Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
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been topped quite easily on a bike. We stopped periodically so that the various members of the committee could comment on the critical aspects of the land as they saw it. Nobody was saying very much. Most serious objection so far was that the bikes would be visible from the freeway and might be hazardous to drivers. We got into some rougher area but it was still not what one would call challenging. As Wilson said repeatedly, this was not supposed to be for the ai i u. ~ w Z W ...J U 8 Daggett EL. 2006 Stoddard Well Although the desert seems barren, it actually supports an amazing amount of life which must be respected if we are to continue our use of the land. Stop sometime and look at the various cacti. They are really quite interesting. competition or very serious rider. They caould be accommodated on a perm;t basis, as they are now. This was for the playbike set. We came shortly to what would be a major obstacle to areas of this sort; an abandoned mine shaft (see photo). Mineshafts like these dot the desert and are a very serious hazard to fast or careless riders. Wilson was concerned not only about the real hazard but also about the implied liability resulting from publicizing the area as a motorcycle playground. Marking all the mineshafts in a large section of desert would be a formidable job, but marking them once wouldn't be enough, because vandals destroy such things almost as fast as they are made. On the next stop we had an opportunity to see what people could do to deface the desert when they really o ~ o :;: .:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:. .........•............... :~:~ ;:~:.: ~.~.~ Shaded area of the map shows very roughly the location of the planned riding area, about 60,000 acres. discussion at Stoddard Wells. Wilson asked the group what they thought about the area. Lots of questions and noncommittal sorts of comments. Bill Adams, past president of District 37, was the chief motorcyclist representative. He thought it would make a fine area for the play riders but You are looking into a hole at least 50 ft. deep. If you ride into it, good luck! You can't see it from 20 yards awav. Bill Adams and Jack Wilson discuss different aspects of the proposed plan. tried. In a small area a junk manufacturer had been burning old power transformers to obtain the copper. The unbumable mica insulation covered the area like confetti after a parade. A couple of not very serious miners had dug trenches and holes which others had used for trash disposal and firepits. Somebody had abandoned an automobile which the shooters found useful for target practice. One such had even left his target to become tomorrow's litter. The area was very rocky and Wilson asked if the rocks would discourage the cycl;sts. Trials riders would enjoy them agd racers wouldn't even notice them, but whether the play riders would ride there, 1 wasn't sure. Nex t stop was lunch and general most representatives had little to say. Finally one young woman named Rosie Cole, not a member of the committee, took the bull by the horns and asked, "Is there anyone who really objects to this land being used for a motorcycle riding area?" One man did, on a Iimjted basis. He was a biologist and ecologist from the state college at Barstow. He said there would be immense ecological damage but that it wouldn't be as bad as elsewhere. His feeling was that it wasn't a question of whether damage would be done, but rather where it would be done. He felt that there was less to be damaged here. On the way back Wilson chose a road or trail that had been recen t1y used for a (Please tum to pg. 25) KA WASAKI ONL Y! DracoJs Motorcycles 1629 S. Standard Santa Ana, Ca. 543-9688 Best Availallle in Kawasalei Parts and Service. > U