Jeeze, this sounds so insanely stupid.  To close 30 or so acres(my guess) of nothing but SAND, because a few idiots pulled up their signs.  Why not set up new signs, and post someone there incognito until they come rip them down again.  Fine the crap out of them (to pay for the signs, and officers time) for destruction of fed property.  But to close that area down, it's like a kids sand box.  There's nothing environmental to destroy.  My kids love that sand.  They go crazy burning out, donuts, wheelies....no harm done. 

To shut down that area would be a crime.  Take away ALL the cool thrilling things kids can do(chess isn't for every kid), and they'll find their thrills through other means.  Maybe we need something like the Texas border patrol here. 

With the right intentions, 5 riders here will be in. PM or email me.  Please post some idea as to what the club intends to acomplish, intentions, etc.

no marked trails in that area

Soooo, I guess you were either the "punk" or one of the "dumbasses".  LOL

I agree that they have mostly, or total closure planned eventually.  But these few "dumbasses" that are doing these things are just reinforcing their reasons for closure.

Set up a hassle free station where the markers can be easily picked up along with the coordinates of where thay should be, and I'm sure there will be no shortage of people to help mark the trail.  I'm going up again prob next month.  If this is set up, I'll set out some markers.

I have seen many blank markers, and 1 downed marker.  If people are pulling them out on purpose, they're azzholes and should be beaten....if caught, revoke their privledge to ride in the woods forever.  This is a loosing battle, if this is true, and nothing is in place to easily get the markers back up.  A few a-holes can ruin this for everyone!!!!

 

[This is a plan for disaster!]

F-in brilliant!  Hunters have to stick to the marked trails too.  They are forced to hunt the woods of the trail system, unless they leave their ute behind and walk miles into the woods.  That makes me a little nervous!   

WTF are they thinking.  Condense all the ATV-ers, and all the hunters, to the same small area, using 2-way trails.  This is a plan for disaster!   It has no choice but to fail, and as far as the markers are concerned, it's got a good start in that direction already.

That's the way it looks to me too. 

Who is on the board of this organization?  Who actually makes the descisions?

Now don't get me wrong, my whole family and I LOVE ONF, but the marked trail system is a mess! 

I started my post off with how we love the ONF.  Not bashing, just expressing the MAJOR PROBLEMS with the system.  I have to totally dissagree with "really, really good right like it is right now" as would MANY others here.  If you've ridden the trails(we just got through with just about all of the No trails) then you would have to agree with the facts that they are inadequately marked, and not as promised.  This does not stop us from having a great time(family/friends+atv+out doors= great time), but making the comments that they are not delivering EXACTLY what they promised.  Unless they get feedback, they will never know the problems. 

2 way trails = TROUBLE

A perfect example of how the literature differs from the the trail system.  While we were there we searched many hrs for 3 young boys on bikes, that had been told that they could go on ahead, because their parrents thought the trail made a nice, clearly marked loop, like in the brochure, and they'd end up meeting up at the back of the group in an hr or so.   NOPE, confusing trails, unmarked intersections, ......they were lost, and were not found by the time we had to go, with a doz people looking for them.  I assume thay found them at some point because it was not on the news, but as of several hrs of searching, they were not found.

Now don't get me wrong, my whole family and I LOVE ONF, but the marked trail system is a mess! 

I cannot even begin to tell you how much better they are on my Z400 over stock.  We ride in lots of sugar sand, hard pack, rocks, roots, woods, a little mud(if it's inbetween us an the trail ahead), and I have yet to get stuck where my son gets stuck with the stockers all the time.  Nice flat profile, if you get a flat they would get you home without air, I sometimes run them this way in the soft sand.  I have the 22x12x8 and the little bit of asses clearance is great.  At first I lowered the gearing by 1 tooth on the front, but after the HMF slip-on, I put it back.  I can often times wheelie in the same places where before the rears would just spin.  Not showing any wear after prob 100 hrs of beating on them......GREAT TIRE

Yes the trails are POORLY marked, and should not be enforced until they are CLEARLY marked.  The marked trails were whooped out pretty badly.  From my last visit, I'd have to say the trail system is somewhat of a failure, or at best a work in progress with a lot of work to make it self navigated. 

