Vice President’s Report

By Jim Phillips

                

    Well it's getting to be that time of year again. Time to break out them old beaters and head back to the woods. That is for some of us because a hand full of us have been in the woods a couple of times already since the first of the year. For those of you that didn't know our club has choose to host the IFWDA convention in Feb. 2003. Jon Deel and Alan have worked a deal with the French Lick Hotel to where we get a kick ass deal on rooms and we also get to run the horse trails at the resort. But when we ride on these trails the TREAD LIGHTLY  deal will most definitely be encouraged so that we make a good impression toward the owners of the hotel. As for the Jeep trails that several of us have been developing we can basically run them like we do at Mt. Watson's with respect toward the owners.

  I'd like to say one thing about the hard trail we cut as you start into it you'd think that it really isn't no different then what we've already ran before. But once you get to the creek all bets are off somebody's gonna get some sort of damage. The first time we ran it with Jon Deel leading Alan, then Steve Cain in the mysterious Toyota everybody's been waiting to see. After nearly rolling Jon end over end and watching Alan smoke 5k miles off the swampers going down hill Steve progressed fairly easy except with a small leaking tire bead problem we made it to the bottom to have to come back at later date to finish the exit. After a couple of weeks we finished a trail that's approx. a mile or so long. Afterwards we got in about 2.5 hours of good old trail riding. Thanks go out to everyone who came out to cut the trails.

  I was recently informed about a slight mix up of the Thunder Nationals dates looks as if Chill will be next weekend and the Nationals will be Jan 17-18. With wheeling season vastly approaching we need to keep in mind that we will be taking a few trips this year to LBL, Spurgeon, and Hanks so if you've got access to a computer keep an eye on the calendar of events as to whets going on in which month. We're currently up to date as far as April I believe.

   If your planning on going to the convention you need to get registered and call the hotel and reserve your room ASAP you'll have to check Alan to see when the deadline for this is.

   Till next time keep at least 2 wheels on the ground.

                                    

                                                   V.P. ROCKET

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hoosier National Forest does not qualify as a roadless area!

 

   In a recent letter issued by the Hoosier National Forest Supervisor ( Ken Day), dated 12/30/02, file code1920, the HNF does not qualify for the Roadless Area.

None of the 14 areas reviewed meet the qualifications to be classified as a Roadless Area.  Some of the areas in question included Combs Road (a great county road to wheel on) and some other areas with unmaintained county roads which cut through the HNF.

 

   This is a great decision by the HNF.  Had this gone through, it would make it harder on future forest plans to try to get the HNF to change its position on banning  motorized recreation.   Currently the HNF does not allow motorized recreation.  You can only travel on prescribed forest service roads or county roads which cut through the HNF.

 

   Also, had this gone through, it would have closed some parking areas used by tourists visiting the HNF and made it harder for property owners who border the HNF to get to their property in certain cases.

A big thanks to everybody who attended the Roadless Meetings, and sent in letters on this issue.

 

   If you have any further questions, please let me know.

 

Brian Rowda

Indiana 4 Wheel Drive Association

Discover Indiana Riding Trails (D.I.R.T.)

rowda@voyager.net