UCE3 - Utah Cruiser Expedition 3

[richard310]

Wow, this escalated quickly.

Sometimes a route cannot be bypassed without certain measures. So every time a journey hits a questionable section, they should end their trip and go home? Who's to say the tertiary or quaternary route isn't questionable as well or even has to be dealt with in a manner to be frowned upon? Then every human being should be reprimanded. We're all hypocrites and the concept of 'treading lightly' is IMO subjective to the situation. Backup routes were taken, he minimized his footprint and also, the route in question does get regularly maintained. Having a route alone in any area is the biggest footprint of all. We're shooting ourselves in the foot over this kind of bickering. Get over it people.

Still a great trip report and enjoyed going through it. Don't let these types get you down. Continue your journeys and expeditions at your discretion.

 

[stolenheron]

looks like a phenomenal trip. great write up/report.

I'm very jealous of long tracts of dirt roads/trails. I'm even more jealous of the terrain and the variability of terrain you saw on the trip. looks like you went from forest to alpine to desert scrub and everything in between.

 

[Box Rocket]

Still a great trip report and enjoyed going through it. Don't let these types get you down. Continue your journeys and expeditions at your discretion.

Thank you. One thing I know is that I'll continue to explore when I can.

 

[Vermejo]

Excellent report and photos. Thanks for sharing.

 

[dmc]

Treading Lightly obviously.View attachment 214797View attachment 214799View attachment 214800

Let's see. Both are normally drivable in a passenger car. Per my early comments, one of those roads is a railroad maintenance road and is maintained throughout the year for access and hauling livestock. At one point I planned to drive a Prius across that road until the snow persuaded me to do otherwise. The other is also passable in a car but because of the extensive damage suffered throughout the state might take a while to get to. I would think that someone from Colorado would understand how a once in a lifetime storm can affect the environment. This same storm killed some of your citizens if I remember right. At a minimum it did massive destruction to towns and infrastructure. Although I appreciate your comments you have no understanding of context. I don't know you nor your reputation but I know my experience and knowledge of the desert and stand by the decisions we made. You're welcome to join me on a trip whenever you want and you'll understand. You'd probably be shocked to learn that every person on UCE3 has spent many hours on not only trail repair but also illegal trail closure and signage. (the alpine meadows around SLC are full of illegal roads and we've built fencing to prevent access) Hell I've even adopted my own stretch of highway with 3 friends.


Again to my earlier post. Those pics are taken on major access roads that destroyed the environment the day they were put in. One (Notom-Bullfrog) was even supposed to be paved back in the 60s before the Sierra Club intervened. Yeah we made it rougher for a few of the people behind us, which is one of your complaints, but big heavy grader will take care of all that. Part of the adventure is dealing with the elements Mother Nature throws at you. I'm sorry you feel like you should only take on adventures when the situation is ideal and benign. you're missing out on a lot. oh and this...


Edward Abbey wrote an entire essay about getting stuck in a flash flood in his Ford truck.
Wallace Stegner wrote an entire essay about getting stuck in the sands of Southern Utah
John Muir wrote an entire chapter in a book about building a bonfire so massive it caused the rain clouds to glow hundreds of feet above it.

Quite possibly the 3 most important environmentalists/conservationists in American history understood that there are those who talk about nature and look at it through their window and there are those who actually commune with and understand it. But I guess Abbey and Stegner should have turned around and gone another way. Then to be PC had their books pulled from shelves just in case someone was offended by their actions. Or they could have dealt with the circumstances they were put in and enjoyed the hell out of it.

 

[dmc]

Adam, you may take into account Roverrocks' locale. People in Colorado are very sensitive to this, because idiots do it often in alpine tundra, and these wounds do take thousand years to heal.
Don't know if you guys remember the two brothers who took a wrong turn in Colorado about 10 or 15 years ago (in a Wrangler and a Dodge Ram), and it took them several days to get their vehicles off the mountainside.

Funny the guys on UCE have removed at least 3 abandoned vehicles from the back country that I can remember. Could be more. Alpine tundra is very sensitive. Off track in the desert is very destructive. Driving through mud on existing and maintained roads? meh, not so much.

