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Todays ride was from shawinigan to kanawata, around 340km. Great day on the trails….most were fast and good, but some rough stuff too. Ran into quite a few Americans.

Took my 8yr old Granddaughter for loop thru my 40 acre Sugar bush this afternoon, she loves to ask about the tracks she sees , ( rabbit, fox, coyote, turkey) and commented on the beauty of all the snow on the branches. ......and its those shared moments that make it worthwhile to keep the 1998 340 cat running another year !

And there hasn't been any problems in the Monkey Barrel. It's just a place where people post what ever they want and no one gets offended. It's more of a fun place than a political thing. Think of it as a safe place within a safe space. It's nice to have place where we can post without being attack for our belief or just our bad sense of humour. It's not the first time we had a revolt by main posters and I'm sure it won't be the last. It's the other 99% of forum members that enjoy the forum that still makes it a great place imo. Imagine a forum started to make friends and riding buddies turned into a place of hate and like always it was egos that made thing go bad. I was asked by many people to try and fix the fighting/bickering that had festered for a longtime. The problem was solved and everything went back to normal again but for some reason that wasn't enough for some people.

Hi Bill, sorry to hear this. I'm not too often on the forum and just saw this. Remember a few years ago 2015 or so I fought cancer and I'm still here and seem to be in remission. My last checkup will be this coming March. It was a long journey, the surgery, Radiation and Hormonal treatment has left its toll on me. I could have chosen any advance country in the world to treat me but I trusted the Canadian Specialists and looking back I made the right decision. I'm 70 now and still sledding with my buddy, the Yamaha Vector. Still rockets me around. Forsure life will change for you and some physical adjustments will have to be made, but it will never be the same. Through it all, with Radiation pellets in my left leg, I still sledded with Blake G, Glenn, Grizzly Griff and a lot of the members I met on this forum. However, I wish you the best on this journey. Cheers 🍻

missing it, monkey barrel didnt start until the "problems" and difference of opinion during covid. that was when several left, starting their own website and FB page to be sledding only, instead of a social club around sledding. was kind of I'm taking my ball and going home kind of theater. I miss the larger group, and the more threads, discussions, pics, reports, trip reports, the things people were building, working on. the fights were in the open, before the barrel was offered. Ski

Always sad when people decide to leave the sport or just leave the forum. There are a few people on here that are less than friendly at times and the world has become more divided than ever. Its a sad state we are in, but we all need to come together in our common activity, snowmobiling, and focus on having fun, being safe and having a good laugh. Enjoy the trails, enjoy friends.

I am a mod on another site, and we have had folks git pissed off and leave, and want all of their posts taken down. (informative site - machining) The Powers That Be have yielded to one or two and I find that complete BS. It leaves holes in threads, and also, there have been reports of links to other posts being wrong now doo to a post prior to it having been removed now. Personally - I'd say that if you want to leave, then just leave. Quit posting, and your profile will sink. One option that I can live with is that the profile is closed, and all posts are now under "Guest" moniker. You can't search much now, but at least the thread makes sense to go back and read. As a member/contributor, I hope that you never allow folks to delete posts, but then on a site like this - prolly not so big'a deal. Not likely searching form much tech info here anyway... .

its too bad ,i miss those guys

Rail line is yellow from Orangeville to Owen sound ….. a good sign

He has been past our place since my last post so has covered a lot of ground today even though it is one pass in many areas. The lips at the edge of the packed trail are 4-5" high. We are supposed to have winds from almost every direction along with the snow over the next 20 hours. Hopefully the packed trail will fill in again with fresh snow. That will sure help the base.

Nice, a couple guys I ride with have them. They love em, 130hp turbo is really all you need.

Well, I'm not part of the Monkey Barrel, and thus - I have no clue what y'all are talking aboot. .

