tricky

Say what? Yamaha?

The only physical change to the local feeder trails is the removal of the old rail bridge that allowed the trail to come right to the Bon Air west side front lot. L24/L27 (think that is the correct #) comes right up to the back of the Super8. Access the L24 off the C trail around the north side of the city. That C trail has also been re-routed from the route that I recall. Not sure why? Agree with what you say about parking at Bon Air. Was a good sledding hub in the past.

Good question - interesting answer. "A little knowledge is dangerous", they say, and a lot of non-current knowledge is, at best, useless. So, the answer to your question is that getting to the Bon Air and Mikes's restaurant is not as easy as it was 3 or 4 years ago. The old rail bridge over Algonquin Blvd (101) that used to be groomed trail to the motel, has been removed. A snowmobile crossing traffic light (new one on us) has been installed to allow crossing 101 east of the Bon Air. The new groomed trail takes you close to the Bon Air, but dumps you out at the Food Basics parking lot. Bon Air is just over the fence, but we had to use the grocery store parking lot and 10 m. of sidewalk to get into Mike's and Bon Air. The Bon Air no longer advertises or caters to sledders. It was the most expensive and most archaic place we stayed in 4 nights in the north, and Mike's restaurant was closed when we arrived at 7:30 PM on Tuesday. They were open the next morning with great breakfast offerings. There were nostalgic reasons that we decided to use the Bon Air. We have over 30 years of memories of great trips where we stayed there, but they are now off our accommodations list. We also got shutout at Gilli's Truck Stop restaurant in Dymond. We staged out of Econo Lodge and had planned on having a couple of meals at Gilli's, but it was closed Monday afternoon when we arrived, so we ate at Ali's in the Econo Lodge. Ate there again Thursday night, and the meals and beer options were good. As we drove out of the Econo on Friday AM, we noticed the Gilli's was open and busy as usual. No idea what their hours are. After Timmins, we spent the next night at Auberge McDonald in Iroquois Falls which is very easy to get to and is comfortable. We we very fortunate to fit the 3 day/4 night, 1000 km trip in before the big meltdown that started Thursday afternoon as we were heading back via Englehart and Earlton. On the trip we visited Elk Lake, Gowganda Lake, Shining Tree, Mattagami, Timmins, Cochrane, east side of the Abitibi Canyon, Iroquois Falls, and the Kirkland Lake area, all on mostly good to excellent conditions. By far, the Kirkland Lake area was the best groomed and best trails from A108, L101, A110Q to Larder Lake, L109 and back to A108 into Englehart. That is where the very warm temperature was destroying the road trails as we rode them, and we decided to get directly back to Dymond. Many other sledders also ended early, being back at Econo Lodge between 3 and 4 PM. Great way to end the season. From New Liskeard to Hearst, trails were being closed for this weekend " to save the base" from warm temps and rain, with the hope of reopening when it gets colder. There is still plenty of snow in the woods and fields, but the roads and town streets will need a blast of snow to make trail sledding enjoyable again. I don't see that In the forecast, so I am calling quits for this season.

Thanks for the info. Hope we haven't left it too late to find good conditions. That was my plan, but if conditions are poor by Tuesday, I was looking for a quick bailout plan. Do you have any accommodation advice for Liskeard area or Timmins. Used the Econolodge and Bonaire for years, but not recently. I know its March Break and maybe the last decent sledding week, so won't be able to be too fussy where we stay. Since we are talking Monday thru Thursday, I am thinking that we should find something later this afternoon.

Just decided to have a 3 day ride out of New Liskeard, part of which would go from Timmins to Iroquois Falls. Checked the ITG to find that the "A" half of the trail is missing, such that you can't get to the A trail at IF. Does anyone have any info on this closure. Permanent? What are the locals doing?

Bin there, done that. Good feeling to be helping groom the trail until you lose it.

Does this mean that the long road section that SF referred to has been replaced? I can't remember exactly where it was (near Powassan/Trout Creek), but it was the main reason I gave up on the RAP. Used to do it every year for about 10 years.

Yesterday, my daughter and I ran from her house in Erin to Arthur for lunch and back. Except for the bit of road trail on trail 124 into Belwood, and the fact that there is no trail through Belwood, the conditions were good to very good, even though the snow was blown down to the snirt in some open high fields. 124 from Hillsburgh comes to an abrupt end at the bridge over Belwood Lake on CR 26. I didn't like the lack of snow on the bridge shoulders so I went back 200 or so meters on the road trail and dropped down onto the lake on a route that locals had been taking. I was hoping that I would find a well defined sled path west to the dam, but there was no such thing. Everyone had just been going under the bridge and then up into the village at two different places. The first path off the ice is a dead end created by a locked steel gate and large stones. Second path off the lake popped out on a street leading through the church property and eventually to the the ball park trail. The third option off the lake was the good one that went almost directly to the baseball park. I am sure that I could have found my way the length of the lake, but I knew that the trail north out of the village to B109 was in very good shape, so that was the route we took. Bottom line is that I have no idea about access to the lake at the west end, despite sledding in the area 3 consecutive weeks. It is a shame that the conservation area (I am assuming) wont grant permission for a formal trail across Belwood Lake. As things are now, there are well intentioned sledders traveling on private parking lots, driveways and narrow village streets. Unless you really zoom in on the ITG, you don't know that there isn't a continuous trail though Belwood. Local residents and sledders are both poorly served by the current situation. Other than that, the trails to Arthur and back held up very well and lunch at Chuck's Roadhouse (Hwy 6 and 109 intersection) was quick and tasty. Finally made it home on a Friday night for a normal supper time.

When were your trails last good at Christmas? 🤪

What carbide set up did you use on your wife's sled?

Looking forward to your impressions on the Bergstroms. Will you be putting at least some time on the stock carbides for comparison?

If not exactly the same, the 900 is very similar - no room to get a proper grip on the cap.

Anxious to see an answer to your question. Was also thinking of a trip by there.

Thanks SF, for causing me to go looking for the coolant reservoir on my 900 ace n/a. No wonder that I didn't recall ever seeing it. Its hidden under there fairly well and I am down to the low level line. I will have to make up some contraption to add some fluid.

Don't be a quitter now! This is shaping up to be the best season in 10 years. Because of the snow, it was/is a good time to sell a sled (as you discovered), but it is great time to buy a new or nearly new sled. Tell us that is what you are really doing.