Pirate Rally a big hit. Great time with great people.

OMG It's half way through August

It's hard to belive the summer has gone by so quickly. With the slow start it feels like it should be July 12 not August 12th. We have made the best of it as possibile. The 4th of July at Ray and Marie's was a blast. It was really good to meet their families, it made our extended family even bigger. We had a great time with our camping group in the middle of July at a campground in New Hampton NH. I went back to work on July 6th after the surgery on my thumb and it's getting better all the time. The Dr. says it will take 6 to 9 months for it to really get back to normal. The good news is it will be good to go for snowmobileing season. I'm just finishing up a great job at the Boston Opera House. It was a nice change of skill sets from what I usually do at work. We are now looking forward to the Country Fest concert at the Razor Saturday. We will be packing 9 people in the camper for the roadtrip. I can't wait to see Sugarland, I've got a thing for Jennifer Nettles, I think Linda even understands. LOL Haley has had a busy summer herself, she had camp with her grandparents, then she had a week of camping with her school, tent camping in the rain, I think she missed the Rambler. Linda and I got a weekend away last weekend and met up with our friends Frankie and Karen at a local spot we had never heard of called Tuxbury Pond CG. It's right on the boader of NH and Mass in Amesbury. We were setup right next to a lagoon and we caught some good weather for the most part. It was tough watching the Sox getting spanked by the Yankees all weekend but it's not panic time yet. As summer winds down the schedule remains full, we will be spending some vacation time on the Maine coast at a couple of different CG that we've never been to and we'll see some friends at both places. We have a couple of days in Boothbay Harbor and a few days in Belfast on the ocean. Then we get together with some of the Pirate campers for Labor Day in Mystic Conn. Wayne and Darlene are coming also and we'll get to visit Foxwoods for a few hours and make our deposit for the good of the tribe. Then we make our annual visit to Joan and Bills on the Cape for a weekend of food, fun and relaxing. God has blessed us with great friends and family, and some of our new friends are like family. Funny how when you think thing are not going your way, they really are. Who would have guessed that the night I almost died in the ice would really be the beginning of new relationships that have grown into real friendships. God knew the plan the whole time. He blessed us with Ray and Marie and they blessed us with their friends and family. We also have a great extended family on Facebook.

Messing with the camara while my hand recovers

Holy moly, Bird watching, what's life coming too. It's been fun feeding the birds and then trying to idenitify them, catching them in photos has been a challange. Photography is an interesting hobby and it's fun trying to get better at it. It's Fathers Day Today, Haley is here and Ryan is coming over to visit. We got Nascar coming up next weekend, trip up north for the 4th of July to see Ray and Marie. Another trip in mid July for a weekend with the RV group. Then Linda and I will get in a trip to Bar Harbor to visit friends there and get away together.

My pirate name is:

Bloody Roger Vane

Every pirate lives for something different. For some, it's the open sea. For others (the masochists), it's the food. For you, it's definitely the fighting. You tend to blend into the background occaisionally, but that's okay, because it's much easier to sneak up on people and disembowel them that way. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

IT'S DONE

New flooring Installed.

Camper Flooring Demo Has Begun!!!

Well we have decided to change out the old ratty carpet in the camper. We are going with a fiberglass backed vinyl from Mannington and a plush pile carpet in the slide out and around the driver and co pilot area along with the bedroom. So after making the confirming call with the supplier and placing the order for the material we didn't waste any time ripping out the old rugs. First thing was the slide area, had to take out the booth seating and unbolt the couch and that section came up easy. Next was the open area and the stairway, then we pulled the driver and co pilot seats and ripped the front. Last was the dog house, this was a pain in the ass, it was all contact cemented down but we got it. Everything is stored it the trailer and we still have to rip the bedroom. Not a bad couple of hours work and Linda was a big help as I was ripping she was bagging and sweeping. Check out the photos the sample of the new flooring is in there with the carpet sample next to it.

Happy Easter

The good Lord has risin. We are blessed with another Easter to celabrate. As spring trys to make it's way in cold air from the north makes if feel like a day to ride snowmobiles not eat ham. It is a clear and sunny day, although cold still beautiful. We will have Linda's family at the house today and later in the day we'll head over to my sister Flo's house for deserts and some laughs I'm sure. I'm dealing with a low back that has a mind of it's own. It's been bugging me all week and due to my own lack of brains I tried to clean up the yard of winters torment and set myself back a few steps. So I find myself ordered to couch by my loving wife and I will follow this order only because she happens to be right on this one. The only thing bringing relife is ice, so I'm keeping it frosen to avoid the pain. Enough of that. Haley will be spending Easter with her mom and Mike's family this year and Ryan may come by later. Haley leaves for her class trip to DC in the morning. It's hard to belive she is almost done with 8th grade and will soon be in high school. God Bless her on this trip please. We will soon be starting our weekend camping trips to places unknown, well some are known. We have 2 trips planned for May, we will be going to Bayles in Scarbough Maine for the weekend to get the winter bugs out of the camper and at the end of the month we head to Herkermer NY to pan for gold with the Noreaster Group. There will be close to 30 rigs at that outing so it will be fun. That's enough for now. God Bless us all.

Snowmobiling Season Comes to an End

We wound up the season last weekend with a bang. We had the ride in over at the Virgin's place on Lower Richardson Lake, we got to hang out with Ray and Marie and all the great new friends we have met due to going through the ice last year. What a true blessing that experience has turned out to be.
We started the effort of getting the camper out Friday night by digging away on the snow bank piled up in front of our winter get away. The girls and I bashed away on the ice and layer's of the season's snowfalls and meltdowns. When we got back from the ride in we took the insulation off the slide outs and packed the trailers up. Now it was time to get ready to celebrate Haley's birthday down at the Moose.
We had a nice surprise when Jerry and his family showed up to join us. His little girls are so funny and we get a huge kick out of yucking it up with them. We did cake and sang the famous birthday song to Haley and made her where the goofy hat. It was a really nice way to wrap up the season. As we walked back up to the camper that night in the dark we all talked about how great a year it was, such a different ending compared to last year, more family time.
We had many more trips with the three of us. We watched Linda's riding ability change right in front of us. There were a couple of mechanical problems but nothing major and Jerry took such good care of our sleds we never got stranded anyplace. The people at Cote's have also adopted us as family. We owe many thanks to John and Christina for making us laugh over so many things. They made Linda feel very comfortable being new to the sport and they all love ganging up on me as I come in with my complaints about whatever. They got the biggest laugh when the cord from my helmet visor melted down and almost set me on fire, it melted my coat and two layers of clothes before I stopped and pulled it out, Haley and I were enjoying a nice ride and the next thing you know is smoke coming from my body, who else could this happen to. As I sit here on a Sunday morning at home it's the first one in months I've been in Dover on a Sunday morning, I feel sad that the season is over but very grateful for the joy it brought to our family and to me personally. I love being up north, I love the people up there we hang out with and I will miss seeing them on a regular basis, but with the grace of God we will be back up there again next year. We will see our northern family this summer and we are going to try to have a get together here at the house this summer, we will go see Jerry and Katy compete in a logging competition someplace. So as my sadness to the end of snowmobiling subsides it is the memories that take it's place. The joy of new friends and relationships we have made.
The pictures and views from Signal Mountain will remain fresh in my mind. The trip Danny and I had breaking the trail to Signal will never be forgotten, knowing we will be back to the fire tower next year makes the end of this year OK. Now we move to the summer camping trips, driving around the camper and going to rallies with the IRV2 people, we get to look froward to the Country Fest concert in Aug. with Danny and Colleen, trips to no where with Wayne and Darlene, a couple of Nascar races, oh my god I'm getting excited for summer. See how it works. Thank you dear God for the gifts you have blessed us with.

