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Highlights Page Archive 2004-2021
Almost a new year, new year new me so I'm cooking Ribs on the smoker for the first time! Needless to say they were absolutely epic! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
December 21, 2021 Today I hiked the new multiuse trail connecting Merrymeeting Road in Ferryland to the old railway track in Calvert. This project has been undertaken and organized by the Southern Shore Trailway group who hope to have Ferryland linked straight through to Witless Bay line in the not so distant future! Check out the details in my article on the trail which can be found on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
December 19, 2021 Merry Christmas one and all to the Shed-Headz Nation! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
December 9, 2021 First Snowblower worthy snowstorm of the season! Hopefully it's a sign of good things to come! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
December 1, 2021 This evening Sandra and I finally got to try the mug press attachment of our sublimation heat press. The test came out extremely well so new items for the merchandise page incoming soon! If you're interested in a Shed-Headz mug shoot me a message via the Merchandise page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
November 21, 2021 After a week of repairing and modifying Mark French finally got the old Honda 400at ready for a family ride this weekend. The bike which had been sitting inside 10 years needed a full service and a fresh set of tires, this trusty Honda is now trail certified! Photo Credit: Mark French
November 20, 2021 This week Bassan finally got his skid plate modification complete with the addition of a new sturdy tie down/snatch block anchor point. Look for an update to his Honda Foreman project very soon on the Projects in the Shed page. Photo Credit: Andrea Bassan
November 16, 2021 'Tis the season, with salt on the roads it's time to take off my beautiful OEM 20" polished rims, which unfortunately are like tissue paper in water with regards to durability against salt corrosion! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
November 14, 2021 March French created an absolute masterpiece this week with his first ever brisket cooked on his new Pitboss Austin XL smoker. It tasted absolutely perfect and literally melted in your mouth. Photo Credit: Mark French
November 9, 2021 This week Dad and I took advantage of a rare break in the weather this fall and hit the trails near Bay Roberts for an ATV ride. It was an absolutely perfect day with an awesome boil-up to boot. Check out the full story on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
November 7, 2021 This week after much YouTube research I was ready to try my hand at homemade bacon. I used a cure recipe from crewmember Matt French keeping the pork bellies in brine for 10 days. Today I smoked them for about 5 hours with Applewood pellets on my new Pitboss Austin XL smoker. I plan to do a full write-up and possibly even add a section to the site for grilling and smoking as many of the crew are truly enjoying this new (to us) hobby! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
November 6, 2021 First snowfall of the season, soon be winter tire changeover time! The excitement was short lived as temperatures rose above freezing and most of the white gold melted by suppertime. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
October 27, 2021 Tonight we headed to the French Moose processing facility in Portugal Cove to help Andrew and the boys make Moose Sausages from his successful harvest last month. Flavours on the menu tonight include sweet honey BBQ, and our new recipe Wild Game - Jalapeño - Cheddar! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
October 24, 2021 Today Janes got a little in over his head (or at least his headlights) on his new Honda Rubicon 520 while on a run with one of the 'byes in the Goulds. The water was deeper than expected but the bike came out backwards just fine. A quick check of fluids found no water in the oil which was great news! Photo Credit: Brad Janes
October 22, 2021 This week after much encouragement from long time smoker Matt French, I finally bit the bullet and picked up my own unit, a Pitboss Austin XL pellet grill/smoker. This behemoth uses compressed pure hardwood pellets to create fire/heat/smoke and grill food on high temp, smoke on low temp and everything in between. The deal was epic as they were being cleared out 1/2 price at the end of the year and I cannot wait to try it out! Photo Credit: Sandra Ryan
October 19, 2021 This week my long time leaking exhaust manifolds on my 2011 Silverado 2500 HD got a lot worse and finally required replacement. The crew at French's Automotive repair got me in right away and got the job done perfectly and with complete professionalism. Next on the list is a full inspection of the front end to keep my trusty 10 year old steed in safe working order. Photo Credit: Justin French
October 17, 2021 Moose hunting on the Southern Shore. Will the big bull nicknamed Ghost get the better of us? Check out the full saga on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
October 14, 2021 This week we had a unique opportunity to promote the Rod and Gun Club, Hunting Ethics, and Responsible Firearms Ownership as we filmed an episode of Griff's Great Canadian Adventure. This show will air on Channel 4 in the UK and BBC First here in Canada in the new year. Both my Silverado and project 6x6 made starring appearances as host Griffith Rhys Jones wanted to drive a big American truck and we took him on a simulated hunting adventure in the Argo. Check out more pics from the day in my St. John's Rod and Gun Club Activities 2021 article which can be found on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
October 9, 2021 Another weekend and more absolutely putrid hunting weather! Its amazing how many days this fall we had to write off just for weather alone! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
September 27, 2021 Today I went through my freezer and picked out all my older Moose meat to run through the grinder for sausage making. On the menu today are some Sweet Honey BBQ and Wild Game - Jalapeño - Cheddar moose/pork sausages. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
September 26, 2021 Ben just trying out Dad's Honda Mini 70 ATC project on for size as he counts down the years before he can take it for a rip! Photo Credit: Kailee Smith
September 13, 2021 Represent! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
Thank you for your patience in waiting for this latest site update. As you can see in all the new articles on the Crew Adventures and Projects in the Shed pages, its been one heck of a busy summer! Don't forget to follow Shed-Headz on our Facebook group (click button above) as brief versions of all our stories appear there in real time all year long. If you're interested in some Shed-Headz decals, check out our Merchandise page. Enjoy all the new articles and the Highlight pics below and stay tuned for more projects & adventures! MIKE
September 21, 2021 We've had a super busy couple months at the Gun Club completing phase 2 of our trap field rehabilitation project and installing brand new state of the art outhouses near the rifle/pistol ranges. It was a lot of work but it's great to have this project complete. Check out all the 2021 happenings at the St. John's Rod and Gun Club on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Andrea Bassan
September 18, 2021 Friday evening Bassan and I headed to Trepassey to meet his father Peter at their camp for the opening day of partridge hunting. We enjoyed an awesome albeit warm morning on the barrens which as expected turned to fog that evening. Check out the full story and pics on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
September 15 Today I received my pre-order copy of Gord Follett’s new book "Track Shoes and Shotguns"! I'm Super stoked to read it, at first flick through the pages it looks great. Check out the book which is available and many local retailers across the island, including Outdoor Pros and Atlantic River Outfitters here in town. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
September 14, 2021 Although the opening day of moose hunting was interrupted for many of us by Hurricane Larry and its aftermath, we did manage to get in the woods the following week. On Tuesday Mark, Matthew and Andrew French headed down the Southern Shore and harvested a dandy bull successfully filling Andrew's tags. Check out the full story and pics on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Matt French
September 13, 2021 As if a hurricane and late start to moose hunting wasn't bad enough today the passenger side power window motor called it quits on my Silverado HD. The part needed was not in plentiful supply but the repair was straightforward. Check out this and a whole summer's worth of miscellaneous projects I worked on at home & away in the Mike's Misc Garage Projects article on the Projects in the Shed page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
September 11, 2021 Hurricane Larry stuck the East Coast of Newfoundland late Friday night as a Category 1 hurricane. Thanks to advanced notice we were well prepared and weathered the storm relatively unscathed. Check out the full story of prepping for the storm and aftermath pics on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
September 9, 2021 Today Sandra and I met Dad and Iris at the Gun Club to do some berry picking on the pole line. They started straight away while I unloaded my lawn tractor and cut the grass around the club first. It was a beautiful day, and berries were plentiful. Check out the full story and pics on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
September 8, 2021 A bike is only brand new until the first ride, then mud gets absolutely everywhere so it's just as well to use it and enjoy it! Today Janes and Cook hit ATV trails in the Goulds and Janes christened the Rubicon with its first stuck! Photo Credit: Brad Janes
September 4, 2021 Matthew French recently decided to get back into fly fishing. He picked up a beautiful Loop rod and reel from Atlantic River Outfitters and soon after hit the water catching his first trout on the new set up! Photo Credit: Matt French
August 29, 2021 This weekend Sandra and I headed to Bay Roberts for the annual (well 1st since 2019 - thanks Covid) Smith family get together. It was an awesome day catching up with the crew and we enjoyed an outstanding jigs dinner. Photo Credit: Sandra Ryan
August 19, 2021 This month Janes picked up his brand new 2022 Honda Rubicon ATV. After performing a Shed-Headz Area 51 advanced PDI we hit the trails for a shakedown run. Check out project details on the Projects in the Shed page, and pics from our first rip on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
August 14, 2021 This week Ronnie and family headed to Musgravetown to visit some relatives. They took advantage of beautiful weather and hit the trails on their fleet of Yamaha dirt bikes, an excellent way to enjoy the time! Photo Credit: Ron Power
August 10, 2021 Its been a busy couple weeks completing outdoor repairs around our house in Torbay. With lumber prices finally falling I took on some necessary projects to maintain both aesthetics and safety around the house. New stairs to the rear deck, a new railing system for the basement door and minor repairs to the front steps highlight the project. Check out the full story and pics on the Projects in the Shed page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
August 5, 2021 My fly fishing journey has come a long way from its beginnings back in May. With a lot of trips and two major adventures under my belt things are going well. I've truly enjoyed this experience, so much so I haven't picked up my spin cast reel all summer. Check out all the pics from my summer fly fishing outings on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
July 23, 2021 This weekend Mark, Terry and I loaded up Mark's enclosed trailer and headed west for a long weekend salmon fishing on the Gander River. Mark's trailer is normally used to haul our Argos around but has now been converted to a dual purpose apparatus for camping as well. Check out the conversion work and our trip on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
July 16, 2021 I've been enjoying a very busy summer learning to fly fish, today it was time to blow the dust of Project Foreman and get out for an afternoon ride. Check out the pics on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
July 14, 2021 Having missed their 2020 Gander Salmon fishing trip, this week Don & Junette headed to the Gander River with Gander River Outfitters for a week of guided salmon fishing adventures. They had a great time and both tagged fish in the 60-62cm range! Photo Credit: Don French
June 29, 2021 This week I read an interesting post on the NL ATV Facebook group. A member lost one of his boots from the back of his truck on the way back to town after a ride. He was looking for a green Dunlop Purofort right boot in size 10. He received no replies, but I remembered that I lost my green Dunlop's a couple years ago when the 'byes left my tailgate down, I only found one boot when I retraced my route. It just so happened to be a RIGHT boot and it was size 10! I messaged the guy on Facebook, told him my story, and offered the boot to him at no charge as I had already replaced them. He accepted my offer and was thrilled to have a matching set again! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
June 25, 2021 Another proud fisherman, Roger's catch on our Lomond River trip. Photo Credit: Andrea Bassan
June 21, 2021 Having invested a lot of time and effort into my fly fishing abilities, I was proficient enough to receive an invitation from Bassan to join him, his father Peter and Roger Butler on their annual Lomond River salmon fishing trip. It was a heck of a time, check out the full story and pics on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
June 2021 End of an Era. This month the Sooley Family Cabin near Whitbourne which has been the base of operations for many crew adventures including our annual Winter Trip has been sold. Check out a photo montage I put together on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Royal Lepage
June 10, 2021 It wouldn't be Newfoundland if we didn't have a freak snowstorm in June! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
June 6, 2021 This evening French and I headed to the NE Placentia River for my first evening on a salmon river. It's still pretty early for salmon in this river, but I did log some important newbie fly fisherman casting hours. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
June 2, 2021 Terry Slaney had a great start to the Salmon fishing season which opened June 1st. This year he headed west to the Grand Codroy River which is an early river for Salmon, He was not disappointed catching and releasing a personal best oversize Salmon. Photo Credit: Terry Slaney
May 22, 2021 After much encouragement from my buddies I finally decided to dive into the world of fly fishing this summer. Fly fishing is a great way to fish for trout but it's also the only legal way to fish on the province's licensed Salmon Rivers. Its been a great learning experience learning to cast, find fish in rivers vs. ponds, new knots and a lot of new rules & regulations. Check out my Introduction to Fly Fishing story on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Andrea Bassan
May 21, 2021 Check out this awesome article from crew member Duncan Marsh. Him and his family enjoyed an awesome weekend camping in their new Mission enclosed trailer near Kusawa Lake in the Yukon! Check out their setup and pics from the trip on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Duncan
May 20, 2021 This year Ronnie decided to set up an above ground backyard pool at his home in Mount Pearl. He put his trusty RAM 1500 to work (probably overworked) carting home a load of sand for the pool platform. Photo Credit: Ron Power
May 15, 2021 Bassan and his father Peter were busy slinging fly line on the opening day of trout fishing 2021. It was not a futile effort as they landed a dandy catch! Photo Credit: Andrea Bassan
May 12, 2021 We've been quite busy the last couple evenings at Mark's Area51 location summer-izing his Argo and performing a maintenance on their campsite golf cart. We customized this unit last year with a lift kit and wrap, now Mark wanted some custom decals made. I put my new vinyl cutter to work and made some awesome livery for the cart! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
May 7, 2021 Mark French greatly enjoys camping with the fam down at Marine Park in Pouch Cove, this year he and Heather decided to invest in their first brand new Camper. After much research, thought and care Mark tracked down and purchased this beautiful 3-slide bunkhouse unit from the fine folks at Marble RV. Photo Credit: Mark French
May 5, 2021 Happy Mothers Day everyone! To celebrate the upcoming May 24 Holiday weekend which is the unofficial start of summer and the NL camping season, all decals are on sale half price! Sale starts today (mother’s day) and runs until 11:59pm May 24th 2021. Need a decal in a different size? No problem, let me know when ordering. Check out the Merch Page for details! Photo Credit: Lee Tremblett
April 28, 2021 This week I took on repairs to the front end on Project Foreman. I have bad front wheel bearings to replace but the hubs they reside in are also worn out of spec. Check out how I overcame this issue without replacing the hubs by checking out Project Foreman & 2021 Repairs on the Projects in the Shed page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
April 23, 2021 After a lot of thought, care and purchasing of equipment I'm finally ready to start selling some Shed-Headz.com merchandise starting with custom cut vinyl decals. All decals are designed and produced in house made to order. Check out the brand new Merchandise page, new link at the top of the main page! Thanks for supporting the site! Cheers, Mike
April 14, 2021 In the past 5 days, the St. John's metro area has received a relentless onslaught of steady persistent rain dumping over 135mm of good ol' H20. Needless to say, when combined with spring snowmelt it made for an interesting trail ride! Check out the full story and lots of pics on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
April 13, 2021 With my summer wheels and 34" BFG's swapped back onto the truck it was time to clean up my winters and get them stored and out of the way. I always wash rims inside and out before storing, this year my new centre caps were no different. Winter can be hard on stuff so after washing I polished the chrome centers with Mother's metal polish and treated them with Turtle Wax ceramic for an additional layer of protection next winter. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
April 9, 2021
This week I ran my first ever Shed-Headz
decal draw on our Facebook page which had members post up their favorite outdoor
adventure pic for a chance to win a prize pack of our new and soon to be
released line of custom cut vinyl decals. Check out the pics we received and the
results of the contest on
the
Crew Adventures
page. If you haven't already check out and join our Facebook by clicking the
Photo Credit: Mike Smith
April 8, 2021 This week I headed to Bay Roberts to give Dad a hand with some renovations at our family summer home in French's Cove. We are finishing the last remaining room, a walk in storage closet on the 2nd floor, then turning the office back into a 3rd bedroom. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
April 5, 2021 Ron's daughter Amber outgrew her KTM dirt bike so she upgraded this week to a brand new 2021 Yamaha YZ85! Photo Credit: Ron Power
March 31, 2021 If you haven't already, check out the outstanding Facebook group Newfoundland Hunting & Angling Junkies created by Devon Junior Dominix, as well as his awesome merchandise page HuntLife.ca to help support another amazing Newfoundland outdoor adventure group. I received my T-shirt this week and am super pleased with the quality as well as the fit! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
March 28, 2021 Shelia's Brush? Today we received another 15 or so centimeters of the white stuff which with any luck will be the last for the season. After all the warm weather last week, ponds are not safe and most of the winter's snow is melted. As much as I love winter this recent blast really doesn't help much with winter activities. LoL Photo Credit: Mike Smith
March 26, 2021 With all the warm weather last week ponds in and near town are absolutely unsafe to venture out on, but still too frozen to cast a line from shore. Today I headed west in search of open water so arriving at an area near Whitbourne which remained unsafe to ice fish all winter. Knowing where to look I managed to easily cast a line and squeak some bonus hours in the winter trouting season! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
March 21, 2021 Today we held an unofficial Shed-Headz Father and Son ice fishing day at #DogPond under sunny skies, cold winter temps and strong winds. It was an awesome day to get out in the country and spend some time with our dads. Check out the full story and lots of pics on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Andrea Bassan
March 20, 2021 This week my buddy Duncan picked up a beautiful 2019 F350 Super Duty crew cab long box pickup! This gas powered truck should work well and be quite reliable up North and will be put to work towing his Mission enclosed trailer on many outdoor adventures to come! Mods so far include a removable truck cap, bed lined wheel wells and rockers and a set of Goodyear Duratrac tires. Photo Credit: Duncan
March 18, 2021 Monster Rainbow ice fishing day! Today Bassan, French and I headed to a new destination #DogPond. This is an unscheduled Rainbow waterway, and we hoped for a crack at a few mud trout and possibly an elusive 'bow. We were not disappointed as the video below will show! Check out the full story and lots of pics on the Crew Adventures page. Here is a YouTube link to the video of Mark's amazing catch: https://youtu.be/6dvY6Xp0y5E Photo Credit: Mike Smith
March 13, 2021 Stroh took advantage of beautiful late winter weather to head out in the country with his family in their Yamaha Viking. He also took the perfect opportunity to test out his new Milwaukee M12 FUEL mini chainsaw which worked amazingly well, especially for such a a small package! Photo Credit: Michael Stroh
March 13, 2021 With most of the crew busy with work around the house I didn't bother going in the woods and instead convinced Sandra to take a drive around the Irish loop. This beautiful drive left from the Goulds heading down the Southern Shore circling back to the the Trans Canada Highway via Salmonier Line. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
March 11, 2021 Today Bassan and I took a mid week break and headed into Red Gullies on our Honda Foreman ATV's to do a little ice fishing. Check out the full story and pics on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
March 7, 2021 After years of trying we are finally getting crew member Ronnie trained to be a woodsman! This week he and his older son A.J. took the younger members of the Power household out for a snowmobile ride and a cook up in the woods. Photo Credit: Ron Power
March 5, 2021 Today I finally had an opportunity to get back to the Cape Shore for my first ice fishing trip down there in 15 years! French came along for his first ever ice fishing trip down that way as well as my father who regularly visits the shore. It was an awesome albeit cold day, check out all the pics and full story on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
March 4, 2021 Earlier this year I got into small batch, short term pickling, particularly red onion and now jalapeno peppers as well. I pickle them for flavour and not longevity, they go great on sandwiches, nachos wraps, bowls, burritos and more. I use them regularly now so I broke out our vinyl cutter to make some custom labels for the jars I use. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
March 3, 2021 Today Ronnie, Bill and A.J. went for a snowmobile run leaving from the Goulds all the way to Crane's gas bar on the Witless Bay line. I was supposed to join the boys but got called out on a work service call and missed the ride. Photo Credit: Bill Hillyard
February 28, 2021 I've made a bunch of updates to the Projects in the Shed page including:
Photo Credit: Mike Smith
February 27, 2021 Today I had an awesome first ride in a long time on snowmobile. I headed to the Goulds and met up with Bill, Ronnie and AJ for an awesome afternoon of socially distanced isolation skidoo therapy! Check out all the pics on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
February 23, 2021 This week Janes finally received his new Georgecraft kitchen knife that he had anxiously been awaiting. It is yet another beautiful piece from Walter George, the same man who made my Axe and ULU and has now made knives & axes for a good portion of the Shed-Headz Crew! Check him out via Facebook by searching Gerogecraft Woodworking. Photo Credit: Brad Janes
February 20, 2021 This past Saturday I made my 3rd outing ice fishing, once again not straying too far from home. It was a late start this year due to poor ice conditions, thankfully mother nature finally began to cooperate and we found a few local ponds with 9" hard ice and more. Check out all the adventures so far this month on the the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
February 18, 2021 A couple weeks ago I posted here that Project Foreman and I won Ostacruiser's recent worst stuck photo contest which you can find by scrolling down this page. Today I received my prize in the mail with a note on the back from Mrs. Ostacruiser winner winner chicken dinner! A truly awesome Canadian team who like all of us here genuinely enjoy the outdoors and motorsports. If you haven't already, check out and consider subscribing to the Ostacruiser channel on YouTube. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
February 10, 2021 Don't neglect your expensive Honda Snowblower. The owner of this unit actually had this unit annually serviced at a Honda Dealer (NOT in the St. John's metro area) and they failed to lubricate the augers where they attach to auger drive shaft. These augers must spin free of the auger drive shaft with the small 10mm shear bolts removed or broken. This unit never had any anti-corrosion fluid applied and it seized solid. The left auger completely cracked off the auger drive shaft, and the right side is seized solid and mangled beyond recognition after a fight with a domestic water shut off valve. Inspect yours by removing the 10mm shear bolt and spinning the auger freely, one left, one right. If maintaining one of these blowers yourself simply look on the outside-side of the bucket and you will find 1x12mm bolt surrounded by 3x10mm bolts. Remove the 12mm bolt and spray an ample dousing of a good penetrating oil such as red rust check or similar inside the auger tube, then replace and tighten the 12mm bolt. While your at it spray down the auger housing bearings inside the bucket as well, one in the back behind the impeller (spray back wall above impeller - it will run down, and the two bearings on the inside of the augers left & right). These simple steps will save you multi-hundreds of dollars in repairs. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
February 9, 2021 I swear he is a much better mechanic than a plow operator. Check him out for great rates and excellent quality, honest work. Formerly Canada Car Care, same owners, fresh new look and name: French's Automotive Repair, Mount Pearl. Photo Credit: Justin French
February 6, 2021 Steve and Kailee keep telling me that -15ºC isn't all that cold so for proof they sent me this pic of sunrise at -56ºC in Yellowknife NWT! Two vehicle block heaters plugged in, neither would start. LoL Photo Credit: Kailee Smith
February 5, 2021 Take a pic of crappy weather (10ºC) and update the website day! Although the end of January was finally starting to shape up great winter weather wise, these last 3 days have brought 20mm rain and double digit warm temperatures to the province! Needless to say the snow sure took a cutting, trails are a mess and many if not all ponds on the East Coast treacherous to venture out on for ice fishing, even on foot. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
February 3, 2021 Something a little different today, last night Ostacruiser ran a Facebook photo competition asking fans to post their worst stuck photos and for everyone to vote by liking their favorite! Well project Foreman pulled through a win with 172 likes at the time contest closed. Check out my pic above which was from our annual cabin winter trip a few years ago.
