Rideau Ferry

At the risk of boring my readers, but letting hubby know where we have been, I split our otter hunting trip into two posts! We didn't see any otters, it is too early. I did spot an eagle working on a deer carcass. I think it might be time to replace my videocamera, but this is my evidence. This was a drive-by shooting, you see. It took off as soon as JB pulled the car to the side of the road.


At first, I thought it was a vulture, but the distinct white in the tail and the head gave it away. This is an archive photo!



The frozen lakes give people lots of pleasure. One has to embrace winter in these climes. Adoring the wetland and forests for the peace and quiet, I loathe the noise of the snow machines, but now we're not living beside a lake anymore, they are fewer and farther between.
This is what they would do on the frozen lake in Bala. They were off the trail, and I was happy to survive the experience.

Off to the pub for lunch.

The cold, cold patio! Soon we shall eat there again!



A beef skewer with cornbread! It was so good to get out of the house and go for a drive.



Blue skies, at last.


It's quite a culture.

After this, we went to the lake to see the ice fishing huts.
That's a big dog! I nearly slipped and fell on the icy conditions.



A father/daughter duo augering a hole.

videos

The poor turkeys are swimming through the snow! This was out my front window. They like the job JB did on the driveway!



Sledders have been crossing the properties of many suburban Perth residents. One has resorted to signage to keep them off. They whiz about and trespass to avoid obstacles, like trees and ditches. They are noisy, smelly machines, too.


There was some actual play involved. This is a good sign on all accounts.
Clown pants from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

How cold is it?

It's a new day! ( It's -15 F.!)

It's so cold...

• the deer are wandering like cold, mournful ghosts, slowing moving across the frozen snow.
• birds are frantic at the feeder.
• walks require face and hand coverings.

Yet, the shallow wetland isn't frozen, and we've had snow machine operators hit objects, or go through the ice on lakes, which isn't deep enough to support them and their machines. Grooming means covering rocks and layering snow over obstacles, as well as cleaning away trees on the trail.

Donations have been amazing

Despite this cold, there are people with warm hearts. The family, whose young mother was killed in a car incident on Dec. 31st, has had a GoFundMe that has topped all expectations. Elizabeth Harris, their single-parent mother, was a personal support worker (PSW). The father now has custody of the children.  He's been back in college for retraining, also to become a PSW. Her funeral is taking place today. The family is overwhelmed with the generosity. It warms the heart.

The frog pond is cold enough to support the deer, but not me!

What a find! A 1960s sled

UPDATE: After some research by myself, I found a Romanian company, Autorol, on Facebook, but it doesn't quite seem to fit. They do have machines and other products.

Bing tells me that Autotrol has been manufacturing machines and motors since 1964! That has an extra T, though!
There is a #AutoRol, but that seems to be Japanese, related to a fighting character in Anime!
There is an Indian company that sells Autorol grease!
A Dutch company, Autorol, sells Nike products.
I sent the photos to some historians at the Perth Historical Society, and they did some more research for me.

At first, they suggested:
It looks like a 1960's vintage, and I suspect may have been made to tow behind an early snowmobile. The shield on the front may have been an aftermarket addition.

It's the same logo!

This makes sense to me. I would say that it was being towed behind a snow machine, and the front bar, where it was attached, broke. It was left behind. In those days people didn't think anything of going out alone.

They came up with a bit more research, and found a couple of photos on kijiji that has the same logo from Bear Autorol.

Look at the maximum speed: 60mi/120km per hour

Here is the one runner I could salvage. It is VERY rusted!





Original post:

I have no idea how old they are, but I found this sled and circular metal thingie in our wetland.
Daisy and I went of to try and free it from its frozen bed. Both runners are terribly rusted, and have rusted right off of the bottom of the sled. As I worked at it with the hatchet, Daisy did her thing: exploring, climbing the meagre cedar trees, and checking in periodically with me.
It was quite heavy, as there is several inches of organic matter rotting in the bottom. Much moss, and cedar leaves.

The wetland in winter is beautiful and quite walkable, even for someone with a pulled Achille's tendon! Daisy and I walk across it a lot in winter. (We walk around it in summer.) This time we had a mission.

Wetland in summer

Early spring

Snow machines - 2013 Canadian incidents

Ontario Provincial Police:
The OPP is also issuing a timely public warning that 16 people have died in snowmobile incidents so far this year (as of March 25, 2013) and seven of those deaths have occurred within the last three weeks. 

Here are just 25 examples of incidents, deaths, near-misses and injuries. What can we learn?

I thought the season was over, with trails closed, but it isn't the case. Another incident in Muskoka on March 17th.

