BLM Town Meeting for RMP Input

Huh? One of the problems in understanding what is going on around here is all the acronyms people throw around. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is holding a series of town meetings to gain "input" for the 3-year Resource Management Plan (RMP) covering this whole area from Mesquite down to California.

The ATV club heard about the meeting being held in Mesquite a few nights ago (last Thursday) from circulars being passed around the local "conservation" community. And I have to say that, for an event which only had a couple of days notice to the "riding community," it sure drew a lot of us off the trails!

There were over a hundred people…

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Black Rocks

Do any of you know how many coal black rocks, of this shape and size, there are on the trail between Whitney Junction and Kurt's Grotto?


I DO!


[And it's WAY more than you would think!]

Ride 18: The "Where Am I Now" Loop

Our Utah friends decided to stay for a second ride around the area but couldn't get as early a start as the day before. Where to go? The "Where Am I Now" Loop!   [For a free Google Earth file of this route see: Ride 18: "Where Am I" Loop ]

At least that's my story and I'm stickin' to it. The ride is one you can take from Mesquite in a "strong" half-day and crosses…

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Motocross - Rodeo - Golf: A Great Day For Scenic Arizona

Except for watching the accomplishments and joy of a couple of people I cared about, I never have cared much about motorcycle sports — too noisy. But this weekend was a great one for Scenic Arizona.

Charlie told me that they must have "relaxed" their tight monitoring of non-street-legal machines a bit this weekend in Scenic because of the "race." When I didn't know what he was talking about he explained that this was the weekend for a "Buzzard" race – whatever that means.

He said that it seemed like it was a couple of times a year when hundreds…

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"Storm Chasing"

Due to a death in the family we hung up our helmets for awhile and took a trip down to California – ON-road.

Mesquite was heading into a "rainy-spell" when we left and southern California was expecting "possible flooding" but we didn't count on doing "storm chasing" like we see on TV.

Much of the difficulty in driving ON-road between here and Indio California is "iatrogenically" caused by the THOUSANDS of trucks in nearly every lane!

So, even though…

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Ride 17: "Fire" and "Man" Petroglyphs

What do you do when visiting friends have drug their offroad rigs clear down the state to ride, yet still want to see the petroglyphs – even though the "fiends" and BLM try hard to keep you away? Well… you see the "Fire" and "Man" of course. Devil's Fire and Falling Man on Gold Butte and everything in between.   [For a free Google Earth file of this route see: Ride:17 - Fire and Man]

It's a great ride, through lots of color and landmarks yet still…

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New Trail: Bobcat Trail - Western Nevada

If you have spent any time looking at the "Nevada Trails" master map, you have seen that it still has a lot of empty space which is not yet filled with trail rides.

Thankfully, it's not only up to me to fill them in with trail maps. There are a few other "desert rats" just as compulsive – well almost as compulsive. Bob Frenchu, one of the master-minds behind the "Forgotten Nevada" web site, has kindly sent in…

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Ride 16: Kurt's Grotto and Petroglyphs

This incredible hunk of crap is the work of the Fiends Of Gold Butte under the guise of "Restoration." As absolutely amazing as it sounds the "Fiends" have apparently been back, yet again, to add injury to insult on the trail and trailhead at Gold Butte's most popular petroglyph site!

But, I'm getting a bit ahead of myself… Charley and I took a couple of guys, who hadn't been down around the Petroglyph Trail before, with us on a quick "make sure everything is still ok for riding" trip around some possible, future club ride sites.   [For a free Google Earth file of this route see: Petroglyph Trailheads]

We landed at…

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Ride 15: West Flats - Canyonlands and Pinnacle

Next to North Valley the ride dad and I took last week is probably the most colorful one in the whole Virgin River Valley.   [For a free Google Earth file of this route see: Canyonland-River Loop]

We only had a short day so decided to trailer down to ride the West Bunkerville Flats area. More specifically…

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Ride 14: Half-Way, Petroglyphs and Hackberry Spring

If you have a FULL day to spend in the outdoors off-road you could take the ride Gordon and I took into the "Half-Way" and "Toquop" washes near Mesquite Nevada.   [For a free Google Earth file of this route see: Half-way and Toquop Wash Loop]

Gordon likes to get started real early, me... not so much; but, by the time we were done with the ATV ride, both of us were satisfied and more than usually exhausted.

The adventure started at the I-15 truck stop trailhead in Half-Way Wash just southwest of Mesquite. We took the RZR north toward the gap in East Mormon Mountain, near Davidson Peak, and the radio tower. It is an area landmark which nearly everyone talks about but I had never seen.

Across the wash and up the…

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Map Update: California Trails - North Coast Region

Whooo-eeee, it's done — the massive California Trails Master Map update is done! I've had access to the whole California Trails
series of books by Peter Massey and others, so I was able to update all the trail descriptions.   [For a free Google Earth file of this route see: California Trails Master Map]

While the project began as sort of an obsessive-compulsive effort…

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Ride 13: Initial and Lone Mesas

Believe it or not, that's what it's called — Initial Mesa! I rode with the Mesquite Kokopelli ATV club on their Saturday ride. We were to find the "real" border between Utah-Arizona-Nevada.   [For a free Google Earth file of this route see: Initial and Lone Mesas]

Every time we visit the "3-Corners" monument we spend much of our time palavering about why the monument is there, why Google shows a jog in the Nevada border that doesn't seem to be on the official Nevada State Map, and where (if not here) is the "REAL" state border connections.

The ride left from the Upper Hwy-95 Trailhead and was led by Hugh who took us across the desert to the west until we ran into …

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Ride 12: 3-Corners Via Sandhollow Wash

Charley and I took this interesting ride somewhat as a "proof of concept" that one could ride directly from the south side of Mesquite into the far north Utah-Nevada-Arizona riding area (around 3-Corners).   [For a free Google Earth file of this route see: Mesquite to 3-Corners]

I rode from the south side of Mesquite, near Snowbird Headquarters; along 2nd South; up Grapevine; across Mesquite, the brige and Pioneer; On Greens Way to Hardy Way and onto Mesquite Heights (landfill road) to meet Charley.

Although we were heading up…

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134 Posts

Did you notice over on the archive list, that with the last posting Blogger quietly closed out 2009 and started fresh new folder for 2010. Over 110 posts in 2009 — no wonder my head hurts.

Map Update: California Trails - High Sierra Region

I'm screaming down the home stretch by finishing up the latest map update for High Sierra Regionof the California Trails Master Map. As you know, I've been trying to completely update my California Trails Master Map while I had access to all six of the books.

The High Sierra Region has some really great trails and all fifty of them have new full descriptions, as well as three complete NEW trails. Nearly all of the trails have views such as in the photo of "Half Dome" which you undoubtedly recognize.

Descriptions include not only…

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