Photo Credit: Mike Smith
February 1, 2021 With winter trouting season open today I really want to do a public service announcement about ice safety, especially with the sketchy inconsistent ice conditions being reported this year. First, I'm not going to rant and tell everyone to stay off all ponds. I think that’s misleading and serves little purpose or benefit. What I want everyone to do who reads and shares this post is to CHECK ICE THICKNESS before venturing out on the ice with any kind of machine. Check ice thickness on all parts of the pond on which you will be travelling. DON'T TAKE UNNECESSARY RISKS such as venturing too close to moving water or skipping open water.
NEVER
TRAVEL ALONE, and
BE SELF SUFFICIENT for personal
recovery with tools such as ice picks, and machine recovery to do so in a safe
manner. A cold water warm up kit can easily be kept in a vehicle or trailer and
can include a heat source, sleeping bag, closed cell foam camping pad, and a
full change of dry clothes. This can literally save someone's life and halt the
onset of hypothermia. Be safe this season, better to be careful than lucky, Mike
January 31, 2021 My neighbor and good friend Dan sent me a couple pics from his ATV run this past Sunday. He was riding his Suzuki King Quad (which is featured here on the Projects in the Shed page) and his buddy a well built Can Am Outlander on Tracks. They unloaded in Seal Cove and rode to Whitbourne, then taking the old rail bed north to Monty's. They ran into a little trouble on the return trip between Monty's and the main railway line breaking though the ice in a rather long and deep water hole. At one point both bikes were stuck, but after a couple hours and wedging logs under the tracks they had both bikes rescued from the murky swamp! Photo Credit: Dan Griffin
January 27, 2021 Throwback Thursday on a Wednesday! This week Ronnie stumbled across this awesome video of some of the crew playing in the snow up behind Sobeys Square way back in the day. The footage was shot February 8, 2002 check out the awesomeness here. Photo Credit: Ron Power
January 25, 2021 Eagerly awaiting the opening of winter trouting here in NL on the 1st of February, Mark French and I picked up a couple new gadgets for this years adventures. First were a couple of Green rubber coated wire ice fishing stick holders made by HT which work really well with the beautiful ice fishing sticks we purchased at Outdoor Pros last year. Second was building some automatic fishing rigs based on a Jaw Jerker design posted on the Facebook group Newfoundland Hunting and Angling Junkies. It starts with an HT ice fishing tip up and a 28" rod/reel but replaces the flag with a home made rig to hold the rod tip and trigger it like a mouse trap when a fish strikes. I'll have a full write up on them once we get out and field test them (as soon as conditions allow). Photo Credit: Mike Smith
January 23, 2021 Well its the end of January and we finally have some snow on the ground. We had a bit on the 16th and a lot (just over 30cm) yesterday, so I took advantage of decent conditions and hit the trails around the house 2 days in a row in project Argo. Puddles aren't frozen so its a muddy mess in places, terrible for snowmobile but no worries for the "tank". Lots of additional pics can be found on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
January 22, 2021 I wasn't the only one taking advantage of the new fallen snow, in Bay Roberts Dad and Kevin hit the trails for a post blizzard snowmobile ride which was Kevin's (pictured above) first run on his new project sled. Photo Credit: Randy Smith
January 21, 2021 AJ returned home from his first snowmobile ride with a stuck secondary clutch on his new snowmobile project, a 2009 Skidoo 500ss TNT. The problem turned out to be broken rollers in the QRS secondary, not an uncommon problem. Ronnie made up this dandy clutch disassembly tool to get the job done in one night out in the garage. Check out the full story posted as an update to AJ's 2009 Skidoo Project on the Projects in the Shed page. Photo Credit: AJ Power
January 16, 2021 This month we've been helping bill with a 10 year inspection, maintenance, and some upgrades on his 2010 Yamaha Nytro XTX snowmobile. Basics included removing the rear skid to replace all bearings, pulling the driveshaft to replace those bearings, fresh chain case oil, new engine oil & filter and general cleanup/inspection. The list of upgrades include a Star Suspensions XTX Linkage Kit to upgrade the geometry of the rear slide suspension, and a brand new set of Black Slydog Attack skis. Lastly Bill pulled all 4 shocks and we made a Saturday road trip to see shock guru Mark Murray in Bristol's Hope to have them serviced. The shocks were in great shape needing no repairs, just an oil change as there was a tiny amount of water in the oil and gas recharge. As I type this Bill is on the West Coast hopefully logging a few test miles on the new setup! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
I am extremely pleased to finally have the website up to date once again. Its been an incredibly busy fall especially with so many hunting trips to fill multiple Moose licenses within the crew, the hunt spanned mid September straight through the end of December which took up way more time than most of us imagined. In this release you will find a bunch of updates: Crew Adventures:
Projects in the Shed:
Outdoor Lifestyle Products:
As usual scroll down on this highlight page for a Coles Notes view of what we did this year plus lots of additional pics not found anywhere else on the site. Don't forget to follow our Shed-Headz group on Facebook (link above) as I do publish quick peek updates there more frequently than I can here on the main website.
January 4, 2021 Winter 2020-2021 is off to a real slow start. This is only the 2nd snowfall of the season, the first lasted 2 days before rain took it all away, unfortunately the same fate is forecast for today's snow. Thankfully I was able to get out for a quick ATV rip leaving my house in Torbay. Check out the story and pics on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
January 2, 2021 Ron has been flat out busy this fall building a new custom bed for his daughter Amber, which if you follow him on Facebook I'm sure you will agree has been an outstandingly well done project. Unfortunately part way through the project his table saw died and had to be replaced. A big fan of recycling, Ron mounted his chop saw to the old collapsible table saw stand, extension arms and all. This makes the unit easily portable and take up a lot less space than the old stand! Photo Credit: Ron Power
December 29, 2020 Sandra and I headed to Bay Roberts today for our annual Christmas visit with Dad & Iris. After an awesome Lasagna supper (such a welcome break from Turkey!) we took advantage of the mid week lull in traffic to take in the boat lights in Port de Grave. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
December 28, 2020 Moose hunting season closes on December 31st and French still hasn't filled his tags. Today we headed down the Southern Shore for one last kick at the cat. Were we successful? Check out the Moose Hunting Part 4 article on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
December 25, 2020 Merry Christmas to one and all from the Shed-Headz Crew! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
December 14, 2020 First significant snowfall of 2020-2021 arrived in a hurry but unfortunately according to the forecast it will also be gone in a hurry! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
December 12, 2020 Today French, Stroh and I finally received our Black Friday Olight order which included our crazy new Marauder 2 flashlights. The specs on the box don't lie and these are just plain wicked units. Check back soon for a full review. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
November 28, 2020 I spent a few weekends in November/December at my Dad's place in Bay Roberts giving him a hand with a few jobs around his garage including a service on his ATV & Snowblower and some major repairs on his buddy Kevin's newly acquired snowmobile. It was a lot of work but I was glad to be able to lend a hand to keep the repairs (which included a complete overhaul of the Front and Rear suspensions) on track. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
November 21, 2020 Another weekend, another trip Moose hunting with French. This weekend Bassan joined us as he is no stranger to late season hunting and took the lead driving the woods with the crew. Lots of pics from the day in the Moose Hunting part 4 article on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
November 18, 2020 Boil-up time for Dad and Kevin on one of their weekly ATV rides near Bay Roberts. Photo Credit: Randy Smith
November 15, 2020 Today I picked up my new custom ordered hand made ULU from Georgecraft Woodworking in Conception Harbor. Mr. George is also the fella that built my beautiful Damascus steel axe a couple months ago. The workmanship by Mr. George and his buddy who does the forge work is second to none, and he is an absolute pleasure to work with on a design. Check him out by searching Georgecraft Woodworking on Facebook. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
November 14, 2020 First Snowflakes of the season! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
November 8, 2020 I had the extreme pleasure today of joining Andrea and Peter Bassan on the last day of partridge hunting 2020. This was actually my first partridge hunt and it was an outstanding time. Check out lots of pics and the full story on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
October 30, 2020 Another fall season brought forth another new of Snowblower maintenance for my friends. This year I rebuild the transmission on Doug's Honda 7/24 blower as the bottom bearing was toast and ready to fail at any moment. There are a few pics in my Misc projects 2020 article as well as a full How To article on rebuilding these transmissions, both can be found on the Projects in the Shed page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
October 20, 2020 Moose processing underway at Harry's moose processing facility in Portugal Cove. This was our first year using his new state of the art facility and it is definitely 2nd to none. Check out more pics of our moose deboning process on Part 1 and Part 3 of our 2020 moose hunting extravaganza as found on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Andrea Bassan
October 17, 2020 Moose hunting part 4 is officially underway as we now have 3 licenses filled with only Mark's left to go. Check out pics from today's outing in the Moose hunting part 4 article on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Matthew French
October 13, 2020 Thanksgiving weekend was another busy affair will all of the crew tied up with family dinners, camping and get togethers. I managed to sneak away and fill my moose license solo which gets one more hunt completed for the crew. Check out the full story in the Moose hunting part 3 article on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
October 11, 2020 Happy Thanksgiving to one and all from the Shed-Headz Crew! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
October 4, 2020 One day after picking up his brand new Sako Grey Wolf rifle and one trip to the Shooting Range to practice, Stroh filled his first ever moose tags with a perfect one shot one kill harvest of this beautiful young bull. Check out the full story in the Moose hunting part 2 article on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
October 3, 2020 If I fits, I sits! Wont be long before young Benjamin is tearing up the trails for real! Photo Credit: Steve Smith
September 21, 2020 A little over a week into the new early opened moose hunting season here on the East Coast and we already have one set of tags filled. This morning we took advantage of cool weather and a frosty morning and stood by as Dad filled his first set of moose tags in quite a few years. It was an awesome day and experience, check out the full story and pics in the Moose Hunting part 1 article on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
September 20, 2020 This week Canadian Tire was clearing out their Stack-On gun lockers so I got an amazing deal on this large black 14 gun locker to go with my old much smaller Green one. This will give me lots of room to spread out my small, humble collection of hunting and sporting firearms. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
September 12, 2020 This year the Provincial Government decided to change Moose Hunting opening day from the first Saturday in October to September 12, 2020 here on the East Coast. It's a decision that I don't agree with but we are stuck with it and warmer temps so we will plan our hunting trips based on the weather forecast. Other than that the whole crew is super stoked for hunting season to have arrived! Check out the full story in the Moose Hunting 2020 Part 1 article on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
September 11, 2020 Finally got around to re-organizing wall space in my garage and can now properly display my growing axe collection! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
September 6, 2020 Today I took advantage of a beautiful sunny afternoon and headed out on the trails for an ATV rip and to grab some nice photos of my beautiful new Damascus steel axe purchased from Georgecraft Woodworking in Conception Harbour. For the full story, axe details and more pics check out my September 6th ATV ride article on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
September 5, 2020 Prime Rib steak ready for the grill paired with an awesome specialty beer. One of my most favorite meals! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
August 24, 2020 Sunset in Torbay Photo Credit: Mike Smith
August 18, 2020 This weekend French and I headed out and placed a few of our game cameras for the upcoming moose hunting season. This year we added some cellular cameras to the worx which will immediately transmit pictures to your Smartphone. We cant wait to see how well they work, check out the Moose Game Camera picture article on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
August 8, 2020 This weekend Sandra and I loaded up the rig and headed out over the highway to our summer place in Bay Roberts. We had some awesome meals with Dad and Iris and on Saturday Dad and I took part once again in the recreational food fishery. Take a look at my updated 2020 Food Fishery article on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit Mike Smith
August 8, 2020 Benjamin's first camping trip! Yellowknife NWT. Photo Credit: Steve Smith
August 1, 2020 I know it sounds crazy but this was my first ever attempt at a Beer Can chicken, and it came out surprisingly well and easy! Will definitely be doing this again! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
July 28, 2020 This week Roger, Andrea, Peter and Johnny made their annual pilgrimage to the Lomond River on the West Coast for their annual salmon fishing trip. The boys had a great time and of course a successful catch! Photo Credit: Andrea Bassan
July 23, 2020 Staycation drive along the Southern Shore Highway also known as the Irish Loop. A service call took me as far as Tors Cove so after my call I decided to complete the drive taking advantage of an absolutely beautiful day and light mid week traffic. I stopped for an amazing store made sub sandwich at Clover Farms in Cape Broyle and finished the loop via Salmonier Line & the TCH back to town. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
July 18, 2020 Late night Sled shopping with Ronnie & A.J. Power took us as far as Bay Roberts this past Friday night. The seller was late getting home, but this sled certainly was worth the wait and AJ hooked a great machine. We struck a great off season deal on this 2009 REV XP 500ss which is already equipped with a BRP seat jack, a 1.5" track and dropped two teeth on the top chain case gear. Look for more pics as we make a few mods and perform some annual maintenance later this year. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
July 16, 2020 This month Trap House B replacement commenced at the St. John's Rod and Gun Club. Bassan along with a great group of helpers have been busy working to get the old dilapidated house torn down and new one walled up. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
July 13, 2020 Today Dan and I got out for a quick test ride in Torbay after making some repairs to the fuel system on his 2005 Suzuki King Quad. Check out the full story of the repairs on the Projects in the Shed page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
July 11, 2020 This month French found a great deal on a used golf cart for tooling around the campground at Marine Park where he and his family have their camper trailer. The machine didn't stay stock for long and now sports a custom wrap, new wheels/tires and a 6" lift kit. Check out the full story on the Projects in the Shed page. Photo Credit: Mark French
July 10, 2020 There have not been many or any Adventure Stories for the last 6 weeks or so as I've been flat out doing a major interior overhaul of Dad's boat. It was a heck of a lot of work but the end result turned out amazing and most important Dad is beyond happy with it. Check out the full story in detail with lots of pics on the Projects in the Shed page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
July 2, 2020 This year French has finally been bitten by the Salmon fishing bug. They say it's one of the most addictive sport fishing hobbies known to man which is one of the reasons I've stayed away! LoL This pic was taken on the Salmonier River. Photo Credit: Terry Slaney
July 4, 2020 Ronnie, Ashton and family enjoyed a great day trouting on Goose Pond at the Sooley Family cabin near Whitbourne. Photo Credit: Ron Power
June 25, 2020 Too much 90's? Never too much! Photo Credit: Steve Smith
June 15, 2020 In May Steve struck an awesome deal on this 2017 Honda Grom in Yellowknife. He's made a few changes to the bike for safely and switched out the street tires for a set of knobby street/trail tires to take advantage of the many miles of gravel roads and trails all around Yellowknife, NWT. Check out the build story and pics on the Projects in the Shed page. Photo Credit: Steve Smith
June 13, 2020 Quick afternoon Argo rip and float/leak test leaving from our house in Torbay. The test went well, I only have one middle axel seal leaking so I'll be making a repair soon so summer Argo trouting can commence! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
June 9, 2020 Beautiful evening trouting at Blast Hole Pond in Portugal Cove with Mark and Matthew French. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
June 8, 2020 First Lobster Boil of 2020. Our turkey fryer works awesome for boiling Lobster & crab outside with no mess or smell inside the house, also kicks ass for large Jigs Dinner boil ups too! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
June 6, 2020 Janes camp site patio renovation complete! Check out this project and a bunch more on the Shed Teardown and Patio Builds page which can be found on the Projects in the Shed page. Photo Credit: Brad Janes
June 3, 2020 This week Don French finally took delivery of his new Snowblower, a brand new Kubota an absolute beast of a unit! Photo Credit: Mark French
May 29, 2020 Today Ronnie installed a brand new wrap which he designed himself and had printed, on to AJ's Yamaha YZ250 which he races at Riverview Motocross Park every summer. The awesome design pays tribute to AJ's unique dual citizenship as he was actually born while the family lived in Florida! Photo Credit: Ron Power
May 28, 2020 Taking full advantage of Government's recently relaxed social distancing restrictions and the expansion of family bubbles, French and I loaded up his 2017 Argo Avenger 8x8 - with new outboard motor attachment - for a day trouting. Check out the full story on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
May 21, 2020 French and I performed our first service on his 2017 Avenger 8x8 as our awesome old dealer closed up shop and the new dealer doesn't have any of the old mechanics on staff. This was an awesome experience, check out the full story on French's recently updated Argo Project on the Projects in the Shed page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
May 18, 2020 The May 2-4 Holiday weekend 2020 was much different than in years past due to Covid19 social distancing restrictions. This limits how many people can gather and left campsites and parks across the Province closed on the tradition opening day of summer camping. After taking care of some around the house projects I loaded up project Foreman on Monday and headed out over the highway for a day trouting. Check out the full story and pics on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
May 14, 2020 Since we cannot have our traditional cleanup day at the club this year we have been completing items in very small and sometimes solo groups over a longer period of time. I made a few trips to the club to deal with the broken highway and Range in Use signs, picked up garbage strewn about over the winter, and repaired target stands on Range A. Full story on club activities 2020 will be up later this summer. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
May 6, 2020 Today I took a trip down the Southern Shore to pick up game cameras left out by Stroh and Matthew since moose hunting last fall. Check out the full story and payback prank for leaving my tailgate down (and loosing my Dunlop boots) last fall on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
May 4, 2020 The Covid-19 shutdown continues as I nervously put my new EBay Wahl clippers in Sandra's hands for my first at home haircut! The finished product was actually great, she did a terrific job and I no longer look like a crazy person. Photo Credit: Sandra Ryan
May 3, 2020 Lots going on in Area51 this month including a new Husqvarna Chainsaw, modification to my Chinese mini chainsaw, wheels on Argo painted and much much more. Check out my 2020 Shed projects on the Projects in the Shed page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
May 1, 2020 This week I helped Mark and Justin tear down an old severely dilapidated shed at their grandmothers house in Portugal Cove. It was a lot of work but she is very pleased to have it taken care of! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
April 28, 2020 This week French's Camaro finally returned home after an extended stay at the body shop. The old brown Beast was striped to bare metal, worked beautifully and finally topped with an amazing Lime Green paint job that looks absolutely stunning. Photo Credit: Mark French
April 26, 2020 The crazy Winter of 2020 is finally over, so starts the conversation to summer mode for project Argo. Tracks were removed and stored along with the convertible soft top and windshield. Soon be time for summer trouting and camping adventures! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
April 22, 2020 My old BFG's which have been in Spring-Summer-Fall service for 4 full seasons were finally due for replacement. Thanks to Justin and his professional crew at Canada Car Care in Mount Pearl for their awesome service installing a brand new set of BFG KO2's on my Silverado 2500HD. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
April 20, 2020 Our brand new Outdoor Lifestyle Product Reviews page has been updated with the addition of a bunch of new product reviews sent in by Shed-Headz crew member Andrea Bassan. Included in his awesome contribution are new Survey Tools, Shop Tools and Fly Fishing Wading Boots. Check them out on the new Outdoor Lifestyle Product Review page. Photo Credit: Andrea Bassan
April 19, 2020 With almost all of the snow melted from our front lawn we really thought we were done with winter here on the East coast but mother nature had other plans. We were forecast to receive up to 15cm of fresh snow today but fortunately it turned to rain earlier than expected. By the following morning most of the snow was already gone and Monday's sunny skies took care of the rest. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
April 16, 2020 With winter all but over it was time to finally revive project Foreman from its winter slumber and hit the trails near Torbay. It was a tangly adventure as there is still a heck of a lot of snow in the woods and it's being undermined by moving water from below. Check out the full story and more new adventures on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
April 15, 2020 One of the biggest changes for Sandra and I during this Covid-19 health pandemic aside from barely working and staying home ALL THE TIME is cooking meals more often then we are used to. With busy work schedules it's easy to pass off home cooking for a quick and easy trip to a fast food outlet. With the health crisis changing all of our lives we have cooked a lot more and its been great, however we still occasionally have take out periodically to try and support our favourite local small businesses. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
April 9, 2020 It's absolutely amazing what one month can do in changing the weather. On March 8th I had just finished clearing the driveway after our recent winter storm stacking up a crazy pile of snow 7 feet high on my front lawn. Now one month later that snow pile is less that 2 feet high and rapidly disappearing. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
April 4, 2020 Ron Power and family taking advantage of some time off work during the Covid-19 Pandemic to social distance far and away from everyone else by having a cook-up in the woods! Photo Credit: Ron Power
March 30, 2020 This week we had a break from our usual rounds of snowfalls and were treated with two days of freezing rain, covering much of the North East Avalon in 5/8" of ice! Thankfully this weather event was not accompanied by wind or we surely would have had major power troubles. It was the most freezing rain accumulation I've seen in a long time! More pictures are up on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
March 26, 2020 This week after a long day at work French and I took advantage of the longer daylight hours to take an evening Argo run and ice fishing adventure in his Argo Avenger 8x8 near St. Phillip's. It was an awesome run and we even managed to catch a couple trout. Check out the full story and pics on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
March 19, 2020 This has been leather work week at Area51. I finally received the parts needed to fabricate some custom leather sheaths for my newly acquired cool as hell axes, particularly the Council Tools #2 Double Bit axe and Hultafors Arvika. Check out both projects on the Projects in the Shed page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
March 16, 2020 After a lot of picture gathering, picture taking, article writing, organizing, editing and publishing, my brand new Outdoor Lifestyle Product Review page is live!!! This section of the site highlights a lot of the unique tools, gear and equipment we use regularly while hunting, camping, outdoor cooking, fixing stuff and so on. We are not sponsored, this is stuff we've bought and actually use. Check it out and keep checking back as we have lots more to add in the weeks and months ahead! Cheers, Mike
March 15, 2020 Today French, Stroh, Slaney and I headed to Salmonier for an epic triple Argo rip through the backcountry in search of wicked places to ride and ice fish. We had an awesome day and a cook-up under sunny skies, check out more on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
March 13, 2020 On Friday (the 13th) French and I took advantage of a rare perfectly sunny and not at all windy day and headed to Salmonier Line in search of new places to ice fish. We had an awesome run, even stopping into the Gun Club for a unique photo opportunity. Check out the rest of the pics and story on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mark French
March 8, 2020 After a week of two 25cm snowstorms my Honda 9/28 is finally taking a well deserved rest. Normally this much snow isn't a big deal, but snow banks built up by 400cm of snow (total fallen to date for the season) cause even a small amount of snow to drift like crazy. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
March 7, 2020 Bassan and his little buddy Duncan enjoyed a beautiful day ice fishing here on the North East Avalon. Photo Credit: Andrea Bassan
February 29, 2020 Today Mark French and his two girls Avery & Piper headed to Marine Park in Pouch Cove to take part in their annual fishing derby. They caught a dandy mud trout within the 3 hour window for the competition and took home 2nd prize! Photo Credit: Mark French
February 29, 2020 Bassan and his father took advantage of a beautiful sunny Saturday to head out for a day ice fishing. Parking at the Rod and Gun Club and snow shoeing into the country they had an awesome and productive day! Photo Credit: Andrea Bassan
February 28, 2020 Every winter Rob builds up a large mound of snow in his backyard from clearing his driveway, with all the snow this year its absolutely gigantic! No snow bank is complete without an awesome fort built inside, soon time for a 2nd story! Photo Credit: Rob Squires
February 25, 2020 False Spring just before 2nd Winter. Here on the East Coast of Newfoundland it's not at all unusual to have a mild spurt in the middle of winter, so far this year we've been spared this craziness other than a couple snowfalls turning to rain etc. Today temps hit 6ºC here in Torbay so I took advantage of the beautiful day to give my Silverado HD a quick wash but more importantly clean up the inside which had been neglected due to winter. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
February 23, 2020 Today I spent some time in the Garage working on a brand new huge section of this website which is going to be an Outdoor Lifestyle Product Review page. This is the backdrop I used for taking photos of items. It's actually more of gear we've bought, used and liked or disliked (makes for a very long page title!! LoL) as we're not sponsored or in any way being compensated for reviewing items. It will cover all kinds of stuff we use Hunting, Fishing, Camping, Outdoor Cooking, tools we use in the woods, tools in our shops etc. Check back soon for the big reveal of this awesome new section of the site! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
February 20, 2020 Today I was driving to the Goulds along the Goulds Bypass Highway when I heard over the radio that the road was closed further out near Bay Bulls Big Pond due to whiteouts. There were also closures on the Witless Bay Line & Trans Canada Highway near Holyrood. At first I couldn't understand the fuss as it was a beautiful sunny although windy day. However once I got out in the open country I found that the tiny amount of snow we received overnight was blowing around crazy causing real white out conditions. Goes to show to expect the unexpected when driving in NL. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
February 15, 2020 Ice fishing gear upgrade time. I recently purchased these awesome ice fishing lines from Outdoor Pros (not a sponsor). They are made by a local fella in Paradise who fabricates them and beautifully paints them in colors representing the flag of the Republic of NL and the Labrador flag. I wanted 6 sticks in my kit (enough for 2 people fishing) so I picked up a 1/2 dozen but repainted one pair in colors representing the new Newfoundland flag to create a unique set for myself. Check out the full story in Mike's Misc Garage Projects 2020 on the Projects in the Shed page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
February 14, 2020 Although we've had some rain in between blizzards and snowfalls, accumulation is still getting a little out of hand. Contractors and City crews are still flat out trucking snow, and where they can't affordably truck it they are stacking it higher and higher with excavators! It has been one heck of a great winter for enjoying outdoor activities. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
February 8, 2020 Who needs a cabin trip date night at Peter's Pizza in Paradise with Mark J. French! Large Meat Lovers Dream with onion, green pepper and hot peppers as well! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
February 6, 2020 This week our plans got abruptly cancelled so French and I went out for a couple of awesome Argo Ice Fishing adventures instead. Check out the full story and pics on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
February 5, 2020 Quick pic of the massive ice build up on the cliffs of the Southside Harbor in St. John's. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
February 4, 2020 The cats are still enjoying their Catio even in sub zero temperatures. They love to get outside as often as possible but I'm not keeping the window open all winter! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
January 19, 2020 Housebound by a State of Emergency following our record breaking mega blizzard #snowmaggedon2020, I finally got a chance to finish assembling and installing my 13" tracks on project Argo. I didn't want to go too far for a test ride by myself so I did some running around the backyard and up behind the house. So far the machine is working awesome and is ready for lots of tracked Argo adventures this winter. Photo Credit: Sandra Ryan
January 15, 2020 Earlier this month Justin took delivery of his brand new shop truck, a 2019 GMC Sierra 2500HD with the Duramax Diesel. We helped him get the truck ready for snow clearing in the middle of our last blizzard on January 5th and this week he got his truck back from the sign shop. Mark made a quick phone call for some last minute pink additions to the lettering package! Photo Credit: Mark French
January 11, 2020 This week I contracted myself out to help a good buddy fix his Honda Snowblower ahead of our next major snowstorm. The crawler drive gearbox failed which is a common problem on this generation machine. Check out the full story in Mike's Misc Garage Projects 2020 on the Projects in the Shed page.
