SLOA LAKEVILLE

Annual Meeting Correct Date

2011-06-02T12:22:00.000-04:00

The 2011 Annual Meeting will be held in the Pavillion at the Springfield Fairgrounds at 2:00 PM SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 2011.
The Notice for Annual Meeting is correct everywhere except on the Agenda where the date August 6 is correct but the day, Sunday, is in error.
PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGE TO SATURDAY AFTERNOON THIS YEAR.

ROADS ARE OPEN - Take Care!

2011-05-02T10:12:00.000-04:00

With great surprise, three warm days eliminated all the packed snow and dried up the roads enough so vehicles can travel without causing road damage. All the camps can be reached.

THERE ARE WASHOUTS AND HAZARDS!!

We had 2.3 inches of rain between Dec. 1 and Dec. 4, and on Dec. 6 there was 16 inches of snow. and then Dec. 13, 4.1 inches of rain. That produced some serious damage in places.They will be dangerous if drivers are not alert. All locations were marked with tape, stakes and signs by the Road Committee on May 1. Repairs will be made as soon as possible.
TAKE CARE

A Ride Through

2011-04-27T10:02:00.000-04:00

   We checked from Dill Valley around the loop to Old Tower entrance. In general, because frost was not deep this year, when the snow goes, the roads harden fairly quickly and there are stretches where conditions are good.
   But Dill Valley, Lombard Road on the south side of Lombard Lake, Sys Road from the gravel pit to Pug Lakes Road all have stretches with deep snow and soft mud.
Road damage will result there from passage now - estimate two more weeks before roads will be ready.
   Old Tower road was not damaged by the truck that went in. It's not clear how far they went before getting stuck.Old Tower will probably be open for careful passage in a week or ten days.
   Sys Road from the eastern entrance off Depot Road is passable and hard as far as Pug Lakes Road. One of our early pioneer owners was at camp having come in that way. He reported that Depot Road is dicey and there's one sink hole.

You might find the "Maps" link above useful.

CAUTION is required when the roads open. There are several places where the road was washed out by the very heavy rain we had late last fall. It's not possible to get equipment in to repair those places until the road will bear the weight of gravel trucks. The hazards are not yet marked. Take care.

Not Yet

2011-04-24T18:40:00.001-04:00

Roads are not yet open. The hard places in the sun are OK but all the tender stretches still have snow and soft mud. Roads are vulnerable to damage.

A vehicle ignored the signs and went in Old Tower. Word is it got stuck.

And our cow moose is back reading the sign. She is interested whether there has been any change in the "no rut" policy. Lakes are all open. Happy Easter!

Roads Are Still Not Passable

2011-04-22T08:30:00.000-04:00

The report this morning from a local SLOA resident who just came out by ATV is that the roads are about half corn snow deep enough to be a problem and half soft mud that is not passable. Road damage will result from any attempt.
Please pass the word if you can. We have had two truckloads of lumber show up after traveling a long way only to find passage is not possible.

Keg Lake is Open Today

2011-04-19T18:17:00.000-04:00

Keg (foreground) broke up this afternoon.
Junior is grey and there are a few open areas.
Junior Stream is open.
The SLOA roads are still roped with a lot of corn snow.
Hazel is in first flower today, red maple buds are swelling.
Soon . . . .

2011-04-17T17:23:00.000-04:00

Happy 2011! Winter's gone. Life begins anew.
The very earliest signs are here in SLOA country.
The roads are still snow covered, north slopes are all snow.
There's bare ground on south slopes but lakes are still iced.

It will be early May before roads are hard enough for vehicles.
The word is there's hard going for ATV's because snow is deep and soft in places
Updates will be posted here.
Here's lookin' at ya'!

Annual Meeting 2010

2010-06-02T09:05:00.000-04:00

Annual Meeting will be held Sunday, August 1, 2010 at the Springfield Fairgrounds at 10:30 AM.
Stay tuned for more bits of information.

See our first effort to post the current Newsletter and please consider becoming the member of the Road Committee from your District.

