Cambridge to Sudbury Ontario

We didn't get a chance to see Heather and Tom yesterday because they were at work trying to clean up a backlog Heather has been facing. They were going back in today for 9:00, so we headed over early to buy them breakfast. It was REALLY early, because we sprung the clocks ahead last night.

Tom led us down the road a short piece to the Cedar Barn Restaurant. We had a nice breakfast and got a chance to visit a bit. Then they headed for Ayr and we headed home.

On the 401, I saw a GL1800 Kitchener bound. About five miles later, on our side, I saw a salt truck dispensing product on the road. Maybe he knows something the Wing rider and I don't. Traffic was light through Toronto and up the 400. The ski hill at Mt. St. Louis had lots of snow but very few skiers. I can't imagine why people aren't out in droves for some nice spring skiing.

We got home mid-afternoon. I settled down to watch the Atlanta NASCAR race. Once again, my choices didn't help me a lot. Them's the breaks.

It looks like we'll be around home until we get the bike out, unless something comes up. I'll be posting our tentative summer itinerary soon.

Fred's Birthday Party

We were up at 6:00 AM. I did some Netbook research (posted separately), picked my NASCAR Fantasy League drivers for this week's race at Atlanta and caught up on some other chores.

Then came the reason for our trip down. Fred Poysor of London was being feted with a surprise 80th birthday party at the New Sarum Diner. You'd never know that Fred was 80, considering how spry he is. He credits chopping his own wood with his fitness.

Plans changed at the last minute and it was just Kim, Sandy and I going to the party. It poured rain as we drove down the 401 towards London and then cut south on 74. New Sarum Village has been there since the 1800's and has not gotten much bigger since them. We arrived at the Diner, about a block off Highway 3, and found the party was taking place in the hall out back. It was just was dripping with ambiance.

Display in the hall entryway

We were greeted by Fred's daughter and met Peggy, a rider we know from the rally circuit, as soon as we got in the door. There was a group of people in the hall that we didn't recognize, and a couple we did. Not long after, Fred and Ginger (dance, anyone?) arrived. He thought he was going to the famous candle shop down the road.

Kim, Peggy & Sandy

Ginger & Sandy

The Birthday Boy & Friends

Immediately upon arriving, Fred was given a Rickards Red. Then, as he worked his way through the crowd of well-wishing family and friends, someone crowned him. The Diner set out sandwiches and other food at a table and we grabbed some nourishment while talking about old times. A few other biker friends stopped by as well. Later, Fred cut the large birthday cake and I broke my diet to have a piece. I think the Rickards and sugar high got to Fred a little towards the end:-)

Makes me think of Showgirls gone horribly wrong

About 5:00, the party wound down and we headed back to Cambridge in a driving rain. Mike had prepared a fine supper of slow cooked beef with BBQ sauce, potatoes and spinach salad. Then we tucked into the dieter's friend, angel food cake. At least they tell me it's one of the better choices when on a diet. I'm not sure about the whipped cream and fruit on top.

We caught some TV and played with Jolene before turning in. I have never seen a baby this good. Very little fussing. So I'll close with a couple of today's baby pictures.

Are you looking at me?

Just another nap

Netbooks

Back in 2005, I was looking for a small full-function computer to carry in the trunk of the bike that would let me post blogs, sort photos, handle Email, pay bills and keep my financial records while on the road. Laptops and notebooks took up too much space. After searching high and low, I discovered a Fujitsu Lifebook. It was about 10" x 7" x 1.5" and weighed about three pounds with the heavy duty battery. The technology was three years old when I bought it in March, 2005 for the huge sum of $1,700.

Over the last four years, people have commented on the little machine. It has served me well even though the low power consumption Crusoe processor was slow and the screen wasn't bright enough to use outdoors without using my jacket for a hood.

Then one day ASUS came along with a little machine called a EEE (Triple E). It was the same size as my little Lifebook but faster. I was leery because it had a small solid state drive and ran Linux. Soon, however, the market exploded and these little Netbooks were being made by many manufacturers. Trying to compare all the different models and features was making my head spin, but the Lifebook's days are numbered and I need to upgrade soon.

