02Sled

That's what has kept me from getting an ATV. Went out with a friend on a couple of club rides... get into the trees and it's like ringing the dinner bell. Here I am come and get me.

depends on where you want to ride... the ATV's aren't legal on the snowmobile trails... especially those on private property. Yes municipally owned property is privately owned.

Reality is the OPP budget does include patrolling our trails but not adequately enough. There are also other demands on their time. Paid duty is about $75 / hr and no that is not what the officer gets. This is essentially over time for them as well. Check with your HR department what your fully burdened costs are. All the associated background expenses add up. For an 8 hr. day that's $600. Something tells me that the OFSC would have covered that expense very quickly. At $270 per permit during the season if 3 permits were sold that the OFSC wouldn't have sold that puts them ahead by $210 at the end of the day. Something tells me that if the club identified the "hot spots" then there would be a very positive cash flow. Catching 3 a day should be like shooting fish in a barrel. Then as word spreads the spinoff of people that buy permits because they heard about the increased presence.

Whether on duty or off they are officers of the court and theoretically "on duty" at all times. Also this is in essence just over time for them since the organization pays the OPP and the OPP then pay the individual officer. If you look it up there are rates for the officer's time and other items such as a cruiser.

I have also heard of a Muskoka ATV club that had challenges of riders not having permits. They hired off duty OPP for paid duty and had them out checking for permits and issuing tickets. Word apparently got out quite quickly and the number of permits sold sky rocketed and more than covered the cost of the paid duty OPP. Perhaps that is something the OFSC should look at. The clubs would know the best spots to set up permit checks and I bet it wouldn't take long until the expense is recovered multiple times over. Especially if they got checked for license insurance while at it.

I specifically asked about that and was told I am covered. It is legal to ride on the ice. The only scenario they told me that I would not be covered is if I was riding somewhere I was not allowed to. Such things as trespassing or on roads where snowmobiles are not legally allowed. i.e. If I decided to ride up the side of hwy 400 I would be out of luck

That's not what they told me.... I am covered essentially anywhere it is legal to ride a snowmobile. If a municipality allows a sled on the road I am covered. If I am breaking the law then I am not. Pretty much the same as if you drive your car / truck on a road that has been closed by the police then no coverage.

Yeah... you really need to know where you're going to make that trip. Way too many places where you can go from very thick to very thin ice very quickly. The old timers tell me that is what drove the construction of the McDonald bridge on C trail. It was a way to get north and stay off the ice of the bay.

We had lunch out on the trails. Kearney was where we had lunch one day if I recall correctly. If you can check into the trail access on and off the lake in advance it would be helpful since signage from the resort was non existent other than follow the road trail.

We have on the family day weekend once when we couldn't get into Deerhurst. It was good but not as good as Deerhurst. The dining room was overrun with kids since it was family day weekend. Instead we went to Three Guys and a Stove for dinner. The room was nice. They use the tennis court as a fenced compound for sled parking at the bottom of the hill in front of the resort. Make sure you have the sled keys when you head down to go for a ride. Don't ask how I know. The parking lot at the bottom of the hill is where they park the trucks and trailers instead of the one near the front entrance. It was a quick run across the lake to get to the trails. The people on the front desk didn't know anything about the route to the trails. Crossing the lake allowed us to avoid road rash through the resort area. They were in good condition that weekend. Gas is available at Deerhurst. You ring a door bell and a guy comes out.

Yeah the trailer was about 4 or 5 years ago and the breakin about 10. Also had a comprehensive claim on my truck 3 years ago and the service was great.

I guess it depends on the nature of the claim. I had my trailer replaced and the premiums didn't change. My experience has been the total opposite. They even waived my deductible on the sled trailer mentioned above. We were broken into at home once and they were at our home the next day. They cut me a cheque for $5000.00 on the spot and told me to keep receipts and if I was getting close to running out with more to replace call them and they would deliver another cheque. I've had nothing but great service from them over the years.

The key part seems to be that it be on the left side and relatively high up. Ours are in the top right corner of the left side panel just before the side panel starts to curl inward. The objective being that it be clearly visible to police as you approach. Same thing with the trail permit. Clearly visible. The best spot for it is bottom centre of the windshield. If either aren't clearly visible rather than just slowing down and being waved on you have to stop and point out the location to the officer. If they already have you stopped you may also be asked for ownership, license and insurance.

Factory Rec in Midland can supply numbers. I believe they do them in house.

Ours for liability and comprehensive with TD are $294.32 each per year plus HST.

How about real cold start to get frost in the ground then warm up enough to get some big snow accumulations... that sounds ideal to me.

will this be another like last year? The ice breaker couldn't get into Midland last spring because the ice was too thick - 20 ft. ice ridges

don't give up on Sprucedale yet... new owner may see it operating properly and profitably

Yup... things like that will reflect on all of us.

Or go for a better opportunity, more responsibility money and prestige.

He's a skilled and talented individual. I didn't think he would last long in such a small organization.

I'm always willing to give new owners a try. Hopefully they will be more successful. Even if things aren't ideal on the first time with the new owners I will usually come back one more time chalking it up to a learning curve.

They did compensate me... they gave me a refund to my credit card. No problem. They couldn't send me a replacement without me reordering. It was just an illustration that even Amazon has delivery hiccups through their delivery service provider which in this case was Canada Post.

I suggested a possibility only. I would be surprised if Quebec has a totally flawless fulfillment and delivery system. Nobody and no system is perfect. Just take a look at Canada Post and all the courier companies. They all have departments for lost items/deliveries. Heck it made the news where a courier lost the ashes of a girls cremated horse and said they are unable to find them. Things go missing in the best of situations.

They can all be broken or broken into or cut off like you said. My objective is that with the multiple locks and parking in a high visibility situation where thieves can be seen and heard they will hopefully look for a lower risk and less effort option. Beyond that I have done my due diligence and have insurance. One other aspect many overlook is that the coupler can be unbolted and replaced. Two nuts and bolts.