Finally got out on the quad for the first time this year. It was good, even though I didn’t have anywhere in particular to go so I decided to head to my parents and see how long of a ride it would be, for future reference.
Locked and loaded
It turned out pretty decently, and took only 40 minutes which was about what I expected. I stopped at a number of spots on the way, to check water levels, look for suckers, and just enjoy the sun.
Let’s hit the road
We have had unseasonably warm weather lately which is awesome for being outside. It has resulted in a very quick thaw and our local rivers, creeks, and drainage ditches are wide open and fast flowing. I’ve been keeping an eye out for any sign of early sucker fish running. Suckers are a common spring harvest around here, and are pickled, smoked, ground up for patties, and also make great bait for catfish or pike. Unfortunately nothing has started yet, but then I really didn’t expect them to quite yet. Looking for them was mainly just an excuse to get outside.
Bridges are a great place to stop and check the water
Here in rural Manitoba, we have a lot of farm land. Throughout that farmland we have a lot of big drainage ditches, which flow and often merge together into massive bodies of water that rival many of the actual rivers in the area. These drainage ditches support all kinds of insects, ducks, geese, bait fish, suckers, and even the occasional pike.
A large drainage ditch which I followed for awhile
Heading there, I stuck mostly to the gravel back roads in order to get a realistic time of the trip, but on the way back I was able to explore a bit more. I took some roads that I have not been down before, and found a few trails through bush and fields that connected various back roads. All in all just had a good time exploring and wandering casually around.
Muddy trails? Yes please!
I’m very much looking forward to hitting some more serious trails this spring and summer, and this was a good taste of things to come. Hopefully I will get the camera and mic situation figured out soon and I will be able to post videos of some of these trips and their highlights as well.
Lots to see in the back road country
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