FAST FIVE Idaho adventures await Lisa Reeder

Meet Lisa Reeder, who was born and raised in North Texas. Lisa attended East Texas State University, obtaining a bachelor's in accounting and a Master of Business Administration from Texas A&M University. She spent 30 years working in the U.S. defense industry. Lisa is married to Don and has a daughter in Texas and a son in California. She also has four beautiful granddaughters. Lisa is an avid quilter and loves to teach her granddaughters and friends to sew and quilt. She and her husband relocated to North Idaho several years ago and now consider themselves Idahoans.

1) When and why did you join the Back Country ATV/UTV Association?

I joined with my husband in 2020. We had always enjoyed riding on our quad, and one day we were out riding and stumbled into a group ride. They looked like they were having such a great time. We asked some of the members about the group they were in and we contacted secretary Nancy Conley about joining. We have made new life-long friends in that group.

2) Where are some of your favorite places to visit on your ATV?

We like to go to the Bunco parking area and take the 6001 and 2707 trails up to the Lake Pend Oreille scenic overlook. We also like to ride to Harrison for lunch as well. The best of all is when we go huckleberry hunting but those trails shall remain secret!

3) You sew Christmas stockings for local groups every year — how many are you making this year, and what motivates you to spend your time making Christmas brighter for others?

I call it "Project Christmas Stocking." It all started in 2020 when people were out of work and struggling. By Christmas, the need was great. I wanted to help in some way, to give back to the community which had embraced me when I came to Idaho. I saw people posting on Facebook requesting help for needy families for Christmas. That year I did about 20 stockings. The next year, it grew to 40, and as many the year after that. The expense of the fabric for the stockings was becoming a burden, so in 2023 I asked for help from the North Idaho Quilters Guild in the form of fabric donations. Members of the guild also sewed stockings. With the Quilters Guild’s help, we gave out 400 stockings to several local charities. In 2024, thanks to a generous donation from the Back Country ATV Club to help with the fabric, I already have 320 stockings in progress and several friends who are helping me sew them. I expect to have at least 400 again this year. Back Country ATV hosts a Christmas party and raffle every year and the funds raised from that go to some really wonderful charities. Project Christmas Stocking was one of the beneficiaries from the 2023 charity raffle.

4) What is something people would be surprised to know about you?

Well, I suppose it depends on who you are asking. Long-time friends in Texas would not be surprised about much. New friends in Idaho might be surprised to know many things. I guess the main thing about me is that I’m pretty much game for just about any adventure. My husband Don and I had a small farm/ranch in Texas. One day, we sold everything, packed up and headed for Idaho to begin a new adventure. We have never looked back. We wanted to embrace all things Idaho, especially the outdoor life. Trail riding is a big part of that. One thing that would surprise a lot of my women friends is when trail riding, I don’t just ride along, I drive my own vehicle. In the summer, if we aren’t trail riding, we are fishing. I am a scuba diver, a former substitute teacher and an award-winning quilter. I’ve traveled all over the world, first as a part of my career, and for scuba diving trips. I love to go ziplining with friends at Timberline adventures in Coeur d'Alene, snow tubing on Silver Mountain, hiking Tubbs Hill and show shoeing at Farragut in the winter with friends. This week, my granddaughter is going to teach me to snowboard …fingers crossed! I also like to go cemetery hopping and snap pictures of old headstones. I’m a member of Find-a-Grave and enjoy helping to document old graves. There is a lot of Idaho history in those old cemeteries. I especially love the Mountain View Cemetery in Athol. When the weather just won’t cooperate, I have lots of indoor activities too. I write the newsletter for the North Idaho Quilters Guild as well as handling the publicity for their quilt show coming up May 3-4 at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds. I handle the Guild’s Facebook pages too. I quilt community service quilts for the Quilt Guild’s charity programs and make and quilt my own show quilts.

I am now in charge of the annual slideshow for Back Country ATV Club’s annual Christmas Charity Raffle, which makes me sort of the unofficial photographer for the ATV club. Because of that, I am usually not in the photos. And in between all this, I sew as many Christmas stockings as I can, for charity.

5) What are a few rules of the trail we should all know as the outdoor recreation season begins?

• Don’t ride alone.

• Stay on the trails.

• It’s a Forest Service requirement to carry emergency equipment including a shovel and bucket (an ice chest doubles as a bucket).

• Carry plenty of water, a good map and a GPS or compass.

• If you are a novice to trail riding, join the club and ride along in our group rides.