Clearing the trails -- Rush Off Road owner: 'Ice Storm Cleanup Ride' Thursday

Charles Romans, The Daily Independent, Ashland, Ky.
·5 min read

Feb. 24—The recent winter storm system that brought waves of ice and snow into the area left in its wake a slew of fallen trees, downed power lines and other yet to be truly calculated damages.

Record numbers of homes were left without power, some for days, and others are still awaiting restoration. As a testament to the severity, the National Guard and the Forestry Division were called in to help clear fallen trees and to assist in transportation and emergency services. Now, as temperatures have reached the 40-degree mark and beyond, the cleanup after the emergency clearing begins.

Rush Off Road is one of the many businesses in the area that operate at the fringes of main or secondary roads. In its case, specifically, Rush Off Road's entire business operates there with its winding trails climbing rocky hillsides and threading their way through backwoods terrain.

Fallen trees are a common hazard in such terrain, but Rush Off Road owner E.B. Lowman said the damage from the recent storms is nothing short of staggering. Lowman, who is a native of the area, said it is worse than anything he has ever seen.

"I have never seen this much storm damage," Lowman said. "There is a breaking point for everything, and we definitely reached that."

Lowman said he was impressed with emergency crews during all of the devastation and said that he had a new-found respect for their refusing to give up even when faced with such overwhelming damage.

"It's going to be a long haul, cleaning everything up," Lowman said. "And those crews have their work cut out for them.

"The trails out here look just like the roads do," Lowman said of the popular off-road destination. "There are trees all over them. We were prevented from getting to the trail head during the worst of this because of all the damage to the roads leading to them. Now that we can get back to them, we have gotten right to work on them."

That work, Lowman said, is every bit as overwhelming as the difficulties faced by crews clearing the roads.

Lowman said that after the initial assessment, they made the decision to bring in heavy equipment to clear the trails.

"We have an excavator and a bulldozer running, as well as people with chainsaws," he said. The process is something akin to running a small logging operation, Lowman said, given the sheer numbers of fallen or mostly fallen trees that will need to be removed to return the trails to a condition where everyone can enjoy them safely. He said he expects that part of the cleanup to be ongoing for a couple of weeks.

"There is going to be an economic impact on the area," Lowman said. "A lot of businesses have been damaged by this, and COVID-19 has been hard on many businesses leading up to this."

Rush Off Road, for instance, never closes because it doesn't follow a seasonal operation model. The recent storms, however, have seen them shut down for the first time ever, since their opening in December 2012. But apparently, as Lowman was working and bringing in equipment to clear the trails, patrons of the off-road destination were prepared to jump in as well.

"I was looking at my Facebook on Sunday," Lowman said. "And I started getting all these messages from people asking how bad it was and what they could do to help. People were volunteering right and left to come out and do everything they could to help clear the trails. There were a lot of good people offering to help, so I invited everyone to come out and ride and clean up. The response to that was overwhelming, and we hope to have a lot of people come out this weekend.

"Emotionally, the reaction we got was very uplifting," Lowman said. "And I think it speaks to the quality of the people who come out and enjoy the trails. And I just want to say that we appreciate all the feedback and the interest."

Lowman said the "Ice Storm Cleanup Ride" is going to begin at 8 a.m. on Thursday.

"People are going to be coming out and helping to clean up the trails. And we are going to do multiple giveaways for different things to show our appreciation. We'll be giving away a season pass, tickets to the event that's coming up, T-shirts, hoodies, and other merchandise and memorabilia," Lowman said.

Lowman said when people show up, they will be given directions concerning where and how to help. Safety, he said, is the most important thing.

"Of course, we'll be there, all-hands-on-deck, during it all," Lowman said. "We have safety courses throughout the year, and this will sort of be an extension of that. The safety of our riders is always our highest priority. And there are a lot of ways to help with the cleanup beyond using a chainsaw. And we appreciate any help that is offered."

Normal weekend hours at Rush Off Road are from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Lowman said the cleanup will run those hours, no admission, and Lowman encourages everyone to register for prizes as they come in.

"I can't stress how humbled we are by the outpouring of support," Lowman said. "We're really looking forward to seeing everyone this weekend and working together as an off-road community."

Lowman said he believes that community is made of wonderful people, and that those same wonderful people are what helped build the off-road park from the beginning.