Coolest Reading Places on Tracks
Just thought I would send you a pic from Afghanistan. This would be a great place to do some 'wheelin'. There are rocks, mountains, mud, snow, and streams. The only problem is the damn land mines, so I'll just stay on the road. I have an '03 Wrangler, an '82 V-8 CJ-7, and an '80 J-20 waiting on me at home. Keep up the good work.Cw3 George Lattof
Pilot, Mississippi
National Guard
Driveline Chatter
Editor's note: Our newest Drivelines feature is a series of quick interviews with leading members of the 4x4 industry/hobby. Kicking us off is a 'wheeler who really needs no introduction, legendary trail boss and Jeep Jamboree USA founder Mark A. Smith.
Drivelines: How have your Jamboree events changed in the last few years?
Mark A. Smith: They're continuing to grow as more people are introduced to off-roading. A lot of Jamborees are moving to private land as more and more public land is being closed, most recently the Daniel Boone National Forest. Jeeps and Jeeping have become a lifestyle for many.
DL: Is the Rubicon Trail safe from closure?
MS: I would say yes. Years ago I had the county re-declare the Rubicon Trail as a non-maintained county road. This gives the county full control of the road through both United States Forest Service and private land owners. The road also provides access to private land in the High Sierras, including Rubicon Springs. Closures of certain areas along the Trail were caused by overuse and gross abuse. Two years ago, a USFS law enforcement officer counted 3,000 people camped and partying at Spider Lake with no facilities. The next morning the area looked like a cotton field, which led to the emergency closure. Mark A. Smith Off-Roading Inc. and Jeep Jamboree USA have worked with the USFS, and they're very much in support of keeping the Rubicon Trail open. El Dorado County and Friends of the Rubicon are working together with the USFS to solve the problems along the Trail.
DL: Which Jeep in your collection is your favorite?
MS: My CJ-7 that we used for the Expedicion de las Americas.
DL: What's the toughest trail you've ever driven?
MS: The Darien Gap in Panama and Columbia-10 times longer and 10 times tougher than the Rubicon.
DL: Can you tip us off to any special projects you're working on?
MS: Possibly a Mark A. Smith Signature Edition Wrangler that would be capable of crossing the Darien Gap again, built to my specifications.
This Just In
* Hotter Cayenne: If the 450 horses from the standard Porsche Cayenne Turbo just aren't cutting it for you, check out the 521 hp made by the new Turbo S version of the sporty SUV. Amazingly, that makes this the second most powerful production road vehicle from Porsche, topped only by the 605hp Carrera GT supercar. Yeah, like any of us really needs to go 0 to 60 in 5.2 seconds-in a truck!
* Does this sound like you? A recent Internet survey by SEMA regarding "Areas of Planned Purchases for Off-Road Vehicles" showed that fully 40 percent of those 4x4 enthusiasts polled intended to make engine performance improvements to their trucks, while 33.3 percent planned work on their rig's suspensions. Safety equipment was the surprise third-place finisher, spurred by the "greater presence of competitive off-road activities, such as rockcrawling and rally/Baja activities," said SEMA. Paint and graphics, body kits, exhaust systems, and audio components scored just single-digit responses to the survey, while seats and upholstery, and interior accessories in general, were mentioned by none of the respondents.
* How does your age relate to pickup choice? Another SEMA study tracked the ages of 1,700 pickup truck owners, half of whom have spent or plan to spend at least $500 accessorizing their trucks. The Dodge Ram scored well with the younger owners, with the highest percentages of ownership in the 18-24, 25-34, and 35-44 age groups. The Tundra was the favorite of 45-54 year-olds, and the Cadillac EXT (Caddy's version of the Avalanche) was favored by 55- to 64-year-olds and those over 75. The 65- to 74-year-olds favored the GMC Sierra. It's interesting that the F-150, which has earned the "overall best-selling vehicle" title for years, didn't top any of the age categories in this survey.
Environmental & Political Watch
SEMA's D.C. watchdogs tell us a bill has been introduced in the West Virginia State Legislature that would further restrict the ability of the state's vehicle hobbyists from maintaining inoperable vehicles on private property. S.B. 116 would redefine "abandoned motor vehicles" to include vehicles or vehicle parts which are either unlicensed or inoperable, or both, are not in an enclosed building and have remained on private property for more than 30 days. Under current law, the abandoned vehicle law applies primarily to vehicles on public property. The bill would make violation a misdemeanor offense punishable by substantial fines, community service, and jail.
Several environmental groups have sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to include on the endangered species list a rare blue butterfly believed to only exist around the Sand Mountain Recreation Area in western Nevada, a popular destination for motorcycles, dune buggies, and ATVs. In recent years, local and national OHV organizations have been working with the BLM, FWS, local governments, tribes, and environmentalists to craft a voluntary approach to protect the Kearney buckwheat plant (the butterflies' food supply) and save the butterfly without necessarily listing the insect as an endangered species. This includes OHV travel route designations, fencing to protect habitat, and more education and enforcement efforts. These groups will continue their efforts to reach a collaborative conservation plan. Meanwhile, the FWS has agreed to undertake a review on whether a listing is warranted.
Michigan State Representative Rick Jones has alerted SEMA that he will no longer pursue, in its current form, legislation to ban vehicles equipped with replacement exhaust systems that differ from the design specifications of the original muffler. In its place, Representative Jones is considering SEMA model legislation that provides for the testing of vehicle exhaust noise to a 95-decibel standard adopted by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE J1169). To date, with the popular support of vehicle enthusiasts and related businesses, the model has been enacted in California, Washington State, and Maine.