Out for now, heading to Phyllis to celebrate her birthday a little late. Peace be with you all.

The winter is winding down.

Linda and I just got home from a beautiful weekend up north. The weather was excellent. We got a couple hundred miles in and rode with Kristin and Charlie on Saturday and today we went up to the Signal Mountain fire tower. The views are breathtaking from this old relick of the past. As winter comes to an end it's with sadness to think about it. We'll get in a couple more trips for sure but the conditions are fading fast. The good news is there has been no near death experiences like last year and Linda has really become a very good snowmobile rider. She has really made it so much fun. Next weekend is Haleys Birthday and we'll all be going up together and that is allways good for some laughs. Some pictures from this weekend.

Time to catch up.

Wow, can't believe it's been sense December 7 that I've been able to post. We have been up north every weekend enjoying the camper and riding in the beauty of the great north woods. When we moved to the new spot at the campground we ended up being out of range of the wifi connection I had last year so my hanging around posting time was interrupted. We have had the most unbelievable year of riding. After the ice adventure of last March we spent more time riding as a family and that alone has been one of the best parts of the winter for me. I did get to have my birthday party at the Moose this year and we showed up for it. Linda went above and beyond to surprise me and that is what happened when our friends Johnny and Holly showed up. We also celebrated Linda's birthday up north and we made a long weekend out of it with alot of relaxing. That is what she wanted to do and it was great. We made many trips up to the Sugar Shack to see Ray and Marie and feed the deer. It's been one of those years when the conditions were up and down, we'd have the best snow ever and then a warm spell would come in and tear things up only to be followed by extreme cold and then we would be riding on ice. So as the season come to a close we'll try to squeeze a couple more weekend out of it. This weekend we will go up and visit Ray and his gang over at Steve Swazies place for the chowder weekend. Then on the weekend of the 21th it's the ride in at Perry Virgin's place and Haley's Birthday. We have so much to be grateful for in these tough times, we have made so many new friends as a result of going through the ice. There have been many tough lessons learned but they have all been positive. I'll put up a few pictures and catch up more later, work is calling.

Getting Ready for Winter!!

We just got home from a trip up to the camper. It was a busy weekend, we finished getting the camper ready for snow by insulating the slide out roofs and covering them with rubber membrane to protect the frabic. We also picked up the sled I ordered last spring. My crystle ball failed to tell me that there would be a melt down in the economy and I would have a hard time getting rid of my other sled. The last thing I need right now is to snowmobiles. Oh well it will work out. There is plenty of snow on the ground up north right now and I couldn't not go for a quick ride on the new sled. It won't be long before the trails are open for real.