OK, I have finally decided that I want one of the two ASUS models, now that they run XP and have 160GB hard drives.

ASUS Eee PC 1000HA or ASUS Eee PC 900HA

Both have the same 1 GB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive, screen resolution and Atom N270 processor. Neither have Bluetooth and I give up the touchscreen I had on the Fujitsu but I get USB2, a web cam and speakers. The downside for the 1000 is that it is slightly bigger (10.5" x 7.5" x 1.5" compared to 8.9" x 6.7" x 1.33") and 0.7 lbs heavier at 3.2 lbs. The plus side is that it has a wider screen, larger battery and much higher resolution web cam. Prices are in the $400 range, much better than four years ago.

I have decided to go for the 1000. I saw a tag for it on the shelf at Staples here in Cambridge yesterday. Checking on line today, though, I can't find it on the Staples website. Nor the Future Shop website. Lots of vendors I have either never heard of or have no easy access to. Lucky me, as usual. Now my search will begin.

Sudbury Ontario to Cambridge Ontario

Here We Go Again

It was just a week ago that we came down this same road heading for Cambridge/Waterloo. That was for dress shopping. This time, we're heading for a birthday party. Fred is a friend of ours from the motorcycle rally circuit who lives in London. He rides a GL1800 in a sporting manner and is the gentleman who coached Heather when she was working on her motorcycle licence. Well Fred is going to be 80 and they're having a surprise party for him in New Sarum tomorrow afternoon.

BTW, New Sarum is adjacent to St. Thomas, home town of Rachel McAdams, if anyone is interested in star gossip.

But what a difference a week makes. Last Friday, we set out in the tail end of a blizzard with temperatures dropping down to the 10F below levels. Snow was drifting and whiteouts were common. This Friday, the temperature is 35F and a light rain fell overnight. The roads are clear and spring is in the air despite four feet of snow in the front yard.

We left Sudbury just before 7:00 AM. The drive down was uneventful and traffic was light. All the snowmobile trailers we saw going south on Sunday were headed back north today. They were in for a major qualitative difference in their riding experience this time. At Derek Roberts' Esso in Waubaushene, where a couple of sleds rode in for gas last Sunday, there was only grass and dirt today. I opted to follow the 400 right down to the 401 and avoid the tolls. We made it into Kitchener in about four hours and twenty minutes, good time considering I held to 20 KPH over the limit.

The Passport Office

Since we were coming down this way and since our passports just happened to be expired, we planned to visit the Kitchener Passport Office as soon as we got to town. I had pulled up the PDF forms on line and filled them out, printing the hard copy. We got photos at the CAA last week and don't need guarantor signatures because we are renewing within a year of expiry. We would have gone to the Sudbury Passport Office, but we don't have one. our former Liberal MP campaigned in the last election saying we should have one, but she didn't do anything about it for the 13 years she was part of the government. One reason why she is 'former'.

I found a nice big parking lot right across the street from the government building. Unfortunately, it was for monthly parking people only. Going around some blocks, I found an underground lot with lots of spaces. It was a three block walk but the first two hours were free.

They have a reception counter where a knowledgeable person checks your application and photos and gives you a number. Sandy and I shared a number, D353. After signing in the appropriate places, we sat in a waiting area looking at a big electronic board of which window was serving which number. A's were new applications, D's were renewals. I have no idea what B's and C's were. But they were at D347 in Window 07 so how long could it take?

For the present, we discovered 07 was the only renewal window. No big deal because how long could a renewal take, especially since the application was vetted already. We didn't count on D349. I don't know what this younger gentleman did, but the lady working the window had to go and confer with her boss twice, they both conferred with someone else once, they tore up his application and made him write a new one, then she went and wandered around looking lost for a bit before making him write some more. Personally, I wasn't concerned with his problems except that he was doing all this in the ONLY window serving us poor D type people. If he screwed up the form, why wasn't he sent back to the end of the line to start over? Or taken in a back room and beaten with sticks? I was starting to think I could become a waiting room hero if I hit him with a chair.

