The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
The second annual Man/Sask. Border Run was held this past weekend at Rocky View OTA in Denare Beach. The run began with 25 snow machines meeting at Carrot River Valley, with machines coming from Yorkton, North Battleford, Naicam as well as several from Flin Flon and area. There were even two drivers from Pennsylvania! The snow machines arrived at Rocky View on Friday night, with some taking off for Sherridon for a day trip. The two who are from Pennsylvania flew to Flin Flon and were supplied with snow machines by Wayne Elliott at Rocky View OTA, so that they could take the trip with the rest of the people, which they obviously enjoyed immensely. Wayne Elliott, one of the instigators behind this snowmobile run, says that a group of snowmobilers pulling into a community "rings a lot of cash registers for that community." Elliott says that the snowmobilers travel light and they need all the essentials from food, gas to a place to sleep. "Lots of money is dropped in a community", says Elliott. Of course that is not the only reason Elliott encourages snowmobilers to come to our area or why he goes on these trips. See 'Outdoors' P.# Con't from P.# "We love the outdoors and interacting with communities, people and their history", he says. "And we care about the environment". Elliott has been taking long treks on his snow machine since about 1976. One trip, he traveled across Canada with fourteen other people representing all the province and territories, and Easter Seals, Women on Snow, and the Dominion of Canada. It took them 44 days, traveling 6,248 miles. Initially, the first group to come through from Nipawin and The Pas and others location started in about 1980 because of the Winter Festival in Denare Beach and the snow machine activities held during the festival. Some of the snowmobilers have just continued to come because of the scenery and the hospitality they receive in this area. Barry Bradshaw from Good Spirit Lake (just out of Yorkton) is trying to establish a group to come up here to Rocky View OTA on a regular basis. Bradshaw is the President of the Saskatchewan Snowmobile Association. Both Bradshaw and Elliott stated that "we need a good trail system coming out of Nipawin that is well marked and groomed so that there is no fear of getting lost as well as having information where services are available. If we don't have it, the snowmobilers will go where someone else does have such facilities. "We think that the people and the animals can live together, and it would be better for both if there was just one trail through the bush rather than many." Elliott is on the Board of Directors for Tourism Saskatchewan and he stated that he "really encourages people in this area to try and accommodate tourists in any way they can. Let's face it, it only benefits us and our families." Generally speaking, most motorists, says Elliott, are very courteous to the snowmobilers. On the other hand, snowmobilers must respect and be courteous to motorists as well. "We promote safety and zero tolerance (alcohol) while driving our machines," he says. "We really are environmentalists, we love the outdoors and want ot preserve this pristine country we live in." The 25 snow machines left Rocky View OTA yesterday and gassed up before taking off to have lunch in The Pas and supper in Hudson Bay.
