The San Diego Padres can't seem to catch a break. Their number one draft pick, Donovan Tate, reportedly suffered a broken jaw in an ATV accident a week ago. This is just one in a string of several problems facing the San Diego Padres draft picks over the last decade or so. With Tate in particular it's two-fold, as he had a sports related hernia surgery this past October.

The details to this particular ATV accident aren't quite clear, so I don't know if Tate was wearing the most important piece of ATV safety equipment; a helmet. I'm fairly certain he wasn't wearing a helmet because we all know helmets provide a fair amount of protection to the face as well as the head. See update below.

With that in mind, reports indicate that Tate suffered "lacerations" to his face as well as the broken jaw. Tate is now sporting a steel plate, and some nice wiring to hold it shut while he heals. The San Diego Padres are confident Tate will be able to participate in Spring Training, but I believe he will be far from 100% considering he'll be eating through a straw for a while and not be able to work out.

AP Photo

We take the Suzuki KingQuad 750 through the Valley of Fire to see if the addition of electric power steering is really all it's cracked up to be.

The new sport utility quad from Suzuki brings lighter, more responsive steering to an already great ATV while keeping things respectable in the price and weight department. It gave a confidant feeling in almost everything we threw at it and made a 40 mile trek in the deserts of Nevada seem like a walk in the park.

Thanks to Discover Todays ATV and the ATV Safety Institute for providing this more than capable machine.

Image by Matt Finley

Norman Wnuk, founder of AllThingsJeep.com died suddenly Friday, November 20, at age 44 of a heart attack shortly after dinner with his family in Lunenburg, MA.

Norman started All Things Jeep in the Spring of 2003 and turned it into a highly successful business that provided parts for Jeep enthusiasts around the country.

Norman Wnuk was also very involved in the founding of Northeast Association of 4WD Clubs, Inc (NEA4WDC) and was very influential in the 4WD community.

Norman will be greatly missed and is survived by his wife Jean and his daughters Rebecca and Hannah, as well as the entire 4WD community.

When I first heard of The Valley of Fire in Clark County, Nevada, I envisioned a typical hot desert adventure on ATVs, something I love. So when Discover Today's ATV and the ATV Safety Institute asked me to join them for a day of riding, I eagerly agreed.

When we started getting close to The Valley of Fire, I quickly realized there was much more to it than just a ride in the desert. The fiery red rock formations that came out of the ground provided a brilliant backdrop to what would turn out to be one of the best rides I'd had in years. It was hard to concentrate on riding because I was literally in awe at the scenery, but the riding was superb and offered several different types of riding, including desert trails, lush sand dunes and very technical crawling. Truly an epic ride.

The sandstone formations are from prehistoric sand dunes and have been turned into their current shape after centuries of earthquakes and erosion. This nearly 35,000 acre state park sits about 50 miles northeast of Las Vegas and was used as the back drop in films such as Transformers, Star Trek Generations and Total Recall.

Having spent much of my childhood camping at nearby Lake Mead, The Valley of Fire is now on my short list of places to take my kids before they get too much older.

Images by Matt Finley

Over 150,000 Jeep Wranglers have been recalled by Chrysler to correct an issue with automatic transmission overheating. The problem occurs when the automatic transmission fluid is heated to the point that it boils over and could possibly spill onto hot engine and/or exhaust components and catch fire.

According to Chrysler, the 2007 and 2008 Jeep Wranglers lack a transmission fluid temperature warning system that would alert the driver if the temperature heats up too much. The transmission will usually only get hot enough to boil the fluid when driven under extreme conditions or under a heavy load.

Jeep Wrangler owners can call Chrysler toll free for more information at 1-800-835-1403.

Image by Matt Finley

States have a habit of taking money from OHV funds and using them in the general fund, or worse, giving OHV funds to State Parks that don't allow OHVs. New Mexico's Governor recently vetoed part of plan that would have used OHV funds for various general fund projects that had nothing to do with OHVs.

Gov. Bill Richardson gets it.

The OHV program was not raided, but the budget still took over $100 million from other special funds and poured it into the state's general-purpose fund. The reason the OHV fund was not raided was because of the effort put forth by the AMA to inform riders about the pending theft of their funds, and encouraged them to contact Bill Richardson and tell him not to allow it.

