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2009/10 Club News
Edition
# 2 2010
By R.D.Smith AKA "Smitty"
We finally got off to a slow start in January, with
little snow to form a base. While those up around
Mactier were ear lobe deep in snow, we barely had 4"
of hard pack. But, we did have a lot of frost in the
ground. This along with the swamps freezing, enabled
us to get out and pack things down pretty well.
Then along came January 25th. The rains came down
and forced us to shut down all of our trails until
we could get out there and give them a go over. It
all is sort of heart breaking because all the crews
that we had working on the trails worked very hard
at setting everything up. Only to sit with your nose
pressed against the window hoping that it would soon
snow. However, on Jan 27, along came our old friend
LES, [lake effect snow] and several squalls came
though the area. By the time it had ended, we had
10' of snow on the ground. The Baxter Snow Riders
were back in business! The trails were open. Even
though at the beginning we didn't have that much
snow, crews continued to help keep the trails
passable. The pictures below taken Jan 16, show some
of the gang brushing back a section that was a pain
for the groomer operator last year.
The
small alder trees had grown to about 20' high. When
we got heavy snowfalls, they would bend from the
weight of the snow and the groomer was continually
being smacked with the low hanging branches. He
couldn't see where he was going and it was banging
the mirrors and windows pretty good. So as you can
see, we are always doing something to keep things
rolling along.
So as I've said many times before, all it
takes is a couple hours of your time to come
out and give a little back to this great
pastime. In fact, one of the guys pictured
above is named Eric Ashfield. Here's a guy
that volunteers his time for the club, and he
doesn't even own a snowmobile! Hardly ever
comes up in the winter. But here he is,
volunteering his time to help the cause. Thank
you Eric.
Supporters
We have also added some new supporters to
our website. One is Tea Lake Cottages, located
just off Trail B105 beside Big Chute Marina
Phone # 705-756-4813. Another is Team
Powersports in Waubaushene, Arctic Cat Dealer
and Service. 705-538-2222. Plus on board are 2
radio stations. The Dock 104.1 in Midland.
KICX 105.9, also in Midland. And H&S Amco,
formerly H&S Shell in Port Severn.
Thank you
to all our sponsors and supporters.
Annual Cookout
Hopefully, everybody will get this issue of
the magazine before our cookout. It is
scheduled for release the week prior. It will
be held at Village Marina on Trails 16 and 19
in Honey Harbour on Sat Feb 27 from 11-3 pm.
Alternate date of March 6th. BBQ, Hot Drinks,
Bonfire, and some pretty decent raffle prizes
donated by some of our great sponsors. Listen
for announcements on 104.1 The Dock and KICX
106. Or check out our website and join the
public forum
www.baxtersnowriders.com
Volunteer of the year award
Every year we honor some of our volunteers for
their tireless and valuable time that they
have donated to the club. This year's winners
of the award are pictured below. Yeah, I know,
they ain't much to look at, but without them,
many things could not happen. Congratulations
and a big thanks to Ken Turner on the left,
and Bill Pettit on the right
So, that's it for
now. Hopefully we can get some riding in
before spring. Maybe I can have some photos of
our new yet-to-be-built clubhouse. That is
something we desperately need now and maybe,
just maybe, this is the year that it's going
to happen.
A Personal Thank You
On a personal note: Those who know me
know that I have been having a great deal of
difficulty getting around lately and I haven't
been able to do my fare share of the physical
work. Hopefully I can have the surgery that I
need soon and be back up on the dance floor
doing the old soft shoe. When I took over the
position as Trail Director, some of the guys
said that they would back me 100% by doing the
heavy brush and trail work. Well, they did.
Thanks to Paul Ineson, Ken Turner, Doug
Cockburn, Capt. Mike, Neil, Dan Cross. Also
the Six Mile Dirty Boys, The Langsford
Brothers, Eric, J.D., Delk, Tom, Big Jim
Rowntree, Skeeter Joe, and yes, even Mike K.
