DAMN Riders - No rules, Just ride!

ReardenSteel wrote:It isn't that "too many" riders are on the ORV.... it's that there are riders on the ORV at all. What you are up against is a concerted effort to thwart an activity indicative of a lifestyle that the opponents of these ORV trails find repulsive.

In most situations I'd agree with this, however I didn't get that impression at the meeting, even though that was what I went in expecting.

dirtygrunt wrote:

Ovo wrote:

Greenridge is open Friday until April 23rd...I think we should try to

I wonder if an organized Dual sport - Off Road - ATV - 4x4 ride could be pulled off to show what GreenRidge means to the Recreationalist of Maryland and surrounding areas.

Where is this posted? And do the intend to charge for a sticker and close a week later?

the website says "The Green Ridge ORV Trail remains closed due to poor access and trail conditions. At this time we are also closing Poplar Lick ORV Trail due to trail conditions. Please check back for a status update at this time. "

Yeah I know what the web site says, I was referring to the news paper article that says they are opening this Friday. I wonder who is right? Since they plan to close it again in 20 days or so, they may not update the web site, to eliminate additional people making reservations and planning trips there...

ReardenSteel wrote:What you are up against is a concerted effort to thwart an activity indicative of a lifestyle that the opponents of these ORV trails find repulsive.

That pretty much sums it up with a few choice words. I hope we choose to echo that in the future to those in power that will listen.

The ORV is open as of today, Friday, but closing back up on the 24th. Info is from Greenridge Hdqrts.

I have been kind of lurking on this topic..

We are pretty much screwed.... While there are ton of good things in this topic, it's still a matter of battling public opinion... Politicians will smile and listen, but no matter how right or how justified, a politician will back whomever has the biggest clout in terms of public opinion...

I have a buddy who works for the fed gov in the dept of interior, whose sole means of getting around is a BMW 1200 GS Adv. It's his opinion that the public who more frequently use these places, hate motorcycles in general. The public primarily being families who are out trying to get away from crap by hiking, fishing, relaxing, etc.

In trying to argue some of his points, he pointed out some items that drove his point home. How many folks have brought in sizable quantities of alcohol for a weekend event, both before and after the so called ban (guilty). Which he said can lead to behavior that "gets" to others in the surrounding campsites, such as blasting around the orv on bikes late at night... Think about it, how would you feel if your trying to enjoy a campfire after getting the kids in their sleeping bags, and relaxing when BRAAAAAP goes blasting by, disturbing the kids, dog, etc....

While we all know that we are not the only ones contributing to this kind of behavior - and we may even be in the smallest minority, were the one subset that most will not have any association. Pretty much everyone has a car or more likely a truck or suv, so the jeeps and such get a pass.. ATv's to me are the worse offenders, but as allot of outdoors types have them for hunting or lugging crap, they are more tolerated by those folks.. That and they are limited to the orv as not being tagged. ..

I'm not saying that its even us, but I've been out at GR on a bike and gotten blasted or roosted by other bikes with little or no regard for anything else.. I'm not saying ATv's don't do this, they probably hurt the environment more as they sometimes cut thru the woods, making their own path to get around bikes, cars, SUVs, etc...  

That said, while ATvs make shortcuts, I've not seen them going far off the beaten path.. I know many folks have wound up in fields, public land, seriously off the road, trail what have you while exploring, or just not wanting to turn around (sometimes it's a fuel issue).  To me the unknown is part of the adventure.. I try to be legal and not go where I shouldn't, but it does happen.. When it does, I try to not be a dick about it, putt thru, no blasting, etc... While I know I sometime risk a ticket, its a risk I am willing to accept... However, as I go places your average cop can't go, even where some rangers don't go... It not a likely thing, and this to me kinda labels me as hard to control.. If you can find me, you can't catch me, so you can't enforce a lot of riding that is done...

Thus, as were uncontrollable, even if we aren't doing or making a nuisance of ourself, it can bug folks, who like nothing more than to make noise about it.. Thus, the only way that politicians or state officials can appear to do anything about it, is to deny easy entry exit points to restrict our access as much as possible... Plus the whole were harming the environment gets all the "Green" people and entities aligned against us as well...

