The Snowpoke News 176 Green Lake South Rd. 70 Mile House BC, V0K 2K2 250-456-7751 Snowarama 2018- February 11 The first sled out was delayed by the cold weather by one hour, leaving the clubhouse at 11:30 am when the temperature rose to -15c. Due to the wildfire activity on our trails last summer and a few trail closures, the route was shortened this year to 35 km. The ride left the clubhouse on Trail 8 (Dudley Kill) onto the Fire Hall Trail around Beaver Lake, turning east on Trail 5 (Jim Lake/Nolan Trail). Staying on the Jim Lake/Nolan Trail and turning south onto the 321 Pressy Lake/ Green Lake FSR. Riders turned west onto Trail 7 (McIntosh) down to Trail 8 (Dudley Kill) which took them back to the clubhouse. The ride took the riders about 1 and ½ hours to complete, stopping at the 5 checkpoints to collect their poker cards. Riders were welcomed back to the clubhouse with warm drinks and the concession serving up hamburgers, hot dogs and chili. 32 sleds with 35 riders participated in the donations draw, starting with the best poker hand. The best hand was won by John Dustan, picking a snowmobile helmet donated by Performance All - Terrain. Thanks to the generosity of the 100 Mile merchants, all riders took home a prize. A big thank you to all the volunteers who helped make this event a success! Without the people who cleared the trails, groomed the trails, marked the route with signs, registration, kitchen helpers, check points and getting all the donations, we could have not done it. Well done to all our volunteers! With the monies received from registration donations, concessions and 50/50 draw, the Green Lake Snowmobile Club raised $2,200.00 for the BC Lions Society for Children with Disabilities. Once again, Thank you to all who participated in making this a very successful day for our community. Peter McKie /Art Groves Snowarama Event Coordinators for GLSC Photos: Ken Alexander 1
Snowarama-continued Photo: Bob Walker - Checkpoint 4 2
It was -29 today when I woke up but the sky is blue, the thermometer is rising and the snow conditions are near perfect. The forecast is for more snow and temperatures not rising above zero in February. We are going to have a record long snowmobile season. The ice on the north side of the lake has thickened to up to 2 feet. It could be a late spring. It may be a coincidence or it may be the weather but I ve seen a lot of people buy sleds (new and used) this year. This bodes well for upcoming seasons. I want to again thank Ron Tonts for leading our club rides. Our twice weekly rides have given lots of opportunity for members to enjoy this special winter. The snow levels are getting deeper and deeper and no end in sight. President s Report... John Sullivan The club has had an active month. Photo: Bob Walker Snowarama was held on February 11. It was one of our best with 32 riders participating and raised $2,200.00 for the BC Lions Society for Children with Disabilities. A lot of organization and footwork goes into this event. A pool of 16 volunteers had to be found before we could start. Donations were sought from the local merchants in the weeks leading up to the event. (It s been a hard year and they gave generously.) Food had to be planned and purchased. We hit the trails on three separate days; one with chainsaws to clear the blowdowns, one with the Bombi and drag to groom the trails and a day to set up the signs. A special thanks to Art Groves, Peter and Susan Mckie for the planning and coordination and all the volunteers that made the event such a success. Our Valentine dinner allowed people to go out for dinner without the long drive. About 50 people joined at the club house. We served beef dip by 70 mile store and pot luck of salads and deserts. There was no shortage of chocolates. The evening wrapped up and people were back home by Green Lake midnight. We ve had two card nights and a good time was enjoyed by all participants. On March 24 I will be attending the BCSF annual general meeting in Revelstoke. The federation has run into problem with its study of the Provincial Membership Plan. Some of the clubs have been unwilling to share financial information. This has ground the study to a halt. Decisions will have to be made about what to do now. The Federation is trying to develop a Strategic plan of where the club will be in the next 5 years. There will be revision of bi-laws and election of officers. Thanks to everyone for helping to make this a season to remember. John Sullivan. President Executive Meeting General Meeting Wed. Feb 28 @ 7PM AGM Mon. Mar 5 @ 7PM 3
