February 1, 2004    The Official Newsletter of the New Mexico 4-Wheelers    www.nm4w.org

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The meeting was held at the Heights Cumberland Presbyterian Church.  Leon opened the meeting at 7:00 PM.  A motion to dispense with the reading of the minutes of the last meeting was made by Jeff Rector.  Motion passed with the usual dissent from Wolfie.

Members Present: Joseph Abbate, Paul-Baptiste and Eveliina Baca, Mike Blohm, Glenn Bontly, Glenn Capener, Rich Capener, Keith Chapin, Bill Cline, Leon and Marcia Duggar, Sandra Ellaneous, Eric Finch, Preston and Melissa Garner, Arne Gjerning, Bear and Deborah Harrison, Tom Hurt, Jefferey Jacobson, Daniel Juarez, Ed Kausche, Jason and Sara Lavy, Chet Markham, Bobby and Susan Miller, Don Miller, Bob Norton, Kristy Ohnesorg, Brad and Jeanette Opatz, Jeffery Woodard, Chuck Peeples, Ralph Schultz, Anita Ransom, Jeff and Lauri Rector, Jack and Stella Sierra, Carlos and Laurye Tanner, Paul and Mary Thompson, Dave Trappett, Mark Werkmeister, Mark and Joan Wolf.

Guests:  The Guest list included Chad Ford, Joe Beaver, Frank “G” and Beth Whiston, Mike Vigil, Stuart Tefft, Mike Sterling, Cliff Meier, Erwin Greven, Michael and Angela Cook, Steve Hemphill, and Lisanne Di Carlo.

The Sheriff and VP, Jeff Rector fined both Wolfie and Chuck for loss of concentration (a natural part of the aging process, with which both are familiar) while the Jeep they shared was leading the New Year’s Day run on the Sagebrush Flat trail.  The specific infraction was a U-turn.  Wolfie and Chuck each protested the fine stating that they made an abrupt turn and just in time.  Jeff was not impressed.  Jeffrey Woodard also received a fine for the loss of his antenna ball and subsequent trail littering.

The Treasurer, Susan Miller reported the bank balance to be $2,701.21.

The Historian, Bobby Miller made a plea to the membership for more pictures for the scrapbooks, especially end of the year photos.

Trip Chairman, Chuck Peeples, reminded the huddled mass present of the Cimarron Mesa trip, scheduled for January 17.  Leon reminded potential participants that the rocks are really big.  There is as well a January 25 trip planned for the Rio Puerco.

Chuck also reminded us that April 17 has been set as the date for the 2^nd Annual Auge Brothers “4X4 101” Event.

The SWFWDA Summer Quarterly will be hosted by the NM4Wheelers in Fairplay, CO July 29 through August 1^st.

Jason & Sara Lavy and Sandra Ellaneous are planning a Moab, Utah area trip with the date potentially around March 28.  Those interested should contact either sponsoring party.  There is discussion on this on the newly installed NM4W Discussion Board on the website.

Don Miller announced a trip to the SE corner of Utah, Blanding area.  The date: Thurs - Sun, May 6 - 9; (or Fri - Mon, May 7 - 10).  Contact Don Miller if you are interested.

There was no SWFWDA delegate.

Program Chairman, Rich Capener reminded the meeting of the raffle and explained the process to the guests.  The evenings raffle would include extras donated by Auge’s.  He also reminded us about club t-shirts and stickers.  He has started a list for new shirts.  The new shirts will be a rust/orange. The price should be the same as last time (S-XL=$10, 2XL-4XL=$12).  Call Rich if you are interested in shirts or hats (approx $15).

Director of Environmental Affairs, Bob Norton reported that Brian Hawthorne, Executive Director of USA-All and Vice President of United Four Wheel Drive Association has accepted a position with The Blue Ribbon Coalition as Land Use Director.

Bob also reported on the New Year’s Day Parade float with Gale Norton.

