Forest Service proposes rabbit ears parking expansion

[PJ-Hunter]

haven't you guys learned that the ears is pj's own little playground geeze..... you need to ask nicely and see if he will let you ride. my 5th fits just fine in there, all 42'

i do think usfs should allow us to use more of the x-country area that is NOT being used by skiers. that to me would be the best solution. but that is common sense so we know that won't happen.

ralph, it's all in fun so don't get butthurt

I'm not. You are one of the ones that park on the side. MOST, Colorado RV sledders park nicely. It's mainly the flatlanders that pull in, park in the middle and call it good for the week. It takes up parking for other sledders, makes it hard for the plow truck operators to clear out the lot. Which they do as a favor, they are NOT obligated by any means. SO if the lot doesn't get plowed then folks try to pull in and get stuck in the middle. There are only one or two Colorado RV'ers that park like they own the entire NW corner of Colorado. One guy in particular and I don't think he's on the forums. He has a super nice outfit too. Custom painted blue and white RV with a really long enclosed trailer (painted to match) along with a super lifted Ford Superduty match painted also. He just just pulls in long ways and unloads. Doesn't matter where. I have seen him do that in the MC Lot, the Dumont Lot and the East Summit Lot. And it really does wreck parking for many others that want to enjoy the Pass. I'll find a spot regardless, i have never had to turn around and go home, but others have. After they either try parking on the Highway and get a warning or a ticket frm CSP.

A little courtesy goes a looooooooooooooong ways.

 

[idareyou]

Link to a article in the Steamboat paper:

http://www.steamboattoday.com/news/2013/jan/03/bigger-rigs-pull-more-snowmobiles-rabbit-ears-pass/

 

[Dogmeat]

I had no trouble finding a spot @ MC last weekend and I was pulling a 33' enclosed... ...just leave it alone

 

[Mtn-Track]

So far, everyone one of these 'expansion' deals turns out to be the addition of fancy toilet houses, summer flower gardens, concrete curb stones, and painted lines (that are barely wide and long enough to fit a Subaru), followed shortly by a steel post that you have to drop your "fee" into. In reality, the original area to park WAS larger and now its been reduced by fluffy BS. And don't think that the reduced parking area is an unintentional result of 'making it bigger'. It intentionally pushes overflow into non-approved parking where you will get a healthy ticket and eventually stop going. When the USFS says it's an "expansion", it only ends up being another expansion for the benefit of the leaf-licking crowd!

 

[PJ-Hunter]

Link to a article in the Steamboat paper:

http://www.steamboattoday.com/news/2013/jan/03/bigger-rigs-pull-more-snowmobiles-rabbit-ears-pass/

That's funny. In their photo they show all of the parking on RE. Now, the thing is that sledders are only ALLLOWED to utilize half of the parking, the other half are for the twig fairies. The paper makes it look like sledders use up every lot.

I had no trouble finding a spot @ MC last weekend and I was pulling a 33' enclosed... ...just leave it alone

Musta got there early. We had trouble. For 3 days we ended up parking on the side of the highway going down the Pass. The 4th we said "f*ck it" and drove to Grizz Creek. There were a ton of people up there last weekend.

 

[Snowhat]

Link to a article in the Steamboat paper:

http://www.steamboattoday.com/news/2013/jan/03/bigger-rigs-pull-more-snowmobiles-rabbit-ears-pass/

Thanks for the link. I read it and I guess I should read the Steamboat paper more. Raises a question to me - Do you think that they really see parking as a problem? or does the forest circus look at all the high dollar rigs and think they should be taking their money?

 

[bushy]

You bet. Big potential revenue once they close the highway lots and force everybody into their pay lot. No, they don't mention that now, but you better believe that's a major part of their agenda. They'll pull in plenty enough revenue to hire a couple of full time ticket writers who can suck off even more revenue, all under the guise of making sure we're safe and okay. Gag puke. Think they'll ever charge the twig pigs to park on the pass..

