Ox

It snowed for prolly 4-5 hours here yesterdee. Didn't stack up here, but my chum on the other side of the Indiana line said that the ground was white over there.

Wait - that WAS done this year - wasn't it? I'm sure I seen a post here, or maybe even a writ aboot that in a sledding mag maybe, or ????? I think that it is the link from Mani to Hornepayne that is still not opened yet? The west end of that goes through some nice hilly terrain, and then dumps you out on (next to) Industrial (?) Road on the Hornepayne side, and then seems to flatten right out all of a sudden. Not rode that section in decades. I don't like to ride the flats...

Yeah, I guess I should have included the owners of the subject as well. That would have been the year recently (not this last year) that had a really late start doo to cold I think? Where he spent basically the whole month of Jan at The Bristol?

Strange... I wonder if they knew that he was gone via posts on F/B? Still, IDK what value would be to be there, as opposed to down by Linus/Pee Wee - where we have camped sometimes. Funny how 3 of us here are all in about a 50 mile circle from each other.

Squatters? Like moose and bear? Steve [and Billie] had an issue with one large bear that eventually squatted right through the kitchen wall. He was hanging on the wall soon there after, and a large cross-cut saw was hung on the outside wall - upside down after that.

I doo agree that is likely the case, but others have used the term "can't", and that simply is not the case. I rode that trail for 3 years before Halfway was there. Purty sure that it was Dec '99 when they opened originally, and I was of the first group/night of customers. (Should have been there the night before, but we slept in the bush that night) It was a groomed trail when we started riding it in March 97. (although it was under 18" of fresh snow from the day before - but it had been groomed anyhow) I just ass _u_me that the groomers had a lot of jerry cans on board and slept in the groomers. This trail is NOTHING like it was back then either! It is mostly on new logging road now, and is several miles shorter on the south end than it was originally, as we used to have to run Ranger North all the way to where it crossed the hydro - at the sand pit, but now you can cut a few miles off with a new cut line put in many years ago. ... but then you doo need to add a few back on I guess since they haven't used Point Lake Rd in a coons age - in favor of the faster [easier] Ranger North... It was "TOP D" trail at that time, but was also running under "Wilderness Trail" designation - just like the trail up the back side of Wakamata Lake. (Doo they still use the "TOP" nomenclature anymore?) This is the mid to late 90's, back when a snowmachine couldn't make it more than 100 miles on a tank - even on groomed trails. Now-days the new roads and bridges have completely erased the old Toll Creek crossing, and oodles of other remoteness. I love the fact that at least the 15-20 klicks from Bauparlante Road to Cross-over Rd is still Old Skewl. (where y'all bugger off the hydro line at the warm-up shack, and then ride right past another warm-up shack @ 50mph on Cross-over that you don't even know is there) Now - I doo understand that this aint the 90's anymore as per liabilities as well. AND - as has been said - you could EAT GAS NOW* in Searchmont back then, but this really isn't an issue for Yanks IM/HO. Even when Searchmont was open - anyone that I knew always unloaded in Searchmont anyhow, and didn't need gas or food there. Even AC/YA staged there ..... Also note that the trail out to Pineal Lake / Chapleau wasn't opened up until some time during or after The Crash, and after the mill @ Pineal Lake closed - which then opened up the road(s) over there for skidoos. That was NOT part of the early days / original plan. My chum and me scouted that route for possible trail (other than the road) back around 2004 or 5 prolly? (I have pics, so I can date it) I really miss the old trail through the bush, but "Progress has taken it's Toll". ** * C W McCall ref ** John Anderson ref Here is a pic of old skewl Toll Creek with the beaver dam on the one side. It was almost always running water there. Pic taken a year before Halfway .

I have no idea how this would have NOT happened after this season. It would have been bad enough if they just left it closed up all winter, but then they went in to doo _ due diligence on keeping the trail open, even tho the border is closed. You take Yanks out of D north, and y'aint got much. Then doo the provincial wide shut down, and no snow, and .... Not quite understanding the donation thing? Not a go fund me? .

Not sure if the weight of the snow will harm the 15" tall wheat or not? So far it looks like it will be OK. Lot of corn in the ground around me tho, and some of it's been there for a while already. 25* tonight won't doo it well. Today's variety's are awfully forgiving compared to what I played with 40 yrs ago, but I expect to see some replanting going on in a cpl weeks. Some beans in the ground too. No clue what to expect with those. But after it quit melting on impact, we totaled up as much as 5". I've never seen the like. Snow flurries in April - sure, but not more than an 1" accumulation at most before. This dang Global Whining has got to stop! Did you'uns get anything on your side of the river?