The club’s proposal regarding the adoption and maintenance of the Behind The Reef trail in Utah was rejected by the BLM’s Tom Gnojak.  Mr. Gnojak stated that all work must be hand work; meaning that use of winches to move large rock would be prohibited.  The matter is being counter-proposed / appealed.

Secretary, Don Miller recorded the meeting.

Old Business: The matter of accepting / rejecting the terms of the Tom Wood Custom Driveshafts was discussed.  Don Miller explained the club benefits; NM4W member discounts on merchandise from Tom Wood, and Gift Certificates to be given to the club by Tom Wood Custom Driveshafts on an annual basis (one each $200, $100 and $50), to be used by the club without restriction.  In return, the club would supply Tom Wood with a membership list, with the possibility of occasional promotional mailings to be made from Tom Wood.  As well, the club will provide a link to Tom Wood Custom Driveshafts website.  Tom Wood would also provide a reciprocal link to our website.  Discussion centered around: Conflicts with local business (decided to be little to none).  Would having a link from our website would be a problem with other firms demanding links from us?  (The NM4w By-Laws and SOP’s address this matter under the Sustaining Membership category).  A motion was made to accept and was passed.

The Trash Pickup and the club’s adoption of the 2-mile section of Interstate 25 was addressed.  Attendance by club members has been low and the last two trash pickup days were poorly supported by the State Transportation Department; no vests available and too few bags for the trash.  A motion was made to withdraw from the Adopt-A-Highway program and was passed.

Mark Werkmeister announced that preparations for the Summer SWFWDA Quarterly were well in hand.  Registration info has been sent to SWFWDA.  Additional promotional material will be sent out to SWFWDA clubs by the NM4Wheelers.  Club member participation as trail leaders and gunners will be required.  Mark requested that those interested contact him.  A reminder was made that leaders and assistants are required to pre-run their trails.  A pre-run weekend will be held 2 weeks prior to the event.  Chuck is working on obtaining the catering for the event.

Leon reminded us that he has the raffle tickets for the Chile Challenge and admonished all to buy as many as they could.

New Business: Mark Werkmeister reported that the Robledo Mountains / BLM lawsuit is still on-going.  As a result, the SWFWDA Land Action Fund was in need of an infusion of cash.  A club contribution was discussed; after the Summer Quarterly we will have a better idea on what the size of the club’s contribution can be.  A collection was taken from members present.  A total of $353 was collected and will be forwarded to the SWFWDA Land Action Fund.

New members were voted in. They are the Chad Ford family and the Frank “G” Whiston family.

Leon closed the meeting at 8:04 PM.

Hello all you four wheelers.  Every one getting ready for the Chile Challenge?  I hope you made plans to attend.  I am looking forward to trying the Bronco out on some known obstacles to see the difference that the crawler box will make.  More importantly--The raffle!  We have a lot of GREAT prizes lined up this year, and you have a chance to stand up and make a difference, let your voice be heard.  Buy a raffle ticket, and tell the "greenies" that you won't have your favorite trail closed to motorized traffic or bicycle traffic, or even foot traffic.  Now is the time to make a difference!  Fluff the couch for change, raid the ash tray in the car (truck, sub, dully, whatever), bring your check book, your children's piggy bank, certificates of deposit, I don't care.  Come out and support South West Four Wheel Drive Association and help keep our trails open.  Besides, you could win a winch or a locker or a new set of rubber or a ...................

What was the New Mexico 4-Wheelers club like 17 years ago?  “There were many stock vehicles.  The big boys had a Detroit locker and 31-inch tires.  Most of the 25-30 members had been in the club a long time so everyone knew everyone.  There were summer potlucks at members’ homes, so that tradition carried on.  The club put on an annual treasure hunt.  And there wasn’t as much of what we call four wheeling.”

