Del Albright's Blog

BLOG MOVED

2012-01-12T12:28:00.000-08:00

Keep up with my landuse writings on my blog at http://delalbright.blogspot.com

VIEW MY NEW BLOG

2011-12-15T08:37:00.001-08:00

Please come over to my new blog for current activities and blog posts here:
http://delalbright.blogspot.com/

thanks, Del

Eldorado Lawsuit Gives Us Bragging Rights

2011-06-21T19:03:00.000-07:00

ANOTHER MILESTONE IN ELDORADO TRAVEL MANAGEMENT

SACRAMENTO, CA (May 31)—A national trail-based recreation group and state off-highway vehicle organizations are applauding a recent legal ruling involving the Eldorado National Forest. The ruling comes in the latest of preservationist lawsuits spanning several decades.

Senior U.S. District Judge Lawrence K. Karlton issued his ruling on May 26, 2011, that largely upholds the Eldorado travel management decision, but finds the Forest Service violated the Endangered Species Act and certain Forest Plan standards in authorizing access through a handful of meadows and failing to more thoroughly consider ephemeral streams. Each of these issues focused on alleged impact ... read more on BlueRibbon's website here.

2011-06-21T19:00:00.001-07:00

tdjgawta

Charity Christmas Auction in Full Swing on eBay

2010-12-03T05:55:00.000-08:00

BlueRibbon is building up the trail-saving money with YOUR help in our on-going Christmas auction right now. Tons of goodies and a furious bunch of bidders. :) It's all fun; and it's all for a good cause.

Be sure to get in the game and check out the auction at: http://donations.ebay.com/charity/charity.jsp?NP_ID=25971

And BE SURE to follow my new blog as this one is shutting down.
Del Albright's new landuse blog: http://delalbright.blogspot.com/

The Trail Party formed to help Voters for Access

2010-10-21T11:01:00.000-07:00

TRAIL PARTY Formed to Help Off Road Voters

Be an "ORV" -- Off Road Voter.

The current election can seem a little overwhelming, time consuming and maybe even a little confusing to sit down and read up on all the candidates and propositions. Don Amador, noted Recreation Advocate has made it easy and has done all the reading and put together an easy to use "Trail Party Voters Guide". Essentially it is comprised of the candidates that are OHV friendly and made the propositions a piece of cake to decide on. The Trail Party is already taking on national importance in helping to de

Go here to take a peek: Trail Party Voters Guide

Roger Norman with Lance Clifford in Pole Starter at Baja 1000

2010-10-11T06:00:00.000-07:00

Roger

Roger Norman drew the pole (starting) position for the Baja 1000 with Lance Clifford, my pal and owner of Pirate4x4.com, as his co-driver. Wow.

Lance

This should be a wild race as they plan to Ironman the whole thing. Whew....GET IT!!! Read more at http://rogernormanracing.com/roger-norman-draws-first-position-and-plans-to-ironman-2010-tecate-score-baja-1000

Del

Access Army Times October Newsletter

2010-10-05T19:10:00.000-07:00

Go here to see/read/download and share the Access Army Times (October newsletter) with landuse and access info from coast to coast. Thanks to our main man, Todd Ockert. Air Warrior King, for putting this together.

http://www.delalbright.com/Access/Access-Army-Oct-2010-Newsletter.pdf

Reno4x4.com Wins Club Challenge in Reno, NV

2010-09-20T13:56:00.000-07:00

Reno4x4.com Wins the Club Challenge at Ultra4 Stampede

Kickin' it with 4 other clubs, the hard-charging wheelers from Reno4x4.com won the Club Challenge in Reno at the Off Road Innovations (ORI, Reno) Club Challenge for best prepared rig for a trail ride. Battling with the Motherlode Rockcrawlers of Jackson, CA, the Arkansas Crawlers, the Trailbusters 4x4 Club of Solano County, and the Friends of the Rubicon, Reno4x4.com took home the trophy. :)

Actually, the trophy was a free full weekend of wheeling and camping at the famous Exit 28 Motorsports as sponsored by ORI of Reno (http://www.orireno.com/).
Read and download the press release here at http://www.delalbright.com/Misc/club_challenge_winners.html

It was fun for all. We look forward to next year.
Share
Del

Del and BlueRibbon on Pirate4x4 TV Live

2010-09-11T19:09:00.000-07:00

You have to let this load for a bit if you want to see it (me on Internet TV doing my BlueRibbon thing). It starts about minute 23. This is the largest off-road website out there, Pirate4x4.com. It's a fun interview about landuse, what BRC is doing and how folks can get in the game of saving trails.

Go here to see it but have a good connection: http://www.pirate4x4.com/tv/live11b.php

Del

Raceline Wheels 4x4 Show and Shine at Reno Stampede

2010-09-06T06:57:00.000-07:00

If you're coming along with me to the Reno Stampede, bring your junk and enter it into the Raceline Wheels Show and Shine, they even have a Best Beater category. The contest is Friday the 10th, along with the Bikini Car Wash and Club Challenge, as well as several other fun things at the Grand Sierra Resort.

Get a sign up form (free) here: http://www.kingofthehammers.com/registration.php

See ya there.
Del

Ultra4 Stampede Gate Info at Exit 28 Motorsports

2010-09-01T17:28:00.000-07:00

QUICK LINK with High Res Pictures: http://bowermedia.com/2010/09/exit-28-motorsports-park-opens-gates-for-ultra4-stampede-race/

Exit 28 Motorsports Park Opens Gates for Ultra4 Stampede Race

RENO, NV SEPTEMBER 1, 2010 ~ Exit 28 Motorsports Park is excited to host the Stampede race produced by Hammerking Productions and sponsored by ORI of Reno. Designated spectator areas will be $10/per person per area, 10 years and under are free but must be accompanied by an adult at all times, and everyone is expected to stay behind the protective barriers. The main parking area is free and accessible by passenger cars. Wristbands can be pre-purchased on Thursday and Friday at the ORI of Reno display booth to help eliminate congestion on Saturday morning.

The green flag will drop at 10am on Saturday September 11th and is expected to finish by 6pm. Please plan on coming early if you would like to see the beginning of the race, the road will be closed intermittently throughout the day as racecars cross. There are two spectator friendly viewing areas with no stadium seating, camp chairs are recommended for all areas.

Spectator Area 1 is by the Start/Finish line and Short Course track where Ultra4 cars will jump and take corners at speed. Area 1 will have easy access to concessions including food, drinks and an assortment of vendors. No outside alcohol is allowed on premises.

Spectator Area 2 will be at the Giants Throne Rock Crawling Arena where the serious rock crawling enthusiasts will be able to watch these aggressive vehicles take on brand new trails that have huge boulders and wicked waterfall drops. Area 2 will require a short hike up the hill, with limited concessions and portable toilets. Primitive hiking trails are not ADA accessible to Giants Thrown Arena.

There is a third area that is limited to members of organized recreation, local, state and/or national clubs with decals/stickers showing on the rig. Deadwood Canyon will be one of the best viewing areas in the park. There is a $20 per able vehicle fee to access, with only as many people as seatbelts in the vehicle. Proceeds for this area will be split between Blue Ribbon Coalition and Exit 28 Motorsports Park.

Access to Qualifying on Friday morning is free. The Pits are closed to spectators and will only be accessible by team members with specific pit passes.

“We are very excited to have this race at Exit 28 Motorsports Park,” said Don Gilman, Operations Manager. “We have been out almost every weekend cutting new trails and we are sure there will be some of the hardest trails around, keeping with the excitement of the King of the Hammers.” The race will be three 20-mile laps attacking the brutal terrain including 3 rock canyons, a rock crawling closed course, a off-road racing short course and miles of rally roads. “This race has the most in common with the hardest off-road race on the planet. King of the Hammers has been unlike any other race, until now,” said Jeff Knoll of Hammerking Productions.

Off Road Innovations (ORI) of Reno, located adjacent to the Exit 28 Motorsports Park, will be open during the week of the race for vehicle repairs and assistance.

Directions to Exit 28 Motorsports Park: I-80 to Exit 28, Patrick Road. South on Patrick, over Railroad tracks. Follow Signs to Designated Parking Areas

For More Information: www.kingofthehammers.com or www.orireno.com
Photo Credit: Bower Motorsports Media, RubiconScat.com
Event Sponsors: Hammerking Productions, ORI of Reno, Mustang Ranch

About Exit 28 Motorsports Park

Built around the enthusiasm for offroading in the Reno Sparkes area, this motorsports complex will be able to host all styles of racing with its diverse terrain, weather, nearby hospitality and International Airport within 20 minutes. In 2010, Exit 28 Motorsports Park hosted the VORRA Xtreme Outlaw 250 desert race, two CalRocs rock crawling events, the LivFast Motocross Park and the Stampede a King of the Hammers qualifier. In 2011, the schedule will extend to include additional high profile desert races and multiple other events. The park is available to be rented for any style event, race, concert series, corporate function, club events, offroad testing, and new product releases. The options are endless with over 100,000 acres to utilize for executing a world class event.

What: Stampede Race

When: Thursday September 9th 2pm Kickoff BBQ at Mustang Ranch

Friday September 10th 8am-12pm Qualifying Runs

Saturday September 11th 10am-6pm Stampede Race

Where: Exit 28 Motorsports Park. Exit 28 off I-80, South on Patrick, Follow Signs

Tickets: $10 per person / per viewing area (2 available)

3rd viewing area for Clubs with Purpose Built rigs only. $20 per Vehicle; guided by "special guests of landuse"; Deadwood Canyon obstacle.

--

Bower Motorsports Media
Charlene Bower
714-394-1716
charlene@bowermedia.com

Let's Rally Behind the BlueRibbon Coalition Fund-Raiser

2010-09-01T10:12:00.000-07:00

I just opened my letter from the BlueRibbon Coalition asking for our special help in these changing times. I say we get behind this and help hit new levels of fund-raising in order to keep BRC in the fight, nationally and locally, kickin' it for us!!

Times are critical right now, and in the words of Greg Mumm, Executive Director at BRC, "the Administration and Congress have upped the ante to record new levels when it comes to "changing" the landscape -- literally." We gotta help BRC get stronger, now.

The goal is to raise $500,000 to help support the BRC budget and the legal battles from Tellico to the Hammers. All donations of any size would help right now. Please go here and give what you can as we need your help. I need your help as well because without BRC, I would not be doing what I'm doing for our recreational access.
Help us here: http://www.sharetrails.org/donate
thank you,
Del

Reno Stampede Offers Exclusive Viewing at Deadwood Canyon

2010-08-31T14:23:00.000-07:00

Premier viewing for an awesome obstacle at the Reno Stampede on Sept. 11th is now available for pre-sale tickets to the first 100 vehicles. Part of the proceeds will benefit the BlueRibbon Coalition. I will be your guide and host. Get on it if you want the BEST seat in the house (and help save trails at the same time).

I will organize our convoy of rigs and landuse folks, and guide you to the top of the viewing area where you will see one amazingly challenging obstacle, with better (and safe) viewing than any other obstacle on the course. Naturally you'll get a chance to interact with some landuse folks in between race cars if you want as well. :)

Get your ticket early as I'm sure we'll sell out. Read all about it here and say a big thanks to ORI Reno for me while you're there. Those folks ROCK!
http://www.orireno.com/2010/08/31/reno-stampede-deadwood-canyon-spectator-fee/

Del

Important America's Great Outdoors Initiative Update 8-30-2010

2010-08-30T11:48:00.000-07:00

BLUERIBBON COALITION NATIONAL LANDUSE UPDATE!

BRC America's Great Outdoor Initiative Update

Important update on the Obama Administration's ambitious new conservation agenda

Dear BRC Action Alert Subscribers,

On April 16, 2010, President Obama signed a Presidential Memorandum that will radically change the U.S. Government's conservation policy. The Memorandum created the America's Great Outdoors Initiative (AGO Initiative) which, among other things, will take public input on how to conserve public and private lands and how to promote outdoor recreation among young Americans.

Many OHV enthusiasts across the nation have attended the meetings and reported in so we wanted to give our members an update. This information is also available on BRC's Public Lands Department section of sharetrails.org: http://www.sharetrails.org/public-lands/ under the section AMERICA'S GREAT OUTDOORS INITIATIVE - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW.

There are still many questions about the AGO Initiative and how it relates to its companion, the Treasured Landscape Initiative, and we are learning more every day... so watch your inbox for updates and action alerts..

As always, please call or email if you have any questions,
Brian Hawthorne Ric Foster
Public Lands Policy Director Public Lands Department Manager
208-237-1008 ext 102 208-237-1008 ext 107

READ/DOWNLOAD the entire update and details here.

Article: The Jeep That Saved the Day (and our lives)

2010-08-27T16:20:00.000-07:00

The Jeep That Saved the Day

And our lives

By Del & Stacie Albright

The trucker behind us on I-80 near Truckee, CA, said he figured we were goners when the Jeep made the FIRST 360 at 55 MPH on the freeway with the jeep trailer coming disconnected yet upright, held only by the safety chain. Then when he saw me steer out of that for the SECOND spin with the trailer headed sideways and still flopping on the chain, he knew we were going to be statistics. Yet we survived it; no one got hurt, and after a few repairs, we drove home the Jeep with the trailer. It’s a story worth telling.

“Red” the Jeep stayed upright and we must have had the luck of the Big Four-Wheeler in the sky watching out for my driving. I'm still celebrating life even more today. But this story is also about the right gear; the right buildup on your rig; the right training; and the family we call four-wheelers, or better yet, off-road recreationists.

Read the whole story and download for sharing at http://www.delalbright.com/Articles/jeep_trailer_spin.html

Del

Trail Gear Supports Albright and BlueRibbon Coalition

2010-08-19T16:40:00.000-07:00

Trail Gear, famous for rugged off-road parts for Toyota and Samurai rigs, stepped up to the plate big time for landuse to support the Del Albright Land Use War Machine and BlueRibbon Coalition. THANK you, TG, and thank you for the great stuff you make!

Check out the custom, special logo the Trail Gear folks developed for my Land Use War Machine. I plan to make these available to my supporters and friends soon.

I've been on customer appreciation runs with the good folks at TG and I can tell you, they are top notch off-roaders and just plain nice people. Their 50,000 SF warehouse is totally stocked with parts and goodies so you don't have to wait if you place an order. TG is dedicated to delivering top quality parts to your door FAST! Check them out at http://www.trail-gear.com/
Del

Del Live on Pirate4x4 TV Tonight (8/17)

2010-08-17T08:43:00.000-07:00

I will be on tonights episode of Pirate4x4 TV Live! Be sure to tune in! ~ Thanks!

Join Us LIVE for the July Pirate4x4 TV Live! Webcast
Hosted by Camo & Jessi Combs

Tuesday August 17th
6pm - 8pm PST

Watch LIVE at this link: http://www.pirate4x4.com/tv/live.php
(If you can't tune in live, we will have the recorded show along with a podcast on iTunes up next week!)

Guests Include:

• Erik Miller the International Endurance Series Winner

• Kevin Carey with Wheelin for the Wounded

• Del Albright from Blue Ribbon Coalition

• Jessi Combs gives a Welding 101 Lesson

also...

• Warn Winch Shop Tour

• Jeepers Jamboree

• Lands End Hill Climb

• Disabled Sports Run on the Rubicon

• Bikini Car Wash

• Review on the ATL Fuel Cell

• FAST-Aid for the California 200

• Giving away Trail-Gear Rock Assault™ Axle Housing Giveaway

Don't miss it!

ALSO

We will pick a favorite question submission for each of our 4 guests. The 4 winners will receive the Pirate4x4 t-shirt of your choice from the Pirate4x4 Store

Just post your questions on the live chat during the show (don't PM or email them to me), we will ask them, and pick the favorite out of the group...

Need Questions for the following guests :

1. Erik Miller (Winner Ultra4 International Endurance Champion)

2. Kevin Carey (Wheelin for the Wounded, Pirate4x4 TV Live! Camera Guy)

3. Del Albright (Land Use Extraordinaire, Blue Ribbon Coalition)

4. Jessi Combs (Welding 101)

Please help us spread the word by posting on your Facebook, Twitter and Myspace pages!
--

Bower Motorsports Media
Charlene Bower
714-394-1716
charlene@bowermedia.com
facebook.com/charlene.bower1

Reno Stampede Club Challenge Competitors Announced

2010-08-13T09:10:00.000-07:00

The five (5) clubs drawn to compete in the live Club Challenge on Friday Sept. 10 at the Grand Sierra Resort as part of the Ultra4 Reno Stampede are:

Reno4x4.com (Reno, NV)
Mother Lode Rockcrawlers (Jackson, CA)
Arkansas Crawlers (Sherwood, AR)
Trailbusters 4x4 Club of Solano County (Suisun City, CA)
Friends of the High Lakes (Paradise, CA)

Each club will be allowed one well prepared trail ride rig (4x4 vehicle) and a team of up to four (4) folks. It's like a live reality TV show where the key is to find stuff FAST. Yea, all those little hidey holes where you store stuff you forgot you had.

The Challenge will be held right after the Bikini Car Wash at the GSR, starting from 7 to 8pm.

The lucky winning club wins the awesome exclusive weekend of camping and wheeling on 100,000 acres of private land on the Exit 28 Motorsports property just outside Reno, sponsored by Off Road Innovations (ORI), Reno, NV. I've seen and wheeled the land; it's amazing and totally fun, with everything from bad-azz to crazy to moderate to sight-seeing. Also saw dozens of wild horses while cruising the property. Sweet!