And to some of the veterans who helped me and
gave me some much needed advice, Bud Knowles,
George Jones, and Terry Madore.
Best Team in
the business!!!
Edition
# 1 2010
By R.D.Smith AKA "Smitty"
Back again to tell you about the
many things that are happening concerning the Baxter
Snow Riders. Let's start with our ever continuing saga
of setting up camp somewhere. Anywhere. We still are
homeless this year. We have looked tirelessly into a
location for a new clubhouse, but as of this date,
nothing. We did come very close a couple of times but
because of logistics, it just wasn't possible.
.
Port Severn
The town of Port Severn has
undergone some major changes. A new housing
development has opened it's first phase, in total
there will be approx. 450 homes. Maybe they will buy
trail passes? Other homes are in the works throughout
the area. Along with these new homes, Port Severn has
been working on a Master Plan which includes new
parks, walking trails, welcome centers etc. One of our
trails, Trail 16, [this is the one that goes from
Honey Harbour Rd north to Macy Bay] is going to be
gobbled up by one of these new trails, a non-motorized
trail. The property that this is on is township
property. This means that snowmobiles will no longer
be allowed here. We will try to keep it open if we can
for this season, but because work has already begun,
we can't guarantee anything right now. However, the
Township of Georgian Bay is not going to just kick us
to the curb like yesterday's news. They have been more
than co-operative with us and allowing us to build
a sled trail that will run alongside this new one. It
will be for snowmobiles in the winter and ATV's in the
summer. A barrier of trees, bushes, stones, benches,
etc. will keep the two separate. The Baxter Snow
Riders would like to thank Township of Georgian Bay
Mayor Jim Walden and his staff, who include Manager of
Parks Kevin Datema and Brenda Black of the Treasury
Dept. for assisting us with this project.
.
Swing
Bridge.
We have another big obstacle
facing us. The swing bridge at Lock 45 has been left
open all summer long up until now. This because it is
structurally unsafe in the open position. Engineers
are concerned that the constant pressure put on it
during opening and closing, might cause it to buckle
and collapse. We have been told that it will close for
the winter allowing sleds to go over it once again. If
not, we are cut off from heading south to Coldwater
unless we cross the ice. Something we don't want to
recommend. Can't take the groomer over ice anyway.
.
Driver
Training.
Once again, Eleanor Pettit will
be conducting her driver training courses. The first
will be on November 29. The second will be December 5.
Both to be held at the Municipal Office at 99 Lone
Pine Rd. Class time is 8a.m. to 4 p.m. Call
705-756-8906 for details. Like I said before, Eleanor
works hard at this. The kiddies learn a lot from it
and classes fill up fast. Thanks again to the Township
of Georgian Bay for allowing us to use the building.
.
Trail work.
We have been out during the fall
checking where work has to be done. Recent storms in
October have dropped some trees that needed to be
cleared out of the way. We also have been working on
some of the deep holes left by the ATV's. The Baxter
ATV club will always assist us with trail work. Where
we have big messes, is along places like Trail 16 that
I mentioned above. The quads dig deep holes in the
muck, which are difficult to fix because there is
nowhere for it to drain. The Baxter ATV club does not
use this trail. It is used by rogue riders that are
not connected to the club so it is hard to police who
is on it. A lot of it runs through private property so
it is the landowner who has to tell them they can't
use it. We will try our best to keep things up to
snuff. If you have any spare time, and would like to
help, please go to our website at
www.baxtersnowriders.com You can join up and talk
about your concerns on our public forum.
.
Groomer
Oh, our poor sick groomer. It is
getting very old and parts are hard to come by now
because the manufacturer no longer makes them. We
would like to thank Don Martin and his gang at the
S.M.A.R.T. club. They have been storing our groomer in
their clubhouse since last year. They always have
worked closely with us, as we have with them over the
years to make sure that we are all up and riding. And
while we are on the subject of grooming, The Baxter
Snow Riders would like to welcome our new groomer
operator Dan Cross, who will be our top guy this year.