January 8, 2020 Quick pic from my brother Steve in Yellowknife. He had a load of firewood show up which they will use to help heat their beautiful home this winter. Kailee's Dad Mike was on hand and made short work of stowing all of it away in record time. Photo Credit: Steve Smith
January 4, 2020 This weekend I took advantage of calm weather ahead of a Blizzard warning to get in one last ride on Project Foreman before the trails become impassable until Spring. It was a great ride, I got to test out my new mini chainsaw, but not everything went smooth or according to plan! Check out the rest of the story on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
December 24, 2019 Merry Christmas snowstorm! Today is Christmas Eve and nearly everyone in the St. John's metro region was treated to an extra day of Christmas Holidays as a lot of the city shut down due to a heavy snowfall warning. In total nearly 20cm of fresh snow fell without much wind. Although there is very little frost in the ground this should make a good base for future snowstorms and outside winter activities. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
November 29, 2019 Today we had our first real dusting of snow for the 2019-2020 winter season. It's not much but at least it's a start. Last winter we had pretty well no snow after the 2nd week of January so hopefully this year will be better! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
November 16, 2019 In mid November the crew headed out to the Sooley family cabin to cut and haul out as much firewood as we could in two days. This would help replenish the supply we've been using on our annual winter cabin trips for the last few years. Check out the rest of the story on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mark French
October 20, 2019 Sandra and I had our first chance to babysit our beautiful nephew Benjamin on their awesome visit this month. We flew to Edmonton last fall to visit him when he was born, and we were super excited to have him visit us here in Torbay! He was absolutely no trouble and we had a grand evening eating, pooping and playing games. Check out the rest of the story on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Sandra Ryan
October 17, 2019 This month Steve, Kailee and my beautiful nephew Benjamin made the long journey from their home in Yellowknife to Newfoundland! It was an amazing trip as we showed Benjamin all the hot spots including Lester's Farm, Signal hill and even the Farmers Market. Photo Credit: Kailee Smith
October 14, 2019 This year Mark & Matthew went full bore fully processing 100% of their moose themselves. We got together and cut out all the premium roasts then de-boned the rest. The remaining meat was run through Mark's new grinder, and I helped teach the byes what I knew about making their own sausages. Check out the rest of the story on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
October 13, 2019 Happy Thanksgiving everyone! This weekend we took some time to enjoy with family and later got Mark's moose processed and Sausages made. On Sunday Sandra cooked a kick as turkey dinner with all the fixings, and it was absolutely awesome! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
October 10, 2019 The following Thursday Mark French and I kept our multi-year tradition alive of successful moose hunting on the first Thursday of hunting season. This year was his turn as he made a successful harvest of a beautiful Cow filling his either sex tags. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
October 5, 2019 The opening day of Moose Hunting fell on Saturday October 5, 2019 here on the east coast, and our crew was out in full force to begin filling our licenses. Our previous month of preparations and scouting worked out perfectly as I knocked down the first animal just before sunrise. It was a beautiful young bull which successfully filled our Not For Profit moose license. Not long after Roger Butler made a successful harvest of another young bull to fill his license after a textbook group effort in the woods. It was an epic opening day with many animals spotted and two Argos hard at work lugging gear, people and meat. Check out the rest of the 2019 Moose Hunt story on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Michael Stroh & Mike Smith
September 29, 2019 This past weekend my buddy Duncan and a couple friends from his community ventured out for an ATV overnight fishing trip near Paulatuk, North West Territories. The date is not wrong on this article, these guys ran into whiteout conditions and -10 degree temps overnight here in the far north! Check out the rest of the story on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Duncan
September 24, 2019 When my brother Steve gets called out to work he never knows what each day will bring. Being away from his family and little Benjamin is hard but a trip in a fancy helicopter and spectacular views of the Northwest Territories certainly helps! Photo Credit: Steve Smith
September 22, 2019 This past Sunday Mark French, Matthew French, Michael Stroh and I loaded up our two Argos for a run down the Southern Shore scouting for Moose. It was a beautiful day and both machines ran very well. We captured some great pics on our trail cams, picked some partridge berries and had an epic cook-up! Full story and pics can be found on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
September 20, 2019 Project Argo is finally complete (for now) with all major repairs I had planned complete. Its been a crazy busy summer getting the machine cleaned, running, floors replaced, electrical system completely re-wired, all new drive chains & tensioners and finally new tires. Friday evening I took the machine on a 3-hour shakedown run leaving from my house and I'm pleased to say it ran very well and was a lot of fun to drive. Full story and pics can be found on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
September 19, 2019 Thursday afternoon I received a phone call from my gun club buddy Scottie Evans who was in serious need of help. Scott and his wife went in Northern Pond road scouting for moose and sunk their 2-up CF Moto ATV in a rather deep water hole well back in the woods. I loaded up project Foreman and headed in for a recovery armed with straps and enough tools to get his bike running again. It was quite an adventure, full story and pics can be found on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Scott Evans
September 16, 2019 While perusing the sales flyer from Princess Auto I came across this 5lb sausage stuffing machine on sale for less than half price. Matthew French has a larger one and said it made stuffing sausages much easier so I picked it up! Cant wait to run my next batch of moose sausage though it! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
September 10, 2019 While Sandra is away on training I do my best not to starve to death! LoL Tonight's menu consisted of awesome steak, stir-fry vegetables and a few french fries. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
September 9, 2019 With all new drive chains & tensioners installed I took project Argo out for a quick 1/2 hour ride to make sure everything was working well and to stretch the idler chains so I could set the final tension on them before putting the machine in service. I'm still running the old tires (with 2 flat center tires) but 6 new Duro 243's have been ordered and due to arrive next week! Full story and pics can be found on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
September 4, 2019 Project Argo is getting closer and closer to completion as I continue to work on replacing drive chains, tensioners and some wheel bearings. BDI sales has been fantastic in supplying parts including the drive chains, bearings and seals at a fraction of the price of other shops including the dealer. A build update will be published soon on the Projects in the Shed page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
August 31, 2019 Labor Day weekend is here and brings with it an unofficial end of the summer camping season. I took advantage of the great forecast Saturday and Sunday to get away for a night in my camping hammock. It was a great trip under sunny skies and warm temps which included an epic steak supper on my new Webber Charcoal grill. Full story and pics can be found on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
August 21, 2019 My trusty Silverado 2500HD still continues to get heavy tasks done this time moving a few thousand pounds of target load shotgun shells to temporary storage. This is in preparation for the 2019 Atlantic Trap Championships at the St. John's Rod and Gun Club coming up soon on Labor Day Weekend. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
August 16, 2019 The clubhouse and grounds at the St. John's Rod and Gun Club are really looking great as a small but extremely dedicated group of volunteers have been working tirelessly to get everything done ahead of the Atlantic Trap Championships coming up at the end of the month. The to-do list continues to shrink as the crew get outdoor paintwork, patio repairs, grass cutting and many many other chores complete! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
August 10, 2019 My first attempt at cooking over Charcoal in a very long time was a great success. I emptied my backyard fire-pit, set out some real hardwood charcoal and used one of my camping grills to create a spectacular steak! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
August 3, 2019 This past weekend Ron Power and family once again took part in motocross races at Riverview Motocross near Bay Roberts and fared very well. Ashton took 3rd place in the 50cc class while Ronnie took the podium in 2nd place in the 40 plus class! Congrats to all the Power's for an excellent race season so far this year! Photo Credit: Ron Power
July 26, 2019 First time in waaaaay to long of a time fire in my backyard! It was a beautiful evening for it and I finally burned my way through an old stack of end cut fence palings left over from the patio project! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
July 22, 2019 Beautiful Monday evening on the water just off Portugal Cove Conception Bay for the 2019 Recreational Groundfish Fishery. Mark and I managed once again to hook our quota before heading back to the wharf. Full story and pics can be found on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
July 21, 2019 Dad's girl! This week Maffer, Myriam and their cat took a road trip west to Corner Brook. They spent the weekend taking in the beautiful sights and sounds of the west coast. Photo Credit: Matthew Burton
July 18, 2019 Although long overdue, this week I finally took the time to get out for a ride on Project Foreman. It was a simple ride and cook-up on the airport fence trails in Torbay but it was absolutely enjoyable. Full story and pics can be found on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
July 17, 2019 Project Argo is really coming along and has seen a lot of steps completed since I got back from our Vegas Vacation. All new steel sub floors were fabricated and installed, a whole new electrical system built and installed, Warn winch mounted, new trailer hitch, outboard motor bracket rebuilt, plus much much more. Check out teh full update on the Projects in the Shed page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
July 12, 2019 After a long couple of days building a catio I was stoked to find out Foodland in Torbay had prime rib steak on sale. We've always had great cuts of meat from there and once again we were not disappointed! Seasoned in vinegar and Haliday's own special steak seasoning and brought to room temperature, this epic hunk of meat was cooked perfectly to rare/medium-rare on our Webber Genesis II. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
July 9, 2019 Sandra said we needed a Catio (cat patio) for our 3 fur babies. I said we didn't need one so we compromised and I built a Catio. It came out well, made from 1x3" strapping (L-beamed for strength and weight savings) and galvanized welded wire mesh it gives the cats a place to go outside by simply opening the living room window, without fear of them being ran over on Torbay Road which runs close to our house. Check out more pics in the "Mikes Backyard Projects" thread on the Projects in the Shed page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
July 7, 2019 This week Sooley along with his brother Marc and father Wayne took their annual pilgrimage to Castors River on the Great Northern Peninsula for a few days Salmon Fishing. Full story and pics can be found on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Paul Sooley
July 6, 2019 Dad taking advantage of the nice weather to partake in the recreational groudfish fishery in the waters off Bay Roberts aboard his new 19' Fiberglass bow rider boat! Photo Credit: Randy Smith
June 30, 2019 Just home from Vegas I stopped down to visit French and saw an ominous stack of boxes in his garage. I knew what was in them and what was involved in putting it together having built the exact same play set last year for Janes. With this previous experience in torturing myself with a gazillion boards, screws and plastic doo-dads I offered my assistance for a full 12 hour day Saturday to help him assemble this beast for his two girls. It was exactly as tedious as I remembered from last year but we got the job done and done right with very little trouble. Photo Credit: Mark French
June 18, 2019 Vegas Vacation 2019! This year we decided to take another trip to Las Vegas, mostly to take in the Rob Thomas Chipped Tooth concert at Planet Holywood as it was cheaper to go to Vegas for a week than Toronto for a long weekend lol. This time we stayed downtown in Las Vegas proper at the Plaza hotel situated right at the end of the Freemont Street Experience. It was an excellent decision that I would repeat tomorrow. Full story and pics can be found on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
June 15, 2019 Even on Janes's wedding day the Shed-Headz Crew spared no time and flew into action to solve a strong odor of diesel fuel problem in the bridal party limo. We quickly diagnosed the problem and assisted with the repair! Full story and pics can be found on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
June 15, 2019 Although Brad and Meghan wouldn't move their wedding day so we could attend the 3rd annual Honda One Vintage Bike Show, the crew managed to sneak away long enough to see the bikes, take a few snaps, meet J-lac & the K-Rock crew and even go live on the air! Big congrats to Brad & Meghan, we were proud to be a part of their big day. L-R: Paul Sooley, Mike Smith, Brad Janes, Matt Andrews, Steve Learning and Matthew Burton. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
June 14, 2019 AJ Power's 2007 Silverado is looking mighty fine with new rubber & 20" chrome wheels. This rim and tire package really makes the leveling kit stand out and compliments his trucks chrome trim very well. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
June 11, 2019 Project Foreman is at Honda One for the Honda Vintage Bike and ATV show coming up Saturday June 15, 2019. I dropped the bike off early and the boys put it on the showroom floor to show off the Project and countless accessories I've purchased there over the last 20 years. For more pics and stories of the whole 20 year project check out PROJECT FOREMAN. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
June 7, 2019 French and I heading up Goose lake near Sooley's cabin for an evening trouting. We crossed over on an ATV trail and floated down a nearby gully and had an awesome time catching and releasing a load of trout, keeping a half dozen for breakfast. Full story and pics can be found on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
May 30, 2019 Janes and I completed his patio today at his trailer camping site in Tilton. The deck came out very well, today we banged out the rails, palings, and the remaining deck boards to get the job complete in time for the weekend. Photo Credit: Brad Janes
May 29, 2019 Mark French after a successful evening trouting from his ARGO 8x8 in St. Phillip's. Photo Credit: Mark French
May 27, 2019 Janes picking up a load of lumber to build a patio at his trailer camping site in Tilton. Who ever said a 5.5' box is useless! LoL Photo Credit: Brad Janes
May 20, 2019 Trout fishing season is in full swing here in NL opening just prior to a nice but cold May 24th holiday weekend. Sooley and Jessica are at the Sooley cabin in Whitbourne enjoying some touting, grounds cleanup & chores. Photo Credit: Paul Sooley
May 17, 2019 Project Foreman's new look and 2019 refresh is finally complete! check out the Projects in the Shed page for details! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
May 1, 2019 Earlier this week French texted me an NL Classifieds add about an ARGO for sale in Lewisport that looked very familiar. Sure enough this was Dad's old machine and it was for sale cheap in non-running condition. A couple emails and a 5 hour road trip found me in Lewisport bringing the old girl home! I got the machine very cheap, no parts are missing, and the deal included the original tracks & full canopy! Check out more on the Projects in the Shed page! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
April 23, 2019 French's Camaro project is taking another leap forward as it's on a flat bed on it's way to body work and paint. It will be gone a few months but when it's finished it will be sporting an awesome new color and will be ready for reassembly. Check out more on the Projects in the Shed page. Photo Credit: Mark French
March 23, 2019 Another of my cooking creations: Fresh mushrooms stuffed with my homemade Italian moose sausage, diced onion and red peppers drizzled in real butter, salt and pepper. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
March 9, 2019 Mark French, Paul French and Michael Stroh on an end of winter Argo/Snowmobile run Saturday afternoon. No ride is complete without a cook up, check out the Crew Adventures page for more pics. Photo Credit: Mark French
March 2, 2019 This past weekend Steve braved super chilly - 42ºC under beautiful sunny skies to take part in the annual Yellowknife Ice Road Run. This event took place on the ice road across Great Slave Lake from Yellowknife to Dettah and back a total distance of about 12km! Photo Credit: Kailee Smith
March 1, 2019 Before heading back to town Friday night I gave dad a hand to load up his snowmobile as he is west coast bound Saturday morning. Dad and his buddies have a tip planned to snowmobile the Great Northern Peninsula leaving from Deer Lake north to Great Harbor Deep and then on to Roddickton. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
March 1, 2019 On Friday I took advantage of beautiful sunny skies to head out over the highway and visit dad in Bay Roberts for the day. We finished installing the Burglar Alarm System in his new garage and later I completed my first project in the new garage. I took advantage of the large space and pulled my Silverado inside to warm up & install a new soft roll up Tonneau cover. This new low profile cover fit perfectly and replaces my tired 8 year old cover that recently began to leak due to normal wear and tear. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
March 1, 2019 Highlights pics have been a little skimpy lately as I've been super busy with work so today I'm a little pic heavy to catch up! Quick pic of the marina in Bay Roberts completely frozen up! It's been awhile since the harbour froze over like this, consistent cold temperatures in February has created a lot of ice on ponds, bogs, and rivers. Low snow conditions has made snowmobiling near impossible but ATV riding is absolutely fantastic, local dealers cannot keep screw in tire studs in stock! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
February 16, 2019 After enjoying an awesome week at the cabin for our 21st Annual Winter Trip, this weekend Sooley & French headed back to the Sooley cabin in Whitbourne for an overnight ice fishing adventure with their kids! Pics and story can be found on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Paul Sooley
February 15, 2019 Today I took advantage of beautiful sunny skies and hit the trails in Torbay for an afternoon ATV ride and cook-up. I put my Kelly Kettle and MSR stove to good use frying up moose sausages, onions, beans, some Mr. Noodle and lots of coffee! Pics and story can be found on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
February 8, 2019 This year we celebrated our 21st Annual Winter Trip at the Sooley cabin near Whitbourne. We enjoyed a week of outdoor adventures including Snowmobile/ATV/Dirt Bike runs, ice fishing, wood cutting, rabbit snaring and a bunch of stuff. Epic meals were made and stories told as we also celebrated Sooley's big 4-0 Birthday this year! Pics and story can be found on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Brad Janes
February 5, 2019 Bassan's new Tacoma and cap are much better for hauling all of our Ceramic Tile gear than his old RAV4. Thanks goodness for vehicle upgrades! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
February 4, 2019 With the cabin trip set to start in two days time, no snow on the ground & no snow in the forecast I decided to adapt project Foreman to better suit the super slippery trail conditions here on the east coast by installing 700 1/2" dirt bike studs in my well worn ITP Mud Lite XTR's. These should really help make trail riding better and safer later this week! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
February 1, 2019 What I hate about winter, dirty truck! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
January 30, 2019 Dad recently started preparing for his mid winter snowmobile trip to Indian Bay and really needed a double skidoo trailer but he didn't want to drop the money to buy one. He came up with the idea to covert his presently un-utilized boat trailer by installing a temporary plywood deck. The project actually worked out quite well and can be easily converted back to boat duty should the need arise. Photo Credit: Randy Smith
January 28, 2019 Bassan's new 2018 Tacoma is now finally set up for Ceramic Tile work with the installation of this beautiful new ARE Cap. This new model sports frameless automotive style glass for a super clean appearance, interior carpet and a bright interior LED light. Photo Credit: Andrea Bassan
January 25, 2019 This week I had some new specially tools finally arrive from EBay to help kick start my 250sx Trike project back into gear. I need a special socket (upper right) to remove the pinion bearing nut from the rear gear case, and a blind bearing puller with slide hammer (bottom centre) to remove the lower small pinion bearing. These tools made short work of the disassembly and will get lots of use all around Area51! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
January 20, 2019 Bassan and I have been very busy recently on a large Ceramic Tile installation job, this past Saturday Sandra sent us awesome homemade cold plate dinners so we wouldn't go hungry! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
January 12, 2019 This weekend Bassan and I finally got around to trying our hands at making Moose Sausages instead of having them made at a butcher shop. I picked up the spice mix & sausage casings from the fine and knowledgeable folks at Outdoor Pros in Mount Pearl, and set up my trusty meat grinder/sausage stuffer attachment on Sandra's Kitchen Aid. The sausages came out fantastic, I'll have more pics and maybe a How-To up soon! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
January 4, 2019 Happy New Year! It's a new year and with it came a new blizzard as the St. John's Metro area got dumped on by 44cm of white goodness earlier this week! French wasted no time and got out for a midnight Argo run from St. Phillip's to Paradise meeting up with fellow Argo enthusiast Terry along the way. Pics and story can be found on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mark French
2018:
December 25, 2018 Merry Christmas from the Shed-Headz Crew and from Bassan's new kittens who he said would not bother the Christmas Tree! Photo Credit: Andrea Bassan
December 22, 2018 The newest member of the Shed-Headz Crew is finally home! Message from Kailee & Steve: "This holiday turned out to be extra special for us this year as we came home just in time for Christmas with the newest addition to our little family. Introducing Benjamin Michael, born July 10th, 2018 at 24 weeks, 5 days. After spending 164 days at the Royal Alex Hospital NICU in Edmonton, it feels great to be home! We can’t even begin to say thank you to everyone we leaned on over the past few months. This journey would not have been the same without you. Benjamin is a lucky little guy to be so loved by so many." Photo Credit: Kailee Smith
December 20, 2018 Homeward Bound! My younger brother Stephen and his wife Kailee are finally headed home after 5.5 months living in Edmonton as they welcomed the newest member of their family Benjamin Michael into the world, albeit a little earlier than expected. Having been discharged from the Royal Alex NICU Steve, Kailee and Benjamin will spend a couple days in Edmonton before flying back to Yellowknife. Kailee's dad was on hand to help load up their trusty 4Runner and make the long drive up to Yellowknife. Photo Credit: Steve Smith
December 17, 2018 After months and years waiting for the Team Gushue Highway Extension to open, the day has finally arrived! Today I finally got a chance to use the new road and it is awesome. For anyone like me that travels back and forth the city regularly multiple times a day this piece of road cuts down on travel time a lot! This new highway runs from Kenmount road connecting Blackmarsh road and finally Topsail Road. This highway will soon be complete as the final stage will connect it directly to the Goulds Bypass highway. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
December 15, 2018 Bill getting his 2010 Yamaha Nytro XTX ready for snow. Grease, Oil & Filter change and a general inspection was all that was required to get the sled ready to ride in a couple weeks time as Bill heads west to Deer Lake for the Holidays. Photo Credit: Bill Hillyard
December 7, 2018 First big storm of eth 2018-2019 Winter season! This week the snow gods blesses the East Coast with an earlier than expected transition from Fall to winter with the dumping of 26cm of snow, with more to come throughout the following week! Forecasted cold temperatures look promising to freeze up the ponds for safe travel later this winter. Pics and story can be found on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
December 5, 2018 This week Bassan finally broke down and traded in his well used 2008 Rav4 for a brand new 2018 Toyota Tacoma TRD! This beautiful truck has a host of features that make it a dream to drive, once a cap is fitted the vehicle will be a welcome relief for future tile hobbles! The truck came with beautiful aluminum wheels and a set of brand new steelies & snow tires so he's all ready for the winter. Photo Credit: Andrea Bassan
