46 | Snowmobile VERMONT Windsor County money with the stipulation that if we received any money from VAST, we would give the money back to the county. We did receive money from VAST and were very happy to be able to repay the county.” About the same time, an inspection of the tracks on their 2011 Tucker SnoCat revealed signs of wear after only threeyears of use. GetSno was able to get the manufacturer to provide them with new tracks at a pro-rated price with a five-year guarantee. Windsor county gave the Cavendish Sow Fleas a three-year interest free loan in the amount of $14,000 to cover the cost of the tracks. Dick Jewett, trailmaster for the Chester Snowmobile Club, had this to share, “Chester’s secondary trails run from S-36 and S-37 off Corridor 12 north on the way to Cavendish. They come together on the west side of Reservoir Road in Chester at S-35. From there, they lead toward the recreation field and Chester’s snowmobile parking lot. On the way, you can go to the Motel in the Meadow and Stone Hearth Inn. Stone Hearth Inn is a great destination ride for lunch. They join Corridor 12 again near the parking lot and Lovers Lane at S-32. The shortest way to Stone Hearth and the Motel from Corridor 12 is from S-32. Due to low traffic, one rarely travels these trails without seeing wildlife. One time when I was looking for a new route in summer time, I saw a mama bear with three baby cubs.” Stan Choiniere, president of the Chester Snowmobile Club, added the following, “Not all counties have dues and some people may question why we do. Our county does so much to support the clubs and the riders. Our county’s great trail system is in part a function of the dues. The collaboration between the county and clubs is visually obvious at Annual Meeting where Windsor county traditionally is very well represented.” The Ludlow Side Hill Cronchers has a secondary trail supported by Windsor County Snowmobile Club that leads to a variety of services. The Route 103 Access Trail goes from Corridor 127A at intersection S-47 and spiderwebs out to several locations along US Route 103 in Ludlow. There are two full-service restaurants: Sam’s Steakhouse and Mr. Darcy’s Restaurant. Ludlow Village Pizza, Subway, Chef Mei’s Chinese Restaurant, Southern Pie Company, Timber Inn Motel, and Knight’s Hot Tub Store are also accessed from this feeder trail. Windsor County Snowmobile Club supports the trail that leads to these services by paying for grooming, debrushing and trail maintenance. In doing so, the county not only supports the club, but they also help local businesses and make services available to the snowmobilers. As one can see from looking at the VAST or county map, the West Windsor Moonlighters have what they call an east loop and west loop secondary trail. Both start off from Corridor 5 and return to Corridor 5. Both are good riding. From the east loop, one can go into Windsor and Hartland areas. The West loop has a spur that goes directly to the Green Mountain Horse Association and Corridor 4. This run takes you through an area called the White Birches, which is a nice scenic area. Dennis Lemire stated that the Moonlighters are hoping to widen their secondary trails to be groomed to 8 feet in the near future. Windsor county has helped the West Windsor Moonlighters tremendously with equipment loans and secondary trail construction costs. The Windsor county overall goal is when you ride in our county, you shouldn’t be able to tell the difference between a main corridor trail or a secondary feeder trail. The county supports this goal through all the financial support, structure and guidance it offers to the county membership clubs. There has to be collaboration between all the clubs and the county to achieve this goal. Communication and collaboration go hand in hand and this is why it is critical that clubs stay engaged and share experiences and insight at the county meetings. It is absolutely vital to our trail system that each club aligns on the overall goal of the county. Windsor county is very fortunate to have an active county club with dedicated volunteers, in addition to the many dedicated local club volunteers who collectively make it possible for all of us to ride some really great trails. We hope you come out and ride the Windsor county trails and maybe take a little adventure and check out our secondary feeder trails next season. (Patty Companik photos)