Also on board to help with grooming will be Phil
Langley and Chris Wood from Village Marina in Honey
Harbour. We couldn't do it without these guys.
.
And finally...
We have to thank our sponsors and
supporters. Our land owners and volunteers. To mention
them all would take up a lot of time. They know who
they are. They know how important they are. Thank you
to everyone concerned. See y'all soon. Port
Severn/Honey Harbour awaits.
2008/09 Club News
Edition
# 3 2009
By R.D.Smith AKA "Smitty"
Today it is Jan 30. Once
again we have heavy streamers coming off the bay, which so
far has added another 6" on top of the 14" we received
earlier in the week. Our snow totals thus far are way ahead
of this time last year. 127" compared to 89" this date last
year. The marshes and swamps finally froze up enough a
couple of weeks back so that the groomer could get out and
first pack them down and later to groom them properly. Our
groomer also took another beating this year with several
mechanical glitches. However, thanks to our many volunteers,
who many times were standing out in the cold hanging on to
cold steel tools, managed to make the down time as short as
possible. I'm sure once the grooming hours are totalled for
the year, it will be a lot more than last year. We erected
four sign boards throughout our trails. They will have trail
maps, with a "you are here" arrow, upcoming events, and
local supporters listed on them.
Water levels
Our lakes here are quite
unique. Six Mile Lake and Gloucester Pool are controlled
waterways. That is, the lake levels are controlled by OPG,
Ontario Power Generation. When the power station at Big
Chute reaches it's max capacity for the turbines, they
divert the excess water down through us. This means that the
level goes up and down over a foot. When this happens,
cracks open up allowing the water to seep up over the ice.
The thick snow cover acts as a blanket and keeps it from
freezing. Unfortunately, this causes terrible slush
conditions, and makes travel a complete disaster if you
venture off the staked trails. We can't drag the portages as
often as we like because the drag gets hung up in the slush
and becomes very heavy. The stakes on the "Pool" were late
this year because of that same reason. All part of the game.
Driver training
Once again, Eleanor
Petitt put the kids through another set of her fun and
informative driver training courses. If you have young 'uns,
and want them to learn how to ride safely, you really should
get them involved. Kind of like taking golf lessons before
you pick up a club. Thanks again Eleanor for a job well
done.
Website
We are moving along
quite well with our website
www.baxtersnowriders.com Many people have joined our
discussion group and we get a lot of good comments and
constructive criticism. We try as best as possible to keep
everybody informed and happy. But like everything else in
life, you can't please them all. Please become a member and
get involved. You don't have to use your name, just make up
some handle that can be used by you to post comments, pics,
upcoming rides etc.
Supporters
We are constantly
looking for sponsors and supporters and are pleased to
announce a couple of more to the list. The first is Phil
from Village Marina in Honey Harbour. He sells gas which is
good for those either heading out on the bay, or returning.
They are behind another of our supporters, Honey Harbour
Towne Centre, where you can buy groceries, hardware, rent
movies, and buy snacks. It is on Trail 19. By the time you
read this, our cookout will have already happened at Phil's.
Thank you for allowing us the use of your property. Another
supporter is Riverhouse Waterfront Dining. Excellent food on
Trail 105 in Severn Falls. Call Victoria at 705-686-7850.
Finally we would like to thank Hap and Shirley of Sunnylea
Resort. They have several winterized cabins and are in the
perfect location. Right on Trail C and halfway between the
gas station and the liquor store. Life is good. Call them at
705-538-2527. Their support is greatly
appreciated.
Gerry Ward
Those of you in the
Honey Harbour area are familiar with the ubiquitous Gerry
Ward. He is one of those behind the scenes guys that you
never see or hear, but is always present. When things need
repair, Gerry is there. When trail work needed doing, Gerry
was there. Setting up for dinners, setting up tables and
fencing, sign work, Gerry was there. However after many,
many, dedicated years of volunteering his time and efforts
to this club, Gerry has decided to call it a day. He wants
to be a rider for a change, instead working on the trails,
he's going to take advantage of them. You see, many of these
guys have been around since lint was invented. They are the
ones who bust their knuckles on the machinery, get the phone
calls at 3 in the morning to rescue the groomer, or pull a
machine out of the mush. After a while, it starts to wear on
you. Thank you Mr. Ward, for all the years you have put into
this club so all can enjoy this wonderful past
time.
