into place and the closure had nothing to do with protecting human safety. It was entirely done to eliminate a management problem and avoid a lawsuit.

You also cite the area closed as being 31,000 acres when the real effect to the American public is the closure of approximately 100,000 acres, 70 % of which is outside the asbestos ore body. Today there is only one public access point to this ~70,000 acres via a rugged hiking trail. In effect this management area and an adjoining area are CLOSED.

I wish our government officials would be honest with the public and our elected officials.

You can read Henri's complete testimony here.

CBD Report on OHV:  One of our former OHV commissioners, appointed by Democrats, now works for the Center for Biological Diversity and recently released a hit piece calling for OHV recreation in California to be severely cut back or curtailed all together.  Titled 'Fuel to Burn' the report call for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels.  Throughout the document are pictures of OHV activity and just about every one of them is filled with dust.  You would think from looking at the pictures that all of us rode in clouds of dust.  Anyway, this is the kind of garbage that the OHV haters at the Center for Biological Diversity are passing around Sacramento, probably seeking some Democrat in the Senate or the Assembly to introduce legislation to ban OHV use in California be it is a 'discretionary' activity that could be eliminated to help reduce global warming.

Picture of dust:  Speaking of dust, it was pointed out to me that in the now famous picture of  two EPA tested riding quads in a cloud of dust you can see the tread marks from a BLM bulldozer.  This naturally leads to the question:  Did the BLM purposely bulldoze the routes that the EPA testers used so as to create more dust?  Or, was it that the EPA picked routes that had recently been bulldozed so they could get as much dust as possible?

Primrose count:  I understand that the count of primrose is very high and the BLM is finding it everywhere they look.  Isn't it amazing that once they got rid of the botanist bitch that suddenly there are plenty of primrose.  So many in fact that they might be able to delist it some day.  Of course a federal employee would never misrepresent information in order to shut down OHV recreation, would they?

Joe Racer Dual Sport/BRC Fund Raiser:  Joe is hosting a dual sport ride up in the sierras on July 12/13.  If you are looking for something to do, give this event a try and help the legal defense fund while you are at it.  I rode one of his rides a few years ago and it was great until it snowed so hard we could not find the trail... in August!

See the Light:  Here is an interesting rant by Republican Congressman Ted Poe of Texas about the recent energy bill that our elected representatives have foist on the American public. It does nothing to solve our energy problems but it does mandated that all Americans use CFL light bulbs by 2014 which are only made in China.  This is very scary stuff! 

Clear Difference in November: Come November, Americans are going to have a clear choice between an ultra liberal and a moderate.  A choice between building nuclear power plants or continuing to suffer from an growing energy deficit and higher energy bills.  A choice between burning coal and burning corn (which will drive up food prices).  Even my left leaning brother-in-law mentioned to me the other day that Obama was all wrong on our energy policy.

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May 25, 2008

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Its been a busy couple of weeks for me with the three BLM meeting, the County of San Benito roads meeting, a couple of dirt track races and a week being sick.  All this activity however has not taken away the hurt I feel for the closure of Clear Creek. 

I was encouraged by the big turnout that we got for the BLM/EPA meeting in San Jose with such short notice.  They scheduled the meeting with only one week notice on purpose in order to stifle public comment and participation.  There are still a lot of people in the community who do not know about the closure.  I understand that over 650 people turned out for the first San Jose meeting but many more were turned away because there was no room in the hall.

I would like to thank Papi for his hard work at organizing the troops, Andy at SBR for providing a forum to spread the word, Mike at FOCCMA for his efforts to build a friends group and e-mail an alert to members (please sign up if you haven't already) and Steve Koretoff for his daily efforts to get a handle on the situation. 

Regrettable:  I believe that this is the word that Rick Closure used to describe the closure.  I have some other words that might be more fitting.  How about reprehensible, inexcusable  and criminal.  What the BLM has done is reprehensible, inexcusable, and IMO, criminal.  They have stolen something from the American public that is extremely precious.  What they have done is unforgivable!  

What really happened:  First off, the EPA did not close Clear Creek.  As they say in police talk, they were an accessory to the crime.  The blame for the closure rests squarely at the feet of the BLM.  They did not have to take this emergency closure action.   IMO and based on the comments made by Sky Painter Murphy at the Hollister scoping meeting, I believe that this was a premeditated action that was decided on at the BLM state office by State Director Mike Pool.  Rick Closure is just the poor schmuck who got to deliver the news and take the rap.

I guess I should have seen the signs, but I missed them.  They included getting rid of William, not hiring a new project manager to replace Brian White, their general unwillingness to meet with the OHV community, the delay in rolling out the fee program, no newsletter since December 2007 and Mike Pool's comments at the town hall meeting in San Diego.  All of these things have alternate explanations but when you take them as a whole it appears that this closure was a premeditated action that they had been planning for a couple years and were just waiting for the EPA to finally give them the excuse they needed.

Don't believe for a minute that this closure has anything to do with protecting our health.. Every time I hear that I get sick to my stomach.  This closure is all about a bunch of bureaucrats who are trying to cover their asses, avoid a lawsuit, and get rid of a management headache.  With the stroke of a pen, Rick Closure has given himself two years hall pass to sit back a prepare a management plan that probably will  not include OHV recreation. He will not have Brian LeNeve nipping at this heels about trespass on closed routes and the EPA is off his back too.  What a perfect solution!  A bureaucrat's dream come true!

Class action law suit:  Anyone who went into the Clear Creek Death Zone in the month of April after the BLM decided that the area was too hazardous for us to recreate in should consider starting in a class action law suit against the BLM for knowingly endangering their health.  This would include those who participated in the RUTS event that the BLM authorized after they had filed the paperwork to the federal register to close the area.  I have no doubt that hundreds of people including many children were exposed to this deadly cancer causing asbestos and will die a premature and ugly death because the BLM did not stop them from entering the death zone.  The BLM did not have to authorize this event and they could have closed the area immediately for health safety reasons.  But they didn't. If you recreated in Clear Creek in the month of April, send me an e-mail.

County Roads:  The county roads in Clear Creek have been temporarily closed by the county supervisors.  It wasn't a unanimous decision.  Two supervisors, Marcus and Botelho, voted not to close the roads.  Unfortunately, three supervisors did vote for the closure led by south county supervisor, Reb Monaco, who appears to have drunk the EPA Kool-Aid.  I guess I don't understand why they closed the roads this time when they left them open during the seasonal closures.  They claim it is to protect your health but, like the BLM, they are just looking to dodge a lawsuit, IMO.

If you live in San Benito County, you should get in touch with your supervisor and tell them what a bad idea it is to deny access to our public lands.  If they don't agree, vote them out.

Doc Wong Riding Clinic:  Harry is running another riding clinic for larger dual sport bikes next week.  The classroom session is Friday night May 30th at 7:15 PM and the riding clinic is Sunday June 1st 9AM to 3 PM at Hollister Hills.  Harry donates the proceeds to the Clear Creek Legal Defense Fund.  If you ride a large dual sport bike and want to sharpen your skills, give the clinic a try and support the legal defense fund!

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May 11, 2008

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Thank You:  My sincerest thanks to all of those who turned out for the BLM/EPA dog and pony show on Thursday night, especially all the long time riders. Didn't see any of them dragging oxygen bottles around with them.  Maybe the asbestos isn't as bad as the EPA makes it out to be.

It is really unfortunate that our government is putting us through this.. AGAIN!  I am sure that many of the people in the room experienced the first EPA meeting back in 1993 or 1994.  When I helped Bob Wick organize the first meeting we had much more time and in fact Bob helped secure the auditorium on the Westinghouse campus in Sunnyvale.  I believe that we had around 500 people show up for that meeting and it was much more raucous then Thursday night's meeting.  In fact, the government made a training video on how not to conduct a public meeting after that meeting I am told.

In order to stifle public comment it appears that the BLM and EPA purposely gave the recreation community just a week to get the word out.  Thanks especially go to Andy of South Bay Riders for providing the forum that made many people aware of the meetings and Mike at the Friends of the CCMA for his alert to members (if you aren't a member, you should be). 

Those who attended know that you had to get a ticket in order to participate in the 6PM meeting.  I understand that the facilitators retained by the BLM/EPA gave away all 650 tickets and then started to turn people away.  This is a shame because it really denied a lot of people the opportunity to see the faces of the bureaucrats that just screwed them.  It is also a shame that they were not prepared to broadcast the proceedings on monitors outside the hall.

"What -- Me Worry?"   I am far from being like the iconic idiot of MAD magazine fame, Alfred E. Newman.  Actually I do worry about the outcome of this process that the BLM has foisted upon us but, as one person observed, it will be like one of the national enduros that you laid out - tough, long, ugly, tiring and frustrating but in the end rewarding.   Recently I watched a series of shows on the Military Channel about the Revolutionary War.  Most people don't realize that we got our ass kicked in most of the major battles that were fought and it wasn't until the French intervened that we won our independence from England.  I don't know who will come to our rescue but if we don't continue to fight we will lose.

Someone on SBR commented that I looked depressed at the meeting.  Not hardly!  I was tired after a three day whirlwind trip to Dallas for a trade show and that's probably what showed along with the disgust at what has been done to the recreation community.  If you see the video you will notice that I turned my back to the stage when I spoke so I wouldn't have to look at them.  Actually, I didn't want to compete with Papi who was doing such a good job of asking questions.  Way to go, Steve!

The question I didn't ask:  Rick, if you felt the asbestos was so bad and having been alerted to this fact in February, why did you not stop the Little Piglet FAMILY enduro, the Wild Boar, the Molina Ghost Run and the RUTS trail ride?  Why did you allow all of these people, including children to be exposed to this deadly asbestos?

Fund Raising:  I would also like to thank all those who brought donation checks to the meeting.  In addition to my donation, I handed over to Don Amador checks totaling over $2,400.  In addition, my friend Eric circulated through the crowd and collected an additional $250 in cash donations.  Unfortunately this is just a drop in the bucket and we will need a tremendous amount of funds to counter this BLM action.

On TV:  I was interviewed by Lloyd Lacuesta of KTVU before the EPA meeting and the news report has been posted on YouTube.  If Lloyd accurately reported the BLM comments, then they lied again by telling him that usage continues to grow.  They reduced the annual visitor use days count from 50,000 a couple years ago to 35,000 most recently.  With the spike in gasoline prices, I suspect that the number is even lower.

Next Steps:  So where do we go from here?  First, keep the faith.  Second, participate in the next two BLM meetings and submit comments before the June 21st deadline.  We will be posting suggested comments on SBR.  Third, make a donation to the Clear Creek Legal Defense Fund.  Our legal team is already at work evaluating our options and developing a plan of attack.  We are going to take our time because this is such an important issue to the recreation community both locally and nationwide.  We don't want to come out with guns blazing and shoot ourselves in the foot.

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May 3, 2008

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The blog had been kind of "dry" for a while but the closure of Clear Creek has given me something to write about.  I wish that was not the case but it is what it is. What really pisses me off is that I now have to invest my time and money in fighting an agency that wants to protect me from a threat that doesn't exist.  I believe that this action can be reversed and that there is a future for OHV recreation in Clear Creek, however we will not know unless we challenge them.  Stay tuned for more on that.

Who made you God:  I have learned that the judge, jury and executioner of the Clear Creek closure was Rick Cooper.  At least that is what he claims in an e-mail sent to our RAC representative Steve Koretoff.  In it he writes: "I made the decision to immediately close Clear Creek" and later "My decision is based my confidence in EPA, OSHA and World Health Organizations classification for asbestos.  I believe the BLM should not authorize a use on public lands when the agency knows that the authorization will result in the public being exposed to high concentration of asbestos unnecessarily."

So my question is 'Who made you God to decide the fate of Clear Creek?'  This claimed unilateral closure decision flies in the face of the National Environmental Policy Act and the land use planning process that we were promised.  It has the potential to destroy lives, destroy businesses, and devalue property.  This extreme and unwarranted action will certainly be challenged in court.

Rick Cooper has severely prejudiced himself by his words and his action and I have no confidence that the recreation community can trust him to lead the EIS process in a fair and impartial manner.  He should either disqualify himself from the Clear Creek planning process or the State Director should appoint a new person to lead this planning effort and the plan alternatives should include a range from completely open (24/7/365) to completely closed.

The closure area:  It would be nice if Rick would have been  honest with the public.  He claims in the closure notice that the area affected is approximately 31,000 acres.  The truth is that almost the entire 75,000 acre management is closed - with the exception of one hiking trail located at the Condon Peak access at the San Benito Fresno county line.  The rest of the BLM area that isn't formally closed can only be accessed by routes that are closed.  In other words, to access the areas that are open, you have to cross an area that is closed and risk getting a ticket.  Classic Catch 22.  So much for the 2008 deer hunting season. 

County Roads:  At the present time the county roads are open and are shown on the closure map as black lines.  The BLM has stated that they plan to ask the board of supervisors of San Benito County to close the roads.  If you live in San Benito County, you should contact your supervisor and tell them that it would be wrong for the county to close public access to this important recreation area.

Meeting attendance:  I certainly hope the 200 plus people who commented on the closure thread on SBR and the 10,000+ who have viewed the thread show up for the EPA meeting next Thursday at the Santa Clara Convention Center for the EPA presentation of their findings.  There are only 600 seats in the auditorium so get there early and bring a friend or two.  Save the environment and stop global warming by car pooling!

Donations: I will be collecting checks at the EPA meeting.  Please make them out to the BlueRibbon Coalition and note at the bottom CCLDF.  To reverse this onerous action it is going to take money for the lawyers and scientists we will have to retain to challenge the closure.  Here are some other ideas:

Season Pass Fee:  When the BLM returns a portion of your season pass, write a check and send it to the Clear Creek Legal defense Fund that is managed by the BlueRibbon Coalition.  Heck you already spent the money on Clear Creek so put it towards a good cause - the opportunity to buy a season pass in 2009!