 

[pmatusov]

Alpine tundra is very sensitive. Off track in the desert is very destructive. Driving through mud on existing and maintained roads? meh, not so much.

Pretty much what I said.

 

[Box Rocket]

unfortunately for many, perceived intellect rules common sense. I'm gonna roll with common sense every single time.

 

[dmc]

Pretty much what I said.

sorry. I was agreeing with you in my post. should have used more words. I think anyone who has been involved in wheeling in the 4 Corners states knows that story all too well.

 

[p nut]

Great report. I hope to take the same route one of these days. Thanks for taking time to take the pictures.

And once again, roverrocks ruining another thread. Welcome to the ignore list...

 

[RockyMtnFamily]

On second thought. I really don't care to even have this debate here. If pmatusov or roverrocks (or anyone else) would care to take it up with me, please PM me. I'm happy to discuss. As far as I'm concerned this debate is over in this thread. I apologize for my part in derailing a trip report. I have removed my comments that have detracted from the trip report.

Thank you for being the bigger man.

Kevin

 

[Box Rocket]

Great report. I hope to take the same route one of these days. Thanks for taking time to take the pictures.

And once again, roverrocks ruining another thread. Welcome to the ignore list...

ignored. Thanks for the compliment on the report.

 

[SmoothLC]

So . . . not being a Tread Lightly expert, but having been on many of the same roads, and knowing that some (many/all?) of those on UCE3 have gone through the program, I looked up the Tread Principles:

Travel Responsibly on land by staying on designated roads, trails and area. Go over, not around, obstacles to avoid widening the trails. Cross streams only at designated fords. When possible, avoid wet, muddy trails. On water, stay on designated waterways and launch your watercraft in designated areas.

Respect the Rights of Others including private property owners, all recreational trail users, campers and others so they can enjoy their recreational activities undisturbed. Leave gates as you found them. Yield right of way to those passing your or going uphill. On water, respect anglers, swimmers, skiers, boaters, divers and those on or near shore.

Educate Yourself prior to your trip by obtaining travel maps and regulations from public agencies. Plan for your trip, take recreation skills classes and know how to operate your equipment safely.

Avoid Sensitive Areas on land such as meadows, lakeshores, wetlands and streams. Stay on designated routes. This protects wildlife habitats and sensitive soils from damage. Don’t disturb historical, archeological or paleontological sites. On water, avoid operating your watercraft in shallow waters or near shorelines at high speeds.

Do Your Part by modeling appropriate behavior, leaving the area better than you found it, properly disposing of waste, minimizing the use of fire, avoiding the spread of invasive species and repairing degraded areas.​

Seems like the two primary issues have already been discussed and addressed:

• When possible, avoid wet, muddy trails.
• Avoid Sensitive Areas on land such as meadows . . .

It simply wasn't possible to avoid the "wet, muddy trails" given the epic amount of rain that fell in that area last year. And "meadows" doesn't actually fit the description surrounding those trails.

Principles are guidelines or ideals, but can not always be applied in practical application.

Seems that the UCE3 crew were well within the scope of following these principles given the situation. But not having been through the training . . .

2 cents

 

[pmatusov]

sorry. I was agreeing with you in my post. should have used more words. I think anyone who has been involved in wheeling in the 4 Corners states knows that story all too well.

Dave,

I am truly and honestly amazed that it grew into what it should not have. While I personally may not have done what Adam and guys did - more out of being a wuss than sticking to Thread Lightly principles - I don't condone it. I just wanted to _sort of_ pass it to Adam that there may have been a reason Roverrocks reacted as he did. There's nothing wrong with that, either. I personally don't feel offended, either way - lumped with "these people who drink Disco water" or whatnot.

We all tend to wheel where we wheel. I may hit UT or CO or whatnot, but I generally stay within a couple of gas tanks from San Diego. I don't like what I did ten years ago when I drove a big Jeep, but ... so what, I came back to these places and they happily forgot I ever existed.

 

[Funrover]

Man that looks like a great time!