CLUB NEWS: WINTER WHEELING
Braving the ice- and snow-covered trails made for a challenging weekend in Minden, ON that ended in pure delight and satisfaction.
IN OUR AREA OF CENTRAL ONTARIO, most of the trail systems used for off-roading in the spring, summer and fall, are commonly used by snowmobilers once the snow lays down its thick white blanket throughout the region. Then there are those of use – no matter the season – who crave the need to fire up our off-road rigs and explore the vast, white expanse. Fortunately, we have the option of running on private property.
I recently talked to a couple of other four-wheelers about making a Saturday winter day trip at Ray’s Place Motel and Campground, near Minden, ON. It’s a 131-acre property that encompasses a motel, campground, and series of amenities, including a vast trail network mapped out for four wheelers, buggy’s and ATV’s, which is sometimes used in the winter by those who can brave the bitter cold.
Ray’s place is open all year and the motel rates and fees for day use on the trails are reasonable.
The owner, Ray, takes reservations months in advance as events are hosted in the area throughout year, so it’s best to always book ahead. For this weekend trip, we decided to go up late Friday evening to get a fresh start the next morning.
On Saturday, we met a few other enthusiasts at the motel and chatted about our vehicles. They had Jeeps set up for wheeling and were visiting for the weekend. Since they were familiar with the trails, they offered to show us around.
The trails weren’t too tight, and we mostly stayed on the easy ones. Of course, it’s easy to slide off the trail in the winter, making it a challenge get back up due to the ice and snow. We aired down our tires to a lower pressure to maintain traction, and a single digit PSI was considered optimal for those running flotation-style mud terrains. Other tire types didn’t need to be reduced as much.
At one challenging hill, a few of us needed several runs to get up. Brian tried at least three times before he got crossed up at the corner and his vehicle became wedged almost sideways on the short bank between a rock and a tree. Since ice had formed on some of the rocks underneath the terrain was extremely slippery.
After lowering his tire pressure to eight PSI, he finally got free and tried another way to the left. His decision would have been more challenging in the summer, but since snow and ice covered the rocks, he was able to drive right up. Following this brief incident, we completed a few different loops on the marked trails and enjoyed the conditions and scenery. Fresh snow
had fallen during the last few days, so everything was a vivid white.
Andrew took a different route that was parallel to the one we were on and accidently slid off the side of the trail. With everything covered with snow, it was hard to determine where the actual centre was.
After observing the scene, he decided to winch his vehicle back onto level ground, using a tree as a winch anchor.
Once back on the trail, he made up for lost time by taking a good run to get over this bump. As the day progressed, Andrew explained the steering of his vehicle was getting difficult to turn. A closer inspection revealed ice and snow were stuck under the front end. Everything else seemed Ok.
The trails in this system consist of side loops that run off a central trail. After driving a few different loops, we worked our way to the top of a