Rayanne Chev grew up quadding in Manitoba’s North, right on the lake in Flin Flon. She has also ventured out into the bush hunting and fishing for over 25 years. But when she moved to Swan River, Manitoba, more than 10 years ago, her love of quadding took a hiatus as she went about the business of running her business. All that changed when, on a whim, she and her boyfriend, Ron, decided to borrow a friend’s quad for the day. She was instantly hooked on quadding all over again.
Today, Rayanne and Ron and their four teenagers spend as much time as they can discovering all the trails and sights that make up the Swan Valley. And while they make a large group, especially when they travel with friends, it’s not the size of the group that usually has people stopping to stare, but rather what they’re towing behind them.
“We have a Sprint car that the kids have painted up and we’ve cut off the front end of it,” said Rayanne. “We get a lot of looks and a lot of people stopping us to find out more about it. It’s actually quite neat.”
The car—or rather half a car—is an idea born from Ron’s creativity. They’ve removed the whole front section of the vehicle and added a big trailer hitch onto the front of it, as well as large dual mud wheels in the rear, making it easy and light enough to pull, and durable enough to make it through the deep mud typically found in the Swan Valley.
“When we go camping in the mountains we usually take the car,” said Rayanne. “We just put all of our sleeping bags and everything in it, where they stay nice and dry, and then go out until we find a nice spot to set up our tent. Then, come the next morning, we just load up the car and pull it back.”
They enjoy such favoured spots as Armit Lake, a large body of water about a 50-mile trek from Ron and Rayanne’s home in Swan River. Easy access to such spots is one of the reasons they like living in the Swan Valley.
“It’s not a question of having to load everything up, and pack everything, and then unload it all,” said Rayanne. “We just get on and go.”
“And It never gets boring,” she added, “because there’s just too much to see out here and so many places to go. And the trails are always different every time.”
With three teenage boys and a grown man to compete with, Rayanne said it’s been a challenge to keep up with the men in her life. Although she’s found it difficult at times, she’s also discovered a level of bravery over the past five years that she never before knew existed.
“We’ve gone across rivers where we’ve had to tie the quads together,” she said, “and I’ve floated while holding onto the back of the quad, because the river was flowing so fast. That’s something I probably wouldn’t have done when I first started back doing it, as compared to now.”
It’s an experience that’s given Rayanne a whole new philosophy on life.
“If you can keep up with the men in quadding,” she laughed, “you can probably accomplish anything in life.”
Come for the Snow, Stay for the Experience
It was a great year for the Swan Valley Snowmobile Association, since the area was one of the few places in Manitoba and Saskatchewan to have significant amounts of snow for sledding. While they never reached their typical levels after the initial snowfall, it was a good enough base to attract sledders from all over the country.
Visitors from Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Ontario came looking to find any snow they could. It was a situation that worked out well for area business people, with hotel and motel owners, restaurants and retail businesses experiencing the economic advantage that comes from being a snowmobiling destination.
Area club members typically don’t have a lot of time for fundraising—saving their biggest fundraising project for the summer months when all of their sleds are packed away awaiting the next season—but they can always carve out enough time from their busy maintenance and grooming schedules for the annual Relic Ride.
Now in its fifth year, the Relic Ride challenges those with oldtime sleds to dust them off and “if it runs, ride it.”
This year the March 3rd ride attracted over 45 vintage sleds ranging in origin from the early 1960s to the mid-‘70s. This is a relatively short ride at only 30 miles, so as not to put the oldtimers (the sleds, not the drivers) under too much strain. What it lacks in length, it makes up for in fun, attracting not only local riders, but visitors from across Manitoba including Roblin and Dauphin.
Another season has now wrapped up, with maintenance of the trails left to summer and fall foliage clean-up. Many newcomers who have now had a taste of what Swan Valley has to offer avid snowmobilers have promised to return.
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