to view the Fall 2014 version of "The Link".

Fall 2014
Your Link to the Missing Link Snowmobile Club
SPECIAL POINTS OF
INTEREST:
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Stop by and introduce yourself to
the new owners of Yates General
Store.
Fall trail improvements are complete so let’s get the season
started.
Although there appears to be
something under construction in
Rolphton, there is still no gas
available.
Have you reached out and volunteered for your local club lately?
Have you seen our website—visit
www.missinglinksc.ca for up-todate news and events and the link
to our Facebook page.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
WHAT AND WHO IS THE
CLUB?
2
2015 TRAIL PERMITS
2
WELCOME TO THE
PATEL FAMILY
3
THIS SEASON’S EVENTS
CALENDAR
3
SPRING ATV RALLY
4
SUMMER FISHING
DERBY
5
YOUR TRAIL DOLLAR$
AT WORK
6
READY, SET,...
8
YOUR CLUB EXECUTIVE
& VOLUNTEERS
9
Grooming forward, while looking back
As I write this years “ending of the old year
and the beginning of the new year” I sat for a
moment or two and reflected back as to what
all happened to us as a Club and what lies
ahead in the new season of 2015. Soon… gone
will be the drab colors of late fall, being replaced by a fresh new look of white snow that
inspires “love of winter” for a lot of us!
Like most years we have embraced major success stories and survived some trying times.
The Missing Link trails were open for an extended season and the Poker Runs, GEOcache, Fishing Derby and Family Day were all
the fun that could be asked for.
Landowner issues were addressed by some
hard work and understanding by dedicated
volunteers and generous landowners. The
groomers operated at their optimal hours with
non-paid overtime by many that went the extra
mile, including those times when the “Sand
Birds went South” for extended periods and
equipment breakdown was a situation only
understood by the seasoned grooming fraternity!
“Why Me?”: Almost unseen (except for the
odd wood chip) were the heroic efforts of the
brushing crew that operated the brusher during
some trying times that would have made the
ordinary man or woman run for the comfort of
the couch and a hot drink, all the while repeating “it wasn’t me”.
Narrow trails were widened with culvert extensions and the “Mogul Fairy” was at work on
the trails this past summer, which we’ll notice
by their absence, or will we?
Unfortunate as it is, good news is sometimes
offset by bad news and events. The planned
“A” trail relocation at Bissett Creek Rd. for
Doug Antler
safety of the sledders and log trucks was
thrown in the trash bucket in the eleventh hour when MNRF declared that
the effort and investment by the Club
and the OFSC would not be worth it.
Good news/bad news: Richard and
Leanne Yates achieved retirement,
while new and excited owners take over
the fondly referred to ‘YGS stopping
place’. Richard & Leanne’s smiles, humor, knowledge and helpfulness is going to take some time getting “used to”
not being there in that old familiar way!
As our local population of volunteers
age and priorities change, we need
some square pegs to fill those round
holes left in the coming year’s snow
pack.
Looking ahead to a bright, snowy, and
fun filled year, we can’t imagine what
will entertain us, leave us speechless
and keep us occupied all this coming
season, but isn’t that the best of this
snow filled world we will live in for the
next few moments?
Doug
PAGE 2
THE “LINK” NEWSLETTER
WHAT AND WHO IS THE CLUB?
When surveying the group that gathered around this
year’s trail clearing day, it was a relief to know we all age
the same “one year at a time” and therefore no one gets
any older. Many years later, we all still look the same
“don’t we”! But when familiar faces are missing then
their presence is noticed by their absence!
Why do we gather and give freely of our time? We are
The Club! We came together for many good reasons… to
form a snowmobile trail from East to West to forge the
Missing Link… to meet and make new friendships… to
unite our communities that are apart but joined by the
thread of volunteers… to provide to others what we have
in abundance— “great trails”… we each have a talent that
is better shared than kept in the garage… but never let it
be said “to get out of the house with a qualified reason for
doing so”! But most of all the laughter and good humor is
what we really look forward to (and for some, maybe the
beer too)!
It is not an idle answer when asked at the meetin’ table
“I’ll do that, but how do I get out?” and the leathered and
seasoned members reply “You don’t, it’s a lifer and you’re
in it for the full ride!” The life of a volunteer in the Miss-
ing Link Club is not for the faint of heart, but it will temper and season you to the best of what makes a volunteer
in The Club. Caution: Beware of Blow Up Rubber Dolls,
Malfunctioning GPS, A Pie in the Face, Burned Hot
Dogs, An Empty Knife Box, a Green Man Disappearing
Suit, and the odd Fu** Of* by some serious folks.
So if you’ve been away for a spell or a first timer thinking
about how to help, then we look forward to having you
around the fire as a member of The Club!
“What You Do Will Make Someone Happy!”
2015 TRAIL PERMITS
Type
To Nov 1
To Dec 1
In Season
Available before November 1st.
Consumer pays $7.50 processing fee
Sold Online Only
$180
Seasonal
$210
Online and at vendors
$260
Online and at vendors
For sleds model years 1999 or older
Classic *
$140
Online and at vendors
$170
Online and at vendors
3 Day
$70
Online ONLY
7 Day
$140
Online ONLY
Special
Event
$35
For Club sanctioned events –
contact your local club
“Try Our
Trails”
$0—Family Day Weekend Only
Local printing only.
WHERE CAN I BUY MY
MLSC SEASON TRAIL
PERMIT?
Antler’s Kingfisher Lodge
Hwy 17
Deux Rivieres ON
705-747-0851
Banville Yamaha
3133 Petawawa Blvd
Petawawa ON
613-687-4276
Morning Mist Resort
1256 Pine Valley Road
Stonecliffe ON
613-586-1900
Yates General Store
Hwy 17
Stonecliffe ON
613-586-2508
PAGE 3
THE “LINK” NEWSLETTER
A ‘WARM’ WELCOME TO THE PATEL FAMILY
We are very happy to welcome the Patel family to Stonecliffe after a sad good-bye to our long time friends,
Leanne and Richie Yates. We wish them a much deserved retirement of relaxation, love and joy with family
and friends in North Bay and Corbeil. We look forward to
their visits on their way through the area as they know
they are always part of our community.
Chitra and Raj Patel moved to Windsor 11 years ago
from a small village in India called Pananj near Mumbai.
They immigrated as permanent residents to create a better
life for their children. Sneh was born in India and was
three when they came to Canada. Ricky, now eight, was
born in Windsor. The parents worked hard and saved to
build their own business. Chitra and Raj both worked in
motels when they first arrived. Eventually Raj was trained
with Chrysler as a fork-lift driver, and when the kids were
older, Chitra worked in Subway. Five years ago Raj sponsored his parents, Hansaben and Jayantilal, who joined
them in Windsor. It’s a pleasure to have them with us as
well.
Before moving to Stonecliffe, Raj researched the area and
was pleased that the high school in Deep River was one of
the best in the province. He was also encouraged by the
success of the Yates children who grew into such wellrounded adults. Raj and Chitra wanted that opportunity
for their children. Coming from a small village in India,
they were looking for the closeness and support that a
small community can offer. It seemed like a good fit, and
we’re so glad that they risked the move.
Chitra & Raj Patel
Sneh started into high school this fall, and both boys are
enjoying their new school. Chitra and Hansaben are excellent cooks and have shared their talents at Township
gatherings. Chitra enjoys Indian dancing and hopes sometime in the future to share her experience with us.
Although this year will be a very busy one for them as
they learn the complexities of a small business, they plan
on participating in the great outdoors through snowmobiling and other recreational activities to embrace our long
winter months. Several residents have already offered to
teach them – and they look forward to taking up their offers. They are very appreciative of the helpful honest
qualities of the people of our Townships, and look forward to sharing our lives together in community. Welcome, Patel Family!