Economic Stimulus Check:  When my check come in I will be donating my $600 to the legal defense fund.  While this might seem extreme to some, I believe that it is going to take an extreme effort to restore OHV use in Clear Creek

Elected Representatives:  This being an election year it is extremely important that you contact your local legislator.  You should start with your congress person but also meet with your California Senator and Assembly person to let them know the dire situation that Rick cooper has put us in.  Thanks to Papi for putting together information on your elected representative.  Check out his SBR post.  While you are at it, talk to your local dealer and encourage them to join you at the meeting.  Every motorcycle dealer and accessory shop in central California is going to be impacted by this action, so get them involved.

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April 30, 2008  - A Day of Infamy - BLM Closes Clear Creek

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The day that I hoped never would arrive is here.  The BLM has closed Clear Creek and probably only an act of God will see us ever legally make another track in one of the top riding places in the entire United States.  I have posted meeting notices and season pass notices on South Bay Riders so click on the link above to see them.

I feel like I have wasted a third of my life trying to keep Clear Creek open, time spent that I can never get back, thanks to bunch of gutless bureaucrats more concerned about their careers than doing what is right for the American public.

That's it for now.  I am too upset to write any more.  Fuck 'Em!

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April 29, 2008 

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I had my life and problems put into perspective the other day when I called a customer in Arkansas.  I innocently started our conversation by asking how she was doing and Angela proceeded to tell me about the car accident (flipped four times) that she walked away from, the 12 inches of rain that flooded her house and the tornado that leveled a house she was visiting.  Considering all that she has been through, I guess I should feel lucky that my knee is only swollen.

I did go riding last Saturday.  The knee actually felt pretty good after a month off so I took my recently repaired KTM300 down to the Creek to see how it ran with a new ignition.  I had not ridden it in over two years because it hurt my hip so much to kick start it.  It was still a bit of a pain because my right knee just does not bent enough to return the kicker to the top of its stroke.  To compensate I would try to stop in places where I could bump start it or where there was a mound of dirt for my left foot to stand on.  I really like the 300's power so I suspect that I will have to get one of the new electric start KTM 300s in the not to distant future (after new carpet and tile for the house and a new truck to replace the Pig Killer).

EPA Report:  I understand that the EPA's final report on Clear Creek will be released this week or early next week.  I don't expect it to be pretty.  They have a burning desire to shut down Clear Creek.  Their position has not changed since the early 1990s - one fiber will kill you, and by God they are going to protect the American public from that fiber.

On Thursday I spoke to a couple of scientists who have studied chrysotile asbestos for years.  One is retired from the US Geologic Service and one of the first persons that I talked to about asbestos 17 years ago.  His name is Malcolm Ross. I still remember his reply to my question "What kind of risk do I face by riding in Clear Creek"?  His reply was that I stood a far better chance of dying after a head-on collision with another rider at the top of one of the barrens then I ever would from breathing in the dust at Clear Creek.

EIS Process:  Once the EPA report is released, the clock will start ticking on the EIS process once again.  It is time to finalize any comments or suggestions on how to improve the recreation experience at Clear Creek.  More about the EIS and input forms can be found here.

Time to Contribute:  The current EIS process and EPA report are the greatest threat that the OHV community has faced in the battle to keep Clear Creek open.  The previous engagements have taken their toll on our legal defense fund and we are once again spending money on legal and scientific resources as we prepare to fight this next battle.  I know times are tough but we really need to ask the Clear Creek faithful to get out the check book and make a donation to the legal defense fund.  Contributions should be made out to and sent to the BlueRibbon Coalition.  The mailing address is: 4555 Burley Drive, Pocatello, ID 83202.   Make sure you write CCLDF or Clear Creek in the comment area of your check. Thanks!

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April 14, 2008 

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Sucks to be me:  I have been listening to Glenn Beck recently.  Another ultra-conservative.  Picked up his show while driving home from Clear Creek on 580 KMJ out of Fresno.  He is kind of out there but entertaining.  One of his favorite sayings is 'Sucks to be you' when referring to someone who screwed up or is in a bad way.  I guess I have to say that about myself given the situation with my knee. 

I have been taking it easy since the first weekend of March when I hit the trails hard (literally and figuratively) for two days.  Immediately after the rides, my knees were both swollen and painful.  I gave it a few weeks during which time I caught the cold that is making the rounds.  Towards the end of March I had had enough and went to see the doctor who worked on my knee because the swelling would not go away.  He had me get a physical that proved nothing except that my bad cholesterol had dropped.  Next he took some x-rays and they revealed the cause.  Apparently my leg bones have been growing more bone around the pieces put in my knee and on the back of the knee cap and the result is bone spurs that are causing the swelling.  The solution, he said is to wait until the bones stop growing new bone and then operate to remove the growth.  I asked if this could be done orthoscopically but the answer was NO.  Now you can see why it sucks to be me.

EPA Report:  There have been a lot of rumors floating around about the EPA closing down Clear Creek.  I suspect that will be their recommendation when they finally release their risk assessment.  I had heard that the report would be out in the middle of April and now I am hearing the beginning of May.  Whatever!  The bottom line is that we will need to fight this risk assessment and we will need legal defense fund to do it.  Please ramp up your giving as lawyers and asbestos scientists don't come cheap.

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March 23, 2008 

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RAC Meeting at Clear Creek:  Last Saturday I attended a tour of Clear Creek with the Central California Resource Advisory Council.  It was not an earth shaking event, just one of those things you have to do to keep the BLM honest and to counter any arguments that the environmentalists might make.  The tour was an eye opener for the RAC members, most of whom had not been to Clear Creek before more less a OHV use area.

It started with the group meeting at Oak Flat at 10 AM.  The OHV community was represented by Steve Koretoff of Fresno.  Besides myself and spouses of some of the RAC members, the only other member of the public was Brian LeNeve who handed out a report of his monitoring of trespass on closed routes.  The group then went to the entrance station where they were briefed on the user fees.  The BLM did not have any specific numbers that they would share and my worry is that they are not keeping an accurate accounting of the fees.  Time will tell.  From there we traveled down Coalinga Road to the KCAC mine haul road.  The lower end of this road up to the white gate is controlled by Lee Scazghini who has hunting cabins on his property and sells memberships in a hunting club that he started.  The BLM had hoped to have him give a talk about landowner issues but he was a no show.

He has complained bitterly over the years about motorcycle trespass on his property. The question came up about what type of agreement the BLM had with Lee and they said that there was no agreement but that he allowed the rangers and other BLM personnel to use the road.  My take on it is that the BLM and Lee were instrumental in getting the KCAC property closed to OHV use.  The ability of the BLM to use his road is payback.

We stopped at the junction of Sawmill Creek road and the paved road for a briefing on the area.  Just as we got out of the vehicles, one of several snow showers hit along with a cold wind blowing up the San Benito River valley.  After the briefing, we traveled up the paved road and R15 and to the overlook at Santa Rita Peak.  I made a point to tell many of the RAC members that we had just driven up a closed route and that both Santa Rita and San Benito Mountain were no longer accessible by 4 wheeled vehicle.  I have checked the maps I have and I don't think the road from R11 to Santa Rita has ever been GPSed.  Very strange!

After a brief lunch, we headed to the opposite end of Sawmill Creek road at R11 for another briefing.  Those familiar with the area know that there is a pipe barrier fence with a gate and a gap for motorcycles and quads to pass through.  Stuck right in the gap were two red Carsonite signs indicating the route was closed. This route has also been eliminated from the latest user map by the BLM.  They are trying to close this route, quite illegally, by pretending it is not open and by posting Closed signs.  I was prepared with my copy of the trail designation and a print out from the county web site.  I challenged Rick Cooper and the County Supervisor, Reb Monaco, as to whether this route was actually closed and they both had to admit that it is not.  I think this was an eye opener for some on the RAC.

From there we rove down R11 and stopped to view some barrens rehabilitation on the right side of the road.  The RAC also got to see numerous incidents of trespass.  I pointed out that for the past ten or more years the BLM has failed to finish the fencing of this corridor.  I then asked when this work would be completed and could not get a straight answer.  This really pisses me off because the BLM has spent untold amounts of money to close the Larious Canyon area north of R2 but they leave this area open so that the idiots who don't care can rip up the hill sides and Brian LeNeve can drive around and take pictures of the trespass.  I believe that R11 is the highest priority fencing project is all of Clear Creek.

A little further down R11 we drove by an area where the fence has been ripped out on the weekend of March 2/3.  Steve Koretoff had organized a workday and got a group of volunteers together that morning to repair some of the fence.  When we got to the intersection of R11 and R14, the workday had been completed and the fence repaired.  Good job by the volunteers who showed up to make the OHV community look good including many from the jeep community and RUTS.

From there we traveled up R14 to R2 and along the ridge top to a play area overlooking Larious where Rick explained the rationale for closing the area.  I pointed out that the play area that were stopped at was actually PRIVATE LAND that the BLM designated as an open play area without the concurrence of the property owner.

Our final stop was at upper Jade Mill where the BLM and (I believe) Americorps volunteers have been working to formalize the camping area.  It looks to me as though they cut down a forest to build the log barriers and it also looks like there is  50% less space available for camping.  Once this campground reopens I would think twice before trying to park a truck and large toy hauler up there.  Time will tell. While at Jade Mill there was a discussion about the RACs role in helping the BLM create the next plan for Clear Creek and about a OHV recreation sub-committee to take up specific issues.  The next RAC meeting is in June, I think, and I hope to make it to that meeting to follow up the discussions started on the tour.

Carbon Monoxide:  I called my Mom the other day to wish her a happy 81st birthday and she told me that she had a faulty flu on a water heater in her house and that the carbon monoxide had made her very sick and that she thought she was lucky that it didn't kill her.  She has a single story ranch style house with gas heaters and water heaters.  Apparently the flu rusted out and started leaking.  Fortunately, the water heater was located in a closet and so the carbon monoxide was not able to spread easily throughout the house.  After this incident, my Mom went out and bought carbon monoxide detectors for both end of her house where the heaters are located.  A word to the wise, if you have a heater or water heater inside your living space, you should invest in a detector.

Pinit Yamaha:  Pinit Motorsports, run by Salinas Rambler member Steve Polk, recently acquired the Yamaha brand from Chris Buckner (another member) who owned Yamaha of Salinas.  Steve has a selection of current year models as well as a number of previous year models that Chris had in stock.  He just took over the Yamaha line and has not yet updated his web site but you can call to inquire what they have available if you are looking for a prior year new Yamaha.

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March 10, 2008 

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REWARD: The big news this week is that there was some major vandalism last weekend over on the New Idria side of Clear Creek.  According to the reports I have received, someone or most likely a group ripped out a bunch of fence along R11 and R14, destroying an estimated $40,000 worth of fence.  The BLM has posted a reward of $4,000 for information leading to an arrest.

I have seen the conspiracy theory put forward on the SBR forum that a bunch of greenies did this to give the BLM a black eye in advance of the Resource Advisory Committee meeting next weekend.  More likely it was a bunch of drunks from the large gathering that took place at Mexican Flats last weekend.  I did have someone advance the theory that the BLM did this themselves so that they would have justification to ask the County of San Benito to bar camping and riding on the property. Now I see that the Futures Foundation's property may go up for auction.  Believe what you like but the bottom line is that the Mexican Flats days are numbered, IMO. 

The lead BLM Ranger, Jerry Tuma, advised me that they were going to step up patrols in that area and that they are going to be writing tickets. Question is, why were they not aware of the large gathering there last weekend?  If I were enforcing the rules and knew that people who wanted to avoid the user fees were staging out of Mexican Flats, I would have a ranger posted in that area every weekend instead of patrolling the KCAC private property.  It is time for the BLM to get their priorities in order, IMO.  He was also warned that the BLM will be patrolling with helicopters in coming weeks to catch people riding out of bounds, so watch out for the black helicopters!

Tip of the Iceberg:  I have had a number of conversations with riders since I learned about the vandalism and the reward.  Most of the people I talked to would like to think that the vandalism was due to radical environmentalists monkey wrenching. That's not my take on the situation and suspect, as the BLM does, that it is renegade riders who were responsible.   I also hear many people, most long time riders at Clear Creek, say "Screw the BLM, they are getting exactly what they deserve for screwing the OHV community."  While I don't condone vandalism and destruction of public property, I can certainly understand this sentiment given what has happen over the past few years.

The BLM did not have to select Alternative A, they did not have to restrict the route network as they have done, they did not have to close the Bowl. As one rider said to me today, "if the roads become congested, you build more roads, if more people are getting sick you build more hospitals. The BLM is doing just the opposite at Clear Creek and Jawbone, jamming more people into smaller areas and ruining these areas."

I think it is time for the BLM to wake up and realize that there is a strong undercurrent of resentment in the OHV community over the closures brought on by the Trail Designation EIS and by the use fees.  This recent vandalism is just the tip of the iceberg.   I would strongly suggest that the BLM move forward with the designation of additional routes as they have said they would do at public meetings, that they reopen closed hill climb areas and that they open up the books and let people know how much they have collected in fees and what they plan to do with them.  I certainly hope that they have a financial report available for the RAC meeting.

Fettuccini Cream Sauce: One of my favorite places to take clients for lunch in Salinas is Gino's Fine Italian Food Restaurant and my favorite dish is Blackened Chicken Fettuccini that has a delicious cream sauce.  I is not Alfredo. Rather it is orange in color.  They don't provide recipes for their dishes so I have tried to recreate the dish with a number of different combinations of ingredients. I originally thought the color came from tomato paste or tomato sauce but I finally found a sauce recipe  that is very close in taste.  I made it for dinner the other night and it came out perfect.  I didn't blacken the chicken; rather I marinated it in red pepper marinade before cooking so the chicken would have some heat.  Give it a try!

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February 24, 2008 

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This weekend's trail cutting workday was postponed because of bad weather so I stayed home and worked around the house.  Kind of kicked myself for not going down for Saturday as it didn't start raining until late in the day.   The ten day forecast looks good for next weekend so I hope to make it back to the Creek for a ride.

