- Joined
- Apr 18, 2005
- Location
- Greensboro, NC
Tellico OHV Trail Closure Impact
While taking a detour, the long way home, after the SFWDA 2nd Quarter Meeting in Blairsville, GA, I decided I would stop and talk to some folks about the trail closures at Upper Tellico OHV.
I stopped in to Murphy Auto Parts which is across from the NAPA dealer on the way out of town. Both he and the fellow in Appalachian Outfitters next door were positive that business was down, but they couldn’t state for a fact that the trail closures were to blame. With the current economic down turn they said business was so bad anyway that they really didn’t know how much the closures were affecting them.
At the Texaco convenience store on the left after you cross the bridge on the way out of town, the clerk was more positive that their business was hurting due to the closures. She said that they were always swamped on weekends, Saturdays especially, before but that now weekends were the same as the rest of the week.
A lady who was on her way into the store said that she could definitely tell that there was less traffic in town, especially weekends though she had no opinion on whether it was a good thing or bad.
Three fellows I spoke to in the parking lot were more definitie in their opinion. They said the closures were a good thing and that until the trout fishing improved they should keep the trails closed. I moved along quickly as their obvious level of intoxication and staunch ideas about the trails made me a little uneasy.
My last stop was at the store at the blinking light where you turn right off of Joe Brown highway. The clerk there knew nothing about trails, Tellico, 4x4s or anything else. All she know was that there was Hiwassee Lake just down the hill. I wonder if our presence is so little missed that she didn’t care or that she was just clueless?
Basically I guess, life goes on. Murphy is still Murphy. Maybe a little less traffic, maybe a little less money coming in, but hey, it’s the hand we were delt, we’re playing the cards we got!
While taking a detour, the long way home, after the SFWDA 2nd Quarter Meeting in Blairsville, GA, I decided I would stop and talk to some folks about the trail closures at Upper Tellico OHV.
I stopped in to Murphy Auto Parts which is across from the NAPA dealer on the way out of town. Both he and the fellow in Appalachian Outfitters next door were positive that business was down, but they couldn’t state for a fact that the trail closures were to blame. With the current economic down turn they said business was so bad anyway that they really didn’t know how much the closures were affecting them.
At the Texaco convenience store on the left after you cross the bridge on the way out of town, the clerk was more positive that their business was hurting due to the closures. She said that they were always swamped on weekends, Saturdays especially, before but that now weekends were the same as the rest of the week.
A lady who was on her way into the store said that she could definitely tell that there was less traffic in town, especially weekends though she had no opinion on whether it was a good thing or bad.
Three fellows I spoke to in the parking lot were more definitie in their opinion. They said the closures were a good thing and that until the trout fishing improved they should keep the trails closed. I moved along quickly as their obvious level of intoxication and staunch ideas about the trails made me a little uneasy.
My last stop was at the store at the blinking light where you turn right off of Joe Brown highway. The clerk there knew nothing about trails, Tellico, 4x4s or anything else. All she know was that there was Hiwassee Lake just down the hill. I wonder if our presence is so little missed that she didn’t care or that she was just clueless?
Basically I guess, life goes on. Murphy is still Murphy. Maybe a little less traffic, maybe a little less money coming in, but hey, it’s the hand we were delt, we’re playing the cards we got!