Copy of the Ice Story. This was printed in the UP NORTH magazine

Ice Nightmares & Miracles:
The night still remains fresh in my head and the memory won’t let it go away. The constant reminder lingers in the numbness of my left hand. The good Lord had made up his mind long before we ever got on our sleds that night. He had it all laid out to perfection. While riding along in the beauty of our trail system in the Great North Woods, taking in all the breathtaking sites that we have been blessed with, thinking we are in control of it all, this story shows that we are in control of nothing but our actions. Everything else is predetermined. As I sit here in late September, my thoughts are already thinking of the upcoming season of riding. Will we be blessed with the snow of last year? It had to be the best year of riding I’ve ever experienced. It was the first time I’ve been riding on opening day with mid-season conditions. It also makes me think of March 7, 2008. It was my 46th birthday and the first trip of the year that I had my wife Linda and my daughter Haley with me at the same time. We had a seasonal campsite at Bull Moose Campground and put our motor home there in the middle of November. We spent just about every weekend up there. I would be either with my wife or my daughter. The rest of the time I’d go up by myself and hook up with my crew from the Black Camp, off Newell Brook Road in Dummer. What a season it was, almost 4000 miles of fun and family time. No dragging a trailer up every weekend, no loading and unloading, and no frost heaves wanting to turn the trailer sideways in a snowstorm heading up Rt. 16 on a Friday night. Life was good. As the season was winding down in early March, I wanted to spend my birthday with both of my girls, so we brought the Z370 that my daughter bangs on around here up north and planned on another great weekend. We arrived at the camper around 6:00 pm, warmed it up, and tried to get to LL Cotes to register the 370 before it closed. What I didn’t know was my wife had planned a party for me at the Bull Moose and she was in a hurry to get back. This is where I made my first mistake! I left the camper without my GPS. I have the whole season stored on my GPS and it’s always mounted to the sled. I remembered it just as we were getting on to Lake Umbagog at the Bull Moose access trail. No problem we were just going to get gas and register the 370 and come back. It was a beautiful night, mild low 30’s. We crossed the lake on the same path we had taken all year, got off in the wild life reserve and back on 18 over Errol hill down to Cotes to take care of business. While in Cote’s the groomer went by, crossed the street and disappeared down the hill toward the bridge on 18. Second mistake: I couldn’t pass up the freshly groomed snow. We followed the fresh stuff until we caught up with the groomer heading up toward Dixville Peaks. It was awesome. I had my girls with me on the flat white highway on my birthday. Just as we were turning around, a light snow started to fall. It was a real fine snow. It was great. We doubled back on our own tracks and hit the gas station in Errol to fill up and head home. This is when the first Miracle takes place. I have a Cat helmet with the map light in front and the red LED light on the back. I never use the lights so while getting gas I was fooling around with the girls and turned on the red flashing light. They got a laugh out of it and made fun of me, calling me a geek. I can take it. Off we go back over Errol hill on 18 heading home. The snow had picked up some but not of any concern. We cruised through the wild life reserve and back onto the lake. This is where things changed. The snow turned into a squall and the calm night turned into a full blown white out wind blown blizzard. This was when mistake one came into play; no GPS. We were barely moving, trying to find our way back. It was crazy. You couldn’t tell left from right. The prior snow tracks were gone. Everything was blown away, and it’s coming down in circles. I figured I’d motor along and see the lights that outline the houses by the boat launch and follow the stakes that mark the trail to Bull Moose. No luck. I couldn’t see any lights but our own reflecting off the blowing snow. I was still not worried as I had crossed this same piece of ice at least a hundred times this year alone. Things are different. When you’re only traveling at 10 miles an hour or less when you’re used to crossing this area at 50 to 60 mph, the timing is all off. It felt like we should have been in one place by now but we were not. The other thing that threw me off was that I couldn’t find the trail stakes. I thought we had missed the turn off to the Moose and were on the Maine side heading toward Upton. There is another way off the lake via the Upton trail system and it leads right to the Bull Moose. I’m thinking we’ll find that way home. What was really going on was I had gone around Big Island and was really heading up the lake along the boarder line of NH and Maine. By now the girls were getting nervous and we kept stopping and looking for a landmark. We were riding the shore line but it didn’t help. There was still no visibility and nothing looked familiar. As I thought I was looking for the Upton exit, I was really 8 miles up the lake heading toward the mouth of the Rapid River. We saw some sleds coming from what I know now was Sunday Cove, but thought it was Upton. At this time we stopped again to try to get our bearings. That’s when my daughter Haley said the words I’ll never forget,” Daddy, is that open water over there?” “OH God!” was my first thought. There is no open water down at our end of the lake. We never went up to that end. We just crossed the same spot all year to get to Errol and back. You could just barely see a small stream of water in front of us, maybe 100 yards away. “Ok” I said to the girls” we’ll turn hard right here and get back to the middle of the lake and go left back to where we belong”. We mounted up and started to enact the plan. This is where we had no control over the situation but we did have control of our actions. As I was making the turn, I heard a scream. I still can’t understand how I heard anything. I turned my head back to see Haley standing on the ice in the headlight of Linda’s sled and Haley’s sled was gone. When she felt the sled breaking through she jumped off the back and the ice supported her small frame. Good job by her. As a parent, I had just experienced the most frightening thing I’d ever seen. As I turned my head back around, I felt the bottom coming out from under me. I squeezed the gas to the bar and tried to turn the F8 into a jet ski. It worked for a minute but without momentum there is not much a sled can do in water but sink. But we didn’t go down without a fight. This proves to be an important part of the story. Tilling up as much ice as I did may have helped save my life. Due to the heavy snow fall, they had opened the dams early to drop the water level in the lakes above us which caused the current to eat the 3 feet of ice just behind us down to 3 inches of punky soft ice. The water was ripping through there so hard trying to get to the Androscoggin River across the lake that if I had just busted through with the sled, the current could have taken me under with it. The fight was on. I hit the water and the first thing I needed to do was to get the helmet off. I’m a scuba diver and that training helped me stay calm and focus on getting out of there. At first it was just like the feeling you get when diving in the winter with a wet suit. There is that first blast of cold, then your body warms up that layer next to you (Under Armor) and you’re good to go for a one tank swim. I knew I didn’t have much time, so I started busting a trail to my left with my elbows in the soft ice until I couldn’t break any more. I then tried to work myself up backwards onto the ice using my boots to push off the edge of the trail I had just cut. I would just about get my lower back on the ice, and then I’d smash through again. This whole time the only thing I could see was Haley in Linda’s headlight. She was standing still and wouldn’t move. She just kept yelling “Go Daddy, you can do it”. I kept assuring them everything was alright and told them not to move. Initially I had yelled to Linda to turn her sled light toward me. I could hear Linda trying to turn her sled. All I could hear was the spinning track. I then yelled to her to leave the sled alone because I did not know the condition of the ice she was on. It was still snowing like mad and they had no idea where I was but I could see Haley because of Linda’s headlight. I didn’t want that to change. Knowing they were ok made it ok for me. I had 3 good chances to get on the ice before the shut down started to happen. I knew my suit and boots were keeping me alive on one hand but they were killing me on the other. I also knew that getting out of the ice was only the first part of this if I was to live and I didn’t want to start shedding my gear yet. I clearly remember looking up during a rest period and praying out loud to God and talking to him like he was next to me trying to cut a deal with him saying” If it’s my time to go dear Lord can we work this out one on one”. I begged him not to take me in front of my family. Believe me, by now all I wanted to do was take a nap. Freezing to death may not be a bad way to go. You feel nothing and you just want to go to sleep. There was no more treading water or breaking ice. I couldn’t move my arms or legs and it was getting really hard to take a breath. It was then I called out to Linda and said I didn’t think I was going to make it. I told her I loved her and Haley and whatever happens make sure you get to safety. She could tell that my voice had changed as I grew weaker and realized I wasn’t going to make it out on my own. That’s when I heard her yell “I can’t see you”. It was time for another miracle. I looked to my right and saw my Cat helmet with the red light still flashing away. The only problem was I couldn’t reach it. I was hanging on to the edge of the ice just to keep my head up and out of the water. It was right then that the will to live combined with the voice of my father yelling at me “GO! GO! GO! Get it” I gained the strength to make a lunge toward the helmet. My dad died in 1993. I was in plenty of trouble as a kid and he had to do a lot of yelling. Although I couldn’t see him, I could here his voice as if he was standing right there next to me. After I grabbed the floating beacon, somehow I made it back to the edge and I put it up on the ice and turned it towards Linda. Out of the darkness and snow came my wife of 120 pounds with her Columbia jacket saying “take this” as she threw me a sleeve. She got down low and pulled from the hard ice. She continued to back away slowly with me in tow. I believe she could have lifted a house off of its foundation right then. I knew with all the wet gear I was easily pushing 5 bills. As I tried to get to my feet nothing wanted to work. But somehow I was able to straighten up. As I did I drilled myself right back down through a fresh hole. That’s how heavy I was. Linda pulled me right back out and this time I did the lay down, spread eagle as she slowly towed me to the left. We only had to go 5 feet to the left and you could drive a truck on the ice. I got up again and as Linda and I walked to the F5 that had been sitting idling for about 25 minutes, Haley finally walked away from where she had been standing the whole time. They took off my jacket and Haley gave me the inner liner out of her jacket. She then put her dry head sock on me as I huddled over the hot exhaust pipe and they tented me in. It only took a few minutes for me to come alive and I remember saying to them “this is only the first step”. We were still in big trouble because I knew I was going to freeze to death in no time at all. Another miracle was that Linda’s sled was still on good ice because she would always tend to hang back. Thank God, we still had a way out. The sled had been sitting so long it had frozen itself to the ice. I had a hard time just turning the thing around. When I did, I got on it but, because I had no feeling in my hands I almost broke my neck when I tried to pull the sled forward, I gassed it so hard I just about went over backwards. All three of us loaded on to the F5 and started heading to where we saw the sleds earlier. I was thinking I would have to find a camp to break into and start a fire, but there is nothing up that end of the lake. Thank God, because I didn’t have time for that anyway. I just hammered that sled for everything it was worth until I found the tracks from the sleds we had seen and this lead us to the Cary Rd. trail off the lake. I was never so happy to see a trail sign in my entire life. This was a rough trail and all I could hear was the grinding of suspension and my wife yelling “I’m going to fall off”. I was up on the tank, Haley was in the middle and Linda was on the tail light. We were all locked together and there was no taking it easy. I made it about 4 miles when I felt like I was going in and out and shock was setting in. I would stop and they tented me in over the pipe again and it was like a shot of adrenaline. I’d come alive after getting some heat on my chest and head and then we would all get back on the sled and pound down the trail looking for life. If you’ve ever been up in this area, you’ll know exactly what I’m saying. There is nothing around. I was getting ready to nod off again and I remember thinking I’ll try to go one more minute before we stop again. By now we had traveled about 8 miles. We came around a corner and there it was. “The Sugar Shack”. It was a little red cabin with smoke coming out of the chimney. I knew right then we had made it. The feelings that were going through me were indescribable. Another miracle. Thank you God. We pulled up to the front door and just went crashing in yelling “Help! We went through the ice”. Then the next miracle happened. Out of one of the back rooms came a man and his wife. Two women came out of the other room. These people started working on me like a Nascar pit crew. Before I knew it they had my gear off and I was wrapped in blankets sitting next to a hot wood stove. They were warming my legs with there own body heat and when I’d freeze them out they would all rotate. While this was going on they were taking care of my family, getting them into dry clothes and calming them down. By now I was in this crazy shaking mode and I just wanted to go to sleep. This one woman, Mary kept grabbing me by the face, forcing me to keep my eyes open. It turns out she is a trauma room nurse in Boston. She knew I was on the verge of going into a coma. These people truly saved my life. While I was sitting there vibrating like a jack hammer, my girls had told them it was my birthday and the next thing I knew I saw balloons, a happy birthday sign, and they all sang happy birthday to me while putting a candle on a piece of banana bread for me to blow out. It was like a scene out of “It’s a Wonderful Life”. I had fallen into the hands of Ray and Marie Chabot. Ray is a retired firefighter, his wife, Marie, as a visiting nurse, Mary Courtney is a nurse in Boston at the VA hospital and Melissa works for Verizon. They are my little angels. I came crashing in around 10:00 pm and by midnight I was sitting there sipping tea like it never happened. My hand was numb but other than that we were all so happy to be alive and together. It can’t be explained. God had this all worked out like I said before. All we had control over were our actions, staying calm, my wife’s determination and my daughter’s inspiration. The will to live was stronger than I knew it could be. Ray made up a bed next to the couch I was on for my wife and we spent most of the night holding hands and praying to God, thanking him for his grace on our family. The next morning at first light I went outside to use the out house and I noticed I was being surrounded by deer coming right over to me. There were a hundred of them, big bucks, doe’s and baby fawns, coming from the trails all around the camp. I thought that I really had died the night before and this is what heaven looks like. I went back inside and crawled back on the couch and tried to convince myself that I was still alive. When Ray and Marie got up we found out that they feed the deer there and it was feeding time. Now comes the good part. After all my daughter went through the night before, real trauma, she spent the next two hours hand feeding the deer. We all did. It was the best medicine that could have been given to our family. It was like a cure for the night before. We met with Ranger Rick Mills that morning. Ray had gone down to the dam and called him around 11:30 p.m. the night before to let him know what had happened. My helmet was still out there blinking away someplace and he didn’t want to cause a search if somebody came across it. I went back the next week with a dive team and my crew to get the sleds out. Jerry, from Bear County Power Sports, had a trailer waiting at the boat launch to get them back to the shop. He had them running again in no time and I put another 500 miles on before the season ended. It would have been really bad on the sleds to be put away wet so we made sure the bugs were out of them. We had a reunion with Ray and Maria two weeks later at their friends place on Lower Richardson. It was so good to see them. We have stayed in contact with them and we went to see them at their home in Roxbury ME this summer. They are like family now. This experience has changed so many things in our lives. It has given us new friends and a new extended family. When I think I’m having a bad day and things aren’t going my way or life’s stresses feel like they are getting to me, I just remember holding onto the edge of that ice and everything seems just fine. Riding the lakes is a part of snowmobiling. I won’t be on a lake without a GPS again, and I know the girls won’t be on a lake again at night. I may not get my wife on a sled at night again but that’s an unknown. I’m so very grateful to God for sparing my life that night. I am so grateful to my wife Linda and my daughter Haley for not giving up on me and the love and support they gave me on the ride to the Sugar Shack. There is no way to thank Ray, Marie, Mary and Melissa for the care they gave me that night. All I can do is pay it forward, by promoting ice safety to my fellow snowmobilers. Storms can pop up out of no where. A portable GPS unit can save your life and keep you out of harms way. If you’re going to be on the lake, a set of the ice picks that hang around your neck will get you out of a jam. Every sled needs to have a piece of rope in it. I’ll be keeping a tie down strap rolled up in my jacket pocket. If your sled goes to the bottom, all that good stuff in the back storage compartment goes with it. I can’t say enough about the lighted Cat helmet. That little red flashing light played one of the biggest parts of getting me out of the ice. I’ll never ride without one again. Another hard lesson learned was if caught in whiteout conditions like this and you are not sure where you are, seek some shelter and wait it out. Micro bursts usually don’t last that long. This was not a predicted snow storm. It was a freak of nature. Don’t be in such a rush to ride that you don’t take a minute to go over your safety gear. Make sure you have the tools you may need to get out of an unexpected jam you may find yourself in. Now is the time to be getting ready for the upcoming season. When you go out and wipe the dust off your sled and put the shine back on it and grease all those zerk fittings, think about your safety gear too. I’m very lucky to be alive. The fact is most people in my situation don’t make it. We did by the Grace of God. Ride Safe. Ride Smart. Ride Sober. It may save your life or someone else’s. For the record, my daughter Haley was 12 at the time and she has been riding a full size sled for 3 years. She got her first 120 when she was 6. My wife was in her second year of riding. She had never even sat on a sled until she was 48 years old. I married a city girl and thank God she always hangs back. This story could have a very different ending if she had pulled up 20 feet closer to where Haley and I had stopped. I will never be able to thank Ray and Marie Chabot enough for what they did for me and my family, but you can help me. If you’re heading up that way riding this year bring a bag of Deer Feed with you and drop it off at the Sugar Shack, if you have never been to the Sugar Shack to feed the deer you don’t know what you’re missing. Make a point of getting there and please bring some feed with you. Please thank them for me, give them a big hug and tell them it’s from us. God Bless us all and Ride Safe.
Al, Linda and Haley Morancy