Clear Creek on Google Earth:  Thanks to Randuzi (Randy) on SBR, you can now download a file that will overlay the trail network on satellite photos.  Check it out.  If you don't have Google earth loaded on your computer, scroll down through the post to find the download site.

Obviously the BLM staff that put together this screwed up plan for Clear Creek never took the time to do something similar or they would have seen how many of the barren areas they left open are covered in vegetation.  Here is a good example. This barren area is near Picacho Peak and the open area is inside the yellow line.  Here is an even better example.  This one is along R2 and the last time I was up there I believe I saw a fence blocking the trail that cuts through the middle of the area.  For the life of me I can not understand why this area is designated open.  It has absolutely no recreational value to the OHV community.  Repeatedly in technical review teams meetings leading up the the trails and barrens EIS we asked the BLM to find an area that had some recreational value but they refused.  Just so you know, I believe this area was one of several selected by the Bruce and Julie Ann Delgado, the last two people on the BLM staff who should have been selecting OHV play areas.  It is time for the BLM to swap this area for the hillclimb area off of T125 and make other adjustments..

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February 17, 2008 

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Last weekend I worked at the National Hare Scrambles that the Ramblers put on.  I didn't really have an assigned job.  I just did things that needed to be done around camp.  I worked the entrance on Friday morning, getting release forms signed by members and contestants until the Camp Dick and his welcome committee showed up later in the afternoon.  On Saturday we set up a display of Save Clear Creek t-shirts and swingarm stickers and was promoting them until we ran out of small bills so I made a run to Coalinga to go to the bank.  When I got back I took some pictures and helped with sign-ins. Sunday was a repeat of Saturday without the trip to Coalinga.

What a difference some moisture makes.  This year on Sunday the AA/A/B riders were blitzing through the endurocross section like it wasn't even there.  Big difference from last year when it was covered with slimy mud.  We had a good turnout and will likely be applying for a national hare scrambles again next year.  If you rode this years event, Thank You on behalf of the Salinas Ramblers.  If you didn't, hopefully you will have another chance next year.

Took this weekend off.  Got out the chain saw yesterday and filed the chain in preparation for next weekend's trail workday.  Click on the link above for more details.

Clear Creek may not be for you:  Apparently some of the riders attending the Picacho Creek National Hare Scrambles appreciated the more technical (enduro) nature of the course that Joe Gomes and Skip Melvin put together.  Makes for interesting reading.

T-Shirts are Available at FOCCMA e-store:  Mike has the FOCCMA e-store up and running and you can now order swingarm stickers and clothing.  Proceeds will go to the Clear Creek Legal Defense Fund.  Here are two pictures of some of the shirts.  Didn't get any of the hooded sweatshirts for the event but they are available.

Watch yourself in the Staging Areas:  Two weeks ago I received a copy of the following e-mail from three different people:  "A friend of Matt's was given a ticket for doing a wheelie at the base of Indian Hill. You read that right- he was cited for doing a wheelie on dirt bike at a designated riding area. He was approached by an officer who said he saw him doing a wheelie there earlier in the day, and cited him for "exhibitionist speed". It wasn't even at the time of "violation", it was later that day. The fine is $100. This is no joke!

How is it possible that things have come to this? Clear Creek has been managed with a total disregard for what the people want. Government agencies responsible have completely lost their mission of serving the people. Whatever happened to "WE THE PEOPLE"? No longer is the guiding principle "How can we serve the citizens?" but "How can we wipe out OHV?". That's right, not only are they not interested in the will of the people, but they are out to get us!!! I ask you, have you ever, just once in the last ten years, heard something regarding public policy and Clear Creek and thought "Gee, that's great news!" I already know your answer. Now, law enforcement officers follow riders around with binoculars to see if they can nail us for a citation.

Even if you're not a Clear Creek user, as a taxpayer, one must be enraged. Let's take uniformed law enforcement, on government, payroll, pension, benefits, buy them OHV's, and send them to a remote area to cruise around in the hills.  How much is this costing the taxpayers? And for what? A couple of wheelie violations and some expired green stickers? No rape, murder, burglary, assault, DUI, or illegal drugs out there? What a shock. God helps us!!

Can anybody stop the harassment, discrimination and total disregard and misuse of public funds?  Friends, be sure not to wheelie, because Big Brother is watching (really)!

I e-mailed this to Rick Cooper and here is the response that I received:  Follow up on ticket.  Both rangers have written tickets for unsafe driving in areas where people camp. Unsafe driving could include excessive speed, wheelies or any action that might endanger others. Neither remembers the Indian Hill incident as described, but in all likelyhood one did write the ticket. Both have been deligent about monitoring camping areas and staging areas for unsafe practices, such as shooting, driving under influence, speeding, campfires, driving out of bounds, vandalism etc.

Recipe - Ed's Rice and Beans:  Someone, I forget who, mentioned at the National that I had not posted any recipes lately on the blog.  Lately I have been taking a break from watching the Food Channel.  Don't know why.  Guess this stuff just runs in cycles.  I did see a recipe on Yahoo for an Enchilada Pie that I made a couple weeks ago.  It came out pretty good and I would make it again.  Since the recipe called for black beans and they were on sale, I purchased several cans.

A week later I cooked a tri-tip and was looking for something to go with it and I decided to use some of the ingredients from the enchilada pie to make a side dish.  I took two 15 oz. cans of black beans (undrained) and mixed in a cup of instant rice, a whole sweet onion chopped, a red bell pepper chopped, a cup of Chipole medium salsa and a half cup of barbeque sauce.  I put all of these ingredients in a big pot and cooked it on medium heat for about 20 minutes.  No need to add water for the rice.  It will absorb the water and juices from the beans, pepper and onions.  I used Safeway Chipole Sausa and Bushes black beans.  The recipe should feed 4-6 people.  Enjoy!

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February 4, 2008 

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I spent most of Saturday helping on the BLM workday to make a bypass on T166 around the KCAC property located around R16. I have helped on a lot of BLM workdays but this was by far the most challenging because of snow.  I would like to thank all the volunteers who gave up part of a day at Clear Creek to help with the trail project.

My Story:  Driving in on Saturday morning I could see snow at the higher elevations of Clear Creek but it wasn't until I headed out R7 that I realized how much snow there actually was on the ground.  My first clue was broken pieces of manzanita laying in the middle the road.  At first I thought someone with a 4WD might have broken the branches but there were no 4WD tracks.  Then I remembered back to 2002 when we had the last heavy snow.  Back then I witnessed entire manzanita bushes ripped out of the ground by the weight of the snow on them. Mother Nature is a powerful force!

I was warned as I was leaving Rambler camp that it was going to be hard to get to 4 Corners because of snow and downed trees.  The warnings were correct.  I was fine going up R7 but as soon as I turned onto R5 the snow got deeper and about a quarter mile from the intersection a tree blocked the entire road.  I tried to find a way around but it was hopeless so I headed back towards Indian Hill and then took T134 to T151 then T149 (the sunny side of the hill) eventually working my way to 4 Corners and then taking R8 to the paved road.  The snow covered roads were terrible because of deep ruts cut into them by riders on Thursday and Friday.  When possible, I would try to cut my own line through virgin snow but eventually I would be forced back into an existing line.

At the paved road I met up with a group that had taken T151 all the way to Sawmill Creek Road.   When we got to the staging area for the work party on R16 I was pleasantly surprised to find over twenty riders preparing to help with the workday.  Because of the deep snow, we hiked to the start of the trail  instead of riding to it.  It didn't take long for my feet to get very cold. I wore two pair of socks but it didn't make a difference because of all the snow on the trail.  David Moore broke the work party into two groups.  I worked with the group cutting uphill while his group hiked uphill and cut down.  We met in the middle and then called it a day.  David told me that we accomplished more than he had hoped for so it was a very successful day!  I have posted pictures on SBR.  Took about two hours for my feet to thaw out once I got back to camp and changed into dry shoes and socks.

The snow on Saturday was tough but nothing compared to the Thursday before the Quicksilver in 2002.  A major storm dumped a ton of snow on the Creek just before our event. The AMA does not like it when a club has to cancel a national event because it is often hard for them to find a replacement event or date.  Billy Waltrip and I decided that the only chance we had to pull of the national would be to create a wet weather course on fire roads and to keep the course as low in elevation as possible.  We took off with William to mileage the wet weather course and were soon confronted with snow on R5 that was a foot deep.  At one point about half a mile from 4 Corners the drifts were even deeper and you could get off your bike and it would stand upright in the rut.  Billy was in the lead and he would get off his bike, stomp the snow in front of his front wheel then back up a bit and launch the bike on down the trail until he ran out of momentum.  Then he would repeat the process until we had punched through to 4 corners.  From there we took T149 to T151, trying to stay on the sunny side of the hills.  We eventually worked our way down to Clear Creek Road where Bill went on reserve after traveling 12 miles (for an average of 4 miles to the gallon on his 300 EXC).  That was a tough day!

T151:  It's bad enough that the BLM maintains the roads because their work adds to erosion but I think they have gone over the top with T151.  This route is now a dirt freeway through the Creek.  How wide and how smooth do they have to make these roads?  They are 4WD routes after all and should be rough.  Quad riders should love T151 but I hate it.  The BLM is slowly destroying the character of Clear Creek.

I have two memories from T151.  The first was from our first national enduro in 1984.  I was out on T151 checking markings.  We had a left turn into a tight trail that led down to Hillclimb Canyon (upper Clear Creek - now closed).  At the time T151 had a lot of rocks on it and they were wet.  Nevertheless, the AA riders came blitzing down the trail in fifth gear and overshot the turn because our first turn arrow was marked too close to the turn.  I learned how fast these top riders were and from then on went to great pains to mark turns for the speeds that AA riders were capable of attaining.

The second was from a trail ride that I, in part, laid out for a BMW club.  The Ramblers were asked by a bay area BMW group to lay out a trail ride through Clear Creek for GS type bike and to put on a barbeque.  One of the routes I picked was T151.  At the time it was a bit technical but was a relatively flat except for one downhill section that had a deep grove in it.  I didn't think anything of it but the BMW riders with their opposed twin motors were not real happy because the groove was deep enough that if (when) the strayed from the center of the groove their engines made contact with the ground.  Needless to say I was not enlisted to lay out a route the next time the club had a ride through Clear Creek.  The groove is now gone, replaced by a two lane wide freeway.

FOCCMA T-Shirts:  The e-store is up on the FOCCMA web site and you can now order Save Clear Creek t-shirts, long sleeved shirts and hooded sweatshirts.  Don't have any pictures yet but they can be ordered in multiple colors.  I will try to get some pictures posted next week after the hare scrambles.  We should have some for sale this coming weekend at the event.

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January 27, 2008 

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Took the weekend off since Clear Creek was closed and did some work on the bikes.  I used to enjoy working on my bikes but now it just seems like a chore.  If you don't do it, however, it could get expensive.  Talk about expensive, I took my 1997 KTM 300 out of the shed to clean it up and get it ready to ride. It has been sitting the better part of two years because it was hard to kickstart with a bad hip.  It would not start.  I learned long ago if you have spark and fuel, a bike would run, maybe not right, but it should run.  Since it had been sitting for a while I drained the fuel and cleaned the carburetor.  Still wouldn't start, so I checked the sparkplug and no spark.  Got a new plug out of the toolbox and no luck.  Tried a third and still nothing.  Unplugged the kill button.  Nada.  Checked connections and didn't see anything out of the ordinary.  Guess I will have to take it down to my friendly KTM dealer and on the way stop by the bank and arrange a home equity line of credit just in case.

Ask the BLM:  As hard as it might be to imagine, the BLM has stepped up and has a representative answering questions asked on a thread in the Clear Creek BLM sub-forum.  David Moore, the Trails Coordinator, has been given permission to address questions asked of the BLM on the forum.  I don't know if this is a first for a government agency, but it sure is refreshing to see an agency interact with the public in this format.  I have been tempted to address some questions on the thread but since it is directed to the BLM, I have held off.  Instead I will try to address some of the questions here on the blog based on my 20 years of fighting to keep Clear Creek open.

To start, how about asbestos issue since this is a thorny issue.  First you have to understand that the EPA and the BLM are both parts of the federal government.  The EPA is a cabinet position to the President and the BLM is an agency in the Interior Department which is also a cabinet level position.  The BLM has to take recommendations from the EPA and evaluate them just as they have to look for guidance on threatened and endangered species from their sister agency, the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  They are going to do this as part of the new EIS that they began last August.

The EPA is due to publish their final report on the Atlas Asbestos Mine and included in it will be a health risk assessment for various types of recreation and (I assume because I have not seen the report yet) for age groups .  I fully anticipate that the EPA is going to recommend additional limits on seasonal use and a possible restriction on the age of people who can recreate in Clear Creek.  The BLM will take this information and create a number of possible management alternatives ranging from totally open to totally closed.

What you have to understand is that the BLM is a land management organization and not a bunch of scientist.  They have to use the information given to them by the EPA because the EPA are the government's specialists at hazardous waste and health risk assessment.  Is the EPA fair and balanced?  Not only NO but HELL NO!  Most of the EPA people I have spoken to think we are crazy to ride dirt bikes in Clear Creek and that it is their duty to save us from ourselves, because you know that one fiber will kill you and all that bullshit.

On the other side of the coin is information developed from numerous studies of people who have been involved in the mining and milling of chrysotile asbestos and the results of these studies show no long term effects from exposure to Clear Creek asbestos.  It was based on these studies that Dr. Ed Ilgren testified that the asbestos in Clear Creek was not harmful. 

The bottom line is that this will likely be a political decision and , unfortunately, reason, logic and facts always take a back seat to politics, and so the question is who is going to decide it.  It certainly won't be decided by Rick Cooper in Hollister.  The reason that Clear Creek is open today is because a strong BLM state director basically thanked the EPA for their input back in the early to middle 1990s but decided to leave Clear Creek open because he view the Creek as an ideal place to host OHV recreation.  I don't know if the current state director feels the same way.  I certainly hope so! 

