Mixing Business With Pleasure

TIATVC Lunch by the Lake & District 1 Presidents Ride

In the business world, an afternoon of hanging out with the president of your organization might seem like a wasted afternoon. In the ATVing world, things are a little bit different. 

Each year the District 1 Clubs of the OFATV get together and host a Presidents' Ride so all of the members of the district can enjoy a day on the trails together with the leaders of the sport. Sure, we discuss ATV strategies with the Club Presidents and executives in the district – but we don't consider that business, that's pleasure!

This year, the Presidents Ride piggy-backed on the Thousand Islands ATV Club’s Lunch by the Lake Ride.

stagging area01 smaller
stagging area02 smaller

The ride began at the TIATVC’s staging area on Kidd Road South, in Lansdowne, Ontario. There was a solid representation from all of the clubs in the region with members and executives from the ATV Club of Eastern Ontario, Johnstown ATV Club, Thousand Islands ATV Club, Ottawa Valley ATV Club, Nation Valley ATV Club, Glendalers Winter Sports Club, The Quad City Brawlers, Renfrew County ATV Club, and the newly formed Rideau Lakes ATV Club! Private, OFATV, and EOTA clubs alike were in attendance – any club in the region!

ride speech smaller

After a brief safety speech from Paul Foley, OFATV Chief Provincial Warden, followed by words of wisdom from TIATVC Vice-President Henry DeKroon, the ride departed on a leisurely trip through all of the trails TIATVC had to offer, through Bull-Frog Bay and out to Charleston Lake.  

ride02 smaller

ride09 smaller

Those with a sense of adventure went through Bull-Frog Bay, which gets its name legitimately as the bull-frogs scurry out of your wake as you go down that trail. The rest of us backtracked and took the dry by-pass around.

dockside lunch01 smaller

In Charleston Lake, participants were welcome to have lunch in the park, or enjoy a hot meal from the Dockside Restaurant on the lake.  The food was excellent, with the Dockside Restaurant more than happy to accommodate a boat-load of ATVers (pun intended). In my humble opinion the Dockside Restaurant’s true calling is the distribution of ginormous ice-cream cones. 

ice cream smaller

Yours truly indulged in a three-scoop waffle cone of “Moose Tracks” ice-cream, which sent all the jealous types back into the restaurant for a cone of their own. What can I say, I’m a trendsetter!

jealous icecream smaller

When the bag lunch folks were done with theirs in the park and the rest of us finished up our giant ice-cream cones, we headed back a slightly different (much dryer) route to the Thousand Islands ATV Club’s staging area for more ATV talk and discussion before heading our separate ways.

ride back01 smaller

ride back02 smaller

It was a beautiful day, the trails were great, and it was fabulous to see such a diverse group of ATVers all out together enjoying the day!

Not all of the ATV issues of the world were solved that day; however, it is always a good experience to get together, learn how individual clubs deal with the same types of issues, and work together for the future of the sport. 

We look forward to next year’s Presidents' Ride, and are anxious to find out which club will host us for 2016!

About Dave Baker

An avid outdoors enthusiast, Dave is active in hunting, fishing, trapping and ATVing. He has been involved with the Nation Valley ATV Club since its inception, and is a past president of the Ontario Federations of ATV Clubs.

Recommended Articles

6 Reasons Why Mattawa is Canada's Off Road Capital

Here's why VMUTS in Mattawa, Ontario is this rider's choice for the ATV (and UTV, and dirt bike, and ADV) capital of Canada.

Vintage ATVs: A Guide to Your Favourite Rides

From Honda's FourTrax to today's bush-bashing UTVs, here's a brief history of the ATV (and why you should care).

Ontario ATV Events

Poker Runs, Mud Bogs, Charity Rides, Rallies and more!

19 Best ATV Cabin Rentals

Check out these awesome ATV home bases all over Northern Ontario..

Ride & Ice Fish This Winter

Lake trout, whitefish, and walleye await at these ATV-friendly lodges in Ontario.

4 places to camp and ride in Ontario

Hop aboard for some ATV adventure camping!

This Lakefront Lodge Offers Ontario Riders the Perfect ATV Staycation, Rally, and More!

It's an ATV lovers paradise.

Ride Hard, Ride Fast

ATV Riding in Sudbury

What a Ride

Larry Berrio's ode to powersports in Ontario

Winter is a great time to go ATV or UTVing in Ontario!

9 tips for ATVing in the snow

Hatfield-McCoy vs Ontario's ATV Trails

Which one is better?

R & R & R

A Weekend on one of Mukwa Adventure guided ATV tours offers a chance to rest, relax, and ride!

Three ATV Masters Meet in Mattawa

YouTube stars ride the trails

Curd is the Word

Riding the Larose Forest ATV trails to the St. Albert Cheese factory

You Want Adventure?

Get your adrenaline rush at Back Country Tours

Mud, Smoke and Spurs in Powassan

Kick the season off this Labour Day weekend

A winter ride for a great cause

The first annual Ride for Dad

A Grand adventure

ATVing through beautiful Haldimand County

Haliburton Trail Upgrades

Community comes together to improve local trail

700 ATVers can't be wrong

The St-Charles Big Bear Rally