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erosion. Another is watershed and siltation. Simply put, erosion is mainly caused by spinning tires on a hill. If you can’t make it, take a strap or choose another way around. It isn’t about looking cool anymore. It is about not throwing bullets to those who would shut us out. Think about watershed. Any stream eventually runs into a river. Fresh water is vital to sustaining life. Providing enough clean fresh water for mankind alone is a tremendous task. Contaminates in this water only complicate the situation. Avoid unnecessary water crossings. The big 3 auto makers make cool commercials showing us how to beat the snot out of their pick ups, but the reality of it is blasting though a stream bed is horrific to water quality. Turkey Bay was nearly closed due to siltation problems in Kentucky Lake. Siltation was killing a lot of fish. Guess what– it was caused by OHV’s! We must use common sense and good judgment when wheeling.

   Lastly, I would like to redirect your attention to the illustration on the left. I “borrowed” this from 4Wheel Parts Off Road Adventures. This illustration shows the effect gravity has on traction via the contact patch of your tire. The contact patch, or foot print is simply the portion of a tires tread that is in contact with the ground. Generally the larger the “foot print” the better the traction. By airing down (lowering the tires pressure) you gain foot print size. By decreasing from the 30 or so psi you run on the street to a more trail friendly 12– 15 psi, your contact patch could nearly double!  Not only will you benefit from greatly increased traction, but you will also be causing less erosion.

A common myth about airing down is that it will make you more prone to a blown tire. I know of at least two club members that have blown a tire that was aired down, so I can understand their reluctance. But, memory serving me, both times also involved higher than normal wheel speed. I myself am a firm beliver in airing down before a trail run, and to date, I have not blown a tire (knocks on wood) Airing down allows you to travel more easily at low speeds over rough terrain. To put it bluntly, I believe high speed driving should be left to the pavement.

   Lastly, I would like to say I was rather disappointed at our club’s low turnout for the IFWDA convention. Not only were we the closest club, we were the hosts. We were under staffed on the trail rides. Period. We are hosting again next year, and expect a higher overall turnout. We will be adding trails to the property all this year to accommodate more vehicles on more trail rides. We must have more Boonie Riders on hand to take care of business. Some of the areas that we needed more manpower on were: tech inspection, registration (Allen and Lisa did a great job, but more is better), trail guides– need I say more? The list goes on… We have volunteers from narly every club in IFWDA to help if we need them. What a shame it would be for people to have to drive 4– 6 hours to gladly do the work that our club members wouldn’t drive 45 minutes for.

Well, I’m pretty much done making you feel guilty for now. Hope to see you soon!

Rich (aka River Rat) Reisz