Swingarm Stickers:  Justin has received a batch of swingarm stickers in the classic red/black as well as in KTM orange and black/gray.  Pictures can be seen on this SBR thread.  I bought a set of black/gray for my Suzuki.

KTM Convention:  Anyone observing the line of trucks entering Clear Creek last Saturday might have thought that there was a KTM convention going on.  At one point it seem like every truck driving in was filled with KTMs.  KTM should be proud of the way they have captured a dominate share of the off-road marketplace in northern CA and perhaps the entire country.  Just goes to prove that if you build a better mousetrap the public will buy it.

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January 21, 2008 

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What a difference a week makes.  Saturday morning the BLM was out in force to sell passes and speed riders through the process.  Well "speed" is probably not the right word to use to describe the process because of all the forms to fill out, but it was a heck of a lot better than the previous weekend. Thanks to Lesly, Angela, Harrison, David and Jerry for being out there to get the riders processed and on their way.  To speed up the process I recommend that you get a season pass if you are a Clear Creek regular or follow the suggestions I posted on the Salinas Rambler's web page regarding passes.

Saturday afternoon I took a road ride with Bear and came across the destruction the BLM bulldozers inflicted on Clear Creek while I was recovering from my operations.  My guess is that the bulldozers displaced as much dirt this summer and fall as all of the dirt bike use in the past 30 years.  Don't they read their own reports?  The biggest contributor to sediment in the creeks is the road system yet here they are plowing major routes all over Clear Creek including T151, a route that just three years ago they made me photo monitor because they were concerned about possible habitat and water quality issues from running an enduro over the route.  Now it is a frigging highway and any plant habitat that existed is washing down Sawmill Creek creating water quality issues that will be blamed on OHV use. 

Sunday morning I did something I have not done in quite a while - I slept in and didn't go down to the entrance.  Felt very strange having an extra three hours in the day.  Not sure I will make this a habit just yet because the threat to Clear Creek is not over yet.

EPA Report:  According to Rick Cooper, the EPA is suppose to send the BLM their preliminary report later this month and he expects that the EPA will release it to the public in March and schedule a public meeting to discuss the report.  Once this sequence of events happens the clock will start ticking on the thirty day comment period for the scoping period for the BLM's the next Environmental Impact Statement.

FOCCMA:  I understand that we have had over 50 people join the Friends of the Clear Creek Management Area.  Progress on the organization is going slowly but this organization will be a great vehicle to disseminate information and for raising funds for the defense of vehicle access to the Clear Creek Management Area.  I urge everyone interested in seeing Clear Creek remain open for OHV use to join.  When you join, please make a donation using Paypal to help fund the organizational costs of running this group.  FOCCMA is 501c3 charitable non-profit so you can itemize the donation on your taxes.  FOCCMA is entirely a volunteer group but there are costs for accounting, web site development, etc.  We hope to start signing up business sponsors in the near future and including discount coupons  for paid members

Fee Collection on the New Idria Side:  There is no fee collection on the New Idria side of Clear Creek and my understanding is that the BLM does not intend to  collect fees over there ever.  You must enter and pay on the Coalinga Road side.  Don't be surprised if the once private land on the New Idria side is posted closed.  The New Idria property is in tax default and the previous owner, Futures Foundations, is now a defunct organization and the land belongs to San Benito County.  I believe there is a move afoot by the BLM and the County to close that side to all parking and camping because many of the acts of vandalism in Clear Creek can be traced to that camping area.  I just hope they don't close the access road in the process. 

Quads will hurt you:  I saw the head BLM Ranger, Jerry Tuma, at the entrance on Saturday morning and he told me that he was just told by the doctors that he had a broken back as a result of an accident on a quad while working with another law enforcement agency  searching out pot gardens.  This is on top of the 10+ broken ribs and broken collarbone.  Recently it has been suggested to me that I am too old to ride a dirt bike and perhaps I should get a quad and join the geriatric crowd.  My response was that I would rather stay home and go shopping with my wife - in other word, not something likely to happen in this lifetime.

Gem Mine:  On Saturday afternoon Bear and I took a ride into Clear Creek and while out near the KCAC mine (mine at the end of the paved road) we went over to the Gem Mine to see if it was open.  We took the T175 turn off of R15 and found the gate open so we rode down to the camping area where we met the owner, Dave Schreiner.  Dave bought the mine in 2005 and hosts tours and specimen collection.  We had a nice chat and engaging conversation about the properties of Benitoite, the theory of relativity and other sundry scientific topics, most of which went right over my helmet. Bear, you see, is a retired physicist and very knowledgeable on a wide variety of subject.

In parting, Dave asked me to note on the blog that he would appreciate it if OHV users would respect the no trespassing signs he has posted and stay off of his property because he does not carry insurance and requires a signed waiver to use the property.  You are welcome to make a reservation and take a tour!

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January 15, 2008 

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My Weekend:  I had a busy weekend.  On Saturday and Sunday mornings I went down to the BLM entrance station to help sell the passes because I knew that there was going to be a lot of traffic, that Lesly Smith, the recreation planner was going to be out of town and that the BLM would probably not be prepared for the rush of traffic early in the morning.  I was right and only Angela, a park ranger, was out there to collect fees.  Maybe it was because I told them in advance that I would help that they did not assign someone else to work - I don't know.  What I do know is that they are going to alienate a lot of riders if they only have one person out there this coming weekend which is a three day weekend for many people.  To top it off, they were handing out copies of the Salinas Ramblers web page on fees that I put together as their information sheet.  How lame is that?!

Both days I went back to camp and helped a bit with national hare scrambles course set-up for a while and then went riding..  Talk about being out of shape.  I was helping with the placement of some culverts and I had little upper body strength to shovel dirt or wield a pick.  My nine months of recovery from operations has taken a toll on my body and I was hurting both Sunday and Monday mornings, especially across the upper back.

I went riding by myself on Saturday afternoon around 3PM and promptly was hit by another rider just outside the Rambler gate on R7.  Fortunately it was minor and I wasn't hurt or knocked over.  I wrote details about it on the SBR forum and asked others to contribute their stories of head-on and near head-on crashes.  On Sunday I took a ride with my brother-in-law Brian.  We used to ride together a lot especially while we were both racing or setting up the enduro.  My last ride with him was almost two years ago on the weekend of the postponed Wild Boar just before I had shoulder surgery.  We had a good ride and hit a bunch of single track trails that also tested my endurance.

Volunteer Workdays:  The BLM is planning two more volunteer workdays, the first on Saturday February 2 and the next on either Saturday February 23rd or March 1st.  The purpose of the workdays is to create a new route to bypass the KCAC property north of Condon Peak and to tie T166 into R16.  Information about the workdays can be found on South Bay Riders.

IQ Test:  Think you're smart, give this a try. 

New Swingarm Stickers:  Justin sent me a picture of the additional colors he is getting for the swingarm stickers.  The classic red and black sticker is available today and the KTM orange and black /grey will be available soon.  His contact info is on this SBR thread.

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January 9, 2008 

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Wet Season Closure:  Clear Creek never received 8" on rain last year and consequently there were no wet closures.  This year is a different story so the next time it rains it is possible that the BLM will shut down Clear Creek because of their stupid wet season closure rules.  According to Lesly Smith, the average of the four rain gauges around Clear Creek comes to 7.4" as of this morning with potentially more rain on the way tomorrow.

Word to the wise, call the Clear Creek Conditions Line at 831-630-5060 before you go to make sure the place is open.

Stickers and Shirts: Justin has received the new Save Clear Creek swingarm stickers.  You can see pictures of them on his bike at South Bay Riders and you can contact him through the forum if you would like to add them to your bike and show your support of the Clear Creek Legal Defense Fund.  This week I also received a Save Clear Creek t-shirt from Mike t-shirt What do you think? Like it? Ido!

Whose your Candidate:  My wife sent me a link to a web site that claims to help you pick your candidate for President after answering a series of 11 questions.  I took the quiz and the web site said that the candidate that best represented my views was Mitt Romney (43) with John McCain (42) a close second.  Not surprisingly Hillary was way don the list (9) and Obama was in the cellar(4).  Not sure who I will vote for next month but I can guarantee that they won't have a "D" after their name. 

How many times do you go to Clear Creek:  There is a poll on South Bay Riders asking how many times you visit Clear Creek.  Please take a moment to answer the poll and if you would like to make a comment, please do so.  Seems to me that with the cost of fuel and now the user fees will cause people from the northern part of the Bay Area to perhaps go to Middle Creek or Stonyford instead of making the drive to Clear Creek.  The Mendocino National Forest is still free to the best of my knowledge.  I expect that Hollister will see an increase in activity so a word to the wise and get to Hollister early on winter weekends or you may not be able to get in.

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January 2, 2008  HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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Back in the Saddle:  Took my first ride around the Creek after almost 10 months on Saturday afternoon.  Tested out the new brace and it seemed to work well.  It fit comfortably and didn't limit my ability to transition from sitting to standing. I think I will need a longer foot peg because the brace pushes my leg out away from the bike and my foot is not entirely on the peg as a result.  Even tested it unintentionally by dropping the bike and stepping off on my new knee.  I was riding with Bear and I stopped to wait for him at an intersection,  I spun around on a high spot to watch and when I went to put my foot down, the ground was further away then I expected.  Rather than struggle trying to keep the bike upright, I just let it drop and stepped off.  On Sunday I went on a Rambler family ride out to the Condon Peak area for a BBQ.  Rode some more serious trails without incident.  Got my first serious leg cramp of the season on Sunday night, the painful type that run from the groin down the inside of the thigh all the way to the ankle.  Fortunately, I only got it in one leg but I felt the other leg ready to snap so I walked around straight-legged all evening.  The things we do in the name of fun!

Swingarm Stickers:  Justin, the creator of the Clear Creek bumper sticker is working with Powersport Graphics to come up with a new Save Clear Creek sticker you can put on your swingarm to show support for the Clear Creek Legal Defense Fund.  As soon as he has some available for sale I will let you know.

Season Passes over the phone:  If you don't live near a shop selling the season, you can call the BLM office and give Lesly Smith your VIN numbers and credit card information and the BLM will mail you season pass stickers and the transport vehicle tag.  Phone number is 831-630-5000.

Airplane Loop Reopened:  Thank to Steve for posting information on South Bay Riders about the Airplane loop being reopened.  Steve posted pictures that he took right as David Moore was placing a new T166 sign in the ground.  To get to the new access, get on the paved road at the intersection with T158 and head east.  You will see the sign in a bank on the right side of the road.  I understand that they have also marked a new exit at the end of T166 that brings you out around Condon Peak and R16.  Give it a try.

Board Track Video:  My brother-in-law, Brian, sent me this link to a web site showing a very old film of board track racing at Daytona Beach from early last century.  Very cool!  Enjoy.

No enduro but a National Hare Scrambles:  As I have mentioned before, the AMA did not award the Ramblers a National Enduro in 2008.  Instead, they gave us a date for a National Hare Scrambles and Youth National HS.  The dates are February 9-10 and you can view the flyer here.  The Ramblers decided not to run a local enduro in 2008 because of conflicts with other events in Clear Creek and on the District 36 schedule.  The Quicksilver may return in 2008.  Time will tell.

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December 16, 2007

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For the record:  Use fees suck.  We pay enough in taxes and registration fees already.  That said, the BLM will start charging a fee to use Clear Creek starting in January and since it is the law, I will be getting one.

Season Passes:  I went over to the BLM office today to listen to the briefing the BLM gave to the shops who will be selling the Season passes.  I just posted the  list of locations where you can purchase a 2008 Season Pass starting Monday.  http://salinasramblersmc.org/Clear%20Creek/Season%20Pass/SeasonPass.htm

An end to the Recreation Fee Program?:  How long will the Clear Creek fee program last?  Maybe not very long if a couple of senators are able to push through legislation to repeal the fee program.  Read more.  Time to contact your senators and congressmen and ask them to support this bill!

BLM receives Green Sticker grants:  I understand that the OHV commission approved the BLM's 2008 grant request in full at a recent meeting.  More details as I learn them.

Back in the saddle soon:  Saw the doctor last Tuesday and he said that I could start riding again as soon as I got a knee brace.  Was fitted for one on Thursday so I hope to get back on the bike after Christmas!!!

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December 10, 2007

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BRP Fun Ride:  My thanks to all of the folks who showed up this past weekend for the BRP Fun Ride.  The result was a donation of $6,000 by BRP (Billet Racing Products) to the legal defense fund.  I just posted a couple pictures of the donation ceremony on the South Bay Riders forum and will be putting up more pictures later this week on the Rambler web site.

Hats off to Frank Rodgers and Manuel Datan of the Salinas Ramblers and Jim Rios of BRP for putting this event together.  In typical Rambler fashion, the event came of pretty smoothly considering it was the first time for organizing this type of event.  Also in the tradition of the Rambler events, the weather provided some excitement in the form of wind, rain and snow showers and gave us muddy/tacky ground and NO DUST.

Do You Still Ride?  Sometime during the Fun Ride, Matt Beck introduced me as the Grandfather of Clear Creek and I had to correct him.  According to Kate Woods of the Pinnacle Newspaper, I am the Godfather of Clear Creek Dirtbikers (see the Feb 8, 2006 blog entry below). Later I was talking with some riders and a teenager in the group who didn't know me asked "Do you still ride"?  At first I was surprised by the question but I guess it was valid since I was gimping around and look almost as old as dirt (I say "almost" because JR Mendes of the Ramblers claims to be as old as dirt and I am younger than him). 