Eventually, they noticed the backup and, after good old 349 had been tying the window up for a half hour, they switched a couple of other windows to renewals. Shortly thereafter, we were summoned to Window 10 where Joanne ably took care of us quite quickly. We talked about bikes and the upcoming Friday the 13th at Port Dover while she completed the paperwork. Then it was off to pay the $87 each and get a receipt. The passports will be shipped to us within the next ten working days and then I will notify NEXUS of our new documents. Can't be too careful when your name is on the Watch List.

Hey, we made it back to the van in just under two hours so the parking was free.

What a Nice Day

It was hard to imagine an early March day like the one down here. Unlike our snowbanks back home, the ground is clear here. It's about 60F and there is no sign of salt on the streets. The sun is shining brightly. We saw our first motorcycle on the 401 in Milton and now they are everywhere. My throttle hand was twitching.

Kim hadn't had lunch so we stopped at Subway on the way over to her place and got us all healthy sub choices. While Kim and Sandy caught up on soap operas, I took a run to Staples for some new Zebra gel pens and notebooks. They have new selections in the Netbook category so now I have to do more research. Sooner or later, I will have to jump in, probably by the end of this month. The trusty old Lifebook is just getting too slow.

Back at the house, I finished up the Freedom Riders monthly treasurer's report and the 2008 annual financial statements and sent them out to the members. I won't be at the Sunday meeting, but that's no reason not to have the reports done. Then we had an excellent supper and watched TV for the rest of the evening, taking turns playing with Jolene until it was time to turn in.

Jolene Picture

Sandy took the camera and got some shots of Jolene. Here's one.

Grandpa, I Guess

Son-in-law Mike took this picture last Friday and sent it to me. Jolene was paying a lot of attention to my watch so I took it off and was showing it to her.

Blog Links

There are a host of blogs out there, some of them VROC and some others that I find interesting. Since the new Blogger system makes it easy to manage these gadgets on the right side of our blog, I've decided to provide links to some of them. There is one section for current VROC ones we're following, another for completed blogs that show our history and a 3rd for non-VROC blogs I found interesting.

They are ordered, in each section, based on the date of the last post. Most recent are at the top.

I'll add more as I find them.

Waterloo to Sudbury Ontario

We decided to return home Sunday instead of staying over. We'll be headed back down again on Friday anyway.

The day was clear and so were the roads as I took Highway 401 to Toronto. I skipped the 407 and went all the way to 400 because it was Sunday morning and the traffic was relatively light. Not much doing all the way up to Sudbury other than the snow levels increasing as we got closer to home.

The plow had filled the mouth of the driveway after we left. It was hard work with the snow blower because it was pretty frozen but I got it done.

It's hard to believe the large snowbanks here contrasted with virtually no snow down south. On the plus side, our two thaws since Christmas took down a lot of snow otherwise we would have more snow than I have ever seen. As it is, it looks like we'll finish out the best snowmobile season in years in fine style.

Dress Shopping Day In Waterloo

We were up at Kim's and she, Sandy and I headed for Heather's in Waterloo early. Mike was taking Jolene to see his parents in Aylmer while the ladies searched for bridesmaid dresses.

Heather and Tom were up, with Tom's best friend Darryl and his wife Erin. Soon after, his brother's girlfriend Justyna arrived and the ladies set off in our van for the dress shop in Elmira where they met his other brother's wife, Agnieszka. And so the bridal party was complete.

Tom, Darryl and I kicked around the condo with Tom giving us a masterful demonstration of the advanced levels of Guitar Hero on the Wii. Just before noon, the girls called to say they'd meed us at the Black Forest Inn in Conestogo for lunch.

The Saturday brunch buffet at the Black Forest is much less crowded and a little cheaper that the one on Sunday but it's every bit as good. With the new glucose monitor, I've been staying on my diet quite well and was good today. Other than a very small (but excellent) croissant and two small pancakes with no topping, I avoided starches and sugars. I even passed by the excellent dessert table. The custom made omelet was extremely good.

The ladies had gotten the dress buying done with an absolute minimum of fuss. Erin said she had never seen anything like it. Sandy even picked out a Mother Of The Bride dress.

