Over the past couple of years or more I have posted many pics of my Jeep and I out in the beautiful mountains, canyons, and deserts near my home in Southern Utah. �Many of you have responded to those posts saying how you envied my opportunity to have such a nice place to drive my Jeep. �Some of you are even making plans to come and join me this fall. �I have also posted a couple of times about the continuing loss of our freedoms to enjoy the many old roads left over from the uranium mining and oil exploration days of the 50s and 60s as the BLM and Forest Service continue to close roads and trails as fast as they can. �Below is a photo of the front page of our most recent small town weekly newspaper.
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It tells how a local man, in keeping with a tradition started by his father years before, had taken his family (including children and grandchildren and friends) again this year as they have done for many years to a popular undeveloped camping site in the mountains, set up their camps, came back in to town for the 4th of July festivities, and then returned to their camp site just to find the Forest Service had put up a "CLOSED" sign in the middle of the road while they were gone. �When he approached the Forest Service about it he was given permission to enter the area just to retrieve their camping gear and get out. �Another beautiful area of God's Green Earth no longer available to man (unless you are young and healthy and want to do a lot of walking). �It's not the same. �
Isn't it ironic that this happened while I was building a 4th of July parade float to celebrate our freedom and to say that freedom means Open Roads and Trails. While we were celebrating freedoms won by our Founding Fathers our present government is taking away those freedoms away.

BLM and Forest Service closures are done discretely in order to not arouse the apathetic public. �Only the trail riders see the closed signs so most citizens really don't believe that our roads and trails are being closed by our benevolent government. �This time it is different. �I think this may cause a needed stir. �I hope there are still roads and trails to ride on this fall. �I'd like to keep posting the beautiful pics so many of you have complimented me on.