Re: RC: American River ride

[BMcCrary27@aol.com]

In a message dated 05/03/2000 10:10:26 AM Pacific Daylight Time, 
Dbeverly4@aol.com writes:

<< If ride managers 
 continue to flaunt the rules, we will lose our rides one by one.  What's 
that 
 old saying?  "United we stand, divided we fall".  I think we need to unite 
 and work WITH the forest service, not against them.  Its not that hard to 
do. >>

I've been hearing horror stories about the BLM for decades, but when we had 
to contact that agency for permits to run Applegate-Lassen ride through BLM 
administered land in Nevada, we've had nothing but smooth relationships with 
the offices.  The current contact in Cedarville, CA has been very nice, even 
offered to de-flag some of the more remote parts of the trail which they 
access by quad-runner.  Maybe I'm a complete innocent, but we've had no 
trouble.  I haven't grovelled either, but have just treated the man with the 
same courtesy I would expect for myself.
About courtesy....I ask a land owner for permission to cross his land because 
he is doing me a favor.  I never assume it is OK, even after 25 years of 
doing it.  All one has to do is think how it feels if the land in question is 
YOURS and someone wants to ride on it, hike, picnic, camp, or whatever.  It 
usually isn't the act of using one's land that irritates the owner, it's the 
act of ASSUMING it's OK to use it without asking his permission.

Barbara