This is to notify all that the ride on Saturday, July 27^th 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 the same water hole and we have a picture of him doing so. In one spot the bike was floating.

There was no alternative route and realizing that this was not a canoe trip we decided that this ride was impossible.

The night ride on August 10^th has been scouted and is a go. Until then take care

Barry Beauchamp

WNATV Club Secretary.

Holdridge Creek ride started off with 13 riders on 12 bikes. The forecast of thunderstorms might have scared some members off. The ride to the Rock Pine restaurant was pleasant except for the exceptional number of deer flies along the pole line.

Because it was members day, each rider, (2 members met us there by motorcycle), received a credit of $16.67 towards their meal. Thanks for the good service by Yvette and Gary of the Rock Pine Restaurant.

On the way back, yes, we hit the thundershowers and everyone got soaking wet. Fortunately, the rain was warm and spirits high.

On a positive note, some riders saw a young moose on the trail, a cow moose and calf in a swamp, a bear crossing the trail, a marsh hawk, a rabbit, and partridges.

In all it turned out to be a great day!

Lead: Barry Beauchamp        Tail: Art Constantineau

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, white, pale pink or red, sometimes tinged greenish. The fruit is a berry 5–16 mm in diameter with a flared crown at the end; they are pale greenish at first, then reddish-purple, and finally dark purple when ripe. They have a sweet taste when mature, with variable acidity. Blueberry bushes typically bear fruit (and are fruit for the bear!) in the middle of the growing season: fruiting times are affected by local conditions such as altitude and latitude, so the peak of the crop, in the northern hemisphere, can vary from May to August.

Getting Some: 

Blueberries are one of the easiest berries to find.  July to August is typically blueberry season, but that can vary based on the weather. According to Northern Ontario Tourism, when hunting for your perfect spot, look in high, sunny areas. Check barren areas, rocks and cliffs, trails and hills, and if you find some crunchy, dried out moss, there’s likely blueberries nearby.

But remember, picking wild, lowbush blueberries is hard work. According to the team at Northern Ontario Tourism, bringing some key gear along makes for better picking. Be sure to bring:

• Long pants
• Hat
• Sunscreen (blueberries like high, sunny spots)
• Insect repellant (blueberry season is also mosquito season!)
• Water
• Bucket/basket for berries (bags can damage your haul)

Great Eating:

And of course the best part is eating the blueberries!  Whether you eat them raw (I have a hard time filling my container, because I eat faster than I pick!), or in your favorite pie, the blueberries are delicious.

Here is some nutrition info:

Top seven health benefits of blueberries:

1. High in Antioxidants
2. Help Fight Cancer
3. Amp Up Weight Loss
4. Boost Brain Health
5. Alleviate Inflammation
6. Support Digestion
7. Promote Heart Health

A 3.5-ounce (100-gram) serving of raw blueberries has:

• Calories: 57
• Water: 84%
• Protein: 0.7 grams
• Carbs: 14.5 grams
• Sugar: 10 grams
• Fiber: 2.4 grams
• Fat: 0.3 grams

And finally, here are 10 delicious blueberry recipes from Northern Ontario Travel (just click the link):

Blueberry Recipes

Blueberry Pie

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!

The WNATV Club held a ride on June 22nd in the Silver Lake and Deschamps Lake area. There was practically no dust on the 805 and mosquitoes were not a problem on that amazing sunny day.

There were thirteen signatures on the attendance sheet.

We stopped at many lakes including Silver Lake, Tee Lake, the Spiank Stream and Deschamps Lake. This region is rich in history in the lumber, mining and fishing industries. The group was very dynamic and the riders were quite receptive and interested in learning about the area’s historical facts. In the photos, people are smiling a lot, which is a good sign.

The WNATV Club provided a surprise treat of pie and beverage at the pavilion of the private Club de chasse et pêche de Verner at Brightwater Lake.

Thank you to Club de chasse et pêche members, Yves and Serge, for the warm reception. I also wish to thank Jacques Lachance and Art Constantineau for helping me make this ride a memorable one.

The Silver Lake ride was sponsored by TGP Power Sports. Thank you, Rock Gagné.

Ride leader,
Claude Patenaude

The Kukagami To Murray Lake Ride was the Second ride of the season for the West Nipissing ATV Club.

There were 18 ATVs and 4 Side-by-Sides with a total of 27 riders in attendance.

Under a sunny sky and a cool 12 degrees C, we left from the parking lot at 9.15 a.m.

We headed down to a trail that led to an abandoned track bridge where we stopped for a quick break.

From there we proceeded through Red Pine plantations and on to the end of Ashagami Lake Road.

Next we continued on a old mine road to Washagami Lake and then proceeded to Pine Falls Lodge at Murray Lake Dam and Bridge where we stopped for a lunch break.

After lunch we traveled on camp roads to a trail that were a bit rougher. We took a well deserved break at Murray River before proceeding on to the Murray River Bridge, then onward along the trail to Knowles Lake.  After heading to Murray Lake, we stopped for a break.

Leaving Murray Lake we traveled over a trail to Dwyer Lake.

We left Dwyer Lake and drove down the trail to the old mine road and to Ashagami Lake Road.

The group continued on down the Ashagami Lake Road leading us back to our vehicles.  We arrived back at the parking area at 4:35 p.m.

The total ride was rated as a difficulty of 3 on our scale,  and everyone had a good day.  All returned satisfied and  really dusty from the dry roads.

We couldn’t have asked for a better day weather wise at 26C and I’m sure fun was had by all who attended.

A great ride for all.

Art Constantineau – Ride Lead

Mike Labelle- Ride Tail

Did you know that the Common Loon is the provincial bird of Ontario?  Most of you know that is the namesake of our $1 coin…..the “loonie”, which sports an image of the common loon.  But do you also remember that the loon was also proudly displayed on a previous series of $20 bills?

The loon is also known as “the great northern diver”, and anyone who has spent time on the local waters in the evening will most likely have seen this bird diving and staying submerged for quite some time.

To read more about this crazy laughing bird, check out the link to Bio Expeditions discussion here:  Common Loon

Or perhaps Audubon’s site at Common Loon

And here’s their “haunting” sound of the loon that you just might hear in the evening while out paddling your canoe, (or from your ATV if you turn it off at the edge of a lake!)