They Bought the Jet Ski—Now They Want Us to Dig the Lake

It’s not just kids anymore. Full-grown adults—people with jobs, bills, and just enough Facebook access to start a fight—are out here buying ATVs and dirt bikes like they're prepping for a rural fantasy camp, then throwing their hands in the air when they realize there's nowhere in town to ride them legally. It’s like buying a jet ski with no lake and then blaming the city for not having dug one yet.

And it’s not just parks and trails getting wrecked. They're riding down the middle of city streets like it’s a game of Mario Kart. No helmets, no plates, no common sense. It’s reckless, it’s illegal, and it’s already proven deadly—someone lost their life doing exactly this. But instead of a moment of reflection, the reaction from the off-road crowd seems to be more throttle.

The result? Torn-up trails, chewed-up fields, and now residential roads turned into racetracks. These aren’t off-the-grid backwoods excursions. They're happening right in the middle of town—on paths meant for walking, in parks meant for families, and down streets meant for cars. It’s noise, it’s danger, and it’s a problem dumped on everyone else’s lap.

What’s worse is the mindset behind it: “I bought this, so now someone else better figure out where I can use it.” That's not planning, that's passing the buck. Somehow, private recreation has become a public responsibility. And when people complain about the damage, safety issues, or the fact that they almost got run off the road, the riders act like they’re being oppressed—because apparently respecting shared space is too much to ask.

But here’s the thing: if you want a place to ride, build one. Rally your friends. Start a club. Talk to landowners. Raise money. Pool your resources and do what generations before us used to do—take initiative. If a group of volunteers can build disc golf courses, restore trails, or fundraise for a new playground, then a crew of grown adults with $9,000 machines should be able to figure something out.

Don’t expect the city to build a playground for every toy you buy. If you chose the jet ski, you better start digging that lake.