Don't miss it the Challenge and the Reno Stampede.
See/download the entire press release about the Reno Stampede, Sept. 7 - 12, 2010 right here with this .pdf file: http://www.kingofthehammers.com/pdfs/30%20day%20stampede%20PR.pdf

Del

Cantina for the 'Con Rubicon Fund Raiser

2010-08-03T09:08:00.000-07:00

6th Annual Cantina for the 'Con Rubicon Trail Fund-Raiser

Labor Day Weekend at the Spillway (Sept. 4th and 5th)

Taco Feed and Raffle to Benefit the Rubicon Trail

Loon Lake Spillway. Buy tickets in advnace or puchase them at the spillway.
More info contact email: cantinadonations@gmail.com
Raffle begins Sunday, Sept. 5th at 4pm.

More info and details at http://www.rubicontrailfoundation.org/

Off-Road Hall of Fame 2010 Ceremony

2010-08-03T08:40:00.000-07:00

The 2010 Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Postponed

Originally scheduled to take place on August 21, 2010, at the National Automobile Museum in Reno, Nevada, due to unforeseen circumstances, this date is cancelled. We will announce a new date and venue as soon as we have solid arrangements in place. We regret the inconvenience this change in dates may cause.

The 2010 ceremony will mark the seventh consecutive year of inductions since the re-birth of the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2004.

The Class of 2010 includes five new inductees:
Peter K. Brown; industry pioneer.
Eugene A. (Gene) Chappie: Pioneer: Advocate
Chris Haines: Pioneed: Industry
Johnny Johnson: Competition: Off Road Racing
Rick Pewe: Recreational: Four Wheeling

The new time and location will be announced soon. What a great crop of Hall of Fame folks. Congrats to all.
For more on the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame visit: http://www.ormhof.org/
or email Bob Bower bobbower@cox.net

Del

Win a Rock Crawling Weekend on a Private Ranch for Your Club

2010-07-28T15:14:00.000-07:00

Win a Weekend for Your Club on a Private OHV Ranch near Reno, NV

Off Road Innovations and Hammerking Productions Announce the 2010 Best Prepared Rig Contest

at the Ultra4 Stampede in Reno, NV, Sept. 7-12, 2010.

Five (5) 4x4 clubs will get to compete for a chance to be the ONE selected club to get a full, PRIVATE weekend of awesome rock-crawling, camping, and trail-riding fun for the whole club, right outside Reno, NV. On Friday night of the Ultra4 Stampede, the five finalist clubs will present their BEST PREPARED/SETUP rig to the crowd of cheering fans for a most unusual contest of preparation and preparedness!

“This is not a rock crawl or obstacle course,” says Don Gilman of Off Road Innovations, the premier sponsor of the contest, “but rather a challenge to see how well setup and prepared your BEST rig is in your club.” Each club that fills out an application (TBA) will get a shot at being one of the 5 finalists who compete LIVE in front of the Ultra4 audience, with noted landuse activist and off-roader, Del Albright as the emcee and a panel of judges.

The drawing for the five finalists clubs will be held in Reno on Wednesday August 11th at the premier of the “King of the Hammers - Anarchy” film at the Grand Sierra Resort.

The contest will be live from 7pm to 8pm on Friday night, September 10th at the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino. Each rig/car/4x4 entered can have up to but not more than 4 seats and 4 passengers. Only one rig per club may be entered. All passengers may help with the contest. Without unveiling the fun of this contest, just realize that it is about preparation, setup, inventory, and readiness for about any situation on the trail or in rock crawling.

The contest is FREE to enter and applications are due by 5pm August 10th. Fill out your form at the Off Road Innovations store in Reno, NV or online at http://www.orireno.com/ and click on the Ultra4 logo to download the form.

For more information on the Ultra4 Stampede please visit http://ww.kingofthehammers.com/. To book your weekend stay at the Grand Sierra Resort please visit http://www.grandsierraresort.com/ or call 1-800-501-2651. Get the Ultra4 Stampede special room rate by using “ULTRA4” code when booking your room.

Questions may be addressed to Del Albright, Event Emcee by email to del@delalbright.com

BlueRibbon July Magazine with Jeep Beach

2010-07-12T14:18:00.000-07:00

Be sure to see the Jeep Beach article from this recent trip I was on.
Del

The July 2010 issue of BlueRibbon Magazine is available online! Featured in this issue...

STAFF COLUMNS

Greg Mumm, BRC's Executive Director, tells us how to ensure the future

Sonia Bartz, BRC President, gives us the lowdown on the BRC Board of Directors election process

NEWS

Members are asked to vote in the BlueRibbon Coalition Board Of Directors (BOD) election

Absentee Ballot for BOD Election

BRC honored at International Snowmobile Congress (ISC)
Del Albright tells us how a Florida Jeep club kicks it for BRC at the 2010 Jeep Beach event

Court adopts Lewis & Clark remedy - restores access

EDITORIAL

Mark Algazy asks, "What Frequency Are You On?" (read more!)

Barbara Larsen gives us the lowdown on those dedicated "Pledge Partners" who support BRC all year long

Charlie Williams discusses "Wilderness on a Palodoodle"

SPECIAL SECTIONS

Legal Action Update

The Member Support List: Thanks guys!

Brian Hawthorne gives us our Wilderness update in the Land Use Outlook

This notice sponsored by Klim Technical Riding Gear

Go here to see the magazine: http://www.sharetrails.org/magazine/issues/july2010/pdf/BRM_July2010.pdf

Rubicon Work Weekend June 26, 2010

2010-06-24T06:31:00.000-07:00

Preparing for the Rubicon Trail -- packing the Jeep, getting the camping gear loaded up on the Olympic4x4 rack, making sure the lug nuts are tight, checking the tire pressure in the BFG's, and doing the once-over on old Red, when the moon decided to pay me a visit. Big work party this weekend on the Rubicon Trail with the Friends of the Rubicon (FOTR), the most famous off-road coalition in the world, dedicated to just one trail -- the Icon of Four-Wheeling!

Sometimes as a photographer, the picture finds you. It's times like these that remind me why so many of love what we do -- getting out there, exloring nature, and "seeing" what the world has to offer (off pavement). No matter what your choice of off-road recreation is, be sure to help keep it alive for moments like this. Join all those organizations that make sense to you, starting with the BlueRibbon Coalition (http://www.sharetrails.org/) and your state association.

FOTR folks are feeding us with a great dinner Saturday night and there is still time to sign up and help with some very productive trail work right here at : http://www.rubiconfriends.com/

When it comes to moments like this pic with my Jeep and the moon, my advice is simple: Take the time to see what is around you and appreciate the freedom this great country has to offer. Del

Truckfest Ontario, and Big Bear Forest Fest

2010-06-16T20:40:00.000-07:00

I've had a great week down in Southern CA, starting with 4Wheel Parts Truckfest in Ontario, then tomorrow up at Big Bear by Lake Arrowhead for the Big Bear Forest Fest put on by the Inland Empire 4 Wheelers. They are big supporters of keeping our trails open, with the BlueRibbon Coalition receiving a nice donation the past couple years from the event.

I will be staffing a BlueRibbon booth during the vendor show, so come on up if you're in the area. Tons of goodies will be on display and you can buy raffle tickets (to further support saving trails) even if you don't go on a trail ride. Oh, there might be some partying going on after hours as well. ;)

I'm on an open road trip, mostly BlueRibbon work, but also just some time to enjoy my Jeep and this great country we live in.

Hope to see you on the trails,
Del

Article: Discoverers, Developers and Merchants by Del Albright

2010-05-24T15:30:00.000-07:00

Dear Editor/webmaster/friends of access,

Here is my latest column for your use/sharing. Please write if you have any questions, and also please send me a link if you use it.

Hope you enjoy it.

Thanks, Del

Discoverers, Developers and Merchants

How “old west” gold mining and modern landuse are similar

By Del Albright

BlueRibbon Coalition Ambassador; CA4WDC State Chair for Environmental Affairs

The old prospector no longer gave a hoot about all the talk of getting rich during the 1849 gold rush. No matter how he looked at it, it was dang hot and ugly mean in the western desert, and he’d not had a decent drink of water or a good meal in days. He was hot and tired; his mule was dragging; and his supplies were about gone. He was having about as much fun as a jack rabbit at a coyote picnic.

With no gold in his pockets, he gave up for the day and settled in next to a ledge of rocks that provided some shade. He tipped back his sweaty worn-out hat and began to collect a few rocks to make a small fire ring. The last of his hard-tack would taste mighty fine about now and he still had one can of beans to heat up. Then it struck him like a mule kick in the butt! His fire ring of rocks was the best gold ore he’d ever seen. He was suddenly going to be a rich man living the life of luxury. Read more/download the article here: http://www.delalbright.com/Articles/discoverers.html

King of the Hammers; a Land Use Perspective in ORA

2010-05-22T11:47:00.000-07:00

KOH, Land Use and Off-Road Adventures

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"King of the Hammers, A Land Use Perspective" hit this current issue of Off-Road Adventures Magazine, p. 78, with a great shot of the Land Use Panel, and the cleanup effort that took place.
The KOH folks kicked it during this entire event, with their attention and enthusiasm for landuse, cleanup, safety and keeping our sport alive. Their recycling program with CA4WDC was hugely successful as well.

The land use panel (John Stewart, Bebe Theisen and Todd Ockert and I) got great coverage, as well as plenty of kudos and credit to Motorsports Fabrication Services (MFS) and Travis Carpenter, the land use buggy hero.
Oh, yea, Kurtuleas (Kurt Schnieder) is mentioned too. (SMILE). Kurt, you be da man for coming up with the AWESOME ideas.

You can read the mag online here: http://www.offroadadventures.com/

Awesome. Thank you ,ORA (and 4 Wheel Parts),

Del

Klim USA and BlueRibbon Team Up for Landuse and Access

2010-05-19T14:59:00.000-07:00

Klim USA and Blue Ribbon Coalition Team Up to Preserve Motorized Access to Public Lands

5/19/2010

Rigby, ID (May 19th, 2010)

Nate Blaylock announced today that the two Idaho based entities will partner this summer to increase membership in the BlueRibbon Coalition (BRC) and to drive involvement in the public lands debate.

"Klim has long held a concern for the preservation of trails and riding areas." said Mr. Blaylock. "Power-sport enthusiasts do not destroy, they enjoy. The tempo of land use closures have dramatically increased in the last year. We are concerned, but not dismayed. We are determined to do our part."

The BlueRibbon Coalition has admirably fought for recreational access to public land since 1987. With members in all 50 states and its headquarters just 60 miles south of Klim in Pocatello, Idaho, the nonprofit organization has represented the OHV enthusiast in significant national battles and often come away with important victories for the industry.

From May19th until August 19th 2010 everyone that joins, extends or renews a BRC membership will receive a $25 dollar gift certificate good for Klim technical dirt riding gear.

For more information visit http://www.klimusa.com/
or http://www.sharetrails.org/

Tellico Lawsuit Filed by OHV Groups

2010-05-18T15:44:00.000-07:00

Tellico is a huge issue for access advocates and OHV folks. We are filing suit and taking the issue to court. We want Tellico BACK! Spread the word.
Del

BLUERIBBON COALITION, INC.

MEDIA RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Roger Theurer, Southern Four Wheel Drive Association

(931) 841-0672

Greg Mumm, BlueRibbon Coalition

(208) 244-2112

Date: May 18, 2010

TELLICO LAWSUIT FILED

POCATELLO, ID (May 18)--The next chapter in the Save Tellico saga began today as suit was filed to stop agency efforts to eliminate long-existing routes at the Upper Tellico OHV System. The suit was filed by Southern Four Wheel Drive Association, United Four Wheel Drive Associations, and BlueRibbon Coalition in U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina.

"This is a logical and necessary action in our effort to restore some form of meaningful OHV access to the System," said Roger Theurer, President of Southern Four Wheel Drive Association. "The entire premise behind this closure- that water quality is uniquely flawed in the Tellico River- is simply untrue. We hope through this suit for an opportunity to present the full story," Theurer concluded.

On April 19, 2010, the Forest Service posted a solicitation for bids, seeking contractors to perform various tasks to rehabilitate, obliterate, or otherwise decommission the bulk of existing roads on the OHV System. According to the complaint, routes historically used for vehicle travel may be fundamental to other forms of recreation, and possible impacts on non-motorized recreation activities have not been analyzed by the Forest.

"We prefer to work collaboratively with the Forest to provide appropriate vehicle-based recreation opportunities in the area," observed Greg Mumm, BlueRibbon Executive Director. "We remain committed to such prospects, but faced little option short of filing suit to preserve reasonable alternatives involving the System. These roads are literally on the verge of being removed from the landscape," Mumm concluded.

A copy of the complaint may be viewed at: http://www.sharetrails.org/uploads/Complaint_FILED_05-18-10.pdf

# # #

The BlueRibbon Coalition is a national recreation group that champions responsible use of public and private lands, and encourages individual environmental stewardship. It represents over 10,000 individual members and 1,200 organization and business members, for a combined total of over 600,000 recreationists nationwide. 1-800-258-3742. www.sharetrails.org

United Four Wheel Drive Associations is an international organization comprised of four wheel drive enthusiasts, clubs, associations, and businesses dedicated to providing community services around the world, education in responsible land use and safe vehicle operation, and protection of our natural resources through conservation practices. 1-800-448-3932. www.ufwda.org

Southern Four Wheel Drive Association (SFWDA) was founded in 1987 to promote responsible land use and to keep public lands accessible for motorized recreation. For more information on the activities and accomplishments of Southern Four Wheel Drive Association, please visit www.sfwda.org or contact us at 1483 N. Mt. Juliet Road, PMB # 222, Mt. Juliet, TN 37122

Jeep Beach of Florida is Waving with Success

2010-05-13T12:37:00.000-07:00

Jeep Beach is just getting a good start and the hotel is filling up, the beach is alive, meetings are happening, fun is everywhere, and the future looks pretty darn bright around these parts around the famous Daytona Beach, FL..

We've already hooked up with some of the initial group for a kick off dinner at Hooters in Daytona Beach. We've picked up a donated car from the great folks at Daytona Dodge (Auto Mall). We've had several meetings with vendors and friends, and the BlueRibbon Coalition name is getting around fast.

Oh, did I mention that we managed to also photograph a few gators from an airboat on the St. John's River near Christmas, Florida, just south of Daytona Beach.

Also, I hear the raffle here at Jeep Beach is over $20k (that's not official, but it's still growing). Sweet.

My hat is already off to the organizers (Mid-Florida Jeep Club) of this event. Nice. We already have some new business members to BRC, and we're hoping for 10 new individual members a day here at the event -- perhaps more?

It's all good.
Del

Off-Road Champions Make Video for BlueRibbon Coalition

2010-04-20T15:49:00.000-07:00

Check out the new video of a great batch of off-road champions and businesses, pitching it up for BlueRibbon Coalition, including Dustin Webster, Lance Clifford, Big Rich Klein, Greg Mulkey, Brad and Roger Lovell, Mike Klensin, Shannon Campbell, and Victor Angon.

We're talking about top names helping to promote the biggest, bad dog on the block -- the BlueRibbon Coalition. See the video and then make sure you join up or add a year to your membership, or get some of your buds to join. These folks are telling us we need to strenghten this national grass roots organization more than ever.

See it here: http://www.sharetrails.org/tv/champions/

Awesome, thanks to all these folks/businesses for helping to build the strongest coalition ever...
Del

Jeep Beach Chooses BlueRibbon Coalition as One Charity of Choice

2010-04-17T18:43:00.000-07:00

JEEP BEACH BRINGS IT IN 2010

The Mid Florida Jeep Club announced today their charities of choice for the 2010 Jeep Beach of Florida are the Boys and Girls Club of Holly Hill Florida, and the Blue Ribbon Coalition!

We will be there in support of the club and the event on behalf of BlueRibbon Coalition (BRC). Daytona Beach in May should be a lot of fun, but the event is well known for bringing quite a crowd, lots of vendors, and plenty of rigs to admire and enjoy.

Held in the infield of the Daytona International Speedway, in beautiful Daytona Beach, it's 3 days of family fun for every level of Jeeper! Last year's event was awesome with over 300 Jeeps and $10K worth of
raffles.

This year's event will be bigger and better with obstacle courses for everyone, raffles and some of the best Jeep vendors there are! Make your plans today to attend! Go to the website below and click on the tabs above to pre-register and pre-order your event t-shirts and dog tags. This will guarantee your 2010 collectible merchandise. See you there!

http://www.jeepbeach.com/Charity.html

When a club like Mid Florida Jeep Club designates such a nice donation from their event to land use (the BlueRibbon Coalition), it renews my hopes in saving trails and keeping our sports alive. Thank you Jeep Beach and the Mid Florida Jeep Club. Looking forward to meeting everyone in the club and all the Jeep Beach participants. Del

Learn more and join BlueRibbon Coalition here: http://www.sharetrails.org/

Moab 2010 Jeep Safari

2010-04-12T20:01:00.000-07:00

Moab Jeep Safari was a great event with tons of vendors (and networking going on). BlueRibbon Coalition sent Stacie and I to rep BRC and continue the trail-saving work we've been doing there at this event for years. We have to particularly thank our premier travel sponsor, GenRight Off Road, and our partner travel sponsors, Nemesis Industries and Metalcloak. These great off-road businesses made sure that we were there to work with clubs, individuals and businesses on how to keep our off-road sport alive and well.
Here are some highlight photos for your enjoyment.

Stacie is getting a closeup shot of Curtis Thayn on Potato Salad Hill -- and Utah 4WD staffing their booth.

Nemesis Industries fender; and the Red Rock Raffle at about $180k worth of stuff.

Metalcloak has some awesome stuff and they helped us travel to Moab.

GenRight Off Road was our premier partners in helping us travel to Moab. Their new line of Aluminum JK stuff is pretty incredible - well built, light and made-to-fit.