Those are the thoughts of Ed and Lyn Kausche who first joined NM4W in 1987.  Except for the Bradys, the Kausches have been club members the longest.  Lyn emphasized, “But we’re not the oldest!”  Ed served as club President circa 1989 and Lyn was Secretary and Trail Tales editor.  In the early days they drove an ’81 F-150 and then a full-size ’85 Bronco.  When the Bronco became unreliable and other demands appeared, they dropped out for a few years.  Ed and Lyn rejoined in 1998 after buying their ’98 TJ.  They’ve maintained their long affiliation with NM4W because they like the people and the opportunity to explore new places in the backcountry.

Backcountry exploration has been a passion for both Ed and Lyn since childhood.  Ed was raised on a fruit/berry/timber farm in southwest Oregon near the tiny town of Elkton.  He spent many hours tromping through the woods near the Umpqua River.  After high school, Ed attended Oregon State University (OSU), but decided to join the Navy rather than get drafted.  He served during the Vietnam War as an electronics technician on a destroyer and was awarded the Vietnam combat action ribbon and several other medals.

After the Navy, Ed used the G.I. bill to complete his Bachelors and Masters degrees in Electrical Engineering at OSU.  It was while working for Sperry Flight Systems in Phoenix that he met Lyn.  Shortly after their marriage, Ed was transferred to Albuquerque to what is now Honeywell.  Even after 25 years at Honeywell, Ed still enjoys his work of doing hardware design for displays on military aircraft.

Lyn was born near Akron, Ohio and fondly remembers exploring the woods near her home as a kid.  Shortly after graduation from Akron University in Elementary Education, she joined her parents in their move to Sun City, Arizona.  Lyn’s first teaching job was at the Navajo Nation School in Fort Defiance, AZ.  She learned a lot about teaching and Native American life in her six years there.  The teachers were provided reservation housing and could take night classes through Northern Arizona University.  Lyn earned her Masters from NAU and has since worked in substitute teaching, private tutoring, and daycare.  She currently teaches 5^th grade at Hope Christian School and still loves teaching.

In recent years, the Kausches have been busy designing and moving into their beautiful custom home in Rio Rancho.  They enjoy spectacular mountain views and a roomy one-acre lot.  And Ed is very happy with the three-vehicle garage and workshop.  He doesn’t seem near as happy about the prospect of putting in irrigation and landscaping come Spring.  More fun pastimes for Ed are guns, reloading, and computers.  He’s active in the Del Norte Gun Club and helped establish the new Del Norte shooting range near Rio Rancho.  He teaches firearm safety and is planning to become an NRA-certified firearms instructor.

Lyn is an expert at canning and freezing food and even teaches the subjects for the Bernalillo County Cooperative Extension.  Lyn also loves gardening and looks forward to putting in a 50’ x 50’ garden.  None of this is a surprise, because everything she brings to the club potlucks is excellent!  The Kausches are also active members of their church.

Although they don’t go four-wheeling, dogs Pepper and BD love to romp in their big back yard.  Pepper doesn’t get along with other male dogs and BD has arthritis, so they stay home when Ed and Lyn hit the trails.  With 35 years of off-road experience, they rank Moab’s “Poison Spider Mesa”, and “Topless” near Montrose, Colorado as favorites.  Topless was a Sports-In-the-Rough event (associated with Super Lift) and was much harder than advertised.  They were pleased to make it through an extreme trail and make it through without damage!  Ed enjoyed running Mt. Blanca for the first time last September and wants to try Farmington and Cimarron Mesa someday.

Not many trails should be a problem for his well-built 1998 Jeep TJ.  The modifications include a Turbo City throttle-bodied 4.0L engine, NV4500 transmission, 3.8 Atlas transfer case, ARB-locked Dana 44 front and 60 rear, Warn 9000 winch, and 35x12.50x15 BFG Mud Terrains.  For a full description, go to nm4w.org, select Club Members, and then Ed & Lyn’s Page.  There you can also learn about his worst trail experience.

