ATV's and landscape photography?

[paulr]

"In fact when I do landscapes I pack an ATV 105 mm recoilless rifle to get them out of my image."

during the first gulf war, when all the high-tech military gizmos were showcased on cnn every night, i found myself stuck in a traffic jam in rocky mountain national park, part of a train of 100 or so cars behind a winnebago that saw no reason to pull over.

my climbing partner and i fantasized about the product of the future: the Winne-Be-Gone, which would attach easily to any econobox like ours, deploy a night-vision heads-up display at the touch of a red button next to the a.m. radio, and in a hail of smoke and fire that would rival any yellowstone geiser, uneash the full diplomatic power of the american way (via satelite, of course).

sadly, we were both too challenged at math to pull it off, so we became artists instead of the Great Liberators.

[james mickelson]

Jack, don't listen to all the jealosy here. Or the granola gramps. An ATV is a useful tool. There have been many times out west here that I would like to have had an ATV or even 4 wheel drive to get to areas that I couldn't carry enough water to get to. There are ruins where it would take me days to reach on foot where a road already exists. For the purists out there, go ahead and walk. I'll pick up your tired bones on my way back. Tearing up the landscape? It's already torn up. Go off trail? Not me. If it has no wheel tracks I stay off. I don't drive fast so I don't kick up a lot of dust either. At a younger age I could lug 70 lbs around the Sierra or Moab. No problem. But I couldn't get to many places either. And it's nice having enough food and water to stay a week or two in the same spot while taking little day trips out on the dirt roads where you couldn't get to because of the limitations of your body. Water weighs 8.43 lbs per gallon. A hot day out in canyon country requires a couple of gallons. Limits other things like food and film. A horse? Get real. They cost a lot to maintain. I do like the idea of an outfitter. Best of both worlds if you have the money. They know the terain and the little hidden places. But I envy you Jack. Go for it.

[Don Wallace]

Jack: of course, it all depends on the terrain itself, but I use a home-made dune buggy, fabricated from an old Volkswagen frame. I put in a small block Chevy V8 with no mufflers and lemme tell ya, that sucker just roars! It is great in sand but can also just FLATTEN most small trees and bushes. I also mounted a 50 calibre machine gun on a little platform I welded to the back (I got the idea from those whacky "technicals" the Somali warlord crews drive). I usually bring the wife along and she stands guard by the MG in case of varmints (or digital photographers).

[robc]

nice site and photos here including ATV's. They get everywhere.

If you do get one then make sure you get one with shocks on both sides at the rear. The big kawasakis have only one central shock and are much more prone to roll. They are being phased out. Vario belt drive is much easier because there are no gears(except reverse) and they are quieter.

If driven sensibly they don't cut up the ground because low pressure tyres give large foot print size and ground pressure is less than your own. If driven like a lunatic then they will. Always wear a crash hat.
Do not use on tarmac unless absolutely necessary. Soft tyres and soft suspension are not designed for it and make them more prone to roll on tarmac, especially if driven fast into corners.

[tribby]

never was much fer 4 wheelers. more of a dirt bike guy. got my first 30+ years ago. i have a plated drz440. it's got this loudass 94db yoshimura race pipe on it. noise pollution is temporary after all. i support multi-use trails and go quite loudly. i love the stinky faces it inspires. and, i love Love LOVE pissing off hippies. i enjoy too being coated in body armor riding upon my trusty steed... extending a mountaineer cf leg at them and charging straight for their heads as if in a joust. oh bubba, they move fast when faced with a mounted devil conducting the sweet minuet of the sausage creature. BRAAAAAAAPP the fourstroke sausage creature sings...

BRAAAAAAP BRAAAAAAAAP!

me

p.s. look out hippies! i'm 50-state legal, loud and don't value life. what's worse? i'm liable to be drunk or high on mindbenders and could mistake you for a bald yeti that would surely make me famous iffin' i was to kill it. 1 in 4 of us motorcycle people die on two wheels... we shit on the chests of the weird for we know we don't have long to live.

p.p.s. it's the absolute preponderance of hippies in the high country that's ruining the environment. my wee, fuel-efficient dirt bike harms nothing compared to the patchouilly-scented throngs.

[tim atherton]

Phew - for a moment I thought you said "patchouilly-scented thongs."

[Michael Rosenberg]

Jack,

I think many people have offered good comments on the environmental issues of using an ATV. I will add only one from my observations out west. Where people drive these things severe erosion and degradation of the landscape occurs. Where roads are abandoned and plants begin to fill in erosion is slowed or halted. Where 4WD or ATVs run on these roads you can see severe erosion and washing away of the soil after a single rain. ATVs have shallow drafts, and thus many 4WD roads are not ascessible - this does not seem to stop people from creating new roads and new problems. In one Anasazi site in Cedar Mesa ATV enthusiasist run their vehicles through the site, destroying the middens, pottery, and the structures themselves. While in Wyoming this past fall I visited Natl. Forests where ATVs are allowed, and believe me - the roads were really so rutted that you would not want to risk driving them with your LF gear. The beautiful gentle hills dotted with pines were lined with ATV tracks - I was not inspired to photograph them. The ATV tracks available through the forests have limited vistas, so I am not sure what you would photograph. Outside of Moab on the Colorado River I stayed at a BandB - they were surroned by ATV permitted areas. Again all I saw was red rock that took thousands of years to erode into beautiful shapes destroyed - so you can go to these limited areas and drive your ATV, but you would be hard put to get a good photograph.

If you want to get into remote areas I think the suggestion of an outfitter is an excellent idea. I have used Buckhorn Llama. They even offer non-hiking tours and have worked with photographers. My wife and I stayed outside of Silver city NM at a ranch (The Double E) next to the Gila National Forest and did trips into the forest on horse back. And by the way, pack horses are not allowed in many of the wilderness areas because they are distructive to the rock - which is why Llamas with their padded hoofs are used.

I am sure you have seen a variety of opinions here. But as photographers we have to be good shepards of the land, if only to leave it in shape for the next generation of photographers......

Regards,

Mike

[paulr]

"Phew - for a moment I thought you said "patchouilly-scented thongs.""

that would be better than the traditional scent.

[tribby]

re; scent,

not in my book it wouldn't.

my book is 3 pages long,

me

p.s. and it's printed in 60-point type.

[Michael Gordon]

I think the scorn you are receiving here should be enough to convince you that it's just not worth it, Jack Mr. Alpert is right; you're dying - we all are - and dying while on foot in the great outdoors is the way to go, not in an ATV rollover. Be sure and add the Greater Yellowstone Coalition to your will so that they can continue to fight the ATV and snowmobile scourge in your memory.