Kurt Schneider, Del and Travis Carpenter at the BFG Outstanding Trails event -- I recognized Kurt and Travis for their work in land use and racing (King of the Hammers).

On a fun day, we went to Deadhorse Point State Park and stopped at "jump" rock. Jerry Sparkman here decided just to look and not jump. Smart man.

Famous people were all over Moab, like Chris Collard (L) and Ned Bacon (driving).

BFGoodrich Tires crew (and friends). They announced the new trails for 2010 Outstanding Trails (see my blog elsewhere).

Once again, thanks to GenRight, Nemesis Industries and Metalcloak for helping us be BlueRibbon Coalition at the Moab Jeep Safari 2010.

Del

MFS Adopts Albright Jeep for Maintenance, Repairs and Fixits

2010-04-12T12:17:00.000-07:00

DEL ALBRIGHT ENTERPRISES – Recreational Advocacy and Outdoor Photojournalism

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Del Albright
C: (209) 304-7693
Email: del@delalbright.com

MOTORSPORTS FABRICATION SERVICES PARTNERS UP FOR LANDUSE

MFS adopts Albright Jeep for maintenance, fabrication and TLC

Mokelumne Hill, CA, April 8, 2010. Del Albright, Recreation Advocate and internationally published Outdoor Photojournalist announced a new partnership with Motorsports Fabrication Services (MFS) of Lincoln, CA, that will help save trails and keep our outdoor sports alive and well.

“The Albright Land Use War Machine Jeep is 12 years old and has 140,000 miles on it, many over the roughest trails in the West,” said Del, “and I’ve been hoping for a nearby shop like MFS to take on old ‘Seein’ Red.”

“My full time efforts as a BlueRibbon Coalition Ambassador and Recreation Advocate takes me to the trails, on the ground, with the troops; and to do that, my Jeep is a critical element of my successes,” Albright added.

“Red” is a full blown battle wagon for land use, the only one of its kind, with about every after market product you can imagine, sponsored by over two dozen off-road businesses like Poison Spyder, GenRight Off Road, Warn, Rubicon Express, Hanson Offroad, Raceline Wheels, Olympic4x4 Products, BFGoodrich Tires and others, with the North American XJ Association topping off the trail support. “This allows me to focus on advocacy and education on behalf of BlueRibbon Coalition members, and continue to work on responsible recreational access nationwide,” Albright concluded.

MFS is a relatively new business in Lincoln, CA, outside Sacramento with 10,000 sq. ft. of amazing tools and fabricating machines. More importantly, they have become a notable force for responsible four-wheeling and outdoor recreation on the nearby Rubicon Trail. Helping Friends of the Rubicon (FOTR) is high on their list as well and they show up to help on work projects and FOTR events.

“We’re helping Del because we want him to stay in the fight for our trails and for our future,” said Jeff Hayer, co-owner of MFS. “We build a lot of rock buggies here, but Del’s land use Jeep is on top of our fixit list when he needs some help,” Jeff added.

Please learn more and visit MFS at http://www.mfs-ca.com

(Email del@delalbright.com for pictures if desired. See all Jeep buildup sponsors here at http://www.delalbright.com/access/sponsors.htm)

##
Del Albright, internationally recognized columnist and recreation advocate, also specializes in providing volunteer training and leadership courses. For more please visit www.delalbright.com and www.sharetrails.org.

CA -- Clear Creek OHV Area County Roads Back Open

2010-04-07T14:44:00.000-07:00

BLUERIBBON COALITION, INC.

MEDIA RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Don Amador

Phone: 925.625.6287

Email: brdon@sharetrails.org

Date: April 7, 2010

CALIFORNIA COUNTY MAKES HISTORIC ACCESS VOTE TO REOPEN ROADS

ON FEDERAL LANDS

HOLLISTER, CA (April 7)--A rural county in Central California made access history when it voted 4-0 to reassert its jurisdiction on 25 miles of county roads in an area currently closed by the federal government. The April 6 vote by the San Benito County Board of Supervisors to open roads currently closed to the public is a watershed moment for Californians who are fighting an avalanche of proposed closures on federal lands in the state.

The County also voted to have staff prepare public comments in support of Alternative A in the BLM's Draft Resource Management Plan for the Clear Creek Management Area Environmental Impact Statement. The BLM's preferred Alternative E functionally closes the area to meaningful vehicular access. Alternative A supports public use of all roads and trails that were open for motorized recreation and access before the 2008 interim closure.

Don Amador, Western Representative for the BlueRibbon Coalition, states, "The San Benito County Board of Supervisors earned a place in the history books for taking a stand against a federal bureaucracy that has proposed a closure of historic proportions in their county. It was clear the Supervisors take seriously their constitutional role as a champion of the people and seek to protect the citizenry and the local economy from agenda-driven policies developed by unelected officials."

"When the federal government ignores the will of the people, local voters and users that visit the area have little choice but to look elsewhere for relief. Up and down the state, I see a growing number of counties who are joining with the people in defense of historic access to federal lands. Today's vote to reopen the roads for street-legal vehicles should be a clear signal to the BLM that their effort to make the Hollister Field Office a 'Human Free Zone' is going to be challenged," Amador concluded.

# # #

The BlueRibbon Coalition is a national recreation group that champions responsible recreation, and encourages individual environmental stewardship. It represents over 10,000 individual members and 1,200 organization and business members, for a combined total of over 600,000 recreationists nationwide. 1-800-258-3742. www.sharetrails.org

Volunteer Internet Warriors Wanted -- KAT Team for BRC

2010-04-05T20:54:00.000-07:00

I am looking for a “few good folks” to join an elite team of Internet warriors. Check this out and see if you’re a fit for this team we’re building for BlueRibbon Coalition and access in general.

We offer you a chance to become part of an elite team of access soldiers. We are launching an effort to build a better network of communications in the Internet/Blog and social network world for access and land use issues. It’s called the Kickin’ Access Technology (KAT) Team.

We are experimenting with a variety of ways to help you better understand our recreational world and how you can make a huge difference in saving our trails and our sports. We are focused on the internet, social networks and forums. We need more volunteers posting up access information on forums and networks around the country.

Here's what it takes to be part of the KAT Team:

1. A member of BlueRibbon Coalition (and other groups as appropriate)

2. A frequent visitor of a forum/thread for which you would become in charge of for land use issues appropriate for BRC involvement or comment.

3. Be the primary contact for a thread/forum and be willing to post BRC and access Alerts and news to blogs and forums. Posting alerts and news would be one of your primary jobs (helping to communicate with the Internet world).

4. Be willing to be the “eyes and ears” for the KAT Team on at least one major forum or thread, connecting back to Del when advanced BRC input is needed.

Read more here and see if you’d like to apply: http://www.delalbright.com/Access/access_team.html

Del

BFGoodrich Tires Outstanding Trails for 2010

2010-04-05T19:53:00.000-07:00

BFGoodrich Tires Announces Five Outstanding Trails for 2010

• BFGoodrich celebrates five year anniversary of Outstanding Trails program

• The five 2010 selected trails cover the map from Southern California to Pennsylvania

MOAB, Utah – April 2, 2010 – BFGoodrich Tires has announced the five trails selected for its Outstanding Trails program at a presentation held in Moab, Utah during the Easter Jeep Safari. Celebrating the program’s five year anniversary in 2010, the Outstanding Trails program has recognized 19 trails, donating more than $70,000 to clubs across the United States and Canada. The program was established to raise awareness for responsible use, and preservation of, off-road trails while providing aid in the trails’ conservation efforts.

In collaboration with Tread Lightly! and United Four Wheel Drive Associations (UFWDA), BFGoodrich Tires is proud to present the 2010 Outstanding Trails:

• Rausch Creek, Pa.
• Drummond Island, Mich.
• Yacolt, Wash.
• Johnson Valley, Calif.
• Holy Cross, Colo.

“The five trails that have been selected this year are well-deserving of the recognition and we’re excited to have them part of the Outstanding Trails family,” said Joe Mazur, light-truck marketing manager, BFGoodrich Tires. “We look forward to honoring the clubs at selected events throughout the year and helping them maintain and preserve these beautiful off-road trails for everyone to enjoy.”

Read/download entire press release here: http://www.delalbright.com/Access/bfg_2010_trails.html
Del

Special Landuse Update from Del Albright 3/22/10 URGENT

2010-03-22T15:59:00.000-07:00

Special Land Use Update from Del Albright

3/22/2010, NOTE: Farmington, NM

URGENT letter request in #7 below…

1. Land Use Article: I want to make sure you know my latest article on land use and access is available to you and your club/websites. Called “Stop the Stink,” I think you’ll find it an interesting read about what is going on in our country these days. Download/read article here: http://www.delalbright.com/Articles/stink.html

2. Businesses Team Up for Land Use Travel: More and more events, conventions and organizations are asking for my help these days in saving trails and keeping our sports alive. Thank goodness businesses know how important this is and are kicking in to help fund/sponsor some travel. This is worthy of mention because as you’ve probably heard me say before, let’s buy from businesses who are helping us save our trails – those doing something for landuse.

For Moab Easter Jeep Safari, I’m proud to be teamed up with some more great off-road outfits – GenRight Off Road is leading the charge at the premier level; Motorsports Fabrication Services (MFS) has spent a week getting tons of fixits and “to do list” stuff done on the Jeep; and Nemesis Industries has kicked in a donation to help as well. See more on this here: http://jeepndel.blogspot.com/

3. RLTC Online Volunteer Training Course: RLTC is a unique (nothing else like it in the recreation/off-road world) online volunteer training course with several hundred students/graduates around the country. If you have it on your desk, it is never too late to start. If you’ve been thinking about starting, now is a good time. Learn more here: http://www.rltc.biz/.

4. Land Use Blogs: I am getting pretty good about keeping up my land use blog and you can subscribe to follow right here: http://jeepndel.blogspot.com/.

My BlueRibbon partner, Don Amador has a very active blog as well right here: http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/

5. Access Army: if you’ve not seen the new Access Army, with our pens and shovels, please visit: http://www.accessarmy.com/

6. BlueRibbon Coalition: if you’ve not seen the new BlueRibbon Coalition website and magazine, this is worth a cruise through…check it out at http://www.sharetrails.org, these folks are the grassroots leaders nationally for saving trails, sharing trails and keeping our sports alive and well. Join or donate to BRC here: https://www.sharetrails.org/secure/join_or_contribute/

7. Farmington, NM: Glad Run; Choke Cherry: Glade Run Recreation Area contains many serious 4x4 areas, including Choke Cherry, and it's Loren Healy's backyardBlueRibbon Coalition Home Page (Loren is the Current King of the Hammers). The BLM came up with two plans for the area that would mark trails and put existing ones on the map. Now they are coming up with Alternative maps that do not make much sense and do not match up with what the locals think should be done. We need LETTERS from you, please.

PLEASE TAKE FIVE MINUTES TO WRITE A COMMENT TO THE BLM: it’s been made easy with a letter generator here: http://www.pirate4x4.com/letters

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks, Del

Click here to learn about saving trails the easy wayGet volunteer and leadership training here

Ps. Thanks to Net10.net, Bob Melani, for hosting my email system and newsletter. http://www.net10.net/

GenRight Off Road: Moab EJS Sponsors for Albright Jeep

2010-03-22T14:38:00.000-07:00

GenRight Off Road

Premier Travel Sponsors of Del & Stacie Albright to

Moab Easter Jeep Safari

Businesses that otherwise might be in competition team up often to help out in land use and access, such as with event raffles. In our case, the Albright Jeep, also known as the Land Use War Machine, is being sponsored by two dozen off-road businesses for products and buildups, as well as gas money and BlueRibbon Coalition support.

For 2010 Easter Jeep Safari, GenRight is leading the charge with a "premier level" donation to BlueRibbon Coalition to ensure we can do our trail-saving job for a week in Moab. It's all about access!

GenRight makes Crawler gas tanks; body armor; rocker guards; fenders; hood louvers (like on the Albright Jeep); suspension parts; and more. Made in the U.S.A., this stuff is tuff! I have witnessed owner Tony Pelligrino, Tony Fiori (Product Testing), Cory Kaiser (PR) and some of his other guys wheel GenRight Jeeps at places like Logandale (Hump 'N Bump), Moab and TDS and I can tell you these babies are made to wheel. Engineering, quality of construction and functional "common sense" are built into GenRight products.

It's all about access! GenRight is leading this team of partner businesses to get us to Moab so we can fight for trails, link up with other recreationists who need help saving trails, and continue to grow the sport for all of us to enjoy well into the future. The whole GenRight team believes in helping keep our sport alive and our trails open because these guys do more than talk about it; they get it on the trail. GenRight stands for Genuine Ideas Engineered Right; when you're a GenRight Jeep, you're at the next level.

Visit GenRight at http://www.genright.com/
Thank you, GenRight,
Del

Sponsor/Supporter Highlight -- Nemesis Industries

2010-03-22T07:43:00.000-07:00

Nemesis Industries is helping land use and access, as well as BlueRibbon Coalition, and I wanted to give you some insight into their company. They are in Engelwood, CO, but quickly building a national reputation. They also supported the BlueRibbon Coalition Christmas Auction with big time stuff. Great folks, too, I might add. We wheeled with them in southern UT at Soutwhest Crawlfest just recently. They test their products on the trail for sure. :)

Nemesis Industries has a firm commitment to developing unique products with distinctive looks and performance. They do JK, LJ, TJ and YJ with names like Forged Gear and Kratos Armory, primarily fender, rocker and corner armor.

They are also helping sponsor (through BlueRibbon Coalition) our trip to Moab, UT next week for the Easter Jeep Safari, so we can continue or landuse work with wheelers from all over the world. Moab represents most what I do -- saving trails and keeping our sport alive for people from all over. It's important to be there, accessible to folks who know how important our access fights are. Businesses like Nemesis Industries help make this happen. Thank you.

Check out Nemesis Industries right here: http://www.nem-ind.com/

Del

3/19/2010 Land Use Update from Del Albright

2010-03-19T08:04:00.000-07:00

3/19/2010: A few quick notes about land use and access, as well as my latest article for your use (please send me a link or copy if you would).

1. PRP Seats: The original owner of PRP Seats, Aaron Wedeking, is back at the helm for these great seats – who happen to also sponsor my landuse War Machine Jeep. Press release and info here: http://www.delalbright.com/Products/prp_seats.html

2. CA: Carnegie SVRA (OHV) area back open – we fought hard and WON to get the courts to kick out the junk lawsuit brought on by those who do not like our sport. See more here: http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2010/03/sf-bay-area-legal-victory-at-carnegie.html

3. Article: Stop the Stink: my latest piece on what is happening in our country and what we need to do about it (to preserve our access to lands and waterways. Read and download it here: http://www.delalbright.com/Articles/stink.html

4. NAXJA Helps Del: I’m so honored to have a great organization behind me (and BlueRibbon Coalition), the North American XJ Association (NAXJA). They have kicked in huge donations to help me stay in the fight and support BRC. We are winning some battles and making stuff happen – together. Thank you. See more here: http://www.delalbright.com/Misc/naxja_del.html

5. King of the Hammers: I sure hope you saw all the awesome land use and access stuff that took place at King of the Hammers (KOH) this year. Over $30,000 in land use pledges were generated from various buggies and drivers. It was an amazing event for our cause. Notable also was the trash cleanup and recycling that took place during and after this biggest ever desert race. KOH folks kicked it and left the desert cleaner than they found it, even after nearly 30,000 fans. Read more here: http://jeepndel.blogspot.com/2010/01/2010-koh-eco-challenge-from-jeff-knoll.html

6. BlueRibbon and King of the Hammers: BRC was pledged nearly $20,000 alone from the KOH event, and the two shining stars in this fund-raiser were the Tin Benders 4x4 Club of Southern CA, and 4Wheel Parts (Greg Adler and crew). The Tin Benders kicked in $5500 from their club and 4Wheel Parts matched it. WOW. Watch for more on this at the BlueRibbon website and magazine (shortly): http://www.sharetrails.org/

7. MT: Lewis and Clark Nat’l Forest; BRC Kicks It Again: BRC and some other recreational groups kicked it and won another court victory in Idaho. Check it out at: http://www.sharetrails.org/releases/?story=688&filter=media

8. MFS Takes on the Albright Jeep: If you’re on Facebook, you already know this, but Motorsports Fabrication Services (MFS) is revving the rpm’s for landuse and access. They’ve taken on the Albright Jeep to do about a year’s worth of fixes, upgrades, and mods to help out the cause; and they are behind the King of the Hammers buggy that led the pledge efforts for land use and access. Read more here (and visit Facebook or my blog for more about the Jeep): http://www.sharetrails.org/releases/?story=686&filter=media

As always, let me know if you have any questions or need any further info.

Thanks for being on the team,

Del

PRP Seats Original Owner Takes Helm Again

2010-03-18T09:31:00.000-07:00

PRP Seats

For Immediate Release
Contact: Aaron Wedeking
Phone: 800-317-6253
Email: Aaron@prpseats.com

PRP Seats Original Owner Takes Helm Once Again

Date: 3/16/2010

After a two and half year hiatus Aaron Wedeking is back at PRP Seats! Aaron founded PRP back in 1997 with the goal of providing high quality, custom seats to the off road, weekend play crowd. “I grew up playing in the Southern California deserts and I am excited to be back in the industry” commented Aaron.

Aaron left the company in 2007 and recently had the opportunity to purchase it back. He is bringing back his dedication to superior customer service and building the best off road seats available. Aaron said “We are not selling one size fits all auto parts, customers can rely on me to build seats that fit their exact needs.” Please check out the new web site at www.prpseats.com and give Aaron a call at the shop he would love to hear from old and new customers.

PRP Seats are Proud Sponsors of the Albright Landuse War Machine Jeep.

