Save Johnson Valley Fun Ride 2008
by Daryl Ashley
Monday, Dec 15, 2008
Off-Roaders of all types living in Southern California share one thing in common, and that's being able to hit the nearby terrain that is Johnson Valley. Just 30 minutes from Palm Springs, California, Johnson Valley's 185,000 acres contains miles of river bed and rock crawling trails such as Sledge Hammer, Jack Hammer and Aftershock (aka The Hammers). There are truly few areas in existence that can satisfy such a wide variety of off-road challenges ranging from Rock Crawlers to Dirt Bikes all in one location.
Recently the valley has captured the attention of an even greater force, the United States Marine Corp. Their goal is to expand its training facilities, in adjacent 29 Palms. This would include Johnson Valley, threatening its continued use by off-road vehicles. This interest sparked a series of efforts by many organizations to do whatever they could to legally protect the off-road sanctuary.
On December 13th and 14th, BRP (Billet Racing Products, LLC) along with District 37 put on their 2nd annual Fun Ride in support of raising awareness and donations for the Save Johnson Valley Legal Defense Fund. Riders from all over came to register their vehicles, offer their support and share their experiences on the trails.
Saturday's event started with sign-in at 8:00 a.m. at which time, Meg Grossglass, Media Relations and Land Use for ORBA (Off-Road Business Association) conducted a letter writing campaign encouraging riders to put letters together to the Marine Corp expressing in their own words their concerns for saving Johnson Valley.
After sign-in, the trails were open to anyone who wanted to take them on. Lifted Imports watched as they crawled through Bullfrog Trail and even caught a flip or two along the way. Then at noon, a handful of rock crawlers, including one from the Red Bull Rock Crawling Team, was on hand to awe the crowd with an amazing demonstration. These drivers looked as natural on the extreme rock course as any animal in the desert. On Sunday, sign-in was at 8:30 a.m. and then you could ride the loops until dusk.
Imagine being told that you were not allowed to play in your own backyard because the city wanted to run a street through it, well that's exactly how these trail blazers feel. This off-road oasis in the desert is made for getting down and dirty and this event has proven that people are willing to fight for saving their own backyard.
Lifted Imports would like to thank event organizers; Jim Rios and Eric Miller (BRP), Jerry Grabow (District 37) and Meg Grossglass, (ORBA), as well as Dave Cole (founder of Friends of Johnson Valley and Save the Hammers) for uniting the
off-road community in this incredible effort.
For the complete Gallery click HERE.
