revrnd Posted March 3, 2013 Share Posted March 3, 2013 Since our normal group didn't go north for our annual Blastoff, another friend asked a couple of weeks ago if I'd be interested in doing the RAP Tour. I said sure, I had done it back in '96 (albeit while sufferering some cruddy illness & VERY cold temps). Five of us tried to do it the following year but had major sled issues near Astorville. Three of us tried to press on but stopped @ Giesler's in Powassan due to terrible wet snow. Initially 3 of us were going to ride, but we added a 4th rider. He was the b/f of the 1 guy's daughter & had reading week off. It was his 1st trip of this length but managed quite well. Last Tues' we started out on Chandos Lake & ran the Paudash trails to Bancroft & up B106E to Whitney. We had lunch & filled up the sleds in Lake St. Peter. It was nice & sunny for a change & got some decent pics of the river along TOP B. Pulled into Spectacle Lake Lodge around 4:30. Dinner was great & the cabin very comfy. I think it was in the late 90s the last time we stayed there & rented a room that time. Two couple rode into afterwards & 2 guys arrived around 8:30 after leaving Haliburton around 5:30. They were doing the RAP tour starting out near Parry Sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revrnd Posted March 3, 2013 Author Share Posted March 3, 2013 The next day we awoke to snow. Had breakfast, gassed up our sleds & headed out. Sharon owns the Lodge again, it is well kept.The snow was wet & every few seconds you had to wipe your shield . It was like this all the way to Deux Rivieres. Since '97 TOP B has been rerouted to use the old CN railbed into Pembroke. I remember on the 2nd RAP tour passing under the 1 tall train trestle that we now cross. Stopped in Petawawa for gas & had a snack along the trail in the base. As we were getting fuel a couple of older Formula Deluxes headed out & north. You could hear firing on the range to the west, but I don't know how they could see if they were hitting their target as it was snowing quite hard . We topped up again in Deep River in case MattawaGolfNSki didn't have gas. It's a bit of a PITA getting gas in Deep River. Their L135 trail is only groomed partway into town. The little trail dumps you into the Tims parking lot. From there you ditch bang to the Crappy Tire station (regular or diesel, no premium). The Petrocan is further west down the highway. Just outside of town we pass the Parry Sound guys looking @ a soggy map . From there to Mattawa, we leap frog each other. We met a group of sleds who figured they were the only riders out there. All over the trail. We pass the Formula Deluxes as they crossed the hwy to the Morning Mist. Near Deux Rivieres we passed 3 or 4 sleds that were stopped on the blind side of a corner (very bright fellas). Talking to the Parry Sound guys, they said it was hard to follow the trail on the pipeline as they were breaking trail . Other than the amount of fresh snow on the trail, the Missing Link club had TOP A in good shape. When we got just outside of Deux Rivieres we entered the Mattawa club portion. From there to the GolfNSki turn the trail was a bit choppy but not terrible. We also rode out of the snow . It also looked like they hadn't gotten as much as the south did. We rolled in around 4 PM. Had a couple of beers & went for dinner. Mike & Brenda were very friendly hosts and the food was good. We had to give them some notice if we wished to have the roast chicken dinner (which we did). Lights out was around 10. The place is on Hwy 17 but the truck traffic isn't very noticeable like some places. The trucks passing didn't seem to be running thru the gears or riding their Jake brakes (BTDT). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revrnd Posted March 3, 2013 Author Share Posted March 3, 2013 We were concerned about Thurs' morning. Mattawa's new groomer was broken down & a loaner from Dist' 5 hadn't arrived yet. As far as Mike knew TOP A would be rough to the Hwy 630 crossing where the Bonfield club meets Mattawa. He said we could go into Mattawa & run the north route then drop down thru Bonfield or Astorville. The 1st 10 miles was quite rough. So rough in fact that the Parry Sound guys lost their supply of vodka, ceasar mix & energy drinks all over the trail. We passed thru an active logging area & had to wait a minute or so while a truck was being loaded. The trail thru this area was OK. When we get to the TOP A/MA 101 jct', the 2 Formula Deluxes & 2 other 'doos are stopped. The guys on the 'doos said the trail into Mattawa was very rough. TOP A looked OK (plowed by the looks of it but no recent tire tracks). We head west & yes the trail was plowed but lots of fresh snow on it. It wasn't plowed for a long distance. After that the trail was in decent shape. It appeared that after we crossed Hwy 630, it had been a while since that portion of TOP A (& further on A101D) had been groomed. The railbed portion of A101D was in good shape. Much better than the time I was on it 3 or 4 years ago when it was bare, black ballast. As we got towards TOP D you could hear the carbides ticking the odd stone. The new portion of TOP D south of here is about 7 miles of road running. Signing could be a bit better @ road intersections. I was just following the sled tracks ahead of me. If you were "breaking trail", be sure to have your map handy. TOP D heading south from the Trout Creek area was nice w/ all the trees covered in snow. The trail was in good shape too. There's a sign @ the SSR 700 jct' saying you could avoid road running by taking this route north (Is this the case?). We rode C105D into South River to gas up & get some beverages. We took NN 400 south to get to D123. A word to the wise, this trail is completely run on plowed roads. It may be OK after fresh snowfalls or during a snowy day, but I'd avoid it if possible. We stop for a snack @ the D123/AL306 jct then head east for TOP D. Soon we come to a detour sign sending TOP D South to the north. I'm not sure how long we rode but I was about to turn around then take D123 south to the Kearney area. We do get to another intersection w/ signs pointing the way for TOP D in north & south directions. I think the destination signs should have the kms removed we'd ride for what seemed like half an hour only to get 3 klicks closer. Eventually we get to Edgewater on Sand Lake. We're looking for Silversands (no signage) so I head onto the lake. Big mistake, it's all slushed up. I get to the NW side & stop on someone's rink. Get out the map & look @ the GPS. I'm too far west. Luckily there are nearby sled tracks off the lake & we road run to the Silversands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revrnd Posted March 3, 2013 Author Share Posted March 3, 2013 On Fri' morning it was quite sunny & the coolest morning we'd had. Follow the arrows out of the lodge & start heading north away from 303. We turn around & road run back to the Edgewater. Apparently we took the "wrong" trail out of the lodge. We should've headed for the lake the east towards the Edgewater. The groomer had been out the night before & we had good condition down to the D/D101B jct. D101B was good other than road running on Billie Bear Rd (not so good) & Limberlost Rd (terrible). Had to dodge some idgit on West Oxbow Lake Rd that was running midpack & couldn't stay on his side of the road. There's a detour on D101B that takes you down Oxtongue Lake. North of Hwy 60 the trail was quite stiff & the steering a bit twitchy. The lake was packed w/ no slushy sections so I figure we'll be able to run the lakes down to Ox Narrows. We were meeting a bit of traffic, but only a couple of idgits. The trail was good but not near as much base heading towards Dorset. We run Raven, St. Nora & Kushog to Ox Narrows. The stake line is a bit odd. Everyone runs due south from the open water to Ox Narrows while the stake line runs west (to Kushog Korners?). Get on TOP B south of Ox Narrows & head east. I don't think that portion of trail has been groomed west of the logging road all winter. East towards Big Hawk Lake it's a bit better. While we're gassing up 1 of the guys talks to the lady there & said the sledders that just left said the B trail south to Canarvon had them pretty beat. Well the sleds weren't the newest ('98 FZ, '95 XLT & 2 girls riding 2 up on a older Indy) & 1 of the riders was a bit large, so I took that w/ a grain of salt. He says what about running the lakes to Kennisis? I said my only experience on the lake was about 10 years ago, it was slushed up & the leader (a supposed Kennisis expert) couldn't find his way across (no stake line). We found our way to Red Pine but I remembered that morning. The marina owner says that other than Clear Lake the route is staked. I check the GPS & Reved's map does have the route on it. Well that makes things a lot easier. No real issues other than be VERY careful @ the east end of Red Pine. There are 2 large sections of open water on either side of the stake line. We shoot across Kennisis & thru the Base camp parking lot w/ no issues. It looks like there was quite a slush pit between Little & Big Redstone. Tracks lead you to the land on the north side of this narrows. TOP B is plowed for a ways north of Moose Lake. That probably won't last long in the warmer weather. Get down to Eagle Lake & head for TOP E. The road running up the hill was brutal. Bare mud & we meet some guy doing about 60 on a Vector. TOP E was in decent shape for a Fri' afternoon (Tue's afternoon TOP B into Whitney was brown slush from the B106E jct). At the HCSA 10 jct' we had a snack then headed towards the Miskwabi trail & back on to the Paudash trails. It was smooth, but hadn't been groomed since the snowfall. The track was single lane so it was tricky trying to stay on my side of the trail We only passed 2 sleds & that was down by Miskwabi itself. The 605 over to TOP E was OK & we stopped @ the red outhouse for a break & to talk to some folks. They had come up TOP E from the clubhouse & said the trail was good. Adanac Road was plowed pretty good (why I don't know). It was a pretty quick ride down the forest access road to the clubhouse. The groomer had headed east earlier & we caught up to him near the Hwy 28 crossing. We must've followed him for 5 minutes. He stopped when he met 4 sleds & they struggled to get off the trail. We finally got by him when he went to groom the Eels Lake Access Point Trail. South of TOP E on the Chandos & Tallan Lake trails we were surprised to find snow on the trail. On Tues' we found it plowed down to dirt. We split @ the Clydesdale Rd crossing, the guys heading to Chandos & me road running over to E107. I had to deal w/ slush on the creek but got home around 5:30. 618 miles or 994 klicks for the 4 days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
couchrocket500 Posted March 3, 2013 Share Posted March 3, 2013 Great report and sounds like a good time. Thanks... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revrnd Posted March 3, 2013 Author Share Posted March 3, 2013 I'll post some pics tonight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