Download this Press Release in WORD (.doc)

Carnegie SVRA, CA, OPEN at last!!!

2010-03-17T08:02:00.000-07:00

We did it. We got Cargnegie opened back up. All the hard work, letters, web posts and rally paid off. Check out my partner's blog, The General, here: http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2010/03/sf-bay-area-legal-victory-at-carnegie.html

Great job by all.
Del

TDS Safari and Death Valley Desert

2010-03-15T21:11:00.000-07:00

For the last couple weeks, I've been a couple different places in So. CA and So. NV, and here are a few highlights. First TDS, Desert Safari. What an awesome event this year, and a great cause for helping to save trails and keep our sport alive.

There were thousands of participants at Safari, and part of the fun is the first trail ride morning when everyone lines up near camp to start the day.

Event staff and helpers get around in whatever it takes. The desert was full of side by sides, quads and dirt bikes, besides the 1200 or so registerred 4x4 rigs in the event.

The "raffleman" did a great job and he had plenty of helpers. With about $122k in prizes, the average prize was around $800 EACH. Totally awesome. About 2500 folks filled seats at the raffle, with the 100 plus vendors surrounding them. It ia always quite the sight.

Here, Greg Mulkey of Raceline Wheels (Allied) gave away the first prize package with his bitchen beadlocks as part of the deal. Raceline Wheels is also one of my Jeep sponsors and a proud sponsor of BlueRibbon Coalition.

After TDS, I headed to Death Valley area, with our camp headquarters in Beatty, NV, just the other side of Daylight Pass and the town of Rhyolite. My club joined me and we had a few days of fun wheeling.

Glass Bottle House at Rhyolite, NV

Learning to Geocache -- which is a kick in the pants by the way...an adult treasure hunt. Mike Stoller here is our champion cacher -- well, Tami his wife is, but Mike seems to be in all the pics. Way fun stuff to do.

Mark Foley from my club got "engaged" to geocaching in DV, with this ring he found in the cache. Ok, he put the ring back but still enjoyed the "engagement."

Flourspar Mine cabin, just outside Beatty, with a good view of the desert.

This is what the "settling" of the west, and the 49ers, were all about. Can you imagine??

I found this fixer-upper in Rhyolite. Yup, it's an Impala. Needs work.

If you've never done Death Valley, I highly recommend you put this on your list of adventures. I would be happy to point you in the direction of some pretty cool stuff. This trip was my 27th week-long venture in this marvelous place. Yea, I know...27 years...I must have seen it all, right? Nope. Still finding a few new things to see each year inspite of the National Park Service and mis-guided members of Congress making way too much of it Wilderness.

King of Hammers MFS Buggy Attracts $20,000 to Land Use

2010-03-02T11:09:00.000-08:00

BLUERIBBON COALITION, INC.

NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Kurt Schneider
Phone: (925) 202-9246
Email: kurt@kurtuleas.com
Or
Del Albright
Phone: (209) 304-7693
Email: brdel@sharetrails.org

Motorsport Fabrication Services Promotes Access and Responsible Recreation

Team sets industry standard for promoting access in Griffin King of the Hammers race

POCATELLO, ID (March 2)--The BlueRibbon Coalition is proud to report huge success in land use at the Griffin King of the Hammers (KOH) race. With two vehicles in the 2010 Griffin King of the Hammers race, Motorsport Fabrication Services (MFS) of Lincoln, California, may not have won the race, but they insured that wheeled motorized access won big. With a race-a-thon lead by MFS and BFGoodrich Tires driver Travis Carpenter in his 4405 "Land-use" race vehicle, MFS managed to raise nearly $20,000 for various land-use organizations.

Much like a walk-a-thon, for every mile made by Travis Carpenter and co-driver Dan Trout in the 4405 "land-use" race vehicle, individuals pledged a per mile contribution in the grueling 135-mile race. Pledges were made to any land use organization of the contributor's choice.

Travis Carpenter managed 98 miles before a faulty fuel pump took him out of the 135-mile race. The second MFS vehicle, the 4407, managed to finish a respectable 28th. The biggest contributors in the race-a-thon were the Tin Bender's 4x4 club, who pledged on their own vehicles in the race, raising $5,500, and 4WheelParts Wholesalers, who matched the Tin Bender's pledges for a grand total of $11,000 to the BlueRibbon Coalition raising more than half of the total amount collected.

Billed as the "toughest one-day off-road race on the planet," the Griffin King of the Hammers (www.kingofthehammers.com) has quickly become one of the biggest events in off-roading. With a mix of go-fast desert racing and hard-core rock crawling, the endurance race has attracted some of the most accomplished drivers in rock-sports competitions. Local papers reported 28,000 people were involved in the race, vendor show, fans and crews.

"I am so proud of Travis and his MFS land use buggy," said Del Albright, BlueRibbon Coalition Ambassador who attended KOH. "His club, the Rock Zombies, supported him as well, along with a passel of friends and land use advocates like Kurt Schneider of Pirate4x4.com."

Motorsport Fabrication Services (http://mfs-ca.com) is a full fabrication shop which builds and customizes many different types of vehicles, from hot-rods and rock-crawlers to daily drivers.

If you would like an image or more information--or to schedule an interview with Kurt Schneider. Please call 925-202-9246 or e-mail Kurt at Kurt@kurtuleas.com.

See a short video tribute here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnoEZ2yKy0s

# # #

The BlueRibbon Coalition is a national (non-profit) trail-saving group that represents over 600,000 recreationists nationwide The Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) season is beginning. Federal employees, please mark BlueRibbon Coalition and Check #11402 on your CFC pledge form to support our efforts to protect your access. Join us at 1-800-258-3742 http://www.sharetrails.org

IH8MUD Rocks the World with March MUDness for Landuse

2010-03-01T09:20:00.000-08:00

This is from our friends at IH8MUD.com, Brian "Woody" Swearingen owner. They are rocking us with a huge donation program from the members of the forum. NEW members are welcome. Join up just to support the cause if nothing else. :)
Get a forum Silver Star at the same time.
thank you Woody and the great folks at IH8MUD.com
Del

March 'MUDness and Blue Ribbon Coalition!!

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I've supported Blue Ribbon Coalition for years, and I know many of the members of IH8MUD have as well.

This is your opportunity to upgrade your forum status to Silver Star AND 100% of your subscription goes to Blue Ribbon!!

WHAT?!?!?

Starting TODAY, March 1st, any CHECK mailed in for a Silver Star will be donated 100% to the Blue Ribbon Coalition!

You can finally get your first star...you can extend your current star for another year...you can donate a star to a friend...or you can simply donate!

ALSO, for 3 days only, March 15-16-17, all Paypal Silver Star Subscriptions will be 100% donated to Blue Ribbon Coalition!!

Simply put....if 250 people mail in checks or renew via Paypal, I will cut a check for $5000 to the Blue Ribbon Coalition, courtesy of the membership of IH8MUD. The more who Subscribe, the bigger the donation!

Paypal transactions MUST occur on one of those three dates...if your star renewed in February, you can extend for another year. If you have a continuing subscription set up, you can STILL add a year on during this time. If your membership expires March 12, you can either 'stall' your renewal until the promotion dates OR mail a check in now!

FINALLY...Paypal takes a fee from every transaction...while I REALLY prefer everyone does this via check, I know some will prefer the ease of Paypal...IH8MUD will 'absorb' these Paypal fees and 100% of your $20 subscription will be forwarded to Blue Ribbon.

GET THOSE CHECKS MAILED IN! Payable to IH8MUD.com (and be SURE to include username(s) in the comment line!)

IH8MUD.com
813 E Harrison St
Appleton, WI 54915

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Disclaimers: You can only join or extend for one year. Users can only receive one donated star, any duplicates will be considered an open donation to BRC. Any Paypal subscriptions received after 11:59pm on March 17th will not be included in the donation. Any USPS mailed-in subscriptions postmarked after March 17th will not be included. This does NOT include a membership in Blue Ribbon Coalition.

Rubicon Trail Volunteers Bring Us Up to Date

2010-02-28T19:43:00.000-08:00

Friends of the Rubicon (FOTR) Annual Meeting 2010 Report from Jacquelyne Bebe Theisen
The FOTR Annual meeting went very well. We had a full day with lots of great information from our own membership and from our agency partners.

We began the meeting with introductions and comments from Del and Daphne Greene to kick things into gear. (full room; 100 folks)

We then had a recap of workdays on the trail for the year, both the El Dorado side and the Placer side, I recapped the El Dorado and Doug Barr recapped the Placer. We have accomplished a ton last year and have even MORE to do this year.

I introduced a new oil cleaning product, that after*two trials on the trail, was modified to include a detergent free surfactant, an enzyme and a microbe. It took all the best of the two products we used to remove old oils stains from the granite, and added an enzyme for the fast acting breakdown of petroleum, and a microbe that contines to breakdown any oil that gets into the soil over time. The new product is called "S'oil Cleanse" and has now been added to the County's Grant request to be added to the free spill kits that we hand out on the trail, in convenient 8oz squeeze bottles. The product will also be available to the public and can be purchased in larger volume containers.

There were some meaningful highlights, one of them being a "Lifetime Achievement Award" presented to Mr. Dana Holland. Dana's achievements on the Rubicon go back over 30 years. One of the most notable projects being the Rubicon Springs Bridge, with the most recent being the Wentworth Springs Kiosk, Oil Containment Bdlg, and the Wag Bag collection Receptacle. I'll send out some photo's when I get them together.

Rubicon Trail Foundation recapped their grant funding and status for 2009-2010 grant cycle. They also had a show and tell of the new Pooper Unimog that will be used on the trail for pumping out the new toilets that will be installed (hopefully) over the next couple of years at remote locations like Spider Lake and Buck Island Lake.

Del held the annual election of the Trail Boss, and by a show of hands, I was elected by the present members. Del apologized for not holding an election at the time he chose to appoint Todd and I last year, but said he did what he did, and apologized again.

Shortly after we went straight into the business of the new Org Chart for FOTR, and all current appointments remained the same, and a couple of empty positions were filled. I can e-mail you the chart if you would like one.

I also briefly went over the CGS map provided to me by the County last week, that showed all of the areas that need our attention. We will again spend the majority of our time on the west side of the trail this year, but now have specific projects laid out before us. I will need folks to step up for Incident Commander Positions as we will have 5 work days this year. I can email a Calendar with all of the pertinent dates.

I asked the membership to assist with a project that will include a lot of buckets, and the major organized runs this year by JJUSA, Jeepers Jamborees and others like TLCA, Marlin Crawler runs too. We have a couple of areas that need to be filled back up to Original Grade. These will not be done during our normal workdays, nor by the County, but we will be handing out buckets to be filled with rock from a location on the trail, and dropped at Walker Hill and Winter Camp, the two more incised areas of the trail. More details to come as things come together.

We broke for lunch and were stuffed to the gills with the most amazing Rockhead food ever, Dale Robins whipped up some chili verde, chicken and beef for a plethora of tacos. Wow, no wonder they are the official Cook Crew of FOTR! They Rock!

The Agency panel was very informative, and included USFS, EL Dorado County, Water Board and OHMVR Representatives. Grants for upcoming projects were discussed, as well as Forest Service Projects, and a continued vote of support from OHMVR.

Daphne Green from OHMVR communicated how important FOTR is, as it sets the standard NATION WIDE for what a collaboration of Volunteers and Agencies can accomplish together, and we were congratulated by other agencies on out talent, resources and our die hard desire to keep the Rubicon alive and well for future generations.

Diane Rubiaco from Pacific District spoke about defining some dispersed camping areas along the trail, and also providing a route to some of these areas. While details were not readily available, in a previous meeting, both Buck Island and Little Sluice/Spider lake areas were discussed. Very encouraging. She did say that they may not look like we image they should. but that she is looking forward to a collaborative process.

Vickie Sanders of El Dorado County told us about the grants being requested by the County on the Rubicon Trails behalf, and again thanked to volunteers for their work on the trail. Vickie is truly the lady who makes it all happen for us, working with both the DOT, Legal and the Supervisors office to advocate for us at every turn. I can't thank her enough.

Phil Jenkins of OHMVR described a collaboration of 4 Law Enforcement Agencies that will be active on and around the trail this year. He is working on a project to include 2 State Parks officers that will be placed at a mid trail position during the Summer.

Law enforcement this year will be the largest presence we have ever seen on the Rubicon Trail, with 2 full time State Parks LEO's, 2 Forest Service FPO's, and 2 full time Sheriffs officers.

Marty Hartzel from the Water Board came to tell us how we were progressing on the CAO, and let us know that everything is going as planned, all reports have been submitted on time, and that they are looking forward to the Long term management Plan and the Saturated Soils plan due this year.

As we wound things down, Duncan Waldrop took the time to discuss a Trail Patrol Project he has been working on for RTF. RTF hired him to design a trail patrol program that will be self sustaining. Duncan also presented the CalStar Program to members of FOTR, and we had to vote to be called a group just for this purpose. It was overwhelmingly approved, and now all members of FOTR are eligible for Cal Star Helicopter Insurance for $35.00 per year. If you are interested - contact Duncan, and he will get you the necessary information.

Thank you all who attended, presented and committed your time to the Friends of the Rubicon. We couldn't do it with out each and every one of you.

Thank you all for your vote and your vote of confidence. We are going to have a GREAT year, a PRODUCTIVE year, and will be one step closer to lifting the Clean up and Abatement Order.

Bebe, Trail Boss
***************

Poison Spyder Sponsors BlueRibbon Coalition

2010-02-28T05:42:00.000-08:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Del Albright
(209) 304-7693
Ambassador, BlueRibbon Coalition
Access Army Warrior King

Poison Spyder Sponsors BlueRibbon Coalition Attendance at “TDS”

Banning, CA (February 24, 2010). It becomes newsworthy when businesses support land use and access with not only product and memberships, but also donations. BlueRibbon Coalition Ambassador Del Albright will be attending the annual Tierra del Sol (TDS) Desert Safari because of the generous support of Poison Spyder. You will find BlueRibbon in or near the Poison Spyder booth at TDS so please come by, say hi, and also see the new Access Army Ricochet Rocker on the Albright Jeep.

The 48th Annual Desert Safari, conducted by the Tierra del Sol 4Wheel Drive club out of San Diego, will be March 5-7, 2010 in the Truckhaven Hills of southern California. Typically several thousand folks are in the raffle audience on Saturday night to get their shot at over $100,000 in prizes. Poison Spyder will be one of the near 100 vendors on site.

Poison Spyder Customs is legendary among hardcore wheelers, where most of the products are forged in the famous “Hammers” area. They take pride in their professionally crafted products for Jeeps. And back in November 2009, Poison Spyder joined forces with the Access Army to produce a limited edition Access Army version of their popular Rocker Knocker and Ricochet Rocker, with a portion of the proceeds going to BlueRibbon Coalition.

The great folks at Poison Spyder are staunch supporters of access to our public lands, and go beyond the call of duty to help us ensure a motorized future. BlueRibbon Coalition and the Access Army are proud to be teamed up with such a far-sighted business.

Learn more about Poison Spyder here: http://www.poisonspyder.com/
Sign up for Desert Safari here: http://www.tdsdesertsafari.com/

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Daystar Supports Land Use and BlueRibbon Coalition

2010-02-24T21:55:00.000-08:00

Tired of seeing your favorite off-road areas closed by environmental lobbyist efforts? Are you sick of being hassled by law-enforcement officials as they try to enforce the often vague laws concerning tire coverage? Daystar’s new mud flaps let others know your feelings on these subjects loud and clear: “Four Wheeling is Not a Crime!”

Daystar’s universal Mud Flaps keep your vehicle legal while expressing your opinion in bold letters. Most states have some sort of law concerning tire coverage, and many require mud flaps on pickups and SUVs even though they may not be present on a factory vehicle (which complies with federal regulations.) It seems a little coincidental when enforcement of these tire coverage rules is practically non-existent until a big four-wheeling event takes place. Then law enforcement suddenly becomes fanatical about obscure laws concerning tire coverage, sometimes to the point of borderline harassment of law-abiding four-wheeling enthusiasts.

Daystar’s “Four Wheeling is Not a Crime” Mud Flaps stop the harassment by providing adequate tire coverage and complying with laws concerning mud flaps. Rather than rubber, which can deteriorate over time, Daystar’s mud flaps are constructed of high-strength Polyurethane material. Polyurethane is resistant to vehicle fluids, road grime, and Magnesium Chloride (a de-icing material). At 5/16” thick, Daystar’s Mud Flaps are tough and designed to last for years in punishing environments. They are a universal fit and are designed to work with commonly available bracket systems.

Daystar’s “Four Wheeling is Not a Crime” Mud Flaps are available in black but can be ordered with red letters (KU71087RE), blue letters (KU71087RB), or yellow letters (KU71087YL). They are sold in pairs. A portion of the proceeds for all mud flaps will be donated to the Blue Ribbon Coalition in order to assist with the fight to keep trails open. For more information on the Blue Ribbon Coalition, go to http://www.sharetrails.org/.

Buy these mud flaps at Daystar here: http://www.daystarweb.com/

BlueRibbon Online Magazine Hot Topics for February

2010-02-24T11:29:00.000-08:00

BlueRibbon Land Use Online Magazine

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You can sign up for these quickie news releases of hot topics in the BlueRibbon magazine at http://www.sharetrails.org.
Once again, moving further along into modern times and technology.

The February 2010 issue of BlueRibbon Magazine is available online! Featured in this issue...

STAFF COLUMNS
Greg Mumm (BRC Executive Director) gets rolling on momentum
Sonia Bartz (BRC President) sounds off on accepting change

NEWS
Tread Lightly Partners with Yamaha on an awesome new project

BRC takes a stand against public lands lockup in South Dakota

Tellico appeal takes a hit from the Forest Service

Eldorado Lawsuit: Why are recreation groups seeking to intervene?

