You are hereUTMA Newsletter -- Summer 2009
UTMA Newsletter -- Summer 2009
If you or someone you know would like to enjoy the benefits of UTMA membership, please print, complete and mail the form below:
UTMA
P.O. Box 50225
Provo, UT 84605-0225
Please provide the following contact information: (all information is kept strictly confidential)
Name:
Title:
Organization:
Street Address:
City:
State:
Zip:
Country:
Work Phone:
Home Phone:
FAX:
Email:
Quantity: Type of Membership
Full: $25
Legal Defense Funds (help keep our lands open)
Total Amount:
(memberships and donations)
Utah Trail Machine Association Appoints New Leadership
Utah Trail Machine Association (www.utma.net) appoints new leadership.
New senior officers were appointed at a meeting of the board of directors of the Utah Trail Machine Association on July 15, 2009. Brook Sessions retired as President. The UTMA extends a heartfelt thanks to Brook for more than six years of dedicated service as President. Paul Edmunds continues as Chairman of the Board.
The new President is Lemont Southworth. Lemont has served on the board of directors since moving to Utah from southern California in 2006. Lemont’s wife Marilyn and all six of their children have been avid dirt bikers for about 30 years. His oldest daughter successfully raced women’s desert expert for three years before trading her racing career for domestic bliss. Lemont was one of the founders of an unofficial, family-oriented group of recreational riders in southern California called the Desert Rats (www.desertrat.org) and organized the First Annual Desert Rat Clean Sweep, a clean up project at a popular OHV staging area near Randsburg, California. More recently he has served as the editor of the UTMA newsletter and organized High Five, a revival of the UTMA’s annual clean up day at Five Mile Pass on Memorial Day weekend 2009 and is already working on High Five 2010. Lemont brings an enthusiasm for dirt biking and strong support for rider education and responsible off-road behavior along with a commitment to preserving and expanding our riding areas.
Joe Linza is the new Vice President. Joe has more than 25 years experience serving on recreation advisory councils in Utah and more than 30 years experience in the OHV industry. He is currently Territory Rep for Western Power Sports selling all the fun stuff that goes on motorcycles and ATVs to dealers in Utah. Joe’s wife Jann rides as do five of their seven children and seven of their ten grandchildren. Joe’s interest in motorcycles began when he was in the 5th grade and he went on to race Motocross, Flat track, desert, trials, and do hill climbs. He still races vintage machines. In addition to the UTMA, Joe has helped to start various clubs and put on races, The Wizzards- Rhino Rally , Firebirds- I P P to Eureka to name a few. Joe has served in the leadership of the USRA and has written articles for local and regional races under the pen name DET-IT and they were published locally and a few in Cycle News. On an side note, Joe was “banned for life” from the UTMA back in the ‘80s for what some UTMA leaders considered to be inappropriate comments he published as a member of the Utah OHV council acknowledging the validity some of the complaints of the opposition. The UTMA welcomed Joe back a few years ago and is pleased to have him now serving in a leadership position. Joe’s experience and connections with land managers and the OHV industry bring a powerful resource to the UTMA.
Michael Southworth was appointed to fill a vacancy on the board of directors. Mike has been riding since he was 10 years old and loves the sport. He founded a specialty clothing company, Xtreme Angel, to provide riding gear designed for girls and women before any of the major clothing manufacturers created a women’s line. He currently owns and operates Rezolution in Lehi, Utah, providing custom print solutions and product development and fulfillment. Mike has raced motocross and desert and been a strong supporter of his dad’s service projects. He shares an enthusiasm for dirt biking and for responsible OHV behavior and active involvement in preserving, protecting, and expanding OHV opportunities.
The Utah Trail Machine Association is the premier dirt bike club in the state of Utah. The UTMA is dedicated to responsible OHV behavior and the promotion of family-oriented OHV activities. Each year the UTMA sponsors about a dozen of what have become legendary rides including Ouray, Colorado, Green River, the Grand Canyon, and two rides in Mexico. The UTMA also sponsors High Five, an annual clean up day at Five Mile Pass on Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, providing riders an opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to the sport via public service. High Five has three goals: successful service project, rider education, and family fun.