Cathy
THIS SEASON’S EVENTS CALENDAR
“OPEN SESAME” POKER RUN
Saturday January 17th
Snowmobile Poker Run - Cash Prizes and more! Dinner to follow at Stonecliffe Township Hall.
FAMILY DAY FISH AND FUN
Sunday February 15th
Come out for fun and games, ice fishing, and campfire lunch.
18TH ANNUAL BOW TIE CLASSIC POKER RUN & SILENT AUCTION
Saturday March 7th
Snowmobile Rally and Silent Auction at the Stonecliffe Township Hall with $1000 Grand Prize!!
PAGE 4
THE “LINK” NEWSLETTER
OUR 5TH SPRING ATV RALLY
The delayed spring weather certainly
had the ATV rally organizers wondering if the bush trails were even
going to be passable in the days leading up to the event. Luckily, some
welcome rain cleared much of the
remaining snow away and the rally
was full steam ahead!
Although the weather forecast was
not great, 125 riders made the rounds
this year and the crappy forecast
proved to be wrong. Most made it
back off the trails and managed to get
dinner into them before some late
day showers dampened the mood.
The day started well with most riders
out on the trails by 10:30AM, and
only five riders with a copy of the
wrong map (oops!). When handing
out maps next year, I am sure I will
be asked many times if I am handing
out the correct version.
Lunch was staged at a picturesque
stop beside the Bissett Creek rapids
and our lunch crew soon realized the
BBQ suffered irreparable damage
during the ride in. David, Penny, and
Bruce did a great job in digging deep
into their ancestral roots and carved
some weeny-roasters for the campfire. The cooking process proved a
Almost everyone made it back!
little slower than the BBQ, but very
tasty nonetheless!
After lunch, the participants slowly
made their way back to Morning
Mist and traded in the geocache
poker chips they located in exchange
for real poker cards. Lots of big hands
were dealt with four-of-a-kind taking
the top $500 prize.
We arranged dueling BBQs for dinner this year so we could tackle those
biker appetites as quickly as possible.
Special thanks to Robert & Cheryl
Gervais, Les Sones, and Paul Brabant
for lending their master cooking skills
to the effort. Hot fries, homemade
appetizers & salads, and many other
dishes complemented the fresh burgers and dogs coming right off the
hot grills.
The cooking behind us,
now time to eat!
And the lucky winner is?
Many thanks to our local vendors
who once again furnished some fabulous door prizes and auction gifts.
Their generosity translates into better
trails for all of us.
We hope to see everyone back on the
first Saturday in May for the Spring
2015 ATV rally (May 2nd). Until
then, happy sledding!
Todd
Post dinner festivities.
Really, who doesn’t like
Chocolate cake?
Trading in poker chips for your
lucky hand...
PAGE 5
THE “LINK” NEWSLETTER
SUMMER FISHING DERBY… 2014
“Smiling Faces, Laughter and Song” plus a few bottles
and sips of Good Cheer!
The 27th Annual Deux Rivieres Fishing Derby hosted by
Antler’s Kingfisher Lodge was another outstanding success!!! With trying weather conditions both Friday and
Saturday (rain), the 103 entrants showed what they were
made of and registered a record number of fish for the
derby.
Taking home 1st place in the “OTHER” category was
Shawn Antoine of Mattawa with a 3 lb. 2 oz. bass, largest
perch was wrestled in by Mathew Marsh of Mattawa,
while the prizes for largest Northern Pike and Walleye
went farther South to Ottawa with master angler Lachlan
Redmond. The prize table was overflowing and several
fisherpersons took home multiple prizes for their catch of
the weekend.
The fishing patron of the derby provided a clearing sky and
sunshine for the Sunday afternoon festivities, leaving no
questions in the minds of anyone that the 27th washing of
the big fry pan and prayers to the fishing gods is not to be
taken lightly! And about festivities, never in the history of
the derby has there been such a devouring of the numerous
corn roasted over the open fire, the homemade beans, the
deep fried fish, the salads, and deserts. But in the end, everyone declared “we’ve had enough”!
