Directors

From the MnUSA Vice President The Smell of Fall is in the Air

Tim Heinen

Ahh… that time of year. As I kid, I knew summer had ended when the county fair in Waconia had come to a close and mom would pull out the good old Sears catalog—I am talking mid-60s something—and order up some Tough Riders (those jeans would never wear out) and a new set of P.F. Flyers for the new school year. By the end of the school year the jeans were just starting to soften up, but you were set for your first day of school. After that first day, you were then given a list of what you needed for school, then we would run to Ben Franklin in town to buy everything. There was no Walmart, Target or Amazon. Small towns were more self-efficient back then, and people were always willing to help. My, how things have changed. Modern technology has brought us a long way, but in the same sense has ruined us.

I loved my childhood. I had the freedom to roam all over town and the countryside without a worry. Today, many parents don’t allow their children to play out of their sight. This brings me to snowmobiling. Why you ask? It allowed me as a child the responsibility and freedom to live a fun life for that moment. I could just forget about school, the job that I had (yes, I started working at the age 12), and just explore the country fields/woodlands without a worry.

That is when you catch that fever, that drive, that eagerness, that smell that starts it all. That is when you know the season is upon us. Oh, that particular smell; and it’s not the smoke of wildfires coming from out West. Come on, you know what I mean. It first starts with the State Fair, and then the kids are off to school, and then comes the start of snowmobile season—yeah, Hay Days! I attended this year and walked around and watched some of the races and jumps. I spoke with many people, and yes, there were many people. I felt like I was at the State Fair. You could hear the excitement in their voices as we spoke about the upcoming season.

I did stop by the Arctic Cat display as they were about to reveal the new model of snowmobile, but I couldn’t even get close. The crowds’ reaction seemed well received. And as we were leaving and walking out to our vehicle across the field, I looked out and noticed that thousands of cars are parked in an alfalfa field. I thought to myself, farmers really don’t want you to snowmobile across their frozen, snow-covered field as the sled might damage the crop, yet here we are parking in a field, and just after a rain. How ironic! rain at all, so our swamps/wet areas are dry. Now is the time to cut down the high weeds and cattails before the rains do come. Cleaning up the trails is important as we do not get the snowfall amounts that we had when I was a child that would cover everything. Today we need to clear out every branch, large rocks, and the junk that the lazy inconsiderate throw out (FYI, it doesn’t cost that much to properly dispose of the items you don’t want). I know that I am rambling on here, but to those who belong to clubs and volunteer their free time, and I do mean free time, you know what I am talking about with the junk you find.

It is important to join a club and keep the spirit of snowmobiling alive and trail system going. Without a club or an organization of some sort to help volunteer in, where would we be? Many clubs today help out in community services, raise and give money to charities and so much more. After all, it gives your spouse a break with the other out of the house.

With that, don’t forget the Fall Workshop at the end of October.

See you out on the trails...

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