IF it was real cold: IF we decided to go riding anyhow: IF we were riding the Zx's: Then - yes, we would likely rummage around to find some windshields. We take them off for hwy travel anyhow. BUT! A) I typically ride smarter, not harder these days. I have my -40* badge/T-shirt already, and my boy already has permanent frost damage to his cheek from -30*, so no real value in still riding in the bitter cold anymore. C) We don't ride fast. We are mostly off-trail'ers. We can and have gotten stuck on trail at times, but we pull over and let y'all around. D) I don't even have a windshield for my G4. I have thought aboot maybe seein' what it would take to put a shorter one on it for cold weekends, but really isn't an issue...

We seldom use the windshields on our Zx's anymore, and my G4 doesn't even have one (Summit), but back-in-the-day we used to just keep adding them on to the 'shield. The longer you went w/o blowing up the windshield, the more years worth of tags that you had built up on it. Then, when it dies, you can hang it up on the wall in the garage eh?

I was in Culvers in Cheyenne, Wyoming on Saturday afternoon. No masks. Full ketchup bottles. And in wheels a fella in a Razor. His whole family jumps out and comes in for dinner. He said that it was legal anywhere in the state - except the freeway. I noted that he had pick-up tarrs on it. I cannot imagine paying for knobbies and then running the roadways! .

I know that you are highly safety conscious - or at least you like to think so... You will have your helmet and your chest protector on, and then go out and buy a new KTM, hop up the motor, intend to get in a race with hundreds (?) of other people on the same course at the same time. That is obviously "reasonably safe" in your mind. But if I want to take my ATV and cruise through the bush with maybe 1 or 2 other people, not racing, but rather enjoying the natural beauty of the Algoma bush, you are going to say that I should have all that gear on too. "Well of course, be safe aboot it eh?" But if it takes all that to be "safe" in what I doo, how is it even remotely safe for you to doo the other at all? Who is more at risk? So, you jump on your Rice. You have your helmet on, IDK aboot your chest protector here(?), but I'm sure that you will be sporting your Power Ranger suite on (in place of your sledding jammies?) and then not only intentionally run the Tail of the Dragon, but you will intend to doo it as fast as you can reasonably make it through. While if I happen accrost the same stretch of road in my dually crew cab, I need to have my seat belt on? And then once I was told by a fella with a screen name of Need For Speed, that I need to wear my seat belt. "Oh really... ?" Eric, I am not here to tell you not to play like you want, but don't preach safety, let alone legislate it. .

I saw that when it came out on the Yukon page a few years ago, but I don't recall the canoe in tow thing? I wonder if that was edited in since then? This is aboot all I have to say aboot pancakes:

A) I cannot imagine sledding w/o a bucket, but only for the porpoise of staying warm and dry, and maybe keeping the wind out. However - I doo ride with one fella that wears a bomber hood and goggles in stead of a bucket. (off trailer rider) B ) I despise any law that is there specifically for my own safety. You worry aboot you, I'll worry aboot me. I'm a big boy now... C) In the name of the health care cost argument - I can counter that easily. So, let's say that Billy gits into a jackpot. C1) Billy will be off werk for a few weeks, but is expected to make a reasonably full recovery. He will now retire and suck off the tit of other workers and the system (that he paid into while he was working) for the rest of his life. C2) He is all messed up. He will likely be on disability for the rest of his life, but he will live - b/c he had his brain bucket on. Billy will now be a drain on society for the rest of his life. C3) Billy is a veggy, and will be for the rest of his days, however long that may be. He will be a drain on the system for the duration. He will be a financial drain on The System and his family. He will be a source of angst for his family for the duration. But lucky for Billy, he had his bucket on, and he would have simply been pushing up daisies sooner than later. C4) Billy got into a pickle, he did not have much safety equipment on, he died on the spot. 3 days later he is pushing up daisies, and life for the rest of the world goes on and recovers. Billy is not a drain on the system at all. The System actually saved a BUNCH of $ b/c he paid into it for the time that he was working, and will now not be drawing off of in his retirement years, saving The System a SCHIDT POT full of Loonies in the end! Billy was out taching out his rice rocket and missed the turn, and pile drove into something a wee bit harder than feathers, but at least he was safe aboot it - he had his bucket on - per the law.... .

I don't normally pony up for all that fancy schtuff. In this case - I just use 2" rattshit straps. You'll rip an A-arm off before you rip the strap.

Well, if they are limiting builds this year, then the used market is likely to stay strong.

Again - you laugh, but I ride with an old fella [in the mountains, gotta be aboot 80 by now] that has not had a seat on his sled in the 20 years that I have known him. We met up with the Ski-Doo spring test ride promo @ Grand Mesa, Col once - maybe a six - eight years ago now, and the first thing that he did was take the seat off and toss it in the snowbank. (OK, well maybe not toss in snowbank, but it makes a good story better eh?) The Doo tech was like .... "What the heck? You don't want the seat on it?" "Naw, Bill doesn't need no stinkin' seat! Just a waste of weight!" LOL!

