Ryan Harden

Update: This meeting/ride is for all chapter leaders and Trail Ambassadors. We need to discuss and finalize our chapter program and work together to plan out 2021-2022 now that there are enough chapters involved. 

February 2021 Ride, Meetings, and Sign Work weekend at Camp Sinawa. 

Who's invited: RL4WDA Board, RL4WD Chapter Leaders, All D2 Trail Ambassadors and their families. 

Itinerary: 

Friday Night: Trail Ambassador/Board/Chapter Leaders Private Ride 6pm - ? with social hour in the lodge after or during. 

Cost: no event fee, just cabin rentals if ya want to stay in them. 

Saturday Morning:

Leadership meeting in the lodge 10am - lunch Lunch provided by RL4WDA

After leadership meeting we'll work on adding some trail signs where possible then riding. 

Saturday night social hour, rides, fire in the lodge, etc. Awards given. 

Sunday day ride in the morning and then head home. 

Heated Cabins available. Check out campsinawa.com and call Sara for RSVP. Cold weather camping possible? Hotels are in the area otherwise. 

All the usual here... waivers, rig check sheet, no drinking if on the trails. If the ice is thick enough we'll wheel out on the lake. If the snow is too deep, we'll jam some overlanding routes. 

Discussion Points:

Assigning RL4WDA Grant Committee.

Voting on direction of RL4WDA action items. 

Usual meeting topics to vote on. RL4WD/RL4WDA reports.

Official documents will be added here later. 

Trail Ambassadors, get the address, lodging and details in the private convo in rl4wd.com/ambassadors. This event is public so no address will be posted here, but we want to show we're working on, what could be, the largest 4x4 opportunity so far in Wisconsin. 

I'm staying at the Americinn Friday and Saturday night. We'll convoy from there at 9am. 

Bring some loppers and brushing equipment and be ready to walk some areas for scouting if the snow and hills don't allow us to drive places. There are Jeep trails already on the property but it sounds like they are not maintained too well. 

Have layers of clothing, we'll relax after at the lodge or hotel depending. Bring your families and such. 

GMRS channel 16 Ham 146.460 simplex. 

I got some snow shoes in case there needs to be walking on hills, since we scout a lot in the winter, it just made sense. Bring things like this if the conditions show they'll be needed. 

I'd think this location would be very much like Big Snow in that we'll help them get going and then encourage the owners to allow all RL4WD 4x4 chapters to use the location year round. 

https://www.extremeterrain.com/ Winch 1st Place

More prizes will be announced soon! 

Now through the end of Winter (March 20th), post your review for any trail or business in the directory https://rl4wd.com/directory for your chance to win an https://www.extremeterrain.com/ winch among other prizes! 

Honest reviews of trails, parks, and businesses help us grow RL4WD. Adding videos and pictures increases your odds of winning but it's not necessary. Well written reviews and stories are what we're looking for. 

Heavy items you may have ot pau for shipping yourself or schedule a pickup. 

Log in, ride trails, write reviews, share pictures/videos and win! 

Edit 2 - Due to the continued situation, WATVA, RL4WD, WC4WD and others agreed to move the meeting to April of 2021 so that the local land managers, DNR, Tourism, and Lawmakers can attend. By this time, vaccines will be out and state and federal officials will be allowed to come. 

Edit 1 - Due to the Coronavirus, our annual meeting in Stevens Point has been moved from April to Dec 4th-6th. 

Below is the outdated info from the physical meeting. 

 https://www.eventbrite.com/e/89638299567/ Our annual meeting will be at the Holiday Inn Hotel and Convention Center in Stevens Point, WI. It will be part of the first-ever joint motorsports convention of Wisconsin where we as a motorized community can work together to build relationships, trails, and networking. 

The event details are still forming, but we'll have vendors in the main halls, the Wisconsin ATV/UTV Association doing their annual meeting, RL4WDA doing our meetings and then some joint workshops and social times. 

We try and provide not only our annual member's meeting & board/finance meetings but also the Trail Guide Ambassador meeting awards banquet and more. 

The idea is to host sessions where all of us can work together on action plans, meet one another, then break out into our respective sessions and meetings.   

