Friday, February 27, 2009

Update the Friday update

The rain stopped the snow started the snow stopped. That is about it. Except that it is freezing cold outside.

I just spoke to 8 riders that came from Spectacle Lake Lodge via Barry's Bay and Combermere. They said that the trail was fine. Not bad considering what this morning brought. Some parts of the trail are great some are icy. They felt that after a bunch of sleds traveled over the trail it would be fine again.

So I guess if your plan is to come up and ride a zillion miles at break neck speed this might not be the weekend to do it. If you are coming up just to have a tour and take advantage of a great weekend then come on up.

Hope this helps, I know it sounds like a definite maybe.

If you are in the neighborhood drop in.

Cheers
Nancy

See you soon.
Cheers
Nancy

Friday File

Well things have gone for a slide in old Hooterville. It started to rain during the night. It has pretty much stopped now but its' pretty dreary.

Even the dog wouldn't go out at 6:30 this morning, so I threw in another load of laundry and we both went back to bed for a while. It didn't look any better at 8:00 either.

It is quite mild now, about plus 4. According to reliable sources the temp will drop this afternoon and it is to start snowing. It's quite windy and that won't change. By tonight it will be -25 so things will freeze up again and the new snow will help.

There was a little snow on Thursday so that was a good thing. Riders in on Thursday said that the trails were in great shape so if it gets cold this afternoon they should stay okay.

If you need information later on this afternoon or tomorrow morning just call the resturant and we will let you know if things have changed. 613-338-3043

I may update this evening if I get a chance and things change.

Back soon
Cheers
Nancy

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Another super day up north.

Tuesday and today have to be the best days that we have had all year. The temperature is about -5 and the sun is so warm it's like tee shirt weather. It just makes you feel warm and fuzzy all over.

If you were riding today it would be fantastic.

The groomers were out yesterday and the trails are great. The road crossings are bare and the side roads are pretty clear also. Some snow is expected tomorrow and a little rain on Friday but it dosn't seem like enough to screw things up too badly.

The weekend is to be cold and nice but that is a lifetime away in weatherman years.

The crisis at the diner have been kept to a minimum this week. The only major glitch in the system is the coffee maker taking on a life of is own and running water when ever it felt like it. Like all night and day. It was a little damp in here on Tuesday morning and it kept us on our toes trying to keep up with it. Fortunatley I was able to have it fixed this morning so I don't have to turn the water off at night anymore. All other disasters this week were just minor so we are still smiling. But that may just be a trick or really good drugs.

I will update later in the week to let you know which direction the weather is taking. Oh how does Dave Duvall do it every day for all those years!!!

Chat later
Cheers
Nancy

Monday, February 23, 2009

Weekend Wrap Up

Please excuse me for not updating on Friday or over the weekend but I was having technical difficulties with the internet service. Now I could blame it on the satellite service or something else but that would just be wrong.

What is the first rule of electronic problem? Check to see if it's plugged in for crying out loud!!!!! When the very helpful man from Hughesnet asked me to look at the back of the modem to see how many lights were on I was quite surprised to see that there were none. JAMIE WHY DIDN'T YOU THINK OF THAT WHEN YOU TRYING TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM. Well it wasn't the wall plug. It was the plug coming from the box on the plug not plugged into the other plug for the wall. This must be something invented by a man because no woman would ever invent such a silly way to plug one thing into the wall!!!

So all is well now and update I will.

The snow conditions were as good as the weather was on the weekend. There were lots of riders out and other than a few breakdowns I didn't hear of any mishaps. Thanks to all the folks that dropped in for a meal or a drink over the weekend. Everyone is so patient when we are busy. The girls and I really appreciate it.

The Snow Skimmers poker run was a great success. Lots of good prizes and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.

We had more snow on Sunday and overnight. It is to be nice for two or three days and then start snowing again on Thursday. That will make it good for next weekend.

The groomers were out on Sunday night.

I will update again on Wednesday. And just so the boys from Pensylvania don't feel that I have forgotten you I will update again later in the week so you know what to expect when you get here next weekend.

Till then
Cheers
Nancy

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Gearing up for the weekend.

We finally did get the snow that we were promised. More will be coming today and tomorrow.