Since a Jeep is never finished, Ed’s wish list includes dual batteries, GPS, and a ham radio.  However, he doesn’t mention bigger tires or more lift to the existing 1” body lift and 6” suspension lift.  Lyn remarked, “If his Jeep is raised any higher, he’ll have to get a taller wife.”  And she wasn’t laughing.

Jay Rose, Northern New Mexico Trail Riders, reported the effort to revive the New Mexico Off-Highway Vehicle Coalition (NMOHVC) to deal with issues facing/opposing the OHV user/industry, such as public land access and governmental regulations/legislation.  A two day program was held the weekend of January 24-25.  One day geared toward reviving this statewide organization, and the second day a somewhat digested version of the AMA "Riding into Political Action" program.  Mark Wolf and/or Mark Werkmeister should be able to report to the NM4W's on this event.

Many of you are aware that the mission of The Nature Conservancy (TNC) to obtain private and public properties with the intention to create conservation easements is occasionally at odds with those of us that value responsible recreation on Public Lands.  Gates have been installed to eliminate access to motorized recreational routes that are reached by using rights-of-ways that cross their properties, for instance.  Well, a series of articles last year in the Washington Post exposed "financial irregularities and conflicts of interest at TNC."  This "environmental charity" repeatedly bought property and then sold the land to trustees at bargain-basement prices.  These trustees then gave sizable cash donations to TNC, providing for large tax deductions.  This has gotten the attention of the Internal Revenue Service!  The IRS will now be conducting a thorough audit of the organization.

The Senate will debate and vote in early February on whether to continue legislation that funds the Recreational Trails Program (RTP).  In the past, this program has funded the development or maintenance of trails for motorized and non-motorized recreation.  The monies were made available from a portion of gasoline taxes attributable to off-highway recreational activities, such as ATV riding, motorcycling, snowmobiling, and 4x4s.  I urge that you write our NM Senators asking them to support what is known as SAFETEA (Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act of 2003).  The Recreational Trails Program was established in 1991 as a part of ISTEA and improved through TEA-21.  The Federal Highway Administration's most recent estimate of the amount of tax revenue generated by off-highway recreational activities is $286 million annually.  The SAFETEA legislation proposes that 21% of this revenue be utilized for the Recreational Trails Program.  Ask the Senators for a more appropriate 50% RTP revenue allocation.  As an increasing number of Americans are pursuing motorized and non-motorized outdoor recreational activities, maintenance of existing trails and constructing new trails is an appropriate use of these monies.  Write to:

Dr. Rainer Huck (Utah Trail Machines Association & Utah Shared Access Alliance) filed a "Motion To Expedite Ruling On Request For Stay" with the U.S. Dept. of Interior Office of Hearings & Appeals on December 26, 2003.  This concerns the matter of the "San Rafael Route Designation Plan & Decision Record EA-UT-067-94-010".  Nine months have passed and the process to answer the appeal of BLM decisions has so far been unanswered.  Dr. Huck cites BLM Chief Kathleen Clarke's comments in late October criticizing "freelancing bureaucrats" within the BLM that have been pursuing "personal interests & agendas" ... "individual priorities were pursued.  Individual agendas maybe were allowed to take hold & personal interpretation of how things should be done became an issue."  (How do you say BLM employees in the Price, Utah BLM Field Office in "cahoots" with those that want our OHV accessible roads closed!?)  The appellants are: Dr. Rainer Huck, the Southeastern Utah OHV Club, and 2 members of the New Mexico 4-Wheeler's: Dr. Robert Telepak & myself.  Interveners in this matter: the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.  There has been NO RESPONSE, as yet, from the Office of Hearings & Appeals.  Updates on "our" fight to re-open treasured, historic, scenic travel routes in SE Utah (some 468 miles states Dr. Huck) will be provided as they come about.

New Mexico 4 Wheeler Bob Telepak escaped serious injury on January 10^th while four wheeling with his son Justin in Arizona.  His Scout II is now even uglier than ever.  Here is Bob’s first person report of the event.