November 20, 2018 Crew member A.J. Power standing in front of one of the massive high bypass engines of a monster Boeing 777 at St. John's International. A.J. was recently hired by Air Canada to work on the apron handling baggage, guiding planes, towing planes and all sorts of cool stuff. The training program is quite extensive with a lot of difficult tests which he passed with flying colors (yes, pun intended lol). Photo Credit: A.J. Power
November 15, 2018 Today the whole island of Newfoundland was pummelled by a severe fall storm. Here on the East Coast we experienced high winds while the winds were accompanied by heavy snow in Central and the West Coast. Sustained winds of 80kp/h gusting to 120 kp/h damaged buildings and infrastructure all across the city and the Shed-Headz Crew was not spared. I lost a couple sections of fence while French had a large tree blow over onto their brand new enclosed trailer! Luckily there was no damage to the trailer and a boom truck lifted the tree clear of the unit without causing further damage. Pics and story can be found on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mark French
November 4, 2018 This past Sunday we held our annual Turkey Shoot at the St. John's Rod and Gun Club. This is the last major event of the shooting season as activities are scaled back over the winter months. Over 50 members and guests turned out for the event taking part in Sporting Clays, Trap, 3D Archery and Pistol shooting events. After shooting was finished an epic home cooked turkey dinner prepared by our volunteer members was served to all in attendance. Pics and story can be found on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Jim Fitzgerald
November 3, 2018 On Saturday Bassan, Troy, Blaine and I got to work cutting up and bagging the beautiful Moose Bassan harvested last weekend in Trepassey. Having watched French and his Kitchen Aid mixer with grinder attachment work so well to grind moose meat, I decided to pick up one of my own. The attachment works really well and ground up 15 pounds of meat in no time without jamming or any other hiccups. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
November 2, 2018 Last weekend while I spent the day in Ferryland hunting with the French's, Bassan, Troy, Blaine and Peter headed to Trepassey for the annual fall Moose Hunt and had a successful trip. Bassan managed to fill his tags Saturday afternoon harvesting this beautiful big cow out on Cape Mutton. Unfortunately I missed out on this adventure due to work commitments on Friday & Monday but the boys had a great and successful adventure. Pics and story can be found on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Andrea Bassan
November 1, 2018 To finish out Project Foreman's 20th anniversary special, I've created a gallery of my favorite ride pics from the past 20 years. Some are just nice scenery from rides all across the island, plenty of worst stucks and lots of awesome memories! Link: 20th Anniversary Special - 20 years of awesome rides. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
October 27, 2018 After a few weekends of great hunting Matthew finally harvested a beautiful young cow this past weekend filling his 2018 Moose Hunting Tags. Matthew, Mark, Michael Stroh and I had an awesome day in the woods hunting under cool temps and beautiful sunny skies. Check out the full story and lots of pics of the hunt and later processing our harvest on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
October 25, 2018 Pic from a Fan! Roger recently enjoyed a boil up in the woods with his Grandson and even fired up his 16 year old Kelly Kettle for a proper mug up! Photo Credit: Roger Butler
October 20, 2018 Moose Hunting in Ferryland continues with Mark & Matthew French. We've made a few trips to our favorite area and have seen animals pretty well every time but the boys have yet been able to line up a successful harvest. However the weather has been great, we've had a bunch of fantastic cook-ups and truly enjoyed our time in the woods so far! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
October 16, 2018 Today my beloved Project Foreman officially celebrates its 20th anniversary! It's been a crazy couple decades with many unforgettable adventures and lots of nights spent in the shed repairing, modifying and maintaining my trusty steed. Check out more pics on HERE on the Projects in the Shed Page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
October 6, 2018 Moose Hunting is officially in full swing here on the Avalon Peninsula with the season opening at one half hour before sunrise early Saturday morning. I headed down to Ferryland with the French's to take part in another great opening day hunt. George got a shot off early, after waiting for 10 minutes I went down to locate the animal which ended up not being hit. The decent size cow then crossed the lower bog and George connected a successful shot filling one of the group's either sex tags. Pics and story can be found on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
October 1, 2018 Lester finally made the leap and graduated from a Honda self propelled lawnmower to an awesome Husqvarna 23hp, 42" cut zero turn lawn tractor. This fantastic unit should greatly speed up time spent mowing grass from now on! Photo Credit: Lester Burke
September 29, 2018 Saturday night garage night! Today I picked up a couple of these awesome 4' LED lights at Canadian Tire for $15 each. These lights are 1850 lumen, all plastic, 110v ac and come with an electrical plug and switch so they're literally plug and play. For use in the garage I installed two rare earth magnets for sticking the light under hood of a vehicle, on my overhead door, man door, tool box, basically anywhere I need some extra illumination. Check out more pics on Mike's Misc Projects page which can be found on the Projects in the Shed page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
September 29, 2018 Before spending a night working in the garage you gotta have a good meal! Tonight BBQ rib steak was on the menu paired with a quick/easy side of Chinese flavored rice and some fresh broccoli & cauliflower (and butter) cooked in tin foil on the grill. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
September 21, 2018 This weekend, which is a long weekend for some of us, the crew got together at the Sooley cabin near Whitbourne for a few days of laughs, work projects, to celebrate a couple milestone birthdays and an overall awesome time. Check out the full story and pics on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Brad Janes
September 20, 2018 My buddy Duncan lives in the North West Territories and recently sent me an awesome write-up and pics from his July 2018 Dall-Sheep hunt in the NWT. He and his buddy flew in to a remote lake and camped & hunted for 6 days successfully harvesting two animals. Check out the full story and breathtaking pics on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Duncan
September 18, 2018 Everyone loves a great bargain and I am no stranger to that ideal. This week I scored a fantastic deal on a used K&N Cold Air Intake kit for my Silverado 2500HD. The kit fit great and works extremely well. Check out more pics and story on Mike's Misc Projects page which can be found on the Projects in the Shed page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
September 13, 2018 We were not long home from our Edmonton adventure with Steve and Kailee when they sent us this pic this morning! Edmonton received a surprise very early snow fall which covered the ground in a blanket of white! In other news the crew and I are headed to Sooley's cabin for the weekend of September 21st to celebrate Janes and I 40th birthdays! It should be an awesome time, not sure what we will get up to but we will find a way to pass the time without a doubt! Photo Credit: Kailee Smith
September 1, 2018 Sandra and I are in Edmonton, AB this week where we met up with my brother Steve and his wife Kailee for a week of fun and adventure in this amazing city! Check out the full story and pics on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
August 29, 2018 Couple more Items added to the Projects in the Shed page. Update on French's 1972 Camaro Project, a new How To from Ronnie and I about replacing disc brakes, and a new article on misc projects Ronnie has been working on this year in his own Area51 location.
August 26, 2018 Sooley has been flat out recently working on the new floating dock at the Cabin. Hopefully Maffer won't smash into the new dock with his Skidoo again like he managed just a couple years ago! LoL Photo Credit: Paul Sooley
August 20, 2018 Last minute evening trail ride and cook-up on the trails in Torbay. Awesome feed of Moose, onions, mushrooms, a side of noodles and a cup of hot coffee sure hit the spot on this beautiful 20 degree evening. Full pics and story can be found on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
August 16, 2018 Thursday night shed project, cleaning up Lester's old Cooey 12 gauge. It started out pretty rough but after a few hours of hand scrubbing the metal turned out great as did the re-finish work on the wood. Check out more pics under Mike's misc Garage Projects 2018 on the which can be found on the Projects in the Shed page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
August 14, 2018 Absolutely beautiful day on conception bay as the Province's newest Bell Island ferry docks at Portugal Cove. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
August 12, 2018 This past weekend we held our annual Memorial Shoot at the St. John's Rod and Gun Club. This shoot incorporated a Sporting Clays event & the Zombie Apocalypse Shoot on Saturday, and a Trapshooting event followed by Pig Roast on Sunday. David Kannenberg prepared the beast and served a meal fit for a king, it was truly amazing. For more information on this and upcoming events at the club please visit our website at www.stjohnsrodandgunclub.com or like our page on Facebook. Full pics and story can be found on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
August 11, 2018 Saturday night beer night! This is the latest Limited Run beer from Innis & Gunn, a brewery famous for aging batches in Oak casks, Bourbon, Whiskey, Rum Casks etc. This one is a Stout aged in an Irish Whisky Barrel and was truly epic. Very smooth with hints of Dark Chocolate and Oak. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
August 9, 2018 Janes, Meghan and their daughter Abby moved into their new home this week and they couldn't be more excited! Friday Janes, Mike and I spent waaay longer than any of us guesses assembling this playhouse and swing set for Abby. It was quite the setup with 2 floors, swings and a time consuming barrel slide to put together. All in all it was a great project helped by great instructions and power tools! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
August 4, 2018 It was pretty well last minute when government finally announced open/close dates for the 2018 Recreational Groudfish Fishery. This year the dates changed again with the summer fishery open only on weekends, including long holiday weekends beginning Saturday June 30th and ending Monday September 3rd. A full list of dates can be found here. Matthew, Mark and I made a run to Cape St. Francis under ideal conditions and quickly caught our quota of large codfish! Full pics and story can be found on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Matthew French
July 31, 2018 On Regatta Day eve I made a last minute decision to throw some gear aboard the truck and head out for a night in the woods with my camping hammock. It was an awesome experience and I cant wait to do it again, Sooley & Maffer also have the same hammock so we should be able to do a group trip soon! Full pics and story can be found on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
July 21, 2018 This year Dad stopped living in French's Cove full time and offered the Bay House to Stephen and I to use as a summer home any time we want. This weekend Sandra and I finally got to take Dad up on this generous offer and headed to Bay Roberts for a couple days. Full story can be found on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Sandra Ryan
July 12, 2018 This week Sooley went on his annual Salmon fishing adventure with his father and family friends to Castor's River. The whole recreational Salmon Fishery was a bit of a debacle this year with big changes to Salmon Retention limits and a big delay in getting Salmon tags out to anglers causing a delay to the start of the fishing season. All in all Sooley had an awesome time hooking lots of fish and catching his quota of one Salmon. Full pics and story can be found on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Paul Sooley
July 9, 2018 French's 1972 Camaro waits outside as we get the Boat ready for the recreational groudfish fishery. Justin's new 1995 Camaro sits in the background. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
July 9, 2018 French getting good 'ol Cloud Nine ready for the 2018 Recreational Groudfish Fishery which opened last weekend. The boat was stored in Mark's garage all winter requiring a thorough check over of all systems, and an oil change on the 90 Yamaha outboard. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
July 4, 2018 Although the weather in June was pretty much a writeoff for trying to do anything outside (particularly on the weekends) July is shaping up to be awesome! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
June 27, 2018 This week I picked up a new toy/tool for the Garage, a new Simonize electric pressure washer. The unit is a tidy suitcase style machine which is great for me as it doesn't take up much space. It also came with a foam cannon, which when loaded with car wash soap creates an epic amount of suds to soak the grime off your car, truck or atv. It still requires hand washing for a clean job but it definitely does a better job than soap in a bucket alone. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
June 23, 2018 This weekend Maffer, Bassan and I headed to Bay Roberts to help Dad & his buddy John with the new garage dad's building at Iris's house. Today was truss day, much like the garage on the house in French's Cove this will be a hip-roof design, a little more complicated than a standard roof but was easily figured out following the truss plan. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
June 16, 2018 Taking advantage of the rare nice June weather Ronnie got a chance to fully detail and wax his pickup. Although it looks black in teh picture (and often so in person too) the RAM is actually a very dark green which really pops under bright skies and a fresh coat of Meguire's Gold Class wax. Photo Credit: Ron Power
June 12, 2018 Back to Vegas! This week Sandra and I headed out for our Summer Vacation to beautiful (and warm) Las Vegas. We spent a week at Bally's in a beautifully renovated junior suite and took advantage of all the sights and sounds of the Strip, Fremont Street, the Absinthe show, and a little bit of time shopping as well. All in all it was an excellent week. Full pics and story can be found on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
May 31, 2018 After weeks of eager anticipation Janes finally picked up his new truck today, an absolutely beautiful 2018 Silverado LTZ Midnight edition which features black wheels, black badging and monochrome trim. The 5.3L V8 is coupled to an 8 speed automatic and gets power to the ground with an awesome set of OEM Goodyear Duratrack tires, which is a kickass tire for any truck let alone factory original. Janes added a roll up hard tonneau cover, a 2" leveling kit to finish out an already awesome ride. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
May 30, 2018 Spring is here but cool temps remain, but that's the least of our worries this week. Today the Avalon was battered by 70kph sustained winds and over 80mm of rain. Localized flooding was experienced around the city, we fared relatively unscathed except for a couple sections of old fence. Just when I thought I'd finally have a summer free from fence repairs today's storm changed that! Waves from the Northerly winds put on quite a show down in Flatrock where spray routinely topped the breakwater barrier. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
May 24, 2018 While the Avalon was spared the brunt of this weeks very late winter storm, Gander and surrounding areas saw about 40cm of the white stuff hit the ground! Dad happened to be in Lewisport for the storm and reported 15-20cm on the ground there. Photo Credit: Randy Smith
May 16, 2018 Earlier this week I loaded up project Foreman for a quick trail ride and real world test set up of my new Camping Hammock. I am super impressed with this unit so far, check out the whole story and lots of pics on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
May 4, 2018 This year the St. John's Rod and Gun Club with the help of a dedicated group of member volunteers entered a booth in the annual Newfoundland Sportsman Outdoor Expo which was held May 4-6 at the Paradise Double Ice Complex. It was a fantastic show with lots of exhibitors displaying everything from firearms, fly rods, archery bows, ATV's, even the new Sherp ATV. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
April 26, 2018 Although it wasn't the first BBQ of the year as Sandra and I tend to BBQ year-round this one was certainly enjoyable as it had been awhile. A couple of Prime Rib steaks marinated in Halliday's own steak spice and a block of Haloumi Grilling Cheese definitely hit the spot! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
April 25, 2018 This year as stated many times already we had a very mild winter, so with a few exceptions we've experienced a relatively early spring as well. Bill got out for his first motorcycle ride today on his 2015 Yamaha Raider 1900 briefly stopping at Signal Hill for a photo. Photo Credit: Bill Hillyard
April 1, 2018 Taking advantage of our early spring I decided to save wear on my (relatively) soft winter tires and throw on my 34" BFG All Terrain summer tires on my Silverado. The BFG's are a great tire and will perform well in snow if needed (many people actually run these as winter tires!). Photo Credit: Mike Smith
March 28, 2018 Steve's project 200x ATC is really coming along as he now has a full rolling chassis with motor mounted and all. The new rubber on his highly polished rims really finish the look as this project nears completion. Project 200x will be put on a shot hiatus as Steve prepares to move once again, this time to Yellowknife, NWT where this project will reach completion! Photo Credit: Steve Smith
March 19, 2018 This past weekend happened to be the St. Patrick's Day long weekend (long weekend for many - myself included), I took advantage of the free day and great weather on Monday to hit the trails leaving from my house in Torbay. It was an awesome ride with quite a bit of snow remaining on the trails from last weeks storm. I also got a chance to try out some new outdoor cooking equipment by having an epic cook-up along the way. Meanwhile Bill headed to the West Coast for an awesome couple days snowmobiling with his brother and Max Pickett. Check out both stories and pictures on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
March 16, 2018 Having seen camping hammocks being used by quite a few YouTubers I decided to research and order one to try out myself. I picked up this Free Soldier camping hammock on EBay for less than $50 and it arrived in the mail direct from China about a month later. While it's still pretty chilly outside to go try it out, so I set it up in the garage to see what it was like. This product received a lot of great reviews on YouTube, and so far I have to agree. The quality of materials, design and strength are impressive (especially for the price!). The hammock is a gathered end design which is very stable even when entering and exiting. You can use it as a standard hammock by not setting up the fly screen, but it forms a very comfortable bug free enclosure by adding two sticks and Para Cord to suspend the mesh above the sleeping surface. I test fit my standard closed cell camping pad & my North Face Aleutian sleeping bag (and myself) and I'm very impressed with how comfortable this unit is. Its super light, very compact and can quickly be set up between twp trees without worrying about rough uneven ground. I cant wait for warmer weather to get out in the woods for a proper test! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
March 13, 2018 A couple weeks ago I won some decals from one of my newest favorite YouTubers, Jeremy Rhydes who's YouTube channel of the same name has hundreds of videos portraying all sorts of outdoor adventures. Camping, Adventure Motorcycling, Pit Bike and Snowmobile riding as well as working and repairing these machines adds up to an excellent viewing experience for any outdoor enthusiast. Jeremy's "Ride More" decals have found a home on my tool box and project foreman. Check out this awesome channel by searching "Jeremy Rhydes" on YouTube, don't forget to like and subscribe! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
March 10, 2018 A day late and a dollar short is how I'd best describe today's snowstorm. We received about 15cm of wet sticky snow today but with recent mild temperatures rendering all ponds unsafe its a too little too late with regards to snowmobiling. Thankfully it's not too much snow to prevent a run on ATV which I hope to do shortly! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
March 9, 2018 Earlier this week I had to drive to Bonavista (about 3.5 hours away) for a work related service call. On the way back I stopped at the Sooley Cabin to check the ice on Goose Lake as we've had more mild weather and strong winds this week. What I found wasn't good and pretty well concludes any chance of snowmobiling this year at the cabin. Our known weak spots and many random holes have opened up in the ice rendering it very unsafe, especially if we get a little cold weather and the open spots catch over. More pics can be found on the Crew Adventures page. Also just finished an update to French's 1972 Camaro project which can be found on the Projects in the Shed page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
March 3, 2018 We're only back from the cabin a few days and I was already itching for another ATV ride so I fueled up project Foreman and hit the trails near our house in Torbay. It was a warm overcast typical late winter afternoon, snow was soft and I even managed to break through the ice into a bog hole! I filmed some of the ride with my GoPro so you can see the full clip at the end of the gallery for this trip. As usual, all pics and video can be found on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
March 1, 2018 The 20th Annual Winter Cabin Trip is over and what a fantastic week it was! You read it right, we've been doing this trip to the Sooley Cabin for 20 years in a row! Once again we enjoyed great times with great friends, awesome food, and burning of fossil fuels! Pics from this year's adventure are published on the Crew Adventures page. The weather this year worked out better than expected, it was touch and go there for awhile as we experienced a much milder winter than normal. However freezing temperatures provided just enough ice to safely travel up the pond and mother nature threw a little snow our way towards the end of our trip. All in all it was a epic adventure. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
February 18, 2018 We are now 7 weeks into the new year and the Shed-Headz Crew finally got out for an outdoor adventure! Our weather has been horrible and nothing has changed in recent weeks but we have kept busy in our garages working on a number of different projects. Yesterday we went up to Sooley's cabin and got some firewood cut up and stowed away to replenish what we've burned over the last couple years. It was a beautiful sunny day and we got a lot of work done. French also experimented making a Norwegian cooking log like we've seen on YouTube and it worked absolutely awesome. Check out the details on the Feb17, 2018 post on the on the Crew Adventures page. Our 20th annual winter cabin trip is less than a week away and we are all looking forward to that adventure! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
February 12, 2018 With poor winter weather (too warm no snow) continuing here on the East Coast, the Shed-Headz crew continues to make best of the situation by working on and concluding some projects in the garage. This week Bill finally got his 1997 Yamaha 624 Snowblower restoration complete. The unit was in great shape overall but needed new augers and a paint job. It was a lot of work but the end result is outstanding, check out the entire article on the Projects in the Shed page. Photo Credit: Bill Hillyard
February 1, 2018 Weird snow on my back deck! The first month of 2018 is gone already. It's been fairly busy in the garage but unfortunately due to the weather we haven't been busy with outdoor activities, hopefully that will change in February. We did have a little snow on Tuesday but once again it was wiped out the following day with warm temps and rain! Product Reviews are back! When I redesigned the site last year I completely forgot about the old Product Review Section of the site. I have updated these pages and added a brand new Review - the Ice Master ice auger drill adaptor, which is great timing as Ice fishing officially opened today. The link to the Product Review section can be found on the Projects in the Shed page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
January 27, 2018 It's the end of January and the weather this winter is really not lending itself to outdoor activities here on the East Coast. Very little snow and a lot of warm days means that ponds still are not safe and there is no snow for the sleds! Meanwhile the crew has been busy in the Shed, Steve is working away at his 200x ATC project, Ronnie is almost finished getting the dirtbikes ready for winter installing studded front tires, and installing tapcon studs in the rear tires, and Bill is into week 3 of his Yamaha Snow blower restoration. This past weekend I headed to Bay Roberts to celebrate Dad's 65th birthday, it was an awesome time with lots of food and tunes. We are less than a month away from our annual winter trip to the Sooley Cabin near Whitbourne, fingers crossed the weather changes so snow and ice conditions improve! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
January 16, 2018 Site has been updated with a couple new Projects in the Shed articles. I've finished maintenance & repairs to Project Powertec REV and French has begun the engine rebuild in his '72 Camaro, both projects can be found on the Projects in the Shed page. I've also completed another minor change to the site. Previously the main page had a running (text only) commentary on site updates etc, while Periodic Randomness contained pictures but duplicated a lot of the text entries. I've combined the two so that NEW Periodic Randomness Pics and site update information appear right on the main page so its easy to find. The Archive of these entries is now called Periodic Randomness Archive and shows all pics right back to 2004 in case you missed them.