One of the  responses I recieved from one of the Rangers that I had questioned about the lack of markers, and confusing trails replied "Well, if you spent a few days on the trail for 8-10 hrs on the trail, you'd just know where to go"  Yeah, that's going to happen.  We were there for 4 days and did just about all the trails on the No end of the ONF, some of them a few times, and not once did we ride continously, without stopping to vote on which unmarked trail we should follow as the marked trail we started on forked into 2 or more directions.

You say "The area is still open"(Big Scrub).  Where exactly can we ride w/o getting ticketed/fined?

Did they ever get that equipment?  The marked trails are NOT groomed.

How often would this need to be done?  It seems like some sort of rake dragged behind a ute or sm 4x4 would do it.

We are now about 2 months from getting the last piece of equipment.  The manufacturer has a big contract with the military in Iraq and only produces 1 unit per month.  Maintenance can start then.

What are the other places, just outside Fl, better than ONF and Croom?

NADA.  There's Croom 50min No on 75, exit 301, and ONF 2hr No on 75, exit 350 or so then head east.  If you find some local riding, let me know.  I'm just So of you in Sarasota, and we drive to the above places just about every weekend.

Well we did see a few signs with the circle with the line crossed through it, but many more times we would come to a crossing and just have to guess which way to go, we saw several blank signs, and once we saw a broken sign laying down.  The rangers, sorry to say looked like the stereo typical county worker(no disrespect intended), but they were slow, and labored in their movement, masses at rest.....  I saw them flag down a quad flying down the right of way, and then let him go shirtless and without a helmet back down the right of way(spelled out as illegal in the rules).  Another riding on 97 was flagged down just to be let go on the right of way.

The fees will only hurt us rule abiding people, by forcing me to pay for something I thought I already paid for with my taxes, and my FL state reg fee.  I really don't see them chasing you down for a look to see if you have a sticker.  Where will the money go?  How will they enforce this?  Sorry but this is just another way to tax us, and we won't see sh!t for it.   

Yep!  They shudda sold tickets.  A lesson to be learned, if you're a monster all of your life, someone will take it from you.

Now don't get me wrong, my whole family and I LOVE ONF, but the marked trail system is a mess!  I took my boys to the ONF for 4 days of riding, we hit Delancy loops, LL, Pipeline, HV, and TP trails.  On the maps, they look like a continous trail, but inside they're all hacked up, with unmarked branches, and crosses, also areas where the trail is marked and splits into 2 trails(you have no idea which way to go)?  They're all whooped out....It was posted months ago that they had machines to take care of this?  The whoops were sooo much worse on the marked trails.  I really wanted to park the truck, go into the forest on one side of the street, follow the loop(like the map shows), and come out the other side.  Once on the trail you'll come to branches that are unmarked and have no idea which way to go.  I always have the GPS, but the map would lead someone to believe that you don't need one, and they could be lost for days.  A hint would be to find the whooped out trails, and chances are good that you'll be back on the marked trail system. 

Another question:  Why are the trails 2 ways?  Many times we almost got slammed at 40 by an oncomming quad or bike.  It was a little freaky knowing that at any min someone haulin azz around that blind corner could kill you or your kid.  At least on the unmarked trails there's less of a chance of a head on with another OHV.  With the marked trails you will encounter (many times) others haulin azz straight at you comming from the other direction.  Unfortunatly it's only a matter of time.  Tell everyone that they have to use these trails, in either direction....more riders...it's gonna happen, and more bad press.

