Story and photos by Quinn "Macgyver" Thomas

The third annual Kids On Public Lands event is one of those events that is very positive for the sport that we love so much. For the third year in a row, four wheelers from Southern California got together to give children rides in the forest. This event was brought to life by Rick Russel of Sidekick Off-Road. He had an idea to bring inner city kids up the mountains for a day of off-roading. Most of these kids had never seen the mountains. This year, the kids were selected to attend the event based on grades and merit in their YMCA and Anaheim Police Athletic League groups. On Saturday we had over 40 boys, and there were over 40 girls on Sunday.

Helping out for the event was several different groups.

Rick, Traci Lenoker, Dana Dears, and Tim Crawford were the event coordinators that helped kick off this event. The event was held in the San Bernardino National Forest, known locally as Big Bear. The Big Bear Discovery Center was the event headquarters. The kids came up the mountain on a tour bus and were greeted by the whole crew of wheelers and volunteers. These groups included: members of the OHV Volunteer Program, Dirt Devils of So Cal, San Diego 4 Wheelers, Rim of the World Four Wheelers, Tierra Del Sol 4WD Drive Club, Roughwheelers 4WD, and the Waywegos.

The kids were to be divided into groups of twenty or so, one group for the morning trail ride, and the other group for the afternoon ride. Once they arrived, they were given the details of their big day. The first group then was assigned drivers to ride with and the fun began. The kids were given a checklist and they were to go over this list with their driver. On this list was a basic club safety list. Tow strap, CB radio, water, tow hooks, seat belts, etc. Once everyone was ready to go, we were off for the trail ride! A nice easy ride was selected. We went up to Butler Peak, a nice scenic drive up to a active fire look out tower. The trail was led by Tim Crawford, one of the event coordinators, and tail end duty was performed by Frank Hayes.

While on the trail ride, the kids learned about our vehicles, talked about life, and got to talk to each other on the CB radio, and got to observe the mountains and the animals. All of which is normal for us, but to them it was a spectacular site! Some of the topics that the kids talked with with the drivers about, included: jobs, school, what it takes to get where we were, how did we get these awesome vehicles, how much they cost, and about the mountains in general. Once at the top, everyone got out of the vehicles to check out Butler Peak. While there we took group photos, and took in the beautiful views. Once done, we mounted back up in our rigs and made our way back to the Discovery Center, where volunteers had lunch ready for everyone.

Meanwhile, as we were on our way back to the Discovery center, the other group was touring the center, learning about the mountains and their wildlife from the Rangers, and they also received a Honda motorcycle demonstration as well as a fire demonstration. This kept the kids happy and entertained until it was their turn in the Awesome trail rigs! Once the first trail group was back, we all ate lunch and had a lot of fun visiting with the kids and each other. After a great lunch, everyone was grouped up to watch a canine demonstration by one of the local Rangers. This was very exciting for the kids, and the adults! Talk about live action. We learned about how the dogs help the Rangers do their jobs. The kids were in awe! Once finished, the second group of kids were paired with their drivers for their turn on the trail. After they finished the trail, all of the boys thanked the drivers and volunteers for such a great day in the forest. After goodbyes were said, they sadly started back to their bus that would take them to their homes down the mountain.

With day one completed, volunteers rested up for the next day when the girls would get their turn. The events of the day were the same, except all of the vehicles were driven by the ladies.

All the girls enjoyed the trip and talking with their female drivers.

At the end of the long weekend, the volunteers were exhausted but happy that they were able to contribute to such a great event. Not only did the children experience a great learning experience, but all of the four wheelers were able to contribute in promoting a very positive image for us all. I would like Thank everyone involved, as I have kids myself, and my family has participated in all three events so far. The coordinators did a wonderful job, and I'm sure next year will be even better.

Also note: This event is made possible each year by the countless donations from several companies as well as our supporting clubs. It's generosity like this that keeps our sport alive and well, and just goes to show how great the people in the sport are! Everybody keep up the great work, and I will see you on the trails! Macgyver.

MANY THANKS TO 4x4 4u for allowing us to reprint this article