Autumn Offers Year's Best Riding

My first taste of autumn came aboard a Thundercat, in northern Minnesota near Walker.

Good day, and a happy autumn to all of our ATVMagBlog readers. It’s the first official day of fall, and the leaves have just started turning here in Minneapolis. Tundra dwellers and mountain people, though, have all seen the end of summer coming for a few weeks now, and many northern and high-altitude locales are already in the peak of fall color.

I saw the first signs of nature’s transformation two weeks ago, while riding in northern Minnesota with Kale Wainer from Arctic Cat and Rocky Cutsforth from Rox Speed FX, testing our built-out Thundercats (read the story coming in an upcoming issue of ATV Magazine). It was a bright, sunny, cloudless day, a great sign: here comes the year’s best time to ride.

Whether you’re in Southern California waiting for the summer heat to dissipate, or just dreading winter’s coming onslaught from somewhere more season, this is the time to rack up as many miles as you can, while you can.

I’m always riding, but fall is by far our busiest season at ATV Magazine with several new machine introductions, our ATV Trials event (we’re doing it in Moab, Utah this year) and various other excuses to ride. Tomorrow I’m off to the airport again, heading to the southeast part of the country – and the forecast’s calling for good weather, and warmer temperatures than we’ve got in Minnesota.

Last week’s adventure brought me out to Missoula, Montana, where I stayed at the amazing Resort at Paws Up, and rode with my good friend Andy Post, who lives out that way. While most of the trees north of

Montana's Resort at Paws Up is an exclusive destination with ATV rides and guided fly fishing.

Missoula are evergreen, the leaves on the deciduous ground cover were shining bright yellow and orange,  lighting up the forest floor and steep hillsides. Heading into the deep valleys, the sweat-inducing late-summer heat quickly changed to an icy breeze, like a cold October morning. Nature’s air conditioning call feel pretty neat at the end of a long and hot ride.

Staying at Paws Up is definitely a glimpse into the Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, with our own private home, outdoor hot tub, amazing food and incredible scenery. Andy and I did a five-hour tour that included the Garnet Ghost Town, and I spent the next day fly fishing on the Blackfoot River. My technique could improve, let’s just say, and I plan to practice enough for better results next spring. Even so, I got one of my last sunburns of the year on the river, and it was a great final taste of the summer.

Where are your favorite autumnal ATV destinations? We could always use a good suggestion for a travel story, so comment below and tell us your fall riding plans. Hopefully it’s sunny skies, leaf-covered trails

and pleasing temperatures wherever you’re at. Don’t forget, winter’s coming!

- Tom Kaiser

Last 5 posts by Tom Kaiser

• Rec UTVs: We Test, You Decide - August 27th, 2010
• Load Up The Trucks! - August 20th, 2010
• Stalking Bill Gates - August 13th, 2010
• Going To Extremes - August 6th, 2010
• Ride With A Guide - Take An ATV Tour - July 27th, 2010

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