Posts Tagged ‘Colorado motorcycle trails’

If You See a Turtle on a Fence Post, He Had Help.

Sunday, November 14th, 2010


It’s a tireless, thankless, endless, and often overwhelming and discouraging job for the 1 percenters that are in the trenches day in and day out trying to keep YOUR trails open. Like the turtle, they need a lot of help to get up on the fence post.

So, I’d like to say thank you to all of the 1 percenters for everything that you do. I know that you guys participate and donate money and time and energy and I greatly appreciate it. Over the last 37 years I have donated thousands of dollars (Blue Ribbon, Colorado Trail Preservation Alliance, and COHVCO) and countless hours to trail access issues and trail maintenance and it still blows me away that 99% of dirt bikers won’t even give $20 to the organizations that fight for their trails.

It’s been my experience that those that complain the most do the least. They don’t belong to any of the groups that fight for land access, they don’t donate a single penny, they don’t go to meetings, they are ignorant about the issues, and quite often they ride LOUD bikes and destroy the trails.

The organizations that are fighting our battles are working with pennies. It’s amazing that they get anything done with their tiny budgets. If everyone would donate, to the groups listed above or ones in their own region, it would be much easier to win trail access issues. FYI: Most of the staff members, for the groups listed above, work endless hours for you for FREE. Many of them even pay for their own travel expenses to the many meetings and events that they attend.

I urge everyone to become pro-active and protect the sport that we all love because if you keep doing what you’re doing then you will keep getting what you’re getting, more trail closures.

The bottom line is, are you part of the problem or part of the solution?

Please become an ambassador for your sport and your trails.

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Are you a Loud Idiot?

Tuesday, June 1st, 2010

I didn’t say it. I should have. I wanted to. I’ve thought it many times when out riding, but it was Jimmy Lewis that coined the phrase “don’t be a loud idiot” in the July 2010 issue of Dirt Rider. Good job Jimmy!

As I’ve said many times before and will say many times again…..we are our own worst enemy. Every year I get invited to ride with someone or some group that I’ve never ridden with before so I always ask about the sound level/types of mufflers that everyone is using. I absolutely refuse to ride with loud idiots and I don’t want to show up and have a problem at the trailhead. When I ask “how loud is your bike?” I often get the response “my bike is not too bad”. To that I say bullshit. Not too bad is the same as not too good and that is just NOT acceptable. Loud bikes, especially 4 strokes, offend all other trail users and me. It pisses me off when some Neanderthal thinks that installing a loud muffler or pulling the insert out of his quiet muffler will give him that added horsepower that he needs to get down the trail. Well, unless you’ve recently won a National off-road event you probably can’t handle what you have, so dream on cowboy. FYI: Well known racer Shane Watts recently won the sportsman class at a GNCC with a DB Snorkel (84dBA) on a small bore KTM 200. He did it just to prove that quiet bikes can win.

If we don’t police ourselves we will continue to loose land access issues. So, I have to ask…..are you a loud idiot, or do you ride with loud idiots, or when you meet one on the trail do you talk to them about their loud idiot ways? Please ride a quiet bike and ask and persuade your friends to do the same.

Jeff Slavens

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Ride with Slavens & Help Colorado Trails

Tuesday, June 1st, 2010


Come ride the Colorado 600 Trail Awareness Symposium with Jeff Slavens and other experienced Colorado trail guides. Don’t pass up this rare opportunity to show your true colors by helping keep open Colorado and Utah trails while experiencing excellent single-track and dual sport routes in this little used and absolutely gorgeous area of southwest Colorado.

The Texas Sidewinders Motorcycle Club is sponsoring and the AMA is sanctioning the Trails Awareness Symposium Workshop, a fund raiser and educational event to benefit the Colorado Trail Preservation Alliance. I will be supporting this with all my resources and will be one of the primary guides taking riders on some my favorite single track and dual track trails in Colorado.

This 5 day invitational only event will give participants the option of riding gnarly single-track or milder dual sport routes. You can alternate between guides and pick what type of riding you prefer each day. I recommend that you bring 2 bikes, DS and trail. All bikes must be quiet, will be sound tested (94dBA), and must be licensed and insured.

Each day will start with a free breakfast and rider’s meeting, then off to the trails or DS routes with the day ending back at the lodge for some beverages and BS. One free evening BBQ and a Friday banquet will be included.

Come join me and help support our sport.

Jeff Slavens

For more information, click HERE.

