COREY CRUZ FALL RUN
BY Linda McHATTEN
Well folks, as I look out the window this morning, I see heavy frost and a beautiful sunrise. Our bumbling season is coming to an end foe another yeat, so you know what that means – time for the Snowmobile Club to take over the trails for their season. River Valley AT Club hosted their annual fall run on October 19th, sponsored by Corey Auto and Recreation. It was a beautiful morning. Registration to place at the former Maritime Lumber Yard. As I walked around I could see groups of people laughing and catching up with old friends -everyone smiling and laughing. This is what life is all about. There was a total of 63 units (105 participants) registered for this days event.
Leaving the registration point we bumble on trails that take us to Benton. On Poverty Peak we can look across the River and see the vibrant fall colors. I love seeing the bright red cranberries hahanging from leafless bushes with dew drops falling off them. The birds sure will enjoy them this winter. There are milkweed pods starting to open and the wind spreading their seeds. These are important as they draw the butterflies. The trails are a carpet of fall colors made from falling leaves from the trees. As the buggy ahead of us moves along, the leaves are floating up into the air.
DO I SMELL the aroma of barbecued hamburgers and hotdogs? I sure do! AT enthusiasts are arriving at the park hung a d ready for those hamburg and hotdogs. They are delicious. Thank you to Ralph, Glen and Mallory for a great job at keeping those hungry bumble happy.
What a great social time! I reunited with some old friends and also people from other AT clubs. It was nice to see the camaraderie. Lots of laughter and storytelling going on. I must not forget oour special guests. Three domestic turkeys joined us. They supplied us with some entertainment.
Good times have to come to an end. We pack up our lawn chairs and head towards Dead Creek, Scott Siding, and homeward bound. We certainly experienced some great trails, yes there were mud and water but what would a rally be without it. We ended the rally back at the starting point logging kms. On site was Charles with his mobile wash unit (Chance Pro Wash) to spray off the units for a donation.
Thank you to the great organizers of this event. The River Valley AT Club donated the proceeds from the rally to the Carleton County Animal Shelter with a total of $1000.00. Chance Pro-Wash also donated their proceeds to The Animal Shelter. Thank you to all who supported this event. See you all in the Spring. HAPPY TRAILS!.