25. Snowmobile crash kills man in Georgian Bay Township

http://muskokanewswatch.com/opensession/...

Early morning crash kills snowmobile driver on Go Home Lake Posted March 17, 5.59pm:  The Bracebridge OPP are reporting one man is dead after an early morning snowmobile crash on Go Home Lake in Ge...

24. Fatal Snowmobile Collision
March 16th
The snowmobile was travelling westbound on Sharbot Lake at a high rate of speed when it struck a small embankment causing it to lose control and crash. The driver was ejected onto the ice. Central Frontenac Fire Department attended the scene and attended to the male driver who was wearing a helmet. He was then transported to Perth Hospital by ambulance with serious injuries. The driver, 50-year old Robert LEE of Central Frontenac Township was later pronounced dead at hospital. Both speed and alcohol are considered to be contributing factors in this collision.

 23. Midland man dead after snowmobile goes through ice
Simcoe.com ‎- March 11, 2013

MIDLAND – A 40-year-old Midland man died Saturday after his snowmobile went into open water on Canal Lake near Kirkfield.

22. Man killed, woman injured in snowmobile crash in southeast Calgary

Jan 13, 2013 – An Alberta safety advocate says more public education is needed in the wake of a fatal snowmobile crash. Part of the blame, he said, is in the high-risk lifestyle some Albertans seem to enjoy. Paramedics found the 25-year-old man dead, along with a seriously injured 21-year-old woman, in a farmer’s field near Glenmore Trail and 84th Street S.E., on the eastern edge of the city, at about 2:30 a.m. Speed, and alcohol are both factors, as well as the lack of helmets.

21. UPDATE: Coroner IDs Chilliwack teen killed in snowmobile crash

Jan 3, 2013 – The BC Coroner confirmed on Friday the name of the 16-year-old Chilliwack girl killed in a snowmobile accident Dec. 30 near the Coquihalla.

Speed limits, safety issues

20.

Fatal snowmobile accident near Virden, Manitoba

On March 4, 2013, just after 2pm, Virden RCMP as well as local emergency services were dispatched to the scene of a fatal snowmobile accident that occurred adjacent to the Trans Canada Highway, about 2 km west of Virden. A second rider was killed by a third machine when assisting the driver of a stuck machine.

19. man killed in snowmobile crash
London Free Press Sunday, March 3, 2013
A 22-year-old Brant County man was killed and his passenger injured in a snowmobile crash early Sunday morning. It was 1:30 a.m., they crossed the road, went in and out of a ditch then hit a fence.

18. Teen in snowmobile accident dies
CBC.ca Tuesday, Feb. 26
A 13-year-old boy who was involved in a snowmobile accident on the southwest coast of Newfoundland has died of his injuries. Police said it appeared that the boy was snowmobiling alone in Fox Roost-Margaree, near Port aux Basques

17. Family sues Manitoba Hydro in fatal snowmobile accident
Global Winnipeg
Family sues Manitoba Hydro in fatal snowmobile accident. Tuesday, February 26, 2013 10:38 AM. The family of a snowmobile passenger who died after hitting a steel guide wire on a power pole is suing Manitoba Hydro. 

16. Canadian boy, 10, dies in snowmobile crash
UPI.com
QUEBEC CITY, Feb. 24 (UPI) -- A 10-year-old boy was Quebec's 17th snowmobile fatality of the season, authorities in the Canadian province said. The fatal accident occurred Saturday in Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures, about 152 miles northeast of Montreal. Quebec provincial police said the boy's father was driving the snowmobile on a rural road when it struck another vehicle. Last winter, 19 people died while riding snowmobiles.

15.

Boy, 10, dies after snowmobile accident near Quebec City CBC.ca A 10-year-old boy is dead following a snowmobile accident in Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures, about 245 kilometres northeast of Montreal. The boy's father was driving the snowmobile on a rural road when it struck another vehicle.

14. Snowmobile accident sends two to hospital
CottageCountryNow.ca
Police thanked local residents who helped emergency crews extract the injured pair. Police, paramedics and firefighters were dispatched to the call at around 4 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 21 on a narrow, groomed curve in the road. OPP Const. Derek Wickett said the force of the collision threw both operators – a 26 year old and a 15 year old – from their vehicles. 
13. The Copper Cliff man who crashed his snowmobile into some trees on Sunday ...
The Sudbury StarThe Copper Cliff man who crashed his snowmobile into some trees on Sunday has died. Bob Tessier was riding along Sudbury Trail Plan D in Chelmsford) when he lost control and hit some trees. Emergency crews had to use an Argo off-road vehicle to get .

