Ox

It looks like Wawa got an inch'r two. A cpl plows went up 17 as I posted this, so there must be something out there. Doesn't look like much tho.

Well, I'm putt'n on the winter treads, so we should be OK either way. Also, cooler as you go east. Wawa and Soo's only calling for rain. .

I'm counting on it being gone by Sat morning. There's 3" on the ground near Halfway. And Chap is calling for 3-5" yet. .

Yeah, I have some mags from back-in-the-day to burn too.

I'm part way through that issue. Not seen this yet. But noticing the "Page 90-93 of Aug 1993 issue" makes me think that the mags were a bit thicker back then? I will try to remember to look'n see how many pics are in this issue tonight. My chum had the XLT's, but I recall one guy having an early Storm like that back then, and he jumped it back in a gravel or sand pit I think. Came down totally flat on hard-pack (3 point landing?) and it made such terrible noises! He rode away, so I guess it was OK, but I was glad it wasn't my sled. .

These two would be for me and my boy. My current main sledding chum will likely follow us up once this year. And my old main sledding chum and his boy are in process of fetchin' their passports as they are chomping at the bit to head back out towards Halfway. My chum hasn't been up since '08 I don't think, and his boy - never. But they live in Munising, Mich, so not like they haven't been riding. All of those will likely just buy weekend passes if/when the time comes. If we think that we may be on many trails anyhow... .

I've never used a surge brake equipped trailer, but the concept of how they work just doesn't leave me feeling warm/fuzzy aboot using them on icey roads at all.

I plan to fetch a pair of tags. .

I would ass_u_me that it is a sheet of UHMW. "Ultra High Molecular Weight" This is the same stuff that your skis and sliders are typically made of. It has a very high resistance to abrasion. .

When I first checked as well, it seemed the flights were to Cochrane, but later I realized that they were listing as ending in Timmins. Overall there are a LOT of folks renting "out west". Many of the lodges in the Rockies rent sleds. Spring 21 we were at Albany Lodge near Laramie, WY. They had on order of around 80 Polaris sleds there. My chum actually picked up a Kitty that had originated there. (Unkowingly) My mom stayed at Togwatee Lodge between Dubois and Jackson Hole, WY a month or so ago, and I think that she said that they had at least 100 there. These 1 yr old sleds with typically 5000 miles on them (in the mountians!) end up at auction houses near you. They show up at White Star* Auctions near me in Bronson, Mich. These are going to be 153 to 165" sleds, not trail sleds So, I would have to think that there are places out there that rent a lot of "trail" sleds? * They are not just into overseas shipping anymore. .

I didn't find any flights in the current timeline either. I didn't check July. What would be different between the [summer] Holidays to make it worthwhile then? .

So, by all evidence that we can find, there are no commercial flights out of Cochran. So, you have a private plane as well? .

All that pops up on Search is flights to Timmins. ??? .

I know that there was talk a cpl years back of possibly dropping them, doo they still have the 2 or 3 day passes yet? I have chums that would likely only come one weekend, and we are off trail most all the time. .

In the Monkey Barrel?

My chum had to tow my Pol the last 1000' up Mt. Antero with his Cat. Scramblers don't have a low gear... The air gits thin @ 14,000', and I couldn't find a "high altitude" clutch kit for it, so I ground the weights (?) down as much as I could. (weekend after Katrina)

Normally, Halfway has not been as seasonal as you think. Steve and Dennis started it expecting to only run it in the winter, and sell gas as that trail started out to be prox 180 miles long, and in '99 most sleds got 10 mpg. But these days the trail length has benn shortened up a bit and sleds git noteably better milage, and so many only fetch a few gallons, and so they lost a big chunk of their income revenue. After a few years they started staying there full time, and catered to the atv crowd. They can live there MUCH cheaper then as they can git away with running the generator only a cpl hrs or less per day. They had a pontoon boat on an adjacent lake that folks could take out fishing too. Then they started dooing bear hunts. Maybe a few guys during moose season. And they would take in loggers during the weekdays for a reduced rate. And of course Steve trapped (traps) the 3 adjacent townships. Even had the tree planter kids camped out in the yard sometimes. By 2001 or so Halfway was open for business for most all year except spring break-up, untill 2010 when The Great Recession took it's toll. I have only been there once so far since the Bonne's sold it, so I really have no clue how hard the new folks try to make it work? How in touch they are with the bush around them, or even how much oportunity there is anymore? I did question what they (new owners) were dooing when they shut it down a few summers ago to doo renovations, when the summer weekend crowd would help to put some loonies in the tank. ??? But to make it sound like it has been unreliable since it was opened is just wrong. And with all that said, I would think that they should have closed it up as soon as Wuhan Flue closed the border. The cost of just being there in the winter is just staggering, and there is just no way that they weren't flushing loonies down the drain for the last 2 years. Hopefully they will git the border truley open this year and that they can have a chance again. ---------------- Think Snow Eh! Ox

1998? There was no Halfway Haven for the '98 season. My group was the first through ever and that was Dec 27 (?) '98. And there was no issue with it [not] being open until around 2010, after 2 full seasons of no Yanks with pockets full of cash coming up anymore. However - it really shouldn't have been a hardship for many - since the traffic had been nill already. I am not going to contest the rest of your schpeal, but the subject doesn't need exaggerated. .

Bear in the kitchen again? I wonder where he came in through? Years ago they had one come right through the kitchen wall. (prolly had a hood vent in that area?) When he had it all back together, Steve took a large 2 man cross-cut saw and flipped it upside down right near the winder on that wall. If a bear git's pawing around there, he will be self invited to leave that wall alone.... .

If it's of any consolation, apparently they have just recently started working the new site for the new Intel chip factory down near Columbus. So, in 3 years or so, maybe they can start stomping out chips in North America again? My daughter is loving this too, as the site is 6 miles from her house. A house that they have been intending to sell next year anyhow, and move back up here as their oldest will be starting skewl next fall. Their property value has already increased 65% she said, and what they have is just shy of a McMansion at that, so they will have a fair chunk of their new house paid for when they sell that one! That girl is a worker, and a penny pincher. Believe me - she squeeks! But it doesn't hurt to be lucky too eh? .

Well, the DESS thing is a chip issue isn't it?

I'm guessin' that there is more to that strap than jist a chunk of rubber. (???) Prolly copper lined? Well, I was searching for a pic of a '68 Caprice or equiv with curb feelers AND a grounding strap, but this was as good as I was finding. We could have really used one of these on our '96 'Burban! Self Serve is aboot the only reason that we didn't blow up any gas stations. As soon as you got out you got a good poke, so it was safe after that.

30 times over the last 10 years? Oh well, I drove a Chevy truck with the gas tank outside the frame-rails too. (nail biter!) Forget the trucks prior to that that had the tank in the cab.... "I want to climb that chute! But not until I git my gas tank fixed. Safety first eh?" Not gunna be here forever, may as well go out with a bang! .

I wouldn't want this in southern Ontario or the Northern Corridor by any means, but if you want to ride in the bush, then for sure! You wunna go up to Algoma and ride with Dan Kachur for the day, bring this thing! By the sounds of it, this may very well have a much larger range than a snowbike, per fuel on board / used. One drawback is that you wouldn't have much/any stowage, and I'm not young enough to be part of that back-pack crowd, but that's likely what you would have to doo for this unit.