Rubicon Update: How will the Board of Supervisors vote effect things?

Larry Chidester gets some well deserved recognition. Find out why!

The 16th Annual Lassen-Applegate Emigrant Trail Ride is coming, and you can be a part of it

EDITORIAL
Del & Stacie Albright whip up some "Rumbling Thunder: this month

Charlie Williams cracks wise about his "old body, but young soul"

SPECIAL SECTIONS
Up-to-date facts regarding BRC's legal action, in bite-size tidbits that won't strain the brain

The Member Support List: Thanks guys!

LAND-USE OUTLOOK: Brian Hawthorne (BRC's Public Lands Policy Director) gives you the latest weather forecast on public land access issues

TRAIL RIDE
Jack Welch (BRC Special Projects Coordinator) takes some east coast & international visitors on a fantastic snowmobile ride in our most famous national park

This notice sponsored by Rocky Mountain ATV /MC: go here to see the full website and magazine: http://www.sharetrails.org

thanks, Del

ThumperTalk Needs Your Vote for Landuse

2010-02-23T12:58:00.000-08:00

Support BlueRibbon by voting for ThumperTalk forums.

ThumperTalk is eligible for a Intuit (Quicken) grant of $35,000 because they use QuickBooks. If we vote for them and they win the grant, they will split it with BlueRibbon Coalition. AWESOME.

Check out the full story and the SIMPLE three steps to make this happen with YOUR vote. Page 10 of the January 2010 online magazine: http://www.sharetrails.org/magazine/issues/january2010/

BFGoodrich Tires Winning Streak at Hammers

2010-02-16T12:57:00.000-08:00

I'm pimping this because BFGoodrich Tires is also setting the example nationwide for businesses helping to keep our sport alive and our trails open. BFG is doing more than any company I know of, on many fronts, including the racing field, but also Outstanding Trails program, support for BlueRibbon Coalition with tire sales on off-road tires, magazine adds to support land use organizations and many other helpful donations to raffles. They just plain ROCK in my book.

Del
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BFGoodrich Tires Continues King of the Hammers Win Streak;

Claims Top 11 Positions

GREENVILLE, S.C. – Feb. 16, 2010 – BFGoodrich® Tires once again reigns supreme as it remains to be the only tire manufacturer to come out on top at the challenging King of the Hammers. More than 30,000 fans witnessed Loren Healy take home the coveted scepter this past weekend at the 2010 Griffin King of the Hammers. Healy, along with co-driver Rodney Woodey, became the only team to take the checkered flag after qualifying at the 4 Wheel Parts Last Chance Qualifier earlier in the week.

Winning 667 buggy driven by Loren Healy. Photo credit: Harry Situations

Healy and Woodey, who started the race in the 53rd position, battled through the difficult terrain of Johnson Valley, Calif. and conquered the 135-mile loop course in 6 hours 57 minutes and 53 seconds. Of the 100 competitors that started the race, only 43 finished, 34 of which chose to run the ultimate desert-and-rock race on BFGoodrich tires.

Healy’s winning rig was equipped with 39” BFGoodrich Krawler™ T/A®KX tires, which are designed for unprecedented grip on extreme rocks, mud and dirt.

“These BFGoodrich Krawlers are unbelievable,” said Healy at the finish line. “I have always competed on BFGoodrich tires and this is the reason why. The pit support, the onsite support and the tires are the reason why I choose BFGoodrich.”

Team BFGoodrich driver Brad Lovell barely missed out on the win, finishing only 28 seconds behind Healy. Lovell and co-driver Bill Kunz chose 37” BFGoodrich Baja T/A®KRT tires while third place finisher Derek West and co-driver Jason Henne chose 39” BFGoodrich Baja T/AKRT tires, which are designed specifically for rock racing and King of the Hammers.

“We can’t thank BFGoodrich Tires enough,” said Lovell. “They're the greatest tire and you can see that because the top 11 finishers in this race were on BFGoodrich tires.”

“Having the first 11 teams and 80 percent of the finishers who come across the finish line on BFGoodrich tires not only continues to prove the extreme capability of our product, but also shows that winners choose BFGoodrich,” said Roberts Kukainis, Motorsports Manager, BFGoodrich Tires. “Healy’s determination to qualify for the big race at the Last Chance Qualifier and then go on to conquer all 135 punishing miles is an incredible story. Congratulations to him and his team.”

In addition to being the official tire for King of the Hammers, BFGoodrich Tires provided pit and communications support to teams through its fleet of off-road motorsports vehicles. This immense undertaking involved more than 40 off-road enthusiasts and volunteers who donate their time to help BFGoodrich support the organization of King of the Hammers. BFGoodrich also introduced a new 42” off-road racing tire at the event.

BFGoodrich Tires hosted an on-site media hospitality center during the event. Located immediately opposite from tech and contingency and next to the start/finish line, the hospitality center allowed media to cover the race while enjoying complimentary snacks and beverages. Race tracking and updates in the media hospitality center were provided by Pirate4x4.com.

Using motorsports as a proving ground for more than 30 years, BFGoodrich Tires is involved in every type of racing, including oval, sports car, drifting, drag, desert, dirt, rally, and extreme rock-crawling. BFGoodrich Tires combines technological expertise with vast motorsports experience, delivering a high-performance tire for every type of vehicle. Visit BFGoodrich Tires online at www.bfgoodrichtires.com

###
Media Contacts: Tonya Polydoroff

864-458-4511

tonya.polydoroff@us.michelin.com
David Gordon
949-223-2314
David.gordon@hillandknowlton.com

King of the Hammers; a Land Use Perspective

2010-02-15T20:12:00.000-08:00

BlueRibbon Coalition sent me to Griffin King of the Hammers to be the Land Use Emporium guy and seminar host/moderator. I was BLOWN away by this awesome event. I could blog hours on how this is a shining example of our sport taken to the next level, while still embracing simple things like recycling and pack it out.

To keep my blog short, let me hit the highlights:

The organization and staff of KOH was incredible and efficient.

One local reporter said 28,000 folks were in attendance; Jeff Knoll and I were thinking around 22,000. No matter. It's HUGE. It's the biggest thing I've ever been too, and well done to boot.

The lakebed and trails were left cleaner than when the crew got there.
I lead the cleanup of Sledge and I can attest to the fact that our off-road folks are getting the message and not leaving behind big messes.

Cal4 ran the recycling program (KOH idea) and kept the money for land use issues.

Over 100 volunteers help put on the race.

Over 100 vendors provided and shared their wares and goodies with booths, vans, trucks and displays.

The land use seminar was more about FREEDOM -- and will be posted (recored version) on Pirate4x4. John Stewart (Cal4), Todd Ockert (Access Army), and Jacquelyne Bebe Theisen (FOTR) were on the panel with me.

100 drivers started and about half finished. There was only 28 seconds between first and second.
Loren Healy from Farmington, NM was crowned King of the Hammers.

Loren on stage with his team, getting crowned KING. From Farmington, NM, Loren drives a Jimmy's 4x4 rig with a 365ci motor.

BlueRibbon Coalition off-road Champion, Brad Lovell, Lovell Racing, took a shining Second Place, only 28 seconds behind the winner.

Greg Mulkey from Raceline Wheels (Allied) presented KOH organizers Jeff Knoll and David Cole with Racer's Choice awards. Sweet.

Friends of Johnson Valley were there and benefited from a nice Saturday morning breakfast prepared by 4x4Him.org.

Poison Spyder was there with their great products and awesome support of our new Access Army.

Jason Scherer (L) and Shannon Campbell (R) stood with Loren Healy with co-driver Rodney Woody, all the Kings in Court.

Here's the King's buggy, # 667, in Sledge, gettin' it and looking good.

Loren was another of the BFGoodrich Tire drivers, like the top 12 winners were using. BFG's kicked it in 2010. Wow.

The best place to get more of a report and see videos is on Pirate4x4 here: http://www.pirate4x4.com/king-of-the-hammers-2010/index.php

BlueRibbon Travels and Southwest Crawlfest

2010-02-06T09:51:00.000-08:00

Reporting from the road -- we are in Las Vegas today, headed over to King of the Hammers shortly.
In the meantime, we have to report that this new event we attended, Southwest Crawlfest, was an absolute four-wheeling DREAM. We had a ball, gained several new BlueRibbon members, hooked up with great folks, talked trail-saving by the hours, and found some marvelous trails.

The trails wove in and out of red rock domes like you find in Moab, UT. In fact, in many ways this place rivals Moab. Plus it's a State Park OHV Area with tons of obstacles and trails to challenge all types of rigs.

The event started Friday am with a driver's meeting, safety briefing, and introductions. I heard there were 320 rigs signed up that were spread out over 11 trails. AWESOME.

Big Sarge was there for Utah 4Wheel Drive Association along with other members. Many land use groups were there as well, because the Crawlfest donates most all their proceeds to help keep our trails open. Another AWESOME. BlueRibbon Coalition is one of their primary recipients of donations.

The trails offered runs for everything from SUV to buggy. It was a blast for sure with beautiful weather.

You can see the trails were mostly up on the red rim rocks above Warner Valley outside St. George, Utah and just spectacular scenery.

After Crawlfest we moved over to Kanab, UT to link up with some BRC members and members of the Canyon Country 4x4 Club who built Hog Canyon OHV Trail System. We got snowed out of seeing very much of the trail, but had a lot of fun getting out in the area and visiting with the local folks.

We did manage to get in a quick trip to Page, AZ to see a slot canyon. Enough said.

Next stop, Hammertown for King of the Hammers.

Del

CA4WDC Convention Honoring Our Armed Forces (Feb. 19-21)

2010-01-25T18:49:00.000-08:00

TO: All Cal4wheel members and prospective members

FROM: Frank Funk, Convention Chair

January 25, 2010

The California Association of 4Wheel Drive Clubs (CA4WDC) is heading into its second 50 years of service in the OHV arena with a special convention honoring our Armed Forces. We are only 3 weeks away from our 51st Annual Convention and we need you to sign up right away. The Convention Committee has been working very hard to put together a stimulating, informative and fun filled convention program. Allow me to give you an idea of what we have planned for you and tell you how easy it is to registered.

The Convention kicks off Friday morning with a with a Tread Lightly Training seminar at 8 am (pre-registration required – see www.cal4wheel.com for more info). The Trade Show (4x4 vendors and MORE) will open at noon and be open until 5 pm on Friday. On Friday afternoon there will be BOD meeting from 1 – 5 pm. The Hospitality Room will open at 6:30 pm on Friday. In the Hospitality Room, besides the usual “hospitality” we will have three projectors showing CA4WDC event pictures (if you have any to share please contact me ASAP). The Hospitality Room will go until 12pm or until interest wanes.

Saturday will start with the Life Member Breakfast from 8am-10am. Also on Saturday morning there will be a variety of seminars. We believe there is something to interest everyone with seminars on Dutch Oven cooking and geocaching, a Pampered Chef demo and more. Check out your registration packet for a complete list and times. The Vehicle Show will open Saturday morning as well. It starts at 10am and goes until 2pm. There will be Military Vehicles, 4X4’s, as well as Classics. The show is open to any and all vehicle “toys” – see www.cal4wheel.com for an application.

Saturday afternoon the 1st session of the General Assembly will be from 1 to 5 pm. Then to start Saturday evening the No-Host bar will open at 6 pm. At 6:30 pm, in keeping with the convention theme, the call to dinner will be an incredible parade including a Color Guard, Bag Pipes and the playing of Taps and the honoring of 4 wheelers who have served our country. During and following dinner there will be several Guest speakers/presentations including the presentation of CA4WDC’s annual awards. All this leads up to the drawing for the Sweepstakes Vehicle.

On Sunday morning the General Assembly’s 2nd session will deal with the remaining items on the agenda. This session and the Trade Show will end around noon. In the afternoon from 1pm-5pm a New-Old BOD meeting will close out the convention.

I encourage all of you as association members to register right now. At www.cal4wheel.com you can complete an online registration or download the form and mail it in, either way it just takes a couple minutes. Please REGISTER now as we need you there to help your association grow.

While you’re registering be sure to let us know if you or anyone in your family is or has been in the any branch of the Armed Services. Please be sure to indicate which branch.

For room reservation call the Double Tree at (916) 929-8855. They have extended the room rate discount but you need to call them ASAP and mention the code 201!

If you would like to be a vendor in the Trade Show you can register online or contact Joe Malloy; 4x4_fun@comcast.net

If you would like to advertise in the Convention Program contact Frank Funk; frankfunk@gotfj40.com

Thank you in Advance for attending

Frank Funk, Convention 2010 Chairman

Article: Rumbling of Thunder

2010-01-25T09:30:00.000-08:00

RUMBLING OF THUNDER

A Whole New Sound in the Off-road World

By Del & Stacie Albright, BlueRibbon Coalition

The over-paid, seldom-right weather man spoke with such animation and excitement that you couldn’t help but get taken in by his rambling analysis of the on-coming weather pattern (from outer space). But he had me from hello when he mentioned the "rumbling of thunder” and how we would be hearing it for some time to come. I realized at that moment he had just described the new sound I’ve been hearing in the off-road skies – thunder!

Thunder is the sound made by lightning, ranging from a sharp loud crack, to a long, low rumble. I don’t think there is any one reason for this “storm,” but rather a culmination of people getting fed up with unnecessary closures and restrictions. Can you see the lightning and hear the thunder?

Read and download the article here: http://www.delalbright.com/Articles/rumbling_thunder.html
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Del

Rubicon Trail Users Oppose Plan, Need Support

2010-01-23T09:05:00.000-08:00

Friends of the Rubicon

Contact: Jacquelyne "Bebe" Theisen
Telephone: 530-888-8302
E-mail: bebehumr@gmail.com
Auburn, CA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

RUBICON TRAIL USERS OPPOSE PLAN

Friends of the Rubicon fighting for Little Sluice and trail bypasses

January 20, 2010; Placerville, CA. Friends of the Rubicon (FOTR) asks for user support to change the future of the Rubicon Trail in El Dorado County. El Dorado County Department of Transportation (DOT) will present staff recommendations at a public meeting, January 26th, at 2pm in the County Board of Supervisors Board room. DOT Staff has published a recommended Route Recognition plan so that the Rubicon Trail in El Dorado County is defined as ordered by the California Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board's Clean up and Abatement Order issued to El Dorado County and the Eldorado National Forest Service last spring.

Friends of the Rubicon is appreciative of the involvement of the Department of Transportation in working with all interested stakeholders to come up with a framework for the future maintenance of the trail - which FOTR looks forward to assisting the County in its implementation. However County staff recommendations do not reflect our user-groups priorities, consensus or recommendations.

FOTR will present a 10 minute counter-presentation to the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors on behalf of motorized Rubicon Trail users and the volunteers that work tirelessly to maintain the health of the Rubicon Trail. The presentation will focus on keeping the trail open, alive and well for all users.

Del Albright, Ambassador, Blue Ribbon Coalition and founding Trail Boss of Friends of the Rubicon said, “El Dorado County staff have been essential in developing a long-term plan for the health of the Rubicon Trail, but this current recommendation flies side-ways in a couple key issues critical to responsible users of the trail. FOTR has the right recommendations and we will be advocating to the Board of Supervisors to support FOTR’s approach.”

Of the three alternatives presented to the Board of Supervisors by the Department of Transportation, Friends of the Rubicon supports a modified Option 3 that includes all of the Recommended Variants and a maintenance corridor at Little Sluice and Buck Island. This should preserve all existing variant routes within the corridors currently on the Not Recommended list.

“After years of work and several public meetings, we still find ourselves in partial, yet significant disagreement with County staff,” says Jacquelyne Theisen, Trail Boss, FOTR. “At this meeting we plan to show, once again, how the responsible users of the Rubicon Trail know what’s best for an overall trail management plan, and are willing to make it happen on the ground,” she adds.

Friends of the Rubicon will ask the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors to add the following Variants Not Recommended to Option 3 so that they are included in the Long Term Management plan currently being developed:

Map location (C) the USFS portion(s) (14N34B). This area is a historical ingress and egress to the Rubicon Trail, and highly valuable for the following reasons; It provides easy access for the extrication of broken or damaged vehicles, or those bringing in parts to repair a vehicle, or for expedited egress for an injured recreationist, or in the event of a wildfire, expedient access to two lakes for human safety. It does have very minor erosion issues that are very easily remedied.

Map location (D) a short section of trail east of Ellis Creek. This area is being requested for the following reasons; It is a section of the original trail, and provides a optional route of increased difficulty, which is a integral part of the Rubicon experience.

Map location (E) the obstacle known as Soup Bowl is a newer area of the trail, that provides a play area. The impression that the trail is constantly blocked and creates a safety hazard is an exaggeration. We are asking that it remains open and that some type of natural barrier be installed to prevent further vegetation loss and that regular maintenance plan be developed to prevent sediment loss.

Friends of the Rubicon is dedicated to working with El Dorado County DOT and the Eldorado National Forest Service to continue to provide the many hours of volunteer labor needed to maintain the health of the Rubicon Trail and to provide a unified voice to motorized users of the world’s most famous trail, the Rubicon.

If you would like to assist FOTR, participate at a FOTR work party or educational outreach efforts at one of our Kiosk information centers, please sign up here at: http://www.rubiconfriends.com .

The meeting on January 26th is located at:
El Dorado County
330 Fair Lane, bldg A

Placerville, CA 96667

NOTE from Del: the Rubicon Trail Foundation (RTF) will be presenting to the Board of Supervisors as well, with many of the same recommendations as FOTR. More on RTF at http://www.rubicontrailfoundation.org/

###

Tellico OHV Area Appeal Denied by USFS

2010-01-22T10:35:00.001-08:00

BLUERIBBON COALITION, INC.

NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Greg Mumm, BlueRibbon Coalition
208-244-2112
Date: January 22, 2010

FOREST SERVICE DENY APPEAL ON TELLICO

POCATELLO, ID (January 22) - On January 15, 2010, Southern Region Deputy Regional Forester Jerome Thomas adopted the recommendation of the internal Appeal Reviewing Officer and denied the Upper Tellico OHV Area appeals submitted by the Southern Four Wheel Drive Association (SFWDA), United Four Wheel Drive Associations (UFWDA), and the BlueRibbon Coalition (BRC). "We are disappointed but not surprised by this outcome," observed Jay Bird of the Rescue Tellico Committee and Past President of SFWDA. "This was a mandatory step in an ongoing process, and it would be unusual for an agency that has been for years locked in on the outcome of closing Tellico to reverse course at the last step of the administrative process," added Greg Mumm, BRC Executive Director. "We remain committed to restoring some form of meaningful vehicle recreation at Tellico, will carefully review the appeal decisions, and will take appropriate next steps," Mumm concluded.

# # #

The BlueRibbon Coalition is a national (non-profit) trail-saving group that represents over 600,000 recreationists nationwide The Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) season is beginning. Federal employees, please mark BlueRibbon Coalition and Check #11402 on your CFC pledge form to support our efforts to protect your access. Join us at 1-800-258-3742 http://www.sharetrails.org

Public Lands Advocacy Videos (Free) from NOHVCC

2010-01-18T15:50:00.000-08:00

NOHVCC CREATES VIDEOS TO HELP RIDERS PROTECT TRAILS

The National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council (NOHVCC) has created a Public Land Advocacy Video Workshop series with help from Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A. via their OHV Access Initiative, the Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC), the Specialty Vehicle Institute of American (SVIA), and the Recreational Off-Highway Vehicle Association (ROHVA). The workshops are designed to give riders the skills they’ll need to keep trails open in their areas; covering everything who the enthusiasts are, planning a trail system, writing effective comments, moving forward from route designation, and much more.

The series consists of 14 easy to watch sessions ranging from 15 to 30 minutes each. The content is based on NOHVCC’s successful onsite workshop sessions with NOHVCC topic experts. The sessions are designed to give the people who can’t participate in an on-site workshop or a webinar the tools they need to help keep their trails open.

Russ Ehnes, Executive Director of the NOHVCC said “These are tight economic times and we need to take advantage of technology to help riders get the information they need. This program is helping us reach thousands of OHV activists and riders who otherwise wouldn’t have a chance to take part in a NOHVCC workshop. This may be one of the best tools that we have created so far for not only the enthusiast’s toolbox, but for program managers as well.”

The workshop modules were developed in cooperation with the American Motorcyclist Association, BlueRibbon Coalition, Motorcycle Industry Council, Off-Road Business Association, Specialty Vehicle Institute of America, and United Four Wheel Drive Associations

To order a DVD, e-mail us at trailhead@nohvcc.org or call us at 800-348-6487. The DVD will be shipped to you free of charge, courtesy of the Yamaha OHV Access Initiative.

Get more links about this from my website here: http://www.delalbright.com/Misc/nohvcc_videos.html

I've started watching them and see quite a bit of value for us.
Del

Reno, NV, Motorsports and RV Show, March 2010

2010-01-13T19:37:00.000-08:00

If you live within driving distance of Reno, NV, or will be in the area in mid March, here is a show not to miss. I know the guy putting on this show and it promises to be fun and interesting. This has a little bit of everything for everyone who loves the outdoors. Check it out if you get a chance, and for sure be.

International Motorsports & Recreation Expo

March 12,13, & 14, 2010

Reno-Sparks Convention Center
4590 Virginia St., Reno, NV
Fri. 3/12 noon to 7pm
Sat. 3/13, 10am to 7pm
Sun. 3/14 10m to 5pm

Adults $10.00
Kids 12 and under free.

This show is a great introduction to the sports and recreation lifestyle. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned RVer, a race car enthusiast or a fly fisherman, there will be something for you at the International Motorsports & Recreation Expo.

There will be plenty of information for great travel destinations, fun-filled fishing excursions and much, much more! As an outdoor sports and recreation enthusiast, don’t miss this opportunity to find all that you dream of at the International Motorsports & Recreation Expo.

Tons of exhibitors, off-road, RV, boats, hunting and fishing, and outdoor lifestyles.

Website: http://www.bigshows.com/1632.html

Land Use Auction -- Up to 42 inch Tires from BFG!!!

2010-01-13T08:02:00.000-08:00

You can still support BlueRibbon and land use through our eBay auction. I just added two more goodies (re-listed one and upgraded the tire listing).

BFGoodrich Tires just upped the ante – 5 tires, ANY size of the KM2’s, UP TO 42’s!!!!
Dynatrac is still kicking in their new ProRock 44’s for JK’s.

Don’t miss out on this deal if you’re in the market:
http://donations.ebay.com/charity/charity.jsp?NP_ID=25971

All proceeds go to land use and helping things like the Eldorado Lawsuit and other legal issues affecting our trail, like Travel Management and USFS regulations – sooner or later these issues require national attention – and that be BRC.

UP TO 42 x 14.50 R20. Dude!!! Bid now.

Thanks,
Del

Carnegie SVRA Rally and Ride Video

2010-01-11T08:00:00.000-08:00

The sports of motorized recreation are always under fire by folks who would rather watch TV and eat bon-bons than get behind or on a motor and have some real fun! It seems no matter how responsible we are, how commited we are to keeping our OHV areas clean and maintained, or how passionate we make our pleas to the "other side," they just won't give up and leave us alone. For them, it's never enough.

So for these unreasonable people, our answer needs to be to get mean. No more Mr. Nice Guy. Now don't get me wrong; not everyone deserves our "ugly" response. There are some good folks wanting to help us keep our environment healthy while maintaining our sports. There are some good politicians who know we are the "real" environmentalists anyway. But for those radical protectionists that still think closing us out is the only answer, we need to get "mad as hell." This speech by Dave Pickett (AMA, Dist. 36) and Don Amador (BlueRibbon Coalition), tells the tale.

Eco-Challenge at King of Hammers 2010

2010-01-04T16:47:00.000-08:00

2010 KOH ECO Challenge

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From Jeff Knoll, King of the Hammers

2010 Griffin King of the Hammers, eco challenge.

In 2006 I challenged the Pirate board and the 4 wheeling community to clean up after the party at Potato salad hill in Moab during the Easter Jeep Safari. http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showt...lean+challenge

This year Hammerking Productions is throwing down a new challenge. The KOH ECO Challenge.

Last year KOH generated an amazing amount of trash; we looked inside the massive dumpster and saw about 30 percent recyclable products. This year we are partnering with Land Use folks to attempt to shatter the mis-perception of Off-roaders and recycle as much of the trash as possible. Cal 4 wheel will provide containers for the recyclable items, and will manage the return. The money generated will benefit the fight to keep our lands open. All that we ask is that you separate your trash while attending the 2010 Griffin King of the Hammers. Put your recyclables in the appropriate containers, and remember to pack out the rest.

The wind plays havoc on the Johnson Valley OHV area, so please keep your trash covered and out of the wind. I hope to see a clean lake bed every morning when I step out the door at Hammertown. We will all live together for the week at Hammertown, so let’s do the best we can and keep it clean. With the amount of fun planned for the week of KOH, I imagine that land use folks can raise some much needed money recycling your bottles and cans. The goal is to raise as much money possible and see how much weight Hammertown can generate……… 2 weeks in the desert might be quite a bit from what I have seen.

Thanks for your support of the this fun program that will benefit land use.
_________________
Check out these films and events from Hammerking productions: http://www.kingofthehammers.com/

Note from Del: this is incredibly far-sighted and eco-friendly on the part of this amazing event. KOH folks are setting the example for all of us when it comes to taking care of our environment while having fun in our rigs.

BlueRibbon Coalition New Website for 2010

2010-01-04T16:39:00.001-08:00

BLUERIBBON COALITION

BRC Announces Launch of New Website

Dear BRC Action Alert Subscriber,

In keeping with our goals of making our communication more effective and, at the same time, giving things a fresh new look, we've been hard at work the past couple of months designing and implementing a brand new website. We rolled it out this morning and we are excited to have you see it.

Stay tuned for more developments, as we are continuing to revise and fine-tune this work.

Please take just a moment to visit www.sharetrails.org -- we think you'll like what you see. Check back often; we have plans for lots more good stuff to keep you informed this year.

Thanks for your continued support,

Greg Mumm

Executive Director

BlueRibbon Coalition

Land Use Pledge for King of Hammers Race 2010

2010-01-03T16:43:00.000-08:00

The 4405 MFS Race-a-Thon

by Kurt Schnieder (playing Jerry Lewis) & Del Albright

PLEDGE NOW to Benefit Land Use with the World's Largest Off-Road Race in the US

For the King of the Hammers 2010, we are taking pledges to land-use organizations depending on how far the 4405 land-use buggy makes it in the race! Just like a pledge drive high school kids do at school for sports fundraisers!! This is an awesome, hard-core desert and rock race, where only a few are left standing. 15,000 to 20,000 people could be on-hand to witness this event next month. I plan to be there.

YOU pick the amount pledged per mile and YOU pick the organization to donate too!

Travis Carpenter (Rock Zombie) is our driver. With title sponsor, Motorsports Fabrication Services (MFS), he's also a BFGoodrich Tires guy; with Yukon gears; a Powertank; Solid Axle dude, PRP seats, Vision X-Lights, Coast High Performance Racing Engines, but mostly, he's a land use HERO. He's taking the MFS buggy to KOH to help kick some land use ACCESS.

KOH is 135 miles long this year, so if you pledge a dollar per mile, that's $135 to the organization you picked as long as Travis and the 4405 make it thru the entire race!

Directions:

1. Pledge anything you would like per mile made in the 4405 during KOH, and pick the organization you will pledge too, starting with the BlueRibbon Coalition.

2. Add an addtional amount pledged if Travis wins KOH. (By the way, If the 4405 wins, our team is donating $5,000 of the winnings to BlueRibbon Coalition (http://www.sharetrails.org/).

3. You also have the option for a "gutter pledge" that is if we don't start or do not complete at least 20 miles.

4. In your sig-line, please put: "4405 KOH Pledge" with your post number after it! (ex. 4405 KOH pledge #2) if you are a Pirate4x4 subscriber. (for non-Pirate4x4 folks, please see #6 below).

5. PLEASE forward a link to this thread to everyone on your e-mail, your local bulletin boards etc. If you can't afford to pledge anything (Which I totally understand) At the very least, help us to get the word out about this fundraiser!

6. If you are not a Pirate4x4 subscriber, you may e-mail your pledge to: kurt@friendsofeldorado.com (and let him know if you want your pledge posted, or prefer to remain anonymous). We hope everyone will pledge and post up proudly so we can build an incredible list of donors.

7. After the race, please send you donation directly to the organizations you picked by March 1st. We are not collecting money.

You may cut and paste my post below and change the amounts and the organizations as you wish.

We will take pledges up until Febuary 11th, and I will also be taking pledges on the lakebed... Please pay you pledge amount by March 1st.

Suggested organizations to pledge too: (You may pick any land-use organization you wish, you do not need to pick from this list)

Blue Ribbon Coalition; then
Other National Organizations fighting for land use
State Associations
Regional Associations
other non-profit land use or appropriate associations, organizations, or Friends groups.

Note from Kurt: Maybe this is just a pipe dream on my part, but think about this: if 20,000 people show up to KOH this year, and we get just 1/4 of them to pledge...at an average of $100 a person... THIS WILL BE THE BIGGEST LAND-USE DONATION EVER ON PIRATE4X4.COM EVER!!!

Help keep public lands open to the public!
Help support the sport!!

THANK YOU!

Note from Del: it's my thinking we need to build the big dog, BlueRibbon Coalition, into the baddest biggest national grassroots organization ever formed. This pledge fund-raiser could sure put a dent in that objective.

See the thread on Pirate4x4 here: http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?p=10813389&posted=1#post10813389

Visit title sponsor MFS here: http://www.mfs-ca.com/
Thanks to all,
Del (and Kurt)

Carnegie SVRA Rally and Ride

2009-12-29T08:18:00.000-08:00

The hills were alive with the sounds of dirt bikes!! It was awesome. Yesterday's rally at Carnegie State Vehicle Recreation Area (SVRA) was a huge success. The judge's order to close the park has already had a stay of a couple weeks and we're fighting to get the park back FULLY open in short order.

This is one of those bordering on silly situations -- but enough is enough, and silly or not, the OHV community is sick of being pushed around. The FIGHT BACK attitude is alive and well.

Don Amador shows what a hoax this judge's order is...

Del and Don in the BlueRibbon booth with local riders who support BlueRibbon and Carnegie SVRA.

It was about the kids...and there were plenty of kids in riding gear on the stage to show the press how we want to have something for our kids and their motorized recreation future.

Side Note: no matter what eco-situations we have or don't have on the ground where ever we recreate, it has been proven over and over that WE are ready, willing and ABLE to step up and fix it! As volunteers, we are proven source of passionate and dedicated workers capable of drawing on our vast resources to fix any problem thrown at us. Closure is not necessary; and not an option!!!

Off-Road Voters and a Great Gift

2009-12-24T15:15:00.000-08:00

If you're looking for a great sticker that reflects our motorized sports and what we need to be doing, check this out from California Jeep Authority. I got mine.http://www.californiajeepauthority.com/jeep-decal-i-offroad-and-i-vote.html

Del

Land Use Activist Don Klusman Passes Away

2009-12-24T15:08:00.000-08:00

I'm saddened to report that we lost another land use activist yesterday, unexpectedly. Don Klusman, long time advocate and Resource Consultant for the Calif. Assoc. of 4wheel Drive Clubs left us quickly.

Don has a passionate and noteable career helping us fight for our trails and access. Read more on the Cal4wheel website here: http://www.cal4wheel.com/

Bye Don..we'll miss you.
Del

USAA Insurance Company Teaches Uncle Del About Modern Communications

2009-12-21T09:23:00.000-08:00

I am amazed at how our world is changing in the way of computers, electronics and communications. My first "Tweet" was more powerful than my first date as a teenager. My first "blog" gave me chills. And I thought my first time with online banking was scarier than jumping out of airplanes in army boots. But no; there's more.

United Services Automobile Association (USAA) insurance and banking company just told me how I can now do my insurance stuff AND bank on my Blackberry (or iPhone) and even do DEPOSITS using my phone camera and phone internet. OMG!!! Deposit a check I’m holding in my hand while taking a picture of it with my phone? What's next?

Now this post is more than a lame advertisement for USAA, albeit I've been with them for 40 years and I highly recommend them to ANYONE who has served in the military. Yes, they are now open to any and all honorable vets. But this blog is about how we must embrace new technology and apply it to those clients, customers and friends who are involved in the game of protecting our freedoms and fighting for our access to public lands. And we must especially apply all these new technologies to folks who love to recreate in the great outdoors, but have yet to figure out that they need to be fighting with us.

Well, ok, I may not be as amazed as I’m playing up here because in reality I’m fully embracing all the new technology I can. Yes, there will be some who feel “big brother” is watching us a bit too much here and there. But I believe that if you embrace all the security and common sense measures to go along with the “in touch” world, you’ll be just fine.

The point I’m really trying to drive home is that if you are trying to make a different in land use and access, or outdoor recreation in general, you should be using all means available to you. Hey maybe for you, like me, that also includes streaming tweets to your website along with an integrated hyper-link to your Facebook account with a side channel to your MySpace page. Whew…

I suspect companies other than USAA are doing this sort of banking thing, but you can learn more at www.usaa.com (if you’re military or ex-military).
Del

Off Road Christmas Auction for BlueRibbon Underway Now

2009-12-01T11:10:00.000-08:00

BLUERIBBON COALITION, INC.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Del Albright, BRC Ambassador
Phone: (209) 304-7693
Email: brdel@sharetrails.org
Date: December 1, 2009

BRC Christmas Auction Project: LIVE and RUNNING

POCATELLO, ID (December 1) - It's on!!! Our Christmas and holiday auction is live and running with sleigh bells. Bids are flying; businesses are sponsoring; and the auction is ready for you. We're still getting new items to add to the list, but it's time to check out what you need to bid on to fill that chimney stocking of yours.

You know the deal. This special online auction is designed to help us all save trails and keep our sports alive. Yeah, well, that's all fine and dandy, but it's also a very impressive list of goodies just waiting for your click.

Just in, we have:

Axia Alloys Billet Mount Rear View Mirror (Side x Side)
4 Registrations to Rally on the Rocks (UTV event, Moab)
Axia Alloys iPod Billet Mount (UTV)
The Tugger (Rear and Front) Combos and Straps for dirt bikes
Parts Mike Dana 44 High Steer for Jeeps
Daystar JK Suspension Lift and Body Lift
Daystar Jeep Dash/Switch Panel
Aluminum Receiver Cargo Rack (donated by Ron Westberg of Colorado)

And these add to our existing list:

Nemesis Industries Hi-Line Front Fenders
Currie Enterprises Heavy Duty Steering System
GenRight Offroad Jeep goodies (TBA)
Tom Wood's Custom Drive Shafts Apparel, goodies and discounts
5 of Del Albright's Recreational Leadership Training Course (RLTC), for anyone
Roundeyes.com LED dome light kits
PIAA Accessory Light Kit
5 off-road Tires from BFGoodrich
5 Monster Beadlock Raceline Wheels by Allied
2 Dynatrac ProRock 44s for JK Jeeps (yeah, a new product)
Rubicon Express JK Suspension Upgrade
4 Diff covers from Dynatrac
Olympic4x4 Products Heavy Duty Deluxe Receiver Rack
Poison Spyder Rocker Knockers (Access Army Laser Cut Out Limited Edition)
Recovery Gear from WARN

We're still adding to our list as businesses continue to jump in and contribute, so please CHECK BACK often during the next 10 days. If you want to donate, just drop an email to Del Albright at brdel@sharetrails.org.

