DUST OR BUST: CLUBS, COURSES CATER TO 4X4 MOTORISTS, PREACH RESPONSIBILITY FOR ENVIRONMENT.

Byline: Brett Pauly Outdoors Editor

Through all the dust, thousands of backcountry miles and years of gripping the wheels of 4x4 rigs, Harry Lewellyn remains as giddy as ever driving off-highway.

``I feel that I open Mother Nature's backdoor to a lifetime of responsible adventure and pleasure,'' said Lewellyn, 60, of Costa Mesa, founder of Ecological 4-Wheeling Adventures. His private business offers four-wheel-drive trips throughout California and Mexico, as well as backcountry-driving courses at area community colleges.

``People ask me how I can do the same trail over and over again,'' he said. ``And what I find is that nothing gives me greater pleasure than to watch an ocotillo (plant) grow from just breaking the ground to spreading its thorny arms to 10 feet.''

What does get old is the unflattering image to which his sport is tied. Lewellyn explained:

``It primarily revolves around a preconception of how four-wheel-drive vehicles are used - irresponsibly, beat 'em, bang 'em, bend 'em, roll 'em over. Which is not the case with the modern SUV (sport-utility vehicle) owner. It's a point of pride and a hell of an investment.''

Individuals, 4WD clubs and services, and government agencies - such as the Off-Highway Vehicle Division of the state Department of Parks and Recreation - strive to change the portrayal of the sport as reckless and damaging to the environment. With today's profound interest in SUVs and drivers seeking pursuits off the blacktop, that's an important consideration.

``Use the backcountry as it was intended to be used; it's a leave-no-trace approach,'' said Lewellyn, who was contracted to map the entire state's off-highway-vehicle system and produced the ``California OHV Guidebook'' in 1991.

Off-highway adventurers can drive on public lands - National Forest, Bureau of Land Management and state property - that is not posted as closed to vehicles. (Motorcycles, ATVs, dune buggies, snowmobiles and other rigs not considered ``street legal'' must be registered with what is known as a green sticker; money from green stickers fund California's off-highway vehicle program and its seven State Vehicular Recreation Areas.)

Perhaps one of the best ways to get introduced to the world of four-wheeling is to take a 4x4 course.

``This is an opportunity for people buying into the popular sport-utility-vehicle market and a way to find out how 4WD enthusiasts can use, not abuse, backcountry roads and trails,'' said Jack Raudy, an Off-Highway Vehicle Division spokesman. ``They can lead you further into 4WD clubs in the area, if you're interested in joining.''

Just such a course is offered at 8 a.m. Dec. 18 at Hungry Valley State Vehicular Recreation Area north of Pyramid Lake, off the Smokey Bear Road exit of the Golden State Freeway (5). A 90-minute slide presentation is followed by four hours of ``memorable hands-on driving from beginner level to expert . . . including about a half-dozen obstacles faced in situational backcountry driving,'' Raudy said. Cost is $65 per student. Reservations: [phone].

Clubbin' it

Area four-wheel-drive clubs, groups and services:

California Association of Four Wheel Drive Clubs: 8120 36th Ave., Sacramento, CA 95824; [phone] or www.cal4wheel.com. Umbrella organization of member clubs, individuals and businesses.

Desert Explorers of the Mojave River Valley Museum: P.O. Box 291759, Phelan, CA 92329-1759; [phone] or www.desertexplorers.org. Sponsors trips and outings.

Ecological 4-Wheeling Adventures: 2234 Catherine Place, Costa Mesa, CA 92627; [phone] or www.4wdadventures.com. Private business offering 4x4 driving classes.

Friends of Jawbone Canyon: P.O. Box 1176, Cantil, CA 93519; [phone], ext. 215 or www.jawbone.org. Provides a forum for users of public lands in and around Kern County's Jawbone Canyon.

WILD RIDES

California operates three Southland sites - State Vehicular Recreation Areas - within its off-highway vehicle program. Camping is available at each:

Hungry Valley SVRA: 17,800 acres of hilly terrain north of Pyramid Lake ideal for all types of OHV experience, from beginner to expert; [phone].

Oceano Dunes SVRA: Suited for sandy OHV recreation, including dune buggies, the 3,100-acre site is located outside Grover Beach in San Luis Obispo County; [phone].

Ocotillo Wells SVRA: A mammoth area at more 70,000 acres, it features a slew of desert-riding opportunities; [phone].

For more information on these and other SVRA, call California State Parks and Recreation, Off-Highway Vehicle Division, at [phone].

CAPTION(S):

3 photos, 2 boxes

PHOTO (1) Solitude and picturesque backdrops, such as the Alabama Hills and the Eastern Sierra out of Lone Pine, are among the many benefits of four-wheel driving.

(2) A rocky ascent through a coniferous forest greets visitors along the Sherman Pass 4x4 Trail in the Sequoia National Forest.

(3) Four-wheel-drive groups that offer organized outings get tyros into the backcountry.

Roger W. Vargo/Staff Photographer

BOX: (1) Clubbin' it

(2) Wild rides