This ATV trip was courtesy of bunch of people (who I’ll list below for you so you can go ATVing in Mattawa too) and my god was it AMAZING!
Mattawa is great for learning how to ride ATVs. Not only does it remind me of going home to Maine (swarms of black flies, trees, needing a sweater in late May), there are over 200 kilometers (120 miles) of trails that weave through the countryside and forests and many great scenic places to stop and get photos and videos.
After our safety lesson, we were off, hitting the road at what I felt was voracious speeds, until I looked down and realized I was only going 20 kmph (less than 20 mph). But as the day grew, and I got more comfortable with how these machines handled, I got faster.
We had some great fun climbing up flat rocks (which let me tell you, coming back down them was way more intense than going up. It’s like a climbing vs. falling feeling…though I conquered both baby!)
We also got to practice going through (what was huge to us and puny to the boys) mud puddles. I one up’d this and got to also practice how to get myself unstuck from said mud puddle.
(Also, make sure your ATV is in 4 wheel drive when going through gigantic-mediocre sized mud puddles.)
Throughout the day we all took turns trying out each ATV, driving across various types of terrain, and got to see some beautiful views we would never have if it wasn’t for our ATVs.
One of the coolest places we visited was the old mica mines. The closer we got to the mine, the more the ground sparkled (due to the mica in the earth).
The glittering trails I found hilariously appropriate for an ATV trip with a bunch of girls.
But in seriousness, the mines were gorgeous, and finally some relief from the biting black flies. We did a little mini-spelunking (aka sliding all over the ice floor, because yes, the cave is still covered in ice at the end of May), shot some interview footage for Arienne (because it was the only place she could interview us without clip after clip of us swatting at and gagging on the flies), and tried a pitch–dark-ice-cave-cell-phone-as-a-flashlight photo-shoot.
The whole trip was amazing! It’s really hard to put into words the excitement of riding ATVs , feeling the motor revving underneath of you, and the heat from the engine between your thighs. Going fast, getting dirty, and getting to play with big machines.
I love going fast and getting dirty.
In the beginning we stayed more in a group while us girls learned how to use the ATVs, and while we all got various photos and videos for our blogs, Mattawa, ATV sites, etc.
But on the ride back, we all got more freedom to just ride, at our own speed, the way we wanted, and man, I wish I had a GoPro aimed at my face so you all could see the stupid, mischievous smile I had plastered every time I hit a bump, or puddle, or anything. I had way too much fun on this trip, and would LOVE to back up to Mattawa to go riding some more.
I love big, fast machines!
I would also like to do some desert riding here in Vegas now, so if anyone wants to join me, let’s do this!
CHEERS!
And now for the info:
Awesome Guides and Teachers:
Jeff McGirr – Economic Development Officer for Mattawa-Bonfield Economic Development
Mark Hamerton from ATV Fanatic
John from Mattawa Sports
Rex from Rex 4×4 (on Youtube)
Bikes We Rode:
My Co-Hotties:
Arienne Parzei from SeeYouSoon.ca
Christen Rochen (aka The Diva) from:
DivasAndDorks.com and DivasOnDestinations.com
About Dani Blanchette
