Canadian couple riding quads off-road from Canada to Mexico

They may not be the crew of "Star Trek" boldly going where no man has gone before, but one couple's off-road adventure from British Columbia to Cabo San Lucas, Baja Calif., piqued the interest of Polaris Industries, who provided their all-terrain vehicles.

Canadian husband and wife Marc Joinville and France Labonte arrived in Yuma Thursday afternoon on their way to Mexico after riding 4,800 miles across the continent from Roosville, British Columbia, Canada. And they managed to keep to the ATV trail without detouring to paved road the entire length of the journey.

Their entire quad journey was made on two Sportsman X2 800 ATVs donated by Polaris, which will also pay for the couple's gear. Joinville said the nice thing about riding an ATV is that instead of just watching the scenery like a spectator from a truck, they felt like participants of the wilderness they love to explore.

"The part most different than what we're used to at home (Quebec) was the desert from Parker to Yuma," Joinville said. "For beauty, the Grand Staircase, King County, Utah, was really spectacular."

Their two ATVs piled high with gear to tide them over on the 10-month trip attracted a lot of attention, Joinville said. People they encountered along their journey were unexpectedly gracious, he stressed.

One gentleman helped tow their ATVs 80 miles where they were not legally able to ride in southern Utah. Many people they met along the way told Joinville they envied his journey, he said.

"I absolutely recommend this trip," Joinville said. "I could do this for a living."

The journey was four years in the making as Joinville and Labonte took smaller excursions of two weeks' duration. That helped them adjust to what they needed to pack this time.

To prevent incidents with wildlife, the couple learned to keep a can of "bear spray" (pepper spray) handy, left the ATV with all their food parked away from their tent, and as an added

precaution, they set up a portable 7,000-volt charged electrical fence to discourage scavenging wildlife that may invite itself to dinner.

"It's going to be hard to go back to a regular job," Joinville said.

He added that he is especially thankful that Polaris had enough confidence to trust he and his wife with their two ATVs. He also said he was very thankful to his employer, Cascade Incorporated, a paper mill, for allowing him to take a year off for the trip.

Joinville and Labonte, who started their journey on July 7, will have their ATVs tuned up at Yuma's Liberty Motorsports before they complete the Baja leg of the trip. Liberty's parts and accessories manager, Paul Hirth, said he has known customers who made trips of a couple of hundred miles, but he said this is amazing.

"To get this kind of factory sponsorship is huge," Hirth said. "You've got to do something extraordinary. I can't think of any who pulled this off before."

Polaris representatives could not be reached for comment.

Before taking a trip of this magnitude, ATV riders must think about the weather, terrain, and any wildlife they may encounter, Hirth cautioned. In addition, all the unknown elements, locating stops for food and fuel or even the possibility of going off a cliff can make such an undertaking a dangerous prospect, Hirth said.

"He told me he was going through some areas off limits to ATVs," Hirth said. "Either he would have to go around them or get permission."

Joinville, who telephoned Hirth from Parker, told him he needs a complete set of new tires and full servicing before he continues on into Mexico. Polaris will pick up the tab for the tune-up.

"He called last week from Kingman," Hirth said. "I said, 'You made it!' ... 'Oh, with a little bit of difficulty,' he said. ... he was cleaning up in creeks and rivers. His phone was fading in and out."

Hirth was excited about the upcoming journey to Mexico but he said that it would be a challenge for Joinville and Labonte because they did not obtain prior permission from the Mexican government. He also noted that the couple may encounter farmers who object to off-highway vehicles crossing their fields or rouge entrepreneurs who cultivate contraband crops.

"He's the outdoors type," Hirth said. "I'd love to know what made him want to do something like this. I can't wait to hear some more of his stories."

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William Roller can be reached at

wroller@yumasun.com or 539-6858.