On top of the world You'll find friendly people and great snowconditions at McBride by WAYNE HAMM
On the weekend that we chose to go to McBride, the community's accommodations were full. There was a Ladies Curling Bonspiel and a Men's Old-timer's Hockey Tournament going on. Sue made enquiries for me and put me in contact with a local bed and breakfast. What a stroke of luck for us. Jamie Cook, Justin Stone and myself of Riverside Honda & Ski-doo in St. Albert, AB, arrived at the Scare Crow at 9:00 p.m. as planned. The Scare Crow Farm B&B is a mere 12.5 kilometres west of McBride on Highway 16. It is on the right side and you can't miss it. Both sides of the driveway are marked with signs fashioned in the shape of snowmobiles. There are three flags: a Canadian flag, a Union Jack and a B.C. flag. There is also a large stuffed scarecrow. The property is a couple kilometres off the highway, secluded in the trees and is a safe place for your sleds. There is a large parking area and a turn around for bigger units. Our hosts, Peter and Tweazle Hollis, met us outside as soon as we arrived. We were immediately made to feel like family. There are sleeping accommodations for eight, the meals are to die for, and the view of the mountains from the breakfast table is spectacular. A good start to a great day of riding We got up Saturday to a delicious breakfast, wonderful sunshine and thoughts of a wonderful day of riding. We met the other guests and fellow sledders of the Scare Crow who were from Westlock, Alberta. We shared many laughs and many sledding stories over the weekend with these fine folks—Emmett Kyler, Charlotte Hill, Trevor Jackson and Brian Allison. We even shared in some fun filled ribbing over each other's choice of snowmobiles. Jamie, Justin and I headed out early to the Renshaw riding area. We back tracked east on Highway 16 the short distance from our B&B into McBride. The turnoff to the Renshaw area is just east of town, across the bridge that spans the Fraser River and almost immediately on the left on Koeneman Road. You will pass a few homes and Koeneman Road will dead end at a T-intersection and stop sign. Turn left at the stop sign and head west approximately 14 kilometres to the Renshaw's unloading area. The staging area is very large with ample room for many.When you arrive at the staging area therearetrail grooming fees in effect. We all know that old saying "it takes all kinds to make the world go round." Well, there was about 75 trucks and trailers all parked in the staging area and all contributors to the cost of grooming. I have noted many times in the past and this day was to be no different, there are “FREE LOADERS” who avoid paying their share. They park a short distance away, unload and then hook up to the trail and use the trails we all pay for. On this occasion, there were two particular vehicles, one with a four-place enclosed trailer and expensive tow vehicle, (approximately worth $100,000.00 unit) and they can't afford a $14.00 grooming fee. You know who you are and you should be ashamed! The trip up was wonderful, we arrived at 10:00 a.m. and the sun was shining. I have been to the Renshaw many, many times and have never seen the cabin so overwhelmed with snow. One that we had to climb down to go inside. At the end of the day, there was a large group of sledders gathered at the cabin. Some were barbequing hot dogs on the provided barbeque. What a sight: approximately 100 sleds and riders all chatting and having a great day. We ventured off exploring in every direction. We rode fresh powder in the trees and climbed many, many peaks. We found many drifts to jump our sleds over. We stopped at the top of one peak where I had momentarily lost my bearings. We were 7,000' above sea level and we grabbed some great pictures. I sat back on my sled and reflected on how lucky we all were. I enjoyed the spectacular view and watched Jamie and Justin riding around. The GPS handily pointed us in the right direction as we left this peak. We had a great day. There was some sort of weather front moving in and we used up most of our fuel, so it was time to head back to the parking lot. Our trip down was enjoyable. As always, EL-JA Grooming had the 30 kilometres logging road to and from the Alpine in top condition. What a treat it was riding up and coming back down on a smooth trail. There was heavy snow falling on the way down limiting our visibility. When we returned to the Scare Crow, Peter insisted he be allowed to pressure wash my truck to get all the mud off. What a surprise! Thank you Peter. We soaked in the hot tub for about an hour prior to supper. The tub is outside on the deck with a view of the mountains. Soaking in the tub with fresh snow falling on our shoulders was very rejuvenating. We had a great evening sitting around chatting and laughing with everyone. Unfortunately we had to get back home, so our trip was quicker than we would have liked. We had to leave early Sunday morning to a sunny, beautiful day. I'm sure there were many sledders heading to the hills as we were leaving McBride. That old saying "short but sweet" seemed to fit well. There are many people I need to thank who made this trip possible and enjoyable. Thank you to Riverside Honda and ski-doo in St. Albert, Alberta. I had a last minute mechanical problem prior to leaving for McBride. They have a first rate, well-equipped and well stocked service and parts departnent. They had my sled fixed in no time. Their showroom and accessories dept is huge, well stocked and everything is fairly priced. Stop by, the coffee is always on. Thank you to Peter and Tweazle at the Scare Crow, be sure to stay with them when heading to McBride, thank you to Sue at the Visitor Information Center, thank you to the McBride Big Country Snowmobile Club and EL-JA Grooming. Good job, we appreciate your efforts! Thank you to my friends Jamie and Justin for joining me on this great get-a-way weekend. It's time to plan another trip! |
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