From: Patrick.Martin@f825.n102.z1.fidonet.org (Patrick Martin)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles.dirt
Subject: b2v 92
Date: 21 Dec 1992 06:47:13 -0600
Organization: UTexas Mail-to-News Gateway
NNTP-Posting-Host: cs.utexas.edu


'92 Barstow-to-Vegas
Protest Ride
November 28


BARSTOW,CA-  There's a Bell Jet Ranger buzzing overhead, and an OV-10 
circling quietly.  The Bureau of Land Management's staging area, at Alvord 
Rd., about 15 miles northeast of Barstow, for the '92 Barstow-to-Vegas 
Protest Ride was alive with activity.  At first glance, one might suspect 
this to be some sort of special ranger convention hosted by the BLM - but no, 
it was just your tax dollars and a undisclosed amount of California's Green 
Sticker Fund at work.

Weeks prior to this, Alan Ghaleb, attorney extraordinary representing Sahara 
Club, and vintage Husky/Maico collector, had presented the BLM with a check 
for $2000 as a bond for the 40 permitted Protest Riders.

Though a few of the Protest Riders didn't show, approximately 30 or more had 
made it through the BLM "sign-up" where bikes were inspected and riders 
identification verified, prior to the 9:00 am designated "start."

Reporters and reporterettes were crawling all over the place.  Threats of 
"course" sabotage were alive and well from groups such as Earth First and 
Greenpeace.  The media wanted to know all about this.  The media also wanted 
to know ALL about the historic event (the Barstow-to-Vegas hare and hound) 
that was being denied by the BLM...  The media got all this and more.

At the brief rider's meeting hosted by Sahara Club president Rick Sieman, 
Rick cautioned the protest riders to stay on designated routes, and advised 
others without permits from the BLM that there were other open routes and 
maps were available.

Promptly at 9:00 am, the almost 40 rides were lined up for a SYMBOLIC, dead-
engine banner start.  Rick and the Duck waffled the banner for a few moments, 
all was still.  The banner finally dropped and the desert came alive with a 
road.  The trusty XR I was riding required it's normal 3 kicks before 
breathing any signs of life.

After a few moments, the riders returned through the dust and collected in 
small groups.  You see, the BLM laid out MANY restrictions upon us, one of 
which is that in no way could this even remotely resemble a speed 
contest...remember the bond?  But the media really ate up on the symbolic 
start and ran a 1/4-page full color photo in the San Bernardino Sun...  It 
looked quite good!

By about 9:10 we were off in route to Las Vegas.  The route was a power line 
corridor that is OPEN any other day of the year - it's not open to Barstow-
to-Vegas Protest Riders, except by written authorization from the BLM, but 
it's open to anyone with any vehicle any other day of the year.

You know, all this sounds a bit fishy.  There are undertones of 
discrimination directed at Barstow-to-Vegas Protest Riders by the BLM, one 
might suspect.  Now not being a liberal, I'm not too up on all this protest 
stuff, but along this line, never in my life have I _ever_ heard of 
protesters having to submit their names in written request to a federal 
agency in order to perform a protest.  Hmmm.  According to Ghaleb, this will 
be changed next year.

Back to the ride...  My group of Protest Riders consisted of Barry Van Dyke, 
Louis McKey, Alan Ghaleb, Rick Sieman, Terry Proffer and Lowell Webb.  Though 
I think all of us do (or have) race(d) in competition in some form or 
another, for the most part, we took a rather leisurely ride.

Pulling in a Kelbaker Rd., after almost 50 miles of fire-roading, we realized 
we were short a rider and sent a support vehicle back after the Duck - that 
required BLM permission, even though the very same road is OPEN any other day 
of the year to vehicle travel...  The Duck was on a '73 Husky that just 
didn't seem fit for the ride this day.  Louis called it quits and decided to 
ride with the girls in trucks, I wonder if he planned this...

From there on out, it was a mixture of straight and sometimes twisty fire 
roads, all the way to State Line.  Couldn't have asked for better weather 
conditions...  And the brewskies in the parking lot next to Whiskey Pete's 
were iced down just right!  

All-in-all, our ride of protest, of the BLM's denial to issue a permit for 
the famed Batstow-to-Vegas hare and hound, was quiet and on the uneventful 
side.  There were more rangers than you could shake a stick at, had the 
appearance of a BLM ranger convention, as it did last year.  The Bell Jet 
Ranger and the OV-10 low altitude reconn plane were in the air most the day.  
The OV-10 belongs to the BLM, the helicopter was tattooed with CHP on the 
side...  Counting CHP and San Bernardino County Sheriffs, the BLM must have 
had well over 100 poeple on the payroll for this affair.  I wonder what the 
REAL cost to the taxpayer was?

As I sit here typing, I'm reminded of the start area again, as I look at a 
Christmas card sent by a friend.  The photo on the card Shows a couple desert 
riders, one wearing a Desert MC jersey, the other sporting Vikings colors, 
holding a sign stating:  "BLM - Who Died and Made you King???"  There's 
another sign in the photo...  actually, it look more like a tombstone marker:  
"RIP Barstow to Vegas???"  NOT HARDLY...

There was only one arrest this year:  Keith Collins of Ridgecrest, CA, aboard 
a KX 500 carrying a rather large American flag, was arrested at the start 
area after he allegedly crossed the BLM's "Line of Death."  According to one 
of the rangers at waiting for us at Cima Rd., Keith had requested exemption 
from the BLM's closure in writing as required but was still denied his First 
Amendment right to protest the closure and the BLM's refusal to issue a race  
permit.  According to the ranger, Keith had announced to the BLM and the 
press that he was going to ride anyway.  Looks like he did...

Though the usual death threats had rolled in to Sahara Club HQ from the Earth 
First whackos, along with threats of route sabotage, it looks as though they 
had second thoughts about showing up out there...  One lone Sierra Club 
person approached my sister, asking if she had seen any fellow Sierra Club 
folk...  Biting her tongue, she directed him towards Rick.  The Sierra Club 
person spilled their guts to Rick, on how they'd come down from northern 
Cailf., had been on the phone for weeks trying to line up others, had 
committments from many but none showed, to come out and "witness" this year's 
Barstow-to-Vegas Protest Ride and gather evidence of any damage to the 
terrain and/or tortoise habitat.  Rick led this poor guy on for quite a while 
before divulging who he was...

The good news:  There was (as usual and as expected!) no damage to habitat, 
the BLM's own words.

The better news: This year we had 40 riders that were permitted to ride the 
Barstow-to-Vegas Protest Ride.  There were another 30 or 40 that took the Old 
Mojave Rd. at least part of the way into Vegas, as a symbolic protest.

Next year we shoot for 250 riders for the Protest Ride.  In '93 we WANT the 
race returned to us!  With new leadership in the BLM's Desert District 
Office, and a "still pending" Sahara Club lawsuit against the BLM, I guess 
we'll soon see what kind of attitude they have towards off-roading...

Sooo, for those in or near AMA's District 37...  Where were you this past 
Thanksgiving weekend???

Best regards and Happy Holidays!

Patrick Martin
Sysop / Sahara Club BBS
data: 818 893-1899 1200-2400b 8-n-1

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