Reader: I was wondering when the 2008 Ultimate Adventure application form will be available. I would love to submit my application. You guys do the best wheeling trip I have ever seen. "No Whiners." I like that. Thanks again.
David Call
via 4wheeloffroad.com
Editor: We enjoy it ourselves. Check out our Web site www.4wheeloffroad.com or www.4wor.com for the information, or check out this month's editorial on page 6.
Reader: I have sent in pictures in the past and have never seen them in print. I have always seen "extreme" looking pictures in your magazine and I always wondered if I could do those obstacles. So I was disappointed when I saw the section about the UA Barnwell Mountain trip ("Ultimate Adventure East," Nov. '07). Every picture shown was only as "amazing" as a mess up. Wheels were in the air where mine never are. People were leaning, about to flip, in places that I stay completely level. Running up a tree on Dewoody? It's not that hard to miss them! And I am sure that that is not considered Treading Lightly! I heard that most on the trip could not successfully complete Dewoody without a winch, while I have video of me going up it in less than a minute. This just goes to show me that I could do those extreme obstacles that I always see in your magazine since what looked so "extreme" in your Barnwell pics can be made so simple.
Brook Gehle
via 4wheeloffroad.com
Editor: I take it you had the same wheeling conditions as we did when you were at Barnwell? And, of course, you had a fully equipped street-legal vehicle ready for a 1,000-mile trip, and took the same lines the participants did, right? Glad you enjoyed the article.
Reader: I am writing in response to the "Loves the Whoops Premium" letter (Nov. '07). I too, wondered why the newsstand issue had more content than the issue I received in the mail. I have been a loyal reader for many years, and a prepaid subscriber for six years. I would think, in my humble opinion, that you would want to treat your "loyal soldiers" with a few perks such as the whoops premium rather than sending them a thin issue. I understand the concept of business and trying to attract more readers by including this feature, but at the same time all of your patrons would surely like to view these options that they subscribed to see. I love this magazine more than any other, and I think you guys do a great job at it. I simply think your subscribers should have more perks than the guy that thumbs through the magazine rack and yet is too cheap to actually bring it home to read.
Rusty Merrill
Brookings, OR
Editor: Thanks. We wish we could include those in the subscriber issues. What did you think about the DVD premium that came out the next month?
Reader: In the Nov. '07 issue In Box, it was explained that the "Greatest Whoops Ever" segment was not included in the subscriber's edition of your magazine because it was a "premium" too expensive for us to have. Are the subscribers not your "premium" readers?
Do we not pay you in advance for whatever magazine you might publish, as opposed to the casual newsstand browsers? Are we not the same subscribers whose information you use to sell advertising in this same magazine, and other marketing media we receive? Is it not our subscriptions that keep you all employed?
Remember who your "premium" readers really are. As for me, when my subscription runs out in January 2008, I'll have to decide if I'm Premium or Regular.
Regards.
Steve Vine
Editor: Nice way to put it, Steve! In our minds, every reader is premium, but the bean counters still do these things to boost sales to make a profit. That's what business is all about. Keep reading!
Reader: I enjoy your magazine and have for over a decade. I always wish there were more articles that talked about how to deal with public land issues. I have seen one or two articles on land issues, which is more than in the past and this is great. How about an article on how to work with FS or BLM managers to open new trails or make parallel routes to existing trails that would have a challenge.
If more of us would keep a relationship with the land managers and look for areas that could be more challenging, then we could really open up some fun areas. Look for areas that parallel a current trail that would have little impact on the area. Choose areas that have good drainage and would hold up well to the intended use. Then involve the land agency and make friends with the wildlife biologist, take them out to the area and show them what is possible. You don't know until you try! Then make sure they know you will support their efforts in the region where possible and your local club will do all the work getting the grants. Let them know you will help maintain the trail and then do it.
Contact NOHVCC for more info and take some of their training courses, these guys are ex-FS and ex-BLM managers and know how to grease the skids and make things happen! Thanks for the great mag!
Mark Kary
Editor: We couldn't agree more, and will be instituting more of these types of stories on a regular basis. We hope our readership will participate too and let us know of the dangers, victories, and other items going on in the Earth Watch section of Drivelines.