 

[Snowhat]

That is exactly how I see it. Look at what they did to the Poudre. I'll bet they even get the State Parks to do the patrolling. Last year the forest service built a big bunk house for the summer flunkies working in Walden. They started charging them too. I heard the rules were totally ridiculous and most found some where else to stay. Now that is government at work.

 

[Doctor D]

If they start managing the lot they will close more areas to create more ticket revenue and that freaking sucks. Actually its not matter of if it's when!

 

[idareyou]

The Routt Powder Riders should have a meeting Tues evening if anyone is around to attend. The more we have voice opinions the better. If we have people who use and enjoy Rabbit Ears join the effort for snowmobilers would be great. The more members the club has more the forest service listens. I do not agree with everything this club has or has not done for snowmobiling on Rabbit Ears. Look at the slanted paper story/picture and you can see what we are against on a local level. If you don't want to join a club please take the time to send some type of response to the forest service. There have been some issues on Rabbit Ears with less than 10 responses back to the forest service.


Meetings for the Routt Powder Riders are held from October through May on the second Tuesday of each month. Meeting location is most often the Yampa Valley Electric Association on 10th Street in downtown Steamboat Springs and the time is 6pm.

 

[PJ-Hunter]

Going to a club meeting is pointless. We need people to go to the USFS meetings. But since sledders generally work for a living it's really hard to attend a meeting that they have at during the day or at 5pm on the nose. And the people behind these proposals dont work and obviously have nothing but time to try and figure out how to hurt other winter users that do something they don't like.

 

[snowgood]

WELCOME

welcome to communist America!!! just another slow and methodical step of the degradation of the free right to access all lands by everyone. Vail pass just makes me want to puke. so f-n stupid. what power does fs have in ticketing? can they take sleds?whats the enforcement on non pay tickets? just seems like a big bully threatening and scaring everyone but no real way to enforce any rule they pass. just go and collect the new fundage they created,just to go and use the money against us on the next commie project they have in store for the herd. it just seems our rights to freedom are up for sale to the highest bidder and the commies are buying. and buy commie i mean anyone taking freedom from another for any reason via legislation,bills, or whatever. SG

 

[idareyou]

Going to a club meeting is pointless. We need people to go to the USFS meetings. But since sledders generally work for a living it's really hard to attend a meeting that they have at during the day or at 5pm on the nose. And the people behind these proposals dont work and obviously have nothing but time to try and figure out how to hurt other winter users that do something they don't like.

I would agree going to a USFS meeting is a good idea. For some reason this thing called a job seems to get in my way of attending them. Funny how that works.
Joining a club or going to a meeting is not pointless. They do have reps that meet with the USFS and the clubs try to preserve the sport of snowmobiling. They get direction from opinions voiced at the meetings by the members.

 

[Dogmeat]

How about we petition the state to start charging $350 a pop for out of state snowmobile tags and stipulate a portion of that money be earmarked for improving parking facilities throughout the state and maintaining new or existing trail systems?

 

[PJ-Hunter]

How about we petition the state to start charging $350 a pop for out of state snowmobile tags and stipulate a portion of that money be earmarked for improving parking facilities throughout the state and maintaining new or existing trail systems?

LOL. One way or another that would solve the parking problem. They do exactly the same thing for hunting tags. That's how Parks and Wildlife make their money. The don't make it from residents. To be honest, I am surprised now that they are one entity they have not carried that theory over to out of state sledders. I'd bet that it is on the table though.

 

[SXViper]

Out of staters

Before you get to carried away with blaming out of state riders please remember. We stay in hotels owned by the residents of your town, buy fuel from your fuel stations, groceries from your markets, eat at your bars and restaurants, buy sleds, parts, oil and other necessities from local dealers and last but not least buy excessive amounts of booze from your liquor stores. Forgive me if I left anything out.

Having been riding this area for almost 20 years I've seen a fair plenty of CO plates parked like they own the place too. Common courtesy goes a long way. If you don't like how someone is parked ask politely for them to move.