Volunteer Road Cleanup

2010-04-18T12:16:00.001-04:00

A lot of pin cherry and small birch came down on the roads from the weight of ice last winter and high winds knocked down a couple of big trees in the last two weeks.
On Tuesday April 20, volunteers will get together with chainsaws and vehicles and go around to clean things up.
Refreshments will be served at a gathering at the end of the day and tall tales will be told.

The exact details are not available until Monday morning and will be posted here. Let the good times roll!

People are gathering at the Spaulding Pond / Lombard Road "Y" at 10:00. They will be found along the loop past the gravel pit to Pug Lakes Road to Sys Road entrance near the swimming hole.

The Season Begins

2010-04-13T09:02:00.003-04:00

The first flowers start: coltsfoot and mayflowers.

Larch is breaking bud. Hobblebush promises flowers soon.

Our new arch replacement for the bridge on Pug Stream wintered perfectly and handled designed flow in spring runoff according to formula predictions. Fish passage is assured for spawning smelt.

The creatures are up and about, turkey vultures are back, winter wren is singing - your world awaits your arrival.

Roads Are Open

2010-04-08T13:35:00.000-04:00

Roads are now open for travel this weekend.
Be careful for treacherous soft shoulders and there are a couple of places on Pug Lakes Road where you will want to look before crossing.
But we're past the point where general damage can be done.

Private driveways may still be tender.

Close, but not yet

2010-04-03T19:24:00.000-04:00

It looks like ice is out everywhere. This is Lower Pug Saturday April 3. Heard one peeper this afternoon.

Town Meeting went well this morning. No change in any officers. No controversy.

The SLOA Roads are getting close. This SLOA Member decided to remove the rope on Old Tower Road April 2 and leave the road open to all. There has been some damage.

The ruts are not too bad as far as Sailor Dave's. At that point, there are some treacherous tender places that will need the good weather next week to dry. Travel now will produce damage which will cost and a vehicle could get mired. Stay tuned.

Ice Going Out

2010-03-28T10:23:00.001-04:00

Ice went out on Junior Lake on Friday, March 26th. Don't know about the SLOA lakes but it won't be long.
The roads are becoming bare fast. The oncoming period of warm weather and rain will likely turn the gravel to soup for at least a couple of weeks, but there's hope for an early spring.

It appears the word went out that signs were put up prohibiting "ruts". Evidently it drew the alarmed attention of one of our creatures who decided she was out of here if we're going to be like that.

ATV Time

2010-03-21T17:11:00.001-04:00

Residents converted this weekend to ATV's on Dill Valley road. Vehicle closure sign is up until further notice. Members are successful going in Old Tower by ATV's.
No open water on the lakes yet.
First flowers of the year, Hazel (nut), are showing. (Tiny spiders wait for tiny pollinators.)
It begins!

Old Tower Road Closed

2010-03-17T11:00:00.000-04:00

The first half-mile of Old Tower Road where it was plowed is now bare and soft enough during daytime that there will serious ruts by vehicles. The rest of this road and all others are still good for snowmobiles and perhaps becoming OK for ATV's

Still Snow

2010-03-12T19:09:00.001-05:00

There's still ice on the lakes (Keg in foreground, Junior in the distance). The roads are still snow covered. Getting soft.

Counting

2010-03-07T15:31:00.003-05:00

The Census Lady visited all the camps as instructed and left a form. We're not sure what happens next, but stay tuned.

Note the roads are still good today for snowmobile. And note Fred is not left holding the bag - he's right.

2010-03-06T10:24:00.000-05:00

Happy Mud Season

2010-03-03T18:58:00.002-05:00

Dear Members:
Mud Season is just beginning in Lakeville. We still have 16" to 18" of snow in the woods. The roads are mostly snow-covered. Snowmobile travel is working on all the roads.
But it's softening and that time of year will soon be upon us when grass is growing south of here and everybody wants to see how the camp wintered.
It will be a while before the roads are open. They will be roped off soon to protect against costly damage.
The second week of May is the best estimate to have in mind for the safe time to travel without rutting the roads. This year could very well be early. We'll let you know here as things shape up.