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The General’s Memorial Day Tribute 2010

Tuesday, June 1st, 2010

Sunday, May 30, 2010

On this special weekend, I want to express my gratitude to our fallen heroes who fought for our freedom. It is a precious gift that we must treasure, respect, defend, and pass on to future generations.
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PHOTO: Don Amador at 60th Anniversary of D-Day Wreath above Omaha Beach
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Some of you know, I grew up on the outskirts of Eureka, California in a small community called Cutten. The General was born in 1954 and was too young to have served in Vietnam even though I had registered for the draft, but had gotten high draft numbers in 1972 and later until the draft ended so I was not called. One of my older childhood friends, Gary Wilson, had been shot down and killed in a helicopter. Another older friend was Terry Foster who got shot through the neck while on patrol and thankfully he survived.

I sometimes feel guilty that I did not serve in the military. I have shared those regrets with some of my military friends in the ongoing fight to protect access to public lands.

One of those persons was Frank Price (he was a Korean War vet and access advocate in the Bakersfield area). He told me not to worry about not serving in the military because I was now working in another cause for freedom – protecting the public’s (and returning service men and women) right to use and enjoy the people’s land.

It was after my co-facilitation, including help from the SAMs Coalition, of the 2000 Protest of the Clinton National Monument in the Sequoia National Forest that Frank Price bestowed on me the title of The General.

Article on 2000 Rally/Protest of Clinton National Monument (with rally photos)
https://www.sharetrails.org/releases/?filter=media&story=140

I don’t wear the title of The General as some sort of military-oriented self-tribute because I did not serve in the military, but rather as a commitment to my Dad, Frank Price and all those (including readers of this blog) who have served and sacrificed for our country that I will never give up the fight and will seek to inspire and lead men and women onto the field of battle for access to public lands.

Again, my deepest appreciation to those who made the ultimate sacrifice and to the families left behind. My appreciation also goes out to those who have served and continue to serve.

God Bless.
Don Amador

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Leave Wilderness to the Experts

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

From the Aspens Times – Wednesday March 10, 2010
Dear Editor:

There has been a lot of talk recently about the Wilderness Workshop’s Hidden Gems proposal. The White River Forest Alliance, representing the motorized community as well as other backcountry user groups, is one of the local organizations in opposition of the proposal. I have been (more…)

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Help Preserve Colorado Trails

Monday, January 11th, 2010

Trails Preservation Alliance (TPA) 2009 End of Year Report

Before we go into specific details about the work the TPA did this year, we need to present some background information on events and issues that are being faced by the entire Colorado motorized recreation community. This included all of 2009 and throughout the next four years. The radical, liberal, National administration and liberal legislature in Colorado have created an environment that is trying to totally eliminate motorized recreation on public lands.

In the past 30 years of trying to preserve motorized recreation we have never faced a situation like we have today. To make it simple, we are in the worst situation possible.

Examples of these issues are the Travel Management Plans (TMP) of the Gunnison National Forest and the White River National Forest.

Both of these issues have been worked extensively in 2009 and are expected to be published as final plans in 2010. The Colorado Roadless issue was reopened by our Governor (to be reevaluated by a more radical environmental group) even though the State has spent significant time and money developing a Roadless plan that was approved by a bipartisan group. Now that plan is being scrapped in favor of a more radical rule, eliminating more public lands from use for public recreation. Perhaps even more dangerous, the rule changes make fire in roadless areas much harder to prevent and stop. At the same time all of this is being brought forward, we have four new Colorado Wilderness proposals that could remove as much as 2.6 million acres of public land from motorized recreation availability. The existing premise of public access to public lands has been totally eliminated.

The latest major issue that has developed against Colorado motorized recreation is the Responsible Trails America (RTA) attempt to take over the Colorado State Parks, OHV registration grant program. The RTA, using false accusations and local environmental surrogates, is attempting to mandate that OHV registration funds be used to mitigate undocumented damage by legal motorized recreation and spend 40% of the fund on law enforcement!

We have included a list of the major actions that the TPA took on behalf of all its members and supporters. To gauge work and success on each of the below issues is difficult. Many issues are a long way from being resolved. Other issues will end up in the administrative process of protest and appeal, while others may end up in some form of legal actions.

The TPA intends to continue work in support of our sport.

The TPA web page www.coloradotpa.org news section provides specifics on all issues worked in 2009.

