AZBillyBoy

Thanks for the info. I sent a comment to the name on the title page of the "Environmental Assessment" document, a "grjohnson" and it bounced back as "undeliverable."

I think they make it confusing on purpose. The best way to deal with it is to take a section you are familiar with and, if you see anything that looks objectionable, make a comment to them about it.

I found an e mail address on one of the supporting docs so I am sending her comments on closing existing roads but leaving non-existing roads open! Sounds kind of backwards, doesn't it? Also they want to close access to the Copper Creek Guard Station which is located on the National Register of Historic Places. What's the reason behind THAT????

So has the window of comment passed? I see roads they have listed as remaining open that no longer exist, and roads they plan to close that are fine.

I can't read the article either BUT I will offer this re mudding on FS roads. Those roads are not designed for all weather service yet I see tons of hunters using them in inclement weather leaving massive ruts that last for months (or until the road gets graded again). I am not singling hunters out (although I could) but sweet Jeezus! Do you HAVE to go chasing deer (that they seldom get) even when the roads are soaked? The Prescott even has signs on some roads warning NOT to use them when wet under penalty of fines; I suppose that would be considered an "infringement" of someone's "freedom" by another certain subset of the population. It only takes one to ruin it for everyone!

There is supposedly a really nice site on the Badger Springs trail, which is, of course, located East at the Badger Springs exit on I-17. Every week when I go out to work in the Tonto I see some really nice looking canyons on the AF that just seem to look like they might have some nice petroglyphs hiding somewhere . Did you check out Pueblo La Plata? It is the easiest ruin site to visit. Plus as I was working on one of my AAR projects I stumbled into a whole "nest" of ruins just below a big mesa. They are pretty easy to find; bordering on the AF/Tonto off of 9014. Plus I was told there are more near the Brooklyn Mine, which is a trip all to itself. These are easy. You don't even have to hike (very far) I know you're not supposed to pose the pottery shards like that. It was already done when I got there. At least they weren't stolen (although I wonder how much is carried away by thieves all the time!).

Yes the Hope gas station is okay. The one in Bouse was like from a scene in "The Hills Have Eyes."

Hello Just talking to a Jeep guy and pointed him towards this site. I have a ? regarding your trip to Swansea. Where is the last place to buy gas? Used to be Bouse but years ago that station closed. That would make Hope the next closest unless things have changed. Thanls

There's virtually no accountability with broadcasters since they are owned by corporations (even though those airwaves supposedly belong to us. Yeah, right!). So a well placed letter to a sponsor is pretty much the only remaining course of action.

It didn't "bleed" so it didn't "lead!" It's all fluff. News stopped being news when the news division was moved under the umbrella of "entertainment." And to think I almost made broadcasting my career. I'd rather be a greeter at a big box store!

It's really very simple. To the mindset of the corporate media, there is no story in showing responsible four wheeling. When you stop and analyze the bulk of what passes for "news" today, it's all negative. "If it bleeds, it leads."

I don't understand. The Agua Fria National Monument is loaded with roads. The only one I know they really closed - and removed - was a road that used to run from Badger Springs up to near some old pueblos. So why in this newly proposed monument do they want to close so many roads? A little consistency would be nice.

Yeah well my old wheels have some nasty dings in them. 14 years of dirt roads has taken their toll on them. As for spray paint, I have a real problem getting it even and without runs. And that's on FLAT surfaces. These wheels would be like spray painting an english muffin!

Ha ha ha! You've never seen me paint! Plus they are aluminum alloy wheels. Way outside my knowledge base about restoring!

Really? 3 ply? Wow that is a plus for sure. I will probably be making my purchase after the first of the year so I have plenty of time to agonize over it before then :-) I'm not adverse to ordering them. Usually only takes two or three days. I seem to recall DT had them in a 31 10.50 size. Will have to check that again.

I don't know who sells the Kuhmo tire. DT has it listed as not locally available. Does a treadware warranty cover chunking and other typical wear found from offroading (or running on unpaved roads?). I get the need for a road hazard warranty but never saw an offroad tire with any kind of tread wear warranty. It looks like I will probably stay with the 15" tire size and either keep my faded out alloys or maybe opt for the one rim DT has (and it's a special order item!). I can't justify (read that "afford") spending extra money for a 16" tire when it really gains me nothing. As for what tire I will end up with: right now that's totally undecided. At the price tires command today I can't afford to make a mistake.

