Each month we will feature a club or clubs of the month. We will attempt to feature one Motorycle or ATV club and one Four Wheel Drive club or Association each month.

We encourage ALL OHV enthusiasists to join a club or association in their area. Not only will you make lifelong friendships but it is important we join together to support our sport for the future.

November brings cold weather and snow. Some people use this time of year to put their rigs in the garage till the spring thaw arrives. Then there are those who can't wait to bury their tires in the white powder. And they ain't heading to the ski lodge!

The members of the Northern Toys Four Wheel Drive Club out of Sedro Woolley, Washington know how to play in the snow. It is truly one of the most beautiful ways to enjoy the outdoors. Everything covered in white, fluffy snow. There is something special about being the first one on a trail with a fresh layer of powder.

The Northern Toys are very active maintaining the 4WD trails of the Walker Valley Off-Road Vehicle Park. It is the best way for the OHV community to keep our areas of play open and maintained. I have been involved in a number of "Adopt-A-Trail" programs. I know it gave me a good feeling knowing I was doing something to help preserve public access to public lands.

The Northern Toys truly have some beautiful terrain to play in. And I bet they are hoping for a good snow fall!!!

For the ATV crowd we would like to introduce the Michigan ATV Association based out of Dearborn, Michigan. If you own an ATV in Michigan, this is the organization you need to be a member of.

MATVA is a group of very well organized people with very clear statements about what they are about. They believe the better educated the riders are the better the sport of ATV'ing will be. Knowing how to operate the ATV and how to respect the land being ridden on are very important to keep areas open to the sport. Obviously, for any type of vehicle, there are times and places to be careful or go all out.

MATVA holds training courses on responsible riding, land use, maintenance, safety and other topics. The more riders that take these courses the better. Education is very important for any type of off-roading. The day of the uneducated vehicle operator is over. Those are the people who keep having our riding areas closed. Unsafe driving, blazing trails in sensitive areas and general tearing up of the land prevents us from enjoying off-roading.

All this doesn't mean we can't have fun. The object is to be responsible while having fun. Then everyone can have an enjoyable time.

Till next month,

Airdown and Lock Some Hubs!

Mongo