Gasoline may be at more than $4 a gallon, but that's not stopping ATV enthusiasts.
As NHPR Correspondent Chris Jensen reports, fans are still coming to the Jericho Mountain ATV Park near Berlin.
As gas prices began their steady climb earlier this year one question in the North Country was whether that would hurt the state’s ATV park at Jericho Mountain near Berlin.
Now with the ATV season underway it looks like good news.
Chris Gamache is the head of the state’s Bureau of Trails.
“We have not noticed the fuel prices dissuading too many users in the area. The parking lot Memorial weekend was full again as we anticipated it would be. And we are still hearing of full parking lots on weekends and there are still a fair amount of riders on the property. So, fortunately, even with the high fuel prices people still value their quality recreational time and they are still looking to get out and recreate.”
Just across from the park Randy Cicchetto (chi-ket-oh) operates Jericho Motorsports.
“It has been busy. Our rental business is ahead of last year by about 25 percent so far for the month of June and we have actually booked ATVs out as far as October as far as the rentals are concerned. Business overall is actually looking pretty good.”
He says he is getting customers from as far away as Florida.
There was so much snow statewide this year that snowmobilers could cut back on travel, said Gamache.
“But in the summer for motorized recreation with ATVs and trail bikes they are much more limited in where they can go. They still have to go to the North Country and we haven’t noticed too much of a diminish of trailers on the highway or anything else heading north on Fridays.”
In 2006 the 7,500- acre park opened with 15 miles of trails and the idea to make it a major, one-of-a-kind recreational attraction.
Chris Gamache:
“The intention of up there through the master plan was at least 140 miles
of recreational opportunity to be available on the property. As of today we are talking in the neighborhood of about 40 that is available. So we still have a fair amount of work cut out for ourselves.”
But Gamache says crews are already at work expanding the network.
For NHPR News this is Chris Jensen.
ATV SOUNDS OUT.
regarding fuel costs, didn't Sir Richard Bransen of Virgin Airlines recently fly an aircraft using alternative fuels, (some kind of bio-fuel I think). Is there any hope for this becoming a real alternative to jet fuel?