Bid here: http://shop.ebay.com/sharetrails/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=

# # #

The BlueRibbon Coalition is a national (non-profit) trail-saving group that represents over 600,000 recreationists nationwide The Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) season is beginning. Federal employees, please mark BlueRibbon Coalition and Check #11402 on your CFC pledge form to support our efforts to protect your access. Join us at 1-800-258-3742 http://www.sharetrails.org

Land Use Update and Thanksgiving Wish

2009-11-25T07:53:00.000-08:00

Here are some land use updates for you to use/share.

First off, happy Thanksgiving to all. As 2009 sneaks to a close, I think we can all look forward to a better and stronger 2010. I am seeing a large resurgence of interest and support for land use and access efforts. Let’s continue to lead the charge to a brighter future.

(Note: all links are at the bottom of this note)

2010 Land Use War Machine: I’m having some fun with this, but I’m also excited to announce the “new look” of my battle tank, a 1997 TJ Wrangler, with a long list of business sponsors and supporters who are helping me do my part to keep our trails open and our sports alive. Without these great folks, my wheels would be parked. I call it a war machine, because 2010 is the year to rage land use fights like never before. Check out my wheels and how these businesses are in the game big time to help.

Southwest Crawlfest New Event: FYI, this is a fairly new event near St. George, Utah looking for raffle items and attendees. It’s FREE. Yup, free – they pay for their expenses and still have money to donate to land use organizations through their raffle ticket sales alone. January 29, 30, 2010. We are supporting their effort to raise awareness of this awesome event because the Rockaholics Anonymous are donating to the right causes.

King of the Hammers Driver’s Seat Free Ride: Want to drive in the famous offroad race, King of the Hammers? Write an essay why you should be selected to drive in the Griffin Radiators KOH Race in a fully sponsored rig – yup, you drive; their rig. Your entry must be in to Pirate4x4 by Dec. 25th. KOH is in February at Johnson Valley, CA.

$4.00 to Join BlueRibbon Coalition: BRC is running their special deal with 4Wheel Parts where you can join, renew or EXTEND your current membership and get a $25 Gift Card from 4WP at the same time -- $29 bucks for an individual, with $25 back to you in a Gift Card, meaning you just helped save more trails for $4.00 for a year. This is a no-brainer.

Christmas Auction for BlueRibbon Coalition: Several of my personal 4x4 sponsors and many other businesses are kicking in a huge effort to help BRC raise some funds with an eBay type auction starting Dec. 1st. We’re talking well over $10,000 in goodies (so far with a rapidly growing list), of parts and neat accessories. This is a great way for you to save some bucks while helping land use. It’s also another indicator that our business partners are more than willing to do their part to help keep our lands and waterways open for access.

State Offroad Associations: most of our OHV related state associations are lining up their events and new-year kick off activities. Please be supportive and sign up to attend all those you can fit into your schedule and budget. Our strength in the fight to keep our access starts at the local and state level. We need all the organizations we can muster in order to win this battle. I lay out some strategies I think we need to employ to win the war on access in my article (link below). Be sure to check it out and stay involved with your state clubs/associations.

Poison Spyder Supports Land Use: Poison Spyder just released new Rocker Knockers with "Access Army" laser cut into them. WOW. They have chosen to also contribute 10% of the proceeds from the sale of these goodies to the national group, BlueRibbon Coalition. Awesome. Thank you Poison Spyder.

LINKS:
War Machine Introduction: http://www.delalbright.com/Access/sponsors_2009.html
Southwest Crawlfest Event: http://southwestcrawlfest.com/
KOH Driver’s Seat Competition: http://www.delalbright.com/Misc/king_hammers.html
BlueRibbon 4Wheel Parts Deal: https://www.sharetrails.org/tv/4wp/
Article: Strategies to Win the War on Access: http://www.delalbright.com/Articles/strategies_war.html
Christmas Online Auction for BRC: http://www.sharetrails.org/releases/media/?story=666
Poison Spyder Donates to Land Use: http://www.poisonspyder.com/

##
Thanks for all you do, and my best for a safe and happy Thanksgiving,
Del

http://www.delalbright.com

Hump 'N Bump a Huge Success

2009-11-12T19:15:00.000-08:00

Once again the Vegas Valley 4Wheelers "got it done right!" The 29th Annual Hump 'N Bump was a tremendous success with over 200 rigs registered and several wonderful wheeling trails on the menu. Stacie and I were able to recruit several new BlueRibbon Coalition members, and we represented BFGoodrich Tires in a tire give-away to support the raffle. BFG kicked in five (5) tires up to 37's for one lucky winner. Awesome.

Hump 'N Bump supports the Southern Nevada Trail Fund which helps support groups like BlueRibbon Coalition and United Four Wheel Drive Associations and others.

Some businesses supporting the cause at the event included Ted Wiens Custom 4x4 from Vegas, Genright Off Road, Go Treks, Superchips, Findlay Toyota, Olympic4x4 Products, Maximum OffRoad.com, OptimumGear.com, Magnum Ink, and others. Tread Lightly (and BLM) were also on sight with a very nice display and friendly folks to help answer questions.

Notably, we found nearly NO trash on the trails and EVERYONE was courteous and smilling the entire event. I did manage to scare my better half (Stacie) with a few tail-walking airborne Jeep episodes, but no damage was done and my Jeep is ready for another adventure.

See the video of some bodacious rock crawling, and get more info here on my website:
http://www.delalbright.com/Articles/hump_2009.html

Del

Veterans Day -- Never Forget

2009-11-11T18:28:00.000-08:00

Thank your veterans and their families by keeping America strong and free. Never Forget. Never let wackos, weirdos or terrorists control or hamper our freedoms.

I thank all veterans, their famlies, and the memories of those who died in service to this country.
Del

Genright Supports the Albright's

2009-11-09T22:17:00.000-08:00

Genright Off Road joined the supporters of the Del & Stacie Kickin' Access Team while at Hump 'N Bump 2009. Dropping down some serious gas money, the Genright crew jumped on the team to support our efforts at land use and access. We also did some gnarly rocks with them in the Logandale OHV area while at this great event, and found out these Genright folks wheel some awesome machines.

If you're looking for some cool Jeep stuff from some real off road pro's, then check out what Genright Off Road has to offer. They've got hood louvers, body armor, tube fenders, roll cages, skid gear, rocker guards, suspension parts and much more. We plan to do more with them and are totally thankful they are supporting us in our work to save trails and keep our sport alive -- not to mention our Jeep. :) Thanks Genright; you're alright in our book. Check them out at http://www.genright.com/

Del & Stacie Albright, http://www.delalbright.com/

SEMA Offers Helpful Land Use Guide

2009-10-29T08:31:00.000-07:00

A “Guide to Land Use Policies & Off-Road Recreation” has just been added to our arsenal of information to help us fight back to keep our public lands open and our sports alive. Released by our friends at SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association), this guide offers some helpful stuff:

Some insight into major laws that dictate land use;
A look at the federal agencies who control our public lands by administering these laws;
A listing of the some of the organizations that SEMA works with to protect the rights of off-road enthusiasts;
Provides SEMA’s position on these issues.

While much of this information is offered on other websites or through enthusiast organizations, SEMA adds to our collective fight by putting these key topics in one place through their SEMA Action Network (SAN) that really assists off-road businesses. I found this collection of key laws, government agencies, major land use groups and SEMA positions quite helpful as an enthusiast as well.

The SEMA SAN also has quite a collection of legislative resources that compliment what the off-road organizations offer, including model legislation, a listing of federal legislators, and a guide to lobbying elected officials. The SAN is free to join from their website.

Go here for more on the land use Guide and SAN: http://www.semasan.com/main/main.aspx?id=62625

Del

Del Albright
Save My Trails (How to)
BlueRibbon Coalition (BRC) Ambassador
Cal4Wheel (CA4WDC), Environmental Affairs
Access Army

King of the Hammers Race Driver WANTED! Apply now.

2009-10-27T20:19:00.000-07:00

Simple question: "Do you want to drive in the Griffin Radiators King of the Hammers race in a fully sponsored race vehicle?"

No, I'm not joking! If you haven't been paying attention, Pirate4x4.com is giving away the driver's seat to a fully prepped 500 horsepower race buggy for the 2010 Griffin King of the Hammers race!

The Pirate4x4.com - MFS race buggy is currently being prepped at Motorsport Fabrication Services for this unbelievable opportunity. You can check it out here - http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=828024

So what's the catch? No real catch, you just have to reply to this thread (http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=827246) on Pirate4x4.com and tell us why in 500 words or less, why you think you should be chosen to drive the Pirate4x4.com - MFS buggy in King of the Hammers. Oh yeah, and you have to be a red or yellow star member. But you've already got that part covered!

The winning person will get the following:

• A free entry into the 2010 Griffin King of the Hammers

• A fully prepped race vehicle to drive in KOH

• Pre run time to learn the vehicle and the terrain

• A full pit crew

• All the logistics handled - just show up and race!

Nothing like this has ever been done before. It truly is a dream giveaway!

All entries must be submitted by December 25th, 2009 Pirate4x4.com users will begin voting for their favorite of the top 5 January 1st, 2010. Voting will close February 1st, 2010 and WE WILL HAVE A DRIVER!

Winner must be in Johnson Valley by February 8th, 2010.

4Wheel Parts Partners with BlueRibbon Coalitoin

2009-10-22T08:42:00.000-07:00

4Wheel Parts Provides Huge Membership Incentive

4Wheel Parts $25 Gift Card for Membership

Join, renew or extend your current membership in BlueRibbon Coalition for $29, and 4Wheel Parts will give you a $25 Gift Card PLUS up to 15% off on all their goodies. AWESOME. This is a no-brainer. You can become a new member, or add to your existing membership for basically $4.00 for a year.

BlueRibbon is all sports -- all trails -- for all people. It is our only grassroots umbrella national organization. We all should belong. And for existing members, with this deal, there's no reason not to extend your current membership out a year for $4.00. 4Wheel Parts is "in the game" helping us to save trails. Wow. And oh, when you get in on this deal, you'll see how BlueRibbon is now doing video-based web programs. :)

Learn more, get in the deal and see the video here.

BFGoodrich Tires Supports Hump 'N Bump Event

2009-10-20T18:04:00.000-07:00

In their on-going support of land use and access, BFGoodrich Tires has kicked in a set of five (5) BFG's, winner gets to choose up to 37" tire size, to the annual Vegas Valley 4Wheelers Hump 'N Bump event. AWESOME!!!

The KM2 is my favorite but this lucky winner can choose size and tread design.

Hump 'N Bump is a great event conducted at Logandale OHV area, about an hour outside of Las Vegas. This place as red rocks and sand dunes, with tons of rocky trails mixed in over a large beautiful area. It's a BLAST.

Stacie and I will represent BlueRibbon Coalition and BFGoodrich Tires at Hump 'N Bump. We'll present the tires (gift certificate) to the lucky winner during the drawing.

Check out this way cool event with some nice folks to boot:
http://www.vv4w.org/humpnbump.asp

Del

BFGoodrich Tires Partnership with BlueRibbon Coalition

2009-10-12T08:36:00.000-07:00

BFGoodrich Tires and BlueRibbon Coalition Join Forces to Raise Money for Saving Trails

GREENVILLE, S.C. – Oct. 10, 2009 – BFGoodrich Tires and BlueRibbon Coalition announced today a partnership that will benefit off-roaders and off-road trails alike. BFGoodrich Tires will make a $5 donation to the BlueRibbon Coalition for each of its new 10 sizes of BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain T/AKM2 tires sold between August 2009 and December 2009.

(Photo: Del Albright (center) thanks Joe Mazur (L) and Gary Enterline (R) for their partnership, donations and continuing support of BlueRibbon Coalition and access to our trails. Photo by Stacie Albright).

Due to consumer demand, BFGoodrich recently expanded its line of Mud-Terrain T/AKM2 tire sizes, which are part of the 10 sizes eligible for the contribution. The tire sizes are as follows:

• LT345/75R16 LRD
• LT365/75R16 LRC
• 38X14.50R17 LRD
• 40X14.50R17 LRD
• 36X13.50R18 LRD
• 38X14.50R18 LRD
• 40X14.50R18 LRC
• 38X14.50R20 LRD
• 40X14.50R20 LRC
• 42X14.50R20 LRC

“The BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain tire has set the standard in the world of off-roading, both for competitive and recreational uses” said Gary Enterline, senior product category manager, light truck tires for BFGoodrich Tires. “What better way to give back to the community that made the tire what it is today than by teaming up with the BlueRibbon Coalition to help preserve our off-road trails.”

As a respected national recreation group that represents more than 600,000 recreationists nationwide, the BlueRibbon Coalition is dedicated to protecting responsible recreational access to public lands and waters.

“This generous donation from BFGoodrich Tires will help the BlueRibbon Coalition continue working to keep public land open for use, whether you recreate on a mountain bike, snowmobile, motorcycle, personal watercraft, ATV, four-wheel drive, horse or your hiking boots,” said Greg Mumm, executive director of BlueRibbon Coalition.

Inspired by the BFGoodrich Tires Krawler™ T/AKX tire, which is the most successful tire in rock-crawling history, BFGoodrich Tires incorporates Krawler TEK® technology into the BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain T/AKM2 TriGard® sidewall. Krawler TEK technology consists of three main components: aggressive sidewall lugs, cut- and chip- resistant sidewall compounds and sidewall cords that are up to 33 percent stronger than the previous Mud-Terrain T/AKM tire. These advancements allow for more bite and sidewall protection along with increased strength and resistance to bruising caused by rocks and rough trails.

More information about the BlueRibbon Coalition is available at www.sharetrails.org.

Using motorsports as a proving ground for more than 30 years, BFGoodrich Tires is involved in every type of racing, including oval, sports car, drifting, drag, desert, dirt, rally and extreme rock-crawling. BFGoodrich Tires combines technological expertise with vast motorsports experience, delivering a high-performance tire for every type of vehicle. Visit BFGoodrich Tires online at www.bfgoodrichtires.com.

# # #
Media Contacts: Lela Randall
(949) 223-2323
Lela.Randall@hillandknowlton.com

Access Army Calling All Fighters and Soldiers

2009-10-05T10:01:00.000-07:00

THE ACCESS ARMY

It's not a game; it's about our access to public lands and waterways. We're launching The Access Army, and we want you. We're about wheeled access; nationally; for all of us. We are FIGHTING BACK.

At this point there are no dues; few rules; and no meetings -- just battle. The Access Army is a non-partisan, non-violent, multi-organizational grassroots coalition led by a Joint Chiefs of Staff, comprised of soldiers from all walks of life and recreational pursuits, with the sole purpose of fighting back against unnecessary land and water closures, restrictions to access, and theft of our freedoms.

We are virtual -- we are harnessing the power of the Internet and social networking to save trails, keep our motorsports alive and defend our freedoms.

We are responsible users of lands and waterways, and we intend to maintain our freedom of access with our stewardship and strength in numbers. We've had enough closures and restrictions, let alone unjust treatment from those that oppose our way of life. We are fighting back and combining forces with organizations, groups, clubs, and businesses from all across our great country.

We fully support and belong to all those organization recreation groups out there now -- national, regional, state and local. We are not stealing members from anyone; we are building an Army combined of everyone. We insist our soldiers be part of standing organized recreation groups. But The Access Army takes down any organizational barriers and removes any turf battles by acting more like a "friends" group or informal coalition.

We have titles/ranks/honors like "Warrior", "Vanquisher", "Legionnaire" and Genghis Khan.
Join us here. We welcome all new recruits: http://www.delalbright.com/Access/army.html
Del

Wilderness Zombie -- the undead

2009-10-02T08:36:00.000-07:00

My BlueRibbon Coalition partner, Don Amador, The General, writes about the Wilderness Zombie and how to get rid of them with a good dose of Pombo Doctrine. You gotta see this. Utah is the target of choice these days, but Wilderness and the Wilderness Zombie, the undead, are always out there, everywhere, and very hard to "manage." Yet there are strategies in this war on access and ways to control the undead that just keep coming back.
Read Don's blog about this here: http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2009/10/hr-1925-ut-wilderness-bill-is-zombie.html#comment-form

Del

Article: Strategies to Win the War on Access

2009-10-01T14:08:00.000-07:00

Strategies of the War on Access

The Simple Principles Needed for Motorized Recreation to Win

By Del Albright, Recreation Advocate

Let there be no doubt: We are at war over our access to public lands and waterways. Further, we are at war over our basic freedoms like gun ownership, political views, consumer monitoring, and vehicle ownership. The list goes on, but more importantly, there are strategies we can employ to preserve our freedoms, keep our access, and protect our way of life. Here I offer those strategies to win the war on our freedoms; the war on our access.

War is a strong word, yes, but by definition is means any active hostility, contention, struggle or conflict (Webster’s New World Dictionary). We are in a constant struggle by folks who are hostile to our way of life. To me, this is war. We must fight back or suffer the consequences of losing what we love to do.

Go here to read more or download the article: http://www.delalbright.com/Articles/strategies_war.html

Del

Hump 'N Bump, Vegas Style, Logandale, NV

2009-09-29T18:52:00.000-07:00

We are planning to be at this awesome four-wheeling event in November near Las Vegas, NV, and encourage folks to sign up and attend this one. It's a blast, not to mention some beautiful scenery. We're talking red rocks, sand dunes, and wild big horn sheep to boot. It's called the Hump 'N Bump.