Tim from WOHVA and Luana from WI4X4 were also receptive to this idea, but it's not likely they will bring their own meetings to the same place (we do have room for them though). Something like this hasn't been attempted from our side or WATVA before, and we may even see the Wisconsin Off-Highway Motorcycle Assoc. there as well. Here was the 2019 motorized panel we were on, this was the first stage of this concept. https://www.facebook.com/watva/videos/vl.312752236075690/412486859312381. We also had folks from the MN4x4 there, though it was in a different capacity. 

Being able to work together as the 4x4 recreation and as motorized recreation as a whole is something we're going to try at this meeting. 

The location has ample parking, things for the kids to do, local restaurants within walking distance and more. Special room rates will be announced soon, the ink was just signed on the booking yesterday by WATVA. Please mark your calendars for this event and join us in helping build more trails, more clubs, more ambassadors, and keep this growth going the right way. 

We always have folks from the DNR, DOT, Tourism and more, many do presentations in the breakout sessions over the weekend. 

More to come as it develops. If this is a success, we'll make this a yearly meeting for the upper midwest. 

May Tigerton Trail Ambassador Field Day for Division 1, 2, and 3. An online Trail Ambassador course must be done prior to this event. When you pay for the class, you'll get instructions on how to complete the online study guide.

RSVP for this class - https://rl4wd.com/shop/May-2021-Tigerton-Trail-Ambassador-Field-Day-p245172052 

Volunteering as a Trail Ambassador helps us keep and expand 4x4 trails and riding opportunities. This Trail Ambassador class involves a morning classroom session and afternoon hands-on skills session. Trail Ambassadors are needed to report trail conditions, help people out on the trails, and to host small rides at our private and public trail areas.

Optional ride Friday night for those interested.

Saturday meeting in the parking to begin practicing what you've learned and start the skills check. 

Sunday, additional training, and riding are possible for those who stay at the camp.

Please RSVP your RV, or tent space https://www.tigertonwi.com/reservations​ online or just come for the day of the class. 

Ticket fees are for the background check, Trail Ambassador integration, membership card reprint with TGA info, TGA vests, and future RL4WD discounted memberships. You’ll get a 2-year extension on your RL4WD membership ($100+ dollar value). Our aim is to give you more value than the cost of the class.

For the background checks, we look for things like recent violent crimes, sexual misconduct, OWI’s/DWI’s etc. We understand people have a past and that things done in your youth don’t represent who you are now many years later. If you want to talk about something in your background check, please feel free to contact Ryan Harden before paying for this event 920-694-1884.

This class certifies you as a Division 2 RL4WD Trail Ambassador through our https://trailambassador.com/ program here at the office. We are a recognized group within the WI DNR, DOT, Tourism, along with many other local, state, and federal agencies. The class will also work for Divisions 1 (ATV/UTV) and 3 (Motorcycle) but ATV / OHM folks are required to fist pass the DNR safety test here if born after 1988 for ATV and 1997 for OHM - http://ow.ly/agsM50BUw1d 

Cost: $100 per person (new vests now go up to 5XL and have 3 colors)

Items you need:

Your Rig in good working order according to: https://rl4wd.com/event/rigchecklist

Fire Extinguisher

First Aid Kit

Tow Strap

Front and Rear Recovery Points

GMRS Family Talk Radio / Ham Radio (2m) (HAM is best, GMRS 2nd best) I may not even have a CB for this class.

Please bring snacks and water/drinks and be sure to ask any questions you may have below.

The Lake Michigan Overlanding Tour is an attempt to make it entirely around Lake Michigan through this week-long excursion. We'll be confirming the route for our Overlanding mapping section of the website. 

This route will go through WI, UP MI, Lower MI, IN, and IL. 

We'll be playing for a day at Silverlake Sand Dunes. 

We'll be stopping at some of the most historic landmarks around the lake including lighthouses. 

This trip attempts to stay off the pavement and under 60mph at all times. 

You will need a High-Power GMRS or 2m/70cm Ham Radio for this trip. Ham radio is preferred. APRS is preferred. 

Your rig will need to be in excellent working order to minimize the chance of breakdowns. It must be stable at 60mph. 

There will be a lot of gravel and dirt roads. You will need to bring an extra air filter along or a good cleaning kit. 

