Motor coach four-wheelers love Sand Mountain, help fight land swap

A group of the Family Motor Coach Association 4-Wheelers enjoying a trail at the Sand Mountain OHV area. The off-road club is visiting St. George, Utah, Oct. 31, 2014 | Photo courtesy Kim Pollock, president of FMCA 4-Wheelers.

HURRICANE – If you’ve seen large recreational vehicles pulling trailered Jeeps all over St. George, it’s not an invasion, it’s the Family Motor Coach Association 4-Wheelers club visiting sunny St. George, taking advantage of good weather and prime off-road trails.

A row of RV's parked at the TempleView RV Resort, part of the FMCA 4-Wheelers club visiting St. George, Utah, Oct. 31, 2014 | Photo by Julie Applegate, St. George News.
A row of RVs parked at the TempleView RV Resort, part of the FMCA 4-Wheelers club visiting St. George, Utah, Oct. 31, 2014 | Photo by Julie Applegate, St. George News.

“It’s a beautiful place to come to four wheel,” said FMCA 4-Wheelers member Nancy Spence. “We came here last year, and loved it. We’ll probably come back next year, and the next.” The Family Motor Coach Association 4-Wheelers brought 135 members and 70 Jeeps to St. George for the week of Oct. 27-Nov. 2.

Danny Shelton of Kingsport, Tennessee, was taking a break from the trails Oct. 31 to catch up on work. Shelton has been an FMCA member for 25 years, and lives full-time in his RV with his German Shepherd, Christie. After retiring from a government position, he runs his own DOT transportation consulting company out of his RV while on the road.

“I love the weather here this time of year. This is a great area to wheel, there are a lot of good trails and the people are real friendly,” Shelton said.

A member of the FMCA 4-Wheelers club drops into a trail at the Sand Mountain OHV area. The off-road club is visiting St. George, Utah, Oct. 31, 2014 | Photo courtesy Kim Pollock, president of FMCA 4-Wheelers.
A member of the FMCA 4-Wheelers club drops into a trail at the Sand Mountain OHV area. The off-road club is visiting St. George, Utah, Oct. 31, 2014 | Photo courtesy of Kim Pollock, president of FMCA 4-Wheelers, St. George News

The group has been to all over the desert Southwest: Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, Mexico, and Utah. The group is spending this week at Elephant Butte in New Mexico.

“It’s a good group of folks, and the common denominator is the love of jeeping,” Shelton said. “There are a lot of smart folks, retired mostly, who have done well for themselves.”

The group spent a week running many of the technical trails at Sand Mountain off-highway vehicle area, including Sliplock, Milt’s Mile, West Rim, Plan B, Double Sammy, the Maze and Chain Reaction. Easier trails on the group’s agenda included the Grand Canyon overlook at Toroweap, Elbow Canyon on the Arizona Strip, canyons and trails west of Gunlock, and other areas.

“It’s a good area to wheel. There are lots of good trails, and lots of open land,” FMCA 4-Wheelers President Kim Pollock said. “They haven’t closed all the public lands here.”

An RV carries a miniature Jeep up front, in addition to the trailered Jeep behind the motorhome. The RV is part of the FMCA 4-Wheelers club visiting St. George, Utah, Oct. 31, 2014 | Photo by Julie Applegate, St. George News.
An RV carries a miniature Jeep up front, in addition to the trailered Jeep behind the motorhome. The RV is part of the FMCA 4-Wheelers club visiting St. George, Utah, Oct. 31, 2014 | Photo by Julie Applegate, St. George News.

While the group was in town, they made “generous contribution” to the Utah Public Lands Alliance, said UPLA President Gil Meacham. The donation was made at a club dinner Oct. 28, following an UPLA presentation about the history and status of the proposed Sand Mountain land swap.


Read more: Land users angry about land swap, county may consider alternatives

“We are certainly supporting what they (UPLA) are trying to do,” Spence said.

Most of the club members spent the week with RVs parked at the TempleView RV Resort, while a few stayed at the Elks Lodge and Sand Hollow State Park.

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