It kind of reminded me of a politician. They spew volumes of double talk and by the end of the day they really haven't said much.

That was how yesterday's snow was. It snowed off and on all day and by this morning there was only about 6-10 cms of snow. Enough fell to cover the trails well. Riders in for breakfast this morning said that the trails were like a table top but the lakes are still a a bit icy and care should be taken.

The groomers were out. In fact I even passed one coming down from McKenzie Lake this morning on my way to work at 8:00.

Here's a shout out to Scott and Wayne from Burlington. Jamie and the guys were in this morning and they were laughing at you two for not coming up on Wednesday for the best day of riding that they have had this year. They mentioned something about you being weenies!

This will be a great weekend to load up and ride all weekend.

Stop by if you are in the neighborhood.

Cheers
Nancy

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

There's Good News

IT'S SNOWING!!!!!!!!

The Wednesday Report

I was waiting until this morning to update so that I could tell you that a load of snow landed in last night, but alas it did not.

Now my sinus problem is really bad this morning and that can only be on of two things, either it is going to snow or I had too much wine last night. Oh ya I did have wine last night!

They are calling for snow this morning and again tonight so I will report back tomorrow about mid day if it does.

The trails are still well covered. There were a number of riders in on Tuesday and no one was complying about the conditions.

The groomer did go out on Monday but I don't know where. I'm sure if we get snow tonight they will groom on Thursday and Friday.

Don't forget the Maple Leaf Snow Skimmers poker run this weekend. Registration starts at 8:00 at the community centre in Lake St. Peter, the fire hall at North Baptiste Lake Rd, and Papineau Lake Road. It is a good day with lots of prizes. I think the best one is the gift certificate from the Porterville Diner but then I have been wrong before once or twice.

To Jim and Brian: Have a good time sledding through the wilds of Northern Ontario. See you in a couple of weeks. I'm sure Connie will have a very relaxing time with the both of you gone for a week.

Not too rush the season (because I need about 8 more weeks of snowmobilers) but the spring ATV mud run will be May 2. Same format as the others.

That's it for now.

Cheers
Nancy

Friday, February 13, 2009

Update the Friday update.

I finally had my first sledders in.

Russ rode down from McKenzie Lake and said that the trail was great and he is expecting a large group up this weekend, so if it wasn't good he would not have been as happy.

Then three young lads rode up from Baptiste Lake. They were on their way to Pembroke for the weekend. They also said that the ride up had been good.

So there you go. That's all I know for sure.

Cheers
Nancy

Friday Update

Not too much has changed overnight. The temperature has dropped considerably -20 when I got in at 8:00 this morning. There was not any new snow overnight.

For the last few days the trails have been marked as closed. This was to keep people off while they were so slushy. They should be marked as open by today because of the drop in temperature. Everything really froze up overnight. Even the lakes look better.

No groomers were out last night so they should be out tonight.

It's hard to say what to advise. The weekend is to be sunny and seasonably cold. Nothing to shocking temperature wise. Cold enough to keep conditions the same. Not much new snow is a little disappointing as it is to be a beautiful sunny weekend.

So it really is a crap shoot deciding to come up or not. The trails are definitely usable but the side roads are all down to the dirt. So I guess it depends where you are staying or how far you have to travel to get here.

If we were still just cottaging here we would be up for the weekend because there is always drinking, playing cards and eating too much if you don't feel like sledding.

So there you go a definite maybe.

Hope we see you this weekend.
Cheers
Nancy

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Weather Update

Yesterday and this morning's rain made a mess of things.

It has stopped raining now and started snowing about noon. It looks like it may snow for a while.

It is getting cold again. The lakes had slush and puddles this morning but if this cold stays they should be frozen by morning.

The trails were still well snow covered but the side roads were all bare by this morning. Again if the snow continues they should be better by morning.

Things are definitely looking better now than they were this morning.

As luck would have it I am having a GST and Payroll Audit tomorrow morning. Yea!! I'll try to post first thing in the morning before the little beauty arrives with her calculator. I wonder if it being Friday the 13th is a good omen or bad. Hmmmm

I haven't heard any news of grooming. I will try to find out by the morning what is happening.