Another person in the group let out a good laugh and then advised the kid that not only did Tobin ride but that he probably would want to go on a Tobin ride until he was more experienced.  I sure hope I can ride like I use to when I get the new knee working.  I know I can ride because I got the Suzuki out, fired it up and rode it around the neighborhood a couple weeks ago.  Of course I had to do it while the wife was out shopping or I would have caught hell.  She still doesn't know and I hope to keep it that way.

foccma.org: A Friends of Clear Creek organization is slowly taking shape.  At least we have a web site thanks to Mike Wubbels of the Salinas Ramblers.  Mike lives over in the Madera area and has gotten heavily involved the trail designation process in the Sierra National Forest.  While putting together a web site for that area, he put together one for Clear Creek.  It is a work in process and I will be providing more details in future postings as the Friends of Clear Creek Management Area matures.  Mike is looking for someone to take over the site as he is up to his eyeballs with his Stewards of the Sierra Nation Forest.  Anyone interested in helping can contact me at srmc@salinasramblersmc.org.

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November 24, 2007 

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Book Signing:  A former Salinas resident, Rocky Robinson, will be at Borders Book Store on Saturday, December 8th signing his book titled FLAT OUT - The Race for the Motorcycle World Land Speed Record.  In 2006 Rocky broke the world land speed record for motorcycles at the Bonneville Salt Flats with a two way average of 324.797mph. The previous record of 322 held by Dave Campos had lasted 16 years. Two days later he lost the record to my former team on a machine he helped develop. He returned this year to regain the title, and had a horrific crash at over 300mph. His team is rebuilding the machine and will return in 2008 to hopefully regain the record.

The book signing at the Borders bookstore in Sand City will be from 2-4pm.  You an check out his web site at www.rocky-robinson.com
 

Upcoming Events:  Trail work day on Saturday, December 1.  Details below on Nov. 17 blog entry.

                                      BRP Fun Ride, Dec 8-9, Salinas Rambler property, click on the link above for more information

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November 17, 2007 

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I was out of town for a couple of weeks on the east coast for a trade show and for a short vacation back home in NJ.  I am not use to traffic since I drive back roads from Marina to Salinas most every day.  The traffic in Atlanta, site of the trade show, was terrible and what should have been a fifteen minute ride from the hotel to the conference center usually took almost an hour.  I guess I am spoiled!

Enjoyed my visit home and ate my share of hoagies, cheese steaks and soft pretzels but managed to return home not weighing any more than when I left.  That's the best type of vacation.  I was nice to see the change of seasons that we don't get here on the left coast and I am glad that I don't have to rake leaves.

BRP Fun Ride: My knee is still screwed and it looks like I won't be able to ride until sometime next year the way things are going.  That is a bummer as I had hoped to guide riders during the BRP Fun Ride next month (link above).  There are still plenty of spots open and this will be a fun way to contribute to the Legal Defense Fund.  The Ramblers put on a good feed and party so don't miss it!

ISDE:  Another bummer is the fact that Jordan Brandt didn't make it through the first day of the ISDE in Chile.  He suffered an ignition failure in his Beta that he was unable to repair.  You can read about the ISDE and other racing events on Cycle News Online

Clear Creek Volunteer Trail Workday:  David Moore of the BLM has invited the OHV community to help with some trail repair on some single track trails around the Goat Mountain area on Saturday, December 1st.  I have posted the information about the workday on SBR's Clear Creek BLM forum.  Hope you can come out and help.

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October 30, 2007 

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Last Friday and Saturday mornings were spent attending a BLM Resource Advisory Council (RAC) meeting held in my home town of Marina and the afternoons were spent in part saying good-bye to one of the best Rambler members I have had the fortune to know.  Larry Deaton, a life member, died of a broken heart having lost his wife and partner Sandy Deaton a little over a three years ago.  There was a great turnout for the services on Saturday afternoon as Larry was well known around Salinas for his work with Little League baseball in addition to having been past President of the Club.

He and Sandy, the Club's long time treasurer, were key members of the enduro committee that turned a second class local enduro into one of the premier national enduros in the US.  They are both dearly missed.

RAC Meeting:  The RAC meeting gave me an opportunity to bring up issues that the RAC should consider and advise the BLM on.  As a first step I was able to convince them to take a tour of Clear Creek during the use season.  It looks as though they will tour the Creek sometime in March on a Saturday so they can see people and families recreating.  Thanks to David Tharp and Benny King for attending to speak during the public comment period on Saturday morning.

The knee:  Went to see the surgeon who replaced my knee today.  I have noticed a lot of movement in the joint when it is not bearing any weight and it is always swollen.  He looked at it, played with it, x-rayed it and then said that things looked normal and that the recovery from this operation was going to be slower than the shoulder or the hip.  Great!  I had hoped to be able to ride for the BRP Fun Ride in December but now it looks like I will be in camp with the women and children.

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October 21, 2007 

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I made a trip down to Clear Creek yesterday to check out my trailer.  I haven't been to the Club property since the hare scrambles at the end of March due to the hip and knee replacement operation so I wasn't sure what I would find.  Last year we had a plague of these small hard shell bugs that invaded trailers, electrical outlets, and other confined spaces.  They seem to appear in cycles, several years apart.  Fortunately this year they were not present and the trailer was clean and dry.  I was surprised by how few Ramblers there were at the property.  The weather was perfect, it had rained recently and yet the campground was mostly empty.

During my travels I ran in to the two BLM rangers who are working Clear Creek.  They had been up at the Lumps on the KCAC property with the white gates on the pavedroad and had written a couple of tickets for trespass off of the established trails.  For the life of me I can't figure out why the BLM feel compelled to sit at the Lumps and write tickets when there are 32,000 acres of BLM land with management issues that they should be patrolling.  A good example would be the hill climbs along R11 or just patrolling Clear Creek road to keep the speeds down.

Maybe it is because they drive around in trucks and the Lumps is easy to access up the paved road?  What's going to happen if they have to do a search and rescue in a remote part of the Creek?    

New OHV Bill:  The Governor has signed new OHV legislation that will increase the cost of a green sticker from $25 to $50 every two years and increase the entry fees for state OHV parks.  More importantly, it removes the OHV commission from the loop on grant requests amnd by BLM and Forest Service units.  The commission had been a major stumbling block for the federal agencies to get grants.  The commission majority was made up of OHV hating environmentalists appointed by the state senate and assembly leaders.  This body is now advisory only and decisions on grants will be made by the OHMVR staff.  This is very good news for the OHV community! 

EPA Report:  Last week I received a notice from the EPA about sampling that they were going to do in Coalinga where they cleaned up some areas used to process/ship asbestos mined in Clear Creek.  I called the project manager for the Atlas Mine superfund site to ask when they were planning to release their final report and health risk and was told that they had hoped to release it next month but that it was more complicated that they expected and would not give me a date for the release.  I told her that it would be a whole lot easier if they would just read the findings of Dr. Ed Ilgren which indicated that the Clear Creek asbestos is not harmful but she said they could not do that.  Of course they can't because they would look like idiots after spending more than a decade and millions of dollars cleaning up a non-existent problem.  Your tax dollars at work?!

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October 14, 2007 

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Public Scoping Worksheets:  I have added the BLM scoping meeting input sheet to the Rambler's Clear Creek EIS page.  Actually there are two.  One is a PDF of the paper form.  The second is the input form into which input can be typed and then e-mailed to the BLM.  I have asked Sky Murphy if this feature has been tested and am waiting for a response.  You may have to upgrade your version of Adobe Reader for the electronic input to work.  These forms can be here.

Rain:  According to the California Department of Water Resources rain gauges, the storms this past week dropped between a quarter and three quarters of an inch of rain on the creek.  The largest amount was recorded at the Spanish Lake gauge - .8" while Santa Rita Peak recorded a half inch and Hernandez  about a quarter.  As dry as it has been, I expect that this rain will sink in quickly.  It should put a  crust on the trails which will keep the dust down.  Lets hope that we get more mid-week storms this year!

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October 11, 2007 

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Networking:  I am pleased to let you know that South Bay Riders (SBR), a web site dedicated to creating an online motorcycle community that brings together riders from the South Bay Area, has created a forum specifically for the discussion of BLM related Clear Creek issues and for the dissemination of information about the new EIS process, volunteer day opportunities, and the new fee program scheduled to start in January 2008.  There is likely to be other topics related to the BLM and Clear Creek that can also be addressed on the forum, they just come to mind as I write this.  My thanks to Andy of SBR for setting up and moderating the new forum.  Actually, it is a sub-forum under the Dirt Rider forum and can be found at this link.  Check it out!

Rumor:  There was a rumor floating around that the BLM might delay the opening of Clear Creek because of the dry conditions.  At least that is the rumor that I heard and I understand that others have heard it too.  I checked with the BLM today and they laid the rumor to rest.  Clear Creek will reopen on Tuesday, October 16th.  We may even have some velcro dirt if it rains on Friday and Monday! 

Update on the KCAC Property and Airplane Loop:  The KCAC has agreed to allow use on major routes through their property, specifically R8, R15, R16 and T158 .  Unfortunately, as of this writing, they are not allowing use on the routes that provide access to the B17 crash site.  They also will not allow any riding off of the main routes including in the mine pit that the Ramblers call the Lumps.  They have given the BLM authorization to ticket riders trespassing off of the main routes.

The BLM staff is at work to create reroutes around the KCAC properties so that the Airplane Loop can be legally accessed.  However, as of the opening next week, this trail loop is closed and I encourage all users to respect the decision by the KCAC to limit use on their private property.

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October 7, 2007 

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Going on week seven since the knee replacement operation and it is starting to look like Thanksgiving before I will be back on my bike.  The healing is going very slowly and I still have a lot of swelling after exercise or working all day.  So, I am just taking it easy and doing things around the house as the knee will allow.  The one positive thing that happened is that I have lost around 15 lbs. since the operation.  If I am careful, I might be able to keep the weight off.  I don't have the appetite that I had before the surgery.  Since the operation I have cooked some of the best pork ribs I have ever made and could only eat on of them .  That's the down side.

EIS Meeting in San Jose:  As note above and in the September 11 entry below, the BLM will hold their third scoping session for the new Clear Creek EIS this coming Thursday in downtown San Jose at the Martin Luther King Jr. Library.  I had hoped to attend but will be stuck in a quarterly sales meeting all day so it looks unlikely.

I encourage everyone to attend if possible but caution you to go with low expectations if you are hoping to make any type of public statement.  The BLM is not taking them during the meeting.  You will have an opportunity to talk with BLM staff after the meeting and encourage you to talk to Rick Cooper, the Field Office Manager, David Moore Trails Coordinator, and Lesly Smith, Recreation Planner.  You should ask Rick and David about their plans to open the Airplane loop since the KCAC closed all the trails to the portion of CC.  You should talk to Lesly about the new fee program that is scheduled to start in January 2008.

I have posted information about the EIS and some of the documents handed out at the Hollister meeting on the Salinas Rambler's Clear Creek web site under BLM to Prepare New EIS for Clear Creek.

Public Comment:  If you do want to make public comment on Clear Creek, you can do so at a meeting of the Central CA Resource Advisory Council.  This group will be meeting at the Holliday Inn Express in Marina (north of Monterey) on Friday/Saturday, October 26/27.  More details when I get an agenda.  The RAC will be discussing Clear Creek as an agenda item, according to the BLM web site.

BRP Fun Ride:  Billet Racing Products, a long time supporter of Salinas Ramblers national events, is putting together a fund raiser for the Clear Creek Legal Defense Fund and the BlueRibbon Coalition.  While the focus of the event is to encourage participation by District 36 and 37 clubs, non-club members are also welcome to participate.  The event will be a weekend of camping, games, fun, riding and eating hosted at the Salinas Ramblers property.  The dates are December 8 & 9th.  More information about the event can be found here.

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September 19, 2007 

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Don't forget the first scoping meeting for the next Clear Creek EIS.  Thursday evening, 9/27 at Veteran Memorial Hall in Hollister at 6PM.  http://salinasramblersmc.org/Clear%20Creek/2007EIS.htm

End of an era:  Last  Thursday night the Ramblers voted not to hold an enduro in 2008.  This was precipitated by two things that happened the previous week.  First, word leaked out of AMA HQ that the Ramblers would not be given a national enduro in 2008.  Apparently the AMA and the National Enduro Promoters Group decided to give national enduros to all new clubs.  That decision ended a run of 24 consecutive Quicksilver National Enduros. 

Around the same time, the Club received an e-mail from AMA and D36 asking for new clubs to host a national hare scrambles.  Sounds like they are getting new clubs involved in that series.  Knowing that we were not getting a national enduro, the Club applied for was put on the schedule to host a West Coast national hare scrambles and youth national HS on February 9/10.

Since the date for the hare scrambles fell near the traditional date for the enduro, the club decided not to promote a D36 event.  Maybe another national enduro in 2009?  The AMA asked us to apply for one next year.

Jordan Brandt Fundraiser:  There will be a fundraiser on Saturday, October 27 at the Salinas Rambler's property at Clear Creek to help Jordan Brandt with his expenses to represent the USA at the ISDE this November in Chile.  In case you had not heard, Jordan was selected to ride on the Trophy team this year after several good finishes at the Qualifiers and a great ride at last year's event in New Zealand.

This should be a good time.  Clear Creek will be open, there will be overnight camping for all participants, Dinner, live music, and a Halloween costume party,  More details can be found at: http://salinasramblersmc.org/Jordan%20Fundraiser/2007Fundraiser.htm .

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September 11, 2007 

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I am healing from the knee replacement surgery and starting to get back in the swing of things.  My left leg is straight for the first time in over 20 years and now it is just going to take time for the healing process.  I think that the knee is going to take longer to heal than my hip replacement based on my progress three weeks after surgery.

