skidooboy

hoping a warmer late fall, will mean warmer lakes, and big lake effect snows. hoping the current border situation doesnt change for the worse, so we can ride a bit this year. ordered a spare belt, and was eyeing up skis, for an update to the sled. Ski

the bridge is open. be fully vaccinated for 14 days, negative test within 72 hours of crossing. download and use the Arrive Can ap to enter your trip info, go through the border, like normal.just a few extra hoops. Ski

we have a finished basement but, no doors to completely close the upstairs from the downstairs but, we dont "winterize" the house, water, pipes. we set the stat for 55 degrees F (lowest our stat will allow), when we are not there, and 74 when we are there. we have an ap for the trane system to be able to monitor the temps, and turn on heat, ac, and change temps at will. usually the morning we are to be traveling to the house, I start upping the temp 1-2 degrees an hour, to raise the temp slowly. by the time we arrive in the evening, the house is warm, and stable. our system is a forced air propane unit, the stat is upstairs but, the ducting heats both levels. now, it is cooler downstairs but, nowhere near freezing. if we have guests staying downstairs, I have an aux heat unit (ceramic hydro powered), that will keep the temp the same as upstairs. Ski

the want is there for a few but, not enough to convince the masses, to get it done. hoping the mine's could help the township, club, residents. Maybe, they could see the benefit of their staff recreating in the area, and planting roots. I dunno. I know a way to get to hornepaynes side with only 17 km of actual existing trail but, I know hornepayne would have no reason to groom their end, if Dub doesnt have a viable option and a realistic traffic to them. Ski

that is what I was saying Ox, Hornepayne had the foresight to see the need for a permanent trail and get off the roads. Dub did the opposite, and struggle every year, for the touring rider. there is lots of extra money in dub for the residents but, the remainder are just are workers that come in from other regions and provinces in some case, and go home when they get their check (7 on 7 off, or 14 on 10 off, schedules). most locals use the trail for camp access, fishing, and the odd trip to hawk, wawa, or ernie's for a meal/day trip. so, when conditions exist, they will just ride the roads like they have done for years, and not worry about the trail. Ski

thinking like this is what got us to this position. Take Hornepayne for example... they have taken the time to build a trail next to the plowed roads, that give them issues. on the years the road is not being used, they still groom and use the trail, instead of the road. we as sledders can decide if we would rather run the road or the trail at that point. they keep the trail trimmed, brushed and signed and used for those years when the loggers or whoever use the road. this gives them a permanent trail, a known entity for issues, brushing. Dub on the other hand have made some twinned trails but, only use them, or a portion of them, and trim them on years when the road is in use, and they "need" the twinned section(s). sometimes it is a year, sometimes it is several years, and the bush swallows the trail, then the work, planning, scrambling to replace it, and complaining, starts all over. there needs to be a permanent solution. I understand it is easier to groom, trim, sign a road but, think about taking the time to make a trail that cannot be easily disrupted by land use of loggers, miners, plowed etc... and knowing you will always have a trail. the work upfront will be high but, the security for years to come will be higher. think about all the man hours, money, time spent, only to have some other user group lay claim to the road, plow, dozer it all up, and ruin the trail, work, and connectivity to other communities, regions for economic impact on both ends. it happens almost every year there. doing the same thing over and over, and expecting a different result, is the definition of insanity. Ski

I have a very different outlook on "next year thinking". My dad said this all the time, and also said, "when I retire, we are going to..." He was diagnosed with multiple Myeloma cancer, in his back, at 48, I was still in high school, he retired, lived in pain on the couch, thinking of what could have been, and passed at 53. in those 5 years, he was never in any condition to enjoy much of anything anymore. he passed 10 days before my daughter was born, their first, and only grandchild. mom was gone less than 7 years later. this is why my wife and I live like we do. play hard, enjoy life, eat, drink, be merry, be good to yourself. tomorrow is never guaranteed. I have friends like my dad, cant beg them enough to enjoy a trip to our place, or fish, dirt bike, go to the track, go out west, go down south. I just stop trying, and find a new group, that want to go. My brother in law told me a few weeks ago, "you guys do so much, have so many good times, and stories, I dont have any of that, I live through you". I told him, he could change that if he wanted, he was always invited, and welcomed... just another, maybe next time. we only have so much time here, and even less when we are physically, and mentally able to do, enjoy, and remember, things in life. dont wait, I beg you. make memories, be the person in the nursing home, with all the stories, to go with a good life. Ski

