Club Spotlight
Two Rivers Jeep Club 4x4 Blast
The Two Rivers Jeep Club (TRJC), headquartered in Pittsfield, Illinois, bills itself as "the world's largest all-Jeep wheeling club with dedicated trails on 100-percent private lands." TRJC's membership stands at more than 200 members in 10 states. Their play area consists of about 6,000 acres in West Central Illinois' Pike County, with trails ranging from a "can't scratch your Jeep" Level 1 route to a Level 5 trail called Atlas that has put more than one Jeep on its side.
The club holds two open events each year. These photos are from the 10th annual 4x4 Blast, which took place in August. Because the events are put on by the club and not an outside organizer, all raffle proceeds and more than 85 percent of the registration fees (up to as much as $19,000 in a single year) go back into the community and surrounding area. "Through the generosity of our many sponsors and the support of people attending our events, we have been able to purchase public safety items such as the Jaws of Life for local fire departments," TRJC's Mark Schumacher told us. "We also support the Pittsfield VFW, the Pittsfield American Legion, the local food pantry, and the Community Center, and we support many other charities in the local area." Want to learn more? Visit the club's website: www.trjc.com.
Editor's note: What's your 4x4 club up to? This is the place to share news about trail cleanups, charity runs, raffles, trail rides, and other events going on in your neck of the woods. Email some info and high-resolution photos to 4wheeloffroad@sourceinterlink.com, or you can mail them to Club Spotlight, c/o 4-Wheel & Off-Road magazine, 6420 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90048. Sorry, but we can't return photos.
This Just In
* As we went to press the financial markets were buzzing about a rumored merger of GM and Chrysler. This may all be over by the time you read this, but as of this writing, most analysts saw the chances of the merger as slim. Nonetheless, the talks-or at least rumors of the talks-lifted GM's stock. Which may have been the point of the exercise in the first place.
* Last month we told you that GM planned to cease production of its midsize TrailBlazer and Envoy SUVs by 2010. Now we hear that plan has been accelerated due to "market conditions"-in other words, the economy going in the toilet. Production of those and other SUVs at the Moraine, Ohio, assembly plant will end not in two years but rather in December 2008.
* Shortly after Chrysler's EV announcement, SEMA, the trade organization that represents the aftermarket industry, polled a number of off-road enthusiasts about the EV Jeep. When asked if they would buy an electric Jeep, 28 percent were "very interested," 38 percent were "somewhat interested," 20 percent were "not very interested," and 15 percent were "not at all interested." Our favorite comment from the SEMA survey, from a "not at all interested" wheeler: "I just don't think an electric-motor vehicle is really a good option. Hydrogen-powered rigs are probably the best way to go to be green. We are just waiting for the science to figure out the kinks in it. Also, electric-powered Jeeps would be much too difficult for your average backyard gearhead to work on." Right. But those hydrogen-powered rigs will be so much simpler.
Earth Watch
* Jeep and Tread Lightly! have posted mud-driving tips on YouTube. Check it out at www.youtube.com/watch?v=rY7S0gQfhbs.
* Our friends at SEMA submitted comments to federal lawmakers defending continued use of off-highway vehicles on federal lands in the Eastern Sierra and Northern San Gabriel regions in Southern California. SEMA opposes legislation (H.R. 6156) to designate as wilderness 475,000 acres of federal lands in Mono, Inyo, and Los Angeles Counties. As an alternative, SEMA recommended that the bill specifically protect OHV use on "cherry-stemmed" routes, which are often old roads, trails, or paths formerly used for mining, logging, or agricultural operations. SEMA also recommended the use of less-restrictive land designations for portions of the land, such as a "National Recreation Area" or a "Backcountry Recreation" designation proposed by the BlueRibbon Coalition. The bill was the topic of a hearing by a U.S. House of Representatives Natural Resources Subcommittee.