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The Greenwater Report for January 20, 2003 |
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| Greenwater Provincial Park - Monday, January 20, 2003 - by: Jerry Crawford | |||||||
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temperature |
January 19th, 2003: Overcast, with a north wind. The temperature was ó16°C when we got up, but started dropping and by the time we got back from coffee it was ó18°C. | ||||||
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trailers |
You would think it was a holiday weekend from all the snowmobiles
around. I donít see any old machines, either, they all look pretty new. Some of the
rigs used to transport them look expensive; at  Fishermanís Cove this morning, I saw a half-ton with
a platform on top of the box that would handle a couple of machines (thatís about
all we saw out in BC - there were few trailers), another brand-new aluminum trailer
with a poly housing to protect the machines from the weather, and lots of big tandem
trailers that would carry four or more machines. All are rigged with ramps for loading
and unloading the snowmobiles - drive them on from the back and off from the front,
no wrestling with them. And then, of course, a diesel 4 X 4 with all the bells and
whistles to pull the trailer! |
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expensive |
None of those machines could be bought for under $5,000, and some would be over $12,000. Then there are the helmets, suits, mitts, etc., and none of them come cheap. With premium gas, trail permits and insurance, itís an expensive sport, but they would normally have a minimum of four months that they could be used. One could easily spend that much on a boat, motor, trailer, and accessories, for a shorter season. | ||||||
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Derby |
I see a sign at the Cove advertising the Porcupine Trail Blastersí Snowmobile Derby next Saturday, January 25th. It takes place at High Tor Hall, ten miles south of Porcupine Plain. | ||||||
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repairs |
By the way, I understand Francis Dery repairs snowmobiles. His shop is on the Archerwill road, #349, a mile west of Nobleville Church. | ||||||
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loppet |
The annual Greenwater Ski Loppet takes place next Saturday, January 25th, put on by the Naicam Ski Club. If you are interested, call Shirley at 598-4333 or Marge at 874-5533. The trails should be in excellent shape, and there are miles and miles of them. | ||||||
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x country |
Contrary to snowmobiling, cross-country (XC) skiing is dirt cheap. I had reason to check out the price of a set of skis, bindings, boots and poles recently, and one could be equipped for $250. Of course, itís always possible to buy high-end equipment but itís certainly not necessary. Clothing is the toques, sweaters, jackets and gloves that one would normally have at home. There are no licenses or trail fees, and no gas to buy, except for the car to get to the trails. One doesnít always have to use prepared trails, either, though they can be nice. | ||||||
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Helen Clarke |
There is a front page article in the January 12th edition of The Sunday Advance about Helen Perrin Clarke, an Arborfield author. She wrote two books about a 12-year-old girl growing up on a farm near Arborfield in during the Second World War. The first was called ìSearch for Elizabethî and the second ìElizabeth and the City Girlî. I have them both, and though they were written to give todayís students an idea of what rural life was like during the war, I enjoyed them thoroughly. (Does that say something about my level of maturity?) Now she has the third book finished, and it is called ìElizabeth and the Grandmotherî. I guess my nagging paid off! The article says books may be purchased at The Bookstop in Melfort, The Paper Trail in Nipawin, Lacroix Drug in Tisdale, and the Carrot River Pharmacy in Carrot River. If none of those work for you, call Helen at (306) 769-4148 and tell her I sent you. I got my copy! | ||||||
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horticulture |
We had lunch the other day with Marg and Brian Shuya, and Doreen and Brian got into a discussion on propagating lilies. Brianís horticultural smarts never cease to amaze me. Of course, itís a passion, not just an interest, with him. He has taken eight University credit courses, and has a diploma in Prairie Horticulture. Last summer, I went over to his place and took some photos of his lilies, and what a display! Brian has given us a lot of help and advice, especially to do with our shrubs - how much to prune, and when, and stuff like that. He has a web page called www.briansgarden.com with timely gardening tips. He fields questions from all over the world, and when he gets stumped he has some highly placed experts to call on. | ||||||
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birds |
Brian has another passion, and that is wild birds. Iím sure he could tell you how many species we have in Greenwater Park, and can likely imitate the song of most of them. He did some creditable wildlife art painting a few years ago, but that seems to have taken a back seat to his other interests. | ||||||
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Doreen & Jerry Crawford Box 100, Chelan, SK S0E 0N0 (306) 278-3423 http://www3.sk.sympatico.ca/crawg |
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