Many hands make light work and when everyone does a
little, everyone does a lot. The prize donations were outstanding, the help at registration, fish cleaning, awesome
Now that is a pan o’ fish!
Sandra making sure the salads
are fit for consumption.
food preparation, and serving of the table fare was outstanding.
The live auction highlight was again a crowd pleaser and
a successful fundraiser for the Missing Link Club’s
trails… Going, Going, Gone to the highest bidder… Richard Dubois “The Houseboat Trip”… Mike Stefanich
“The Duval Print” … Scott Leadstone “The Moose”.
The sun set on a great weekend, and hopefully we’ll see
all those that were scared off by the weather this year, at
the 28th Annual Fishing Derby!!!
Doug, Sandra, & Jarett
Full production underway
PAGE 6
THE “LINK” NEWSLETTER
YOUR TRAIL DOLLAR$ AT WORK
What is the point of all this fundraising within the
Missing Link Snowmobile Club?
I’ll tell you what the point is, trail improvements!
It was hard to watch TV this fall with all the noise from
bulldozers, dump trucks, backhoes, hammers and whatever else was clanging together. The club had a list of trail
improvements that needed to get done this fall to make
sure that sledders on our trail system had an enjoyable
ride. Mother Nature likes to change the landscape and
sometimes that landscape is right where our snowmobile
trail goes right over top of. When that happens the elite
and fully licensed engineers of the Missing Link Snowmobile Club pull out some blue paper and devise a plan of
attack. There were a few projects that we hope you notice
when you ride the trails this winter.
Replacement materials were purchased and the top planking that needed replacement was removed by shear force
and new planking installed. The finished product definitely shows there will be better and safer snowmobiling
for all this winter.
Enjoy the trails and know that the bridges are back in top
shape and ready for another winter of smooth ‘and dry’
sledding.
Menet Road and Highway 17 (A-Trail)
Waterskiing with your snow machine can be an adventurous leisure activity. It is not recommended to do this
without a life jacket. Since most snowmobilers do not
wear lifejackets, we have decided to remove an obstacle
on the A-trail along highway 17.
Bridge Repairs (A-Trail)
In May of this year, club members carried out an inspection of the bridges on our Top A trail to determine the
state of their health. All were determined to be in quite
good health, although the bridges over Mackey Creek,
Heney Creek and Grant’s Creek showed that some of the
top planking which protects the main support structure
would best be replaced.
With all MTO and highway permits in place, heavy
equipment moved into the area and went into action. We
have built up the trail and included two culverts to help
water drain from the trail to a ditch which brings the water out of the area and into Heney Creek.
Lead engineer Albert Chartier could have been seen with
hands in his pockets pondering at what fallen trees could
be loaded into his truck?
Thank you to all those who supported ‘Missing Link’
when purchasing this year’s trail permit!
PAGE 7
THE “LINK” NEWSLETTER
YOUR TRAIL DOLLAR$ AT WORK (CONTINUED)
Whiskey Jack Trail (A-Trail)
Water and flooding is a constant battle that we seem to be
involved in, especially in low lying areas of the pipeline.
With a new culvert in place, the water has been redirected
to a specific area which will enable the groomer to groom
a nice trail through the previously flooded area.
Sesame Street (A-Trail)
Our beloved trail that is lined with characters from the TV
show Sesame Street has gotten a trail face lift. Elmo,
Cookie Monster, Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch will be
happy to know that there was significant gravel put down
on the trail to help reduce the severity of some of the
rocks that poke their head out of the trail. Unfortunately
these rocks are part of the Canadian Shield and cannot be
removed without dynamite. Groomer operators will not
be required to where their safety helmets through this section of trail now.
Many thanks to Albert, David, and Brent for coordinating
the trail improvement activities this past fall along with
our dedicated club volunteers for providing the necessary
muscle.