We picked our new winter spot.

We confirmed out winter location this weekend. We'll still be at Bull Moose Campground but we're moving to a different location with more room and sun light. We confirmed the dish would lock on without any problems and there is way more room to work with. We went up Friday night and had dinner at the Moose, had some laughs with Karen and Timmy and then picked out the spot. It's a little farther from the bath house but the openness far outweighs the distance. I'll be winterizing the camper soon and we will be parking it up there in the next couple of weeks. We'll use some of the lessons learned last year to make this year even better. Timmy is working right now with the Milan snowmobile club to get the groomer to come down to the Moose the back way and this would be great because it would give us access to the trails without needing to travel the lake.

A Visit from Barron!!!

My sister Florence has been helping out as a foster mother for abused dogs. One of her kids came over today to visit. Barron is a two year old Great Pyrenesee. He was very shy to come in the house but warmed up as soon as he got through the door. The sad part is he has had a rough life, the prior owner is now serving jail time for the abuse to this dog. It's really heart breaking to read about the breed of these dogs and how they would normally act and see how Barron is now. It will take time for him to overcome his fears. But you wouldn't believe by the photos how nervous he was. He took a real liking to Linda and wouldn't let her get off the couch and when she did get up he took no time at all to jump on my lap. This dog weighs in at over 100 pounds. He's my kind of guy as he tried to cop a feel while sitting with Linda.

