West Nipissing ATV Club

Mother Nature has different plans for our scheduled Club Ride for this weekend with heavy rains forecasted for Ride Day. Our Ride Committee will attempt to possibly reschedule this ride at a later date. In the event of a rescheduled ride, you will receive further information in your email box. We apologize for any inconvenience, but our goal for all Club Rides is to have a fun, safe and enjoyable ride for all who participate. The next scheduled ride is for later in the month of July.

Please check your email for the downloadable map and gpx files.  This is the first ride of the season!  Hoping for a good turn out, rain or shine.  See the “Next Ride” sidebar for details, or see the email from the Club. Let’s go ATVing!

Finally good news. Daily covid-19 numbers are decreasing, the Province is in phase 2 of reopening and the future looks promising. The Directors would like to inform you of some of our discussions and concerns: A tentative ride schedule has been made with 8 rides planned. The first ride, Holdridge Creek, could be held before the end of the month depending on the limits to outside gatherings. Of course social distancing and wearing of masks will be required. An email will follow as soon as the day of the ride can be confirmed. It is imperative that the club hold an annual meeting to approve the last two years of…

To all 2020 WNATV Club Members Here’s hoping that all members and their families are healthy and safe during these stressful times. Life sure has changed with all the restrictions and challenges due to Covid-19. Your Board wishes to keep you informed on its discussions and decisions that have taken place in the past week. 1. Because last year was so disappointing, with so many planned rides being cancelled, a motion was passed by the Board that all 2020 regular members automatically become 2021 members. No payment is required. This letter/email that you receive is to confirm that you are NOW officially a 2021 member. 2. Members can see the…

Unfortunately due to the COVID regulations limiting the number of persons that can gather, all rides for the rest of the season are cancelled. Hopefully we can meet next Spring and start a fresh schedule!.  

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…

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,…

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!

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!  

Here’s a recent article from CBC News that highlights as a reminder why you should bring the good old paper maps with you while hiking.  It is equally important to bring these when you are ATVing too….maybe more so as the bouncing up and down on trails could render your GPS less than useful! Read this! https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/bring-a-paper-map-and-compass-on-a-hike-says-halifax-search-and-rescue-1.5252636    

This is to notify all that the ride on Saturday, July 27th has been cancelled.  Yesterday Marcel Lafreniere, Art Constantineau and myself went out to scout the Tilden Lake Alterative ride leaving from the Sandy Falls Road. 7 kms. Into the ride we met with a 1 km. section that was very rough and we had to reclassify the ride to a 4 on our difficulty scale. Then 1 km. before Riding Stable Road the trail was blocked by a water barrier. Marcel mistakenly with his Commander side by side started across and just made it to the other side with water over his seat. He decided to return through…

At last!  The blueberries are ready! Well, lets start off with some fun facts about blueberries: Blueberries are perennial flowering plants that have either blue– or purple–colored berries when matured. They are in the same class as cranberries, bilberries, huckleberries and Madeira blueberries. There are generally two types of blueberry bushes; the wild (‘lowbush’) and cultivated (‘highbush’) blueberries and all are found in North America. Blueberries usually grow close to that ground, with a woody stem system, and a plant can vary in size from 10 centimeters to 4 meters in height. The leaves can be either deciduous or evergreen, and 1–8 cm long and 0.5–3.5 cm broad. The flowers are bell-shaped,…

Here is an article from CBC, this July, which discusses the possible future regulatory impacts on the ATV community related to ATV rollovers and possible mandatory safety devices. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/atv-rollover-safety-1.5197959 The article discusses one type of device.  Here’s a link to another which is also interesting. ATV Lifeguard Rollover Bar and yet another called a Quadbar…. Quadbar What do you think?  Are rollovers really only due to irresponsible riders?  Should such safety devices be mandated?  Or, should the devices simply be an add-on option available to riders? Some interesting material for discussion on our rides!  

Summer is hot, and so is the ATV season!  In addtion to our WNATV Club rides, there are other ATV events planned through the summer. Here a listing of events from the www.northernontario.travel website.  Please ensure you verify the event is still on by checking with their particular website before travelling! If for some reason you are not going to our own Club ride, Tilden Lake, on July 27th, but find yourself south of West Nipissing, I would recommend the July 27th event in Kearney.  I have had the opportunity to ride some of the trails in this area, and it is a beautiful place. This is put on the…