Back Country Times

E-Newsletter Vol 1 Number 1 July 2006

Times, they are a changin’

By Doc Elston

Wheelin’ is undergoing a lot of change these days: more people are enjoying the sport and more people are upset with those of us who enjoy it. What a crazy place to be! Well it’s good to have opposing view points and healthy debate on off highway vehicle use and other recreational activities in the hills. Sometimes middle ground solutions are best for both sides.

As we wheel this summer and enjoy what the beautiful Black Hills have to offer, it’s good to reflect on all the hard work that has kept them open to us. The Black Hills Regional Multiple Use Coalition, the South Dakota Off Highway Vehicle Coalition, and clubs like the Dakota Territory Cruisers, Black Hills Jeeps, the Black Hills 4 Wheelers, and countless others have worked hard on trail-use issues. Overall this has been positive, with excellent working relations continuing with the US Forest Service and developing with such diverse interests as the Norbeck Society.

Take time to speak with members of all these groups when you have the chance and thank them for their hard work and willingness to work together. Some very positive outcomes include protected sensitive riparian areas, ongoing development of wilderness preserves, and protection for some of our most favored trails. Even though we come at these issues from different direction…at least we all agree that we love the hills!

Go out and enjoy the trails, just don’t forget to be respectful of them.

Faced with many different issues over the past several months, the Black Hills 4 Wheelers today announced that sweeping changes are coming. Spokespersons stated that “No longer will our meetings be so boring!” and vowed to bring Tails of the Trails back to the forefront of their meetings. Newsletters will be published and communications improved, they added.

“Struggling with budget concerns and diminished participation in this year’s premier ‘Dakota Territory Challenge’ has led to far too much business being conducted at the meetings” said their president “Doc” at today’s news conference. “We have got to stop talking about stuff that makes it seem just like work.”

The new meeting format will force club members to discuss things like trails, wheelin’ fun, and the latest mods and/or repairs going on in their world. Sign up sheets for trails and treats will circulate and if people aren’t laughing and having fun, there will be penalties!

Remember, committee assignments come to those that don’t show up. So be there for the next meeting and protect your free time!

See you at Canyon Lake Park, July 11^th at 7:00 pm for Pot Luck dinner and a meeting. The club will put on the entrée (good solid American picnic style) and ask that you help with some of the other goodies. See ya there!

So much fun it should be an annual event! Carol Sharp will lead a trip to the “big rock” to watch the wonders of fireworks over Mt. Rushmore from our usual and unique vantage point. Meet at Rockerville July 3^rd at 6:00 pm (in the evening) to join in the fun. Remember, the Black Hills Jeeps are also holding an event that night (7:00 pm at Pizza Hut on Mt. Rushmore Road) for the very same purpose! Come out and join in the fun and see the oohs and ahhs with everybody else!

June 2006, Rapid City. The annual Jeep Camp was a success according to club officials. Faced with smaller numbers this year, the club prevailed and held a successful event. Nobody seems too interested in traveling to the hills at $3 a gallon for gasoline, and just like the Black Hills 4 Wheeler’s event, interest was down this year.

The US Forest Service was more visible this year, owing to greater interest in special use permit holders and off highway travel in the Black Hills. This all went very well according to sources who noted the respectful manner in which events were monitored. Responsible wheelin’ by leaders of the event paid a large role in their success. We owe it to ‘em to say Congratulations on a great event!

Club wheelin’ is fun for all. Come join us on the 9^th of July for a Club Run. Mr. Errea will lead a 3+ to 5+ trail (don’t worry you can bypass the 5+ stuff if you want) starting at 9:30 am on that Sunday. Meet at the supermarket (Haggar’s) at exit 48 (Piedmont) to start the day. Pack a lunch (or pick up goodies at the store) and fill the tank (sticker shock!) and head out to the trails with a great bunch of folks.

The Jeep’s broke! (How many times have I said that?!) “What is it now?” says Bergie. I respond “It’s that darned framus bolt again, the thing keeps getting loose, swings over into the shinman arm over there and jams up the muffler bearing!” Without even smiling he tosses back “Try using the metric screwdriver, tighten the overreach extender, and then use the left-handed monkey wrench and tighten the driver’s side decoupler until the stratusfier clicks home.”

Suddenly, it dawns on me, he’s right! “What if the decoupler did slide 2 inches left and engaged the muffler bearing stabilizing bolt?” I think “Wouldn’t that make sure the confounder never seats on the dual-shifter retention ring? And if that happens, the platen will never fully engage the clutch retention swing arm!” “Wow” I figure “Berg might really have something here!”

Steve and I work late into the night trying to shift the decoupler mechanism. First we rebuild the brammerfield face plate so that the pivot-preventer tensioner will just fit inside the career housing. “Berg. What if this tensioner spring won’t fit back over the brammerfield hold down?” Steve looks over my shoulder “Geeze Doc, don’t you see that you just don’t have that lip on the hold down shim secured? Anyone could see that right off!” I felt a little foolish missing something so basic, but in all honesty, this was the first time I ever tried frammering a stratusfier with a decoupler modification to the brammerfield like this.

Finally about midnight, Berg says “We got to call it a night Doc. You can’t find a pivot-preventer rebuild kit anywhere in this town at this time of night. If you just hadn’t over tightened that muffler bearing retention sleeve, the stratusfier wouldn’t have sheared off right at the ginglehuffer. Once that happens, Doc” he continued “any body worth his salt would tell you to just replace the thing! Doc, you don’t have to be a mechanic to figure out you can’t rebuild your ginglehuffer when your frammering a new decoupler mod onto your brammerfield!” he finished. I guess when something is obvious, it’s obvious. It’ll be a little while before my ole Jeep is sproutin’ it’s new ginglehuffer!

Last Weekend in July we want to hold a campout. Please let us know the level of interest so we can plan this thing!

Challenge preparations are well underway again this year. Sadly, numbers are down with fuel prices running what they are. Those of us here in the Hills have seen fewer tourists and even statewide events are not drawing the usual numbers. Just a sign of the times.

We are looking forward to showing our visitors an even greater event this year and hope it will be more hands on and personal. We expect we’ll get to spend more time with everyone if we aren’t so crowded.

We have Eric Hunt on board this year as our Land Use guru, and he has been helping greatly with the details needed for our Special Use Permit. We will have a full complement of trails and will run as many of them as we need to show all a good time!

We are revising some of the activities this year to reflect the recommendations we received at the end of last year’s event and believe these will all help to make it a better event.

Call or e-mail if you have questions. Remember, if you haven’t signed up yet, now’s the time!