High Five! Five Mile Pass Clean-up Day
Project Report
The revival of the UTMA’s annual clean-up day at Five Mile Pass on May 23, 2009 achieved all three goals of the organizers: successful service project, rider education, and family fun.
We want to thank Brett Hawkes and Companion Systems for the beautiful banners (see image at the top of this article) and the design of our posters. Alphagraphics of Lehi donated the flyers. Mike Southworth, print broker from Lehi, made the arrangements with Alphagraphics and also arranged for another of his vendors to donate the posters. The beautiful photograph of the Five Mile Pass area that is the background for the banner and the posters was taken by an associate of Brett Hawkes, who gave us permission to use it for our event.
We also want to thank Chad Booth and the other folks at “At Your Leisure” for their generous promotion of High Five! on the air in the weeks preceding the event.
JuLee Pallette, the BLM person who oversees Five Mile Pass was extremely helpful and a joy to work with.
Nearly 100 OHV enthusiasts, including dirt bikers, ATV riders, and 4 WD folks participated and collected a huge amount of trash. The dumpster was filled to overflowing. At least two old cars were towed out to the highway to be picked up and an abandoned utility trailer made from the bed of a pickup was dragged down next to the dumpster for subsequent pickup. Other large items include an automotive transmission, several appliances, a large metal tank, and a huge “rat’s nest” of rusty wire.
The participants also included a boy scout troop, a couple of guys who needed community service hours, and one dog. Not sure what the dog did in the field, but she certainly helped keep our HQ area tidy at lunch time!
There were 45 participants (nearly half the total) under the age of 18 so we had lots of family participation. At least one family included three generations and there were several families with children young enough they still had training wheels on their dirt bikes and whose enthusiasm was infectious! Off-roading is a great family activity.
The Utah 4 Wheel Drive Association co-sponsored the event and were well-represented. Matt (“Big Sarge”) was a great asset at the sign up desk and in helping to organize and coordinate the work parties.
The UTMA’s own Paul Edmunds was on hand, in spite of a serious shoulder injury. Paul helped man the sign up table and kept us supplied with UTMA hats for volunteers. He also helped serve lunch and make sure everyone got fed.
The BLM and DNR picked up the tab for lunch and everyone seemed to enjoy the simple fare: hot dogs, chips, potato salad and soft drinks and were impressed and appreciative for the support from the land managers.
Frank White, President of ATK Motorcycles, helped arrange donations of great prizes from Tucker-Rocky, Parts Unlimited, and Western Power Sports. Ogio donated a number of discount cards, giving the holders 30% discount on retail prices of their products. Nearly everyone (over 90%) who participated got a prize in the raffle.
Frank White also led the advanced/expert ride at the end of the day. Chris Brimhall helped us map out both the expert and the family rides and led the family end-of-day ride to the “jeep in the hole” at the Sunshine Mine. Chris also provided the PA system for the event. Chris is organizing the “Ride To The Capitol” rally this August. For more information see takebackutah.org.
Chris Rohrer represented the state Abandoned Mine Reclamation Program and provided information on mine safety and some history of the “jeep in the hole”.
Dale Bartholomew represented Trail Patrol and PLEAA and supplied trash bags for the event as well as rider education.
A great big “THANK YOU” goes out to all the volunteers who participated. Everyone displayed a wonderful attitude and worked very hard. The amount of trash – and the size of some items collected – was very impressive. The dumpster was filled to overflowing. One intended part of event planning failed to materialize. That was the identification and training of “crew chiefs” to lead each clean-up crew prior to the day of the event. It was necessary to just send out volunteers to the various areas to work on their own (we covered five different sections of the Five Mile Pass Recreation Area) without direct supervision. Fortunately, the volunteers were adaptable and agreeable and the assignments were readily accepted and carried out very successfully. Volunteers removed trash and performed fire pit maintenance around the main parking area, in the dispersed camping area across SR 73 south of the main parking area, in Manning Canyon, in Sunshine Canyon, and in the hills to the east of the road to Faust. Two old car bodes were dragged out to the highway for subsequent pickup and one abandoned utility trailer made from a pickup bed was collected.