January 13, 2018 This winter season got of to a late start as we hardly saw a day below zero until the middle of December but since then it had stayed consistently cold and ice was slowly building on the lakes and ponds across the island. That came to an abrupt end this past weekend when the East Coast recorded a record high of 14.8 degrees and sustained high winds. This melted all of our snow pack and ruined the ice on most ponds. However the West Coast of the island fared much worse. They had a much larger snowpack and received 100mm of rain. Flooding lead to washed out roads, property & infrastructure damage and State of Emergency declarations in many communities. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
January 10, 2018 While working on a small renovation on Lester's Kitchen we stopped by the Seaside Restaurant in Chamberlains, CBS. Lunch was absolutely awesome, cooked perfectly, not greasy and lots of it! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
January 12, 2018 This week French began the engine rebuild project on his '72 Camaro. The old engine had a tired bottom end that constantly leaked oil and/or coolant. The engine will be rebuilt with a 383 stroker kit and a pile of goodies. Keep up to date on this project on the Projects in the Shed page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
January 8, 2018 Our old buddy Janes began the new year with some bad luck after striking a pot hole in Paradise with his 2017 Chev Colorado. Luckily the rim and tire was replaced under his tire/rim warranty so he was back on the road in short order. Photo Credit: Brad Janes
January 5, 2018 Ronnie was no stranger to getting his ride ready for winter as he was also in the garage swapping out stock dirt bike tires for the studded tires he set up last winter. Photo Credit: Ron Power
January 3, 2018 After new years I finally got Project REV out of storage for a 5 year inspection and repairs. Nothing major was found, but I sent out all 4 shocks to be freshened up with a rebuild, replaced a lower steering bushing and cleaned/painted the exhaust. I also replaced the 8" handlebar riser with a 6" which fits me much better and is more comfortable. Pics will be up as soon as I'm finished on the Projects in the Shed page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
January 2, 2018 My most un-favorite part about winter, a constantly dirty truck. Between road grime and necessary excess undercoating it will be spring before this truck is white again! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
January 1, 2018 2017 seemed to fly by like a whirlwind, it was quite busy with a lot of travel, crew adventures, garage & house projects and work! The new year is already off to a busy start with many of us in the garage getting sleds, bikes & dirt bikes ready for the winter (which has been slow to start) riding season. I've completed a couple more How to articles which you can find on the Projects in the Shed page, there will be more Area51 updates coming including my Skidoo REV 800 project update and more!
January 1, 2018 With snow on the ground and temperatures consistently below freezing winter riding conditions are finally starting to improve. Bill has been hard at work in his garage getting his Yamaha Nytro ready to ride. Preseason maintenance including oil change, grease and full inspection was all that was required to get this machine on the snow. Photo Credit: Bill Hillyard
2017:
December 24, 2017 Merry Christmas from Shed-Headz.com!!! Hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday and cheers to a new year and new adventures! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
December 18, 2017 December has been an incredibly busy month working with Andrea completing tile floors and a bunch of Fireplaces. Each one unique and using totally different styles & products. Our fall weather has been incredible. Much warmer than usual with only a handful of days sub zero and one day early December reaching 19 degrees! That all changed this past Saturday as temperatures plummeted and a Blizzard Warning issued for Metro. We received a total of 30cm snow by midnight pics are now up on the Crew Adventures page.
December 16, 2017 This year I found it was time to tackle the dreaded Honda Snowblower transmission rebuild. Its a common problem with these machines and our local dealer actually has a kit put together with all the necessary parts to complete this repair. Check out the complete How To on the Projects in the Shed page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
November 30, 2017 Its been a busy 2nd half of November with Tile work and Garage projects. While changing over tires on the car & truck I found a seized rear brake caliper on my Silverado which meant new pads, rotor & caliper. Work continued with a full service on Lester's 11/32 Honda Snowblower which is much more detailed than what the dealer offers. Meanwhile Steve is back to work on his project '83 200x polishing parts and getting the bike ready for re-assembly.
November 22, 2017 I follow a nice few YouTube channels, one of my favorites is a fellow Canadian up in Saskatchewan - Ostacruiser. Dave had some decals printed so I ordered up a selection for my toolbox and one found its way to project Foreman! I think it's a nice touch, and they are fantastic quality decals. Search Ostacruiser on YouTube for lots and lots of Can Am, Sherp, Skidoo, skeg shredding, snow ripping awesome videos. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
November 15, 2017 Our annual Trepassey Moose hunting trip was an excellent adventure. This year it was hard to line up everyone's schedules, Troy couldn't go at all due to work commitments, Pietro missed the first couple days, Dad came down for the first couple days but had to head back Saturday evening, and Eddy was unavailable due to a back injury. Although the weather wasn't ideal, little frost and high winds we finally managed to fill one set of tags Monday before Bassan and I had to head back to town. Pietro stayed behind and hunted with Eddy today and successfully filled his own tags! Pics are now up on the Crew Adventures page.
November 13, 2017 Meanwhile up North winter has long since arrived so Kailee and Steve got on the ice to enjoy a day fishing with their jigging stick! Photo Credit: Kailee Smith
November 12, 2017 While I was in Trepassey Moose Hunting French and family headed out in the Argo for a ride and boilup near the Goulds. The Argo is the ideal machine for family outings easily taking everyone and your gear in comfort. Photo Credit: Mark French
November 9, 2017 While Steve was home we finally got my Project ATC 250sx back on track. We organized and catalogued all of my parts and finally got the rear swingarm completely disassembled and the gross differential cleaned up. This past week I continued along by replacing the worn out sock roller bearings in the steering stem with an All Balls taper roller bearing kit, and replaced the severely worn out/seized swing arm bearings with an All Balls kit. I also took the time to prep and give the frame a 2nd coat of Amour Coat Blue Paint and got a lot of the other misc parts coated with a fresh coat of Gloss Black. Tomorrow Bassan and I are set to head to Trepassey for Part 2 of the 2017 Moose Hunt which should be an awesome time.
November 3, 2017 Steve and Kailee are headed back home to the Great White North after an awesome adventure with Sandra and I here in NL. Outside of laughing, swapping stories and epic meals we went to Paint Nite NL, NLC Whiskies of the World Show. Moms wedding at the Gypsy Tea Room, some evenings in the Garage, and an awesome night dressing up in killer costumes for Halloween. All in all it was an excellent couple weeks!
November 2, 2017 The lower battery marks the end (or the beginning depending what way you go) of the Signal Hill walking trail. Steve and Kailee took advantage of this beautiful sunny, warm fall morning to complete the hike and get some awesome shots as well! Photo Credit: Kailee Smith
October 26, 2017 Thursday night Steve, Kailee and I checked out NLC's Whiskeys of the World show at the Delta Hotel Ballroom. It was a tasting session for over 100 different types of Whiskeys and Whiskey drinks. The night got a little sideways when we headed to O'Reilly's to finish out the night, but after 24 hours or so I was on the mend! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
October 24, 2017 Steve and Kailee made it back to the East coast this month and we had a very busy, super fun couple weeks. Paint Nite NL was the first time any of us painted and it was a lot of fun and something I would definitely do again. Photo Credit: Kailee Smith
October 20, 2017 You can take Sooley out but be he probably shouldn't be dressing himself anymore! LoL Photo Credit: Mike Smith
October 14, 2017 October arrived and with it the opening of Moose Hunting season here on the East Coast. The first two weeks has been insane as we got ready for and participated in the Moose Hunt filling 3 tags including my own license in area 36 - The Southern Shore. Each trip was absolutely awesome with great weather, ideal hunting conditions and lots of animals spotted. Check out the rest of the pics in Moose Hunting Part One and more pics from our Trepassey Moose Hunting Part Two trip on the Crew Adventures page. In other news I upgraded my old Iphone 5 to a new Iphone 8plus. Many of the pics on this site in recent years come from my phone and the camera on my new device is phenomenal compared to the old one. The 2nd half of October is also set to be amazing as my younger brother Steve and his wife Kailee make their way back to the east coast for a couple weeks of fun and adventure! Photo Credit: Mark French
October 8, 2017 Kick ass dinner time, we don't have cooked dinner often but when we do Sandra and her Mom do an amazing job! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
September 29, 2017 Genius or Stupid? This is an actual fence in St. John's surrounding an apartment complex and its made entirely of shipping pallets! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
September 24, 2017 Kailee was on her way back to Aklavik and couldn't fly in due to weather so the river taxi was the only other option. The ride was OK but the heater was definitely a little sketchy! Photo Credit: Kailee Smith
September 14, 2017 This week Sandra surprised me with a last minute week long trip to beautiful Las Vegas for 5 days to celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary! It was an awesome trip especially as it was my first time there. One of the sights I really looked forward to was Hoover Dam and it didn't disappoint. More pics from this trip can be found on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
September 4, 2017 Although the summer recreational food fishery has been open for many weekends now, the schedules of French and I haven't lined up until today, the last day of the Summer fishery. We hopped aboard Cloud Nine and headed up Conception Bay towards Portugal Cove under sunny skies and very calm winds. We caught our quota in less than an hour thoroughly enjoying our morning on the bay! Pics are up on the Crew Adventures page.
September 2, 2017 Sandra and I are certainly enjoying our new Webber Genesis II BBQ and loaded up the grill with meat for my Labor Day B-day celebration. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
August 30, 2017 Today is the last day of Chase the Ace in the Goulds, Lester and I headed out around 1pm to line up and spent the next 6 hours walking 2.3km (as measured on Google maps) from the end of the line to the Parish Hall! It was a crazy day with thousands of people participating in a calm, excited, respectful manner. The draw took place at 8:15pm sharp, the 50/50 prize was $427,000, the winner of first constellation prize for the Ace draw took home $437,000 while the next winner took home the jackpot of $2.6 million! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
August 19, 2017 This wee Dad dropped off his 2016 Can Am Outlander so I could install the fathers day gift Steve and I picked up for him, an NL Lightbars 12" Hyper Flood LED light bar. The install went very well, wired to the high beams via a relay so there was no need for an extra switch. On Saturday Sandra and I headed to Bay Roberts to drop off Dad's bike and have a BBQ, while out there Sandra spied an old wooden desk which she quickly acquired to restore. I agreed only if she would help so she got straight to work sanding off the old weathered finish. Pics of Sandra's Desk project are up on the Projects in the Shed page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
August 9, 2017 For the last few weeks the Goulds has been inundated by thousands of people trying their luck in the Chase the Ace lottery at St. Kevin's Parish Hall. These lottery's are becoming very popular and hit a viral level of participation when the jackpot nears a million dollars. Of course our crew wasn't about to pass up the chance at such a large prize so every Wednesday we would head out to get our tickets then be back at the hall for the 8:15pm draw. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
August 5, 2017 This weekend I began a bunch of projects around the house starting with partially rebuilding the front deck and repairing my backyard fence with was damaged in a severe wind storm earlier this year. The front deck will see replacement of rotted deck boards, and replacing the rails and spindles. The rails are rotted and the spindles were installed quickly and easily. Pics are up on the Projects in the Shed page.
July 30, 2017 This past weekend the St. John's Rod and Gun Club partnered with NL Wildlife Division to hold our annual Youth Day Event at our facility near Holyrood. The event saw 50 youth participate (many for the first time) in Rifle Shooting, Shot Gun Shooting, Archery, and an Outdoor Survival session. Once again the event was met with rave reviews with many looking forward to returning for next years event. In other news, Steve has acquired two more ATC projects in the Great White North, an '83 ATC 250r and an '83 ATC 200x. Both are great restoration candidates with 98% parts intact! Both will receive Steve's clever hand starting with the 200x, pics will be up soon on the Projects in the Shed page.
July 26, 2017 Its been awhile since the last site update as I've been super busy with many projects mainly at the St. John's Rod and Gun Club. Work started in May with repairs to the clubhouse fireplace, and ramped up in June/July as we built a brand new 25m pistol range and rehabilitated Ranges B & C for our 5 year re-certification inspection. The new range is beautiful and took a lot of work after the heavy equipment left to prepare it for shooters. A sign board, flag pole, shooting benches, firing line markers, and target stands all had to be built and was completed by a very small dedicated crew. All the pictures are up on the Crew Adventures page. Meanwhile Steve has his mini 70 ATC project running, some riding pics are on his project thread on the Projects in the Shed page. Mark French recently picked up a brand new and exciting project, a sneak peak can be found on the Periodic Randomness page. Thanks everyone for your patience, I'll be back to more regular updates now that SJRGC work has eased up!
July 23, 2017 Sandra and I BBQ a lot. I'm not fancy and haven't gotten into Smokers or Charcoal Grills but I rely on a decent quality Gas Grill to get meals cooked efficiently. Our last BBQ was purchased 2 years ago and I was disappointed to find the burners had rotted out and was spewing flames up through the cooking grills. I came to find out the 10 year warranty was no good as the manufacturer (Brinkman) was no longer in business. I purchased that unit at our local Home Depot and was pleasantly surprised when they offered a full refund in the form of a store credit for our old BBQ if we returned it. With the old unit returned I picked out a brand new Webber 310 Genesis II. This is a very great quality BBQ with a much better burner and burner box than my last few Stainless BBQ's. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
July 21, 2017 After months of talking about old cars, a great deal on a locally built muscle car was presented to Mark French and he closed the deal. The car is a 1972 Camaro rally sport with a built 350 v8, beautiful hand crafted Magnaflow exhaust, and Auto Trans. This Camaro has a full Hotchkis Suspension including subframe connectors, aftermarket 4 wheel disc brakes, original 1972 interior and vintage paint. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
July 10, 2017 I'm not usually one for fancy expenditures, but every now and then I'll find something I just have to try out and the Tomahawk cut steak from Costco was just such an item! There's no way around it the steak was huge, but it was also a kick ass piece of meat. I seared it on both sides before moving it to indirect heat finishing the steak to a rare-medium rare. It was a truly mouth watering dinner! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
June 26, 2017 Summer Time, BBQ Time. Nothing goes with BBQ quite like a good brew and I'm always on the lookout for something new and unique. Innis & Gunn have a lot of beers aged in a variety of ways, oak barrels, rum casks, whiskey casks, and this Bourbon Cask aged brew was absolutely awesome! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
June 3, 2017 Another night, another project. Maffer went shopping online and ordered up some awesome LED lights for his Can Am ATV. He fabricated a custom mounting bar and installed a 20 Dual Row in the center, and two Cubes on either side. I dropped over and wired everything up with a custom harness, relay and water proof switch. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
May 24, 2017 The May 24th long weekend has come and gone, although the weather was the pits Sooley, French, and I headed to the Sooley family cabin near Whitbourne for a couple nights of relaxation. Full story & pics can be found on the Crew Adventures page. Steve sent me a major update on his Mini 70 ATC project which is rapidly nearing completion. Not only did he send the latest pics of the build but also missing pics which included the gas tank restoration. Meanwhile I've been busy poking around my own Garage completing some spring maintenance stuff and building a wooden Rummoli Board for Sandra. All these projects can be found on the Projects in the Shed page. Finally the Periodic Randomness page has been updated with a few new pictures not featured anywhere else on the site! Follow us on Twitter & Facebook as we will be tweeting site updates in the future!
May 18, 2017 Thursday before the May 24th long weekend couldn't have been more beautiful, unfortunately the rest of the weekend wasn't the same as typical May 24th weather brought cold temps, rain and even snow for some! The top of Sooley's pond was once fairly secluded only accessible by by boat, ATV from the highway, or by skidoo in winter. Now you can easily drive a car or truck right to the pond! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
May 15, 2017 Spring is slowly making its presence known here on the East Coast, thankfully a bunch of us managed to forgo the cold and headed south to Cayo Coco Cuba for Steve & Kailee's wedding! It was an awesome trip, fun everyday with family and a bunch of terrific new friends! We arrived home to freezing rain and cold and it hasn't changed much since then. There's still snow in the woods and temps hovering from 0 to 5º C or so. Activities at the St. John's Rod and Gun Club are ramping up with weekly Archery, Sporting Clays and Trap shooting up and running for the season once again. May 24th weekend is less than a week away, and although there are no concrete plans we hope to get out in the country for an ATV run or to wet a line. Much of the site has been updated with Cuba Pics and Gun Club Activities update on the Crew Adventures page, and an update to my 2017 Shed Projects on the Projects in the Shed page now online. Finally, the Honda One 35th anniversary Bike/ATV show is rapidly approaching and is set for Saturday June 10th, project Foreman may be making an appearance!
May 13, 2017 Winter is releasing its icy grip on the north, although mud season has arrived so has ATV season! Photo Credit: Kailee Smith
April 12, 2017 CUBA 2017!!! Day one on our Cuba adventure for Steve & Kailee's wedding. It was an epic adventure, full pics and story on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Sandra Ryan
April 8, 2017 Site has been updated once again!
New article on the
Crew Adventures
page from last week's snow/wind storm, on the
Projects in the
Shed page an update to Steve's Mini70 ATC project,
and new pics on the
Periodic Randomness page! I've also been working on filling in content
missed over the last couple years (mostly on the Projects in the Shed page) and
I've added even more Very Old posts on both the Projects in the shed & Crew
Adventures pages. Check out both pages & follow the
April 6, 2017 Last weekend much of the Province was battered by a pair of Spring storms that dumped just under 140cm of snow on Gander and central Newfoundland and was accompanied by persistent North East winds. Another side effect of these persistent winds is that the offshore arctic ice pack was blown ashore chocking the coastlines and bays of Eastern Newfoundland. Mark French and his girls Piper & Avery pose with Canadian Coast Guard Ice Breaker Henry Larsen in the background waiting to assist the Bell Island Ferry on its crossing. More pics on the Crew Adventures Page. Photo Credit: Mark French
March 26, 2017 Steve's Honda Mini 70 ATC project is finally back on track with the long awaited arrival of his brand new Lifan 125cc Motor from hondamini.com. Lifan is an OEM supplier to Honda for engine parts so these motors are actually Honda spec motors and highly reliable. Steve's set up is a 125cc four stroke with a 4 speed auto clutch which should make the Mini ATC good and frightening to ride! Photo Credit: Steve Smith
March 20, 2017 Couple more additions to
the site today including a post storm ATV run here in Torbay
and the start to my 2017 Area51 misc projects page. In bigger news
I've finally published a large project I've been working on for the
last few weeks. This project is an Archive Section, well actually two
archive sections, one for Very Old Area51 projects including old
vehicle projects on the
Projects in the
Shed page, and an Very Old Archive section on the
Crew Adventures page, both dating
back to about 1996. These sections were compiled completely from
scanned photographs and took a long time to sort though and post but
came out awesome. I'll be adding to these sections as I acquire more
photos from the crew so keep an eye out for the
March 12, 2017 The winds are finally starting to die down here on the North East Avalon as a fierce winter wind storm blows out to sea. Sustained winds of 100km/h and gusts of 160km/h (airport) to 180km/h (Argentia) wreaked havoc on houses & buildings all over town, knocking out power for over 70,000 customers at the peak of the storm. Pictures and story posted on the Crew Adventures page.
Throwback Thursday, March 2, 2017 This is the only living pic of Sooley's 340 Enticer skimming water! Taken March 13, 2004 at the Guy's One Nighter Trip, it's the only photo because the old bugger barely made it. Sooley started down the pond as fast as it would go, as soon as the track hit the water it slowed right down and started to porpoise across the water. By some miracle it porpoise'd at the right time and leapt up on the ice on the other side! Photo Credit Mike Smith
February 27, 2017 Few more updates on the site today, three Projects in the Shed have been updated, and a brand new Crew Adventure from this past weekend are now live on the site.
February 19, 2017 Earlier this week we were hit by awesome back to back Blizzards that shut the city down for two days in a row dumping just under 70cm of snow. Of course we couldn't let this go to waste, although a lot of the crew were unable to get out of town, Sooley and I headed to his Cabin for a day riding. It was an awesome day with epic (at least by east coast standards) snow conditions as we spent our time off trail back country riding. Full story is up on the Crew Adventures page.
