skidooboy

plus all the new windmills going in. Ski

A us resident, canadian lodge owner, operators, outfitters, and employees can come over (with a 2 week quarantine, prior to ANY LOCAL CONTACTS). regular people cannot. canadians can fly to the us for any reason but, cannot drive. us residents cannot fly or drive to canada for any reason but, essential services, medical, trucking, manufacturing. if the rules were equal, i would assume the snowbirds on your side of the border would help our cause by complaining like us but, with the "loophole" most of them can come over to their winter homes, with little issue. believe me, we have tried almost everything. i am guessing the couple that were caught, had a legitimate reason to be in canada (family, end of life visit, etc... but, were too stupid to follow rules, which will in turn hurt people like lynne and I. Ski

current mine (alamos) is close to where goudreau rd and 48 come together, the magino mine isnt far from there. then you have the (i believe) renabie project, closer to localsh. mill closed ops in 2007-08, buildings, and infrastructure sat idle, and unmaintained. the machines that were not completely useless or outdated were sold, i believe buchanan lumber that bought Dubreuil forest products, is now defunct or in receivership (i could be wrong). now you have to completely rebuild or make a new modern mill, with all the environmental permits studies etc... would be a huge investment for a maybe return. most local lumber is processed in hornepayne, white river, and or hearst. there used to be one forest management permit, use, by dubreuil forest products, it was "easier" to work with one group for trail access, info, help, partnership. now there are 10-15 logging ops that have permits to cut, and haul in the area, and one group says they are done, another says they need a few more weeks and we are done... then the wind blows and the plan changes. usually resulting in a lot of club work down the drain. last year a company (after saying they were done) plowed up 60km of trail after it was groomed in, to pick up 3 loads of birch, and a few more "regular wood" loads. all in the name of a dollar. another group said they would not need the d west road (road12), it was groomed almost to hammer lake (fishing moose lodge, the former H&C lodge) almost halfway to white river, and the club found the white river side had been plowed. shortly after that road 12 that was supposed to be idle, was opened, and plowed. the trail west never officially opened. if that happens again, the white river, mani, marathon trail is disconnected yet again. Dub cant grow anymore without a fully functioning, reliable, high speed internet connection. right now the broad band is full, the DSL node is full. it is so unstable, and slow, it is hard to do much with it. they wont allow any new subscribers. sat internet is getting more popular but, cost, weather issues, speed and reliability, make it not a popular choice. once they get the fibre optic line (been promised for 2-3 years now), then they can expand the city limits, and start building homes for the new mines, and the staff needed to run, and support them. big changes are coming but, they are not coming without a price. i am happy for the boom but, i am scared for the boom. it may not be the small town we are so used to. but, that is progress. Ski

wawa will be packed with contractors working on the new hydro corridor from wawa to thunderbay, for at least this winter, if not the next few. i have heard the motor in has the chalets booked for the ENTIRE WINTER FOR THIS. dub, will be packed with mining workers and contractors, for the next foreseeable future. ox, there is one fully functional gold mine operating in dub now, and one or two between dub and white river. there are 2 new gold mines working on exploration, and opening one as an open pit mine between dub and localsh. plus the new cable, fibre optic internet line work that is supposed to start soon. and right now there is a dismantling company from Qc in town demoing, and reclaiming the mill site. and there are several other items with promise including but, not limited to mine operation support as an industrial park in Dub, where the mill was, for the region. and possibly a new technology of super fast kiln dried wood business, for all sorts of applications inc but, not limited to wooden musical instrument blank making. plus they now have a main haul road linking dub, hornepayne, oba, hearst etc.... the club will not be able to use either the drey (dree road), or the simpson road, in the very near future, for sled trail usage. now the mills in white river, hornepayne, and hearst can run cross country v.s running around on 631, 17, 519. shortening the drives for the log haulers. our days of no use, or low use and being able to access the back country crown land, on the available roads they were not utilizing is coming to a QUICK END. the new mines will undoubtedly utilize part or most of road 48 between dub and hawk. the club is up against some serious competition for road/trail use, v.s progress, speed, and safety for the mines/lumber industry. mark my words, we will never have use of the 100 mile loop the way it was, ever again. with the small volunteer base, and the high dollars associated for the need for a complete re-route of all trails, to connect to all communities, the club, disctrict and the ofsc have a big mountain to climb. the days of utilizing the roads is over, the need for a dedicated snowmobile/atv permanent trail system for Dub, to hawk/wawa, white river, hornepayne, is long overdue. every year it gets worse and worse, causing wasted man hours, and money, when a group decides they need the road after "committing" they didnt. i feel bad for the club but, we can only do so much from where we are. and the need to change the thinking of needing a permanent trail solution, grouping user groups together for more "power" to get these trails/infrastructure in place more sooner than later. Ski

make sure to buy snacker packers for your hot dogger or muff pot. they are like small oven bags, to help with clean up, mess, and cooking. one of lynne's girlfriends owns the company that markets them to powersports users. Ski

although i like your enthusiasm, and commitment to the sport... it is hard to get the masses to trailer to sudbury or north bay, in the best economic, health, and snow circumstances. now with the border closed, and the "short cut" through mich to the far north, northwest being blocked, i dont think (but, i could be wrong) you will get many more than the usual diehards coming. and with the same border closed, it will effect the tourism, and traffic to these trails and towns, from lack of travelers from the states. if you are serious about housing... you may have missed that lull in real estate pricing... with lumber and mining making a BIG BOOM, right now... there are fewer and more far between deals, and properties available. dub for example last i heard was expecting to add 4-600 more people to the population, they have approx 18 properties available, and are looking to figure how to expand yet keep the "smallness" of the township. Ski

from FB today https://www.facebook.com/MarathonSnoKickers/ looks like they are linking mani to the D trail again. congrats and thank you, to all involved. Ski for those non fb'ers: After 10 years the town of manitouwadge will be connected with the D trail once again. The marathon sno kickers will add about 50 km of trail to their route. We have a great group in manitouwadge that has got this going and is working to open the trail. As always volunteers and community support is always welcome. Remember buy your pass before the nov 1 increase.