Erin, Kim, Heather, Agnieszka, Justyna and Sandy outside the Black Forest Inn

After brunch, Sandy and I took Kim back to Cambridge where she planned to take a nap until Mike got home. Then we got our gear and returned to Waterloo for the night.

Thanks for lunch, Tom. Next time is on us.

Sudbury to Cambridge Ontario

Heather decided that this would be the weekend to look at bridesmaid gowns. Sandy wanted to be there and see if she could find a mother of the bride dress at the same time. Great. Besides, we hadn't seen Jolene in quite a while, so southward we would go.

Of course, the winter weather wasn't going to co-operate, as usual. After a fine week, they called for a winter storm Thursday overnight and Friday morning. Lots of snow interspersed with a bit of rain and then a flash freeze. Further south, it was supposed to rain all night and then freeze. I went to bed Thursday night somewhat apprehensive.

Friday morning dawned nothing like the forecast. It never got warm enough for rain so the flash freeze was out. There was more snow, dropping temperatures and a driving north wind that made some pretty substantial drifts. The snow texture was neither light nor wet and was packed by the wind solid enough that it would be ideal for igloos.

I planned to wait until the snow stopped, clean the driveways and then head south, hopefully before noon. In the meantime, I set out about 6:30 for the YMCA for my morning workout. It took three runs to get out of the driveway. Then because the plows were working on the main roads but ignoring the side streets, it took three more tries to get out of the subdivision. At that point, surrounded by whiteouts and stuck cars, I gave up the workout idea and went and fueled the van. Then I went home and watched the weather radar.

About 8:30, the radar showed our snow should be ending. Sure enough, the sky brightened but that wind kept howling. I put on full snow gear and started blowing our driveway and the neighbor's.

Our driveway, not showing the big drift on the other side of the van

It took a while, but eventually I blew the snow about three doors away. The plow will come along while we're away and I'll be faced with another mess when I get home but there was no point in worrying about that right now. We packed extra warm gear just in case and headed south about 9:45 under clearing skies.

A couple of years ago, the Ministry of Transportation installed what they call Compass Signs on highway 69. These are the overhead signs with the messages they can program from some secret central location. Usually they say "Buckle Up" or "Watch For Moose" or something equally banal. I don't even look at them any more. Lucky Sandy was watching as we were leaving town because this time it told us Highway 69 was closed at Highway 64, about 40 miles south of town. Unlike other places, there are no convenient alternate routes available.

I called my father-in-law and he looked up an 800 number for MTO. I phoned them and was told that the closure had just come up but they didn't know why. Then I phoned the OPP regional HQ and found there was an accident at Point Au Baril and they were still waiting for the technical investigators. There was no estimate how long the road would be closed. The detour is across to North Bay and down Highway 11, adding about 75 miles to the trip. But, thanks to the Compass warning, we didn't drive 40 miles south and then have to backtrack.

The highway to North Bay was relatively clear but visibility was limited at times

Some people seemed to be having trouble with conditions

Travelling around North Bay, Highway 17 was very icy. No problem as long as you don't make any sudden moves. Like stopping or steering. Once we headed south on Highway 11, traction and visibilty improved.

Many rock cuts have pretty ice formations

Near Gravenhurst, the roads cleared completely. South of there, the snow started to disappear. We skirted Toronto just before rush hour and got into Mike and Kim's about 4:30. After being drifted in in Sudbury, here's what Cambridge looks like.

Snow? What snow?

This was the first time we've seen Jolene face to face in over a month. That's half her life. I don't want to be one of those bragging grandfathers, but she is the prettiest and pleasantest baby I've ever seen.

We'll take it easy tonight and tomorrow the dress wars begin.

The Sled's Back

It seems the plug on the stator was worn and a couple of the wires shorted out. Considering that age can contribute to this and the fact that it is a 1998 MXZ 440 Fan, I'm not surprised.

I also had them fix the loose snow flap that was getting hung up on the top of the track.

The surprising thing is that they have ordered a new primary clutch for me. It seems that there was a clutch recall that is still in effect, so I get a new one free. It should be in next week and they say they can turn it around on the same day.