We will be wilderness tent/camper camping or staying at campgrounds. Campers must be 4x4 capable and low profile. 

You will need a functional winch, recovery gear, fire extinguisher, and good first aid kit. It's recommended to take the basic first aid and cpr course. 

It is highly recommended to get an alignment on your rig prior to the trip, have fresh oil, top off fluids, and bring extra oil, gear oil, brake fluid, radiator fluid, and radiator stop leak along with light oil like WD-40. 

You will need a tire repair kit, tools, and a good jack that allows you to change your own tires. You will need a functional spare tire that is of equal wear to your rolling tires. This is so if you need to replace your tire, it rolls at the same speed of your other tires, this avoids drivetrain damage. 

We will be making stops all along this tour. Be ready to do some "touristy" stuff for a bit of this trip. It won't be too much, but we'll try to let you know what tours we plan on going on as a group. Bring enough money and backup plans if you need a tow, locksmith, a driveshaft breaks, etc. 

We will be wilderness camping so please bring food and food storage for extended nights. We will hit grocery stores as needed, but please plan on having enough for 2 nights worth of food and water at any given time. Meals are your responsibility and, while we may do communal mealtimes, it's not ok to expect others to cook for you. Sure, we may share food, but don't' expect it. Remember your manners and respect all members of the group. 

We want to stay friends after this trip so keep conversations light-hearted. Stay away from controversial subjects. In this day and age, everyone is butt hurt for everything so just chill and keep it fun! Think of this like one of those scripted reality survival shows. If you're being a tool and fighting with the group, you can be voted off the excursion. It's never come to that because 4x4 peeps are good peeps, but I'm just tossing that out there as this is a very long trip. 

This trip will max out at 15 rigs in order to keep run times smooth. We will try and run at least 2 hours at a crack before resting so this trip may not be suitable for small children or animals. We can't be stopping every ten minutes to pee if we expect to cover this much ground. 

We'll use this event to post updates and have discussions about the trip. Please do not RSVP unless you plan on going the entire route for the entire length of the journey. Please ask questions and such! We'll have the rough draft of the map files for everyone before the end of Winter. Again, we'll try and toss in many points of interest along the way. 

This is the longest excursion I've ever planned and it will be the trip of a lifetime! 

https://rl4wd.com/directory/businesses/on-trail/indianheadmountain Trail Maps, reviews, pictures, and videos. 

Join us for a fun-filled July 4th weekend at Big Snow! This property offers loads of crawling trails and new this year, we're going to set up more overlanding routes! Stay and play or head out on adventures around MI/WI trails. 

Be sure to grab your ORV and ORV Trail stickers from MI DNR if you plan to overland with us - https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-350-79119_79148_80650-424059--,00.html HIGHLY advised to have a HAM RADIO of at least 50watts with APRS and a good antenna. We'll be in many areas without cell coverage. 

Ham Radio - 146.460 / 446.000 calling. 

GMRS Radios - Channel 16 (please don't bring FRS radios). Please remember to use your GMRS call sign if you have a high-power GMRS radio. 

Trail passes for Big Snow can be purchased from Big Snow at the time of your visit. 

Bring recovery gear, winch and mud tires are highly advised for the slow speed trails. The trails span over almost 1,500 acres across 3 ski mountains. They are a BLAST and an amazing experience. 

Enjoy the pool, spa, bar and firepits after a nice day of riding! Be sure to get your room with AC, some of the rooms do NOT have ac and some of us almost melted last year. RL4WD member discount is stay 2 nights, get a 3rd for free. 

Overlanding tours will meet back at Big Snow each night. 

Trail Guides / Ambassadors may also be taking their own groups out. RL4WD Chapters may be setting up their own rides and fundraisers as well. This is a great place to meet with WI/MI/MN 4X4 clubs and talk about how we can keep expanding our trail networks together! 

Bring an air compressor for airing tires back up. The location doesn't have one (yet).  

Big Snow takes safety very seriously so always wear your belt, never drink and drive, and never go out on the trails alone. You will be removed from the property or law enforcement will be called in if you can't follow the rules. 

This is a great place for family fun, pets, and all different types of riding. It's a magical place to visit. 

Checklist and waiver - https://rl4wd.com/education/waiver