February 18, 2017 Epic post Blizzard Snowmobile Rip at the Sooley Cabin. Beautiful sunny skies, tons of snow, and awesome sleds led to a fantastic day of ripping up fresh powder. Full story and pics are up on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
February 14, 2017 It's Valentines Day and we sit here in the grasp of a good ol' fashioned February Blizzard, which is convenient because it may lead to a skidoo run this weekend. It also gives me a chance to process, write and publish the Crew Adventures for our annual cabin trip which took place last week/weekend. It was another awesome time at the Sooley cabin with lots of adventures and runs on both skidoo and Quad as we adjusted to the weather. There was quite a smorgasbord of vehicles on hand this year, ATV's, Snowmobiles, Studded out Dirt Bikes and even an 8 wheel Argo with tracks! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
February 12, 2017 Sneak Peek: Annual Cabin trip 2017, just before the big grudge match drag race between Ronnie and AJ. More pics are in the Annual Cabin Trip post on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
January 29, 2017 Site is completely up to date with a bunch of new Crew Adventures from December to Present, and a bunch of new pics on the Periodic Randomness page as well. It may be periodic and should be updated less randomly but I did go back and post pics from December to present!
January 28, 2017 The new year is upon us and we are having a typical East Coast winter of snowstorms followed by rainstorms so its been difficult to accumulate enough snow for decent rip on the sled. It's also a very busy time of year for the Executive of the SJRGC and I as we finalize our year end and prepare for our Annual General Meeting. Sneak Peek: Yes, you can fit three 28" snow blowers in the bed of a 6.5' Chev pickup. This past weekend Sooley, Maffer and I headed to the Sooley cabin in Whitbourne to clear the driveway in preparation for our Annual Winter Trip in a couple weeks time which the entire crew is really looking forward to! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
January 25, 2017 Sneak Peek: This past week French, Strowe and I have been working on a box for French's Argo, custom built to fit behind the removable bench seat with dividers to tightly hold a small chainsaw, fuel, bar oil, etc. Project nearly finished, more pics to follow on French's Argo ATV post on the Projects in the Shed Page. Photo Credit: Mark French
January 16, 2017 They say cold in the Arctic is a dry cold, but not matter what way you cut it -50 is damn cold!!! Photo Credit: Steve Smith
January 4, 2017 First Area 51 project of the new year, installing an 8" NL Light Bar - LED light on a quad belonging to one of the boys. The bike is a beautiful 2016 Honda Fourtrax 420at with Independent Rear Suspension, DCT transmission and Power Steering. While everything was apart to dress in the wiring I completed an oil & filter change for him as well. The new light will make evening rides and nighttime snow clearing a breeze! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
December 23, 2016 Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Shed-Headz Crew. As 2016 comes to a close we are doing so with snow on the ground! Hopefully this trend continues and we can log some miles on the sleds very soon. Its been a very busy month with snow storms, a few Area 51 projects and getting ready for the holidays. This was my brother Steve and his buddies entry into a Christmas door decorating competition in which they won first place! Hope you all have an excellent and safe holiday season with friends and family. Steve's update from up North: "It's Damn Cold!!!" Photo Credit: Kailee MacDonald
December 19, 2016 Sneak Peak: I received and early Christmas present from my wife today and quickly went about installing it on Project Foreman. Its a 12" LED spot/hyper flood light from the fantastic crew at NL Light Bars who offer great products for very reasonable prices. More details on the installation will be posted to Project Foreman soon on the Projects in the Shed page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
December 8, 2016 Winter may be slow arriving to the Avalon Peninsula this year but when it comes I'll be ready. No major repairs this year, just a thorough inspection, grease and chain case oil change for project REV. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
December 2, 2016 Its been awhile since my last update and its been quite busy with work and visitors! Steve and Kailee were home for a week in November which was absolutely awesome and very busy, and I've been busy getting ready for winter with putting up Christmas lights, getting the car and truck winterized, maintenance on the snowblower, and winterizing the clubhouse at the gun club! Our Trepassey moose hunting trip will likely take place in January which should be a great time as hopefully everything will be froze up by then. There are a bunch of updates on the Projects in the Shed page, each of the updated pages have buttons near the top that skip to the new content. The Periodic Randomness page also has a bunch of new pics.
December 1, 2016 This week French brought his new Argo in to the dealer for its first service and installation of tracks and canopy for the winter adventures. Its certainly a mean machine and he cant wait for snow to try it out! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
November 30, 2016 Steve and Kailee are still getting used to live above the 66th, the days are rapidly getting shorter and shorter as the shortest day of the year marches ever closer. Photo Credit: Kailee MacDonald
November 23, 2016 Although its been very mild this month, we all know winter is right around the corner. With that in mind I got our vehicles ready for winter by swapping wheels/tires, servicing the brake sliders and new wiper blades. More pics on Mike's 2016 Misc Garage Projects post on the Projects in the Shed page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
November 20, 2016 With November remaining unseasonably warm I took advantage of the weather and got my Christmas lights up before it became cold and snowy. I don't turn them on until December, but its nice to have that chore done under good weather! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
November 12, 2016 One of our adventures while our Partners in Crime (Steve and Kailee) were home was lining up at 6am for the release of the new Nintendo Classic mini! It was a cold windy and at time wet morning outside EB Games but it was worth the wait as we were 1st in line! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
November 9, 2016 Steven and his fiancé Kailee finally got back East this month for a very busy and all too quick week long visit. We had lots of errands to do getting things ready for their upcoming wedding next spring in addition to family visits and an Engagement Party hosted by Sandra and I Friday evening. It was an awesome week that went by too fast but we will see them soon on a sunny beach in Cuba! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
November 6, 2016 Sneak Peak: This past weekend we held the annual Turkey shoot at the SJRGC. Its not a shoot where you shoot turkeys but a multi discipline shoot with a big turkey dinner following the event. The day took in Trap Shooting, Sporting Clays and a Pistol Steel shoot. All in all it was another awesome event at the club. More Pics on the SJRGC Fall/Winter post on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
November 4, 2016 Bills garage is finally complete! This week we made one final push with lots of help on hand to bring the project to completion. Ronnie was on moldings, I completed the alarm, French completed the mini-split heat pump and we all completed the new fancy LED lights! Photo Credit: Bill Hillyard
October 31, 2016 Just a quick update this week, Bill's Garage project is another step closer to completion with interior paint and moldings installed, and outside flashing complete. Check out Bill's Garage project on the Projects in the Shed page. This coming weekend we are having the annual Turkey Shoot at the gun club, it will consist of Trap, Sporting Clays and a Pistol Steel Shoot followed by an awesome home cooked turkey dinner at the end of the day. We had our first snow last week, coated the windshield of the truck in town, covered about 2cm on higher elevations. Soon time to tune up the snowblower & sled!
October 14, 2016 Another Week, another update! This week French finished up his fall Moose hunting adventures having helped his uncle harvest a moose, and yesterday successfully filling his own tags. I accompanied Mark in the woods yesterday and it was an excellent adventure! Pics are now up on the Crew Adventures page. I also took some pics of his new Argo ATV so I have a full write up published on the Projects in the Shed page. Finally I have a quick update on Bassan's Shed Projects which can also be found on the Projects in the Shed page.
October 12, 2016 French's new Argo Avenger Hunt Master 8x8 hunting beast! Although he will never part with his Quad, the Argo will definitely fill a niche in his outdoor activities. For hunting, hauling gear and multiple people, and for future family rides in the country, the new Argo will definitely be put to work. This fall Mark has already hauled out two Moose, Gear, and Crew on two successful hunting trips. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
October 10, 2016 Hello folks, I've added a whole bunch of brand new content to the site including project updates on the Projects in the Shed page. Bill's Garage build, my ATC 250sx and Peter's 300 Fourtrax projects have all been updated and two new Random Shed Project pages added. I have finished Steve & Kailee's epic summer road trip article which can be found on the Crew Adventures page, there are over 100 absolutely stunning photos to view. Periodic Randomness is home to a few new shots as well.
October 9, 2016 Amazing Northern Lights show in the skies over Aklavik NWT. Photo Credit: Kailee MacDonald
October 5, 2016 In August Bill finally picked up the keys to his new summer toy a 2017 50th anniversary edition Camaro SS, it's an absolutely beautiful ride! Now the push is on to complete his new garage so it has a home for the winter. Photo Credit: Bill Hillyard
October 2, 2016 Mark with his uncle Arch's bull moose after a very successful hunt! Mark's new Argo was broken in the right way and put immediately to work carting out the crew and game all in one trip. Photo Credit: Mark French
September 30, 2016 My trusty Silverado in work mode. The Adarack removable ladder rack works very well, installs in minutes for carrying long items such as extension ladders, lumber etc. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
September 27, 2016 I've made another subtle change to the site this week, this time to the Pic of the Month Page. This page has been replaced by Periodic Randomness. This means that this page can now be updated at anytime. Pics may be a snapshot of a Crew Adventure or Shed Project, a Sneak Peak of the same, or pics I've taken/submitted completely at random that previously wouldn't have made it on the site but I'd like to share. Check out the new page using the button above, it's in chronological order and I've added a whole bunch of pictures throughout the page, in the future new items will be added right at the top.
September 26, 2016 Speaking of Maintenance, project Foreman getting all new fluids and some rear drum brake cleaning in preparation for fall hunting. Full story on Project Foreman age - Shed Projects. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
September 26, 2016 While doing some maintenance work on Project Foreman this afternoon I heard quite a racket on the front lawn. We occasionally see a few ducks around the house but rarely this many. Some people worry about what size shot to use duck hunting, I was trying to figure how long of a stick to attach a snare to! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
September 24, 2016 This past weekend Sooley and Maffer got out for their first Coyote hunt of the season near the Sooley cabin in Whitbourne. Although unsuccessful, there is plenty of sign around and they enjoyed an awesome day in the woods. Hopefully next time my work schedule will free up enough to get up to the cabin as well! Photo Credit: Paul Sooley
September 23, 2016 Hunting Season is finally here and in full swing in NL, Moose is open in some areas with the rest opening October 1st, Most small game birds are open with Rabbit in October. Good luck to all hunters and please be safe in your travels, know your backstop before firing any rifle or shotgun. Two more stories have been uploaded to the Crew Adventures page, one for Spring/Summer events and projects at the St. John's Rod and Gun Club, and the other for the Atlantic Trap Championships also at the SJRGC.
September 21, 2016 For the past two weeks several NATO countries have been taking part in war game exercises off the coast of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. The Cutlass Fury fleet arrived in St. John's Harbor Friday afternoon stayed through the weekend and departed Monday morning. It was quite a sight to see so many beautiful NAVY ships in the harbor at once! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
September 21, 2016 Steve recently harvested his first NWT Ptarmigan with his brand new .22lr. I'm sure this will be the first of many to come! Photo Credit: Steve Smith
September 13, 2016 Winter comes early when your north of 66! Steve said the leaves on the trees started turning color in August and recently sent this picture from Aklavik, NWT. Photo Credit: Steve Smith
September 9, 2016 Its been a crazy busy these last few weeks. The St. John's Rod and Gun Club hosted the 2016 Atlantic Trap Championships on Labor Day weekend which was a four day shoot with nearly 50 participants from across Canada. There were a lot of evenings and weekends spent at the club making repairs/maintenance to the clubhouse & equipment, renovations to the trap office, and cleaning inside and outside in preparation for the event. The shoot went off very very well and was attended by the president of the Canadian Trapshooting Association, NHL great - David (Tiger) Williams, and great showing from all Atlantic Provinces, Quebec, Ontario and Saskatchewan. Vendor MD Charlton was also on site with Caesar Guerini & Blaser demo shotguns, a wide array of shooting accessories, and their factory gun smith - a first for an AP shoot. Outside of the Gun Club I've managed a few more hours at Project 250sx, the biggest news is that I now have a running trike! With this major hurdle conquered work is finally moving forward with some of my EBay parts installed, color scheme finalized and gas tank repaired. Check out Project 250sx on the Projects in the Shed page.
September 4, 2016 Paul "Old Man" Bailey intrigued with one of David (Tiger) Williams many hockey stories. Tiger is one of the NHL greats and currently holds the record for penalty minutes in the NHL. It was a pleasure to have the opportunity to meet and shoot with such a gentleman at the Atlantic Trap Championships held over the Labor Day weekend at St. John's Rod & Gun Club. Photo Credit: Monty Petipas
August 13, 2016 For the last week or so Bassan and I have been helping Dad build a new deck on front of his house. The project finally cumulated this past weekend as gave Dad a hand building two sets of steps, one at each end of the deck. He opted for a mild 5.5" rise for an easier climb and we poured new concrete pads for the steps to sit solidly on. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
August 10, 2016 Summer came to Newfoundland in full force during the last week of June and the warm dry weather hasn't let up yet! Its been a great summer with lots of events at the Rod and Gun Club, a major backyard project completed at my house, and some updates completed on a lot of Area51 projects. Bill is back working on his garage with Electrical & Insulation nearly complete, I performed a Winch replacement/upgrade on project Foreman, and I've finally dug back into my ATC 250sx project. Steve and Kailee had a major move/road trip from Behchoko NWT to Aklavik NWT. Also the Summer Food Fishery is in full swing, so there are quite a few pics and stories coming soon. My July ATV run with Maffer is up now on the Crew Adventures Page.
July 26, 2016 It wouldn't be summer if I wasn't busy at some project either inside the garage or this time outside as I completed repairs and renovation to our rear deck, fence and gate. Project is finally done, more pics on the Shed Projects page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
July 17, 2016 First trip of the Summer food Fishery for yours truly. Matthew French, Mark French and I headed out on Conception Bay early Sunday morning under clear skies and zero wind, easily caught our quota and enjoyed a beautiful morning on the bay. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
July 2016 Maffer's little fella's are getting to be not so little! Gavin was showing Zayhef the ropes on Zayhef's very first ATV ride and later his first ATV drive! Photo Credit: Matthew Burton
June 12, 2016 Trap Shooting at the June 12th annual Newfoundland Sportsman Shoot at the St. John's Rod and Gun Club. We had a beautiful day and a record number of shooters turn out for the event. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
June 11, 2016 Bassan and I custom fitting a new adjustable plate and new kick ease butt pad for my Citori 725 Shotgun. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
June 10, 2016 Jake Herlidan's very first trout caught with the help of his dad near St. Phillip's. Photo Credit: John Herlidan
May 18, 2016 Tile backsplash Andrea, Peter and I completed at Andrea's sister's new home in addition to a stone fireplace and a bunch of floor tile. This simple design is both classy and clean. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
May 15, 2016 We are about one week away from the Official start to Summer in NL, the May 24 Holiday weekend. Since my last update there have been quite a few adventures completed, April saw record snowfalls for us here on the East Coast, I have a few local ATV runs logged here in Torbay and are now posted on the Crew Adventures page, and three are a bunch of updates and new pictures posted on the Projects in the Shed page. Its also been a busy time at the St. John's Rod and Gun Club getting everything ready for spring shoots, clay target order delivered and unloaded and equipment serviced and reinstalled.
May 2016 New summer tires for the Silverado. Winters on the right, new 34" BFG All Terrain KO2's on the right mounted on my Original Equipment 20" Aluminum rims. Great upgrade from the mediocre Goodyear's that came on the truck from the factory. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
April 8, 2016 Another neat shot, this time of the lower battery St. John's Harbor taken while making my service call rounds earlier today. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
March 30, 2016 Well I'm back from my awesome week in the Great White North. It was a fantastic trip, albeit with a few flight disruptions it went very well. Steve and I got in some Area51 time, did some shooting, ATV rips, East Coast night & Buffalo Airways and lots more. Pics and story will be up soon. Meanwhile, Bill's West Coast trip is now up on the Crew Adventures pages, and there are a bunch of updates on the Projects in the Shed page as well.
March 22, 2016 Minus 25C ATV run during my visit with Steve near Yellowknife NWT. It was an awesome trip, I got a chance to enjoy an extended winter, and some much needed shed time with Steve! Check out the full story on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
March 16, 2016 My Silverado in winter mode, clearly showing my least favorite part of winter, driving a constantly (very) dirty vehicle! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
March 9, 2016 Its just as well to say that Winter is over at least here on the East Coast of the Island. Its been a quiet few weeks for the crew although Area51 project work continues in the absence of riding. Parts continue to Arrive for my 250sx trike project, Steve's mini 70 is really progressing (update to follow soon), and I've been hard at work updating the Crew Adventures page switching stories to the new format which has been completed back as far as 2006 now. Bill & Max are on the west coast snowmobiling this week so I'll have pics posted as soon as they are back, and in other news I'm heading North to Yellowknife to visit Steve next week. I'll finally get to enjoy some winter, pics to follow when I get back.
March 8, 2016 Steve & Kailee home from vacation, Kailee sporting her fancy new engagement ring! Congrats guys! Photo Credit: Steve Smith
March 1, 2016 Warm winter weather continues to plague us here on the east coast, while the whole island suffers from low snow conditions, here on the East Coast the ground has been completely bare for well over a week. With today's rain and double digit temps all of the ponds are completely unsafe even if any ice remains. You never know what March may bring, if we get some snow there are a couple destinations for a sled rip that don't involve ponds so fingers are crossed. Meanwhile my 1985 250sx ATC project is coming along as parts continue to arrive from EBay. Threads on the Crew Adventures page have been converted to the new display format back through 2009 so there is no better time to reminisce through the old trips and look at some fantastic photos!
February 16, 2016 The Annual Winter Cabin Trip has come and gone and it was another complete success. All the earmarks of a fantastic trip were hit this year, snowstorms, burning of fossil fuels, fires, machine carnage, ice fishing and a whole lot of laughs! Check out what was one of the best Winter Cabin Trips to date on the Crew Adventures page! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
February 11, 2016 The newest Project in Area51 is underway. Today I picked up a wild 1985 Honda 250sx ATC. The bike is far from mint, but its going to be quite the project! Cant wait to get this on the trails! Pics up on the Projects in the Shed page.
February 9, 2016 We've had a few snowstorms so far this winter even one 30cm dump with zero wind, (unfortunately followed by warm spells & rain) so we have no accumulation on the ground here on the East Coast. Well today we had our first actual Blizzard warning, and received about 20cm, unfortunately windblown so ground cover is sparse. Pics are up on the Crew Adventures page, also Crew Adventures are updated back through 2014 to the new format.
February 4, 2016 Dad and one of his prized catch on a recent skidoo/ice fishing trip to Indian Bay. Photo Credit: Randy Smith
February 1, 2016 Hey guys, the site is now 100% up to date and the new format installed. I've cleaned up the layout of the site with fewer individual pages, most important 3 are Projects in the Shed, Crew Adventures, and Pic of the Month. All Shed projects have been updated and swapped to a brand new Photo Gallery style which is cleaner and faster to view. The story is told in the photo comments. The Projects in the Shed page now houses the How To's Section, and a brand new Old, Old Projects section from projects way back in the day. The Crew Adventures page has been revamped, these stories go way back to 2004. All 2015 and newer stories are using the same new Photo Gallery format which is cleaner and faster to view. The older stories still use the old format and will be updated in time. I hope you like the new look and all the new content. Highlights include this years Moose Hunting Trip, a bunch of ATV runs (including a sunken bike) and a bunch of new build projects in the Garage. Honda Big Red, Mini 70 ATC, Project Foreman update to name a few.
January 23, 2016 Bassan and I have been quite busy over the last 4-5 weeks working on sheeting up the inside of a new garage for one of our St. John's Rod & Gun Club buddies Brian. We sheeted up the entire inside of the garage & second story loft with 3/8" plywood, trimmed with spruce, and built a set of stairs & handrail. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
January 21, 2016 Hey Guys, Site updates are in the works with lots of new trips and build projects coming soon. Big Red restoration, Honda 70 ATC build, moose hunting trips and more to come.
December 2015 Bassan finally found an ATV his speed at Brian Lewis's! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
December 12, 2015 This past weekend Monty had an early Christmas get together at his place in Whitbourne. Andrea, Elliot, Johnny & Pete Tucker and I carpooled in Andrea's Rav4 and headed out over the highway for an awesome evening of stories, grub, and the like. Pete was our designated driver coming home and it was a foggy miserable night on the road. Just before Butter Pot Park creeping along in the thick of fog we ran over a moose knocked down in the middle of the highway! Even at 70kph the Rav4 took flight, but like its passengers- was relatively unscathed. After waiting for traffic to clear (with 3 more vehicles to hitting the moose), Pete and Johnny pulled the animal off the highway while Andrea and I reattached the broken exhaust. It was a noisy drive home, but a donut gasket & hold down kit was the only damage other than the mess of fur! Blurry Photo Credit: Andrea Bassan
November 2015 Getting ready for winter. Two sets of tires swapped over, summer tires washed and a Rear Brake job completed on the Silverado. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
October 21, 2015 Steve and I (also with Sandra & Kailee) at Hopewell Rocks near Moncton NB during our recent Maritime road trip. Photo Credit: Kailee MacDonald
October 12, 2015 Running bog on my Foreman on a Torbay ATV run with Bassan, Coldwell & Maffer. More pics and full story on the Crew Adventures Page. Video Credit: Andrea Bassan
October 9, 2015for the upcoming Moose Hunting trip to Trepassey next month. Andrea also tried out his new Savage Axis .223 and dialed in the scope to and acceptable grouping. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
September 26, 2015 First Coyote/Small Game Hunting Trip of 2015. Sooley, Maffer and I headed down the Southern Shore near Tors cove and enjoyed this beautiful bright Saturday in the woods. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
September 15, 2015 Dad with his new Cam Am 650 v-twin on his recent cross island ATV run with the Indian Bay Crew. Taking two ferries, the boys left Argentia then immediately back to Port aux Basques returning across the island via the NL Trailway. They stopped in Stephenville for a couple days touring the Lewis Hills, Deer lake for a few days taking in the Sinkhole, and Grand Falls touring the trails around Mount Peyton before ending the 12 day trip at John's cabin in Ocean Pond. Photo Credit: Randy Smith
September 6, 2015 Fire pit night with a few brew and a few friends in our backyard. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
August 25, 2015 While Sandra was out around the bay I was left to fend for myself suppertime. A fresh cut steak and a Greek Salad definitely hit the spot! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
August 22, 2015 It has been officially recognized that Maffer is as tangly on ATV as Sooley is on Snowmobile! Here is Maffer's recently snorkeled Can Am sideways under water. Snorkels don't really work well on their side. Full story on Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
July 28, 2015 Eastbound Park in Avondale has certainly come a long way from its humble dirt track beginnings. This weekend our crew made it out to our first Night Race under the lights. It was an awesome experience, for $20 you cant go wrong and I highly recommend checking it out. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
July 2015 Bill, Steve Long and I hard at work shoveling stone for the concrete pad of Bills new Garage. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
June 2015 Andrea, Peter, Bruno and I hard at work on Random Island doing a large polished concrete job. Full main floor, full basement and attached garage machine finished. Photo Credit: Andrea Bassan
May 2015 Having built a custom front bumper for project Foreman nearly 10 years ago, I finally got around to building a matching rear bumper for my bike. This will hopefully hold up better than the last, and provides easier access to the rear trunk. Full pics and story on the Project Foreman Page - Shed Projects. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
May 8, 2015 New storage cabinet and accent wall Bassan and I just finished in my Dining Room. LED pot lights brighten up the new work/serving space and the cupboards contain an combination of shelves and pull out drawers to maximize storage. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
April 26, 2015 Bassan's Storage Room cupboard project completed at last. Bassan and I put in quite a few hours building custom fit cupboards to organize his laundry/storage room. A combination of shelves and large pull out drawers make maximum use of the space. Photo Credit: Andrea Bassan
April 21, 2015 Already avid off-road enthusiasts, the Squires boys jumped head first into the ATV world and picked up 3 Brand new Honda ATV's. Greg and Mark chose identical 2015 Foreman 500's, Solid Rear Axle, Manual shift, while Rob chose the comfort of the Rubicon 500 Independent Rear Suspension and Honda's awesome new DCT auto shifting dual clutch gearbox. Congrats gents! Photo Credit: Rob Squires
March 30, 2015 After a year long absence from updating the site, I am finally back hard at work to bring content from the last 12 months. Sandra and I purchased a new house which meant renovations, painting and the finishing of a brand new Area51 Facility for yours truly. Many stories have been added to the Rips & Trips page with more to come, and there are a bunch of new Area51 project stories in the works.
