Ok, one of my favorite hobbies os offroading. Jeep/Truck, ATV, dirt bike, sandrail, whatever. Love it, live it.

Now, out this way, there is a section of the Pawnee Grasslands that opens only in the winter due to fire hazard. It is a fairly big event because it is an excellent riding area. A huge arroyo cuts across the grassland, making a natural motocross style are that covers a very large area. Hooray, it opened this weekend!!

The problem is the stupid people. There are a few in every sport... in this sport it is the dummys that hollow out their pipe to make it louder. (Popular myth that noise equals power. Quite the opposite, the best power pipes are quite low key) They also are the ones ripping around with no protective gear, showing no consideration for other riders.

Well, the local news showed up to do an interest story on the area, and it's turnout. All was well, dozens of bikes and quads riding, having fun, and being considerate to each other.

And then the stupid people manage to arrive. A big old puckup pulling a fifth wheel flatbead with 8 quads on it pulls up. Bubba and his crew get out, and we know trouble has arrived as they fire them up to unload. Loud! Every single one of them is running straight pipes on the 4strokes, and hollowed noisemakers on the 2 strokers.
They park ACROSS!!! the only road in or out of the staging area, so they can unload straight into the riding area, rather than the staging area. They have to be told by a passing park ranger to move it to a parking area, all of which are very deep to accomodate long trucks and trailers.

Now they unload, and I watch an 8 year old girl, no helmet or gear whatsoever climb aboard a Banshee and rip off into the pit. The rest of the group all line up across the entrance to the riding area, and decide that the only way into and out of the riding pit is the best place to start having drag races. After nearly wiping out a family of young riders trying to enter the pit, the ranger again has to make them play nice.

The news crew is glued to Bubba Stupid and crew, BTW. The dozens of people riding nice are not likely to cause the blood and gore footage that newscrews like. They recognize a disaster with a lit fuse when they see it.

And then.. little girl on the Banshee loses control and becomes mincemeat. Right in view of the cameras, of course. She is hauled away on an ambulance... Bubba and crew hold one more drag race before loading up to follow! This time they actually collide with a man trying to enter the pit. No injuries, but Bubba decides that it is the guy's fault, and that a good beatdown is in order to tech him a lesson. How dare he enter the pit the only possible way he can????

In front of the camera again.

And, once they leave..... they dump all their garbage out of the trailer/truck onto the ground before driving off.

Out of many many people enjoying the fun, a small bunch of bad apples work hard to ruin it for all. Thanks a lot, Bubba Stupid and family.

 

There is always one person that tries to ruin it for the rest of us, and somehow they act even more empty headed when the cameras are around.

 

Wow...my first reaction was you should have done something...but what could you have done. People like that don't take well to criticism (especially when they are that dumb). I would have picked up their trash - followed them - and when they stopped pulled up next to them - hand it to em and said "hey you forgot some of your family members when you left" [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

unreal..

 

10-4. *****'s like that deserve to Recieve 2 to the chest 1 to the head. Next time ya see em slash his tires.

 

Ditto

 

Biggest problem is that is how most of the non-riding public see's all of us. As a bunch of bumbling Bubba's.

 

Stupid people are gonna show up...thats life. Looks like the ranger dropped the ball. You are dealing with authentic red necks when they drag 1 last time before going too see their relatives (that just left in the ambulance).

 

Some people are not happy until they messed everything up... I think it's because they are too self centered and don't respect anyone else or even themselves as humans. I feel that some of these people are not human because their actions are not even close to a human with a 1/3 of a brain. Unfortuately we have some here in Halifax to; but they don't typically ride ATVs here.

 

It is a pitty that people like those you describe have to ruin the sport for the rest of us. They are the reasons 4wheeling has a shaky reputation and riding areas get closed down. On my last ride, the parking lot was strickly for loading and you are allowed only to go to the trail. Two idiots were drag racing and even jumping over stuff in it! If we don't police ourselves we will be left with no where to ride.