I am telling you this story so maybe you don't someday do a similar thing.

This past Saturday in a desert 4-wheeling area east of Phoenix, a member of the Arizona Dust Devils 4WD club told me, "There are 2 kinds of serious 4-wheelers, those who have rolled, and those who have not rolled - yet."  Over the past 17 years I have been a 4-wheeler, I have tempted fate MANY times almost rolling (mostly in my short wheelbase CJ-5).  Saturday I moved from the 2nd group to the 1st group.

It was on the Martinez Canyon trail at the bypass of the hardest obstacle called "the luge", which is now so bad NO one does it.  This is a loop trail and you are supposed to come DOWN the very steep and loose rocky bypass.  I mistakenly went the wrong way on the loop and tried to come up the bypass. 

Big mistake!

The Scout almost made it, but was too heavy and lost all traction.  Then the fatal bad thing happened.  The engine died and I lost my power steering and power brakes.  At about a 35 degree up angle with a carbureted engine, I could not restart fast enough and started rolling backwards toward "the luge", a very deep ravine with very big boulders and huge washed out areas.  My son Justin was riding with me.

It all then happened in less than 10 seconds, way too fast to "think" anything out, just time to make 1 quick reaction.  Going backwards out of control down into "the luge" could be fatal. So I turned the wheel as hard as I could to the left so we would roll backwards into a flatter area on the left, and not go down the hill.

This worked - but - we were now sideways on the hill with way too much downward momentum and too steep of a (now) sideways grade.  The drivers side of the 4500+ pound Scout lifted off like it was weightless (it was); we then slammed down on the passengers side, rolled over onto the top, and came to rest with the drivers side down.  A 3/4 roll.  It was all a blur.

Big heavy things were flying around inside, like my over 60 pound tool box, my Hi-Lift jack, and 3 Action Packer boxes heavily filled with stuff.  Amazingly, none of these heavy objects hit us.  The left side window blew out and the windshield cracked (more).  The top (no roll bar) held up well, but is fatally caved in and bent.  The doors probably are not fixable.  We were both banged up and I broke a left rib, but otherwise OK.

We got out and got help from several very friendly and helpful members of a local 4WD club at the bottom of the hill who winched us back onto our tires.  Two of the tires were pulled off the rims.  We lost 2 quarts of oil from the engine and 2 quarts of gear oil out the breather of the T-19 transmission.

The Scout started up without much problem and we got back down the hill.  The drive train is totally intact.  Only the body is damaged, badly.  This is very sad to me since just before Christmas I had worked for over 2 weeks and had filled EVERY single body dent!  Now I have 5 times more, and much bigger.  I was able to drive back to ABQ at 65 MPH without trouble, except for being very COLD since the driver’s window would not go up.

I ask anyone getting this message to please tell me if you know of any old Scout I can buy for body parts.  I mostly need a new top, but also probably 2 doors and a hood.  A used Scout II body with no drive train would be ideal.  PLEASE let me know if you hear of such a thing, or have ANY leads where I might find these parts.

The following 3 photos show the Scout before the roll, after the roll on its side, and then back upright again.

The old 18-wheelers saying is indeed TRUE.  "Keep the rubber side down."  Bad things happen if you don't.  --Bob 

=====================================================

I was thankful to hear that Bob and his son escaped serious injury to themselves.  Roll-overs always happen to the “other guy” and it’s not going to happen to me!  Well, the other guy is one of our own.  The other guy could be you or me next time.  There are some lessons to be learned from this event.

1. Have heavy objects inside the vehicle securely tied down so you don't get hit by them.  I have worried about the material packed in the back of my Jeep from time to time.  I have gone from having the back end full of a bunch of smaller loose items to now carrying most of my gear in larger storage boxes. However I don’t have enough proper hooks and straps for securing the gear if my Cherokee turned turtle.  I’m going to be adding some nice strong tie down points.