I dont believe Willie ran the lodge at halfway, Ox. he did have a fuel dump out there, on your honor, 5 gallon cans, and you paid him for what you used, and brought the empty can back to wawa for him. this was so wawa and soo people could ride between the two towns, and help out the trappers, fishermen. and if i remember correctly, that was pre Steve, and Gail. Ski

again... who is going to pay for, build, and maintain this "new facility"? and follow all the gov't rules for fuel storage, and sales? the biggest hurdle at halfway, is getting someone to commit to "living there", maintaining the place, and being available 24-7 for guests that may or may not show up. all while living under a high tension power line/hydro power corridor, while living off grid, on generator power. while being 50 miles from the nearest store, civilization, on poorly maintained gravel roads. it is just not sustainable for the average person. Ski

the groomer was never kept there very long. wawa, would stop, eat, stay, fuel up, and head back the next day (80 miles one way). the soo club did the same thing via searchmont (90 miles one way). chapleau did the same (60 miles one way), or send a relief driver, and come back the same trip. with no fuel in searchmont, no fuel at halfway, you would be hard pressed to make it from searchmont to chapleau, let alone the soo, or goulais river area, and or vise versa. for reference, that would be 150 miles, miles not Km's, the sled would need to make on fuel, from searchmont... the soo, or goulais would be even further. if you cant get from the soo to wawa, or the soo to chapleau, or elliot lake to chapleau... no need to open the old, old F trail to ernies, that chapleau basically refused to groom anyway, to get fuel at ernies. that trail hasnt been used in over 10 years, the bush has swallowed a lot of it up, and you would basically need to start over. and the other old F trail has too much terrain, and too far of a distance to groom, which is what ended it in the first place. it is something like 110 miles one way from chapleau to aubrey falls, and again... that trail hasnt been utilized in close to 10 years, and it was difficult to say the least for the club, groomers, and volunteers to get this done with what they had to work with. with all that said, just like last time, there is really no reason for wawa or the soo to groom to halfway, and open that trail. I see it being closed again, unless something remarkable happens. then add in the new problem with Dubreuilville to Hornepayne, and this area becomes a destination for day riding local loops, v.s touring, and looping through the area, with giant areas of no services, fuel, lodging, food stops. too much liability for the communities, volunteers, ofsc, and the clubs. Ski

who would maintain the 30 km of driveway to get to the fuel tanks, to fill them? what happens when the card lock fails, locks up, gets vandalized? too many logistics, too much liability for the ofsc, they are not in the business of selling fuel. Ski

there are two Pat D's in Dubreuilville, involved in the motel. Patrick Bouchard who runs/manages the motel, and Pat's Wilderness Adventures (brother inlaw to) Patrice Dubreuil, grandson of the 4 brothers that founded the town, son of Raymond Dubreuil who owned the motel previously. Patrice is a heavy entrepreneur, involved in everything from getting the motel back, and running, to mining, to outdoor adventures, including sleds, and off road/adv motorcycles. the above comment by Hoosier, referred to Patrice, while on one of the adv rides. Ski

havent heard anything on that front but, the no trail from Dubreuilville, to the halfway point to hornepayne (Kabi river) will hurt those starting in the soo too. usually one of the two roads (Drey, Simpson) was not in use, and the club could access and utilize the road for the trail. some years, it was rough with parts of both being plowed, and there were struggles some years. then the logging almost stopped for a few years, and they were able to use both roads for the 100 mile loop. well now, logging/mining is booming, a new bridge over the Kabinakagami river has the roads busy year round. the club was told 2 years ago, they had 2 years to put in a new trail on one side or the other, and then the roads would be off limits, plowed and sanded year round for wood, rail, and mine access. well, with covid closing that trail due to health region boundries, it wasnt a priority. the club has been working in the funding portion but, have not been successful on that front. years of being complacent with the road access, small community, limited worker pool, money, time, ease of grooming the road v.s bush trail, all play a role in this trail loss issue. the struggle is real, I hope it can be fixed permanently, the club really needs this to be a permanent solution, not just a... we can do this, this year, and see what next year brings. this is what got us here in the first place. it has always been a struggle, now it is a reality. Ski

happy birthday Nunzio!!! hope those around you make it spectacular. Ski

Dubreuilville needs this. the d108a as we knew it, is a thing of the past. the club needs to make 60km of new trail, as the two roads the clubs have used in the past are no longer an option. both the Drey (Dree) rd, and the Simpson road, will be plowed, and connected to the new road, bridge across the big Kabi river, and used for truck traffic year round. those two roads are now forever off limits. the club has tried to get grants from the OFSC but, they have not been successful. even if health unit, and covid restrictions are relaxed, at this time, this side of "the big loop" now has approx 100 miles of a gap. 50 on Hornepayne's side, as now they have no reason to groom to the big Kabi, and the Dubreuilville end which is now defunct. the club relied on these roads, and paid the price many times, and would never get a permanent trail in place to avoid the road issues that were here yearly. now they are in dire straits. also, the new mines now want a second road access for "emergency use" and the D, F connector to Dog lake, Missanabbi, and Hawk Junction, Wawa trail is in serious jeopardy as well. there are some re-routes, and twinning of the road to past the mines but, there is a lot of road crossing, and mixed truck, car traffic to deal with until you get past the mine sites. not trying to be a negative nelly, just posting the facts. some will not like what I have posted, or what I have to say. but, it is what it is. Ski

the last version was ok, and a lot better than the first version. I am assuming the newest version from a new owning entity, will be state of the art. like a Swipe, Pump, and GO, type card reader. Ski