I got a new mirror to replace the one I broke. In fact, I got two since they sell them in pairs. I hope the next one I break is on the left. After installing it, I'm still trying to figure out why the nuts were 7.5mm. Who has tools for that? I used a 9/32nds socket but it was a bit loose, too. Anyway, the mirror is on and working fine.

Today, Terry and I rode with CN and City police. The shakedown run was about 221 kilometers (138 miles) and it all worked just fine. Lately, we've been riding fairly reasonable and I've taken to sitting relatively passively. Lazy. Today, I went back to my sliding and hanging off style, common among older riders, and felt much better in the tighter and higher speed corners. It's a good practice even when riding conservatively because it makes you ready for the unexpected.

Jolene, Black Forest and Sandy's Home

I went down to Cambridge/Waterloo on Sunday to bring Sandy home after almost three weeks of her being down there helping Kim with the new granddaughter.

We managed to get a few photos of the family while we were at Kim & Mike's.

Jolene Kimberley Koolen

The proud parents, Kim & Mike

Mom and the Grandparents

We stayed down Monday to attend an open house at the Black Forest Inn, where Heather & Tom will be getting married next October. We were able to check out the setup, the wedding cake options, desserts, photographers, DJ's and limousines.

Tom's parents Stan and Sofia, Tom, Heather and Sandy check out the dessert offerings

After seeing what there was to see, Sandy and I took Heather & Tom to supper at the Daily Grill.

It was snowing this morning when we left Waterloo. As usual, a number of vehicles had planted themselves in the ditch. We drove up through Elora, Fergus and Orangeville and then stuck to Highway 9, trying to stick with the clearest roads. Snow eased up as we approached Highway 400, but continued lightly all the way home.

Once home, the temperature was dropping as I took the wounded snowmobile over to Algonquin Equipment, the local Skidoo dealer, and then came back and cleared the driveways with the snow blower. That finished off my motivation for the day.

The Sled Broke

Today was my third STOP shift this season. I was out with Francis, our fine O.P.P. coordinator, on Wednesday and Thursday. Today, we met at 8:00 at the Great Sudbury Police facility in Azilda. It was still quite cold when four STOP guys and a GSPS constable headed out.

First incident happened as I was leading from Azilda to Chelmsford. The trail was tabletop flat as I rode tight to the right side. Then there was a whack and a sapling removed most of my brand new right hand rear view mirror.

We patrolled Chelmsford, Azilda and Garson, stopping well over 100 sleds. Most were just fine. Then, on the way back to Azilda about 6:00 PM, in the pitch dark, the MXZ lost all its lights. No headlight, taillight, brakelight or instrument lights. And no tach, backup beeper or heated grips. But it ran fine and the electric start still worked.

I followed one sled back to Azilda with another guarding me from behind. We got in, loaded on the trailer and took it home. A phone call to my usual fixer, Charlie, led me to believe this was a stator problem and it would be necessary to take it to the dealer. I'll do this when I get back from down south on Tuesday.

Toronto Bike Show & VROC Dinner

I drove down to Cambridge yesterday. Sandy has been there since before Christmas. Left Sudbury about 10:45 AM in greasy conditions. It squalled to south of Parry Sound, then was clear to Toronto. I splurged and took the 407 to save time, meeting more snow squalls when I joined the 401. I arrived at Kim & Mike's about 3:30.

One strange thing I noticed as I was crossing north of Toronto on the 407 was a flock of Canada geese flying NORTH. I wonder if they know something we don't?

This morning, Heather & Tom came in from a social engagement in Brantford and were at Kim & Mike's by 8:00 AM. We drove in a two vehicle convoy to the International Centre in Toronto, stopping at the Mickey D's in the service centre on the 401 for breakfast.

The show opening time was 10:00 AM and, for once, we arrived early. At 9:30, there were many places not to far from the front door to park. I'll have to try this more often. We bought our tickets and joined the crowd in front of the doors, waiting patiently. There were eight doors, but they only opened one. Now I know how oil feels trying to flow through a funnel.