GLSC Executive President: John Sullivan 250-456-2145 Vice President: Jim Smith 250-456-7680 Secretary: Diana Baker 250-320-6710 Treasurer: Art Groves 250-456-2112 Feb 25 2017-2018 Calendar of Events Memorial Ride ride leaves at 10:30am, Fire and hot dogs at 12:30 Mar 5 AGM 7:00 pm Directors: Bob Bell 250-456-7722 Miriam Livingston 250-456-7531 Warren Lowe 250-456-7506 Ken Alexander 250-456-7496 Peter McKie 250-456-6806 July 8 Frank Dixon s Celebration of Life At the Snowmobile Clubhouse Membership: Kim Lowe 250-456-7506 Hall Rentals: Cheryl Groves 250-456-2112 Newsletter: Editor: Bob Walker 250-456-7566 route66@telus.net Webmeister: Larry Messaros 250-456-2129 editor@greenlakesnowmobileclub.ca Clubhouse Rental Full Washrooms Now Available! $50 per day for members $150 per day for non-members. Please Contact Cheryl Groves at 250-456-2112. 4
Trail Report - February 2018 Here is the current listing of the Closed Trails. Please heed these warnings. Take note that all the closed signs are not yet installed. That does not mean that trails are re-opened.!! Be Careful! Peter, Art and Bob Bell install some of the Closed signs. - February 5th 5
Photos: Diane Sullivan Valentines Dinner! Here are some pics from the January 2 1st ride to Moose Lake. Nice sunny day although windy. 11 club members and 98kms travelled. Ron Members: Ron Tonts, John Sullivan, Art Groves, Peter & Sue McKie, Dave Swartz, Jeff & Kathy Traynor, Warren & Kim Lowe, Sandy Jamieson. 6
Club Rides...Sundays / Wednesdays- 10:30 am Sunday and Wednesday Club Rides Weather permitting, riders are to be at the Clubhouse by 10:30 a.m. Bring a lunch as the ride may not include a stop at a local eatery. If temperature is colder than -15C, the ride will be cancelled. Sunday Rides : Leader TBD contact Peter @ 456-6808 or Art @ 456-2112 Wednesday Rides : Ron Tonts @ 456-6042 Note: Riders must autograph the sign-up sheet prior to each ride! For Sale! Do you have a snowmobile for sale? Send details to the editor to have it listed in future newsletters. Include a picture if possible. Sheridan Lake Ride Wednesday January 31st Riders: Ron T, Gary Vienna, John S., Art G., Erin, Steve G., Peter M. Lunch at Boondocks at Interlakes. Photos: Ron Tonts Beware active logging on Moose Alley trail two kilometers west of the Bonaparte. Forestry will be posting signs. Moose Alley is still open. 7
Sheridan Ride - continued 8
Photo: Ron Tonts at the Chasm - Jan 28 Sunday January 28th ride to the Chasm led by Art Groves. Riders today included Ron s friend Gary from Maryland, Bob W, Steve, and Arron. We headed out the 70 Mile trail, then down the Old Cariboo Road towards the Chasm Park. After a break there for pictures, Ron led us over to the west side of Highway 97 then north to the GRST where we stopped at the Stormy warming hut for lunch. From there we crossed the highway at Begbie and returned down the pipeline to Green Lake. 73 MILES today! Shown below is the Garmin GPS image from the Basecamp program 9
January 24th ride south on the pipeline with an overview of the Bonaparte River valley. Pipeline continues up the hill on the other side then down to Loon Lake. Fire devastation very visible down that way. Save that trip for another time! Carried on the day by heading over to the River Lakes area west of highway 97 then back to Green Lake via Loch Lomond. Thanks, Ron! 7 Riders today: Ron, Art, Bob W., Jeff, Arron, Warren and Kim. We all noticed Kim was enjoying her new sled. I think it knows how to get everywhere by itself as it was previously owned by our late leader Frank! 10
Photos: Ron Tonts February 7th ride to the Gold Rush Trail and Sugar Shack with Jeff & Kathy Traynor 80 kilometers. February 14th Ride to Lone Butte Photos: Ron Tonts Great ride to the Ironhorse Pub for lunch. Riders: Ron T., John S., John Dustin, Erin, Jeff Traynor Mileage: 82kms 11
Membership 2017-2018 Did you know that your Green Lake Snowmobile Club membership expired on October 31st, 2017? We appreciate your past support of the club and would like to encourage you to renew your membership each year. Current paid membership stands at 118 (as of February 5th) If you have any questions or concerns, please call me or any of the directors listed in this newsletter. Thank-you! Kim Lowe 250-456-7506 Just an early reminder to our friends on the lake who knew Frank Dixon. As you know, our good friend Frank passed away just before all the wildfires last summer. Rita had hoped to have a Celebration of Frank's life last September but it did not work out at that time. Frank was a very active part of the Green Lake community for at least 25 years. Frank had such a great knowledge of the Green Lake and surrounding area and because of this he was often our Snowmobile and ATV lead. If you had the opportunity to attend any snowmobile events you probably noticed Frank sitting quietly in the back of the room with his large bottle of A & W rootbeer. We really miss our good friend and want to honour and celebrate his life on Sunday, July 8th /2018 at the Green Lake Snowmobile Club. Please pass this on to anyone who may want to attend. We will send another notice as the date gets closer but please make sure you mark this important date on your calendar. 12