Family Get Together with the Kuegel's

A nice surprise from my sister Phyllis

I am eleated that my sister would take the time to have a plaque made up like this to put on her new home. Truth be told this was a group effort and I could have never pulled this off without the help of my best friend Wayne McEwan and the help of Steven, his son and friends. This was like the old days of barn raising except for the fact we got paid and worked longer hours, they didn't have the lights we did. It makes my day every day to know how happy they are in there new and improved home. It's been a tough year for all of us and as things get back to normal I do miss seeing my sister every day and seeing the excitement on her face every time she would show up at the house. That was the best part of the job by far. For me it brought back the days when my dad and mom would get all excited when we would do something around here. And when my dad would come to work with me and install kitchens and he got to be the dead man, (when I would install kitchens by myself I'd use a 2x4 to hold the cabinet up while screwing it to the wall, this was called the dead man) so the old man would hold up the cabinets for me and come home all excited telling mom "I got to be the dead man". I don't think she ever really understood what that was but he was happy and I think she just went along with it. That is a part of life thats long gone by but never forgoten, or will it be. I know the dead man was with us the whole time building Phyllis's house and he had a smile on his face. And I'm sure that made my mom happy. God were we blessed with great parents. Phyllis I love you more than you could ever know.

Another Great Rally Day!!

With vacation winding down we were blessed with another unbelivalbe weather day. It was a little cool this morning but clear as a bell. With a bunch of the folks going up to Battle Ship Cove in Fall River we were looking forward to a nice bike ride. After breakfast and with the sun warming things up we took off toward Newport. We took 1A up the coast and over the bridges into Newport.
Then we saw this sign on a big building off the highway,"SLOTS",it was a casino in Newport we didn't know was there, that was it. Linda wanted to go in for a few minutes, that = a hundred bucks each and we're gone. We spent a couple of hours and we got five hundred bucks out of them. We road around the down town area for a bit and got out of there. Talk about traffic, the place was jambed. So we headed back this way and had lunch down by Point Judith Light House. It was really nice. It's been a great vacation and we will be starting to pack things up soon. We have the last fire tonight with the group and the Pats are playing the night game. We will be off in the morning and I know I'm looking forward to being home. I miss my little monster but I'll see her this week. Haley we love you and miss you. This is what I like to do on vacation.

Noreaster Fall Rally Has Started.

We have been blessed with great weather this weekend. It's a beautiful fall day here at Fishersmen's State Park in RI. I know I'm still feeling a bit shelled from the drive yesterday but Linda was up for a run and workout this morning. I'm up for watching TV and sitting in the sun. We have the bean bag game set up and it will get it's share of use.
I'm planning on taking Linda for a ride on the bike to check out the local area so more later.

Myrtle Beach Wrap Up

It was sad leaving the beach. We had such a great time at the Workhorse Rally. We met so many nice people and the park was unbelievable. The weather was great all week with just a few showers Thursday, then the sun broke out and it was nice. I think the coach had the best time of all. The Rambler really got some attention at the beach, we did the UltraPower Upgrade, this is a remapping of the ECM that improves power and helps on the fuel consumption. Om
ey installed new spark plugs with the right gap, the old ones looked like crap. New Taylor plug wires, these are a heave duty wire to help performance. The holding tanks got a good high pressure cleaning, this really cleans the inside of the gray and black water tanks and they do the hot water heater too.
Then she got a Progressive Industries Surge Protection System, this is a hard wired unit that tests the voltage at the pole and checks for open grounds and other bugs that could hurt the electrical system. It will sense any spikes or drops in power and will cut out before any damage can be done to the equipment in the coach, Like HD TV's.
Then before we left we had Camping World install Steer Safe, this is a system that helps control the front end and keeps the coach tracking straight down the road and help on driver fatigue. This was worth it's weight in gold on the drive home. It was so nice running up the highway with out having to work the steering wheel constantly and not having the big trucks blowing you over to the side of the road. We left a little early to get a jump on the drive and good thing we did. We took off from Myrtle Beach around 5:00 pm Thursday and stopped around midnight just over the Virgina boarder for a few hours of sleep.
We hit the road at 6:00 am and watch the sun come up on a beautiful day to drive up the east coast. The coach ran great and proved the upgrades were worth every penny.
Linda and I met so many nice people and made some new friends for life. We made great time on the ride home until we hit the Conn. state line on 95. That leg of the trip was rough, bumper to bumper stop and go through the whole state. We pulled into Fisherman's State Park in RI at 6:00 pm. We were pretty beat up but excited to hook up with the Noreasters.
So the Workhorse Rally is over and the Noreaster Rally is starting. It's so funny hanging out with people from the Internet, like they are going to have two heads or something. They are like us, they like to travel and meet new people, spend time with there families and eat food. My kind of people.

Another Great Day on the Beach

What can you say with a day starting like this!! Linda spent a good part of the day on the beach and I spent a good part of the day doing what I'm doing in the picture. We had to move to our spot for the week this morning, we are on I-69 two spots back from the edge of the ocean. It's awesome!! The weather is looking good for Tuesday and Wednesday with some rain on Thursday. The Sox just beat the Angles and I'm going to bed a happy man.... More Later

We are in Myrtle Beach, SC

Well we made it!! The ride wasn't to bad, we left Friday around 3:30 pm and we stopped in Delaware around 11:30pm at a rest area and set up the dish to watch the rest of the Red Sox game. Got back on the road before 7 and 25 miles into the morning we see the signs saying that 95 is closed ahead. We lost an hour on the detour around the accident. The rest of the day went well, we did hit a lot of consturction traffic around DC but other than that smooth sailing. We got here around 5:30 last night and we were wiped out. It is so beautiful here, this place is huge!! We got ourselves a golf cart to get around. I met up with the people from the rally and Omey installed new plugs and wires on the coach. He is also doing the Ultra Power upgrade, this will make better performance and milage. Linda got to hang out at the beach while I tried to get all the dead bugs off the front of the coach. More to come from the Beach.

Back to where it all started, Joan and Bill's on the Cape

We got an early start on the drive and beat the rush hour traffic and got down here around 6:00pm Friday night, got things set up and the party started, well for some it had started before that. (Joan) We had a first though, the dish couldn't get a signal due to trees and that has not ever been an issue sense I installed it. No big deal I just tapped Bill's cable on the outside of the house and we are back in bussines. I hit the wrapper around 11:00 and the rest of them made it untill 1:00am and I think they may be feeling it this morning. The kids were playing night time bean bag in the dark, I could hear the thud of the bag's while falling asleep. Today starts off as a clear crisp Cape Cod morning. Bill just made breakfast for everyone and the guys are going to play nine holes while the woman do some shopping and the kids are going to play mini golf. For me it will be my usual relaxing mode, rest the knee and stuff my face. I sure we'll be playing a ton of bean bag and basketball today. More later.

Mike's on the drums

Our camping neighbor Mike went on a tear playing the 5 gal. bucket a frying pan and a pot cover. With a chip bowl as a symbol. After warming up at the camp site he went up to where the DJ was playing and set up there. It was unreal. This is a result of Red Bull and Vodka.