Major tasks accomplished in 2009 include:
1. Gunnison NF and White River TMPs. These actions consumed most of the TPAs time in 2009. Both initial TMPs were extremely unfavorable to motorized recreation. The TPA took the lead working with assistance from the Colorado Off Highway Vehicle Coalition and the Rocky Mountain Enduro Circuit. We have met extensively with both NF staffs to present our input on the preferred alternative plan. It is too early to predict what success we will have on each TMP. However, significant work has been accomplished in our efforts to present the motorized concept of what the TMP should be to all users of public lands.
2. Worked with the San Juan Trail Riders in their effort to preserve trail riding in the Pagosa and San Juan areas.
3. Working with motorized clubs in the Moab area, (Ride with Respect, and USA-ALL) and Grand Junction (MTRA), in an effort to help preserve access to public lands in their respective areas.
4. Donated significant funds to organized motorized groups in Utah and Colorado in support of their effort to educate public officials about motorized recreation on public lands.
5. Coordinated a plan with the AMA to add an additional subject matter expert to our combined efforts in responding to all of these various projects.
6. Joined the AMA, COHVCO, and other groups in an organized effort to eliminate and or reduce
the impact of the new wilderness proposals that have been presented for Federal action.
7. Worked with COHVCO and other Colorado organizations in an attempt to mitigate and curtail all actions associated by the RTA as it attempted to take over the management of the OHV funds
8. Managed a Colorado OHV grant that will build trail barriers and signs on multi use trails.
9. Continuing to work with the Grand Junction BLM and local clubs in the area to help develop a motorized recreation area on BLM managed lands in the Gateway area.
10. Provided start up funding for several motorized organizations in Colorado, as an attempt to build a bigger, more active, more educated motorized community around the state
11. Participated in several organized events as fund raisers for the TPA, COHVCO and Blue Ribbon Coalition.
12. Provided operational planning and support to the 34th Colorado 500 Charity Trail ride as a fund raiser for TPA.
13. Worked with Parts Unlimited in preparation of the 16th Rocky Mountain 400, a major fund raiser for COHVCO.
14. The TPA Trail Crew conducted significant tail maintenance during 2009, in the Gunnison NF, White River NF, Pike Peak/San Isabelle NF, and the Rio Grande NF.

The TPA Board of Directors thanks all donors for their support during 2009. The next four years are going to be more critical as we continue to focus on our goal to protect public access to public lands and to maintain our single track trail systems throughout the area. Your help is making it possible!

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A Note from John Harris

Monday, January 11th, 2010

“The recent federal assault on OHV riding has been unprecedented.  More federal lands are on the list to be inappropriately designated as Wilderness, shutting out responsible OHV recreation on millions of more acres.  Our opponents are even blaming OHVs for the sudden rise in dust storms in the west.” quoted from interview with Rob Dingman, AMA President & CEO, American Motorcyclist magazine October 2009

Please review the End of Year Report (also attached) from the Trails Preservation Alliance. Also, click on the “News” link at the top right of the website to see some of the work the TPA has done in 2009.  The TPA is a 100 percent volunteer, 501c3 organization whose intention is to be a viable partner, working with the United States Forest Service (USFS) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to preserve the sport of trail riding.  The TPA will act as an advocate of the sport and take the necessary action to insure that the USFS and BLM allocate to trail riding a fair and equitable percentage of access to public lands.

The TPA is the most knowledgeable and aggressive entity protecting motorcycle recreation (especially single-track) in the Rocky Mountain region.  Your support will enable the TPA to continue to protect and promote our riding gems, including, Taylor Park, Moab, etc. The TPA is closely aligned with COHVCO and active not only promoting our sport (Colorado 500 and Rocky Mountain 400) and providing trail maintenance, but most importantly putting the power of extensive local knowledge to the ground legally.

The TPA has always encouraged and supported local clubs, especially the CMTRA.  Director of Operations, Don Riggle helped bring the CMTRA back from the ashes not too many years ago. Please support and donate to the TPA, it’s tax deductible!  Give ’till it hurts!

Thanks,
John Harris

President of CMTRA (Colorado Motorcycle Trail Riders Association)

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Short Arms Syndrome

Monday, January 4th, 2010

If you haven’t already noticed (head in the sand syndrome) the liberal Democrats are enjoying their newly found power and are enabling the frigin tree huggers to close down our trails. They are organized, well funded, and now they are backed by the politicians. (more…)

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