We were very pleased to see many families participating together. Off-roading is truly a family sport.
We are pleased that there were no reported injuries.
The “High Five” banners for 2010 were prominently displayed near the stage at the Take Back Utah Rally at the state Capitol on August 8.
Be sure to put High Five 2010! on your calendar for spring 2010 (May 29, Saturday of Memorial Day weekend).
Take Back Utah Parade and Rally SUCCESS!
August 8
The Take Back Utah Parade attracted hundreds of vehicles, including bicycles, wheelchairs, and cowboys on horseback as well as dirt bikes, ATVs, and 4WDs. The parade was 7 blocks long. It took a full hour from the time the first vehicle left downtown until the last one arrived at the Capitol. An estimated 3,500 people attended the rally at the Utah State Capitol, which was televised by virtually all local channels and covered by both Salt Lake newspapers. Senators Hatch and Bennett were both there along with Attorney General Mark Shurtleff and Congressman Rob Bishop. All expressed their recognition that the people of Utah support multiple use of public lands as demonstrated by the thousands of supporters attending the rally. Other speakers included Arizona sheriff Richard Mack and state Representative Mike Noel who are both champions of local rule and public access. Congressman Bishop, a former teacher, used to tell his students things are run by the people who show up. Those who showed up for the rally are making their voices heard. Entertainment at the rally was provided by country western band “Due West”, singers David Osmond and Angela Weston. Paul Edmunds, UTMA Chairman of the Board, presented bright red UTMA hats to Senators Hatch and Bennett and Attorney General Shurtleff.
June dirt bike ride up in the mountains
By Steve & Candy Milner
Just finished a weekend ride up to an old ghost mining town - Jacob City, then down to Ophir canyon.
It starts from the valley floor near Stockton and goes up to 7k feet....up a really windy trail - lots of hairpin turns. Great fun ...’til you fall down.
About 30 plus miles round trip long...took nearly 3 hours to complete. Check out the photos below.
Would someone please pass me the muscle relaxer?
Enjoy
Steve & Candy Milner
Below are some great photos Paul Heiner took on the UTMA Cache Valley Ride. We had a great time riding Ranger Dip and some hit a little or a lot of the Highline too. A little dusty but not powdery. We had 15 riders in three groups that hit the trails. Had one wreck with a tweaked knee and a field repair to a ripped off KTM pipe but everyone made it home safe. Frank White of ATK managed to avoid all the javlin branches this year. The kids have been doing beaver impersonations at the Beaver Creek water crossing and it was deeper than normal. Check out the photos below. Great scenery, great ride!
See You on the Trails!!
Wes Thompson
At Your Leisure: The West’s Outdoor Adventure Show
By: Steven Heumann
For many of you a description of the television show At Your Leisure with Chad and Corby Booth is kind of pointless. You’ve watched it for years and joined the Booths for countless adventures throughout the Western US and beyond. For those of you who are uninitiated however, this may be a show you have missed out on and want to start watching.
As the producer of AYL I am often asked about the show; what it’s about, how we make it work, and if we’ll ever run out of adventures or trails to report on. The answer to the first question is usually the one that takes the longest to give, even though when it comes down to it, At your Leisure is pretty simple. Here in the West a culture of open space, big ideas, and individual freedom has flourished like nowhere else on earth. Amid these mountains and valleys people still explore with their families and find adventure on a rugged trail or the whitecaps of a wind-swept lake. The highways aren't just ribbons of asphalt from Point A to Point B, but gateways to a world beyond our doorstep where couples take their home with them. This is the West. Many people never truly understand the breadth of the real story behind what makes this part of the world so iconic. For At Your Leisure with Chad and Corby Booth it is a story worth telling. And that’s what we do every week; we tell the stories of families recreating throughout the Rockies. We do 52 episodes a year (that’s one every single week), and we have no repeated shows at all. If you’re saying to yourself “that sounds like a lot of work,” take my word for it: it is.