Race Weekend

We pulled into the Speedway Motor Sports Park yesterday around 3:00 pm and it was raining already. We got our spot set up in the rain and got ready to do some relaxing. We hung out under cover watching the Red Sox game with a lot of visitors coming over to check out the game and our outside family room. There were many passers by giving the thumbs up and yelling out "Nice TV" it was good for a laugh. As day starts today the sun is trying to come out and there are races at 10, 12 and 2:30 today. You can see what our view is from the front window of the camper. We have a prime location that may come to an end this year because the owner is renting these spots to vender's that are not allowed into the track by the new owner.So we'll see where Harry plans on putting us next year and decide if we'll be back. It's amazing to sit here and watch this place come to life, I was up early to make coffee and get the local papers they leave outside and there is nothing going on over at the track and one hour later it's like a little city coming alive.With 3 races today there will be 75,000 people making there way to the track. For us now it's time for some morning grub, another pot of coffee and I'm going to go lay in bed, read the paper and watch the news. It's not the same with out my wife Linda here with me,(I have to fend for myself) but relaxing is the goal. More later.

We hit the Lancaster Fair with the McEwans.

What can you say about the weather? The weekend was perfect for being up in the great north woods. We met up with Wayne and Darlean at our spot on Rt. 16 and made good time up to Lancaster. We got there before dark and had time to set up our spots,(we rented a extra one for room). We all went in and had fair food for dinner and Haley and I tried our luck at the basketball hoop, with no luck. Came back to the camp site watched the Red Sox game under the stars for awhile and called it a night.
Saturday brought more great weather, the girls went into the fair and checked out the horse shows and did some shopping while Wayne and I had the usual list of repairs and fixes that needed tending to. We put up our tent between the two campers and hung out the Nascar flags getting ready for the race Saturday night. Our biggest chore was getting a fire ring for the camp fire. I asked the campground manager if he had any old trash cans and he did. He took me in his golf cart to the dead trash can grave yard and I snaged a beauty. Now we had to cut it down, this would have been a great picture but no luck, the only tool was a hatchet.
We are both luckey to have all of our fingers still in tact. But we got the job done and it worked great both Saturday and Sunday nights. Haley, Wayne and I went back into the fair with our redneck hats on and headed strait to the garden tractor pulls. These are good for a laugh and we cheered on the little kids trying to make a full pull. We went back through the midway and I picked up some suncatchers from the old wresler Butcher Vachon, I remember seeing him at the high school up the street when I was around 13 and he remembered being there. Another great weekend with our friend and in our motorhomes on the road. We took this weekend off and did some chores around the house. Things get busy for a while, we got Nascar next weekend, the trip to Joans house on the cape after that and then it's back to the Fryburg Fair for a 3 day weekend and to watch our friend Jerry compete in the woodsmans compitition.
Then Linda and I are off to Myrtle Beach for the Workhorse Rally and on the way home we hit the Fall Noreasters Rally at Fishermans State Park in RI. Live is good and we are blessed to be living it. Amen.

Off to Maine to see Ray and Marie.

With the forecast calling for a beautiful weekend there was no way we would be taking the weekend off. I know Linda wanted to but I, the master of last minute, came through and around 4:00 pm Friday afternoon we pulled together a trip. The original plan was to go surprise Ray and Marie at the Sugar Shack, but we found out from Jim White that they were coming out of camp and would be home for a party. Jim told me about Stoney Brook Campground in Hanover ME. just outside Bethel. I called and got the spot. We got there around 9:00pm and set up, ate and went to bed. No.... really. We talked to Ray in the morning and after unloading the bike, off we went to Roxbury Pond. We road some great back roads and with only one wrong turn that took us on some logging roads right behind Ray's house the trip was great. We had the best visit and ride in the boat around the pond. Just getting to hang around with them and talk and visit was awesome. We couldn't take their whole day up. They were expected at a party for a friend but I would have been happy hanging around there all day. One of these days Ray will let me hang around. So off we went on some great riding roads down through Rumford and back up 26 to Bull Moose Campground to visit with Timmy and Karen. We had a quick visit there checked out what our spot looks like in the summer and off we went to Errol. Popped our heads into Bear Country Power Sports to see if Jerry was there but he wasn't so over to LL Cote's we went. This store is like heaven for me, Linda likes it in there too. The people in there are great. We bought our sleds from them and they have been very good to us. We had some good belly laughs with Jonny and Kristin and it won't be long before we are back in there fully dressed in our sledding gear. On the way back to the camper we took a side trip to the covered bridge in Bethel by Sunday River.
It's an oldie but in great shape so I carved our names and date into it for good measure like a million other people have. Linda liked it. While hanging out at the bridge we looked up at Mt. Will and saw these houses peaking out of the side of the mountain, hmm, this caught my eye and while leaving the bridge I was looking for a driveway or road heading up there. I found it. It's the Peaks at Mt. Will. This development was very impressive to me as the roads are paved and they criss cross across a mountain like a ski slope. The work it must have taken to pull this off was impressive. We made it to the top and as you can see in the picture of Linda, Sunday River is right there you can see the trails. It has to be one of the nicest developments I've ever been in. When I hit the lotto I'm going there to build us a camp.
We went home and had dinner and were just watching the Sox when Jim and Ann White stopped in on their way home from the party. What a great surprise it was. We laughed and joked around. Ann gave me her copies of the pictures of our reunion with Ray and Marie. It was a great time and good seeing them. So that's it... a great weekend with my wife, riding the Harley, hanging out in the Rambler, and at night watching the Visio outside surrounded by candles to keep the bugs away. It works. I'm a lucky guy.

A trip to Eastern Slope Camping Area with Wayne and Darlene

We finally got to go on a trip with our friends Wayne and Darlene, we got the last 2 spots side by side here at Eastern Slope. We got set up and had a nice cookout Friday night and watched the TV outside, the weather was nice and no bugs. Saturday started with bright sun and clear sky's, the girls went to the beach and Wayne and I hung out at the campers doing some chores, I worked on cleaning out the storage bays that have never been touched sense we've owned the coach and then the sky's darken up and some big storms rolled through. The whole campground batted down the hatches and road it out. The sun is starting to break now and you can see the place coming back to life. The girls took a ride to the Christmas Tree Shop in North Conway and I'm hanging watching the race and thought I'd put up a post. I'll follow up with some pics.

Slimline 3005 Photos and new LCD's

This is the new Winegard Slimline 3005 in the stowed position. The install was simple and done alone. The hardest part was walking it up the ladder.



Here it is in the locked on position.

This is the 42" Visio LCD HD in the outside basement. It's set up with a Blu-Ray player and X Box 360.

This is the 32" Visio LCD in the overhead. It fit perfect where the 27" CRT was with no wood work except for an oak filler piece at the bottom that can be removed for easy access to the wiring behind. After installing Koni's all around and having to replace the levelers hydraulic tank I'm done with upgrades for this year. Well we'll see I've got to talk to Jon at Brazels RV Performance about the UP upgrade. I may still be able to pull that one off.

Hanging around recovering from surgery with the best nurse ever.