Another Clear Creek Planning Process:  The BLM has announced another round of planning for Clear Creek. The BLM plans to prepare a new Environmental Impact Statement and will start the process by holding three scoping meetings later this month and early in October.  Here is the schedule:

All public meetings will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. The date and location of each meeting are listed below:

September 27 - Veterans Memorial Hall
649 San Benito St.
Hollister

October 4 - Harris Ranch Garden Ballroom
24505 W. Dorris Ave.
Coalinga

October 11 - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library Room 225
150 E. San Fernando St.
San Jose

This time the planning process will revisit the health risks in response to to the final report that the EPA is due to release in October.  This begets the question "Why are we having scoping meetings before the public has been informed of the EPA's recommendations?".  Seems like they are putting the cart in front of the horse, IMO.

Here is a link to the BLM's public announcement of the planning process

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August 19, 2007 

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Round 2:  Tomorrow I am going under the knife for the second time this year, this time to get my left knee replaced and the leg straightened out.  I have hade numerous problems with my left foot because of the bow in my leg and I am hoping that this procedure will cure multiple problems.  I am encouraged my the many people who I have talk to who have had knee replacement including Phil Douglas of Aftershocks who I believe had both knees done and was riding with his daughter at a Doc Wong clinic last year.  Time will tell.  I will write more when I get home from the hospital.

New BLM Map:  I have linked to a new map that David Moore sent me this week.  It is a 4MB PDF file so it may take a while to open.  You can find it by clicking on MAPs at the top of the left frame. It is the last link at the bottom of the page and it has much greater detail and definition than the original map that accompanied the Record of Decision document.

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August 13, 2007 

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Had two weekends busy in a row.  On the 4/5th of August Colleen and I went over to Madera to a club member's house for a Ramblers social.  Mike and Sharon have a wonderful home outside of town and they built a beautiful pool in their back yard.  Mike organized a green sticker ride on Saturday and a dual sport ride on Sunday into the Sierras around Bass Lake.  It was good to get back up into the Sierras.  I think the last time I was up in the trees and boulders was for the Joe Racer fund raiser at Bear Valley in September 2004 that was snowed out.  As with any Rambler function, there was copious amounts of food for the Saturday night pot luck including prime rib, salmon, tri-tip and bacon wrapped shrimp...and plenty to drink..

This past weekend was also heavy with motorcycle related activities.  On Saturday morning I got up early and rode at Hollister Hills for two hours before going over to the BLM meeting which lasted for the better part of four hours.  Yesterday I worked at the CCR dirt track event at the Posse Grounds in Salinas, helping out a fellow club member, Steve Hall, who is one of the promoters.  I left before all the racing was done so I could catch Roy Rodgers and the Delta Rhythm Kings at the Seaside Blues in the Park concert.  Roy plays a wicked slide guitar and has good stories about playing with some of the legends of Blues in his earlier days.

BLM Meeting:  I have to stop going to meetings with the BLM.  They are just too damn depressing.  This one started like so many in the past with the Field Office Manager missing in action.  Actually he was flying to Alaska to go fishing.  Must have been a spur of the moment thing because I can't imagine him missing a meeting with the OHV community.  I also learned about more bulldozer destruction wrought on our precious trails.  I understand that there is a new freeway into Sawmill Creek so the BLM will have an administrative route around the KCAC property.  So much for the last OHV trail from the west side to the east side.  Might as well rename the place Hollister Hills South (did I mention how I dislike HH).

We were briefed on the $1.2M grant request the BLM intends to submit to the State but were given no specific details, just target amounts for operations and maintenance, restoration, and law enforcement. The grant documents should be available on the Hollister BLM web site middle of this week.  The BLM recommended that as many users and small motorcycle related businesses as possible send letters of support for the grant.  Letters or e-mails should be sent to David Moore, Bureau of Land Management, 20 Hamilton Court, Hollister, CA 95023 or via e-mail to David_Moore@ca.blm.gov  

Key points to include in your letter or e-mail (thanks Andy for documenting this on SBR)

1) Indicate how important Clear Creek is regarding being a family sport. How dirt bike riding provides a healthy activity that your entire family can enjoy.

2) Indicate how the past years improvements at Clear Creek have benefited you; facilities, signs, maps, trail maintenance and erosion control.

3) Indicate that you support the 2008 OHV Grant Application that provides money to the BLM - Hollister Field Office and Clear Creek.

4) Describe how much you enjoy Clear Creek.
 

Recreation Fee: We were also briefed on the fee program that the BLM will start up in January of 2008.  The program will run on a calendar year, from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2008.  Everyone entering the CCMA to recreate on a OHV will have to buy either a weekly or annual pass.  The cost for a weekly pass (good Wed. through Tuesday) will be $5.00 for the transport vehicle and $10.00 for each OHV ridden by a person 17 or older.  There will be no charge for a 16 and under child's OHV.   The annual pass will cost $80 and will cover unlimited visits for the season pass holder, their transport vehicle and up to two OHV's.  If you have more than two OHV's then you will have to pay $20.00 extra for each OHV you wish to ride.  The weekly pass fee for the transport vehicle will be waived if the visitor has an America the Beautiful Pass (which replaces the Golden Eagle and Golden Age Passports) or a Golden Access Pass.  These passes do not apply against the OHV fee, just the fee for the transport fee.

I predict that this is going to be a huge enforcement nightmare, will create a huge traffic jam on busy winter mornings and lead to people not riding Clear Creek because of the additional cost..  Terry from the Timekeepers asked if the entrance station could be located near Oak Flat so that riders could use the toilets after the long drive to the Creek.  The BLM said that they were expanding the current location to make it wider so that there would be a lane for season pass holders but no toilets.  Now that's what I call customer service!

KCAC Closure:  This thing is a moving target.  I met with Ed Kleber, the President of KCAC on Friday for lunch in King City to review a permission letter for the Ramblers and Timekeepers to use the property for our enduros.  Apparently, since the note about the closure of the KCAC property in the blog back on June 10th, KCAC notified the BLM that they would permit use on R8, R15 and T158.  At the lunch Ed indicated that their main concern was off-route riding and that they would permit use on the trails connecting the airplane loop to the paved road.  It appears that I will need to work with Ed to get a letter specifying exactly which trails they will permit and will work on this so the trails will remain open when Clear Creek reopens.

Green Sticker bike for sale:  If you are looking for a good, reliable 4-stroke to ride, then check out the 2000 DRZ400E that Darren has for sale in Hollister.  Low miles and hours.  Electric start, Renthal bars and a Yoshimura exhaust.,  He is asking $2,700 and is motivated to sell because he has another bike lined up.  Darren can be contacted at 831-320-6475.

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August 1, 2007 

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BLM Meeting Reminder: Saturday, August 11 at 11AM at the BLM's Hollister Field:  The BLM  meeting is to review their 2007/2008 grant request for green sticker money and to review the fee program they hope to start next January.  Meeting will be held on Saturday, August 11 starting at 11AM at their office in Hollister located at 20 Hamilton Court out near the Hollister airport.  Please spread the word to your riding buddies and maybe plan for an early morning ride at Hollister Hills before the meeting.

Shake Down Ride: Well, the time had come to find out if the new hip would work.  It had been four months since I rode seriously.  I don't count putting around the parking lot at the Return to the Grounds dirt track event on my old Can-AM back in June as riding.  With CC closed I had two options, go to the club property and ride the hare scrambles course or go to Hollister Hills.  If you have been reading the blog for a while, you know how I feel about HH.  Great place to learn how to ride and for families to camp but not what I consider real trail riding. And I just love those Hollister Hill experts! Nevertheless, I needed to get out on the Suzuki (with electric start) and check out the new hip so I decided to save money on gas and head over to Hollister.

My riding partner for the trip was Scott from software development at work.  Scott's Mom owned the Yamaha shop in Seaside many years ago and now operates Team Calamari that specializes in performance part and accessories for YSRs.  Scott road raced and did very well until he was injured.  We had a good time blitzing around on the roads and trail machine paths for three hours.  I managed to screw up on Peat's Path and test the new hip.  Lost the front end in a uphill right hand turn and stepped off onto my new hip without any drama.  Guess I am ready for the Club's dual sport ride up in the Sierras next weekend.

Blue Ribbon Benefit:  On Any Sunday on the big screen!  When? Naturally, on Sunday, August 26th. Where? In Modesto at the State Theatre.  This benefit  for the Blue Ribbon Coalition is sponsored by Honda Kawasaki of Modesto at the State Theatre in Modesto and is being hosted to honor the life of Billy Ray of Modesto, an avid motorcyclist and competitor.

We're talking a big screen showing of the classic movie  Tell your friends and lets have a good turnout for this event!  For more information click here.

Clear Creek Fees:  Mentioned above, the BLM will start charging you to park and ride at Clear Creek starting in January 2008.  If you are interested in reading the Federal Register notice for the fee, click here. 

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July 25, 2007 

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In late June and early July I was on a family vacation to the emerald isle.  Ireland is aptly referred to as such because it is very green, a color foreign to most Californians for much of the year. Rain has been hard to come in California thus far in 2007 but not in Great Britain and Ireland.  In fact southern England is suffering through the worst floods in 60 years and Ireland just had their wettest June on record.

We had our share of the wet stuff but were fortunate to only have two days when we either got really wet or could not see through the rain and fog.  We circled the country, partially by tour bus and partially by car and hit most of the major towns and many of the major tourism sites.  We visited with distant cousins on a farm in the middle of the country and saw up close and personal how the Irish use the bogs to produce fuel for heating and cooking.

If you are young and go to Ireland, plan to be in Galway on a Saturday night.  The downtown was flooded with tons of people. Great party spot.

If you are planning an Irish vacation and would like to learn more about our experiences, shoot me an e-mail and I will give you a call.  Just be prepared for an expensive trip because of the weak dollar.  Seems like everything cost a about the same as in the US but the prices were in Euros and it takes ~$1.40 to buy a Euro.  Gas was expensive too.  On average I paid $5.60 a gallon.  Not surprisingly, I only saw one pick-up truck the entire trip and it as a small one.  People don't drive SUVs in Ireland.  They drive little cars very fast!

Interior Board of Land Appeals: In June, 2005, OHV groups filed an appeal with the IBLA to overturn the summer closure.   After two years, the IBLA has finally responded to the OHV community's appeal of the summer closure.  The response (surprise, surprise) was to deny it.  So much for asking one branch of the government to hold itself accountable.  Fortunately we have three branches of government and so we will be discussing how to proceed seeking relief from the arbitrary closure foisted on us by the BLM and the EPA.  If you care to read the decision, click here.

Jordan Brandt Selected for the ISDE Trophy Team:  If you haven't heard (don't worry, hardly anyone has) Jordan was selected to represent the US on the Trophy team at the International Six Day Enduro this year in Chile.  Jordan is a Salinas Rambler member who seems to be getting faster and faster with age.  So far this year he has won a couple rounds of the D36 Cross Country series, placed third at the Sawmill National Enduro, third at the Rock Hill AMA National Hare Scrambles in Oregon and fourth at the ISDE qualifier in Idaho.  American Beta, Jordan's bike sponsor,  picked a winner this year when they sponsored Jordan.   Congratulations, Jordan and good luck.  (PS: better practice your tire and clutch changes!)

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July 16, 2007 

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Received a notice in the mail on Saturday from the BLM announcing a meeting to review their 2007/2008 grant request for green sticker money and to review the fee program they hope to start next January.  Meeting will be held on Saturday, August 11 starting at 11AM at their office in Hollister located at 20 Hamilton Court.

Please spread the word to your riding buddies and maybe plan for an early morning ride at Hollister Hills before the meeting.

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June 10, 2007 

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Last entry I reported that my back was sore.  Since the middle of May it got a lot worse with severe pains in my lower back and my good hip as well as numbness in my left knee.  It didn't affect my ability to sit but walking and standing were very painful.  After weeks of chiropractic care, the situation has improved.  This weekend I was able to walk around the block and restart the process of rehabilitating my hip.  Got to get back in shape so I can ride the Creek again this fall.

Clear Creek Closed Until October 15th.:  That's right, the Creek is closed again this summer and part of the Fall. You can read about it on the Rambler's Clear Creek page.  The closure is the same as it has been the past two years with a small network of routes open so that hunters can get to the non-asbestos areas to hunt pig and deer.  Unfortunately, one of the key roads to Condon peak has been closed

More Clear Creek Closures:  Another square mile of Clear Creek has been closed to OHV use.  This time it is a private property owner, KCAC, who has informed the Salinas Ramblers that they don't want any OHV use on their property and have given  the BLM permission to cite trespassers.  The property in question is the popular playground next to the paved road that the Ramblers call "The Lumps".  In addition, KCAC owns a property about half way between the Lumps and the asbestos mine at the end of the paved road and this is also closed to OHV use. 

The closure of these two parcels eliminates legal access to the popular "Airplane Loop" and all trails on the south side of the paved road.  It eliminates access to the Condon Peak area for hunting this fall and it eliminates one of the two major large vehicle routes from the west side of Clear Creek to the east side.  The only way to drive a large vehicle out to the Spanish Lake area is on except for R11, Mexican Lake Road.  There is still one open BLM route for bikes, quads and jeeps south of San Benito Mountain, but that is it.

I have yet to determine what role the BLM played in this closure but I do know that the property owner was contacted proactively by a BLM ranger and that Rick Cooper met with the property owner earlier this Spring.  All of the maps that the BLM produced are now wrong, including the latest one they sell.  It is incumbent for the BLM to now meet with representatives from the OHV community to develop a plan to open legal access to the areas affected by the closure of this private property.

User Fee Update:  As of this writing the user fee notice has not been published in the Federal Register.  This means that the user fee program can not start sooner than December 10, 2007.

Dirt Track Racing in Salinas:  If you are looking for something to do next weekend for Father's Day and you like to race dirt track, then the Rambler's Return to the Grounds is for you.  Practice on Saturday and race on Sunday.

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May 19, 2007 

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I am starting to get back in the swing of things.  I took an extended vacation from the blog while I was recovering from hip surgery.  Now I am recovering from hip surgery and a sore back.  Given my history with my back, I expected that I would have some issues as my body adjusted to the new hip.  Unfortunately, it has been worse than I expected and has kept me from fully exercising for a week and a half now.   The lower back seems to be getting better each day but it is still painful to stand upright for any period of time.   Many times in the past I could perform self-chiropractic by going riding and in extreme cases, by crashing.  Believe it or not, a good hard ride at Clear Creek has kept me from the chiropractor on occasion.  Of course it has sent me to the doctor more than a few times too.  C'est La Vie!

