wed, 22-feb-2012, 16:25
snowmachine trespass

Snowmachine trespass

It's great living where we do: in the middle of nowhere, and yet, only a few miles from town. I can ski to work in the winter on the multi-use commuter trail across the street from our driveway and ride my bike on the road in the summer.

If there is a down side to living where we do it's that it feels like the middle of nowhere to those who think it's their right to drive their gasoline-powered vehicles wherever they want. Several years ago I put up a pair of signs on one of our trails after a four wheeler damaged the vegetation around the trail. And miraculously, that seems to have worked.

Now we've got snowmachines (snowmobiles) riding down the road, which is illegal, then crossing onto the powerline, which is private property. Golden Valley Electric Association has a right of way easement, but it is still my property. In a different time and place it's the sort of thing that might be solved by shooting the offenders with a rock salt-loaded shotgun.

I took a more measured approach and stuck a pair of poles in the snow where they blew across the driveway in attempt to indicate that this isn't an acceptable place to drive their machines. Today they made a new track next to the poles, and knocked one of them over for good measure (the photo above).

And, keep in mind, there's a snowmachine-friendly trail across the street!

I know this is a fight I can't win, so I should just ignore it. And that's what I'll do after making this plea: if any of you ride snowmachines or know others that do, please encourage them to respect private property, including powerlines. Asshats like those riding roughshod all over my property give considerate riders a bad name.

sat, 03-apr-2010, 10:25

Upper sign

Lower sign
Upper and Lower Signs

Last weekend we had some ATVs on the rapidly melting trail, so I made a pair of signs (PDF, 13Kb) to mark it. I have my doubts as to whether these will have the desired effect, but I don’t really want to block the trail to all users, and this should be sufficient.

The signs read:

PRIVATE PROPERTY No Motorized Vehicles Other trail users welcome

They’re just paper stapled to plywood, so eventually we’ll need to get something more weather proof. Maybe black text printed onto acetate, with a florescent file folder stapled underneath? Unfortunately, I have a feeling the most likely form of damage will come from humans, rather than the elements.

sun, 28-mar-2010, 17:39

Trail damage

ATV trail damage

Went for a walk with the dogs on our property today and discovered some ATV’s ripped up the trail. I don’t think the damage is permanent, since the ground is still frozen, but it still makes me angry. I need to figure out a way to mark, and probably block, the trail for non-motorized uses. If the people who rode up there today are any indication, ATV riders are too fucking stupid to recognized a narrow, non-motorized trail when they see one. The photo doesn’t make it as obvious as it is in person, but their treads are entirely off the trail and in the vegetation along the sides.

It only takes one jackass to turn opinion against all ATV riders; let’s hope the rest of them show some respect.

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