The second question, how we make the show work, is simple too, though not as much fun to explain. We are completely independent from any television station or corporate body, allowing us to have complete control over our content. We sell the show ourselves to the individual sponsors who believe in promoting the wonder of recreation and supporting public land use. They pay a lot of money to make AYL work, and without them the show would not exist. No one underwrites what we do. That is why those sponsors are so important. You probably know many of them, and if you ever get the chance, a ‘Thank You’ from a loyal viewer goes a long way to helping them know they are doing the right thing in supporting the program.
The last question is the one I am asked the most: “Will you ever run out of activities or places to promote on AYL?” The answer is simple. No. We will never run out. That is why we do At Your Leisure; that is why Utah and our western lands are so amazing. Everywhere you look there is something else to do, somewhere else to explore. Scratch the surface and you find more until you have to start digging deeper. The deeper you dig the more you come to know that there is so much to see and do that you couldn’t report on all of it in a dozen shows.
There you have it. If you have never tuned in to At Your Leisure with Chad and Corby Booth consider his your formal invitation to join us each week. I promise you won’t be disappointed. You may even discover your next favorite destination along the way.
By Steven Heumann
The sky is blue. The ground is gray. None of that really matters to Shawna Smart. It’s the activity, the thrill that has captured her attention. “I think that people think that you have to be strong or a daredevil but it's just something fun that the family no matter what their riding level is it's just something fun to keep the teenagers together, they want to be out with their parents.” Close friend Kindy Griffeth agrees. “It's surprising that you can do things that you're uncomfortable with and it opens up a whole new world.”
That 'new world' isn't one of green or blue, marked by towering trees or bubbling mountain brooks. In fact not many people would see anything of value in this grey, lonely waste of land. For Russell Steadman, his wife, three children, and a group of friends both close and distant, the aesthetics of this area aren't necessarily what bring them hundreds of miles from their home and family owned recreation business in Tooele. There is more here than just clay and dirt, going beyond what you can see with only your eyes. Russ knows today is about experience. “Today we are here in Cainville in Wayne county. We are in Swing Arm city, big jumps for the big guys, they love it. We decided to head south to a place where we could pick up some dust.”
Even on the busiest day of the year, there really isn't much going on in Cainville Utah, a small hamlet along state highway 24 near Hanksville. Little more than a few farms and a motel mark your entrance to and, pretty much at the same time, exit from Cainville. What makes this desert town one-of-a-kind is that it boasts one of the best-suited and most exhilarating riding areas in the world: Factory Butte. Though much of the area was closed off over the past two years due to environmental claims of damage to a non-native species of cactus, Factory Butte has since been reopened for dirt bikes and ATVs to explore this lunar-esque landscape. The crown jewels of these badlands, Swing Arm City, was open even during the years of closure, and now even though the rest of the Butte is once again open, Swing Arm remains the center piece of the riding area.
At 26 hundred acres, Swing Arm still offers an unrestricted experience amidst the shadow of the striking butte.
An afternoon spent riding is a common occurrence for the Steadman clan. For Russ it's pretty much in his blood. The connection that is formed between family and riding is one reason the barren landscape of Swing Arm City transcends what can be seen or even experienced.
On the surface Swing Arm City may be just another desert playground. For the Steadmans and their friends it's an extension of home, where bonds are strengthened, love is reinforced, and family is fortified. Some will see just gray earth, while others are transported to a new world where everything is as it should be. “They are missing out on the single one-on-one time when you are at home.” Russel said while climbing on his ATV. “I don't take opportunities when I am at home because of the pressures of life, when you are out playing you can throw it all away and play a game of washers with your kids. You can just enjoy them growing up.”
Such is the power of a place defined not by the beauty or desolation one can only see with their eyes, but by the experience that can only be had in the shadow of the Butte.
OHV – A Quality Family Activity – Part Two
Participating in OHV activities creates opportunities for families to work together far beyond the actual time spent off-road. Equipment requires maintenance. Outings require preparation. Riding gear needs to be cleaned, inspected, and repaired. Preparation for family outings provides many good teaching moments and helps kids develop specific skill and feelings of responsibility that will serve them well throughout their lives.