2) Beware of heavy vehicles going up steep rock-strewn hills - this is a bad combination, especially with a nearby ravine/cliff/ditch.

3) Be aware of the stalling and starting problems of carbureted engines on inclines and how you lose power brakes and steering instantly.

4) Try to plan an "escape" route if possible.

5) (…from Bob) Know the trail better than I did (I was mistakenly going backwards on it).  And as we approach difficult obstacles or situations with danger (next to a cliff, etc), we all should be "thinking ahead" about where a safe place is in case of trouble.  I can't say I really have been doing that, but I will in the future.

In retrospect, I probably should not have tried to restart the engine at all.  I should have just let out the clutch and tried to have the engine hold the vehicle in 1st gear with what little help I could afford from the now non-powered brakes.  If it held, I could have had my son get out (safer for him) and have him pile rocks behind the tires to hold us more.  Then I could have gotten out and thought about what to do.

But I was motivated to get the brakes working again, and that meant starting the engine.  But I could not hold the vehicle at that angle with my right toe on the non-powered brakes and my heel on the gas and my left foot on the clutch.  I hoped the engine would catch as we began rolling backwards towards the ravine, but it didn't.  By then we were running out of room fast and I HAD to turn to the left, and we flipped.

6) Don't follow closely behind another vehicle going up such a hill.  I would have crushed a vehicle behind me if there had been one.

And just for your information and thought, think about what could have happened if the rear driveshaft broke a U-joint.  Your rear drum type brakes are not of much use in reverse direction on a steep hillside.  The front disk brakes do give you some braking power because the rear wheels are connected to the front brakes via the driveshaft.  If you loose that connection (U-joint failure; your tranny jumps out of gear, etc), the front brakes won’t be of much use either, especially when they are “up there” with little weight on them.

So let’s be thankful Bob’s okay. And let’s all be careful

The New Mexico Off-Highway Vehicle Coalition (or whatever name they decide upon) is off and running!  What does this mean to us?  It means we are going to have a voice in Santa Fe for all off-highway vehicles as soon as the group is established and operating.  This group tried once before to get going and it died.  It is up to us and the other dedicated folks who attended the meeting on weekend of 24-25 January to keep it afloat this time.  Therefore, we will need a volunteer to assist with this group that will represent the Four Wheel Drive Community.  The group is mostly motorcycles and ATVs at this time, but that’s what an OHV group is supposed to be.

The next meeting is tentatively set for Saturday, March 20^th at 10:00AM here in Albuquerque.  The exact time, date, and location will be determined soon.  I will be sending out an advanced notice to all members and will count on everyone of us to distribute it FAR and WIDE.  We need to get people motivated to join this organization as it is STRICTLY for NEW MEXICO!  Put it on your calendars and look for the next announcement!

An unbelievable 23 vehicles showed up at the Conoco on 528 to go wheeling on New Year’s Day!  Members were, Glenn Bontly (TJ), Chuck Peeples (my ride for the day!), Mike Blohm and friend (in his newly 37” tired Rubicon TJ), Jason and Sara Lavy (XJ), Jeff and Lauri Rector (YJ), Don Miller (XJ), Tom Hurt (CJ), Sandra Ellaneous with Daniel and Luke (4-Runner), Christy Ohnesorg and her friend Mark (TJ), Eric Finch with friend Lisa (YJ), Ed & Lyn Kausche (TJ), Jeffrey Woodard with friend Joe (Jimmy), Bill Cline (TJ), Daniel Juarez with friend Mike (YJ), Monica Debevec (CJ), and Robert Brady (YJ).  Visitors were Brandon Adsian with four friends (XJ), Clemente Abeyta and friend (YJ), Erwin Greven and wife (97 Tracker), Cliff Meier with wife (00 Tracker), and Matt Morris with his son (CJ-8).  (Sorry, but two vehicles did not sign my roster.  I tried to get everybody!)  We pulled out at about 9:10AM and headed for Santa Fe.  The weather was beautiful and sunny.  The snow had all but melted, leaving only remnants in the shadows, once again, with dust on the road.

