A Date With Dad

Dad and I have spent so much time between school and homework we have not gotten to do many one on one things. So this last week we had finals week, and after my last final I decided I was taking Dad out for the day to celebrate decompressing from finals and an early Fathers day present.

What do you need to have a good date in our house?

• A picnic lunch
• 2 full tanks of gas
• 2 Jeeps ( if one we only argue over who will drive) 
• Junk food
• A Map of  the Tillamook State Forest OHV park. 

We have found for the price of a movie and dinner we can spend a full day on the trails! Friday we spent 10 hours in the woods. If we go to a movie and dinner we get what maybe 3 hours of entertainment? 

We headed up to the Tillamook State Forest for a day on the trails. 

We ran 

1. Bates Road # 24
2. Power line b,c, #4
3. University Fire power (both sections) #10
4. Cedar Tree  #13
5. Hogs Back  #18
6. Played at the bottom of Little Rubicon Power line E  # 4
7. Power line b,c,d  #4

The Day's starting point. 

Dad and I are to tall to drive under the Cedar Tree so we backed up so we could at least have some Tree photos LOL 

Mom drove up Hogs Back for the first time! WOOHOOO

Dad sitting at the bottom of Little Rubicon Day dreaming about trying it :-) 

 It was an awesome day, just what we both needed! We both came home relaxed and with huge smiles on our faces! 

For more photo's click here 

Play Safe and Tread Lightly

A 4 Wheeling Mom

Helping on The Tail

I love that the off road community helps each other out. I have received help in the past and have given it.

Today while taking a break , two motorcyclist past us. Nothing unusual there we are in an OHV park after all.  A few minutes later a loan rider returned. He asked if we had any tools with us. His friend had popped the bead on his rear tire.  After a bit of talking, and trying to figure out what tools he would need we decided just to drive up to where he was.

We had what he needed to get his tire back on and re-inflated. They both where thankful as they where on the opposite side of the park as their camp and tools. Would have been a long walk.  Their thank yous where more than enough payment for our help. I was glad to be able to pay it forward so to speak.

As I was putting stuff away in the back of my rig and Dad was in the back of his, one of the kids yelled  from where he was something about my drink. I figured he was telling me not to forget it as it was on the fender of  Dad's Jeep. When I walked up there, they had placed a $5 bill under my cup. I grabbed it and said Oh no you don't need to pay us. As I walked forward to hand it back they both speed off so I could not give it back.  Those little stinkers!!!

When I stopped to think about it, that is a testament to the fine young men they must be, and to their parents for raising such thoughtful children.  The thought of payment for our help NEVER crossed my mind, If they had asked I would have told them to pay it forward to someone else on the trails. I don't help others for payment of any kind, well ok a thank you is nice to hear :-) but I do it because it's the right thing to do, and I know I appreciate it so much with others help us.

I just had to share this story of these 2 young men so if they ever see this, I want to thank them for being so thoughtful and appreciative of our help.




Play Safe and Tread Lightly
A 4 Wheeling Mom

Off Roading Ethically

We all started out as a newbie at some point in our wheeling careers and had to learn things as we went. Even those who have been around a while learn new things from time to time. Not to mention a lot of things have changed over the years. What was “O.K.” for our fathers, may not be considered ethical today. Another thing that has an impact on what is considered appropriate or not is the area you live in. Wheeling in the South is way different than wheeling in the Dessert regions and that again is different than wheeling in The Pacific Northwest. Culture can have a lot to do with the ethics of wheeling in your area. With that being said I’m going to focus on the Pacific Northwest as this is my stomping grounds. So what I say may or may not be true for you area, but no matter what, always wheel safely and ethically.


If you don’t know what Tread Lightly! is I encourage you to follow the link and educate yourself. There are other site out there as well like, The Blue Ribbon Coalition, and Leave No Trace. By following the guidelines set forth by places like these we will help to insure the recreational area’s we play in will remain open. People that don’t respected our environment or laws only make it harder for those of use that do. Off road parks and forest service roads get closed down all the time because people have chosen to ignore road closure signs, go around gates, go around road blocks, or  “trail blaze” a.k.a make their own trail.

This is not even close to a full list of things that should be considered, but these are some of the things I see the most often when it comes to some wheelers giving a bad name to the rest of us.

* means this action could lead to fines and/or jail time.

1) Off Road Ethically and Legally

a) Stay on Marked trails, NO Trail Blazing *

b) If  you are unsure if a trail is OK, go to the office of whoever manages the land and get a current Vehicle use maps. You should have one anyway. Never rely 100% on GPS or Internet based maps.
           A few web sites to help you find maps
           The Bureau of Land Management                 Oregon State Forest 
           Us Forest Service ( National Forest)             Washington State DNR
         


c) If it is not a clearly marked trail don’t go, if there is a road block has been placed in the way i.e. boulders, gates or it is obvious that a tree did not fall there, but was placed there don’t go.*

d) If you become stuck, assess the situation then determine what would be the easiest way to get out with the least amount of damage to your rig and the environment.

e) When doing a recovery, be sure to use tree savers and fill in any holes you may have to dig. Don’t spin tires so long you dig big holes.

f) No water crossing if there is a bridge available to use. If you have to cross a stream, river, or creek do it with care and as slow as possible to protect what is living in the body of water and to prevent as much erosion on the banks as possible.

g) Be sure to have any or all passes for the area you are in.*

h) Be sure to know what you need to carry for what area you are in i.e. Fire extinguisher, water, shovel ( all things you should have anyway) *

i) Don’t drive through meadows, wetlands and the like just for the hell of it stay on the road/trails. *

j) Before crossing private land you should always get permission. If you have to open any gates close them behind you! Again they are there for a reason. Being respectful of private land keeps the land owner happy and willing to say yes the next time someone asks for permission.

k) Pack out what you pack in. DO NOT LITTER! *



2) Stop and think before posting photos and video on line. How do they make you look as an off roader?

a) Could someone mistake what you are doing as unethical or illegal?

b) Does it look like you are tearing up the environment? Driving up hills that are not part of the road or trail? Disturbing the plant life by driving over it? Yes this includes grass.

c) Are you in a body of water that you didn’t need to go in to or through to get down the trail? I’m not talking mud puddles here, I’m talking lakes, streams, ponds, rivers ect.

If you answered yes to any of these questions you may want to think about your approach to wheeling.


I know this all sounds redundant and probably over the top, but keep in mind because of people doing just these things many places have been closed to off road use. As well as making it extremely difficult to get new places opened up. When in doubt DON’T do it!

Please post up Ethics you may think of I have missed. :-)

Click Here

Play Safe and Tread Lightly

A 4 Wheeling Mom