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

The Thistle Lake Ride was the fifth ride of the season for the West Nipissing ATV Club.

There were 16 ATVs and 3 Side-by-Sides with a total of 21 riders in attendance for the ride.  We lift River valley at 6pm following the road to the trail and down the trail to a pine plantation for a break, then down the trail to a logging road for break two down the road to a trail where we went around a beaver dam.

Next we went to a lake for a break and then on to the tower for the last break before dark.

We left the Tower 8.45 pm as it started to get dark with all lights on for the ride back to the parking lot.

We arrived back at 10.15 pm.

Art Constantineau, Ride Lead

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!