No time or place for off-roading

Dan Neil’s article on the Mojave Desert off-road motorcycle camp was untimely, to say the least [“School of Hard Knocks,� May 24]. An article in the previous day’s edition of The Times focused on the premature and dangerous melting of the Rocky Mountain snowpack due, in part, to dust stirred up in the Mojave by off-road motorcycles. The delicate desert ecosystem has been ravaged by off-road vehicles for far too long. It is time for The Times to stop glorifying this destructive “sport.�

Robert Lentz

Sylmar

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I am appalled that the front page of the Travel section was devoted to a motorcycle camp in the Mojave. Have you run out of articles for the majority of travelers who are looking for material on unique places to visit? Tearing up our deserts with motorcycles and off-road vehicles is not an environmentally friendly activity. I also consider this story more of a free advertisement for this “sport� and the “camp.� Please, get with the places that would interest us travelers.

Have you ever done (in my 30 years reading your section) an article on Orleans, France, and its celebration of Joan of Arc Day? Have you done much on Patagonia and what can be seen there? New Zealand and how to visit this great country? We also need ways we can find reliable tour groups when one visits countries such as Ethiopia, Turkey and India.

Rose Marie Durocher

Los Angeles

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The Travel section of the L.A .Times, like the rest of the paper, has been steadily going downhill, decreasing in quality with every issue. The Travel section on May 24 hit a new low. I mourn for the paper I’ve subscribed to for more than 40 years, but losing my favorite part of Sunday’s edition is particularly painful.

Annette Ritchie

Irvine