grover_yyz

They were trying to sell for years. Very nice old couple. Hope their retirement goes well. Jerry

I love, love, love my Collette Communicator. Too bad they shut down operation last year. I hoped someone would buy the company and keep the product going. Full day Lithium battery life, bluetooth to my phone, stereo sound, receive phone calls. No mic freeze. Also groomer beacon warning (not many groomers are using the feature though due to fleet upgrades recently) Jerry

This sucks big time!

There is a Facebook group Ontario Realtime Sledding Info. Closed group and it provides fairly recent info regarding trails from actual riders who rode the trail. No BS tolerated.

Just read on the 705 Facebook page someone stealing gas caps from sleds in Mattawa. More stuff to be concerned about. I waiting until this lockdown is over before riding on an overnight trip.

This appeared on the Rice Lake Snow Drifter Facebook page today Jan 3rd 2021. We have been asked by Hiawatha First Nation businesses, more specifically the Old Railroad Stop & Restaurant to kindly respect the additional measures that Hiawatha First Nation has put in place in addition to the recent lockdown issued by the province. As of Sunday, December 26th, The Old Railroad Stop & Restaurant is now only open to Hiawatha citizens and will be closed to the public until at least the end of the lockdown period which is January 23rd 2021. This includes the closure of their smoke shops & all other businesses on Hiawatha First Nation. If you come to any of these businesses service will be refused. Hiawatha First Nation has gladly served snowmobilers for many years but the circumstances we find ourselves in are beyond their control. PLEASE RESPECT THEIR REQUEST AND FIND AN ALTERNATE LOCATION FOR GAS AND FOOD. This section of the Hiawatha trail will remain gated and closed. No grooming operations will take place. Please refer to the Interactive Trail Guide for trails that are open for snowmobilers. We appreciate your cooperation in this matter.

Good suggestion.. We have done this trip many times both directions from Wilberforce in four days at a leisurely pace. We have stayed at Ashgrove Inn in Barrys Bay or Mountain View motel. Dinner at the Wilno Tavern. Bears Den in Deep River, different places in North Bay and Edgewater in Kearney. Many places to eat and fuel up. Some restaurants we have come across are closed on Mondays. Jerry

I could see someone dumping the trailer on the reserve to pass blame on the Natives. Its a possibility. There must be a field somewhere full of stolen trailers and equipment. Only a mater of time before this crew is caught. Jerry

This is sad news. If its not the EOTA its the various county's. There are a lot of people who just hate sleds and ATV's. I thank you and your club for all the hard work bending over backwards to keep these trails open. The damages to trails is probably high on their list of issues and sledders are not the problem. Keep up the fight and I'll send my comments to the County. jerry

Most trails are excellent in Haliburton. I would be cautious riding the #4 trail in Minden area as there is a lot of road riding and if conditions are not that great you will be wearing out your carbides in a hurry. I always enjoy riding the #9 trail out of Donald once there is enough snow. Very twisty and challenging trail. Mid Feb is usually the best time to ride the trails in Haliburton. Jerry

I like windy.com for my weather info. Here is a snow depth screen shot.

That's great news. So sad these negotiations go on and on.

One of my concerns about riding this season is that Hiawatha is doing now to control the spread of Covid-19. Hopefully once the snow is on the ground they will ease the restrictions. Every season I do a day loop ride which goes through the Hiawatha area to Campbellford and back. Other areas may introduce similar restrictions. Jerry Hiawatha to stop visitors from COVID-19 hot spots from visiting businesses Area First Nations communities continue efforts to keep their communities safe Angela Lavallee Peterborough This Week Thursday, November 19, 2020 Hiawatha First Nation is banning people from COVID-19 hot spots from visiting businesses in the community. At a Peterborough Public Health media conference on Nov. 18, Hiawatha Chief Laurie Carr said there are restrictions in place in the community to not allow those from hot spots in the province, such as Toronto, Peel, York Region and Ottawa, to enter the First Nation. According to the mandate listed on Hiawatha’s website on COVID-19, the First Nation is taking the pandemic seriously as well as the health of all its citizens, especially those most vulnerable. First Nations are at greater risk of becoming ill from COVID-19 due to higher incidents of diabetes, heart disease and cancers.

Just kidding,... but see if the town councilor has something to do with it. He wreaked some of the quads in the past and denied any wrong doing. Jerry

Barry's Bay occasionally opens early as well. Nice and close to Cobourg area and one of my favourite areas to ride. Jerry

I was on the EOTA site https://www.thetrail.ca/ and I was curious about the repair of a couple of bridges on the E208. Looks like they completed it along with a lot of other trail upgrades and repairs where some become sled trails in the winter. Thanks EOTA for your dedication to the trails. Jerry

My permit arrived number:

There will always be pizza available. Pizza joints never shut down, they always deliver, its great to eat cold. Good breakfast food as well. Jerry

Peterborough show will probably also be cancelled. I know it gets very crowded and i will not take a chance. Maybe they do an entire outdoor show. That would be a fridged blast!

Thanks for the advice. We have not traveled that way for a few years now. We always look for lots of tracks when we do. The last trip we stayed at Edgewater resort. I don't remember how they got there as my sled crapped out 57km into our trip.

Ah, Lake of Bays, what a confusing lake to navigate. We use to go from Dorset to the Tally Ho outside of Huntsville many years ago and always had issues on which way to go. GPS now makes the route much easier. We don't go to Tally Ho anymore and go to the Comfort Inn in town.

Did the RAP last year, counter clockwise. We seem to do the RAP every other year and reverse our direction. Our accommodations are usually in Barry's Bay, Deep River, North Bay and Dwight. We start and end in Wilberforce. We take our time on our trip. Jerry

Sorry, Dwight not Dorset, thanks for the correction

Spring lake lodge in Dorset is a very nice motel with restaurant and has a very large parking lot. I am sure they would allow additional overnight parking with a nights stay.

I also think a major concern is this second wave that may or may not come. The wave could come at the start of sled season which could shut down restaurants and other gathering places again. Jerry