I can't go to a 33 because they won't fit. My truck is standard height + a little lift but no way enough for 33s. It came with 15 X 7 alloy wheels, which everyone told me didn't happen.... Go figure yet they are stock Toy rims with the little (some missing) Toyota center caps. I would like to stick with Discount because every time I go somewhere else, like Purcells or Big O, or Firestone, I get royally screwed. I have always used BFG Mudders but over the years their life span has dropped way down and they CHUNK horribly. Past excursions into mistakes were Firestone Destination MTs and Big O's Mudder which both turned out to be total losers. I was out working on my Adopt A Road a couple of years ago right before I bought the Hankooks. A bunch of guys drove through and they had the Hankooks on their rigs and told me I couldn't go wrong buying them. They were right but I bought them at Purcells because they were cheaper than Discount. Wrong. You get what you pay for in service. NONE! Last year I wanted to upgrade my bleached-out rims. Discount has ONE 15" rim that fits my truck. So I thought about going to a 16" wheel as there are a lot of rims to pick from. But the 16" tires are a lot more money than the 15s. Plus I don't know if I like the shorter sidewall. Yes the P265 is the size I was looking at. So after deferring on the ONE 15" rim that Discount has, I figured maybe I should go with it after all or just get the tires and keep my crappy old rims. I mean they work fine; they just look........OLD. I have seen some guys with Kumho (sp?) tires; Discount has them listed but "not available locally." It kind of sounds like the Falkens might not be durable enough for what I do. The truck sees almost all of its time offroad or getting there. Of course the "getting there" is more mileage.... but the driving is over typical forest roads with the usual rocks, gravel, etc. No rock crawling obviously and I run away from mud whenever possible except usually in the summer I have to deal with it across the AF Monument. I see the Falkens have a mileage guarantee. How do they do that? I would make out like a bandit if that were true! 50,000 miles on a set of tires? Never happened to me in my life! Even on my '73 Vega! I only get around 2 years on a set of tires. Yes; that's right. Two years. It's always been that way unless I drive the truck more daily then maybe I can stretch that out a bit. It looks like the Hankooks are going to pass the BFGs in mileage though. So what is the difference between Discount Tire and Discount Tire Direct? I mean the latter ships them to you; then it looks like Discount charges about $20 a tire to mount them. I don't see much savings there! I guess that must be fore people who live in the boonies or something?

So is it considered an All terrain tire or a Mud Terrain? It doesn't look like an All Terrain in the BFG or Goodyear mode. Discount sure has a lot of tire brands and styles listed but when I click on many of them I am told they are not stocked locally. I will have to check out the Nitto. I have Hankooks now 31 10.50 Mudders and they have been very good but WOW the price for a new set is causing my pacemaker to stutter. Plus I was thinking of getting new wheels since my old ones are pretty much toast (they're functional but look pretty worn!). On edit: I checked the Nitto Trail Grappler and it isn't listed in a 31" size for my Yota

Please move this if I put it in the wrong place. Anyone know anything about the Falken Rocky Mountain ATS? It looks like a Mud-style tire but the price makes me wonder how well (and how long!) it would last off road.

thanks

Quick easy question: Metric or SAE? Thanks

RS 2477 is a federal law that can be used to keep people or agencies from closing roads. there are some caveats though. more than i can explain here. try this link http://www.icmj.com/more_page.php?id=5&keywords=RS_2477_Roads_&_Rights-of-Way_(Summary) Unfortunately the site they reference has been down for a while. you can google RS 2477 and you'll find two types of responses. I love to read the hysterical rants from private property owners predicting the end of mankind because of access to roads that predate the actual property ownership. I respect private property rights as much as any one but when you buy a piece of property it's your responsibility to know what roads cross that land and your obligations as a property owner to keep access open. Imagine if every one had such a provincial attitude on limited access to adjoining land.... It would be impossible for any type of commerce or transportation to exist!

It's about time someone used RS 2477, I thought I was the only one who ever heard of it.

Wow those miner's quarters are really better off now then when I saw them. Almost makes me want to rent one and move in !!!! I think some of the mine shafts go down like a thousand feet so it's good they covered them the way they did. Like at the Morning Star Mine out by Wickenburg. A simple fence never works because some dim son always wants to climb over it.... I thought that big building with the two round openings (the smelter?) had blown down. ?? Maybe they reconstructed it... Looks like you hit most of the high points except for the pumping station which is on the B W River. That pipeline road is fun. It goes on forever!!!

I was there in June and saw the cemetery at Octave and Weaver. Very nice lots of old graves and one building at Octave (I think). Plus I stopped by the Congress cemetery (actually there are two). Not really into graves and such but the history is impressive. Really wanted to see the Congress Mine but that looks like it is off limits. :-(