After having surgery on Thursday the 7th of August, I've had the time to try to catch up on the blog. It's been kind of a chore in between pain pills and typing away making mistakes and poor punctuation. But the end result hopefully will be a pain free knee and back to normal life, what ever that is. I have to say I have the best nurse a guy could have. Linda has taken very good care of me, she even went out and got this memory foam pad for the bed, its very comfortable.
I'm a truly blessed man. She has the week off and I think I'll need that much time to get back on my feet. But I'm sure I'll be able to drive the camper, somehow I'll turn this into a trip someplace. We have fairs coming up we will be going to soon and the fall rally for the IRV2 Noreasters. I need to thank them for there support sense becoming an RV er. The people on there have been very helpful with all the problems that come with owning a motor home. We met a bunch of them last fall, great people. They have giving me the confidence to do most of the work on the coach myself, I installed new shocks in the driveway by myself, changed the hydraulic tank for the levelers myself after it got smashed at my sisters house when we got stuck in soft sand and while using a 2x10 under the rear wheel it snapped and crushed the tank. I fixed the broken spring on the slide out topper, changed the oil to syn in the engine and transmission, air filter and fixed the refridgator in the winter by following a post from 007. All I can say is if not for Irv2 some shop would have my money and I wouldn't have been able to replace the CRT's with LCD and installed the HD Dish on the roof. So thanks you guys for keeping me busy reading and thanks to my wife for taking good care of me.

My life saving wife Linda Hits a Milestone.

Linda hit the big 50 with a small celebration at the house, she didn't want to acknowledge it but we would not comply. Phyllis and Steven came down and we had cake and some great laughs. Cathy, Linda's sister came and made the family gathering more complete, Mom and Ed couldn't make it that night.
The picture of them is from the night they came to visit me after going thru the ice, Mom wanted to see in person that I was really OK. She loves me.

We finally get to go camping.

With everything that has been going on we finally got to do some relaxing, we made some trips up to a local RV park called Bayles Campground in Scarborough Maine. Nice place with big spots on a pond. We got to play some bean bag and watch the new TV in the outside compartment.

Linda had fun feeding the ducks, I don't think she was supposed to... they kept coming back for more. We also took Ed and Pat on a trip up to Bucksport Maine, just outside Bangor, of course we had to go play the slots at the new casino Hollywood Slots. We all lost but we had a good time. I've been doing some upgrades to the motorhome, she got new Koni shocks, a new satellite dish system the Winegard 3005 HD, fully automatic, just push a button and the dish locks its self on and you're good to go. We put a 42" LCD HD in the outside basement compartment and a new 32" LCD HD in the over head in the front. Then there were all the repairs from the winter camping, busted spring on the slide topper, new vent cover in the bathroom, vent pipe cap. It's rough on these things shoveling the roof so much. Now it's relax time and enjoy the rest of the summer.

Phyllis's House is done.

I'll never forget the night of the fire, Phyllis was so upset, there was no consoling her. I did keep telling her that I would rebuild her house better than she could ever believe. We started doing drawings and floor plans right away, we went through 10 different designs before nailing down this one. After all the insurance stuff was settled and the demo was done we added 4' to the width of the foundation, this gave us a 28 x 56 box to work with, we made a split entry open concept with a huge kitchen and living room area, the basement is fully finished, added 2 full bathrooms and made the house completely maintenance free. There is nothing to paint on the outside except the doors.

That's a 28 x 16 deck off the kitchen. We lived up there in the camper while under construction. I can't thank my friend Wayne McEwan enough for taking this on with me. He and I worked countless hours together day and night to complete this house in 9 weeks. I can't thank my company Commodore Builders enough for giving me the time off I needed to help my sister out. Maybe this is why God gave me the break in the ice so I could take care of my sister, who knows, but it's done and it is beautiful. She is the happy home owner I knew she would be the night of the fire.
She is having her open house today and I'm not there due to the knee surgery I had 2 days ago. I guess I can't take the 16 hr. days anymore. I ended up tearing some cartilage in my left knee but it was worth it. To see the excitement on my sister's face every day when she would come over and see something new done was priceless. God has blessed us

Our matchmaker Jean had the big one.

Our friend Jean, in the middle had her girls night out with Linda and Joan in Portland's Old Port. Jean is the one that brought Linda and me together back in 2002. Jean and I were work mates at MIT at the time and our labor foreman made a comment about Jean having a nice friend for Al to meet. There was silence for a few minutes then from the front of the office came the never forgettable " As a matter of fact I do" and that was the beginning. A blind lunch date happened a few weeks later and the rest is history. Nice head gear Jean!!

Haley's 13th birthday party up north in the camper.

We cerebrated Haley birthday up north right before we move the coach home. It was fun, we had dinner at the Bull Moose with cake and they we went back to open gifts. After everything we had been through this was one of the most special birthdays and most bonding. Something that can't be explained has brought Linda, Haley and Me very close, we are a team, we may not live together all the time but our hearts are bonded; and there is a strength there that is unmatched in a typical relationship, there is something about fighting to stay alive together that creates a lasting effect on us all, just ask the boys from Nam or Iraq. We got some great pictures of our little camper party to share with you all. It was also Phyllis' birthday in March and we had cake for her too at the house, she said her birthday present was having me home safe, it made me cry. There was a lot of time that we would go from laughing to crying in seconds. it's the what if's. What if this or what if that, we made a deal with each other to beat them down when they tried to get into our heads and remember that we are survivors. My sister Flo was in some of the pictures at Phyllis' party.

The reunion with Ray and Marie.

We got to go meet up with our little Angels at a going away party for them, we were the surprise, they didn't know we were coming. Their friend arranged it and it was a very good time and very emotional, I know when I gave Ray that first hug I had tears in my eyes and his friends said he did too. These people saved my family and my life. What if they were not at the Sugar Shack (the name of their camp)? I would have froze to death in front of my wife and daughter. That's it, they were the last resort, time was running out and the good Lord had already made the decision it was not my time. Ray and Marie's friends are so nice, good people, real down to earth loving life people, the kind I want to be around in my new life. They told us we were part of the family and I'm going to hold them to it.... Check out the pics.

We've got to get the sleds out of the lake.

After the getting over my swim in the lake it was time to get busy on getting the sleds out. We did that the following week with the help of a dive team from Down East Maine and my sledding partners, Danny Fenton, Jerry Burke Bobby Joyal and Gerry Gingrass from Bear Country Power Sports in Errol. This was quite a day and I can't thank these guys enough for helping me get the sleds back and the support they gave me after almost dying the week before. I have to post some pictures of this to really give an idea what it was like. The week after we got the sleds out we went back up north for a party for Ray and Marie Chabot, put on by their friends. It's like a going away party because they spend the month of April in Fla. This experience has brought people into our lives that we would never have met, now they are like family. We will make it to the Sugar Shack sometime this summer to visit our Angels. After getting the sleds out of the water and to the shop Jerry went to work getting them running and what a job he did. He had Haley's sled running at sunset the same day, my sled took some more time because of the computers and digital stuff. But he did it and we put another 500 miles on the sleds before calling it a season. Besides the ice incident it was the best season of my life riding snowmobiles. To have my family involved in my favorite winter sport is a blessing. I didn't rush them back into it but at the party Haley was riding with the other kids like a pro across the lake, it was daytime and sunny. I don't think I'll get them on the lake at night ever again. And Linda and I had a blast riding in a 2 up duel track sled that's like a car, big fun. Linda and I did get one more trip in up north. The following weekend we went up and visited Ray and Marie, hung out and met some more of their friends, fed the deer, and it was time for big hugs and kisses and a so long for now. It was time to pack up the camper and get it out of the site before the ground started to thaw. We had to say goodbye to Karen and Timmy, the owners of Bull Moose Campground and get the camper home for some needed repairs. The winter was over and it was time to build Phyllis' house.