We wandered the show with no plans to buy anything. Saw a number of friends. Tom wanted to see the new Vulcan Voyager, but the manufacturers don't do this show and the dealers didn't have the prototype I saw at the last show. I skipped the ORRA meeting that usually consumes a bunch of show hours. There was an Ontario Traxxion vendor there. He was surprised by my Traxxion shirt, since the conversion is rare up here in Canada, and his buddy wants to buy the highway pegs I took off the Wing.

By 3:00, we had seen all we wanted to and our feet hurt. We left the show, dropped Tom's car at the Mandarin where supper would be at 7:00, and drove around. A tour of the houses in Woodbridge around the National Golf Course was enlightening. A number of these huge mansions are boarded up. Some are being renovated and others look like they might be foreclosures. We cruised Vaughan, stopping at Tim's for coffee, until it was time to head back to the restaurant.

The Frozen North (Great Lakes) VROC crew have been meeting at the Mandarin bike show weekend for as long as I've been a member. The buffet is great and we need some mutual reassurance in the middle of winter. Turnout was small this year, but the company was good.

Sandy, Marianne, Maxxx & Guns

Rudeboy, Sabrina, Heather & E.T.

Mike (RCAF) paying homage to our crab fishing friend, Bandit

I ate light because, unlike usual, I had to head back to Sudbury tonight to attend an O.P.P. Use of Force training session tomorrow. Stonewall was supposed to have his dinner paid by me tonight since he beat me in the VROC NASCAR Fantasy League last season, but he didn't show due to work requirements.

It was nearly 9:00 when I got my bill and settled up. Sandy joined Tom & Heather for the ride back to Cambridge while I headed north. The road was clear and, north of Barrie, the traffic was light. I passed one semi going my way between Waubaushene and parry Sound, then hooked up with a couple of other cars for the last hundred miles. Got in to Sudbury just before 1:00 AM.

Happy New Year

The year 2008 has come to a close. In retrospect, Sandy and I had a good year but it wasn't so kind to many others.

Here's hoping that 2009 will be a better one.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!

First Snowmobile Ride of the Season

My current sled is a 1998 Skidoo MXZ 440. This used to be Sandy's sled but she didn't ride much. Finally, I took it out some and found I enjoyed riding it on the twisty trails more than I did my larger Skidoo Formula Z 583 liquid cooled machine. Eventually, a couple of years ago, I sold the Formula Z. The 440 isn't powerful compared to most other sleds and tops out between 70 and 80 MPH, but it holds its own on any twisty section. I'm getting too old for raw speed anyway.

With the assistance of Charlie Hinds, we had the sled ready to go in mid-December. The battery was tendered all summer. Charlie replaces some idler bearings, installed new graphite sliders and cleaned the carburetor. He struggled to get the new Kimpex Arrow dual runner skis assembled because the Jagged Edge runners Royal Distributing provided aren't the ones Kimpex makes for those skis. But he got it done and was very impressed by the 360 degree turn the sled made in his asphalt driveway.

December has brought more snow than we have seen in years. Christmas Day, I was knocking down snowbanks along my driveway so that the blower would be able to clear them with the snow. Then it started. Rain. Temperatures in the mid-40's F. More rain. Then, as usual, the temperature dropped leaving us with an ice layer. I estimate we lost about 50% of our snow here. To add insult to injury, a little more snow fell afterward.

Tuesday, December 30th, was a clear day. I was doing some work on the computer when Trevor Shamas, a friend from Toronto, called. He was in town and going riding with Vassie Lumley. Vassie is the wife of snowmobiling legend Don Lumley, once chair of the International Snowmobile Congress and International Snowmobiler of the Year. Right now, he's the big guy recovering from hip replacement surgery. Anyway, Trev wanted to know if I wanted to come along. Is a bear Catholic?

I gathered my gear and loaded the sled on my trailer for the five mile trip to the Sudbury Trail Plan yard. Trev was there and unloaded when I pulled in, but I soon had the little yellow machine unloaded and ready to go. In consultation with STP Operations Director Normie Hein, Trevor had a route planned out but we were warned about one detour due to revocation of permission to use the property and cautioned about water hazards.