After airing down we started off towards the trail head and arrived at the corral a few minutes later.  Tom thought there was a way around all of the corral gates, but Chuck and I looked to no avail.  We opened all of the gates and drove through.  We then headed up “Tom’s Hill”.  We only made it a little up Tom’s Hill when we came upon a downed tree.  We tried to get Tom to bring his chainsaw up to front, but he was too far back.  We eventually (between about 6 of us!) got the tree out of the way and continued up the hill.  It was easy!  No one had any trouble at all.  When we topped out at the top, it was time for a 10-100 and a nice break at that.  After a short break, we headed for the Sage Brush Flats Loop Trail.  We thought we missed the trail head but turned left directly into it!  (And they fined me for that?!  We never missed OR backtracked at all!  NO!  I’m not whining!  Just telling it like it is!).

Heading down to the lunch spot was pretty uneventful.  I don’t believe anyone had any trouble and everyone did a great job of looking out for the guy (or gal) behind them.  We stopped for lunch at about 12:15 and talked and ate for about an hour.  We then loaded back up and headed out.  The trail was dry and no one had any trouble in the “SS BRADY” rock garden.  We kept going and ended up at the bottom of the long hill.

The vehicles kept crawling along and pretty soon we were at the Trail end (or beginning if you go from the North end).  We all regrouped and headed back to the air down (up?) spot and aired up our tires.  It was about 3:00 PM.  We then all parted company and headed home.  I would like to thank those who came along and enjoyed their day.  It is a lot more fun than watching football or nursing a hang over!  See you next year!

After 22 years of land use and access involvement, I've finally met my first real “wacko”.  I don't mean the harmless, dress-up-like-an-owl-and-parade-around-town kind, I mean the kind that wished me dead.

It started at a gas station where I'd stopped with my motorhome during a trip from northern to southern California.  As I was filling up, a frumpy looking guy walked by and said, “How's it feel to be a pig?”

I thought this was a joke or something, so I said, “Fine.”  Then as Mr. Frumpy (I'll call him) continued to walk towards his own car, he said, “You realize you're the scum of the earth, a pig.”

Now I was really confused.  But it quickly dawned on me that he didn't like my motorhome and figured I was gas pig.  So I asked him if he was calling me scum and a pig over the fact that I owned a motorhome?  Well, that did it.  Mr. Frumpy went into a tirade, the likes of which I don't think I've ever seen in public.  I had pushed his button somehow.

Not only did he commence to call me all sorts of names, but he stood in the middle of the crowed multi-island gas station with women and kids around, and began a vulgar, profane-laced rant about me being responsible for depleting the earth's resources, for “sucking the earth dry” as he put it.  Every fifth word was the f-word.

When he caught a breath, I asked him if he got up on the wrong side of the bed or had too much coffee, and if he always talked like this in front of women and children?  People were starting to retreat to the safety of their cars figuring a battle was going to ensue.

The more civil and logical I was, the more enraged Mr. Frumpy got.  And the more he talked, the louder and more profane he got.  He started shouting that I was reason we (the US of A) were at war.  Imagine that!  My 14-year old motorhome was the cause of war!  He kept telling me (and the crowd) that he wished he could come over and kick my #$@.  In fact, he said that several times -- that he wanted to kick my you-know-what.  I guess the only thing that kept holding him back was his cowardliness.  There was only twenty feet between us.  :o)

As he continued his diatribe, he again blamed me for the war overseas, and said, “You deserve to die.”  He meant it too. He had just wished death upon me.  The hate slobbered from his mouth like foamy spit from a rapid dog.  I had never witnessed anything so ugly, so hateful, so prejudiced, and so mis-placed.