The best we can probably hope for is the previously mentioned separate riding area (you know separate, but equal), and to honest I think that would be great.. However, I for one, wouldn't want to give up the ORV at GR till it was available... As for in this economy doing and or spending $ for trails for dual spotters (never mind that's to save the existing area) is apt to be shot down and would place us in more negative light...

Soapbox mode off....

1. We need trails that are open to kids not just plated bikes.
2. ATV's are fine, any rider can be a dick on a bike or ATV.
3. Jeeps and trucks might need a seperate area because of the danger of a a collision between a pw 50 and a F250.
4. If we got a designated ORV area, how do we get the greenys to leave that alone.
5. We have as much right to the land as anyone. How can thay alow logging while at the same time say we are harming the land. why should the hunters get access but we dont. We need to have non wilderness areas where we are aloud to " harm the land" .

I am so mad i could be sick. Looks like i am buying a member ship at mountain ridge.

hondahawkrider wrote:I have been kind of lurking on this topic..

We are pretty much screwed.... While there are ton of good things in this topic, it's still a matter of battling public opinion... Politicians will smile and listen, but no matter how right or how justified, a politician will back whomever has the biggest clout in terms of public opinion...

I have a buddy who works for the fed gov in the dept of interior, whose sole means of getting around is a BMW 1200 GS Adv. It's his opinion that the public who more frequently use these places, hate motorcycles in general. The public primarily being families who are out trying to get away from crap by hiking, fishing, relaxing, etc.

In trying to argue some of his points, he pointed out some items that drove his point home. How many folks have brought in sizable quantities of alcohol for a weekend event, both before and after the so called ban (guilty). Which he said can lead to behavior that "gets" to others in the surrounding campsites, such as blasting around the orv on bikes late at night... Think about it, how would you feel if your trying to enjoy a campfire after getting the kids in their sleeping bags, and relaxing when BRAAAAAP goes blasting by, disturbing the kids, dog, etc....

While we all know that we are not the only ones contributing to this kind of behavior - and we may even be in the smallest minority, were the one subset that most will not have any association. Pretty much everyone has a car or more likely a truck or suv, so the jeeps and such get a pass.. ATv's to me are the worse offenders, but as allot of outdoors types have them for hunting or lugging crap, they are more tolerated by those folks.. That and they are limited to the orv as not being tagged. ..

I'm not saying that its even us, but I've been out at GR on a bike and gotten blasted or roosted by other bikes with little or no regard for anything else.. I'm not saying ATv's don't do this, they probably hurt the environment more as they sometimes cut thru the woods, making their own path to get around bikes, cars, SUVs, etc...  

That said, while ATvs make shortcuts, I've not seen them going far off the beaten path.. I know many folks have wound up in fields, public land, seriously off the road, trail what have you while exploring, or just not wanting to turn around (sometimes it's a fuel issue).  To me the unknown is part of the adventure.. I try to be legal and not go where I shouldn't, but it does happen.. When it does, I try to not be a dick about it, putt thru, no blasting, etc... While I know I sometime risk a ticket, its a risk I am willing to accept... However, as I go places your average cop can't go, even where some rangers don't go... It not a likely thing, and this to me kinda labels me as hard to control.. If you can find me, you can't catch me, so you can't enforce a lot of riding that is done...

Thus, as were uncontrollable, even if we aren't doing or making a nuisance of ourself, it can bug folks, who like nothing more than to make noise about it.. Thus, the only way that politicians or state officials can appear to do anything about it, is to deny easy entry exit points to restrict our access as much as possible... Plus the whole were harming the environment gets all the "Green" people and entities aligned against us as well...

The best we can probably hope for is the previously mentioned separate riding area (you know separate, but equal), and to honest I think that would be great.. However, I for one, wouldn't want to give up the ORV at GR till it was available... As for in this economy doing and or spending $ for trails for dual spotters (never mind that's to save the existing area) is apt to be shot down and would place us in more negative light...

Soapbox mode off....

IMHO you nailed it.

I don't think he nailed anything. I thought it was mostly rhetoric and fiction.

At Granville's this weekend I found out the local communities are livid. I'm thinking their political action may keep it open. I'll be going to the Citizens Rights and Heritage Group meeting on Apr 17th and see if I can help them.