We rode from Garson up to Skead on good trail. It was a little choppy but there was a layer of fresh powder on it. The new skis worked great but I plan to dial in a little more ski pressure. These are 30 lbs lighter than the stock skis and are easier to steer, so that looks like the right choice for better bite at high speeds.

From Skead, we headed west on the abandoned rail bed towards Capreol. We didn't quite get to the detour because we found the water in one large swamp on the north side of the trail making its way steadily to the south side. Packed ice on the trail was about 18" thick and the water had cut channels through this. We made it across the first one, and Trev and I crossed the second. After taking a moment to pull Vassie out of the hole she was stuck in, we contemplated the third, and worst, hazard. It was sheer on the other side and it looked like a ski could get caught in the undercut. Discretion is the better part of valour and so we turned around and returned to Skead.

Plan B was to head the other way towards the Sportsman's Lodge. Heading east on the same rail bed, we went off the trail system and crossed the Wahnapitae River on the abandoned railway bridge over the Moose Rapids. This is the bridge that tests my fear of heights, since it is over 100 feet above the river and has no guard rails of any kind. I just look ahead and keep going. We reached STP trail 82, which would take us towards Sportsman. Unfortunately, after getting across one wet spot, we came to another overrun, this one more than 50 feet across and of undetermined depth. Once again, discretion took over and we turned around. We returned to Skead and then to Garson.

At the yard, I loaded up and found my trailer lights weren't working. I headed directly home because the sun was getting low and went at the problem with my multi-meter. The problem finally became apparent. The trailer tongue attaches to the axle and bed by one pivot bolt. Everything is so corroded that the ground doesn't make contact between the bed and the tongue. I cleaned up some rust with a file and, bingo, lights again.

I'm going to hurt tomorrow since we didn't slow down a lot on the rough patches. But the sled works and I am looking forward to hitting the trails after a few cold nights. Here's to a great season.

Jolene Kimberley Koolen

According to the doctor, Kim's due date was December 17th. According to the baby, it was something else. On Monday the 22nd, they attempted to induce labour. Twenty-four hours later, the baby arrived by C-section.

Our first grandchild, Jolene Kimberley Koolen, arrived at 5:54 AM Tuesday December 23rd, weighing in at 9 lbs 4 oz. Proud parents are Kim and Mike Koolen of Cambridge, Ontario.

I had taken Sandy down on the 20th and left her there as I returned to spend Christmas in Sudbury with Mom (who I will pick up in the Soo and bring here.

Jolene and proud papa

Now we will strive to be good grandparents, spoiling little Jolene before sending her home to mom and dad:-)

Storage Day

Snow came early. I was slow.

I have a very small garage, so the reordering of the equipment is an annual tradition. The camper trailer, lawn mower and bike are moved from the front to the back and the snowmobile and snow blower move to the fore.

In between is a little tricky with the snow on the ground.

And here we are, ready for winter.

Riding Season Summary

Another riding season has come to an end.

This year, we travelled 42,188 kms (26,216 mi) and the Wing now has 172,642 kms (107,280 mi) on the clock. We burned 849.9 liters of Canuck gas (224.5 USG) and 481.0 USG of American fuel for a total of 705.5 USG. Average gas mileage was 37.16 MPG.

These statistics don't represent how good the season was.

The May ride to Combermere with Heather and Tom was special. I'm proud of the way they are handling themselves.

KSL was fine and we got our annual fix of those priceless North Carolina Roads.

The west trip, Boscobel, Topaz and Aztec were excellent. The time spent with VSP in Stockton and the train ride to San Francisco will stay in our memories. Thanks to Mal for putting us up while we took a mid-trip break in Vancouver. And Oregon Trails was everything a WWR is supposed to be.

Back home, we took in our own Freedom Rally and Interlochen in August. Then we took the fall tour, Cyclefest in Waterloo, NEVROC in Bethel, Maine and then on to Eureka Springs, Arkansas.

We got to make the run from Topaz to Aztec with Sherm, VSP and Slammer. Then we rode from Bethel to Kentucky with Tom Miller. We normally travel alone, but these people are the best and it was a pleasure to ride with them.

