Posted by Dave LaChance on January 29, 2008 under David LaChance, Hemmings Classic Car, clubs, museums and collections, shows, exhibitions and events, snowmobiles | 
The Winter Transportation Festival returns for a second year to the Owls Head Transportation Museum on February 10. “If it goes in the snow, it belongs in this show!” is the motto. All pre-1987 snowmobiles, snow plow vehicles, snow blowers, sleighs, toboggans, sleds and ice boats are welcome. Organizers are expecting hundreds of exhibits.
The festival runs from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the museum, which is located about two miles south of Rockland, Maine. According to event organizer Cathy Hardy, the Maine Snowmobile Association will be celebrating its 40th anniversary with a big raffle, and four vintage snowmobile experts will be displaying and talking about their collections: Wayne Campbell of the Northern Timber Cruisers Snowmobile Museum in Millinocket, Jay Carsley of Cove-Side Wheel & Ski of Newport and Vintage Snowmobiling Online; Jonny Wakefield of the Antique & Vintage Snowmobile Gallery in Turner; and Andrew Avelis of Newbury, Mssachusetts, and Rangeley, Maine, with his collection of vintage Arctic Cat snowmobiles.
With the Model T Ford Snowmobile Club coming to Lake George, New York, for its national convention the same weekend, vintage snowmobile fans in the Northeast will be spoiled for choice.
Posted by Zenwaiter on January 22, 2008 under Uncategorized |
Jan 22 2008 Update Home at Last
On November 20th 2007, armed only with a positive attitude and a sense of awe for the beauty of my country, I drove eastward to Quebec to enjoy another Canadian winter adventure. I had no schedule, and precious little cash. (This is my back yard).
Ten days ago, I returned from almost eight weeks of hard work in La Belle Province, writing and taking photos of the landscapes and the people I met, then
upating my web site so you could follow my
treck. Now I am starting to feel normal,
whatever that is, though I still wake up not knowing where I am. I guess travelling and working 24/7 should be left to the young. I don't know if I'll do it again next year. Though it is
exhilarating, it is also very taxing.
Here at home, my office is once again set up the way I like it, and the
correspondence comes and goes with electronic efficiency. I admit that I don't get as much e-mail as before, and since I axed the 1-800 number, I get very few calls. That's just as well, because I couldn't afford it anyways.
(Photo of gate at Ferme Nueve near Rabaska).
People would call me, fretful, and then ask me to convince them,
promise them even, that they would have a great holiday, that the trails would be perfect, and that all would go well. I couldn't do that.
"This is an adventure sport," I would say.
"If you're looking for a sure thing, join the bowling league. Every Friday night, I guarantee your lanes will still be there."There are too many variables in our sport to make hard and fast promises about
'results'. Results depend upon the expectations you had before you left home. If you are expecting an
unforgettable adventure, then I
guarantee you'll get it. The weather, the roads, the mechanical breakdowns, and the '
ooops' factor
(that's when you run into the woods and bend your skis), are ever present. The uncontrollable
factors which this sport offer, are second to none. Shoot, you may not even make it over the border!
(This is me doing a story about snowmobile theft prevention at a Locksmith shop in Shawinigan.)
When we experience the unknown, the dangers, and the joy life brings us when riding our sleds in the forests of Quebec, special human bonds are created which cannot be described. The sport, after all, is life and death.
There are dangerous icy hills, surprise twists and turns, and a deadly sub zero environment around us at all times. On the bright side, there is nothing like the feeling of finally finding our snowmobile motel, as the light fades in the arctic sky. We know we made it safe, and that there is a hot wood stove awaiting us inside.
(Karl G a Motel Safari client from Havre de Grace MD.)
Snowmobiling is not learned in ten minutes. That's the beauty of the sport. It is handed down from Father to son, in a way which is rare in the sporting world. A father has so much to teach the kids about snowmobiling. How to care for the machines, how to load the trailer, where to go, how to ride safely, and on and on. It is a time for father and the kids to bond. It is something that builds a family.
This morning, I am thinking about all my sponsors, and I realize that without them, there is no way I could spend the winter writing about snowmobiling. I hope you all are visiting their web sites to see what they have to offer.
(Marco - owner of Comfor Inn in Mont Laurier on Devil's Mountain.)
The readers have contributed almost nothing this year. This I don't understand. I work my ass off for months to bring you fresh content daily!
At the very least, you could send me the cost of one snowmobile magazine. Many of you have been enjoying this site for years, and never contributed a penny. Be honest. If you are reading this, and enjoying it, it has some value for you right? I guess you figure it should be free.
I am paying for your pleasure! HAHAHAH. (You readers absolutely KILL me! - - 6,000 readers a day and only 6 donations this year!).
Whatever. If even one tenth of the readers sent in 20 bucks a year, I would be able to cover all my expenses twice over! Would a 20 really kill you? I think not. One tank of Gas for your truck cost over 100.!
Anyways,
(change topic please), this winter I have already
buried myself in a tidy financial hole, and it will take a good six months to dig out. I doubt if I will drive the four day trip to Quebec next year. I will simply do all the work from home. (I say that every year.) And, I will be looking for more web site work to support myself, and spend far less time on
Zenwaiter.com. (
This is Bernard with me at Motel Safari.)
If you readers knew how hard I worked on that trip, the donations would flood in. Oh well. I guess you just figure that I go and have fun for eight weeks, my hands up over my head, laughing, eating, and riding. My own fault I guess, that is how I portray myself, but in fact, I am hunkered down in front of the screen, dead tired, writing till the wee hours, then I fight with the hotel
Internet connection to update my site every day. The road is uncomfortable, difficult, frustrating, and damned expensive. I put 11,000
kms on my car this winter. But I do love it so.
My
pneumonia is on the mend. I still have the occasional spike in fever. I am finally going to see a doctor Thursday to get antibiotics. I always avoid taking those unless I absolutely have to.
Here in south western Saskatchewan today, it is -20 C every night, and there is only 6 inches of snow on the ground with lots of bare spots on the
prairie. My sled is on the trailer in the back yard. I hope to bring you a few Sask sled stories this winter. There are many antique sled rallies, cancer fund raisers, and other events, just a few hours north of me, and I hope to get up there.
In order to keep the
Zenwaiter web site up to date on Quebec and Ontario activities, trail conditions and weather, I count on you the reader, to send me a few photos and text now and again, of your riding adventures. I would appreciate it. I will stick your mug on the front page!
This year, only a few have sent in donations to cover expenses. I can't change that. But perhaps I can convince you to contribute in other ways. Send me photos and stories, tell your friends about the site, and visit our sponsors when you see an ad on the page.
In the meantime, if you have a web site project that needs doing, please e-mail me for an estimate. I do a pretty good job!
zen@zenwaiter.comTo DONATE
please click here THANKS!
Good to be home!
zw
