35th Annual Easter Jeep Safari in Moab - It's All In the Perspective

Thirty degrees Fahrenheit, plus or minus a few, snow falling, a high wind-chill factor - this set the stage for the 35th annual Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah.

It also set the stage for OFF-ROAD magazine's trailrun with our sister publication 4Wheel Drive and Sport Utility. As I explained this epic adventure to my friends back home, they looked at me like I was insane. For most, this would sound like an unpleasant time, but for me it was the highlight of a week in off-road paradise.

The response from my friends encouraged me to a further examination of my passion for off-roading as a whole. Are all off-road enthusiasts just thrill-seekers or daredevils? Or does it go further into the outdoor adventure and camaraderie with friends and family in the backcountry?

So there I was, strapped into Currie Enterprise's Fire Ant (this year's ARCA Rock Crawling Champs contender). John Currie was describing in detail the modifications he had just recently made to Fire Ant. The whole rearend of the TJ had just been chopped off and replaced with a caged rearend with coilover shocks design for serious rockcrawling use. This thing was impressive. The body was narrowed 6-1/2 inches to provide better clearance, and the vehicle stuck to vertical walls like there was no tomorrow. Pretty impressive. We'll give you a complete feature on it very soon.

This brings me back to my dilemma. One of my friends made a snide comment that off-roaders were irresponsible, selfish land destroyers. Good one, El Nature Boy. Don't get me wrong, I love outdoor activities. As a matter of fact, a bunch of us took our mountain bikes out to Moab and participated in a handful of epic climbs and descents. On of those brutal up-the-wall climbs that's rewarded with a grin from ear to ear, descending down the Moab Rim trail - great fun and what a rush of adrenaline, me in Moab on my GT I-Drive, blasting down the Rim Trail. Wait a minute. How can I enjoy both off-roading in a combustion driven vehicle or on a self-propelled bicycle? Why does everything have to be put into a category. Hey, you're one of those, or you're one of them. I like being an individual and experiencing life to its fullest.

When I got back from Moab, I received a phone call from my brother Mike. He said, "Don't bother getting your jet ski together." You see, my brother lives in Vegas, and in the summer, we hang out at Lake Mead and Jet Ski. It seems that our great government and newly elected President just outlawed two-stroke watercrafts, and next it will be two-stroke powered boats. The point I'm trying to make is I enjoy all of these activities, and I don't need the government implementing new laws to keep us from using the desert, the mountains, or the lakes. As I was playing with my four-year-old nephew with his Gravedigger monster truck, I just wondered if he would ever have a chance to experience Moab, get his first try at riding a Jet Ski at the lake, or mountain bike in the local mountains when he's an adolescent.

What I do know is we need to stop labeling one another and work together in a cohesive manner. Be responsible and courteous and appreciate the freedom we have. If we can't work that out among us, then all of us will lose.