Bulletins Posted:  I recently posted the March/ April and May/June bulletins that I received from the BLM.  The may be found on the Salinas Rambler's Clear Creek page.  A big thanks to all the volunteers who helped with the trail workday at the end of March.  I, of course, did not make it because I was just recovering from the surgery but I was there in spirit!

Metcalf Newsletter:  As I was writing the blog today the May June July Metcalf Newsletter appeared in the e-mail.

User Fees:  In the May June bulletin, the BLM mentions the user fees that will start some time this fall.  I say "some time" because the BLM has to wait six months from the date of the federal register notice before they can start the program.  As of this past Friday, the notice had not been published.  I spoke with Rick Cooper on Friday and posed a couple of questions that I have been asked.  He is researching them and I will update you as I learn more.

EPA Report:  Rick also told me that the EPA had not issued their report yet and he now thought it would be available in June.  He has suggested that the EPA conduct a public meeting to explain the results of their report.  The last time the EPA did this was back in the Dirt Alert days with Bob Wick rallying the troops.  The government was able to produce a training video based on that event on how NOT to conduct a public meeting.  If they hold a public meeting, let's hope that they do a better job this time.

Enduro Coverage:  The May edition was full of color pictures from the Quicksilver National Enduro.  In fact, IMO, it was the best coverage of our event ever.  The endurocross course was prominently featured as one would expect as well as the rocky uphill on T159 just before Check 7..  I counted 20 pictures in three separate articles.  The first article was event coverage, the second about the new national enduro format and Team Dirt Bike riders results and the third on a CRF150R project used in the event.

Dirt Track Events in Salinas:  If you like to race dirt track then you should be aware that there are several upcoming events in Salinas.  The Ramblers will host Return 2 the Grounds on June 16th and 17th.  Saturday will be practice only and an opportunity to ride a dirt track without actually racing.  The racing on Sunday will include minis, quads and I understand we may also have a Rhino class for the side by side type vehicles. Click HERE for the event flyer.

The Rambler's event is round #4 part of a six race Open Traction TT Series running this summer in Salinas being put on by Central Coast Racing.  There is a two day event next weekend (Memorial Day) followed by the Rambler event and then races on June 24, August 12 and September 9th.

Jail Time for Los Gatos Incident:  I don't nornally read the newspaper.  Colleen pointed out an article this morning about a woman receiving five years in jail for stretching a rope or wire across a road in front of a rider.  You may have heard about this incident last year that caused the rider, Robert Barnes, to have 500 stitches and numerous operation.  IMO, this person should spend the rest of her life in jail for attempted murder.  I just hope that she has some assets that can be used to offset the medical costs.

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April 29, 2007 

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I am sure many of the regular blog readers are wondering what happened to me and my writing.  Did Ed fall off the edge of the earth (there are still some people who believe the earth is flat)?  Did he have an accident and get hurt seriously?  What gives?

Shortly after the March 7 entry I made the decision to get a hip replacement. I had hoped to postpone it until next year but the circumstances and growing pain dictated that it happen sooner.  After making all the arrangements and attending the requisite doctors appointments the operation was scheduled for 3/26.  The next week, I went back East (Indiana and New Jersey) on a business trip.  When I got back from the trip on 3/20 I fully intended to update the blog but I got really busy at work and of course there was the Picacho Creek Hare Scrambles that I worked at.

The operation went well on Monday, 3/26 and I was up and walking with a walker the next morning in the hospital.  I got out of the hospital on Wednesday afternoon and came home to recuperate.  At this point I just ignored a bunch of stuff, like writing the blog and checking/answering e-mails.  Call it a mental vacation from life but I just stopped doing my normal stuff.

The recovery has gone slower than I expected but not slower than the doctor had suggested it would.  I have bounced back from previous surgeries much faster but this one has been slow.  Fortunately it has not been all that painful.  In fact, the reason I did the surgery was because I was experiencing a great deal of pain in the joint that was making it difficult to sleep at night in any position except flat on my back.  I was also very painful to throw my leg over the motorcycle.  I am please to report that all the night time pain is gone and I can sleep comfortably.  I have not tried throwing my leg over the bike yet as I have issues with range of motion that I am still working on with a physical therapist.

I will keep you posted on my progress and will soon start to get involved with motorcycle stuff.

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March 7, 2007 

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Last weekend was a beautiful weekend for an enduro and this coming weekend is shaping up to be great for the Timekeepers enduros.  So what have the Ramblers done to piss off the weather gods???   Since my prediction for the enduro came true I now wish to predict bikini weather for the Picacho Creek Challenge Hare Scrambles that the Ramblers will host on March 24/25. 

As hard as it might be to believe, but we did have bikini weather one year for the Quicksilver.  Can't remember whether it was back when we ran the event in January or after the move to President's weekend in February.   It was so warm on the Thursday before the event that I marked course in shorts and a t-shirt.  The Sunday of the event, wives and girlfriends waited for their riders in bikinis, lounging in beach chairs out by the river as children played in the water.  Unfortunately warm weather seems uncommon for the Quicksilver of late as evidenced by this picture taken by Don Amador on the Friday before this year's event.

Hard to believe that it is March already and we are still under the 8" threshold for the wet season closure. Knock on wood but we really need some rainfall in southern Monterey County and in Clear Creek.

Another myth debunked:  Thanks to Dean for researching the entry last week about Social Security.  Apparently this is one of these stories that people make up to discredit one political party or another.  Sounded too good to be true but I didn't have time last week to do any research.  Here is a link to a web site (probably created by Democrats) to debunk the e-mail that has been floating around the internet for two years (if you can believe this web site).

Blue Ribbon Coverage:  Don Amador published a press release this week acknowledging the contributions to the legal defense fund made by Brian and Pat Garrahan.  You can read it here.

Rerun - Trail Workday:  David Moore, the BLM's Trail Coordinator is organizing a trail workday on Saturday, March 31.  The goal will be to clear brush from T199.  He would like a couple volunteers from clubs that use Clear Creek so that he can get some trail work done and discuss long term trail partnerships.  If you are able to attend, please contact David at the Hollister office (831-630-5000) or via e-mail at David_Moore@ca.blm.gov.

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February 28, 2007 

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Another Quicksilver is history and just like the previous two events mother nature once again played a role in the outcome for many riders.  I hate to say it but my prediction has come true, unfortunately.  But don't start calling me Nostradamus yet.  I think just about anyone would bet on bad weather for the Quicksilver.

I would like to thank Brian and Pat Garrahan for donating their share of the purse to the Clear Creek Legal Defense Fund.  Brian finished 1st overall and Pat came in fourth.  Their Dad, Al Garrahan finished first in the A Gentlemen class.  Brian told me after the event that he loves to ride at Clear Creek and this was his way of helping the cause.  This is the second year that brother Pat has donated his winnings also.  If you see these guys down at the Creek, tell them Thanks!

Trail Workday:  David Moore, the BLM's Trail Coordinator is organizing a trail workday on Saturday, March 31.  The goal will be to clear brush from T199.  He would like a couple volunteers from clubs that use Clear Creek so that he can get some trail work done and discuss long term trail partnerships.  If you are able to attend, please contact David at the Hollister office (831-630-5000) or via e-mail at David_Moore@ca.blm.gov.

Riding with the King:  This is the name of one of the great songs played on KPIG, written by John Hiatt and covered by B. B. King and Eric Clapton. Hiatt's king was the legendary King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley.  I got to ride with a different king, King Richard, on the Friday before the enduro.  For those unfamiliar with the name, I am referring to Dick Burleson, 8 time national enduro champion, AMA hall of fame inductee and one of the key players in the National Enduro Promoters Group.  While I don't idolize anyone, he was certainly a person that I wanted to emulate back when I started my enduro racing career in the '70s.  Like Ricky Carmichael, is the GOAT of the enduro world.

Even though he is a couple of years older than me (if that is possible) he still rides like the wind.  I got to follow him briefly as he pre-rode the Quicksilver course and was amazed at how graceful he is on a bike, standing on the pegs most of the time, using body english to maneuver the bike around obstacles on the trail and snapping the throttle to launch off of waterbars.

Social Security:  Got this in the e-mail from Carl.  Don't know that it is entirely true but it sound like what you would expect from the jackass party.

Just in case some of you young whippersnappers (& some older ones) didn't know this. It's easy to check it out if you don't believe it. Be sure and show it to your kids. They need a little history lesson on what's the truth as compared to what is in the news media.

Franklin Roosevelt, a Democrat, introduced the Social Security (FICA) Program. He promised:

1.) That participation in the Program would be completely voluntary,

2.) That the participants would only have to pay 1% of the first $1,400 of their annual incomes into the program,

3.) That the money the participants elected to put into the Program would be deductible from their income for tax purposes each year,

4..) That the money would be put into the participants Independent "Trust Fund" rather than into the General operating fund, and therefore, would Only be used to fund the Social Security Retirement Program, and no other Government program, and,

5.) That the annuity payments to the retirees would never be taxed as income.

Since many of us have paid into FICA for years and are now receiving a Social Security check every month, we are finding that we are getting taxed on 85% of the money we paid to the Federal government to "put away" -- you may be interested in the following:

Q: Which Political Party took Social Security from the Independent "Trust Fund" and put it into the general fund so that Congress could spend it on the Viet Nam War)?  A: It was Lyndon Johnson and the Democratically Controlled House and Senate.

Q: Which Political Party eliminated the income tax deduction for Social Security (FICA) withholding?  A: The Democratic Party.

Q: Which Political Party started taxing Social Security annuities?  A: The Democratic Party, with Al Gore casting the "tie-breaking" deciding vote as President of the Senate, while he was Vice President of the US.

Q: Which Political Party decided to start giving Annuity payments to immigrants?  A: That's right! Jimmy Carter and the Democratic Party. Immigrants moved into this country, and at age 65, Began to receive Social Security payments! The Democratic Party gave these payments to them, Even though they never paid a dime into it!

Then, after doing all this lying and thieving and violating the original contract (FICA), the Democrats turn around and tell you that the Republicans want to take your Social Security away?

Bikes for Sale:  2001 KID 220R  $3,500 OBO,; green sticker; IMS tank; Protapers; handguards; Scott triple clamps, set-up for Scott stabilizer; FMF pipe, IMS pegs.  Well maintained.  CRF450R, Protaper, Rekluse clutch, 18" rear wheel, IMS tank, BRP top triple w/Scotts stabilizer mount, Pro Moto billet Kickstand, Boyseen quick shot accelerator, pump cover, power now intake wing, power pegz pivoting foot pegs, Kibble white black diamond performance valve kit, FMF "Q" silencer w/power bomb header.  Top end under 1 YO.  Contact: forejay@hotmail.com.

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February 19, 2007 

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If you haven't been able to find the blog, it may be because of a change I made on the Salinas Rambler's Clear Creek page.  When I started the Ramblers web site I lumped all the files in one folder.  Over the years this practice has made it difficult to manage the web site so a couple of weeks ago I started to reorganize and moved the Clear Creek page and its contents into its own folder.  In doing so, I broke the link to my blog page.  Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused.  Best thing to do will be to save this page as a favorite. 

Crystal Ball:  Back in the February 5th blog entry I predicted a beautiful weekend for the President's Day holiday weekend and it looks as though my prediction came true.  Saturday was warm and sunny in camp and a number of children were playing in the San Benito River, getting wet and having fun.  I got down late, almost noon, and worked around camp in shorts and a t-shirt most of the afternoon.  On Sunday I took a check leader out to show him his check location and then I rode over to R2 to check out the fence that they are building to close off all of the barrens on the Larious canyon side of the ridge.  While cloudy, it was still warm even at 4,000 foot elevation.  I just hope that the second part of my prediction is wrong.

The Zoo: What a zoo Clear Creek is on 3 day weekends.  I saw herds of riders on bikes and quads traveling along R2, enough that I wanted to be anywhere but on R2.  I later learned that Hollister Hills was full and they were turning riders away at 9AM in the morning so many of them apparently headed to Clear Creek.  I hate to say it but a lot of idiots ride bikes and quads.  It is a wonder that there are not more head-ons and people being airlifted out of the place.  I saw a guy in a huge Polaris 4 wheeler sliding it through turns at a considerable rate of speed.  I heard a number of reports from riders in camp concerning near head-ons because of idiots racing up main roads three abreast.

Quicksilver National Enduro:  It looks like the Ramblers are ready for their first national enduro in the new format complete with a challenging endurocross section awaiting riders just before the finish.  We will have a person filming this and other portions of the course and I am going to see about posting the video on You Tube or some other web site.  We are going into the enduro weekend with a hundred more entries than we normally have so we should have a good turnout.

The first national enduro in Texas was well attended and club rider Jordan Brandt took 13th place riding a 2007 525 Beta.  American Beta and Powerhouse in Paso Robles are sponsoring Jordan this year.

Dirt Bike Television:  Carl sent me a link to Dirt Bike Television on You Tube and I am passing it along for you to enjoy.  Speaking of television, the Last Man Standing event will be shown on Speed TV this coming Saturday at 6PM.

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February 12, 2007 

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I decided not to go to the Creek this past weekend because I don't like riding in the clouds and rain.  Call me a fair weather rider if you like but I have spent my share of time riding in the rain and snow preparing for the Quicksilver.  I will leave that fun to the younger members.  I did work on Club stuff, posting a link to the Picacho Creek Challenge Hare Scrambles and putting up an internal page with pictures of property and enduro work days.  I also had to do some research into our accounting records for our accountant, since I am Club Treasurer.