will win this battle too. As I dislike rumours etc. I have decided to make it public that I have been diagnosed with Prostate Cancer. I now face MRI's,Cat scans and bone scans as we find out the next steps. I am blessed with great friends and family as well as a great team at our businesses. I have had battles all of my life this will not be my last battle. I grew up as a fat blonde kid and had to deal with bullies my entire school career that made me stronger in the end. My Dad died after a 5 year horrifc battle with cancer when I was 13. One of the things that hurt my dad the most was the friends that abandoned him once he was diagnosed with cancer. I was lost for years after that but I fought back. We lost the family farm during the dark days of the early eighties when the feed lot was struck by a firbrinous pnuemonia and the bank called our loans despite us never having missed a payment. With what we had left we purchased a run down marina near Carnarvon. The first fall the house burnt down,the insurance company initially tried not to honour the policy (a battle that they lost in court years later) I spent that winter sleeping in a camper trailer that was loaned to us by a nieghbour while my Mom and brother shared an uninsulated cabin both without running water or washrooms. I brought in income by working in forestry,drywall, house moving whatever I could while still fixing sleds in what then was an unheated workshop as the folks that sold the marina to us had lied about the furnace and we could not afford to replace it. These also made me stronger. And a bit cold lol the heat went out in that trailer everytime it hit 20 below. We built the marina back up perhaps a bit too much for that marketplace. Sales were great and we were super busy. Then the huge recession of the late eighties and eary 90s hit and we were not ready. Stuck with millions of dollars of inventory,skyrocketing interest rates and the fedral governments refusal to refund us over 100,000.00 dollars that they did admit that they owed us the business folded. My Brother and I both landed jobs at Parry Sound Marine full time year round jobs! We could not find a place to rent but we did fnd a house that we could be purchased with no down payment. That worked as we were broke having not collected a paycheque for years trying to keep the marina afloat. I thrived there. It was a great team . In august PSM announced that they were going seasonal. I opened up Rosseau Road Enterprises as a winter only business in response. Once again I was not defeated by events. I guess what does not kill you makes you stronger. That fall I met Jen and we began dating. This has definitly made me stronger. My wife Jen is the most amazing person in the world. We became engaged in April of 93. Set a wedding for March of 94. As my family has not had the best record of longevity we decided to start our family. We were married in March 94 and had our first child in June of 94 on my brthday! In august of 94 I was laid off at Parry Sound Marine as it was failing and eventually became bankrupt. Faced with a lack of income I worked at anything I could and grew our business in order to survive. Funny thing is that I was told by my bosses at PSM that they regretted the decision to lay me off but that they new that I would succeed. I guess that it made me stronger again as it did not kill me either. Rosseau Road Enterprises began taking on non snowmobile work Marine etc. The next summer I worked at a Muskoka marina often in excess of eighty hours a week however they would only pay me maximum 60 hours and bank the rest at even rate. Never overtme was paid.My productivity was often in excess of 100%. However it did pay the bills. To make ends meet I sold my Dodge Dart a decision that both Jen and I struggled with. (I told you that she is amazing!) . That fall when approached by the boss at that marina as to what service schools that I wanted to go to I told him that I was not coming back to him. His words to me were that I was the first person to leave there that he could trust my work 100 percent. I took a job at a tiny marina with the understanding that I would only stay 3 years seasonally and all that tme I was going to be building my own busness to be full time full throttle. True to my word that is what I did. Our daughter was born in my final year there. Jen and I have never looked back. Rosseau Road Enterprises grew to be Rosseau Road Powersports and Marine. May 8th 2001 while sittng in a line of traffic I was heavily rear ended by a large van. This destroyed our van and sent me to hospital. I suffered a fractured ankle,7 herniated discs ,so much muscle damage to my right leg that it turned black,My C1 vertabrae was permanently turned by 10 degrees both shoulders were badly damaged and more. I was told that I could accept a pension. I did not. I kept on working. I forced myself to get stronger as I believe that that was the right thing to do. I still suffer from these injuries but I do not regret my actions. It made me stronger I guess in a way. It forces me to spend more time thinking and less time doing. So as not to be so sore. A good neighbour and a great man sold us the property that we built the new shop on. My son John joined the business and our youngest son was born. We moved forward with much help from frends and customers. We continue to grow and care for our customers and our team. We are blessed to be surrounded by good people. I have a family who loves me,great friends and great staff each and every one of them have earned my trust and my love. I am blessed. We have two grandchildren! I WILL SURVIVE ! To those who wish to gossip go to hell! To those who wish to support please give your loved ones a huge hug that is my only wish. I will survive and this somehow will make me stronger. Our business will continue to grow and thrive. We have a great team that will carry forward and I will likely still be here 7 days a week often. I actually like this place. It is my team and customers that I like the most. Stay tuned good news will follow. If all of this could not kill me this wont either Wildbill

Not a jab at all, sorry that offends you. it was a anecdotal way to describe what happened. some didnt agree with others on certain items, dug their heels in, then just left, vs trying to work out differences, or ignoring the differences, or better yet, ignoring those they didnt agree with, or like. But to leave, start your own places (not the first time that has happened here either), then to invite people from here, to join their newly formed group, seemed to be a weird change of events. (at least to me). I dont wish any ill will, nor do I have bad feelings for the people that left. I just think it was sad that, it was just those things that made people turn on one another and leave. having the ignore feature turned on for the people that upset you the most, is a great tool to utilize on any media platform. and I am with Ox, I dont believe in deleting someones account fully. there are links, helpful tips, history, that help others. wanting all of your info you shared with others wiped from existence just doenst make sense. unless there was, is, some high security risk. Ski

He must have been watching all those SUV TV commercials. Next he’ll have his ski rack on and heading up the ski mountain instead of taking the chair lift!

