ATV ride sees good turnout

Around 200 hundred riders brought their ATVs out on Saturday for the fourth annual ATV Poker Run in the West End. Dave Jones, who organized and brought the event to the county said that the event went well.

"All the riders that came said thank you for a very scenic ride," Jones said. "They said it was just great."

Jones said that the neat thing about this particular ride is that there are a lot of hill, which allow riders to get up higher and to see the views from a better advantage point.

The riders rode 43 miles of trails and started in the parking lot of the 50,000 Silver Dollar. After drawing their first card, they traveled across Packer Creek to the Montana Bar at Saltese to draw their second card. From there, riders rode along the railroad grade to Deer Creek and headed up stream to the Up Up Turnoff. Just over the hill above Ward Creek riders stopped to draw their third card, one of the most scenic stops on the trail.

Riders then headed back down the railroad grade to the Oasis and Billy's for two more cards, and drew a final sixth card back at the Silver Express. Jones said that the players enjoyed drawing six cards as it gave them a better chance at putting together a winning hand.

And while riders were enjoying themselves riding the trails socializing, playing poker and buying raffle tickets for prizes, they were also helping to raise money for local Shriners in the county. Jones said that the event raised $1,400 that will be used to help out Shriners kids in the county.

Riders came as far from Spokane and Missoula to take part in the event. Jones started the event four years ago because he said that while others enjoyed the snowmobile run, he himself wasn't a snowmobiler.

"I thought I'm not really a snowmobiler, I'm a summer-type person. We have all the roads and trails and I thought let's get an ATV thing going," Jones said previously.

Jones said that he also wanted to help out the local business, but more importantly, he wanted to help the Shriners kids.

"Helping these kids is very, very important," Jones said.

Jones said that he also wanted to thank all of the individuals and businesses who donated prizes for the day's raffle.