Ray
Moon served as a land access advocate for motorized off-road
users throughout the 1970s and 1980s. He worked with local
and state governments to maintain land access.
Moon was born in 1946 in New York. His mother moved him and
his three brothers to California in 1962 after their father
passed away. His mother bought an interest in Prado Sports
Cycles, a Corona based motorcycle shop. The Moon boys grew
up riding dirt bikes in the Riverside area. Moon raced a bit
too as a young man taking part in sport car events driving a
Volvo.
In 1968 Moon went to Viet Nam serving in the Army for the
Military Assistance Command Vietnam (MACV). There he drove
his first Jeep and had to figure out himself how to put the
vehicle into four wheel drive after getting it into nine
inch deep jungle mud. After he completed his tour of duty he
returned to Riverside, California.
In 1969 Moon once again hopped in behind the wheel of a
Jeep. He spent time touring the back road of California and
became involved with his local club. Seeing the need to keep
the trails open he began working with the California
Association of Four-Wheel Drive Clubs (CA4WDC). There he
worked to maintain and obtain better land user rights.
The CA4WDC elected him their Conservation Chairman. In the
position he worked with other off-road user groups such as
hikers, rock hounds, motorcyclists and RVers to keep access.
They worked together on conservation projects such as desert
clean ups, rehabilitating natural springs, closing open mine
shafts and protecting petroglyphs and pictographs. In 1977
the CA4WDC elected him their Vice President for a two year
term, in 1980 he became their President.
Source:
Author Interview with Ray Moon, June 2006.
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