Outdoor expo aims to unite adventurers

Interests in outdoor activities are as varied as the mountains in this pretty, great state.

Too often, however, those interests don't merge — and too often, Brian Brinkerhoff says, those interests butt heads in conflict.

That's why Brinkerhoff, the voice of the Backcountry Radio Network, tried to bring as many of those sometimes competing interests together last weekend at the Utah Outdoor Adventure Expo at the Utah State Fairpark.

"Our goal was to get people outside and to experience new things maybe they haven't done before," Brinkerhoff said.

With that in mind, there were kayaks floating the Jordan River, ATVs on an off-road obstacle course, archers aiming for their targets and wakeboarders being propelled into the air and splashing down in a pool of water.

And that was just a small sampling of what was to be found at the expo.

"We wanted to help people cross paths and learn something new," Brinkerhoff said. "Sometimes I think we as outdoors enthusiasts, our focus is very fine. We have our interests and we sometimes stick to those. We try to go broad."

Brinkerhoff said he hopes to see outdoorsmen and women try new things, experience some of the activities they might have overlooked in the past and better enjoy themselves.

But opening eyes to new adventures was not Brinkerhoff's only objective in organizing the two-day expo.

The Wildlife Building at the fairpark is in disrepair, Brinkerhoff said, and a portion of the gate receipts from the expo will go to refurbishing the building.

"It's a beautiful building," he said. "But it does need some love ... we wanted to help the fairpark to come up with some funding to fix it up."

E-MAIL: jeborn@desnews.com