The mud and the trails

[Deleted]

Just to make the most of these wonderful sunny days we are getting, I have been going out and doing some ATVing. The area that I live in is just made for that - hundreds of miles of wooded/forest lands and trails. Today I took my camera to take a few photos of the time spent out there. Not my new camera, but my old one. I didn't want my new one to get bashed around and muddied up!  Sometimes I follow the trails, sometimes I don't,        So I put on my crash helmet and off I went.



The first trail:












I really love the view from this hill, there is not a single soul around,  only wild animals. So very peaceful. Today would not be my day for seeing a bear either.  But I will keep on trying:







About 3 or 4 miles in is this hunters outpost:






This is when it gets tough, to go through it or around it? Through it was the only option:






Sometimes you end up in the middle of a farm:











And later on a cattle farm:







Or by a lake:












At times I would go off the trails and onto the road. Saw this truck full of wood:








Another trail - wonder where this one goes?



















Time for a little break:







I decided not to go through this big puddle. I took another direction instead:














Time goes by so fast. A few hours later I head off back towards home.

[Deleted]

Very evocative photos of the countryside before the real cold and the winter snow. The animals that hibernate must be already searching for winter shelter.

The photos already make me want to wear a windbreaker -- it looks like the warmth has already drained out of the sun even though I am sure that it is my own mind applying the temperature here to the photos instead of your warm Indian summer days.

[Deleted]

the leaves have now nearly all gone off the trees giving the effect of coldness. However the day was a nice warm one! And today was even warmer, I guess we are getting a kind of 'Indian summer', which is wonderful

I'm sure soon we won't be able to go out without jackets on, but as long as the sun keeps on shining (as it usually does) I can handle the cold.

Lot of animals are getting ready for the long hibernation, this year we have seen more than our fair share of dead bears... I'm not sure why. My son found another one today, just driving down the highway. Very sad to see this.

[lagatta]

It is beautiful here, and has been very warm; in the 20s every day. It isn't really "Indian Summer" yet, as here in Montréal we haven't had a real frost yet. It will cool down a bit this week, but nothing scary so far. I haven't turned on the heat yet, which is a grace.

I loathe winter - well, at least when it is really cold and snowy, and I can't ride my bicycle. It is fine for now.

[Deleted]

I could easily bypass winter this year. Lets hope there is not too much snow. I hate shoveling my long driveway.

I do enjoy the fireplace though. So there are some pluses to the winter months, but not many!

[lagatta]

Fireplaces are banned in Montréal (I think on the entire island) now.

[Deleted]

I never knew this, Lagatta. Any idea why they have been banned? Maybe it was the safety issue?

[lagatta]

No, particulate air pollution. Not significant in a rural area, but in a densely-populated urban one.

[Deleted]

I see, I never thought about that, but that's a good reason.

[lagatta]

You wouldn't have to - it isn't a problem in a rural area.

[Deleted]

Wood burning fireplaces are still tolerated in Paris but will be illegal as of January 1, 2015.

[lagatta]

It is practically the same here. Existing ones are still grandfathered.

[lugg]

Looks as if you had a fun day Deyana.

[Deleted]

It's always fun going out ATVing, lugg. Time to let loose and be silly

[Deleted]

You have to be a just a little crazy to live around here at times. Especially if you decide to take off into the deep forest areas, not knowing if you'll make it back in one piece. Anyway, I'm always up for a challenge, so the other day (or night I should say), we took the pick-up truck and headed 30 K to the beach. Sounds fine, but this beach is 30k through some of the roughest area of forest I've ever seen, a road that is hardly passable even with a half-ton truck. It was hair-raising, dangerous, but fun! I guess it might have been wiser to attempt it in daylight, but oh well, it was late at night, which made it that much creeper. We eventually made it to the an old 'Ranger's camp', that used to be, but is no more. The water on the lake under the stars was amazing. I was holding on for dear life all the way there and back. But it was worth it.

Next time, I think I'll go in less icy weather and camp out there for the night.



Finally at the beach:







Where a cabin once stood:



The old out-house is still there:




Abandoned?

[mich64]

Deyana that road is quite similar to the road we take out to the cottage in Timmins although yours looks wider. It takes us about 45 minutes. Everyone up there has a half-ton truck as well. We always try to get there before dark these days but when we were young we used to go out dancing first then get in the trucks and head out. We would leave our car in town but for the last few years we have had a four wheel drive SUV so we can drive ourselves out now, we just follow her little cottage signs.

At this time of year they all go out on snowmobiles, we have never gone there in winter but they really enjoy it but it would be very chilly when you needed to use the outhouse!

[Deleted]

I can imagine Timmins must have lot of trails and roads like these, mich. They are fun to explore aren't they? That particular little drive was done before the real winter set in. I wouldn't attempt it now unless on a snow-mobile.

This definitely is truck country here too! I think you do have to be a country person in order to really appreciate it and how much fun the back-roads can be in areas like ours.

[Deleted]

It looks like the perfect place to start filming a new version of "The Blair Witch Project"!

[Deleted]

It does I know! Here is a video I took of a walk I did in the nearby woods a few years back: