What is wrong with the State of Texas. I just got back from a week of back road riding in Colorado around Crested Butte. I was in a 4x4 SUV along with dirbikes, ATVs and Jeeps. It seemed to be one big happy family and the local forest service seemed to be helpful to everyone. Also evey hotel room in Gunison was filled up.

Just think what what happen to Jasper, Lufkin and the surrounding towns if the forest service would treat the public right and open the forest roads and trails like they did in the 1970s. All the hotels and camps around Toledo Bend and Sam Rayburn would be filled up. Shops and eating places would pop up everywhere. Talk about a boom to the tax base in east Texas. Surely someone in Texas division of the forest service has been to other parts of the country and seen what type of money the offroad commuinity brings in.

I know you have me ranting and rolling, but let me roll a little bit more. Take Moab Ut. without the offroad communty they have almost no tax base. In Moab they have no problem giving tickets to the ones that are causing problems and all of the rest of us they treat like human beings. From what I hear about East Texas no matter how nice you are, even if you have a full head of gray hair and look like you just came back from church they treat you worst that if you just escaped from the local jail. Now does that make since? East Texas is starving for jobs and tax money. They have more public land than they know what to do with but can not put 2 + 2 together.

I could go on but my blood pressure is only rising. The worst thing about going to Colorado is coming back and seeing how bad you have been screwed by being driven out of the forest. That load of bull about hurting the pine forest is unbelievable. Correct me if I am wrong but what is wrong with the offroad community riding in an area that the forest service is going to let the timber companies clear cut anyway. Most people driving around East Texas think that they are surrounded by Pine Trees. If they were to get out of their cars and just walk a 100 yards into the woods they would find a lot of times only clear cut section with no trees at all. And in the areas where there are no plans to every cut down the trees at least let us run on the fire roads. And if the Forest service catches anyone tearing up stuff they should do just like the Moab UT officers do give them a ticket or take them to jail.

This ends part one of my ranting and raving.

Thanks for your time
nujac