I am really getting sick of this. OK, heres my deal. A few weeks ago my buddies and I were at our normal riding area. Where we ride, you have to go through a road through the woods (about 3 miles long) in order to get to the "drop off point" Well, this road hasn't been maintained like it is suppose to and is tron to heck from all the local boys flyin through there in their lifted Jeeps and trucks. So, now this road is FULL od DEEP sand and MUD as well as tons of washouts and ruts. Lat time we were up there we took my friends ZR2 Blazer through there and almost got stuck. And now it is twice as bad. So, there is NO WAY we were going his 2wd truck or my dad's van through there. NO WAY!!! So, instead, we dropped off at the entrace. There is sort of a small parking lot where the paved road ends and the dirt road enters the woods. So, we dropped and took off. We weren't going nuts on this "road" either cuz it was in real bad condition and you never know when a good 'ole boy is going to come flyin around the corners in a lifted FORD. So we are going and finally get to our "designated trail" These trail were in bad condtion. Everytime we ride, we spend at least an hour a day clearing the HUG rocks out of the way and the fallen trees and limbs. It is really starting to **** us off. What is our $16.75 paying for, definately not the trail system from what I can see. So, after about 2 hours of riding, we head back. We are stopped and taking a little break before we decide to pack up. Just them a green truck comes out of the woods. It is the DNR riding around in a Forest Service truck with a fadded sticker. He asks us if we came from on the road and we told him yes and explained why. He tells us that it is nit a designated trail and that he HAS TO WRITE US A TICKET. Yeah right!!!!1 He could have just given us a warning. He tells us he will give us a break and write 1 ticket for the 4 of us. And of course the ticket goes to me cuz I had my liscense handy. It was a $75 split between the 4 of us, so it wasn't THAT bad. He asks us where we are from and we hell him. He then stars asking us if we have been to DeJa Vu (the strip club) and starts talking to us about his "adventures" there. Then is perverted partner starts telling us that he prefers the Canadian girls and tell us about the Motel 6 up in Sue ST. Marie where you can get hookers. WTF is wrong with these people!!!!! So he writes us the ticket and tells us that they want us to come back. YEAH RIGHT!!!! Not after a $75 for some BS reason. Not to mention, he tells us that we can't ride on the snowmobile trails either. Its not like they are using it during the summer!!!! Also, the snowmobile trails are how you need to get to the ORV trails. So it is pretty impossible NOT to use them. So yeah, we were pretty pissed. So I pay $16.75 a year to clean the trails myself and to get a ticket for riding on a unpassable road. Sorry, I just had to vent!!![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-mad.gif[/img] I feel better now

 

At least Michigan gives you trails to ride on here in NY we pay $10 and we don't get squat.I have alot of family property to ride on but other than that we have to break the law how fair is that.So no matter how bad you think your situation is someone may have it worse.In Germany they aren't even allowed off the road.You all in Michigan have it a whole heck of alot better than we do.

 

True, I guess I just have to pick a better riding area. But, I still have to drive about 2 hours to get to this one. Some day I will take a trip to the UP. They have some GREAT trails up there

 

How many miles of treails do you have in Michigan?I have inlaws that live there.I'm just not sure where in Michigan.

 

at least a few hundred in the lower penninsula. In the UP there is endless trails from what I hear. And the area is absolutely BEAUTIFUL. Thats why I want to take a trip up there.

 

BBS,

What designated trail and what designated parking lot are you referring to?

Thank-you.

 

BigBadScrambler,
visit atvoffroad.net

It is Michigans largest ATV related site and is packed with riding info and Forums for Michigan ATV riders.You could also go and tell your UNPLEASANT story to Michigans ORV advisory board in Lansing Michigan on Wednsday Sept the 10th @ 6:30pm.The Director of this advisory board NEEDS to hear from folks like you because he's under the impression there is NOTHING wrong with our trails OR how they are maintained?

You are not alone here.There are many folks that want to know WHAT they are spending 16.25 for EVERY yr for an ORV sticker for?Over 53% of these sticker funds are suppose to go to keeping the trails groomed and you get stuck with this BS?

If you need more info,e-mail me[haynez2@aol.com] and I'll give you my phone number.Im in the Burton area near Flint.Im also a state certified ATV safety instructor.

Best of luck!
Bill

 

Thanks muddy. I will check out that website. It has gotten to the point where we are going to have to carry a chainsaw with us to get where we need to go. We are the ones clearing the trees out of the way while others just make a path around them. And to make it even better, now that want to clear-cut out riding area. We were so mad about that that we went to the town meeting and voiced our opinions about that and about the trail system, which fell upon def ears. We also gave them hell about them riding around in V10 Ford Excursions and fully loaded Z71's with LEATHER INTERIORS!!!! Yes!, that is where our $16.25 a year goes. To needless gas guzzling Trucks and SUV's. They don't need those big of a vehical. All they need is a bone stock 4x4.


blackballed
I am no sure of the name of the trail. We were cited for riding on "Deckerville Road" Were were told by one DNR officer awhile back that you can drop off at a big fire pit about 3 miles down that road. That is where we dropped until the road became unpassable. Now the DNR guy tells us that we need to drop at "The Pink Store" [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img] huh??? Form what we understand it is like 15 miles away. Oh well.

 

One problem we have here in Michigan is that some of the old die hard off road motorcyclist want their trails no wider than 22 inches,and the ATVers want their trails at 50 inches or more.BOTH user groups pay the same 16.25 to use the trails.Problem is,is that the Cycle Conservation club [CCC] are the ones that are doing most of the ATV trail maintenace and most of the grant sponsers could give a damn less about maintaining our 50 inch trails to SPECs?But they get paid $$ out of OUR 16.25 ORV trail fund to bring the trails to specs and it just is not happening,in most cases?

IF the 4x4 Pickup trucks you seen were on a designated ORV ROUTE,than they have as much right on the trail as you do because they also pay their 16.25 to ride the same trail.

There is a lack of ''brotherhood''between user groups and this does nothing to enhance our sport in this State.Until far MORE ATVers get their a$$es to Lansing Mich and start speaking their peice to the ORV leaders that are ''suppose''to represent the publics concerns and ORV interests,there will be no ''hurry''to make many things better in this State for ATVers?

Im only ONE voice and they cant hear me.

Bill

 

The 4x4 trucks that we have seen were some of the ones tearing up the road, the same road that we got ticketed for riding on. The Excursions and Z71's that I was talking about belonged to the DNR. That is what we really got pissed about. Why the heck do they need a V10 Excursion that gets 8 mph. We are the ones paying for that. Its rediculas