I hope you can go exploring offroad in a prius...

Scott

Scott

Adventurist
Saw this article on an RV board I am a part of.. If the head of CARB gets her way, and I am sure she will, she wants to see nothing but electric vehicles on the roads of CA...
I for one can't wait to see how they produce a one ton dually with zero emissions! One thing the dummy in charge of CARB isn't understanding is this.. Many businesses rely on diesel and gas pickup trucks to run their businesses. If they can't get an equivelant truck that's zero emmissions (once the state decides we're going to all zero emmissions), they will move their businesses out of state and california will lose all that tax money. California continues to do everything they possibly can to push businesses out of the state. Pretty soon, california is gonna be a barren wasteland where only hippies and their electric cars live. It's a good thing they'll get good fuel mileage, because they will have to drive to the next state over to buy anything, since all the businesses will have moved out of CA..
Just my rant for the day.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/california-plan-end-auto-industry-040105245.html
 
bob91yj said:
I'll hold my breath while they build the power plants that will support all of these cars plugged into the grid to recharge.
Click to expand...


True statement.. But I'm sure they won't be polluting the air while they build these power plants, right? After all, it would only make sense that they build these plants with electric powered heavy equipment...
 
bob91yj said:
I'll hold my breath while they build the power plants that will support all of these cars plugged into the grid to recharge.
Click to expand...

California will never see another power plant built here because of all the regulatory hurdles. Environmentalists are making it difficult for even solar now. All we'll do is shut viable power plants down... San Onofre for example! PC decision, perhaps for the fear monger anti-nuclear minority not in my back yard types, but economically a horrible decision.
 
Not being one to say "I told you so" but if you think your rates are high now just wait. :dunno
 
In answer to your original question: "I hope you can go exploring offroad in a prius..."

Why yes, yes you can Padawan...

Overlanding Prius.jpg
 
And here is why I tend to avoid fellow off roaders.
I consider myself a unapologetic environmentalist. I get a massive amount of enjoyment from the natural world and prefer to preserve it. one of the first things I did when I really started getting into vehicle dependent travel was become a TreadLightly! Trainer.
The constant hysteria over those of us who don't want the backcountry turned into one big crap pit and/or those of us who don't want to live with air like Bejing is a huge turn-off to me and is the primary reason that I almost always explore solo.
Look back over the decades of environmental regulation. Apocalyptic fears that we are all going to be driving some "girly" no-fun vehicles only on urban streets at 20 MPH are as old as the car itself and almost as old as the the proof that it isn't the way things are going. Off roading is more popular than it has ever been. The vehicles are better than they have ever been, and quality of travel is better than it has ever been.
Yes, some places have been shut down. Sometimes to preserve an endangered species. As someone who has spent a lot of time studying that sort of thing, I support that. I'm not a big fan of the idea of explaining to my daughter that I thought a species should be destroyed so me and my friends can tear up the landscape. Ecosystems can be fragile and, if it comes to a choice between destroying one or yahoos getting to pull Brodies, I'm going to opt for letting the frog be.
I was hoping this would be a different type of group that was able to incorporate respect for the land with the use of it. I've tried dozens of communities and they all seem to devolve into self-congratulatory, environmentalist-bashing.
I'll give it some more time, but it's not feeling like the right place for me so far.
 
I don't disagree on any particular point, but I do feel the need to point out that it's not just off roaders, but most Americans in general suffering from this issue. We as a society have devolved and become way too polarized into "my way or the highway", "smother anyone different" hate mongers, be it over the environment or graphics on a cup. We've become a land of extremists, reality is somewhere in the middle.

On this specific issue though, change needs to start with the manufacturers and the ad agencies they hire. I enjoy bikini-clad models playing in the mud as much as the next guy, but commercials like Toyota's latest certainly aren't helping our cause or the impressionable minds of our fellow wheelers when there are initiatives like this on the table. I recognize the spot of land it's on and know it's a deliberate mud pit maintained for exactly that purpose, and so meets the principles of minimizing impact, but still: most will just take it as "This is what you do when you buy a 4x4."
 