Way too much to catch up on, But we'll try.

As you can tell we haven't kept up with our blog, we did find a place to put the camper for the winter, Bull Moose Campground. We had some of the best snowmobiling I'd ever seen in my life. Living out of the camper on weekends in the great north woods was beautiful. The family had a run of bad luck starting with my sister Phyllis's house burning down due to a wood stove chimney fire in January. We began making plans to rebuild her house in the days after the fire. The sad part of the fire was the loss of there pets. She was able to save a lot of personal things like pictures and jewelery. The winter continued to provide great snow and many trips up north for us. Sometimes it would be Linda and me and sometimes Haley and me and sometimes I would go up alone and meet up with my buddy's up there. Then came the our first trip all together, March 7 my birthday. The trip started out great, we got to the camper, warmed it up and went for a ride into Errol to get and register Haley's sled. While in town the groomer went by so we followed it until we caught up to it and road back on the perfect trails. We stopped to fill the tanks and a light snow was falling, it was a mild night perfect for riding. Linda wanted to get back to the campground because she had a party planned for me. We were having fun and I had turned the light on the back of my helmet on and the girls were making fun of me. This turns out to be an important part of the story. I'm going to paste the story from the Sun Jornal Times and the link to the TV interview we had in our living room.

Cold plunge nearly fatalBy Andie Hannon , Staff WriterMonday, March 10, 2008



Albert Morancy may have a touch of pneumonia Monday morning, but the 46-year-old husband and father is more than happy to accept illness over the alternative he faced late Friday night. He and his Dover, N.H., family credit his survival to a miracle on Lake Umbagog and angels in the Sugar Shack."There was couple minutes there toward the end when I didn't think I was going to make it," Morancy said Sunday night from the comfort of his home.The outlook appeared bleak for Morancy - who spent nearly 20 minutes struggling to get out of the water Friday night after falling through Lake Umbagog ice during a white-out. The Maine Warden Service reported said Morancy and his family were returning to their Upton camp from Errol, N.H., after filling their snowmobiles with fuel at approximately 10 p.m. when white-out conditions arose on the lake.Maine Warden Service Sgt. Rick Mills said the blinding conditions led Morancy to make a wrong turn, taking him off the 15-mile course from where the family fueled up to their camp. That led them into an area of thin ice where Rapid River flows into Lake Umbagog."The family is familiar with the area, having logged more than 5,000 miles on their snowmobiles this winter," Mills said. "But the weather outmatched their expertise. Unless you can maintain a visual with the shoreline, it's very difficult."Morancy was on the lead snowmobile. His 12-year-old daughter, Haley, and his wife, Linda, were on separate sleds behind him when the storm kicked up. Believing they were going in the right direction, he decided to follow the shoreline in an effort to be safe. Morancy said he normally keeps a GPS on board, but didn't that night because the family was only making a quick trip to the gas station."I ended up mistakenly taking a left ... instead of a right," Morancy said. "When they showed me on a map where we were I was like, 'I don't believe it!'"More than merely lost, Mills said that what the family couldn't see because of near non-existent visibility was that they were approaching open water. Morancy said as soon as he realized where the family was, he had them start backing off the thin ice. He said his daughter's quick thinking led her to jump off her snowmobile onto solid ice as she felt the ice below her start to give. As he went to turn around, his own snowmobile broke through ice.Linda Morancy managed to keep her sled on solid ice.While Morancy wallowed in the icy lake water, his wife Linda and daughter Haley shouted encouragement to him to get out. When he began struggling his family grew frantic. Then, he appeared to lose hope, rolling over onto his back.Unwilling to give up on her husband, Linda Morancy took off a jacket she was wearing over her snowsuit and threw one end of it to her husband. He grabbed it, and she pulled him out of the water - only for him to fall straight in again as he tried to stand. She immediately tossed him the impromptu life-line and pulled him out. The second time, he crawled to the safety of solid ice.

"He was extremely lucky that he got out," Mills said. "It's a miracle. Just talking to him you can tell that he appreciates that he survived because of a miracle. ... They were very fortunate that things happened the way they did."With Morancy experiencing hypothermic symptoms, the family got aboard Linda Morancy's snowmobile and started out in search of help. They traveled eight miles before they saw lights on at a camp owned by Marie and Ray Chabot on Carey Road in Roxbury.The Chabots brought the three family members into their camp - known to locals as the Sugar Shack - gave them dry clothes, warm food and offered them a place to sleep. They called the Maine Warden Service at approximately 11:30 p.m. to report the snowmobile accident, informing Mills that the family went through the ice, was able to get out and not in need of medical assistance."They're very, very special people," Morancy said of the Chabot family. "They're little angels."In fact, the Chabots even threw him a birthday party complete with banana bread and makeshift signs to celebrate the 46th birthday he missed back at his camp in Upton.Mills said he located the Morancys' snowmobile tracks at approximately 5 a.m. and saw where the sleds went into the water."Mr. Morancy's helmet was still floating on top of the water," he said.Arrangements are being made to get the two snowmobiles out of the lake.Morancy was nursing a case of bronchitis with a slight touch of pneumonia on Sunday night.Mills warned people to be aware that ice is thinning on Maine's lakes and ponds. Contributing to the thinning is runoff from melting snow, this weekend's heavy rain and warmer temperatures.Wardens are reminding snowmobilers to not drive near outlets because of open water there, to use caution in inlets and coves because of melting ice, and to ride at a reasonable speed in order to have ample time to stop if they come upon a hole in the ice.

This is the video link.http://video.aol.com/video-detail/web-extra-nh-man-talks-about-ice-rescue/581726332

They're things that change your life forever, this is one of them. More than ever life is one day at a time, there is nothing we can't get through sticking together. I love my wife Linda and daughter Haley more than can be explained. That's a good problem to have. Amen!!

Off to the Great North Woods.

Linda and I will be heading up north this weekend to check out the Lancaster Fair, on the way we will be stopping in Errol to visit the people at LL Cote's, that's where we got our sleds. We will scope out some winter camping spots or just good places to park the rig while we sled. It won't be long now.

We had a blast on the cape!!

We had a great weekend at the cape, the kids all had a great time and the bean bag game got plenty of action. Thanks to Joan and Bill for a great place to park and set up shop. It was good to see Jean and Harold, Nancy and Doug and all the kids.

A visit to Cape Cod

We're on a trip to Cape Cod, staying at in our friends Joan's front yard, great setup, there house is so cool and they have a perfect spot for us.

Touring in the New Motorhome

We will be posting updates on our adventures for the family and friends to see. So far we have made trips to Twin Mt. KOA, Bar Harbor KOA, Searsports Shores Campground and a KOA in White River Jct. VT
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