Volunteers
We have a couple of
others who have also decided to lay back. One is Andy Scobie,
who is a trail boss and runs the groomer. He too, is one of
the go-to guys when things go sour. He has spent many a cold
lonely night by himself grooming trails until sun up the
next morning. He has also been around for many years but
still has a regular job and finds it tough to juggle both at
the same time. Thank you to Andy. Another one of our
groomers is Terry Madore. He too has announced his desire to
retire. However, thankfully he said he won't leave us
stranded. He will stay until we get a volunteer to replace
him. Which means, he'll still be around for a while! Don
Hayhurst is yet one more of our elder statesmen. He is
always out doing trail work, signage, staking the lakes etc.
He's not quitting, he's just a nice guy, so I thought that I
would mention
him.
MOTHER NATURE!!!
You know, I hate to harp
on the same old thing, but sometimes Old Smit gets a little
irritated with some of the talk that gets back to us. Often
when I go to town and talk to the merchants, they tell me
how some people say that the Baxter trails are always
horrible and how they say that they will never buy their
trail passes through Baxter again. I've even had people tell
me about trails that they claim we do a lousy job on that
weren't even our trails! There are several factors that are
beyond our control. Weather is one of them. You see, when
the ATV's are out in the off season, and running the trails,
they run over what was once a small rivulet. As each one
passes over, that little rivulet gets wider and deeper until
eventually it gets to be about 15 feet wide, and three or
four feet deep. So you ask why do we allow them on the
trails? Many of the trails are multi use trails, meaning
that they are open to ATV's, snowmobiles, bicycles,
whatever. There is nothing that we can do to stop this.
Nothing. There are also swamps that have to freeze up before
we can groom the trails. At the bottom of all this slop lies
organic material. Grass, leaves, roots, etc. They are in a
state of constant decay and as they decay, the liquid heats
up slightly, much the same as a septic tank. Always turning,
always active. Until these areas freeze up, we cannot safely
get the groomer to pass over them. If you look back to the
last issue of this magazine, you will see how sleds have
disappeared through this slop when we try to pack them down.
It ain't comfortable girls and boys. I know, because I
myself got stuck in the early winter in slush up over my
boots and it took three of us over an hour to get me out.
This isn't like going to St. Mike's and after the first
intermission, when you come back out of the dressing room,
you have a nice new playing surface. These are elements
beyond our control! We don't have a magic button we can push
to freeze things up in time for your weekend ride. We have
to be patient to ensure that all riders can ride safely.
Those who threaten to buy through another club, take time to
go through the articles from other clubs in this
magazine. Look for a club that has perfect conditions and
opens up early every year. Look for one that has a groomer
that never breaks down. Look for one that doesn't have late
freeze-ups. I'll save you the time. There isn't one. We all
want to get out on the trails. That's why we volunteer. And
I'll be honest with you. I felt the same way before I became
involved. I too considered buying elsewhere, but until I saw
how things really worked, I thought just like you. We would
love to get a new groomer. Ours is pushing ten years old.
Out of the $180 you shell out for a permit, we only get a
small portion of that. The MSR controls the money and where
it goes. I didn't know this until I joined the club. Like I
said before, constructive criticism is always welcome. But
you have to realize that there may be more to the story than
you think. Please keep these things in mind. It is vitally
important that you buy where you
ride.
In closing
This is the last issue
for this magazine for the year. I've enjoyed getting out
there and meeting new people. I've enjoyed writing these
articles, and I've enjoyed riding these trails. A definite
stress reliever. As far as I'm concerned, our trails right
now are the best they have ever been. Hopefully our season
will last for some time. Who the hell cares what that rat in
Wiarton says. Please be good. And as always, please ride
safe.