Well let's all think snowy thoughts overnight and hope for the best.

Back tomorrow.
Cheers
Nancy

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Wednsday's Woes

Well I waited until late in the day in case there was good news to report. But alas it has started to rain.

After all the hoopla yesterday we only had freezing rain for about 30-40 minutes in the morning and the rest of the day was fine. About -5 all day. It has been fairly mild all day today. I guess the only good part is that there are no sleds on the trail to mess them up.

It is supposed to rain a bit tomorrow and then snow. The weekend looks to be really nice weather wise but we will have to wait to see how much damage is done overnight.

We are just very lucky that there is such a good base. I will look at the lake tomorrow before I leave for work to see if water wings should be worn when crossing the lake.

I will post tomorrow but probably not first thing in the morning. If I wait until noonish there might be better news.

Sadly that's all there is today.
Cheers
Nancy

Monday, February 09, 2009

Sorry for the laps in updates. I had to leave town on Wednesday for grandmother duty. Grandson #3 came home last week and I was voluntold that I needed to help for a few days. I got back on Friday and there was not much change then the weekend hit>

It was a little drizzly, misty on Saturday but it didn't so any damage. If anything it packed the trails better. Saturday was very busy so the trails were well used. Sunday was a fabulous day for sledding. Sunny and mild just the right temperature.

When I grow up I want to be an OPP on a sled. They get to show up for work at 1:00 (they arrived and asked to park in the driveway) ride til about 2:30 come in for coffee and soup, head out again until about 3:30 then load up and quit for the day because no one was around. DO YOU THINK!

It was Sunday afternoon for Pete's sake. Who did you think would be out, most people have to go home because they have a real job!!

However they were very nice and business is business after all.

All four groomers were out on Sunday night so everything is groomed up nicely. I'm told we may get some rain this week. Well I won't have it! I am insisting on another day just as nice as today is. Sunny and mild, just perfect.

I will update tomorrow if things take a turn for the worst.

We will be open on Monday, Feb 16, Family Day from 7 am to 7 pm just in case you are in the area.

Don't forget the Maple Leaf Snow Skimmers annual Poker Run on Saturday, Feb 21. Lots of good prizes and a nice little ride.

That's it for now.
Cheers
Nancy

Tuesday, February 03, 2009

I don't care what the groung hog said!

I don't care what the ground hog saw, I want six more weeks of winter at least.

What a wild weekend we had. Great conditions, great weather, great people. It was really busy all weekend. There were such large groups. Most of the winter it has been only small groups of 2-4 at a time. Last weekend it was 8-12 at a time. It was neat.

Now it's time for my touching story. On Saturday when the cook came in at 6:30 she found the building to be quite cold but never thought anything of it. However when the grill would not heat up she knew that something was wrong. Yes we ran out of Propane. I guess the computer system that tells how many cold days there are so that fill ups can be monitored had gone south for the winter. After four calls for an emergency fill (with no reply) I finally had to call the competition. Thankfully he is my neighbour. After half a dozen more calls we finally got the Kelly's guy to call back. One hour and $1,000.00 later we had propane. So were good to go right? I don't think so. About 4:00 the well ran dry and we were out of water. Of course before you check the water level in the well you must get out 15 tools and check everything that it isn't first. Fortunately mother nature stepped in and hour or so later the well had filled up enough that we were back on track again. Good thing because we were almost out of clean dishes and glasses. Then just when you think it's all good-the toilet broke. It's a good thing that people around here keep all kinds of replacement parts on hand, because at 8:00 pm it's pretty hard to find a store open. That was just about enough drama for one day.

We had a good crowd in on Saturday night. The band even played more than an hour longer. All and all it was a great day.

Back to the real reason we are here. The groomers have been out every day. Riders in on Monday were all saying that the trails are in excellent condition. The snow on the lakes is really deep so if you are not following in tracks it's a tough go. It has snowed a little each day but not heaps. The road crossings are looking a little brown and slushy but the trails are well covered.

Here's a shout out to the ladies from Harcourt Park. Get the kids off to school and ride on over for lunch.

Well that's all the news that's fit to print. See you on the weekend if not before.

Remember to keep the rubber side down.

Cheers
Nancy