... just ... sorta .... fell off?

I snow checked an '02 Summit 8 151 from Dan Guay in Deubrilville. I rather doubt that I got one that he was already going to be getting. Purty sure that he "ordered" it. I'm guessing it is more of a pressure sales pitch. Has anyone been told on the last day of Snowcheck that they could not take their order b/c it was sold out? Other than possibly the case of a limited build...

I can't say that.... 25 yrs ago in Da' U P eh we were up on Friday Dec 15th. Had no clue that it was actually opening day. Trails were fresh glass and no-one else out there. Except one lone rider on a corner. WE were over. Not sure aboot him? Me and my chum both stuffed it in the bush and he kept rolling. There was no reason for him to stop. We were fine and at fault. He was THE ONLY sled we saw ALL DAY! Sleds were a lot slower back then.

If the previous guys are in control enough to give the count down - it is nice to know if there is more coming. We had one group that said that there was still one or two more, and they didn't come, and they didn't come. We got so that we almost stopped on the corners - knowing full well that they were gunna have a full head-o steam trying to play catch up. When they finally got there - they were OK, but I wouldn't count on that being the case the next time.

My man Lenny Brisko!

All this talk aboot the new Mach Zed, but I don't think that anyone has mentioned the new Lynx? I know that most of y'all are more aboot fast trails than boondocking, but Shirley there's a boondocker on here - somewhere.... Other than SDB, as he rides those green things.... Not a week or so ago I was reading in Snowtech why you won't see a Lynx model sold west of the Atlantic. Then my chum texts me aboot maybe buying a Lynx. What? I can see him buying a Lynx to have for heading North. (Algoma) He likes to have the new tech. We picked up a factory demo sled from Fast in Eveluth, Minnisnowta once back around 2003? A mountain sled called the "Blade". Has an 800 Poo in it. No chaincase? Or running backwards? .. something odd aboot it anyway... He said that he just sold his 600 Summit that he kept around for going north, so maybe? Or he will bring an 800 165 Summit that he keeps in Colorado - like a 2015 maybe? That last I knew was almost through "break-in" (He found 174 soon after, and has ridden that exclusively since) and bring it back home for North, and buy a Turbo for out there. He just found out that they have been selling OEM turbo's. LOL! He hasn't bought a new sled in maybe 5 years or so. Has to be an all time record for him! Same guy showed up at my shop one day - aboot 15 yrs ago, and says "I'm thinking aboot buying sumpthing". But he wasn't sure, new bike? (he did buy an ATK) Sled? ATV? He wasn't sure what, but wanted to buy a new toy of some flavour.... First world problems I guess eh? Fast Blade in the rear. I think that he still has it? .

"New Sleds Faster" Nothing new here.... I remember when I got my '96 Grand Touring 580. Coming off of a '75 Deere and '80 Yammi I was ditch banging to fast, and I ended up in a tree. My chum told me that I needed to slow down, that I was going way faster than normal with this new sled. New bumper and some fancy work on the hood, and I was back in business. I don't know if it is really a "faster" thing tho. I think that it mostly boils down to handling and ride comfort. We already have a preconceived feel for safe speed. It's like every time that my wife gits a newer, better handling, and quieter 'Burban. It's just that easier to git a ticket. I like to hear my tires and/or motor, just enough to have an audible notion of speed. Well, on a snowmachine, you get a new machine that is tight and quiet, able to run fast with no motor revs, and soaks up the moguls 100x better than that old leaf sprung / bogie wheeled machine, or maybe your last machine wasn't quite THAT old? None-the-less, it takes a while for a new rider, or even an old rider on a much newer machine - to get the new "safe speed" feel. At least that's my experience. When we git stuck on the trail to git from point A to point B sometimes, I am absolutely amazed at how fast others can ride on these newer machines. Obviously that wide 129 is going to corner a whole lot better than my narrow 165! So that is what I am used to. We let these groups around as soon as we see them back there, and for the next 50 klicks, I'd like to have those sleds!

I'm not an authority on the Freerides, but I think: A) They have a shorter tunnel now'days? Meaning that the 165 will have a 151 tunnel and no snow flap. It will overheat on the packed trail, but if you are jumping/dropping these, if you come down on the back end, you are less likely to damage the tunnel. Also - snowflaps are a big drag in deep snow, and especially if you think that you want [try] to back up in deep snow. I will bungie my flap up when I want to back up. B] I believe that these have stiffer suspensions - as they are designed for those clowns that like to jump off cliffs, cornices, and build ramps. C) They may have a shorter running board, but I'm not sure. When you are trenching in 4' deep, floating on the boards is a problem. .