So, all-in-all, it was a great season. next year, the WWR is in Kentucky. My original idea was to head for Topaz and come back with the western contingent, but Heather and Tom are riding down so we'll stay here and ride down with them. Then it will be on to Laconia. Total mileage for the year will probably be less than the last few, but we'll be looking at keeping the quality level up.

To all those we saw during the season, thank you for making it such a great summer. To all those we haven't met, I hope we get to do so soon.

The Warplane Heritage Museum

With the ladies out perusing dress shops, Tom and I decided we needed something to do. For years I have wanted to attend the Warplane Heritage Museum adjacent to the Hamilton Airport, but never managed to get a Round Tuit.

We drove down Highway 8 and followed the GPS directions to the museum. It was easy to spot with the dramatic mount of this CF-104 Starfighter out front.

After paying the admission, we started working our way through the displays. Here is a small selection of what we saw.

The Silver Dart

The Silver Dart made the first controlled, powered flight in the British Empire in Baddeck, Nova Scotia in 1909 under the hand of John McCurdy. Alexander Graham Bell was heavily involved in its development and, true to Canadian style, it's first flight was made off a frozen lake.

Avro Arrow

One of the greatest planes that never happened, the Avro Arrow had reached the test flight stage when it was suddenly cancelled for political reasons.

This tiger striped CF-104 was an unusual exhibit

Lancaster Bomber

The signature Lancaster overlooks the head table of a wedding reception occurring later in the day. The hall is available for rent for social gatherings and they have their own on-site catering service.

The Lancaster, like most of the prop aircraft in the museum, is airworthy and flies from time to time. This restoration is dedicated to Pilot Officer Andy Mynarski, posthumous recipient of the Victoria Cross in WW II.

F-86 Sabre

When I was a little gaffer, probably ten years old or younger, the Golden Hawks aerobatic team, operated by the RCAF, came to town for an air show. After the show, a local reporter was looking for a kid to put in the cockpit of one of the aircraft for a photo opportunity. Thus I appeared in the Timmins Daily Press sitting in the cockpit of a golden F-86 Sabre wearing a flying helmet while the pilot, named Lang IIRC, looked on.

I wonder if this was the same aircraft or just one of its select few brothers.

Avro Anson

The Avro Anson was a bomber trainer used to train pilots in the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan during WW II. The aircraft was constructed entirely out of wood and was the first RAF monoplane with retractable landing gear.

This particular aircraft, a 1944 Anson Mk V, spent its post-war years flying geophysical surveys for Inco as CF-HOT. It was kept airborne by its pilot, Norm Linnington, who rebuilt the wooden airframe several times by hand. With receiving coils wrapped around its wooden fuselage, it was more efficient and cheaper to fly than the other craft, primarily Twin Otters. During the last few years of its exploration job, I was responsible for collecting all the costs associated with it, paying the gas bills and making provisions for reserves for airframe, engine and avionics rebuilds. When Linnington retired, having no understudy, HOT was donated to the museum.

One time, doing survey work in Alice Springs Australia, the aircraft dried out so much that they needed to steam is to prevent the wings from breaking on take-off. Now again, in the hanger environment, it has dried out and is now parked outside in an attempt to moisturize the wood so it can be returned to flying status.

Before

After

These two photos are of the same aircraft. They show the type of work done by the restoration crews at the museum. There were many more things than what I have shown here and I encourage anyone in the area to drop by for a visit if they can.

Thanks to Tom Gronek for the photos. Sandy had taken my camera (OK, our camera) on the bridal gown hunting exercise.

The Wedding Dress Hunt

Daughter Heather and her fiance Tom have set a wedding date in October 2009. This might seem like a long way away, but Heather convinced us that she needed her mother to accompany her on a search of local wedding dress establishments.

Not one to say no, we drove down to Cambridge on Friday and stayed at Tom's overnight. Sandy took the camera with her and captured a couple of moments during the expedition. Beyond those, I have no idea what happened except that they found a couple of possibles but made no final decision on the dress.

Heather and future mother-in-law Zofia

Future mothers-in-law having lunch