extreme600 Posted March 3, 2013 Share Posted March 3, 2013 I'll post some pics tonight. Can't wait. Very detailed report. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revrnd Posted March 4, 2013 Author Share Posted March 4, 2013 The Madawaska River beside TOP B east of Whitney. Stopped west of the turtle reroute on TOP B. Our sleds at Spectacle Lake Lodge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revrnd Posted March 4, 2013 Author Share Posted March 4, 2013 J Bar in Cabin 6 Our sleds on Wednesday morning. John and me on TOP A in CFB Petawawa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revrnd Posted March 4, 2013 Author Share Posted March 4, 2013 Our cabin at Mattawa GolfNSki Stopped on TOP A at Hwy 630 Amable du Fond River. This is where the Bonfield and Mattawa clubs meet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revrnd Posted March 4, 2013 Author Share Posted March 4, 2013 Stopped on A101D at the east end of the railbed on Thursday. Looking west on the railbed. If you go east of here on the railbed there is quite a tall trestle. Not for the faint of heart as there are no railings. On TOP D somwhere east of Trout Creek. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 What a great report! Tremendous detail for others following in your tracks. But best of all - looks like you had a blast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sleddinscott Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 well rev me almost missed each other. if i am not mistaken you guys were lookin for a allen key at the gas station, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
white dragon Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 great report & pics...thx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbo Doo Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 Great report and pics.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revrnd Posted March 5, 2013 Author Share Posted March 5, 2013 well rev me almost missed each other. if i am not mistaken you guys were lookin for a allen key at the gas station, No that wasn't us. No mechanical issues thru the week. I asked the chap during dinner @ the Silversands if he was Scott, he said no, but that I must be Reverend. I laughed. He said you guys had headed out from there on Thurs' morning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawnj Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 Sounds like a fun trip. By the way, there is a trail in Deep River from Tim Hortons parking lot over through the bush that comes into the C.Tire gas station. Single lane but works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sleddinscott Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 lmao when i got to silversands i asked him if he was the good revererend he looked at me as if i was crazy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 Sounds like a fun trip. By the way, there is a trail in Deep River from Tim Hortons parking lot over through the bush that comes into the C.Tire gas station. Single lane but works. That single lane trail leads to Econo Gas as well. Right through the parking lot of the Bear's Den (good food) and then to Econo Gas. We were led there by a 'local' and had no issue accessing gas in Deep River. Also, the Econo Gas owner provided her tel number for a possibly late arriving sled to call her. They were to make arrangements if necessary. Wasn't required, but a nice gesture by Econo Gas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nunz Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 We just finished our Rap Tour on Friday, had a great time and met some nice people along the way, The ice caves in Sand Lake were amazing...All in all a sucess, trails could have been better but I'll take a week on the trails over a week at work any day... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nunz Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nunz Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nunz Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revrnd Posted March 5, 2013 Author Share Posted March 5, 2013 Sounds like a fun trip. By the way, there is a trail in Deep River from Tim Hortons parking lot over through the bush that comes into the C.Tire gas station. Single lane but works. Shawn there was so much fresh snow it was probably buried & not visible at the time to bad the CTC wouldn't put up a sign. Nothing worse than running "willy nilly" in a strange town following "local trails" trying to find a destination. Nunz, was TOP A still beat east of Mattawa? Where did you stay & what did you think of the places? Seeing your blue Fusions reminded me of seeing 2 red ones on a rollback heading west @ Madawaska on Hwy 60. Saw them just after we crossed the old train bridge. I think the temps a week before would've made for nicer sledding, but I don't know what the road running would've been like w/o the fresh snow. Even @ that there were some roads that were pretty much euchred WITH the recent snow. I guess as more & more folks want to go to their cottages year round we'll find formerly unplowed roads, bare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Quimby Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 Really enjoyed reading your report! Great pics too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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