I had a chat with Rick Cooper on Friday afternoon about things and he said that he now expects to get the EPA report around May (2007) and then he will start the next round of planning and a new EIS.  Here we go again.  Prepare to bend over and squeal like a pig (Deliverance) because any time the BLM does a plan the OHV community get screwed.

Just so you know that the Ramblers are not immune, a couple members and friends received a ticket from the BLM rangers last weekend for riding on a closed trail.  At least that's what the ticket says.  According to our members, they were sitting down drinking water on the KCAC private property on the paved road where the gas stop was on last year's Quicksilver when the rangers drove up in their pick-up trucks and cited them.  They told them they were working on the enduro but to no avail.  Naturally they are going to fight the ticket in court because what the BLM rangers did was wrong.  Word to the wise, if you see a BLM ranger truck, head the other way because these guys are ticket happy and even if you are totally in the right you could be the next victim.

Can-Am:  A while ago I lamented that it was a shame to disparage the Can-Am brand by sticking it on a quad.  I still feel that way but according to rumors, there may be a new Can-Am motorcycle in the works.  Could just be internet rumors.  Guess we have to wait and see.  Most of my early riding at Clear Creek was done on Can-Ams.  I learned to hillclimb in upper Clear Creek canyon on a 1974 175cc TNT.  The 175 had more horsepower at the time than most 250cc Japanese and European bikes but it still left something to be desired when tackling the big hills so in 1975 I bought a Can-Am 250MX2 and rode it until I bought a 400cc Qualifier.  I still have the 175 TNT in pieces scattered around the shed and a couple years ago I traded another old Can-Am for another 175 TNT.  I got it out of the shed this past Saturday and started it.  It is hard to imagine that we rode Clear Creek on bikes like this.  Of course, that was before the trails were all whooped out by the long travel suspension.

"in-gear" Article: The California Association of 4-Wheel Drive Clubs publishes a newspaper title "in gear" each month for its members and one of the Ramblers who is also a member of CA4WD showed me a write-up on the December meeting I organized with the BLM.  I e-mailed the editor, Suzy Johnson, because I could not find it on-line and she has reposted it. Click here to view the article.

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February 5, 2007 

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Last Saturday's Monterey newspaper declared that we were entering a drought despite the fact that we are in an el Nino period.  For some reason unknown to weather scientists, the storm track has stayed to the north and a ridge of high pressure has been fending off storms that try to attack California.  They point out that we still have almost two months of winter remaining and that this situation could change.  Looks like it could start to change this week as rain and showers are forecast.  Just so happens that this is the week of the AT&T golf tournament at Pebble Beach.  The AT&T is about as lucky as the Quicksilver so I am predicting beautiful weather on Presidents day weekend and rain and snow on February 24th just before the Quicksilver.

Tickets:  The BLM rangers are out there writing tickets for riding out of bounds.  The cost, as I understand it, is $125. Word to the wise is to recreate responsibly and ride on designated routes and in designated play areas.  The reason for the recent rash of tickets is because the BLM needs to crack down on the illegal riding. In many cases they gave warnings for the for the first year of the new management plan while they were getting out the word about the plan and signing trails in the Clear Creek canyon area.  The grace period is over and if you are found on an undesignated trail or barren, you will get a ticket.

Event Courses:  In conjunction with the story on tickets, I need to make you aware of the BLM policy on event routes.  Both the Quicksilver and Wild Boar enduros will be using routes that are not open to the public.  These routes are being used under special event permits and may only be ridden by the organizers to prepare them for the event and by the contestants on the day of the event.  If you are riding around Clear Creek and you see a trail marked with blue, orange or pink ribbon and there is no brown BLM Carsonite trail sign, then you should not ride that trail.  Is this fucked up?  Damn right it is.  If it pisses you off, call Rick Cooper, the field area manger and let him know how you feel, especially since they plan to start charging fees next year so you can have a head on on the limited number of routes they have left open.  You can call him at 8310-630-5010.

Get a Life:  Brian LeNeve, poster child for the California Native Plant Society, was down at Clear Creek again last weekend, no doubt taking pictures around Larious Canyon and the Bowl.  Hey Brian, get a life!  Isn't there something better that you can be doing than driving around Clear Creek in that red Ford Escape?  Aren't there some fish to catch, some rocks to collect, or some flowers to take pictures of?  Get a life and leave us alone!

Super Bowl Weekend:  Things were pretty slow down at the entrance where a group of Ramblers were greeting riders on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Hard to believe since the weather was fair and warm and the trails were tacky to slightly muddy.   By my count, between 8AM and 10AM there were only 104 people entering or leaving on Clear Creek road on Saturday morning and 57 on Sunday morning,  There were another 30 or so riders in Rambler camp on Saturday and Sunday as we are preparing for the Quicksilver later this month.  This is a far cry from the 400 - 500 people each weekend day that the previous regime in the Hollister Field Office estimated were using the Creek.  I don't see how the BLM can justify a fee program with the number of people I am seeing entering the Creek.

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January 22, 2007 

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Clear Creek got a light dusting of snow from the small mid-week storm that blew through the Central Coast this past weekend.  The roads were icy on Friday night when I drove down but fortunately the county road crews had dumped copious amounts or dirt on the black ice along the shady portions of the road.  I was told that the snow extended all the way down to Hwy 25 immediately after the storm and sure enough I could see traces of it in my headlights almost as soon as I turned onto Coalinga Road.

Unfortunately, like all of the storms so far this rain season, it is not going to leave a lasting impression except on the north and east facing slopes.  On Saturday morning I found the ground around my trailer to be bone dry.  I guess I should not complain as there have been no wet weather closures this riding season and in fact we are still over 4-5 inches below the threshold for a closure to be declared depending on the rain gauge you look at.

What a difference a week makes.  Last Saturday morning the temperature was 2 degrees when I got up on Saturday morning.  On Saturday morning it was 36 degrees.  I knew it was warmer because the inside of the trailer was 20 degrees warmer than last weekend in the morning.  I was lazy and slept in instead of working the entrance and after the sun got warm, I went out with Billy and checked mileages on the enduro.  Trails were damp on the north and east slopes if not frozen solid while it was dusty on the south and west facing trails.

New Hip: The word from my doctor is that I need a hip replacement.  The right hip has been hurting all the time now and the Naprozen I have been taking is not helping.  It relieves the pain in all my other joints but not the hip.  So, I guess I will go under the knife again some time in the future, most likely in the late Spring of 2008 after the good riding is over.  Can't do it now because it is riding season.  Can't do it this Summer because of a vacation we have planned.  Can't do it in the Fall because it would interfere with next riding season.  You got to have priorities in life!

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January 15, 2007 

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Weekend Report:  I was sick the first week of January and so I stayed home that first weekend to recuperate.  Despite the cold weather warnings, I decided to go to the Creek this past weekend to greet riders and to help with the enduro.  It was cold when I left Salinas on Friday after work and when I got to my trailer it was 30 degrees inside and colder outside. 

On Saturday morning when I got up my thermometer read 2 degrees outside.  Despite that, I drove down to the entrance to hand out flyers for our enduro and asbestos surveys that we are collecting.  As the morning progressed, I got a couple of temperature readings from riders. It was 16 degrees between 8:30 and 9:00AM and 23 degrees between 9AM and 9:30.   Despite the cold weather, a number of riders showed up to ride.  No one arrived with a motorhome or trailer but two motorhomes departed.  These riders chose to ride mid-week and go home where it was warm and watch the playoffs.  Can't blame them.  One rider told me that he planned to sleep in the back of his truck that night. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

After greeting riders, I went back to camp and suited up.   When I left to help with the enduro it had warmed up to a balmy 40 degrees.  After the enduro work, I took a ride with our new Resource Advisory Council (RAC) member, Steve Koretoff and his friend David, logging about 25 miles of trails.  Steve was appointed to the position on the RAC that I held for five years representing motorized recreation in Central California.  It is important that off-roaders are represented in forums like this and I applaud Steve for getting involved.

Sunday I was wasn't feeling great so I slept in until 9AM then helped with some work in the club house.  When the sun was warm, I went for a short ride with a group of families of Dads on dirt bikes, kids on mini-bikes and wives on quads.  For a number of the kids it was their first ride into Clear Creek so we went to the Picacho Mine for a tour and then up to the play area adjacent to Picacho peak.  In retrospect I probably shouldn't have gone for the ride as I was sick all day today.

Quicksilver National Enduro:  The flyer is available for the Quicksilver.  This years event  is going to be quite different, to say the least.  No timekeeping, no computer needed, no odometer, no route sheet!  Hardly sounds like an enduro but this is the AMA's new format and the have Dick Burleson, Randy Hawkins and Kevin Himes, all former national champions backing it.  It is designed to entice hare scrambles and motocross riders to ride enduros.

The maximum distance between gas stops is 33 miles and the start time is 9AM.  The last two facts help explain this years course of only 66 miles.  The AMA has mandated a 9AM start time and with the limited daylight in February and the AMA's desire to have an awards ceremony at the end of the event,  the Ramblers were compelled to keep the course to two loops.  For spectators, we are constructing an endurocross section for the end of the event.  Should be interesting!

Checks:  The Club had taken a couple week break at the end of the year and when we met on the first Thursday of 2007 I was  pleased to find two $500 checks in the mail made out to the legal defense fund.  What a great way to start the new year.  Thanks to Curt Kimble and a rider who asked to remain anonymous.  Our legal defense fund is one of the few that operates in the black without having to tap the financial resources of the BlueRibbon Coalition.  I hope to keep it that way but it is going to take a bunch of work to keep it in the black.

EPA Report:  The latest word I have received from the BLM is that the EPA report is delayed and is now expected to be released in early Spring.  I expect this report to recommend the total closure of Clear Creek to OHV use because of their perceived health risk.  What action the BLM will take once the report is released is yet to be determined but I expect that they will be forced to open yet another round of planning and prepare an environmental impact statement.

New Congressional Legislation:  Get a load of this.  Just what you would expect from the new Democratic Congress:

WASHINGTON, DC -  The 110th Congress is considering sweeping legislation which will provide new benefits for many Americans. The Americans With No Abilities Act (AWNAA) is being hailed as a major piece of  legislation by advocates of the millions of Americans who lack any real skills or ambition. 

"Roughly 50 percent of Americans do not possess the competence and drive necessary to carve out a meaningful role for themselves in society," said Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi."  We can no longer stand by and allow People of Inability to be ridiculed and passed over. With this legislation, employers will no longer be able to grant special favors to a small group of workers, simply because they do a better job or have some idea of what they are doing."

Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid pointed to the success of the US Postal Service, which has a long-standing policy of providing opportunity without regard to performance. Approximately 74 percent of postal employees lack job skills, making this agency the single largest US employer of Persons of Inability.  Private sector industries with good records of nondiscrimination against the inept include fast food restaurants (93%), retail sales (72%), the airline industry (68%), and home improvement "warehouse" stores (65%). In the public sector most state DMVs also have a great record of hiring Persons of Inability.

Under the Americans With No Abilities Act, more than 25 million "middle man" positions will be created, with important-sounding titles but little real responsibility, thus providing an illusory sense of purpose and performance.  Mandatory non-performance-based raises and promotions will be given, to guarantee upward mobility for even the most unremarkable employees. The legislation provides substantial tax breaks to corporations which maintain a significant level of Persons of Inability in middle positions, and gives a tax credit to small and medium businesses that agree to hire one clueless worker for every two talented hires.

Finally, the AWNAA contains tough new measures to make it more difficult to discriminate against the Nonabled, banning discriminatory interview questions such as "Do you have any goals for the future?" or "Do you have any skills or experience which relate to this job?"

"As a Nonabled person, I can't be expected to keep up with people who have something going for them," said Mary Lou Gertz, who lost her position as a lug-nut twister at the GM plant in Flint, MI due to her lack of notable job skills. "This new law should really help people like me." With the passage of this bill, Gertz and millions of other untalented citizens can finally see a light at the end of the tunnel.

Senator Ted Kennedy is quoted as saying, "It is our duty as lawmakers to provide each and every American citizen, regardless of his or her adequacy, with some sort of position in our great economy." 

To learn more about the AWNAA and a list of the measurer's supporters, click here.

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January 2, 2007  Happy Hew Year!

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Correction: Back on December 21st  I noted that KTM and Pinit will be hosting demo rides at Hollister Hills.  Unfortunately I had the date wrong.  The demo rides are this coming Saturday, Jan 6th starting at 11 AM at the vintage motocross course at Hollister Hills.  For information you can call Steve Polk at Pinit.  Phone number is 831-444-6309.

Clear Creek Weekend:  I spent the entire weekend at the Creek but played hooky in the mornings and slept in for a change.  Spent three days on the bike acting as an enduro consultant, advising the layout crew on check placement, speed averages, etc.  This was the first time in I don't know how long that I have ridden three days in a row.  Certainly not in the past year.  I was very tired on Saturday night after trying to follow some Jordan Brandt lines but unfortunately running out of talent and having to manhandle the Suzuki on some muddy, icy side hills.  I also got a cramp in my left leg three times that evening - the really painful one that runs up the inside of your leg from the ankle to the groin.  Surprisingly, after Sunday's and Monday's rides there were no cramps.  Guess I worked them out the first day.

For as many people as I heard were camping in Clear Creek during the weekend, I saw relatively few riders.  On Sunday we had a first timer, fresh meat on the ride and he had a number of problems with hills and rocks during the day.  On the last difficult trail he crashed his CRF450 twice on a short steep section of T123.  In disgust he took off his helmet and sent it flying into the bushes along with his goggles and gloves.  His buddy eventually rode his bike up the section and then he continued to struggle up the last part of T122.  In retrospect, at least all he threw was his helmet.  My brother-in-law Brian and I took some fresh meet out one day many years ago and by the end of the ride he was so tired and frustrated that he started throwing rocks at his XR500...and we thought it was an easy ride!

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Panorama photo by ed from the top of SB Mtn. on a route that the BLM proposes to close to the public. ed's photo by Bill, The_Blue-One.