Why ask to have your account deleted? Seems childish to me?

Seasonal road?

it was an opt in or opt out for those that didnt want to see political, or covid related posts on a sledding forum. Ski

We got an inch last night at Heidelberg. There is between 7 and 8 inches on the levelled trail at our place. Time for the groomer to get moving.

Haven’t put many miles on my 650 but it’s a really nice engine

Have been in to see Bill a couple times this week for parts, made sure to wish him all the best. He is in great spirits and determined to beat this. Positive attitude is everything and Bill has it 👍

Im glad the Monkey barrel forum was put in. Keeps everything else PG, and enter at your own risk if you want to. Made it a friendlier place again IMO.

I frequent a few forums and they all have the same or similar atmospheres. I really don’t understand why anyone takes a forum as offensive, take the good and / or bad from them and carry on. It’s not personal or shouldn’t be. But agreed though, many people bring different values and losing what some have to offer takes a bit away from any forum.

Got back home today after a mini three night/two day trip out of Mattawa Golf and Ski. Our group of 6, for the most part, lucked out with the weather and the grooming schedules. Wednesday, we rode 290 km from Golf and Ski eastward via the A trail to Deep River for an early Timmi's lunch, and then back via the 130 series local North Renfrew and 190 series Missing Link trails. Most of the trail we rode had been groomed Monday or Tuesday, and even those that hadn't (the 'dead end" 137 and 136), were tolerable. That day's riding is about as good as it gets in Ontario. Every time I take a new person on that ride, they are super impressed with the scenery, and trail quality and variety. Thursday, we did the same 240 km route that gtowe referred to above, but in the opposite direction. From Golf and Ski, we went thru Mattawa via the A trail and A112A, unfortunately still via the downtown road bridge, then northwest toward North Bay on A112A, to the A trail, south on the A with a detour in/out on BF201 to the Dinner Bell for a delicious lunch. After lunch we carried on back to the A trail, south/east back to our hosts. The trails were in very good shape with 3-6" of fresh snow on top of mostly very smooth base. Sled traffic was minimal both days. Sadly we saw a broken down groomer on the A trail about 15 km west of Golf and Ski. With the colder weather this coming week, the slush should freeze on the Mattawa River, allowing that crossing to open. The hospitality for three nights was excellent at a modest price, which may be important to some, as the fuel prices for both sleds and trucks are still too high. If you haven't ridden this area recently, make the effort to go there.

Yup. 130 hp first 100k to today

Rode out of Hearst last Friday through Monday. Great trails almost everywhere up there. The yellow section from the end of the Hearst/Hornepayne at Mooseland over to the west is the only issue. The snow is fine, but this section has not been given enough grooming over the last few seasons to successfully break the saplings off. When it is cold and the drag cuts into the trail a bit, they are broken/cut off. The current state is to the point of causing many to turn back to Hearst. My group continued and found the best trail conditions I’ve seen since its reopening in I think 2018-2019 season. We’ve ridden it every season except the 2020-2021. We met a guy trying to cut some of the growth with a homemade sled-knife he was dragging, but it really wasn’t working. Other than a few low areas (bottom of the hills) where water cut through during warm temps, the trail is real good once past the long bridge on Hwy11. The trail is green at that point. Really liked staying at the “Between the Bridges Inn” on Hwy11 in Geraldton. Park in front of your room. Moonbeam Clubhouse was cranking on Saturday afternoon and ran into Dennis and his group from Hearst. Too bad it’s such a long drive. Great 750 miles. Scott

Just hoping that the temps stay low enough now until the end of the season 🙈

Sad for sure, miss Revrnd very much as well as I enjoy posts of his daily projects. I spend some time on other forums and have to say this is the nicest by far

coating it with anything helping stop, block, corrosion, will make the trailer last longer and easier to maintain later. Fluid film is thin and will require a yearly application, wool wax is the same product only thicker, still needs reapplication. the newest kid on the block is Surface shield from the people that brought us PB Blaster spray penetrating oil. they say it lasts 2 years between applications. it wont hurt, can only help. you spent how much on a trailer, or vehicle? a few hundred up front, and 50 a year to protect it, is well worth the time, and effort. Ski

we rode from Coe Hill on saturday, our destination was Whitney.... trails to Bancroft were OK, but north of Bancroft B106E trail was super-duper bumpy and was extremely busy, often there several sleds in line to cross a particular road, we turned around just north of birds creek, had lunch at the granite, then back south. Good shake down ride but much shorter than anticipated. cheers

You got this my friend my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family

There was fresh powder in Searchmont, so we went out for a morning ride today. Temperature was -5.