lots of logistics to deal with, inc carbon monoxide, and humidity for drying items. definitely wouldnt do this if, it was forcasted to be much colder than -5, maybe -10c. you will be miserable. also, with drying of gear, and staying with persons of a different household, may be frowned upon. your results may vary. Ski

plc, that was what i was trying to infer. no time, budget or staff for every day sled, atv, patrolling. Ski

for a huge overwhelming wave, that never came. wife is in health care, we know the score. it is SAD!!! Ski

like in ontario, good luck on getting the opp to enforce speeding. there just isnt enough budget, time, or staffing to patrol for sleds, atvs, when the general public needs services. there will be a few "weekend round ups", and check points but, it isnt going to be every day, or every weekend. Ski

and we thought it started early last year. last year we were riding within 4 weeks of today's date. riding, not scraping around. Ski

been in a car dealership, service isle lately? the second you get out of your car, they spray your drivers door, seat, steering wheel and dash with a gun that looks a lot like an old high pressure spray paint gun from the body shop, filled with what i assume is an alcohol based fine mist disinfectant. when they bring it around to return it to you, they do the same thing. everyone is going to have to change their thought process on what they have to do, if they want to sled. you may not be able to use a hotel room just one night, especially in the north. you may not be going in to pay for fuel, or sitting down in a resto or pub, for ANY MEAL or drinks afterward. and to think you could travel, with a group from different households, who you know, but, dont know their health status but, "trust them" as they are friends, or family... that is what is spreading this now, and keeping the media and govt changing out lives daily. Once colds and flu start showing up, and no one can tell the difference again... it will all come to a SCREECHING HALT. Ski

@Chez Gaston, in Dubreuilville, this am. off our security cam. Ski

the F trail as we knew it, when flame lake lodge, and aubrey falls trading post were open, will probably never re-open they way it was routed, the distance between, rest stops, change over, fueling for the groomer and the operators. it was ROUGH TERRAIN, HUGE HILLS, WATER/SWAMPS, ETC... especially farther south near Aubrey falls. then you have the distance thing to work around... the distance between chapleau, then Aubrey Falls trading post was close to 200km ONE WAY. VERY DIFFICULT FOR ONE OPERATOR TO RUN THE WHOLE DISTANCE IN ONE SHOT. And that is just talking about an easy groom, not mentioning the opening up, brushing, signing, repairs needed multiple times a season. too far from the soo, elliot lake, thessalon, to have a large volunteer/worker base to draw from, to be effective. then you have a hand full of people EXPECTED TO DO THIS FOR FREE, WITH LITTLE TO NO HELP, SUPPORT... JUST COMPLAINTS. and there lies the rub... funding for newer equipment, trail repair, maintenance, and volunteer burn out. Ski

looking forward to your reports, adventures, and video's. thanks for doing this Dan! Ski

need more local involvement, by more than a handful of burnt out former volunteers, that remember how it "was". most residents of those communities look at grooming as a great option to make it easier to ride but, most never leave the communities further than 25-40kms to go to fish, hunt, camps, etc... their feelings revolve around seasonal roads, routes, trails that are on crown land that shouldnt cost them anything to utilize. they dont see the need to spend all the time, money, and energy to groom for tourists who may or may not come. could it happen again? sure, will it? is the bigger question. Ski

klim arctic balaclava for cold days, klim glacier balaclava for warmer, or days when we play hard, and are sweating. leatt dual axis knee guards. ever take a cheese grater running board edge to the shin? if so, you'll know why i where knee/shin guards. also, for you fisherman, or trappers... the guards keep you off the snow and ice, and warmer. last but, definitely not least, a set of SENA 20s communicators. WAY BETTER THAN THE COLLETTS, WE REPLACED. Ski

sorry turbo doo left us but, i understand sometimes the forums get to us. hopefully, he returns, recharged. with that said, i think everyone in the sledding community is going to be in for a RUDE AWAKENING, when the season starts. there is no way businesses are going to let us in with wet, frozen, dripping balaclavas, gloves, etc... then let us hang them, or place them on a register to warm/dry out. there are going to be A LOT OF NEW RULES. i am guessing they will start with, you need to leave your contaminated clothing items outside on your sled, to avoid cross contamination. that will be THE START, of the rules. good luck to us all, the virus isnt going away, obviously we cant stop it. Ski

second wave or not, once we get into the colder months, cold and flu season, no one will be able to discern from covid, cold, flu, hay fever, pneumonia, bronchitis, etc... we are not done with the unknown, lock downs, closures, cancellations, etc... Ski

Hope it is a great one buddy! Ski

You are good CC, this was a nice attempt at humour, and a great distraction. for sure Ox... usps mail service is terrible (well, worse than it was, which wasnt stellar), right now. after they restructured the service centers, it really put mail in a tailspin in Michigan. i have watched parcels tracking bounce from detroit, to grand rapids, to lansing, and back. our normal center is lansing but, they dont service the area any longer. they are open and functioning but, all our mail comes from the detroit area centers. CRAZY INEFFICIENT SYSTEM!!! Ski

lets say, i am broker than i was. thanks CC! Ski

thank you Panther, and Pooman. i know i am frustrated, and irksome too. LOL! Ski