8.   As I mentioned in my previous article, the snowfall this winter has so far been one of the best on record in about 10 years! We have over 120cm of snow on the ground and endured two weeks of -15 to -20 degree temperatures which played havoc with the province's electrical system. Rolling blackouts and extended outages now commonly referred to as Dark NL have plagued our homes since the beginning of January. However temperatures have risen to a comfortable level and we've even had a little rain to firm up the snow pack, so a bunch of us took advantage of sunny skies and headed to Sooley's cabin for a day on the sleds.

7.   Maffer, Bill and I arrived first, followed soon after by Sooley, Amanda & the Kids, and Sooley's brother Marc & his children.

6.   The kids enjoyed a day of playing in the snow, sliding and skidoo rides,

5.

4.   while Bill, Maffer and I enjoyed a day of bashing snow drifts and climbing hills.

3.   Snow conditions were fantastic, probably the best I've seen at Sooley's cabin in a long time.

2.   The snow was firm on top and powder on bottom which helped greatly in gaining traction. The ponds were bare and slippery but the edges of held enough snow to easily get around without overheating the sleds. French and Todd showed up later that afternoon, and French promptly got the Honda 300 Quad stuck in the snow trying to get back to the cabin from the pond! After a half hour of pulling and winching they got the bike back up the hill. 

1.   At the end of the day we managed to burn some gas and had many laughs. The kids had a great day, hopefully their skidoo rides will have them hooked to take up the sport like the rest of us!

Cheers, MIKE

Copyright © 2011 Michael Smith