Rumbling of Thunder
A Whole New Sound in the Off-road World

By Del & Stacie Albright, BlueRibbon Coalition


The over-paid, seldom-right weather man spoke with such animation and excitement that you couldn’t help but get taken in by his rambling analysis of the on-coming weather pattern (from outer space). But he had me from hello when he mentioned the "rumbling of thunder” and how we would be hearing it for some time to come. I realized at that moment he had just described the new sound I’ve been hearing in the off-road skies – thunder!
Thunder is the sound made by lightning, ranging from a sharp loud crack, to a long, low rumble. I don’t think there is any one reason for this “storm,” but rather a culmination of people getting fed up with unnecessary closures and restrictions. Can you see the lightning and hear the thunder?

Lightning causes changes in pressure and temperature of the air which results in a sonic shock wave we like to call the clap or peal of thunder. I now can say I hear the rumbling of thunder in our off-road, OHV politics, and it’s coming from us! Lightning is striking and about to strike more.


“Rumbling” is an interesting word, oft times used to describe the noise your stomach makes when you’re hungry or after a good Mexican food dinner. But for me, this weather man unraveled a riddle that’s been bugging me. When he said the rumbling of thunder, he described the new surge in land use and access involvement by recreationists across the country – and we’re bringing the lightning with us!


Our “noise” level, while diminishing in our machines, is logarithmically increasing in our voices and outcries. We’ve had enough of special-interest, anti-access folks trying to shut us out of our lands and waterways. We’re “mad as hell” at unnecessary closures and restrictions to our sports. We’re done sitting by and letting someone else preserve our recreation. More of us are in the game now than ever before. The rumble grows by the day.


This new rumbling of thunder includes folks flying the American flag more; it includes recreationists with tea bags; it includes parents teaching kids the “right” way to do things in America and not necessarily some misshapen public schools concept of “pc.” And it includes tons of new members joining organizations, clubs and groups fighting for our freedoms and access. The rumble grows.


I say, let our RUMBLE be heard loud and clear, from every corner of America to every office building in Washington, D.C. Let our message be clear – coming with the rumble is the LIGHTNING. With pens, shovels, our voices and our votes, we are going to unleash the beast of sound – the rumble of our power as responsible recreationists who are tired of being ignored and put down.


Some national websites to start include:


BlueRibbon Coalition: http://www.sharetrails.org
The Access Army: http://www.accessarmy.com
Americans for Responsible Recreational Access: http://www.arra-access.org
Off Road Business Association: http://www.orba.biz
Save My Trails: http://www.savemytrails.com
National OHV Conservation Council: http://www.nohvcc.org
MuirNet: http://www.muirnet.net
Tread Lightly! : http://www.treadlightly.org

Get in the game. Join, renew or extend your memberships in off-road/OHV friendly organizations. Donate to good off-road/OHV causes. And let your voice join in with the choir – the rumble of thunder.