I think Sksman was talking about a driver/delivery error but, there could be nefarious reasons as well. i wouldnt want to be the distributor, or retailer getting caught doing that, though. Ski

that is probably the most wrong way to buy fuel. mid grade is probably the least purchased fuel out there. most people are too cheap to buy more than the cheapest. those that need premium for performance autos, lawn equipment etc... know the value of premium fuel and buy that. mid grade just sits. the thought is for a few pennies more, I can buy premium, or I save this much buying regular. your results may vary. there are lots of premium fueled toys in Dubreuilville. fuel will be ordered and delivered as use dictates. they dont completely fill the tanks and wait for it to drain dry to refill. it is based on usage. Ski

4 doors down from our place Ski

White River doesnt even have a club at all. Craig Colbourne of the Marathon club, is the driving force in the area to get these trails back up, connected and running. the marathon club opened, groomed, maintained trail from marathon, to Dubreuilville's turn around with White River, with only help from Jeremy and Cynthia at the Fishing moose lodge on Hammer lake (the former H&C lodge on hwy 17). that has been in place for several years but, logging, time, manpower, funds, prevent it from opening up regularly. this year, he and his group of volunteers in Manitouwadge opened the trail from Mani, to the hwy 17 corridor to connect back to marathon. only to have the new Hydro corridor updates, stop the trail from really opening to white river. to get any of this opened further, you will need white river to get a solid group of people to commit time, and effort, and re-organize as a club. you will need hornepayne, and longlac/greenstone, to want to connect, and then lastly... they will need commitment of ofsc and districts, funding, and riders to utilize these links, loops, and patronize only businesses that support, fund, volunteer to keep and maintain these links. the majority of the locals will never leave their town, beyond about 25-50km, and when they do, it is to access camps, and fishing, not to travel between towns, for recreation. they will utilize organized trails when they are opened but, could give 2 shits, if the trails are in or not. the biggest hurdle is the distance between towns, and the limits on grooming equipment in the area. it would be nice to have a groomer at white river, at mani, at caramat etc... but, permits, money, and volunteers dont allow for this. with halfway closing, I would venture to guess, just like in the years before shawn arrived at halfway, that trail will close. no fuel to make it from wawa to chapleau, or searchmont to chapleau, let alone aubrey falls to chapleau. and I am just talking about sleds, not the groomers themselves. now you have no resting place, no fueling available, no easy place to swap out drivers. just like pre-shawn, there will be lots of dead ends on the system, in this region. and for those of you that dont know, with the mining, and logging operations going on, and the fully opening of the road bridge over the big Kabi river between hornepayne and Dubreuilville, and the subsequent opening of a road system from Dub to Hearst, and Dub to White river, not to mention the 2-3 new gold mines on the south F, D trail between Dub, and Wawa, that has now reclaimed the road (road 48), as a second route to the mines, for emergency vehicles, and mine traffic, the Dub club are and will be in a bad position, with no dedicated trail, to avoid these roads like Hornepayne has had in place for decades. utilizing roads is easy but, comes at a price, and the next few years are going to really show this, in this region. In my honest and humble opinion, there needs to be a permanent trail to avoid these roads and keep these trails, links active. the manpower and funding required to build these new trails will be a huge investment in funding up front but, the system would have an undeniable permanent solution... as long as the clubs and chief groomers stay on the permanent trail, v.s wanting to go the easy route, and groom the road, that may or may not be plowed, to dirt, during the season. this has been the problem in Dubreuilville since the start of the ofsc system. Ski

the prostarr hybrid with the rear ramp, is on my short list of trailers I would buy. I need one for the house in Dub but, because of travel restrictions, and not having sleds here in the states now, I have not been actively searching, or wanting to order one. personally I am looking at the 13' for the extra room to kick the tails out, and be able to haul the fishing sleigh. these trailers are built in michigan, and seem to be a decent build package. Ski

cite the source, where this came from. and in what context the question was asked, to get this type of answer. genuinly curious... this is how nasty rumors get started. Ski

Cannot like this enough PLC. Ski

your post is the first I have heard of it. I honestly dont know what the thinking would be. the only thing I can link it to is, the orv/sxs user group association, has linked themselves to the snowmobile association, for a strength in numbers thing, in the past year or so. knowing you really cant snowmobile without a helmet due to the cold, the only reasoning I can see is, the SXS group cant smoke and drink beer, while driving through the woods, trail, or down the road (yes some can be street legal, it has went back and forth 2 times now, if they can be street legal or not, in Michigan). the street motorcycle group were able to pass a user choice of helmet use or not. the caveat being, there is a age limit, minimum 21, and you must carry an extra 20,000 in health insurance to be legal, for no helmet on motorcycle. again, play stupid games, win stupid prizes. Ski

play stupid games, win stupid prizes. I wish these idiots would have to sign a legal waiver stating, if they get into an accident, have a head injury, or worse, their personal assets are charged, not an insurance company. that would make people think twice. ok, maybe not. Ski