Del Albright

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Kurt Schneider E-mail: kurtuleas@pirate4x4.com El Dorado County: October 28, 2008 Pirate4x4.com unveils online letter generator to fight for OHV access Pirate4x4.com uses newest campaign for Johnson Valley and the Hammers to announce letter generator. The largest Off-Road website in the world, Pirate4x4.com has added a new tool for OHV enthusiasts to voice their opinions on route closures across the nation. Piate4x4.com's new letter generator will enable Off Highway Vehicle (OHV) enthusiasts of all types to send out letters via e-mail to many different decision makers at once. Unlike many "form letters' campaigns that have been used in the past, this new letter generator allows users to type their own personalized letters and then send them off to several pre-determined e-mail addresses at once. The current Pirate4x4.com letter campaign with the generator focuses on the United States Marines Corps expansion in to the Johnson Valley OHV ar...

Off-Road Expo in Pomona , CA is an awesome consumer show for enthusiasts as well as businesses, vendors and dealers. But for us, the buyer and looker, this is one heck of a show. Held every October in Pomona, CA, it's a must see for me. I go in my capacity as a BlueRibbon Ambassador to help ensure the future of our sport, while supporting those businesses that are members of BlueRibbon. Check out the rock crawling, celebrities, and new products in this photo essay (pics): http://www.delalbright.com/Articles/expo_2008.html Del

Tickle The Taste Buds With A Dutch Oven By Tom Severin Dutch ovens are a great way to bring the taste of home cooking to the outdoors. To better understand Dutch ovens, I turned to fellow Outdoor Adventure USA member Bruce Crabtree. Bruce has been cooking with Dutch ovens for over 15 years. He recently joined us during a ham radio program to share his thoughts. To hear the entire program, click on this link: http://www.oausa.net/on-air-nets/48-on-air-nets/91-cooking-with-a-dutch-oven A Dutch oven is actually a cooking pot that's designed to be heated by charcoal or a campfire. They are made of cast iron because iron offers a uniform distribution of heat. Dutch ovens are most often used for baking goods, but are also used to cook with. People make soups, casseroles, and other dishes with a Dutch oven. Dutch ovens can be purchased at most outdoor stores such as Cabela's, Sports Chalet and Bass Pro. Wall Mart has a limited selection. Stick with high quality Lodge or Camp Che...

Tahoe National Forest OHV Meeting scheduled October 29 in Bay Area By Amy Granat Meeting to be held Wednesday, October 29, 2008 at 6:30 PM in Pleasant Hill, CA Off Highway Vehicle users have only one chance to affect the outcome of Route Designation in their favorite forest. The time for the Tahoe is now! If you ride or drive a motorcycle, ATV or 4WD you must attend. To help you understand the Forest Service proposed plan, Friends of Tahoe Forest Access (FOTFA) is sponsoring a meeting in the Bay Area with representatives from the Tahoe National Forest. Tahoe Forest officials will give a presentation of their proposed plan and answer questions from the audience. Maps may be reviewed for 30 minutes before the presentation. Link to Tahoe National Forest proposed actions and Draft Environmental Impact Statement: http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/tahoe/projects_plans/ohv_inv/DEIS_overview.shtml This is an important event - the Forest Service didn't put on a meeting for Bay Area residents to...

My latest photography is of the famous and mystical Sand Tufa of Mono Lake, CA. Being there is somewhere between Disneyland and a dreamworld of structural fantasy. You won't believe this "rock" and sand formations along the sandy shoreline of Mono Lake. Check it out: http://www.delalbright.net/Images/Tufa/index.html thanks, let me know what you think, Del

BLUERIBBON COALITION ACTION ALERT! Dear BRC Action Alert Subscriber, San Bernardino National Forest Releases EA For Motorized Travel Plan The San Bernardino National Forest, located in southern California, has just released their Draft Environmental Analysis (DEA) for the Motorized Travel Management project. The Forest Service (FS) will be accepting comments for the next 30 days. This project will make limited changes to the Forest's motorized transportation system and implement the 2005 Travel Management Rule. If you would like to review the DEA in detail, an electronic copy on their website: http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/sanbernardino/projects/ohv.shtml . A copy of the DEA is also available for view at the San Bernardino National Forest Supervisor's Office. The three action alternatives that are presented in the DEA combine many of the comments and recommendations that have been provided at public meetings and from other contacts. This is your opportunity to exa...

BLUERIBBON COALITION ACTION ALERT! Dear BRC Action Alert Subscriber, Klamath National Forest Seeks Comments on Motorized Routes The Klamath National Forest, located in northwestern California, is formulating a new travel plan that will limit ALL vehicle use to designated roads, trails and areas. On October 7, 2008, the Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) was published in the Federal Register, beginning the formal NEPA (National Environmental Process Act) analysis for the Motorized Travel Management project. The NOI initiates the scoping process, which guides the development of the EIS. The purpose of the NOI is to invite the public to participate in the Travel Management Project EIS analysis by providing comments about the proposal during the public scoping process. The Forest Service (FS) is asking for your input during the 30-day public scoping comment period. Although comments are welcome throughout the planning process, pro...

