28 | Snowmobile VERMONT was very dedicated and mentally strong. He was also strong physically and had great stamina. He shoveled deep snow from my 46-foot deck and completed other difficult tasks on my property. Our club won’t be able to replace him with just one person.” Tomorrow the BSC will be having its second meeting without Dave and one topic will be how we will honor him. We are heartbroken but are better off for having known him. We will come together and carry on his legacy. We will miss you Dave! In Memory Dave’s Car Wash By Roger Gosselin Fifteen years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Dave when I got involved with Drift Dusters Snowmobile Club. Dave instantly became someone I looked up to because of his dedication and love for the sport. Our two clubs were neighbors, meeting in Norton at the intersection of Trail 105 and 111. There were many nights where I would get a text message from Dave: “Hey, are you guys grooming tonight?” so he could decide to send the groomer our way and we could make the transition for our members seamless from club to club. Often, I would send him the same message, but that was mostly so I knew which way to Island Pond was the smoothest for my personal riding. I remember a long time ago asking him about this certain trail feature located less than a mile from the Drift Dusters trail system. I said, “Hey Dave, you know that flat rock on Trail 111 with water going across it? Are you ever going to build a bridge over that thing?” He said, “No way… snowmobilers can drive across it and get their skis and track cleaned for free!” It wasn’t long after that when signs mysteriously popped up that dubbed that location as “Dave’s Car Wash.” As many of you know, you didn’t put signs up on Brighton’s trail system without Dave knowing and approving it. Well, he didn’t have a choice with these! Four years ago when I became the Orleans County Director, our friendship grew stronger as I began to seek his advice on how to balance the relationship between representing the local interests of the county, and doing what is right for VAST. I will certainly miss the looks he would give me at the meetings when someone said something he didn’t agree with – head down looking through the top of his glasses. Dave, myself, and Stuart would meet at Applebee’s before each meeting to discuss the agenda and other random things like how Pisten Bully groomers are better than Tuckers (in Dave’s opinion) and how I would eventually convert him to riding a Ski-Doo instead of an Arctic Cat. But, when it came down to the real work at the VAST level, Dave was all business and his most famous saying, which will stick with me forever is: “Being fair, does not mean it is always going to be equal,” followed by a big smile. Most recently this summer when we finished up a new trail walkthrough in Morgan, we met for breakfast after. We were soaked and it was still raining, so I said, “Hey, lets go check trails in Lewis.” I had never driven a vehicle up to the Lewis Pond Overlook, so we hopped in my truck and made our way up. On the way up, we had a serious talk about the “VAST Retirement Plan.” I asked him, “Hey, I’ve been doing this for 15 years, does that mean in another ten I get to retire?” He replied with that unforgettable smile saying, “No way! If that was the case, I would have been out of here a long time ago. Once you’re in, you’re in. There is no turning back.” In utter dismay, I realized he was probably right. You see, there is a little bit of Dave in every one of us. The passion, dedication, love for the sport and camaraderie of snowmobile club volunteers cannot be explained. Through Dave, it certainly shined brightly everywhere he went. If you look up “dedicated snowmobile volunteer” in the dictionary, you will likely see Dave’s picture. Dave held a lot of positions and had a lot of responsibility that will take several people to fill. He was always yearning to get younger people involved in the sport and I know those folks will continue his work in his memory. So, every time you pass by a junction sign with the next upcoming junction number listed on it, or the road crossing signs, or even Dave’s Car Wash, know that in some way, shape or form that was Dave’s way of making the sport of snowmobiling in Vermont better, a little bit at a time. Dave Page, Shelley D’Amato and Bobby Tower posed for a photo at the Brighton Snowmobile Club’s booth at the SAM show last fall. Dave’s Car Wash (Larry Rusiecki photo)