12. Snowmobiler recalls trail accident
Minden Times
72-year-old Bob Briscoe came out of a snowmobile accident with only scrapes and bruises. The resident of Algonquin Highlands crashed into another rider on Feb. 9 while enjoying a jaunt to Dwight with his wife and daughter.

11. Canadian ranger dies in snowmobile crash in Nunavut
Toronto Sun
A Canadian Ranger died in a snowmobile accident during a routine exercise in Nunavut Sunday, the Armed Forces reported Tuesday. Cpl. Donald Anguyoak was acting as lead scout for the Gjoa Haven Canadian Ranger Patrol during Exercise Polar 


10. Unfortunately, there were many incidents after Snomageddon 2013 in eastern Canada, including a 16-year-old who was struck by a hit-and-run truck, while crossing the road on his snowmobile.

9. Woman injured after snowmobiles collide in northern Wellington

MAPLETON TWP – A 51-year-old woman was taken to Listowel hospital for treatment of her injuries. 

Wellington County OPP reports the two machines were on a curve on the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs trail west of Sailing Club Road in Mapleton Township when they collided shortly after noon. 

A 24-year-old man from Linwood, Ont., was charged with careless driving contrary to the Motorized Snow Vehicle Act.

8. Snowmobiles through ice on Muskoka River, one man missing by Norah Fountain

One man is missing after four snowmobiles went through thin ice on Muskoka River in Baysville. Huntsville OPP say a search is under way for 48-year-old Richard Dehaan of Smithville, Ontario. Three other sledders with Dehaan managed to make it out of the water.

7. Snowmobiler crashes into tree in Lincoln - New Brunswick

Jan. 25, 2013

A 46-year-old man from Lincoln suffered serious injuries in a snowmobile accident over the weekend. The snowmobile the man was driving struck a tree on a trail about one kilometre east of the Nevers Road exit on Highway 2 on Friday at about 9:30 p.m., say RCMP.

Police watch snowmobile trails (video)

Jan 7, 2013 Police watch snowmobile trails. Ottawa police are worried about drinking and other illegal activity on snowmobile trails.

6. Drunk Driving Charges Laid In Tiny Township Snowmobile Crash

January 28, 2013 A 23 year old Penetanguishene man is facing numerous charges in connection with a snowmobile crash in Tiny Township. Police say three snowmobiles were involved in the crash late Friday night...but luckily no one was injured. The accused has been charged with impaired driving, as well as driving without insurance and for having a suspended license.

5. Snowmobile crash kills man in Val-des-Monts

Jan. 26, 2013

A 24-year-old man was killed in a snowmobile crash on Lac St. Pierre in Val-des-Monts, Que., early Saturday evening. MRC des Collines regional police said the man was driving on the lake just before 5:30 p.m. when he lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a snowbank.

4. Snowmobile hit-and-run in Quebec injures Ottawa woman 

Sunday, January 27, 2013

A was taken to hospital with two possibly broken legs after a hit-and-run incident involving a snowmobile. She was returning to a chalet with a friend, after a day of cross-country skiing in the Laurentians.

3. Snowmobiler found dead, one still missing

Jan. 6, 2013

SAULT STE. MARIE, Ont. -- One man is dead and his longtime friend is missing after their snowmobiles went into Lake George early Saturday. Steven Matte, a Garden River, Ont., resident, and a friend were returning home after visiting an establishment in Echo Bay, said his aunt Cheryl Miller, who could not confirm the missing man's identity. Police told the family that snowmachine tracks were seen going into Lake George but none exiting.  Their sleds were found in about 30 feet of water where they went missing. Another of Miller's nephews, Michael Charbonneau, was killed in a snowmobile collision in Edmonton in 2010.

2. NICHOL, Brian Passed away suddenly and tragically without pain following a snowmobile accident on Friday, January 4, 2013 in Bancroft, Ontario at the age of 56. Brian left us all too soon doing what he loved to do. He will be lovingly remembered by his wife Alison, by his children 

1. Snowmobile crash sends two to hospital

(BROCK) Jan. 1/13 Two Sunderland men are in hospital with serious injuries after the snowmobile they were riding slammed into a tree. According to the Durham Regional Police, the accident occurred after 2 a.m. Saturday (Dec. 29) on Sideroad 17, north of Concession 4. The two men, aged 55 and 25, were riding a Skidoo 800 north along Sideroad 17 when the driver failed to negotiate a bend in the roadway. Police say the sled entered a treed area in the west ditch and both men were thrown from the vehicle. Alcohol is believed to be a factor.