While cruising for photos up on Highway 89, Monitor Pass, central Sierra Nevada of California, I found an aspen tree (quakies) grove full of historical and interesting carvings from the old days. Some of them dated back to the early 1900's. Awesome stuff. Fun to explore. Check out my photos here: http://www.delalbright.net/Images/Aspen/index.html

Today was the monthly meeting of the Rubicon Oversight Committee (ROC) and here are some highlights from my notes: Bridges on the trail: with grant money and leadership from the great folks at the Dept. of Transportation in Eldorado County (DOT), we are in progress of getting two bridges on the trail. One at Ellis Creek and one at Gerle Creek (Wentworth Springs Road). These will prevent future closures and environmental issues with both these critical watersheds. It will be summer of 2010 before we see these constructed, but the good news is that everyone is on board and excited about having bridges to help us keep our trail open and healthy. Our input will be asked for as the design ideas come forward. US Geological Survey folks are out on the trail right now doing some analysis of future maintenance jobs that need to be done to keep our trail in good shape. They are doing this under guidance from Eldo County, so we hope to have a good report and what all we'll be doing these ne...

I can't say enough about having water with you at all times, for your safety and health. Water is the best thing going for us. So OK, it's not the only thing in your ice chest – but it's the most important. And if you want more room in your ice chest, plus want more water along, you gotta get one of these Hydra goodies. The Hydra from Rompalicious is a perfect alternative to all those pesky water bottles that flop all over the place and out onto the trail without notice. The Hydra holds two and a half gallons of fresh water and straps easily to the back of the seat or on a roll bar so it takes up a lot less room than all those plastic bottles which makes it easier to store more important things like tools and extra parts.  Read my whole write up on the Hydra from Rompalicious right here: http://www.delalbright.com/Products/products_emergency.html

JPCooler for All Jeepers JPCooler has designed and creating the first and only tailor made cooler for the Jeep Enthusiasts. We run JPCoolers on our Jeep and love the versatility and utility they provide, let alone the cooling factor. Sometimes we run one for just dry goods even. It all depends on the wheeling trip.   Read more of our review of this great product here.

Olympic4x4 Products Unveils New Dave's Rack for Jeep JK The Side-to-side Generation At the Pomona Off-Road Expo in October 2008, David and Eric Lichtbach of Olympic4x4 Products unveiled the prototype of their new JK Jeep Wrangler Dave's Rack, with side departure and free-standing shade possibilities. Instead of deploying to the rear of the Jeep like the old TJ Dave's Rack, this new JK roof rack goes to either side of the Jeep. Talk about sweet ! Read more about this side-to-side JK roof rack here.

Surviving On the Trail Getting through and making the best of it By Stacie & Del Albright Stacie tells the story of a tow strap time to this day. "When I heard the tell-tale sound of the axle snapping as we came down hard on the passenger side into a four foot crevice, I muttered a few words to myself. The summer sun had been sinking lower in the fading blue sky for some time and with our buddy dangling from a tow strap behind us I knew we were in trouble. We were going to be there for awhile." Read more about the Ready Freddy and The Hydra from Rompalicious here.

Know How to Read a Map, and You May Stay Alive By Tom Severin, Badlands Off Road Adventures   It's easy nowadays to rely entirely on a GPS receiver to direct you during a trip. Just program in your destination, and let the friendly voice and digital map guide you along the way. But like any electronic gadget, a GPS unit has its limitations, and you can end up in trouble if you're not careful. Plus, they can lose power or break, leaving you stranded if you don't have a back up.   GPS units are of limited use when you're driving off road. The maps and other data they provide tell you how to get from Point A to Point B, but they say nothing about the quality of the roads. This became painfully clear to a group that was traveling in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in early August. Instead of a leisurely ride, these folks found themselves being led down the wrong roads, many of which were barely passable, and way off course. They ended up at the edge o...

BLUERIBBON COALITION ACTION ALERT! Dear BRC Action Alert Subscriber, BLM Announces Public Meetings for Marine Corps Withdrawal of Public Lands The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Marine Corps have announced that they will be holding two public hearings in late October. The meetings will be about the proposed transfer of approximately 366,000 acres public land, including approximately 189,000 acres of Johnson Valley OHV Area, from the BLM to the Corps. As most of you already know, the transfer of these public lands would be devastating to the OHV community and recreating public. It's time to step up and let them know where you stand. Please try to attend one if not both of these meetings. See the BLM press release with the dates and locations of each meeting below. Thanks in advance for your involvement, Ric Foster Public Lands Department Manager BlueRibbon Coalition 208-237-1008 ext 107 ______________________________________________________ News ...