Edition
# 2 2009
By R.D.Smith AKA "Smitty"
Today as I'm writing this, the date is
Jan 2. And as you know, we've had a real up and down
weather pattern so far. We have had over 7 feet of
snowfall to this point. Trouble is last week we had 3" of
pounding rains and 60 mph winds. Phone and power lines
were cut off yet again and even more trees were blown
down. You wouldn't think after all the storms that we've
had, that there would be any more trees to blow down but
apparently there were. We were able to get in the bush
with the ATV's in the late fall to clean up a lot of the
brush, but now we may have to do it again. At this point
we don't know yet. The trails are just too sloppy to get
in and check. Many of us went in three separate groups
back in December to finish clearing up the trails. One
group left along with the groomer and went from Port
Severn to Coldwater. Another from the Provincial Park to
Gibson Lake. The third from the top of Six Mile and over
to the "monument." Every group encountered the same
problem. Deep, deep snow and deep, deep, mud and slush
puddles. Myself and several others got bogged down in this
slop and it took over an hour to get out. The mud was over
our knees and filled our boots. Until these muddy areas
freeze, there is no way that the trails will open. The run
off continues today under the snow. Culverts and streams
are draining into the lakes. Six Mile Lake and Gloucester
Pool levels are high now and should drop another 1 1/2
feet to winter levels. The shorelines remain slushy and
very dangerous at this time.
.
Groomer work
Back in November, a number of us
volunteered our time to work on our Groomer to replace the
rubber belt that runs under the track. You will see in
this picture how we had to break the track at one of the
joints.
In the below picture you can
see the steel cross members or "grousers" that grip the
snow just the same as the track on your sled. Each grouser
was held in place by three nuts and bolts that go through
the rubber track, which we replaced, and were held on the
back side with a corresponding steel plate. There were
approx 70 grousers per side along with three nuts and
bolts. That means we had to remove 420 nuts and bolts by
hand.
The generator we were using
couldn't provide enough back bone for our air tools to
break the rust that held them together all these years.
Lots of skinned knuckles and sore muscles, we finally
finished our job. Many thanks to the S.M.A.R.T. club for
allowing us to use their clubhouse to do this. That week
it poured rain and to do it outside would have been
uncomfortable. Oh yeah, we're still homeless and it
appears as though we will be for the rest of this year
anyway.
.
Driver training
Once again, as in previous years,
Eleanor Pettit conducted driver training courses for the
young ones. And, as always, the course was full again.
Many thanks to Eleanor for all of the time that she puts
into this. It is a very worth while class and the kids
learn a lot about this sport.
.
Website
I am pleased to announce that the
Baxter Snow Riders now has a brand new website. It is in
it's early stages, and there are a few kinks still to work
out, but it is up and running. Please go to
www.baxtersnowriders.com and give it a look. There is
a forum that you can log on to and get involved in the
many discussions that talk about weather, trail
conditions, sled talk, etc. There is a live web cam from
the Delawana Inn in Honey Harbour that also gives up to
date weather stats. Please become a member of this forum
and get involved.
.
Volunteers
Again, volunteers are the backbone
of not only this club, but every club in the OFSC. Many
hours are spent in the off season working on equipment and
planning outings for trail and sign work. When many of you
are sitting in the city and wondering what is going on up
here, you can bet at the same time that somebody is doing
something to make needed improvements. This is all done so
that everybody can enjoy themselves on their time up here.
If you have time or want to know how you can help, please
check our website. Something is usually happening that you
can contribute to.
.
Land owners
Thank you to all the landowners that
allow us access to their properties. It may sound like a
broken record, but without their co-operation, some of
these trails would be non-existent. Please stay on the
marked trails. Please don't go on the trails unless they
are open. When you travel on unopened trails, you are
trespassing.
.
