Trail and Travel

For thousands of years there have been mining operations in North America, and everything from copper to coal to turquoise and tar was hewn from the ground and either made into items of higher value or used in its raw form.  Regardless of the material or the geography, mining always has been and still is a tough business.  As long as we keep using electricity, we’ll need mines.  Every mine comes with two identical problems, however: the material being extracted is limited, and when played out you’ve got a big hole in the ground, especially with surface mines.

Six foot waves pound into the rusty stones and exposed bedrock of Lake Superior's southern shore. With no visible land across the water, several in our group more accustomed to the deserts of the Southwest wonder aloud if they are standing at a northern ocean. They’re right in a way; by volume Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world. Along the beach in either direction, there is nothing but frothy waves, the red stones rich with raw iron, and a deep green pine forest behind, all under an impossibly blue sky.

A tap of the brake brings my Yamaha ATV to a stop atop a huge, pristine dune. The funny thing about sand is it always seems clean. The same never-ending breeze that has blown for 20,000 years and sculpted these dunes in the first place quickly now works to erase my tracks one grain at a time as if I’ve spoiled its great, undulating canvas. To the left is the deep green of a Pacific Northwest rainforest and at the foot of nature’s giants an impossibly blue lake shimmers under an impossibly blue sky.

Katie Stelzer and Shaelynne Rocha are both outdoor loving girls. If there is a sport or an outside activity to try, you can count them in, and when the first trail ride of spring was announced for Michigan’s beautiful Upper Peninsula, they were more than ready to go. So were we along with about 100 other riders who made their way north for the first ever Moran Spring Ride.

It’s hard to believe that the 2011 National Ride will be our 10th annual, wow time flies! In our travels, since the inception of this annual adventure, we have enjoyed some awesome trails each unique in their own way and the experience they have offered. Even with all of that variety they had one thing in common, gathering together with other friends new and old to experience all that ATV’s have to offer.

Everybody loves to explore a new ride area, and regardless of where you live there is almost certainly a great riding area within a days drive. With summer here it's time to load up the truck and trailer, gather up your family and riding buddies, and head out for a little vacation spent exploring unknown territory. We've picked out a few of our favorites, and it sure beats standing behind sleeveless mullet man in a sweltering, never ending line for the Tilt-A-Whirl!