I am not much on name-calling, but “wacko” is the only word I can find that fits this guy.  He hated my guts over the fact that I drove a motorhome.  Ouch.  At one point in his loud and long-winded verbal assault on me, I asked him if he belonged to the Sierra Club or the Wilderness Society or ELF or any such organization.  He mumbled yes, but I couldn't tell if that meant all, one or what.  He didn't have the courage identify any particular organization.

I've met plenty of weirdos and passionate odd-balls in my life, but this was truly my first encounter with a full-fledged wacko.  In fact, I actually admire folks who believe in their causes enough to dress up like owls or chain themselves to a tree.  They are just passionate about what they believe in and willing to stand up and be counted, whether I agree with them or not.  But to have another person wish me dead in public over the fact that I used more gas than him, was a rude awakening for me.  It was kind of extremely ironic too.  He wished me dead because I used more gas than him.  Get it?  He was still using gas in his car.  What a dip-wad!

It is a lesson for us all, though.  There are people in this world that don't see things even close to the way we do.  There are people willing to go to extremes to make their point.  “9/11” proved that.  There are people filled with hate.  Mr. Frumpy proved that.  Never lose sight of that.

I advocate using diplomacy in such situations -- a smile and some honey.  Never find yourself on the wrong end of a physical battle or trying to compete for volume in public.  Keep the high ground as much as possible.  Be the example for others to follow.  Let the world see how idiots like Mr. Frumpy are truly wacko and don't deserve our attention.  Always try to maintain control and be logical when you're arguing with a ding-bat like this -- up to a point it will work.  But like with Mr. Frumpy, he had a speech (and a threat) to make.  Until he accomplished that, he was not going to quit.

The sad aftermath of this encounter is that I spent the next hour watching my rear mirrors to make sure Mr. Frumpy did not come alongside me with rude intentions.  I guess I paid a small price for standing up for what I believe in.  I stood my ground with him, even though I kept my smile.  But the rest of my trip was tainted just a tad by the encounter.  I will not forget that there are Mr. Frumpys out there, albeit few and far between.  On the other hand, I choose to not allow wackos to dictate my freedom and happiness.

Del Albright, internationally published columnist, BlueRibbon Coalition Ambassador and Environmental Affairs Coordinator for CA4WDC.  Contact BRC at 800.258.3742 or www.sharetrails.org; or visit Del's Web Site at www.delalbright.com/.

Aluminum Cans: Our club saves and recycles aluminum cans.  Money from the sale of cans goes into our club treasury.  Please bring your aluminum cans to each meeting, and somebody will take them to the recycling center.

To Our Guests: If you attend a club meeting or event and provide us with your mailing address, we will send you three complimentary issues of Trail Tales.  If you provide us with an e-mail address, you will also be added to the guest e-mail list.  If you are interested in becoming a member of the New Mexico 4-Wheelers, please contact one of our officers for membership requirements, or visit our web site at www.nm4w.org/join-the-club.htm.

Trail Tales on the Web Site: In a continuing effort help save natural resources and to control costs, you are encouraged to read the Trail Tales newsletter on the Club Web Site in lieu of receiving a hard copy in the mail.  Around the first of each month, the current issue of Trail Tales is posted at www.nm4w.org/newsletters.htm and an e-mail notification is sent to all club members.  In addition, a minimum of 2 years of back issues of our newsletter is also available on the web site.  So if you want to help “save some trees”, please send an e-mail to TrailTales@nm4w.org stating that you do not need to receive the hard copy of the newsletter.  Thanks for your participation in this program.

Submission Due Date: The Trail Tales is published on the first of each month.  Submissions for each issue must be received by the Editor not later than the 25^th of the prior month.  Submissions can be sent to TrailTales@nm4w.org, or Trail Tales, 21 Rattlesnake Ridge, Tijeras, NM 87059.

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Trail Tales
21 Rattlesnake Ridge
Tijeras, NM 87059-7440

TrailTales@nm4w.org