Vernon ATV Club
Ladies Only Ride
The morning breaks with cloudy skies and the very vague possibility of some sunny periods. This prospect does not deter my enthusiasm for today’s upcoming ladies day ride. My girlfriend is going along as a passenger in a brand new Razor for the first time out on the trails. I hope she has prepared for the changing weather as well as just perhaps a new found love of quadding. If I am successful today I have helped to create a lasting new partner for our riding together.
Sliding back the origins of this endeavour the Vernon ATV Club having set up a Ladies Ride Only/ Mothers Day Ride it all began at an exec meeting with lets do something just for the ladies of our club. A plan was set into motion with Clint Ingham taking the bull by the horns and organizing the event. First where and when, then how and why, and the “Get 'er done” was his motto. Posters were made up and distributed and the website was set up to show what was about to happen and take registrations. He set it up that the men would not be left out of a ride by incorporating their skills at attending to load and unload their lovely ladies machines and ensuring all was in good working order. This is an important issue with some of the ladies that the bull does the bull work and the dove is ready to attend without the worry attached to, you know the hauling and unloading and tying down the machines.
With 25 registrations the ride was on and we wanted to make this a day of no worries for the ladies. It was a $5.00 donation for lunch and we would have a lunch set up for them at the mid-point and they would not have to do a thing. Clint had a great lunch set up with all the lady style grub on the menu. Vegetarian Chips along with carrots and celery and cauliflower, you know, a veggie plate as well as plenty of whole wheat bread tuna or egg salad sandwiches. No white bread to be found. There was a lot more to eat like fruit and cookies all that girl stuff. Note: Clint’s mom, Marian, had a lot to do with getting it right and hats off to her. Even on a Mothers Day ride it seems that we still need our moms. Thanks Mom!
The morning began with set up and posting signs on the highway to guide them to the staging area. Now unload all the donated demo machines that were given by all the local dealers for those on the ride who don’t own a machine. We had BC Tourism ladies and a reporter from the local newspaper come along and they all needed machines. Thanks to 4 Seasons Motor Sports, Banner Recreational Products and Vernon Motorsports for so generously making these machines available to us. Set up the registration table and have it manned, get the traffic running smoothly and so on. We decided at the last minute to also ask for a donation towards Breast Cancer along with the small fee we were asking for participation. Organizing the riders as to where to park and unload and get the eager ladies set and raring to go was all part of the set up.
With 25 ladies registered we separated them into 2 groups and we broke those down into experienced and novice riders. The experienced riders discussed who would lead and who would bring up the tail-end. The novices would be lead by one experienced rider with another one on the end their group. A quick safety orientation was held for the novices and they also set up in file to go. The pre-ride talk was done all by the ladies and the men sat around and waited. It was hard for the men to do that but after all this was a day for the ladies.
The trails were all set out and well marked by Lee Yarrish, Larry Zinz, Clint and Ryan Ingham the day before and this made the unsure participants most secure knowing that all would be safe on this ride. Thanks to all who helped set up the trails for the ride.
Now on to the ride:
There was much excitement as the experienced group left and we could all hear their machines humming along winding up the trail climbing thru the lower portion of old skidder road. The novice group were organizing and shuffling into there places as they waited. They were all pensive but eagerly wanted to begin, the first for some, riding off into the wild. Away they went and all that was left were the men alone with their thoughts of what might be and how and when we would let them go. Ten minutes passed and they were getting antsy. Like trying to hold back the tide they drove their machines back and forth with the occasional shot of gas to show just how powerful their stallion was. Fifteen minutes and they were all zooming back and forth but did not break the trail until at last we released the hounds. The harmonious drum of the ladies machines as they left was not any way like the stampede by the guys. The guys were off on a different route with the same mid point. I was left to assist Clint in taking the truck up the FSR to the mid point to set up lunch. The ride to the top was uneventful although a very rough ride. My quad is a much smoother ride.
We arrived at the lookout and parked the truck on as level a spot we could find with it attempting to block the gentle and very cool breeze. Set the tables get out the food light the campfire all while the ladies were arriving. With lunch now ready the ladies dug in to get the very fine spread that had been prepared. Of course I told them that I had done all the prep and sandwich making on the way up in the truck. The women just laughed as they new I could not have even come close to making such a fine lunch but at least I tried. Ryan arrived and the fire was lit and he did his best to get a small fire to warm the chilly ladies. By the way it was Ryan who left before any one else and dragged the firewood to the pit. He was like a chicken hawk zooming here and there all along the trail keeping everything running smoothly. Lunch was well under way when the guys group arrived. Of course the guys were supposed to bring their own lunch but they mulled around looking starved. When the ladies had had their fill we opened the lunch table to the men. It was like a feeding frenzy as they came over to the wonderful cornucopia only to ask if we had any deep fried veggies or artery clogging fare. They had to settle for what was there and ate a large portion of the remaining grub. The veggie plate was never touched to the best of my knowledge.
The rule was if you guys eat you have to help tear down and put away and they did a great job and we were ready to go again after the group photo op overlooking the valley with Vernon and Coldstream far below in the backdrop.
Back to the remainder of the Ride:
The groups left along the trail with the ladies heading south and the guys backtracking north. Clint and I leisurely made our way back down the FSR. The ladies trail passed over the FSR in a number of places and we came upon one of these crossings as one group was coming thru. We waited and flagged them on only to discover that there were three not coming out with the rest. Ryan who was everywhere it seemed was already with them and was attempting a trail repair of a gear problem. We waited and the disabled machine made its way slowly to the road. After determining that it required more than we could do here it was decided to rearrange all of the equipment on the back of the truck and load it and haul it down the mountain. The lady rider disappointed that her machine was dead happily climbed on a two-up and away they went to rejoin the rest of the group waiting for them at the next turn. She got to enjoy the ride to the end with no worries about the minor item of a broken machine.
When Clint and I arrived at the staging area everybody was there laughing and socializing and having a good old time. With army like precision the loading and maneuvering of trucks and trailers reloading and tying down was accomplished. Final "see you on the trails" and so on and whoosh they were gone.
What a great day and yes my girlfriend is bit and asked when I was going to let her ride my machine and when we were going on a ride again. I’ve created a new riding partner.
Dennis Webb
