SideXSide Action - April 2008 - (Page 24)

always, my curiosity got the best of me and I wanted to find out more. But it was after I got off my bike and took off my helmet that the 6-wheel Polaris caught my eye. Ah hah, I knew there had to be a Side X Side around here somewhere! equipment operator. As with most jobsites, the heavy equipment is taken to the site and left until the job is done. The only difference in their case is that there is no truck that drives the tractor to the location. Instead, it is driven on the trails to the next area. Then he drives his Ranger back and forth. Going to work every day takes about two hours without traffic. Now that is a commute! A 20-mile round trip is at least economical in the Ranger, as it only burns about one gallon of gas. For the last two-and-a-half months, Bob has been working on a dirt tank and a spring box. As we started out to the jobsite, he decided to take the “long way.” He was in no hurry to get there because he wanted to show us the great land where they live. So we drove around and talked while I was able to take in the most awesome sights on some very rocky trails. the time. The sights were even more amazing as Bill pointed out antelope, wild horses, flowers, and rock formations. But the most enjoyable part of the day was talking with Bill, exploring the area, and learning why they do what they do. “The thing that I enjoy here more than anything else is the quiet and the landscape.” We were warmly welcome by owners Jim and Kathy Kudrnas who reside at the ranch full-time. After settling in, it was time to start asking some questions. It didn’t take me long to find Bob, the owner of the Polaris Ranger 6x6. After talking to him for a little bit about his Ranger, I asked if I could ride with him for a day. He looked at me quizzically, probably wondering why I would give up a day of riding my dirt bike to sit in a Ranger while he worked the tractor. Well, I was thinking the same, but really I wanted to go see what this 6wheeled machine could do, and what they do out on the range. So he shrugged his shoulders and said, “If you want to.” That was all I needed. I bowed out of the next day of riding and, instead of cleaning my goggles and getting my Camelpak ready, I charged my camera battery and broke out my notepad. Bob’s job on the ranch is as a heavy -Bob says as he looks over the surrounding land from on-top a hill. The Kudrnas’ team is focused on promoting wildlife in the area and improving the roads. It is their goal to open up and share their fortune with others. With that in mind, they have a strong personal interest in opening all of the waterways for all of the wildlife. As I am sure you can imagine, water is of the utmost importance in the middle of the desert. A million gallons of water a day are pumped just for the ranch. As a note of comparison, if your faucet drips, you are using 50 gallons of water a day. Unfortunately, the previous owners did not maintain the waterways and, as a result, they have become broken-down and clogged by either the natural elements or wild horses stomping out the natural springs. They are improving and maintaining two dypes of water systems. Spring Boxes are man made boxes or big tractor tires that are filled with water from pipes that feed from natural springs. From lack of maintenance, the pipes have become gummed up and cannot flow. These tanks usually hold about 1,500 gallons and, because they come from natural springs, it is potable water. Algae won’t build up in these tanks because there is constant water movement through them with the addition of an overflow pipe. Dirt Tanks are essentially holding Soldier Meadows is comprised of nearly 50,000 acres of land, which includes over 9,000 acres of private lands, the Soldier Meadows BLM allotment, and the Wall Canyon East BLM allotment. That is close to 700 square miles, which they estimate has about 1000 miles of trails! With a ranch that size, covering both the Black Rock and Calico mountain ranges, it can be a challenge to get familiar with the area, especially since there are no real landmarks in the desert. Everything is also based on N*S, E*W. They are responsible for the Warm Springs BLM allotment which is another 300,000 acres. All in all, they own and maintain the Soldier Meadows Ranch, Wheeler Ranch, Cottonwood Ranch, and Wall Kane Ranch. As you might expect, the trails were spectacular, some that I couldn’t even imagine that a truck or tractor could climb, yet he said they do it all Shown below is a natural spring that has been stomped out. 24 SIDE X SIDE ACTION MAGAZINE

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of SideXSide Action - April 2008

SideXSide Action - April 2008 Contents Mailbox News Tips & Tricks Race Interview Next: Bobcat Soldier Meadows Win a Rhino CORR Season Wrap Up Race Year in Review Built For It: Rath Racing Prowler Product Review Shock Adjustments Tech: CDI & ECU Boxes Company Spotlight: Legend Off-Road Wheel Buyers Guide SXS Shoot-Out Gallery Shot New Products On The Go Photo

SideXSide Action - April 2008

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