Inspired by the desire to "Do Something" about ever increasing land closures to OHVs, the 2006 Cal Access Expo continued the previous years successes by offering all kinds of activites, competitions, and vendors all assembled for a good cause: Access for all OHVs to public lands.

Held at the Agri-Center in Tulare, California since 2004, the event was pioneered by the Friends of Oceano Dunes, a land access group who works to keep the area once known as Pismo Beach to motorized vehicle access. Now it is being sponsored by a new coalition called Californians for Public Access, Inc.

Besides local vendors showing the finest in sand cars, quads, bikes, and waaay outrageous golf carts and Rhinos, there were sand drags, a rockcrawl, Show and Shine, a swap meet, food, kids activities and food. Did I say there was food? MMmmm...tri tip BBQ.

The pics tell the story so here we go...

There were toys for little kids...and toys for big kids.

You could win stuff...

There were Jeeps... not a Jeep...

a Willys...

...and some sand rails, high octane golf carts and other cool stuff.

After wandering through the vendor and show area, we went out to check out the outdoor motorsports activities. On the way to the sand drags, I saw this action. On a little short course was this highly modified Rhino taking some gravity samples. REAALLY cool.

I heard the sand drags getting fired up. There were all kinds of rigs getting ready to go...

Then the lights go green and the action begins...

When the big boys come out to play, the earth rumbles. It goes like this...

ready ...

...set... .

..GO! ...and gone.

There was also a small rockcrawl event that, according the the promoter, will grow in course size and layout. The Agri-Center seems like a good venue for a permanent course.

All in all it was a good day and the event goes to a good cause...keeping you and I wheeling on public lands. Plan on putting the Cal Access Expo on your calendar for next year.

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