Category Archives: News

It was another beautiful day in the Crystal Falls area. We had a great turn out for this ride as it
is quite common to just get a few riders. 9 ATVs showed up, 7 members and 2 visitors.

The ride was a great mix of meandering though the forest on smooth trails to rock climbing and mud pools. All the gentleman on the ride got a bit of riding teaching from the lady on the ride as she insisted on climbing one of the hills which we all avoided, well she made it up with very little problems.

Lunch at the camp was leisurely and enjoyable.

We completed the ride by 15h30.

Ride Leaders:  Rob Mineault and Greg Stephens

Well it was a beautiful warm day and you could see that members were looking forward to getting out from the Covid-19 restrictions to go ATV’ing. 30 bikes showed up …10 side by sides and 20 ATV’s. In all 36 people were there of which 6 were visitors who saw our ride advertised online.

The ride was a leisurely one through bush trails, no roads and no dust. We only had to cut a few trees that had blown down after scouting three weeks ago. Lunch on Finlayson Lake with a cool breeze was so enjoyable that one of the riders went in for a swim.

We all got back to the parking area by 3:30 and appreciated the fine day of riding. It was a good feeling to socialize.

Barry Beauchamp… ride leader and Marcel Lafreniere….tail

Well, here we are, definitely in the middle of the Dog Days of Summer.

But, what really is meant by the Dog Days of Summer?  The dog days of summer are the hot, sultry days of summer. They were historically the period following the heliacal rising of the star system Sirius, which Greek and Roman and Roman astrology, connected with heat, drought, and sudden thunderstorms, lethargy, fever, mad dogs and bad luck.

(I certainly can relate to the heat and lethargy!)

They are now taken to be the hottest, most uncomfortable part of summer in the Northern Hemisphere.

Although Sirius is the brightest proper star in the night sky, it is 8.7 light-years (8.23×10¹³ km) away from Earth and has no effect whatsoever on the planet’s weather or temperature.  Although the star continues to return to the night sky in late summer, its position continues to gradually shift relative to the Sun and will rise in the middle of winter in about 10,000 years.

For more information about this summer period click on Dog Days.

The white trillium (Trillium grandiflorum) is the official flower and emblem of Ontario, our province. It is an official symbol of the Government of Ontario. (The large white trillium is also the official wildflower of Ohio).

The beautiful trilliums start to appear in early spring, and is noted for it’s three-prong white flower.  It is a delicate flower, so please be careful with it.  It takes 2 years to germinate!

There is a “legend” that the RCMP or OPP will arrest you for picking the Trillium.  This is not true — at this time — but because it is a special flower that takes a long time to come back, please consider leaving it in the forest.

Although not against the law there was a bill proposed, Bill 184, Ontario Trillium Protection Act, introduced in 2009 which read:

Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, enacts as follows:

   1.  The Floral Emblem Act is amended by adding the following section:

Prohibition

   2.  (1)  No person shall pick, cut down, dig, pull up, injure or destroy, in whole or in part, whether in blossom or not, the plant that produces the trillium grandiflorum or white trillium.   

Non-application of subs. (1)

   (2)  Subsection (1) does not apply to any person engaged in,

  (a)  the lawful carrying out of any public work or of the person’s occupation; or

  (b)  the carrying out of necessary work on property owned or lawfully occupied by the person. 

Offence and penalty

   (3)  Any person who contravenes subsection (1) is guilty of an offence and on conviction is liable to a fine of not less than $500.

However, the status of the bill was only at first reading, and has not been enacted.  (https://www.ola.org/en/legislative-business/bills/parliament-39/session-1/bill-184)

For some more information on the trillium read further here:  11 Interesting Facts about the Trillium .

Ontario:  A Place to Grow!

The Board has decided to cancel the  Annual General Meeting at this time, due to the precautions being taken surrounding the COVID-19 situation.  It will be rescheduled at a later date.  Take care, wash your hands often, and stay healthy!

On Thursday night/Friday morning we had a snow/wind storm at the Marten River area dumping 30 cm. of snow. After consultation it was decided to continue with the ride on Saturday.

First of all that morning highway 64 was not plowed. Then going to the parking area, a 100 meters from the highway the first two vehicles got stuck and had to be towed back to the highway. Once tracks were made all 11 vehicles got to the parking area safely. The 13 riders were set to ride.

Next stage was a 5 km. trip to the Holdridge Creek bridge a 15 minute trip. Not this time. The snow laden trees with the wind had blown over numerous trees and out came the chainsaws. It took 1 hour to get to the bridge. The snow was wet and so were we.

A decision was made to cancel the planned ride and make up another sticking to those trails that were more open. Yes, there were some trees down but we managed to plow through the snow and get to the beach at Pike Lake, make a fire, have lunch and laugh and joke at the experience. We came back a shorter way following the pole line.

And again with the light drizzle and the snow on the trees there must have been at least 50 balsam fir trees bent over the last 5 km. of the trail that we had cleared in the morning. Out came the chainsaws.

Once at the parking area we all found the experience great but maybe not to be repeated in a long time. Lots of comradery, joking and sore backs. Those ATV riders are brave and resourceful people.

Barry Beauchamp…ride leader                   Marcel Lafreniere….tail

Darker earlier, lighter later, wet and slippery on the trails!   Be careful.  Look twice.  Wear all your safety gear and warm layered clothing.

Click Here! Be safe!

And enjoy the most beautiful time of the year outdoors!

Rabbit Lake Ride #2        Saturday October 5, 2019

When we got to the parking area the temperature was -1 C (ouch). However we were treated to sunny skies and no wind. 20 enthusiastic warmly dressed riders showed up to drive on 3 SxS and 14 ATV’s.

The day went by looking at the fall colours and the trails covered with leaves. We stopped at 3 lakes along the way to chat and enjoy the scenery.

At one water hole 2 courageous riders decided to take the dangerous route and to the entertainment of all, managed to get stuck. The rest of us were high and dry driving on a large beaver dam looking down at the action. All in fun.

Although the ride was a last minute change to replace the original one it turned out OK. The trail was beautiful for this time of the year.

Thank you riders for coming out to the ride. Great company made the day.

Barry Beauchamp:           Ride leader

Art Constantineau           Ride tail