OHV activities have provided many opportunities to teach service. Sometimes it is as simple as helping a younger or less experienced rider climb a difficult hill. There have been a number of times when we’ve been able to demonstrate principles of service. On one occasion while riding legal trails in the Sequoia National Forest near Troy Meadows, we encountered a 12-14 year old boy walking along one of the trails. He was dusty and thirsty and tired and seemed on the verge of dehydration. He was lost and frightened. Though he would not admit his fears and concerns, the tell-tale tracks of tears etched in the dust on his cheeks spoke volumes. He was part of an inner-city group who had come out to the forest to perform some trail maintenance. He had been sent back to the truck for tools and supplies and had wandered off the hiking trail trying to make his way back to his work crew. He had no idea where they were or where he was but at least he knew which ranger station they had started out from. I put him on the back of my bike and took him to the ranger station. By the time I got him out to the road, up to the station and back to our own camp, I logged 42 miles. It really was no big deal, but my kids remembered that example for years to come. We have also transported injured riders out of difficult circumstances back to their street vehicles and families. We have splinted broken limbs and towed disabled vehicles – or the vehicles of disabled riders. On more than one occasion we were recruited to ferry back packers out of the way of approaching fires in closed areas near our designated trail system.
Like many activities, OHV riding, is what you make of it. However, it provides an environment and opportunities to build character and strengthen family relationships that are hard to match. As is often the case, strong bonding comes from shared hardships. On one ride with my teen-age daughter and her current boyfriend, another adult led us far of the established trail system. He wasn’t being overly adventurous or rebellious, he just didn’t have very good navigation skills. He was trying to follow a map that showed an interesting “back road” to return to our camp site. After ascending a little-used trail to top of a moderate hill, we dropped down the back side into a gully. The surface of the hill was very loose and it would have been nearly impossible to ride the bikes back up the hill to go back the way we had come so we had little choice but to continue down the gully. We had 3 adults on big-bore bikes and two teens on 125s and were navigating between and over boulders the size of Volkswagens. My daughter was beginning to think we might never get out of that canyon. It was a difficult ride, but eventually we came out a mile or so up the canyon from our campsite. Everyone worked together, often having to drag bikes through and over the rocks. We were sore and tired when we finally hit the road back to camp, but everyone was basically OK. The teens especially recognized and acknowledged how important proper bike maintenance is, the value of proper riding gear, and adequate preparation. They shared a feeling of great accomplishment for having survived the ordeal. I was thankful for the training I had previously had in map reading and wilderness survival that helped avoid panic and despair. I greatly appreciated the close bonding I shared with my daughter during that ordeal.
Watch for OHV – A Quality Family Activity – Part 3 in the next UTMA Newsletter.
UTMA Newsletter Seeking Contributors -- Free UTMA Hats!
The UTMA Newsletter is actively seeking contributors. If you have some writing skills – or would like to develop some -- now is the time to try your hand. We need articles on places to ride, rides you’ve taken, riding techniques and tips, maintenance techniques and tips, land use issues, service projects -- just about anything that would be of interest to dirt bikers. Photos or illustrations to enhance your articles are especially welcome. Every article published will earn you a FREE UTMA hat!
The UTMA Newsletter is published on the Internet and promoted through local dealers. We focus on positive articles that represent the responsible behavior that is encouraged by the UTMA. Unlike many of the opponents of off-roading, we choose not to present attacks on those who happen to have a different view of access to public lands. We recognize the need for preserving certain pristine areas and the rights of those who choose to enjoy the outdoors in quiet ways. We also believe that with proper management and responsible behavior there is sufficient public land to accommodate everyone’s needs. We encourage everyone who has an interest in access to public lands to get involved in protecting and maintaining our public access.
Please submit your contributions to the UTMA Newsletter by email to the newsletter editor, Lemont Southworth, at lemonts@ix.netcom.com. If you have large image files or large numbers of image files, you can submit them on a CD. Email Lemont for mailing instructions.
Ramblings and other neat things
Below are some neat web sites for other places. Check them out
www.utah.com/offroad/
www.motoutah.com/
http://www.usaall.org/
http://www.atyourleisure.info/
http://www.rockymountainatv.com/
http://www.trailrider.com/
http://www.desertrat.org/