We could prob help as well.  In all likelyhood, they just dumped the body, and there wont be anyone there watching over it, the bad guys were sipping a corona 20 min later.  These people do these things without giving it another thought, like you or I throwing out the kitchen garbage.

WOW!  Where is that jump?  Is it close to that huge plywood ramp?  Great images, looks like everyone had a good time.

Was it redneck season?  LOL  I just had to.

If it's sand, like Croom/ONF, or mud, I don't think that they'll hook up as well as some of the others mentioned, and I feel better acceleration in the soft stuff, not a loss of power.  But then again some of the mud/lug style tires just dig in the sand, I only have 1st hand exp with the bear claws, and pathfinders...  In that style of tire however, how about the Maxxis All-Trak's?  I'm going to get them for a Blaster I'm rebuilding.  I love the side knobs.  I like the Razor2's as well.  They were a favorite when I was asking for sport mud tires, and they come in a 20" size.

New carb!  My TORS idle mechanism broke off inside, answer:  new carb.  You need to splice the wires together for it to work without the tors.

22's are only going to make it 1in taller, and most are only 21" anyway.  The selection is much greater in 22"ers.  
If money were not an issue The GBC Mud Sharks are a great tire at 21x12x8-9-10  The OD is only 20".
http://www.greenball.com/atvtires/mudshark.htm#

Look at the ones listed with attention to the Dirt Devils, Sur Traks, All Traks.(I like the Mud Sharks the best)
http://www.greenball.com/atvtires/atvtires.htm

I got the Kenda Bear Claw K299's in a 22x12x8 for the little bit of mud we run into, but mainly for the sugar sand, and decent hard pack traction.  Durability, wear, traction, width, price, etc.  I thought they were the best bang for the buck.
http://kendausa.com/atv/utility.html

I got my son the K530 Pathfinder further down on that page, and they perform WAY better than expected.  My daughter will get stuck with the stockers, and he'll ride circles around her.  LOL

Everyone told me the Mudlites wear really quickly(not something I was interested in)

A lot of people like the Mud Machines, but they were too expensive for me:
http://www.mud-throwers.com/inc/sdetail/6621

The Bear Claws work great for me on the trail, hook up stellar in the deep sand, and mud, slide around corners,..great tire.  If you don't have any mods, I'd go down a tooth on the front sprocket due to the extra traction, rotational mass, etc.  The trick with mud is DO NOT STOP.  I got buried with them because I got 1/2 way across and stopped.

Did both MSR and Answer have removable hip pads?  Extra padding in the knees?  I called chaparal, and asked the girl to grab a pair of the pants.  I asked about the quality, and she said that they did not have the removable hip pads, or the thicker material in the knees.

Did the MSR, Answer, and Fox ALL come with removable pads?  Extra thick material in the knees?

Oscelot must be just pants made of nylon, nuttin special.

I have 4 people to buy for, so I can't really afford the most expensive, but don't want junk either.  Oscelot has very good prices from chaparral-racing.com.  I'm sure they don't make them.  Prob made by one of the big names.  Do all the pants come padded?

Thanks

Not a chick, but live with one, have a teenage young lady, and have had my share of dates. 

I agree with the above poster, relax, don't put too much pressure on it.  Complement her, again no pressure.  Then ask in a casual way.
Something like:
"Wow, your really cool, we should hang out at (a movie, or some similar interest) some time."

Make sure it's all non-threatining, no pressure, freindly and nice.  They're people too.  Be yourself, polite, etc.  Present yourself in a way that would make her want to spend time with you, but be yourself.  If your a jerk, rude, a pig, etc. then forget the whole thing and go ride your quad.

If she says no, don't take it so hard, she is not the ONLY girl in town.  If she's not into you, it wouldn't work anyway.  The relationships that last the longest are the ones that start out as friends 1st.  That's what you really need to do anyway..develop a friendship, trust, etc.  The good stuff will come in time, and will be so much better when the relationship develops naturally from more than just physical attraction.