Sponsor Thank You's
We have to thank other people who
have given us their support or become a sponsor. They
include the following:
Sunnylea Resort
The Bulletin/Gazette
of Honey Harbour
The Chuckler of
Moonstone
Muskey's Resort
Waubaushene
Team Power Sports
Waubaushene
H&S Amco, formerly
H&S Shell Port Severn
Rawley Resort
Steve [Website
Support]
The Corporation of
the Township of Georgian Bay
.
.
Hopefully we will be out on the
trails soon. Some things we have no control over. Weather,
old age, and gravity take whatever course they decide to
do on their own. We can only sit back and wait. Once
again, please be safe.
Edition # 1 2009
By R.D.Smith AKA "Smitty"
Well, I must have done a good job
last year because they asked me to write these columns
again. And since last year there have been a few changes.
Unfortunately, they aren't all good.
.
.
Clubhouse
Last year we were forced out of our
clubhouse because the land that it sits on had been sold.
We moved our equipment everywhere in Port Severn and Honey
Harbour that had any available space. The hope was that by
this year, we would have a new building to call our own.
But, because of cutbacks, we were unable to get the cash
needed to do so. This is going to be a never ending theme
this season, not only for us, but every club in the
O.F.S.C. The price of fuel, insurance, maintenance, etc.
is taking it's toll. Even the November issue of this
magazine was cancelled because not enough advertising
space was sold for the publication. One piece of good news
is that we have made an arrangement with the Corporation
of the Township of Georgian Bay that allows us to use
there facilities. They are letting us use the Public Works
storage yard and it's heated building one day a week to do
the necessary repairs on our groomer and other equipment.
We can also use council chambers to conduct driver
education courses for the kids. This I will outline later.
Many thanks to the Township of Georgian Bay staff who made
this all possible. Without them, we would be in a terrible
bind.
.
Driver
Education Course .
Once again the BSR is holding driver education
courses for kids ages 12 - 16. Also once again, Eleanor
Pettit has agreed to teach the class. There will be no
class for November. Why? Because people feel that there
is no need for a class on snowmobiling when there is no
snow present. Be careful what you ask for. Other classes
will be as follows:
A change in location as mentioned above. This year they
will be held at the Township of Georgian Bay municipal
office. 99 Lone Pine RD in Port Severn. Contact Eleanor
at 705 756 8906 for any additional info. She puts a lot
of her own time and effort into this. Please take the
time to enroll your kids. This is a very worthwhile
course.
.
.
Groomer
Our groomer has undergone $7,000.00
worth of repairs in the off season. Last year it worked on
the trails close to 400 hours. 396 to be exact. The
smaller sleds and drags also spent many ours grooming the
portages and narrower sections that aren't accessible to
the bigger machine. As you know, last year our trail
system was exceptional. I would like to personally take
credit for it, but was just one of those perfect seasons
when everything worked out right. By the time you read
this, the ATV's will have already gone through and cleared
the trails of any trees or debris that may have fallen on
them. They also went and repaired any missing or damaged
signs as well as bridges and fences. You see, snowmobiling
is more than driving up on Friday night and hitting the
trails. While you are in the city wondering what it's like
here, many of us are volunteering our time, tools,
expenses, etc. to ensure that when you come here for the
weekend, the trails are smooth and safe. And no, we don't
get free trail permits, no we don't get free gas. We give
up a lot of personal time to ensure that everybody can
enjoy this sport. The B.S.R. no longer has a phone number.
Somehow, Bell Canada couldn't get another line into our
new president's home?
.
.
It's time
By now, you have gone out to the
garage. You've taken all the garden tools and hockey
sticks off the sled and checked the battery, fluid levels,
and placed your trail permit [still $180] on the
windshield. And don't forget to put your vehicle
validation sticker on the side as well as on your
ownership. Our friends in blue will be watching for them.
To all our landowners who allow us to cross their
property. Thank you very much for your contribution. To
our sponsors, permit sellers and volunteers we also thank
you. It's a sad week for me. I have to empty out the bass
boat and get ready to put it away. Didn't break any
records this year anyway. Please be safe and we'll see
each other soon.
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