Personally I would not mind seeing the road widened and for on coming highway traffic to be more visible. I don't mind the lot size but those parking lot bandits need to go! (Endless terrain and they have to see cool they can be in the parking lot.)

 

[PJ-Hunter]

Before you get to carried away with blaming out of state riders please remember. We stay in hotels owned by the residents of your town, buy fuel from your fuel stations, groceries from your markets, eat at your bars and restaurants, buy sleds, parts, oil and other necessities from local dealers and last but not least buy excessive amounts of booze from your liquor stores. Forgive me if I left anything out.

Don't care. Doesn't hit my bank account. Trust me, where I live the locals consume plenty of booze and spend plenty of money eating out.

Having been riding this area for almost 20 years I've seen a fair plenty of CO plates parked like they own the place too. Common courtesy goes a long way. If you don't like how someone is parked ask politely for them to move.

Tried that, doesn't work. Usually end up getting some fat beer swillin pig come out and try to act tough by swinging his dick around. A few years ago there was a guy who (while parked decent) decided that he was going to block the two adjacent spots with traffic cones so his buddies that were a day behind him could park with him. Me and another guy politely told him that he couldn't do that, it was illegal (it is, I checked) and to please move his cones. He didn't and went inside. We drove over his cones and parked. He can screaming out waving a knife. One quick call (I had it connected to the Bluetooth on my stereo so he could hear the conversation) to the place where my wife works. They have badges and guns you know. The dispatcher patched me thru to the closest Officer and he was there in 10 minutes. The guy moved his entire rig to another lot. But still should have never happened.

Personally I would not mind seeing the road widened and for on coming highway traffic to be more visible. I don't mind the lot size but those parking lot bandits need to go! (Endless terrain and they have to see cool they can be in the parking lot.)

I wouldn't mind seeing the road widened there either. Every year somebody rear ends a sled trailer because they don't realize he's turning.

 

[SXViper]

Don't care. Doesn't hit my bank account.

Didn't figure you would. However, there are some nice people in the town of Kremmling who appreciate the business.

Tried that, doesn't work. Usually end up getting some fat beer swillin pig come out and try to act tough by swinging his dick around. A few years ago there was a guy who (while parked decent) decided that he was going to block the two adjacent spots with traffic cones so his buddies that were a day behind him could park with him. Me and another guy politely told him that he couldn't do that, it was illegal (it is, I checked) and to please move his cones. He didn't and went inside. We drove over his cones and parked. He can screaming out waving a knife. One quick call (I had it connected to the Bluetooth on my stereo so he could hear the conversation) to the place where my wife works. They have badges and guns you know. The dispatcher patched me thru to the closest Officer and he was there in 10 minutes. The guy moved his entire rig to another lot. But still should have never happened.

More often than not I've run into reasonable people up there. Just a guess but you may have upset brave heart when you ran over his stuff there skippy.

 

[PJ-Hunter]

Didn't figure you would. However, there are some nice people in the town of Kremmling who appreciate the business.

Yeah. The business owners and that's about it. The rest, really don't like the added people running around town. Not so much sledders because they really don't ransack the town but on any given weekend during hunting season, Kremmling doubles in size and people don't like that. Store runs low on food, restaurants run out on any given night and for some reason the alcolhol prices jump up, gas stations are a nightmare, standing in line at 4am trying to get to work. Not really the tourons fault but more or less the biz owner for not taking into account the added people in town. It's a major inconvenience and nobody likes an inconvenience. So guess who gets blamed? The touron.



More often than not I've run into reasonable people up there. Just a guess but you may have upset brave heart when you ran over his stuff there skippy.

Shoulda moved em then. right?

 

[SXViper]

I too think the speed limit idea is great. Along with that perhaps a under pass or more notifiable means of alerting highway traffic at sled crossings. I think a few years back a truck hit a snowmobiler while they were crossing. It would be great if no one ever had to see that again.