February 15, 2015 Maffer creating his own Cam Am powered snowstorm at our annual winter trip to the Sooley cabin in Whitbourne. Video Credit: Mike Smith
February 12, 2015 After much eager anticipation waiting for winter to start we finally received our first Blizzard of 2015 on February 12th. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
February 2015 Neat work shot as I was doing some Fire Alarm Repairs with Dad at the Roman Catholic Basilica. Overlooking St. John's Harbor from the top of the East Tower. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
December 2014 Bassan's former completely disorganized hoard received the Mike Smith make over. Now his garage is gutted, completely organized, and ready for work! Photo Credit: Andrea Bassan
December 17, 2014 The ugly ass construction trailer behind our house finally being hauled away! Backyard fence repairs to commence next spring. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
December 8, 2014 Received a surprise package from my brother today, in it was this awesome addition to my recently renovated garage For more pics check out the story on the Shed Projects Page! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
November 2014 First Snowfall of 2014, hope it keeps up and becomes a fantastic year for the sleds! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
October 30, 2014 Speaking of Rifle Rounds, my new Moose hunting shooting stick finally arrived from OP Fishing & Hunting. It's a brand new Browning BAR 30.06 semi auto with a Leupold VX3 scope. It's a beautiful firearm and I cant wait to try it out! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
October 15, 2014 Most of the local news agencies got wind of my story after I posted it to Facebook. I spent most of Monday doing interviews with the Telegram, CBC radio & TV, NTV news and more. I stressed the importance to know your backstop before firing any rifle whether hunting or target shooting. Stray rounds are extremely dangerous. Photo Credit: Sandra Ryan
October 13, 2014 Bullet Hole in molding on drivers side back door. Happened on Bauline line while stopped at a red light driving home from Bassan's. According to the RNC it was a .223 rifle round, most likely a stray round from a gravel pit target shooter. Be safe out there guys!!! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
September 15, 2014 Garage renovations in full swing at Don French's as he extends his garage both longer and much higher! The finished project is one heck of an Area51 Facility! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
September 2014 Steve's latest acquisition in the North, a truly mint 1985 Honda Big Red ATC. Low miles, stored for 27 years, all original except tires and fuel line and completely unhurt. Photo Credit: Steve Smith
August 9, 2014 Matthew French, Mark French and I running back to the wharf during the food fishery after receiving a severe weather advisory. A crazy Thunder & Lightning storm came right overhead striking the water off St. Phillip's Marina, even setting a house ablaze on the hill behind us. 20 minutes later it was all over and fishing resumed! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
July 17, 2014 Neat photo of St. John's Harbor I took from Signal Hill this past weekend. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
July 2014 Sandra and I finally bought our first house earlier this year. Today we were hard at work fixing the lawn where the previous owner had a new well installed. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
May 2014 Steve testing out the flight capabilities of Project Rincon in the backwoods of the Great White North! Photo Credit: Steve Smith
April 26, 2014 Installing new Pat Trap at the Gun Club. Big Thanks to Mark & Matt Squires for not only modifying the steel table to fit the new machine but also for making a special trip to town to get the welding equipment! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
April 16, 2014 Steve and his best buddy Dawson still enjoying winter in the Great White North! Photo Credit: Kailee MacDonald
March 27, 2014 It's now the end of March, and we just had another two snowstorms, although the second one brought as much rain as it did snow. Hopefully we will get out for an end of season ride, my work with the St. John's Rod and Gun Club certainly eats up a lot of time but I'd sure like one last run on the sled before Summer. Last weekend we had the T.G.I.S. (Thank God Its Spring) Sporting Clays shoot at the St. John's Rod and Gun Club. About 20 people showed up and we had a great day shooting and an awesome lunch. In other news, Todd stepped up and purchased another sled, a brand new Red & Black 2014 Yamaha Viper LTX which is a 137" version of the new YamaCat chassis.
March 17, 2014 The winter deep freeze continues! It's been super cold (by East Coast standards) for weeks causing even Conception Bay to freeze up! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
February 15, 2014 Well the Annual Cabin Trip has come and gone and just as in years past, it was an outstanding good time! Check out the Rips & Trips page for all the details and pictures! With cold temperatures continuing along with more snow/rain mix we are gradually building up a decent base for snowmobiling. Central and Western Newfoundland are having a fantastic winter, Bill has a snowmobile trip planned to central NL with Max...hopefully there will be no carnage this time! French has sold the Dodge Ram and picked up a beautiful 2014 Jeep Cherokee Trail Hawk, which is trail rated...cant wait to get this out in the woods with Mr. French! We might be able to drive this one right to Lucky Gully! Photo Credit: Paul Sooley
February 13, 2014 This winter most of Canada has been plunged into an abnormal extended deep freeze. The effects were felt here on the east coast as St. John's harbor spent most of February "caught over' with ice for the first time in years. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
February 3, 2014 With fingers are crossed we are hoping winter stays for at least another few weeks here on the Avalon Peninsula. We are still getting steady snowfalls, and cold temps have returned which will hopefully make the ponds safe once again. Ice fishing opened this past weekend, but with sketchy ice conditions we are waiting another week before venturing out. I spent the weekend in the shed making some minor repairs to my sled. I replaced the front bumper, replaced the throttle lever as the thumb heater wasn't working, rebuilt front shocks as one leaked out, and cleaned kill switch. In other news, the annual Sooley cabin winter trip is planned for Feb 14, 2014!
January 29, 2014 Winter has finally returned to the East Coast! Its snowing out now and the forecast is calling for about 30cm of snow and cold temperatures. Hopefully the weather holds so the ponds will freeze up again as ice fishing opens this coming Saturday. I'll be in the shed tonight replacing my front bumper in eager anticipation for a ride in the near future.
January 28, 2014 With the exception of this past weekends shoot at the Rod & Gun Club, the site is finally up to date! Stories and pictures from the last 12 months have been published in the new and improved Crew Adventures section. This new section replaces the former Winter/Summer Galleries to better organize the 10 years of content on the site!
January 24, 2013 After our Sunday ride this past weekend, temperatures jumped and 10mm of rain ruined riding conditions once again! Luckily some of us got our miles logged while the going was good. Fortunately, we had another great snowfall Tuesday night, and its been snowing every day since so riding conditions are even better then before!
January 18, 2014 Mark French on the first Turr hunt of the year. Taken on Conception bay - Mark, Matthew and Sooley bagged 10 birds. Photo Credit: Paul Sooley
January 2014 Dad and his brand new 2011 Yamaha Venture Multipurpose! One very happy owner who'll probably log far more skidoo trips than I will this winter! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
December 2013 French's new 2014 Yamaha Grizzly 700, sadly his mint Foreman 450 has been retired, but the new bike is beautiful! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
November 21, 2013 Me and my first Moose! Harvested on my Hunting trip to Trepassey with the Bassan and Coldwell boys. One shot one kill using Maffer's Tika 300 Winmag & Leupold VX1 scope! Photo Credit: Andrea Bassan
November 3, 2013 Mass exodus of ducks this morning in Power's Pond Mount Pearl. I have no idea where they came from or where they were going but there were hundreds all walking single file. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
October 17, 2013 With the Summer and Fall recreational food fisheries closed for the year it was time to pull Mark's boat from the water and give it a good scrubbing before storing for the winter. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
October 7, 2013 Cruise ships in St. John's Harbor have become common place over the last few years throughout the summer and fall. This large Carnival Cruise Lines ship towered over most of the buildings along the water front! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
September 28, 2013 The list of Area51 facilities continues to grow as the Shed-Headz crew and I headed to Bay Roberts to help dad install the roof on his new attached garage. It was our first time installing a hip roof, but following the truss plan we got everything in place pretty quick. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
August 17, 2013 The day I left Alberta after visiting Steve for a couple weeks he test drove a new Toyota Tacoma. The deal worked out well and he made the return trip to Assumption in his new truck. His first modification was the installation of a 20" Rigid Industries Light bar using the Rigid Tacoma Grill mount. Photo Credit: Steve Smith
August 8, 2013 French, Sooley and I on our way to Cape St. Francis aboard 'Cloud Nine' for the recreational Food Fishery. Photo Credit: Paul Sooley
August 3, 2013 Attending a KISS concert has always been on my bucket list. I always said if they came to town I'd be the first to line up, luckily I didn't have to as my wonderful wife had tickets already purchased. It was a great show, Shinedown opened and were fantastic, and KISS put off a show like no other. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
July 17, 2013 My Bro Steve Smith after our first mud ride during my recent trip to Assumption Alberta. Full story and pics on the Crew Adventures Page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
June 21, 2013 Mark's new work truck didn't stay stock for long! This weekend Mark and I installed a Westin Stainless Steel light bar and four Rigid Dually D2's to brighten up the road on those long late night service call runs out over the highway. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
June 2013 My new work truck, a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD. I wont lie, I'm not sad to be rid of the old Colorado! Also Mark's new work truck in the background a 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD sporting a Space Cap and matching ladder rack. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
May 28, 2013 Beautiful shot of Conception Bay near St. Phillip's that I took today while out and about. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
May 25, 2013 Mark French hard at work with his new Honda Tiller getting his garden ready for planting. Photo Credit: Mark French
March 2013 Maffer and I parked on the Flatrock wharf during a wicked windstorm blowing straight in the harbor. The storm did quite a lot of damage to the breakwater moving boulders as big as house hold appliances with ease. Video Credit: Mike Smith
February 16, 2013 Maffer, Gavin and I took advantage of a beautiful sunny afternoon and headed to the Sooley cabin for a day on the sleds and a little ice fishing. Most of the crew had other commitments which is too bad because it was a fantastic day! Check out the rest of the pics on the Crew Adventures page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
January 21, 2013 Having been rained out immediately following our blizzard on January 11th, we received a decent snowfall the following Friday which made for decent riding conditions this past weekend. I got out for the first ride of the year Saturday on my own, and some of the crew and I got out Sunday for a 112km adventure!
January 11, 2013 Well we got our snow and a whole lot more. Power outages, freezing rain saw the city come to a crawl for a couple days! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
January 9, 2013 Weather forecast for the Avalon Peninsula issued a Blizzard warning for today and tomorrow. High winds and forecasters are predicting 50-70cm snow for our area! Looking forward to some fantastic riding conditions!
January 1, 2013 Another year has come and gone, its certainly been an eventful one on with a lot of construction/renovation projects in the books! Hope everyone had a great Christmas holiday, and cheers to lots of snow and great weather in the new year!
December 16, 2012 A sneak peak of my project Powertec REV and it's one of two REVs in our crew sporting a black tunnel this year. My REV rebuild is finally done, new motor, all new rebuildable shocks and other goodies installed! We also finished some maintenance and custom work on Maffer's REV, check out the Projects in the Shed page for the full story. Today we had our 2nd significant snowfall of the year. The first snowfall melted long ago but now we have about 25cm on the ground. If it stays it will be a great base to ride on after another storm. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
December 2, 2012 I took a run to the Rod and Gun Club today for the weekly trap shoot. Even with the recent snowfall, the club was easily accessible. Unfortunately most people must have been deterred by the cold weather as it was only Monty and myself there to shoot. We set up a trap house anyway and had a great day shooting clays!
November 28, 2012 First decent snowstorm of the year today, about 20cm fell in Mount Pearl! I'm sure many people were out looking for rocks and stumps to hit on their sleds, our crew stayed home to work on our machines. My REV Rebuild is coming along great with a new motor, new appearance, and rebuilt suspension on the to do list. Expect and update on the Projects in the Shed page soon!
November 2012 A very proud Mark French with his Moose harvested near Glenwood! Photo Credit: Mark French
November 5, 2012 Yesterday Mark French, Don French, Justin French and I attended the annual turkey shoot at the St. John's Rod and Gun club. It was an awesome day with great weather and good company. As always, the crew at the club put off a fantastic Turkey dinner to end the day!
October 21, 2012 While French spent this past weekend on call and farting around his new garage, I decided to take a run to the Rod and Gun Club for the weekly trap shoot. We had a decent turn out, enough to run 2 squads and 2 trap houses. The big news of the day is that I got my first ever 25/25 score trap shooting, and I got it with my new Browning 725 Over and Under Shotgun! Check out the full story on the Crew Adventures page.
October 2012 Mark, Justin and I coyote hunting in the Goulds. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
September 26, 2012 Day on Conception Bay, Fall recreational food fishery. My brother joined the R.C.M.P. last year, finished his training in November, and was immediately posted to a community in northern Alberta. Last week he and his friend Chantal made it back to our fair province for a visit. We attended our uncles wedding (Congrats Gerry & Tracey!), took Chantal to George Street for a Screech in Party, and had a day on the bay with Dad in Bay Roberts. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
September 15, 2012 Today marked the opening for Duck & Grouse Hunting here in Newfoundland, keeping with tradition French and I were up early to see what we could find. We spent a great day in Witless Bay and managed to bag 3 ducks and 3 grouse.
September 6, 2012 Congrats to Mark & Heather French on the birth of the newest member of the Shed-Headz Crew Ms. Piper Ann French! Best part is her Yamaha Sno-Scoot is already in stock!
September 4, 2012 Well summer has come and gone. There hasn't been a whole lot of activity here as we've been busy cluing up a multitude of construction projects that you will soon see on the Projects in the Shed page. Most of my time has been spent at Mark French's building his new garage and a long, long fence. This weekend marked the Labor Day holiday so a few of us got away to Maffer's cabin in Tors Cove. It was a great weekend, Maffer turned his bike into a submarine, and we harvested a vag of blueberries. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
August 2012 Roof Truss day at the French construction site. Summer of Construction 2012 made for a very busy June, July and August! Full story on the Projects in the Shed page. Photo Credit: Mark French
August 25, 2012 Congrats to Steve & Krista Learning on their wedding today! Once again a great time was had by the entire crew, best wishes and many years of happiness!
July 21, 2012 The recreational ground fish summer fishery started today, French and I both missed opening morning as we were busy building his fence and garage! We will definitely get out a few times, but I suspect it wont be as often as years past. Photo Credit: Mark French
July 21, 2012 The recreational ground fish summer fishery started today, French and I both missed the opening as we were busy building his fence and garage! We will definitely be getting out a few times, but I suspect it wont be as often as years past. Check out the full story on the Summer 2012 page.
July 7, 2012 Congrats to Steve & Lisa Long on their wedding today! Great time was had by the entire crew, best wishes and many years of happiness!
June 30, 2012 Had another great day at the St. John's Rod and Gun club where French and I organized a day trap shooting for Long's stag! The shoot was followed by food and beer at Bill's house that evening. All in all an awesome day!
June 22, 2012 Justin's Fence is now complete. Mark and I had to negotiate/bargain a pizza out of him Friday night while we worked our fingers to the bone. There are a couple little things to finish on the fence, he'll probably be most of the summer getting them done! (LoL)
June 10, 2012 Today Mark, Justin and I attended the annual Newfoundland Sportsman Shoot at the St. John's Rod and Gun club. It consisted of both trap and sporting clays events. It was a great day under sunny skies and clouds of gunpowder!
June 6, 2012 French and I got away for an evening trouting and it was an uber success! We managed to catch a few nice trout, but my evening was capped off when I hooked and landed a 6 lb monster brown trout! It was quite an adventure and I'm sure he'll taste as good as he looks! Photo Credit: Sandra Ryan
June 2, 2012 Summer 2012 construction projects have begun. Sooley's Fence is just about complete, and land has been cleared at French's house for the newest Area51 Facility! It's going to be a very busy summer! Keep up to date on the Projects in the Shed page.
May 22, 2012 The May24 Holiday weekend is here and gone. There was no big cabin trip, but Maffer and I had a great ATV trip to Argentia, and I managed to get a bunch of stuff done around the house. Maffer 'gently' testing out his new Outlander 800 in the mud on our recent Argentia Trip! Full story on the Crew Adventures Page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
May 18, 2012 Project Foreman is repaired and ready to go! Last week I finally received the parts to completely rebuild the rear end, and this week I finished the work by installing a new ball joint and front wheel bearing. Looking forward to the long weekend!
April 22, 2012 Spring is here, and trap shooting at the Rod & Gun club has begun. Earlier today French and I helped the guys re-install the trap machines and spent the afternoon shooting. Looking forward to another great shooting season!
April 2012 Gavin and Maffer with his brand new 2012 Can Am Outlander 800xt! This bike sports a powerful 800cc V-twin engine, 26" tires, 3000lb winch and more. Check out his page on the Shed Projects page. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
April 8, 2012 Easter weekend is now over, and some of us got out for a great Spring ATV ride. Pics are up on the Crew Adventures Page.
April 2, 2012 Project Foreman has been completely reorganized on the Area51 page. The project is split up now for easier reading, and there is actually more detailed information on some of the projects I completed on it. A further update will come in the following weeks as I tackle my rear-end repair.
April 1, 2012 "Sheila's Brush" has come and gone, as St. John's was socked with a 30cm snowstorm yesterday, and at least one of the crew got out for a ride today! Long went out to the Goulds to try out his new Summit and he was defiantly impressed. The sled is working great, and with some clutch tuning to match the Dynopro Pipe, the sled will be dandy next season!
March 31, 2012 Site has been updated once again. Couple new stories on the Winter 2011-2012 page, a bunch of new stories now that the Summer 2011 page is up to date, and 2 new projects can be found on the Area51 page. Lots of stuff going on, and more to come this summer as projects are worked on, and rides and adventures to come.
March 22, 2012 Big news today, after careful consideration, much shopping and research Maffer picked up a new 2012 Can Am Outlander 800 ATV today! Details can be found on the Area51 page and a test ride soon on the Winter 2011-2012 page!
March 11, 2012 Well the snow didn't last long, all of it was melted by the time we got to the cabin. We still had a decent night, and we did get a very small minimal ride in logging more miles skipping water then actually riding! This winter will go down in the history books as the pits.
March 7, 2012 After weeks and weeks of rain, no snow and cold temps we finally got a significant snowfall of 20cm! We're hoping to get out to Sooley's cabin this weekend so I can try out my new REV, Maffer can get his first run in, and Sooley can test ride his recently repaired Sled.
March 2012 My long awaited new Ski-Doo Project! It's a 2006 REV 800 Adrenaline, 121-15-1.5" Camoplast Intense Track, and lots of accessories!!! Now all I need is some snow! Photo Credit: Mike Smith
February 27, 2012 Well the weather has been absolutely dreadful ever since the heavy rainfall on February 12. Its been rain, then cold ever since. Rain means there is little snow left, but the cold has kept the ponds pretty safe. In other news, French, Justin, Long, Todd, Bill & Max are all on the west coast for the Annual Big West Coast Trip at Big Falls in Hampden. Early reports are of lots of snow and a great time. In yet more news, I am finally retiring project Renegade. After nearly pulling the trigger on a new sled many times over the last few years, a great deal came my way last week. I picked up a 2006 REV 800 Power Tek, with a 121x1.5" Intense track, nicely accessorized. The sled needs some work, but it will make a great project.
February 26, 2012 I now have most of the trip stories and pictures up on the Winter 2011-2012 page. Summer 2011 will be finished shortly.
February 20, 2012 This past summer, I lost my computer that I use to edit the www.shed-headz.com website. Retrieving a back up took longer then expected, but I am now up and running making additions to the site!
February 2012 Woke up early this morning to a constant car horn only to find the neighbor's car on fire! Luckily the wind was in our favor and we didn't suffer any fire or smoke damage, the car however was a complete loss. Photo Credit: Mike Smith
November 24, 2011 We got our first major storm of the season early this year, 30cm on November 24, 2011!!! Although there was plenty of snow to get out for a run in the Gould's, none of the crew had their machines ready. Like the city of St. John's snowplows, we were caught with out pants down and not ready to ride!
May 25, 2011 The first long weekend of the summer season is here and gone. Unfortunately this year most of the crew did not get away on an adventure as family life, work and chores take priority over our crew activities. Lots of ATV runs, Camping trips coming up this summer!
April 27, 2011 The crew has returned from the West Coast with a successful final snowmobile run of the season on the books. The trip story has been published on the Winter 10-11 page. Earlier this week Maffer and I successfully hunted the first Coyote of the crew! The full story, as well as my good Friday ATV adventure is now published on the Summer 2011 page. Shed-Headz.com and Area51 decals are now available. I will have an information page published soon, if you would like decals, please contact me by email at the link below.
April 13, 2011 Well my sled is now stored for summer and work on Project Foreman will continue very soon. Last Sunday the crew an I headed to the St. John's Rod & Gun Club for a day skeet shooting. It was an awesome day with sunny skies, 1300 rounds of ammo shot, and a wicked lunch. Sooley, French, Bill & Max leave Thursday evening for the last Snowmobile trip of the year. They're heading to B&R cabins on the west coast to make the best of the spring riding conditions.
April 7, 2011 Last night I finally completed the largest addition ever to the site at one time. The Archives 2003-2007 page is finally finished with nearly 60 new trip stories from the beginning of our sled adventures. I've taken the pictures hosted on sledsooley and have written the stories and incorporated videos where available for one complete package of our adventures.
April 4, 2011 Winter is slowly winding down, and although conditions are still marginal we didn't make it out for a run this week. The 2003-2006 Archives page is coming along, when finished there will be an additional 50 or more stories published on the site.