The same thing happened in Ohio this past summer when Gov. Ted Strickland quickly changed his plans to pilfer the Motorcycle Safety and Education Program for almost a million dollars after his constituents told him to keep his hands off it. At least some in our government realize the repercussion if they don't listen to their bosses. Lets hope it starts catching on.

Image by Matt Finley

Rep. Maurice Hinchey, Democrat from New York, is trying to by-pass the congressional debate of H.R. 1925, which would close over 9 million acres in Utah to OHVs. Since he failed miserably in trying to get ANY representative from Utah to back him in his land grab, he has resorted to asking Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to use his administrative powers to close those lands without debate and without approval from the very state that would be affected.

If enacted, this bill would close the designated areas to all activity including OHVs, bicycles and horses. This includes Moab, one of THE places to offroad, hike and ride horses.

To make things worse, much of the land that is covered in this bill does not comply with the requirements to create such a wilderness designation. According to the Wilderness Act of 1964, Wilderness can only apply to lands 'retaining its primeval character and influence, without permanent improvements or human habitation.'

This closure would be on top of the 2 million acres already closed, and would greatly damage the local economies that rely on the income from OHV recreation in these very popular places. It is my opinion that there is a clear and concise effort to destroy the financial livelihood of Utah. The AMA is urging all offroaders, equines and bicyclists to join together and make their voices heard by contacting the powers that be and telling them to Leave Utah Alone!

Read the letter that Hinchey and 88 other representatives sent to try to force the closure of MOAB without going through the proper channels.

This weekend I'll be trekking out to Clark County, Nevada with Discover Today's ATV and the ATV Safety Institute to spend a day riding in the Valley of Fire just outside of Las Vegas. I've been told that this time of year has some of the best riding available in the Las Vegas area, and the Valley of Fire is arguably one of the top riding spots around there.

I will be joining Jun Villegas, an instructor for ASI, and Ty van Hooydonk from DTA. I will be mounting a Suzuki King Quad 750 and a Yamaha Grizzly 700. Both with power steering, which is a first for me. The Valley of Fire is also a new ride for me, and you can look forward to a nice photo gallery when I return.

The ASI is a not for profit organization that promotes rider training for new riders and even for experienced riders who are simply looking for a refresher course. If you've got kids and they ride ATVs, you already know ATV safety is a top priority. So taking them to get certified is only going to help ensure their safety.

The ASI RiderCourse is a single day event and is FREE if you buy a new ATV, either for an adult or a child. If you're buying used, it only costs $155.00 for adults, and $55.00 for children. If children are riding ATVs they must be certified or must be riding with a certified adult.

The ASI promotes the following "Golden Rules of ATV riding":

1. Always wear a helmet and other protective gear.
2. Never ride on public roads - another vehicle could hit you.
3. Never ride under the influence of alcohol or other drugs.
4. Never carry a passenger on a single-rider vehicle.
5. Ride an ATV that's right for your age.
6. Supervise riders younger than 16; ATVs are not toys.
7. Ride only on designated trails and at a safe speed.
8. Take an ATV RiderCourse; Call Toll-Free at 800.887.2887, or go to www.atvsafety.org.

The Amateur Freestyle Motocross Association (AFMXA) is holding their first amateur freestyle motorcross competition on the west coast at the Pala Raceway in Southern California this weekend. The event features some of the best amateurs from around the world who are at least 14 years old.

After the competition some of the best professional freestyle riders like Brian Deegan, Nate Adams, Jeremy "Twitch" Stenberg, Ronnie Faisst, Todd Potter and Mike Mason will be on hand to sign autographs and perform an FMX demo.

The AFMXA is a governing collective of Freestyle Motocross riders and action sports industry leaders who are trying to make FMX a safer sport. It was founded shortly after the tragic death of freestyle motocross legend Jeremy Lusk.

There is a new road to access the eastern dunes at Glamis via wash 25 in the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area (ISDRA). This new road will make it easier for campers to access the eastern dunes.

This was largely a volunteer effort by dune enthusiasts who helped by donating up to 40 hours a week during the hot summer months. Volunteers used water trucks and other heavy equipment to help with the construction of the road.

This new road is for street legal vehicles only. All OHVs are forbidden on the new wash road and should enter the area through the dunes only. Off-road tires will damage the road and will require more funding to be used in maintaining the road. You may be ticketed for riding off road vehicles on the road.