What is Hump N Bump?

Hump N Bump is the largest event of the year where you will get to experience terrain like no other. The Vegas Valley 4 Wheelers has been putting on this run for 29 years now and it keeps getting larger and larger with participants from all over the country.

Starting back in 2007, proceeds from the event go to the Southern Nevada Trail Fund who's purpose is to educate and maintain legal motorized access to all points of interest in public lands throughout Southern Nevada. The SNTF is a 100% volunteer organization. So come out and have a great time while helping keep our trails open!

When is Hump N Bump?
The 29th Annual Hump N Bump will take place November 6th and 7th 2009.

Read more and sign up here: http://www.vv4w.org/humpnbump.asp
See ya there.
Del

Friends Groups -- saving trails together -- How to.

2009-09-25T08:28:00.000-07:00

I get asked often about saving trails with a "friends" type group (or coalition). It's easy to do and very powerful. Friends of the Rubicon (FOTR) is the most famous friends group in the country and the largest coalition ever formed to save just one trail -- the Rubicon Trail. Here's why friends groups work so well.

Friends groups set aside club issues and bring everyone together under one banner.

Friends groups are usually multiple use (wheeling, dirt bikes, hunting, fishing, atv's, etc. and access in general).

Friends groups become the central point of contact for agency folks (USFS; BLM). It makes it easier for all of us to work together.

Friends groups become powerful proponents of public lands (quickly), recognized by the agencies as the folks to deal with! Let alone that friends groups are the ones that get the work done.

Go here to learn more and see how (step by step) to start a friends group (or coalition) for your trail or riding area: http://www.delalbright.com/Articles/coalitions.htm

Del

Volunteer of the Year -- Friends of High Lakes

2009-09-23T16:10:00.000-07:00

Friends of The High lakes received the Volunteer of the Year award for work in The High Lakes OHV area, for Region 5, California.

Friends of The High Lakes ( FOTHL ) has been organized since July 2007 as a 501(c)3 Public Benefit Corporation, to assist Lassen National Forest, Almanor Ranger District with the OHV area known as The High Lakes. The area holds 16 lakes, and more than 50 miles of trails, including over 40 camp sites. The web site is:

http://www.friendsofthehighlakes.com/

In that effort, an Adopt-a-Trail Program, A Trail Patrol, and various Educational materials, including a map of the area were created and put into effect under written agreement for a 5 year period with USFS.

The main efforts have been in mitigation and repair of many areas that were in need of a lot of rock ( over 100 tons ) to prevent tire to mud contact, better signage, elimination of instances of leaving the trail, installing fire rings, with major help from and work being done by members of 9 local clubs.

The focus of FOTHL is to ensure the area remains a viable OHV area for use by all genre of motorized and non-motorized users, and offers terrain suitable for most vehicle types, with mild to very minor wild challenges. In doing so, the emphasis has been on Management, Maintenance, and Education.

The Ranger District saw fit to nominate FOTHL for the National Volunteer of the Year award.

While the national award went to another group in the US, FOTHL was honored to receive the Volunteer of the Year award for Region 5, which includes all of California, and the off-shore islands.

This award will be presented to the crew that is instrumental in ensuring the success of FOTHL at the semi-annual work party / clean up, on Saturday, September 26, at 9:00 AM at Spring Valley Lake, in conjunction with the third participation in National Public Lands Day.

The award will be presented by District Ranger, Al Vazquez; Resources Officer, Jane Goodwin; Recreation Officer, Michelle Ahern, and several other staff from the District.

FOTHL is extremely proud to have been selected for this honor, and 100% of the credit goes to each individual, and each club that has done an awesome job in making it happen.

After a briefing, and awards ceremony the entire crews will head out to take care of each of their individual pieces of the area. They will return to Spring Valley Lake at 4:30 for a raffle, and dinner provided by two more clubs and yet more outstanding volunteers.

All are very welcome to join us for the all-day event.
For further information contact Chairman, Ken Knull at (530) 873-2430 or ken@friendsofthehighlakes.com

Rubicon Trail Little Sluice (meeting)

2009-09-16T22:37:00.000-07:00

I really enjoyed the public meeting tonight and I’m sure there will be a lot of posts about it. We filled up the room pretty much with about 25 folks speaking up. Tom Celio from Eldo County DOT said he had about 70 emails also (submitted testimony). I was very proud of everyone who was there.

Our passion and dedication to the trail shown through like a bright light, even if we all didn't agree on exactly what to with Little Sluice -- to blow or not to blow it.

However, the comment was made that it is turning out to be about 7 to 1 or so (unofficial) for leaving the box alone. Further, it was pretty unanimous that we need a plan before we do anything serious – a plan we are all part of. Co-Trail Boss Bebe did an awesome job presenting good stuff about what FOTR can do and has done. She made it clear that FOTR fixes anything that is in need of attention on the Rubicon Trail, and has proven this for 9 years.

There was a lot of support for fixing the real problems at Little Sluice – and those are mostly people problems and bad behaviors. Things that need to be managed (fixed) still include petroleum issues and spills, erosion/sedimentation, and sanitation. FOTR can fix all these with a little help from our partners in the feds, the Rubicon Trail Foundation, and the County. This is not rocket science -- this is commitment, persistence and common sense.

Several businesses (like http://www.mfs-ca.com/ ) and the "Save the Sluice" group made it clear that they are going to be on the trail, at Little Sluice, doing on-the-ground management of behaivour and providing education on issues at the "box" to include cleaning up messes and spills. Now THAT is dedication.

The Rubicon Trail Foundation supported having a solid, integrated plan in place to deal with the concentrated use at Little Sluice, and of course reaffirmed their commitment to support Friends of the Rubicon.

Tom Celio was impressed with our dedication, consideration and respect for each other, as well as our commitment to the trail. He said the next step was for this info (and the email testimony) to be packaged up and given to the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors who will make important decisions like this one about the Rubicon Trail. I trust Tom to give a good view of our side/testimony to the Board.
You can still email in your comments if you want. tcelio@co.el-dorado.ca.us

Wow, thanks to all who could be there and all who sent support (or email testimony) in their own way.

FOTR Rocks.
Just one man’s opinion and notes,

Del

Surplus City, Oroville, CA

2009-09-15T20:04:00.000-07:00

If you've never been here, this is QUITE the place to see and shop. Not only that, this place is where the next W.E. ROCK comp is going be held in October, and where other rock crawl and mud bog events are held. Urban Assualt is the name of the rock courses, with names like Terminator, Mine Field, Wall of Shame, and more. And it's all part of this intoxicating military and jeep surplus store. Whew....Stac and I thought we were going to have to camp out there just to see it all.

Bob Frank runs the show as General Manager and Cal4wheel has held events here as well. Great people; awesome surplus stuff to see; and wow, what a fantastic OHV park.

You can get more info on their website here: http://www.surpluscity.com/

Del

Win the Cal4 Raffle Jeep for $2.00

2009-09-15T16:49:00.000-07:00

PRESS RELEASE: September 15, 2009

Contact: Chris Collard
CA4WDC Publicity Chairman
Phone: 916-952-3630
Fax: 916-960-4929
e-mail: chris@adventurearchitects.net

FOR IMMEDIATE WEB RELEASE
Jeep Rubicon Stimulus Package

Win a Rubicon… for $2
Just when you thought the economic sky was falling, the California Association of Four Wheel Drive Clubs (CA4WDC) steps up to the plate with the $2 Jeep Rubicon Stimulus Package. Each year, CA4WDC tricks out a brand new Jeep with everything a you could dream of, then raffles it off at their February convention … for two bucks!!

This year’s rig, a 2009 Jeep Rubicon, is kitted out with a Teraflex Suspension, 35-inch BFGoodrich KM tires and a Warn 9.5ti winch on a Smittybilt bumper. The 2-buck Rubicon also sports Poison Spyder body armor, Finish Line West rear bumper, Tuffy Security consol and ProComp Lights. And because off roaders get stuck in the mud, the $2 Jeep Rubicon comes with a Hi-Lift Jack and recovery gear.

Runner up prizes aren't bad either: 2nd is an Atlas II transfer case, 3rd is a Premier Power Welder, and 4th is a Pull Pal. The winning ticket will be drawn February 20th, 2010 at the CA4WDC convention in Sacramento, CA and you need not be present to win. 1-800-4x4-FUNN or Surf the web to http://www.cal4wheel.com/ Happy Jeeping!!!

Remembering 911 and Our Lost Friends

2009-09-11T10:16:00.000-07:00

We are taking a moment today to remember our lost friends and the abominable terrorist attack on our country -- our very home ground. 911 should never be forgotten; nor should our country ever let scumbag terrorists get away with such acts.

We hope you will remember as well, and teach the young people around you how important patriotism is; how precious our freedoms are; and how bullies and terrorists should NEVER be allowed to rule our actions. And let us not forgot the loss of so many innocent people and what that did to their families and loved ones.

Like many of you who have served or have had family members serve our country, I will never forget.
Del

Rubicon Trail Little Sluice (meeting)

2009-09-08T13:40:00.000-07:00

Discussion: Little Sluice - to crack or not to crack

Rubicon Trail users are meeting with the El Dorado Board of Supervisors to discuss rumors and possibilities of cracking/resizing the big rocks in the Sluice Box (Little Sluice). This contentious issue is up for debate with the Board (and other trail users). Users are divided on the issue -- whether to "blow the box" or leave it alone. Be there or send someone to represent you. You can also send in comments (see below).

County Meeting - Board of Supervisors Chambers

Where: 330 Fair Lane. Placerville, California 95667

http://maps.google.com/maps?client=f...8&z=16&iwloc=A
When: 6:30 PM - Wednesday Sep. 16th

The decision has NOT BEEN MADE....it is up to us to form the decision to do anything if anything... Be HEARD!!!

If you can't make the meeting, e-mail Tom at tcelio@co.el-dorado.ca.us

Del

Vendor Showcase: Rubicon Express

2009-09-07T14:58:00.000-07:00

Rubicon Express produces trail-tuff gear and equipment to make your rig do what you want it to do, on the trail and off. We have had Rubicon Express kits, suspension gear, and long-arm components for many years on Red ('97 TJ) and we can't say enough good about them. The folks at RE are very helpful when you call and need advice and which parts would best help you to get the most from your rig.

Check out this JK adjustable track bar from Rubicon Express.

RE specializes in Jeep lift kits and suspension parts that are made to handle the toughest of trails -- like the Rubicon Trail which we do several times every summer. This stuff holds up to abuse. It's well made and strong as heck.

Rubicon Express is one of our Premier Sponsors and we're proud to have this awesome product family on our Jeep. Check them out at http://www.rubiconexpress.com/

Del

Crawl Magazine is Back!

2009-08-27T16:20:00.000-07:00

CRAWL magazine is back and I have a hard copy on my desk today. Depending on how you look at it, it's CRAWL2 (like second generation, or new generation). John Herrick is the publisher and Editor-in-Chief, with Kurt Schneider from Friends of Eldorado (FOE) as the Land Use Editor. AWESOME.

In this first (re) issue, BlueRibbon's membership incentive program is highlighted and the recent addition of Fordyce Trail to the BFGoodrich Tires Outstanding Trails program is showcased. Kurt does an awesome job explaining how hunters got turned out of public lands because of the Travel Management process (unbeknownst to them); and a nice piece about our hero and mentor, Dennis Mayer is featured with a writeup about the Hugs and Jugs Memorial Run (helping the famous Rubicon Trail).

(Rock crawling action photo by Stacie Albright)

Ian Johnson from TV is the tech editor so watch out for some cool stuff.

Of course there's plenty of hardcore offroad action (comps and tuff trails) in CRAWL, so find a copy, pour a cold one, and enjoy.

They are working on their website, but watch out for http://www.crawl2media.com/

Del

Albright's Launch New Simple Land Use Website

2009-08-27T09:04:00.000-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Del Albright, Albright Enterprises
Email: del@delalbright.com
Ph: 209-304-7693

August 27, 2009

Albright's Launch New Simple Land Use Help Website
Check out SaveMyTrails.com

The question we get asked most often in land use and access is “how do I save my trails?” We now offer the simple answer to this question; a one-stop shopping website for land use and access.

There are dozens of websites and organizations offering help to this dilemma in different ways, but now one website has it all – everything you need to know for finding out where to start with saving your trails!

“After a decade of building different websites, including DelAlbright.com, I’ve found that recreationists want things fast, simple and easy,” says Del Albright, noted recreation advocate. “SaveMyTrails.com provides the first steps and a simple formula for getting in the game,” adds Del.

In a very few pages, Del and Stacie Albright provide you most everything you need to know about how to save trails, with helpful links to learn more. Check it out today and share this with your club and friends: http://www.savemytrails.com/

##

Del

Hawaii Gets New Off Road Park

2009-08-26T07:14:00.001-07:00

Our 4x4 friends in Hawaii have a new off road park after a long time effort by users and friendly politicians. Persistance has paid off from off-roaders around the islands. Awesome news!

It's called Sandbox Hawaii (Sand Island Park), with 32 acres of off-road fun, and about 5 of those for our four-wheeling friends. A super-cross track is part of the park as well.

Mike Elliot, Founder and President of the Hawai'i 4x4 Association and several other helpful folks have been working on this project for some time and it's great to see it come to be. The park opens October 1st officially, so if you get over there, be sure to check it out.

Here's a news blurb with some video of the park:

http://www.khon2.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoid=1606

My hat is off to all who worked so hard with politicians and government officials, as well as community leaders to make this happen.
Del

Cantina for Rubicon '09

2009-08-24T10:30:00.000-07:00

Cantina for the 'Con Annual Fund Raiser is about to happen and YOU can help. This is the big one for the icon of four-wheeling, the famous Rubicon Trail.
This is happening Labor Day weekend, September 5, 6, 2009 at the Spillway of the Loon Lake entrance to the Rubicon Trail.

Donations and prizes are needed, and you can buy tickets even if you're not able to attend (you're still supporting the Rubicon that way).

This Dysfunctional Organization (TDO) is leading the charge again this year with a lot of helpers, but YOU are critical to raising a bank for the Rubicon Trail.
Please visit here and get involved, donate, and buy tickets.

Del

Reno Rocks After Party and Vegas to Reno Race, Sands Regency

2009-08-22T11:23:00.001-07:00

Stac and I are recovering from the Reno Rocks After Party last night (smile). It was a blast. The Sands Regency put on the dog for the staff, helpers and Reno4x4.com folks around the pool at the Sands, then we moved into the Third Street Bar. Whew...

Back in June, Reno Rocks 4x4 had some serious W.E. Rock action, not to mention a great vendor show and a few parties.
Put it on your calendar for next year, Father's Day weekend in June, right here at the Sands Regency in Reno.

The Sands has a lot of golf action as well as plenty of casino stuff for everyone. It's also pet friendly which is cool to find when you travel with your little friends.

Photos courtesy of Stacie Albright (http://staciealbright.blogspot.com/)

Check out Terrible's Sands Regency Hotel and Casino here: http://www.sandsregency.com/

Today we will hopefully see the finish line of the Vegas to Reno Off Road Race, with another party tonight, and the awards ceremony back at the Sands around the pool Sunday at 10am.

My pics and photo essay here:
http://www.delalbright.net/Pages/vegas_reno.html
Del

Mendocino Coast Photo Essay and Tour

2009-08-20T17:22:00.000-07:00

I posted up a bunch of cool pics from our tour of the Mendocino Coast. If you're looking for a get away, or just some way cool things to do and places to see, check out these shots of things like kayaking the Noyo River, riding the Skunk Train, and enjoying a romantic evening horseback ride on the beach. Awesome.

go here for the full photo pictorial: http://www.delalbright.net/Images/Mendocino/index.html
Del

Stacie Albright Speaks About Land Use at Rock Races

2009-08-17T20:40:00.001-07:00

Cheeks from Rock Zombies Takes Nose Dive

2009-08-16T22:19:00.000-07:00

"Cheeks", aka Mike McMenomey from the Rock Zombies did an awesome nose dive at the NorCal Rock Races Saturday 8/15/09. Wow, the crowd loved it (and better yet, he was fine).

Rock Racing is different than rock crawling, and the action at Prairie City OHV Park in Sacramento/Folsom, was non-stop and a lot of fun.

For more on NorCal Rock Races, please go here:http://www.norcalrockracing.com/Norcalrockracing/Home.html

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BFGoodrich Tires Supports Albright Jeep and Land Use Work

2009-08-12T07:28:00.000-07:00

BFG Tires, once again, has supported keeping us on the trail doing land use work. BFG contributed two new KM2's which are being installed on our Jeep at Blazen Offroad in Lake Tahoe.

Coming out of the Rubicon Trail the other day, I hit one of those odd, no-see-um pointed rocks that turned towards me and STABBED my sidewall -- out of the blue. Then somewhere on Cadillac Hill I managed to dislocate some suspension parts which allowed the axle to shift and thus RAM one of my tires into the spring basket and frame. Needless to say by the time Stac and I smelled burning rubber from the grooving that was taking place, another tire had bit the dust. So we lost TWO in one trip. OUCH.

BFGoodrich Tires is a long term sponsor of keeping our Jeep on the trail so we can keep saving trails, and this just goes to show they are there when we need them. Add to that they just gave a $4000 grant to Friends of Fordyce to help save that trail, and you have a company that deserves our thanks and business.

BFG Mud Terrains (and one set of All Terrains) have been on my Jeep since I bought it 12 years ago. The KM2 is an innovation between the famous Krawler and the old Mud Terrain. I love 'em!

THANK you, BFG Tires for helping to save our sport and our trails.