The club would like to thank everyone involved in our
fundraising efforts. It is because of all the donations from
people that attend our events that we are able to upgrade
trail conditions and make sledding more enjoyable for
years to come.
David & Brent
THE “LINK” NEWSLETTER
PAGE 8
GET READY, SET, ….
There are two primary events held each fall in an effort to
get ourselves ready ahead of the first big snowfall. Sometimes we beat mother nature, and sometimes we don’t.
Our fall trail day usually takes place on the last Saturday
of November. The club members are all safely back out of
the bush with plenty of hunting stories to pass along to
anybody that will actually listen.
We typically start with three separate working groups: one
in Mackey, one in downtown Stonecliffe, and the third
leaving from Deux Rivieres. The objective for each morning is to cover as many trails as possible and clear the way
for the groomer. Since we are driving the trails anyway,
we always take the opportunity to double check the trail
signage and make sure it is up to snuff. A total of 17 club
members came out to this past trail day—again, many
hands make light work!
Come 12:30 it is tools down and time for lunch. The three
groups head to the prearranged lunch location (usually in
Bissett Creek area) and out come the food and refreshments (Kool-Aid of course). It just doesn’t get any better
than juicy dogs on a fresh Panini cooked over a campfire
with all the fixin’s. For the first time in club history, our
resident chef did not burn the first round of juicy dogs.
And who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks?
Everyone reported the trails were in good shape and ready
to go with the exception of a few minor loose ends. As
luck would have it, we then had a major windstorm two
days after trail day!
A week or two following trail day, we also get together to
give our grooming equipment, as well as ourselves, the
once-over. Sixteen club members joined us for groomer
day this year with two new members showing an interest
in hopping into the groomer seat this coming season.
PAGE 9
THE “LINK” NEWSLETTER
GET READY, SET,... (CONTINUED)
We split into two groups, one for each groomer, and headed outside to
inspect the equipment for any necessary repairs and hook-up the drag
to each tractor. This also proves to be an excellent time for a refresher
as we review the pre-run checklists and take the opportunity to learn
from the seasoned operators.
After the equipment was given the thumbs up, we retreated indoors for
lunch—this time pizza along with our standard beverages (Kool-Aid,
of course). During lunch we took the opportunity to discuss procedures
and best practices when out grooming the trails. Chris volunteered to
take us through the OFSC groomer training package to refresh our
memory on what makes the best trails—best temperatures, best techniques, and best speeds.
So at the end of the day, bellies were full, equipment was tuned, and
we’re ready for snow (and it’s snowing!).
YOUR CLUB EXECUTIVE & VOLUNTEERS
President
District Representative
Vice President
Secretary
Treasurer
ORS Coordinator
Signage Coordinator
Trail Coordinator
Response Coordinator
Inspection Coordinator
Volunteer Coordinator
Permit Coordinator
Grooming Coordinator– West
Grooming Coordinator– East
Landowner Coordinator
Trail Patrol Coordinator
Trail Patrol Person
Trail Patrol Person
Doug Antler
Marlene Gibson
Brent Allen
Marlene Gibson
Todd Dowser
Chris Dowser
David Balla-Boudreau
Doug Antler
Chris Dowser
Doug Antler
Marlene Gibson
Todd Dowser
Doug Antler
Brent Allen
Marlene Gibson
David Balla-Boudreau
David Balla-Boudreau
Robert Gervais
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Editor and Chief Whip: Todd Dowser
Thanks to our Contributing Writers:
Marlene Gibson
David Balla-Boudreau
Cathy Balla-Boudreau
Brent Allen
Doug Antler
705-747-0851
613-586-2761
613-586-2621
613-586-2761
613-586-1900
613-586-1900
613-586-2634
705-747-0851
613-586-1900
705-747-0851
613-586-2761
613-586-1900
705-747-0851
613-586-2621
613-586-2761
613-586-2634
613-586-2634
613-584-9756