Ruffin'It - I think you will find that this group as a whole subscribes to Tread Lightly, Pack it in, Pack it Out, etc. Recent Desert Rendezvous we picked up over 3000 pounds of trash out in the Anza Borrego desert with the help of a large dumpster provided by BLM. I don't think most of us go out to 'tear up the landscape' either. Unfortunately, it's a small minority that do such things that make it hard for groups like this to continue enjoying what nature has to provide and keeping it that way for the next visitor. Do we drive gas guzzlers, yes. To the point of the OP, California is already in a tax world of hurt because gas tax revenue is way down in part because of the mandated mpg totals for fleets and the explosion of hybrid and electric cars. It's why CA is looking for alternative ways to tax those of us that drive. One of those ideas is a tax based on miles driven (hello George Orwell on how they want to track it!).

Don't condemn this group/site based on one thread.
 
Ruffin'It,

There is a strong contingent of Tread Lightly Trainers (myself included) and at least one Master Trainer (Tango) in this community. We promote Tread Lightly and Leave No Trace principles at our events and during our travels. We have publicly discussed our disillusionment with the term "off-roader" due to the environmentally destructive behavior that the term espouses. We have taken members aside when opportunities present themselves to educate regarding respected access and reducing environmental impact.

Ill stand by our track record, and would challenge any vehicle dependent off pavement travel community to live the talk, as we do. Many forums / communities give little more than lip service.

If the opinions of a few of our members makes you upset, then quite frankly I think you need to grow a thicker skin and join the discussion more often. We invite open discussion on this forum, and will continue to do so. We welcome your input and your opinion, provided that they are presented respectfully and you are prepared to substantiate your position if it is challenged.

You have made some good points in your post above. We are looking forward to more of your contributions regarding the merits of environmental protections, respected access, and responsible land use.
 
Ruffin'It said:
And here is why I tend to avoid fellow off roaders.
I consider myself a unapologetic environmentalist. I get a massive amount of enjoyment from the natural world and prefer to preserve it. one of the first things I did when I really started getting into vehicle dependent travel was become a TreadLightly! Trainer.
The constant hysteria over those of us who don't want the backcountry turned into one big crap pit and/or those of us who don't want to live with air like Bejing is a huge turn-off to me and is the primary reason that I almost always explore solo.
Look back over the decades of environmental regulation. Apocalyptic fears that we are all going to be driving some "girly" no-fun vehicles only on urban streets at 20 MPH are as old as the car itself and almost as old as the the proof that it isn't the way things are going. Off roading is more popular than it has ever been. The vehicles are better than they have ever been, and quality of travel is better than it has ever been.
Yes, some places have been shut down. Sometimes to preserve an endangered species. As someone who has spent a lot of time studying that sort of thing, I support that. I'm not a big fan of the idea of explaining to my daughter that I thought a species should be destroyed so me and my friends can tear up the landscape. Ecosystems can be fragile and, if it comes to a choice between destroying one or yahoos getting to pull Brodies, I'm going to opt for letting the frog be.
I was hoping this would be a different type of group that was able to incorporate respect for the land with the use of it. I've tried dozens of communities and they all seem to devolve into self-congratulatory, environmentalist-bashing.
I'll give it some more time, but it's not feeling like the right place for me so far.
Click to expand...

This is your first post on this forum and you use this opportunity to denigrate us? It's no wonder that you have no friends and have to ride solo!

Cam
 
I have called former forum magazine sponsors out over the pics in their magazine that were not following Tread Lightly principles.

We all enjoy off highway travel, usually we choose to enjoy our travel with the company of others, but occasionally some of us head out on our own as well. I think you'd be hard pressed to find an active member of this forum that posts or promotes irresponsible land use in any manner.

...and yes, I am an avid desert racer. You may consider that irresponsible, but our races are held on designated routes, and in SoCal, the race is stopped if a desert tortoise is spotted on the race course. The tortoise is allowed to meander across the course at it's own convenience.
 
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