March 29, 2011 Well we had more snow last week, so that meant fixing my broken sled and promptly getting out for a run! Sunday French, Bill & I had an awesome day tearing up the hills in Petty Harbor. Check out the story by clicking on the "Winter '10-'11" page or the "What's new this week" button above.
March 24, 2011 Many site updates completed as of today. New stories have been published on the Winter 10-11 page, Winter 08-09 page, Winter 07-08 page and Summer 2007 page.
March 14, 2011 We had a great day in the country Saturday past, the sun was shining and warm temps made for ideal spring riding, and ice fishing. That story is up on the winter 10-11 page. Area51 has been completely updated. I read and updated all projects new and old, check them out on the Area51 page.
March 7, 2011 Last weekend Sandra and I went to Southern Harbor, I didn't have my sled with me but the guys still got a couple decent runs in. Story is up on the winter 10-11 page. If the weather holds up we hope to get out for a ride this weekend as none of us are working or on call!
February 2011 Winter antics after a winter snowstorm in Mount Pearl, NL Video Credit: Mike Smith
February 28, 2011 Well the annual cabin trip is here and gone, and a great time was had by all despite the miserable weather Saturday. Check out the Winter '10-11' page for the story. Meanwhile Bill, French and Pollard are on the west coast snowmobiling at Big Falls. They are due back this coming Friday.
February 22, 2011 Site is now updated, use the "What's New This Week" button above to see my recent updates and additions to the site.
February 21, 2011 The countdown is on for the annual cabin trip, just 3 more sleeps!!! Our trip to the Sooley cabin was supposed to take place this past weekend, but we had to postpone due to a family illness, and thankfully everything is OK now. Nothing worse then someone being sick and I'm glad that everything turned out great.
February 18, 2011 Summer 2010 page is now up to date with all available pics and stories published.
February 18, 2011 Winter 2010-2011 page is now up to date with all available pics and stories published. Summer 2010, and winter 09-10 pages are under construction. The trips are listed, but I'm still working on the story pages.
February 16, 2011 Well its been well over a year since the site has last been updated. my apologies to everyone that reads this site. We have all been busy with many summer and winter activities, many of which I'm working on uploading over the next few days. I have been super busy with work and haven't dedicated much time to the site. Everything will be up to date shortly.
January 20, 2010 Due to computer problems, am having trouble updating the site. I am working on the problem and hope to have everything back on track soon.
November 8, 2009 This past week/weekend the Shed-Headz crew had another hunting trip on the Southern Shore. Sooley, Maffer, French, Matthew French and I loaded up and headed to Maffer's cabin in Tors cove. All in all we managed to shoot a few Grouse, bottle some Moose, cut a TON of firewood (thanks to an ever helpful Beaver!) and snare a few rabbits. In between all of that we managed to get a run on the bikes, winterize the cabin and have a few laughs!!! Full story on the Summer 2009 page. In other news work on Project Renegade has commenced with the removal of my 500cc motor and the scrapping of the Parts Machine.
October 20, 2009 Congrats to Bill & Heather on your wedding this past Saturday. It was a great day (minus the drizzle) and an awesome party that night! Best wishes from all the crew.
October 13, 2009 Well today I have BIG news. Sooley finally has a new sled, as his 2009 Renegade 800r just arrived off the truck from Quebec. Its an awesome machine with low kilometers, and 1.75" track, and black plastics. With the sale of his old machine pending, he also purchased a new galvanized single trailer to replace his well worn old trailer! We sure are looking forward to this winter to put this machine through its paces.
October 12, 2009 Captain H. finally got his outboard motor back from the repair shop after having it in for a tune up. It turns out that a dirty carburetor was all that caused it to run poorly. Captain H, Joe, Terry, Calvin and I jumped aboard the boat and headed down the shore for a run to pass away the afternoon. We landed on a remote beach and gathered enough driftwood to have a great bonfire that lasted long into the night!!!
September 29, 2009 Saturday marked the start of the week long Fall Recreational Food Fishery here in Newfoundland, and unfortunately that day brought high winds and rain. Fortunately the weather fared much better Sunday and French, Maffer, Sooley and I headed out for a day on the bay. Since the weather forecast for the week didn't fare too well French and I also headed out Early Monday morning for a few hours of fishing. Pics and Story on the Summer 2009 page.
September 13, 2009 Congrats Tyson and Anastasia on the Christening of your beautiful baby Gracie. It was a great day and an awesome party afterwards. I don't think anyone went hungry, well except for Uncle Joe who missed it as he was working! Not to worry, we have lots of pics of the Grub you missed Joe!!!
September 9, 2009 Well another Labor Day weekend is here and gone. Some say that this marks the end of Summer, but I for one certainly hope not as its been one of the best summers I can remember both for weather and weekend adventures! With the weather not completely cooperating and Captain H's boat still awaiting repairs we decided to make a few runs on ATV instead. Captain H, Terry and I spent most of the day Saturday exploring the back country off the old road to Little Harbor. We spent most of the day off the beaten track and managed to pick quite a few berries. Sunday we made a trip to LeManche where we found heavy equipment had been operating. We did a little trouting in a leaky boat!!!
August 24, 2009 This past weekend I loaded up Project Foreman and hit the road and headed to Southern Harbor for my first real test ride since getting the bike back together. Saturday morning Captain H, Joe and I hit the old railway track and made a trip to Port Blandford and back. It was a great trip and I'm pleased to say that all is working well on Project Foreman!
August 18, 2009 With some extra time devoted to the site this evening, I have finally gotten all of the Seasonal Crew Trip Galleries Updated. Formerly when you clicked on a page, eg. Summer 2008, the links on that page went only to a Picasa picture album. Starting last winter, I changed the format so the links bring you to a new page that tells the story of the trip, and has links to the Picasa picture albums for the trip and Sledworthy/Trek magazine stories if applicable. Now I have all of the stories for Summer 2008, and Winter '07-'08 up and finished.
August 3, 2009 This past weekend was the 2nd weekend of the Recreational Fishery. Saturdays weather was rather poor so we opted to spend the day in Clarenville visiting baby Gracie and doing the rounds of Canadian Tire, Mercer's Marine and Home Hardware. Sunday's weather was much better so we hit the water after the wind dropped out lunchtime and made a trip around the bay catching our quota along the way. In other news Project Foreman is finally complete for this year. All repairs have been made, and my Camowrap finally came in and I have it installed!!! In other news have acquired a parts machine so I will be able to get Project Renegade back on the snow this winter. Part of this repair will be swapping my 500cc engine for a much better 583cc with RAVE valves!
July 26, 2009 The 2009 Recreational Groundfish Fishery opened yesterday and under clear skies we wasted little time hitting the water in search of a meal of fresh fish. We had an excellent morning on the water and easily caught our quota of 5 fish per day, maximum 15 per boat. Next weekend we will have some sensible filleting knives and sharpening tools though!!!
July 21, 2009 Congratulations to Anastasia & Tyson on the birth of your beautiful baby girl Gracie earlier this morning!!! I've already started looking for Mini ATV's & Skidoos for her!!!
July 20, 2009 With the forecast calling for clear skies on Saturday and rain for Sunday we decided to take advantage of the weather and lack of wind to make a trip across the bay. This adventure took us over to long island where we ended up in Harbor Buffett scaling across the decks of a long abandoned whaling vessel, and visiting long resettled communities frequented now by seasonal cabin owners. Pics and story up on the summer 2009 Page.
July13, 2009 I am pleased to announce that after too many months of waiting for parts & repairs both the Foreman & Grizzly ATV's are back and ready for the trails. Both bikes were plagued by break downs on a trip in early May where I lost the rear drive shaft and Captain H. lost the timing chain on our ATV's. After working most of the weekend I have all loose ends tidied up on Project Foreman and I'm ready to hit the trails, and Captain H. now has his bike back from the repair shop as well.
July 3, 2009 Happy Belated Canada Day!!! I would have posted sooner but I was in Southern Harbor for the holiday and the launching of Captain H's boat! After a couple weekends attending to some fiber glass work, installing a drain, mounting the motor and painting the inside of the boat, it was finally launched June 30. On Canada Day Captain H & I made the first trip on Placentia Bay while Tyson slept the day away! We had a great trip to Haystack, Long Island, the story & pics are up on the Summer 2009 page.
June 18, 2009 This past Thursday night, Sandra, Captain H, and I took Terry out to see the antique and muscle cars at A&W Kenmount Road. We had a great time (especially Terry), the weather was great and cars were in abundance!
June 14, 2009 After a few test runs in Captain H's boat, we've decided to look for a larger boat that will better suite our Salt Water Adventures. Luckily we came across a great 19' fiberglass over wood boat in Shearstown that needs a little finish work on the inside, but will make a great project. Project Foreman is still in pieces awaiting the Engine to be assembled at the dealership.
May 26, 2009 This May 24 long weekend we opted to stay in town and entertained friends and family all the while getting some chores finished outside our house. With Project Foreman still in pieces waiting for parts we concentrated our efforts in securing a boat and motor. We have found a nice little 15' fiberglass boat and a great 40hp Yamaha Outboard. This past weekend we got everything together and tested it out in Jack's Pond Park. The motor is running great and the boat works well and is very stable. We think it might be a little small for what we want so we may look for something a little bigger, if not this one will fill the role. Tales of our adventure will be up on the Summer 2009 Page.
May 11, 2009 Finally got out for our 2nd decent ATV run of the year this past weekend. Leaving Southern Harbor heading East towards Whitbourne. A couple mechanical break downs ended our trip prematurely, read all about it on the Summer 2009 page!!! In other news our search for an ocean going vessel for the food fishery and camping in Placentia Bay is going well. We have a few leads to check up on so hopefully a purchase will be made soon!
May 1, 2009 This past weekend I finally got out for my first ATV ride in the Southern Harbor area to test out the new brakes/repairs, and so far so good!!! The brakes kept getting better and better as the day wore on and the pads broke in. The Quadrax kit from Honda One is defiantly a fantastic upgrade and I highly recommend it! In other news Captain H has his bike back from the welding shop after having some frame repairs completed, and young Joe purchased another ATV. He bought a 2003 Yamaha Banshee and all I can say is WOW!!! Its an amazing bike in great shape and a hell of a lot of fun. Our next run is planned for the 2nd weekend in May!
April 23, 2009 Its been quite awhile now since I've updated the site as I've been busy in the shed and very busy with work. Since my last skidoo ride (where I had problems with the clutch and chain case on Project Renegade) I've only managed to get everything disassembled and diagnosed. Warm weather in March ruined sledding on our end of the island so repairs have been put on hold for the summer. On that note I started and completed work on Project Foreman which this year included the installation of a new Front Disk Brake kit to replace the stock drum brakes. I also completed other repairs which you can read about soon on the Area51 page. Cheers for a busy summer, and check back for ride & project updates!!!
February 23, 2009 After another heart sinking mild spell we were very happy to have 2 decent snowstorms and cold temperatures late last week. Riding conditions here on the east coast have finally turned good!!! Its been a long winter waiting for decent snow accumulation and we were not about to waste an opportunity to get a ride in!!! Old Joe and I headed out to Southern Harbor Friday evening to meet up with the crew out there for a run Saturday morning. This trip took us deep into the country south west of Goobies into Black River Pond area. The story of a great day riding coupled with some mechanical trouble for yours truly can now be found on the winter '09-'09 page. Sooley, Maffer & Bill also got a ride in on Sunday leaving from Paradise taking the new "groomed" trail to Witless Bay Line and back. Hopefully the weather stays in our favor as I eagerly make repairs to project renegade!
February 7, 2009 The parts for Sooley's Mach1 finally arrived in St. John's Friday afternoon just in time for our planned ice fishing adventure Saturday. Friday evening, Sooley, Maffer, French, Ronnie and myself went to Area51 and made necessary repairs to Sooley's sled, more info & pics can be found in Sooley's Mach1 (version2) story on the Area51 page. Saturday we went ice fishing on Goose Lake near Whitbourne and enjoyed an awesome day in the woods and logged some miles on the sleds. More info & pics can be found on the Winter 08-09 page.
February 2, 2009 Well Sooley is still waiting for parts to replace the damaged DSA arm on his Mach1, Maffer is up to his eyeball in _____ renovating his bathroom, but some of us managed to take advantage of this weeks snowfall! French and Bill got out Saturday to ride the new groomed trail at Northern Pond, joining hundreds of other sledders in the area. Myself and Joe headed to Southern Harbor and logged just under 300km with the crew out there over the weekend! Unfortunately the snow that hit St. John's missed us out there Sunday, but we still had a great weekend of riding! Trip reports can be found on the Winter 09-09 page and check out the What's New button above for other recent site updates!
January 26, 2009 Well another week and more disappointing weather here on the east coast. While the west coast is seeing record snowfalls, we are just seeing rain and bitterly cold weather. I have a few more odds and ends picked up for project Renegade since its just as well to pick at it 'cause I cant ride it!!! Also with my extra free time I've had time to update the site. The How To's page has been updated with a repair we made to the kill switch on Maffer's REV, and I finally finished the How To on Fiber Glassing. I have also added another item to my Product Review's Page.
January 19, 2009 This past weekend I took a run to Southern Harbor to meet up with the some of the Crew. Reports from the bye's said that the track was icy so cooling would be a problem so I opted to leave the sled in town, wisely so! This weekend a couple of the bye's picked up their new rides, Captain H. picked up a 1999 MXZ 670H.O. in pristine condition, and sold his 1996 Formula 583 to young Joe...looks like no more Citations for him!!! Skipper Joe got out his RX1 to get a feel for the sled this year, and Scott was around to show off his new Polaris 800 Dragon. Even though the weather didn't pan out for a decent run, we did get a lot of bugs worked out of the sleds for when the weather turns favorable.
January 13, 2009 Last night, myself Maffer and Sooley (now known as captain carnage) finally got out for our maiden voyages of the 2008-2009 sledding season!!! Skipping supper we all loaded up and headed to the Goulds to test out our sleds in the many fields and roads in that area to get a feel for some of our modifications and to work out any bugs in the machines. I'm pleased to report that project Renegade is running very well, the oil leak seems to be fixed, the new rear wheels are working well (and look awesome), and the new gearing set up is AMAZING! Although the snow on the ground was on top of slippery ice, there were a few places where we got enough hook up to get a feel for gearing changes. Maffer's REV project which included a track and gearing change this year, is also working very well. Track changes and gearing can really make a sled perform the way you want. Sooley, who never made any changes so far this year earned the title mentioned above after cracking the gate on his trailer, rear ending Maffer on a trail (luckily no damage occurred) and then finding the only big rock down by Bay Bulls Big Pond. Luckily a DSA arm was the only casualty and we suspect that the arm rusted from the inside causing it to be very fragile. All in all it was a great night and a great feel for what this season will bring (well hopefully not in Sooley's case!!! LOL)
January 6, 2009 Well the new year has arrived and we are still waiting for enough snow to get a sensible test ride in! As mentioned earlier Project Renegade is ready to go, but as I wait I continue to tinker with little things while I wait. Maffer has completed the installation of a new Track, Gear Set and general maintenance of his 500ss REV, and Bill's RX1 has been "Warrior-ized" with the installation of a extension kit and a 136" track. A few of the crew will be riding new sleds this year. There is a 2009 FX Nytro XTX, a 2004 RX1, a 2009 Polaris 800 in the stables and another beast for Joey currently being built!
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!!! December is all but gone and with the exception of one day, there has been no riding here on the east coast yet! Project Renegade is ready for snow, my 70 link chain arrived just in time and is now installed with my 19/44 gear combo. Also installed are my new machined aluminum rear idler wheels with nasty nuts and my oil leak repair is complete. In other news there will be at least one new sled, possibly 2 in the Shed-Headz Crew stables this winter, and crew member Bill has just about completed his 121 to 136" track conversion on his RX1. Its been a busy year, and everyone is waiting in eager anticipation for snow to get some testing done!!!
November 29, 2008 Its almost December here in Newfoundland and here on the East Coast we are still patiently awaiting our first snowfall of the season. Hundreds of snowmobilers are itching for the first ride of the season all the while tinkering with their rides in eager anticipation. I of course am no different and will be spending a few nights in the shed now that most of my parts have arrived. Christmas will soon be here and hopefully the season will bring a little snow for some test and tuning before the riding season gets well under way. The Eastern Trail Riders have been busy this past number of weeks with new trail development that will take us from Cochrane Pond road to the Witless Bay Line on groomed trail this winter. Check out progress on their website www.easterntrailriders.com
October 20, 2008 Well Fall is here in fine style, the leaves have turned, the temperatures have dropped, snow and snowmobiling are just around the corner! Like many people I am once again in full swing repairing and preparing my sled for the first snowfall. I spent Thanksgiving weekend around the bay in Southern Harbor, which included shingling a roof and getting in a couple decent rides on ATV. Our first trip took us west towards Clarenville exploring new trails and following a rough trail on the pole line for a bit. Saturday night took us back to LeManche Placentia Bay where a great night ride was followed by a bonfire on the beach. It was a beautiful clear night without so much as a draft of wind!!! Also on Thanksgiving weekend French, Younger French, Sooley & Burton went Moose hunting on the Southern Shore near Mobile. On Monday they finally spotted a dandy 17 point bull and were successful in the kill!!! French's poor Honda Foreman worked hard that day lugging the large animal out of the country! This month my latest article has been published in Sledworthy Magazine which recalls trips of last winter which here on the East Coast doesn't always mean being able to travel by sled!!!
September 15, 2008 This past weekend we celebrated crew member Mark French's last party as a bachelor as he is getting married at the end of the month. (Yeah, I know, why should he be happy!!!) We spent Saturday afternoon Clay Pigeon shooting at the gravel pit on Northern Pond Road, with Mark making sure all necessary permits were in place. We had nine people participating and fired off well over 1,350 rounds of ammunition, so needless to say there were a few sore shoulders that evening. Pics from that afternoon are now up on the Rips n Trips page. The remainder of the evening was hosted graciously by Mr. French at his home in St. Phillip's where everyone had a great time.
September 2, 2008 Well if you consider Labor Day the end of summer I guess summer is officially over. Unofficially I'm sure we can expect some great weather yet before Autumn sets in. My Long weekend, also my birthday weekend was spent in Southern Harbor and a good deal of time spent racking up a couple hundred miles on the bikes once again! Day one took me and some of the crew East as far as Fairhaven traveling through some of eastern Newfoundland's most scenic terrain. This area is bordered by Trinity and Placentia bays and is dotted with hundreds of ponds and gullies, barren hill tops and forested valleys. The next afternoon was spent exploring the main transmission line in that area with hours spent rock crawling and finding our own way through alders and tall grass! Day 3 found us exploring more of the rugged terrain of the isthmus crawling over old trails starting from old LeManche. These trails had steep hill climbs over loose clay and sometimes bedrock, some tangly mud and twists and turns. All in all it was another great weekend with some relaxing riding mixed with great technical riding as well. Since my camera battery died I will be revisiting these trails to capture them on film, the shots are well worth a return visit.
August 24, 2008 Well its been a few weeks now with no new news, but since I'm really only releasing the site today it don't matter since you are all reading this for the first time today!!! During my last visit to Southern Harbor one of the crew lost the motor in his 660 Grizzly, which is now gone for diagnosis and repair. This past weekend we still managed an awesome ride to Goobies and then partway down the burin peninsula enjoying awesome trails, cloudless skies and beautiful warm temperatures. I'm happy to report that Project Foreman is still running strong and trouble free (knock on wood), and this year I've managed to log the most kilometers in one season since I've owned it!!! Looking forward to the long weekend, no plans made but the best trips are often spontaneous!!!
July 21, 2008 Just returned from another adventure on the isthmus!!! Had a great run on the bikes to Clarenville where we met up with Tyson and hit the sales at Canadian Tire. Needless to say, the next camping trip will be even better then the last. On the way home we stopped here and there to do some trouting, and to explore some newly built side trails. One of these trails had a hidden "trap" that simply opened up and ate one of the bikes!!! The surface of the new road looked fine, but is was simply a cover for a deep mud hole with the consistency of wet cement!!! A quick tug with my bike set it free and we were good to go again.
July 9, 2008 After talking about it for awhile, myself and the SH crew finally got underway and did a camping trip on the bikes. We enjoyed an excellent 2 night adventure to the Terra Nova area. Despite some mechanical breakdowns, and a long day on the trails, everyone involved had a fantastic time and look forward to another camping adventure soon. Pictures and story to be posted on the Summer 2008 page shortly. In between all this I have contributed again to TREK magazine, check out the first 2008 issue on stands and at dealers now.
June 22, 2008 Well its been another crazy busy summer for me again this year, work work, house work, around the bay work and so on, but I still have managed a few runs on the bike. Yes, that means that Project Foreman Restoration is complete, for more details check out the Area51 page for pictures and blog updates. Myself and the SH crew have had a few runs in the Southern Harbor area including trouting, runs to Clarenville, and a beautiful run to the long abandoned Settlement and Mine at LaManche Placentia Bay.
May 15, 2008 Well its only a couple more sleeps until the long awaited May 24 long weekend. It's the weekend the marks the beginning of summer, opening of campgrounds, opening of the trouting season and anticipation of camping, car racing, ATV riding and warm weather!!! My Foreman project is progressing well, its not finished yet, but will hopefully be back on the trails in about another week. Pics and my blog have been updated on the Area 51 page. Also, Sooley's ATV dump trailer is coming along well, The design has been pulled from his head, and is taking form in welding and steel The first pics have been posted on the Area 51 page as well. Although its hard to get the whole crew in the one place at the one time like we used to I'm sure this is going to be another exciting summer, with more events and more trips even if taken more individually then as a crew!
June 2, 2005 May 24th weekend has once again come and gone. Despite the weather we had an excellent weekend, got more work done at the cabin, lots of gas burned in the bikes, and all the other good stuff. All pics and videos are now up on the Rips n Trips page. On another note, all parties involved in Sooley's stag and Spurrell's stagette this past weekend survived to tell the tale. There were a few drinks, maybe a few dances at the ballet, and a lot of fun too!!!
May 19, 2005 May 24 weekend is just a day away and we're all excited!!! It will be a weekend of mud boggin', water hopping, troutin' and wobbly pop's, the official start of the summer season. Yes, we will all be bringing our shorts, rain gear and snow suits in preparation for encountering all four seasons weather-wise. On another sadder note, at this time I would like to announce the passing of another Sled Sooley motorized vehicle...one '97 Grand Am (not really all so Grand). Final fate unknown at this time, all I can say is that it will go down in history in a long line of tortured vehicles including one 1987 Blue Chev Pickup, a 1989 VW Fox, a 1989 New Yorker, a 1984 Camry and one 1986 Subaru Wagon.
April 7th 2005 Well the snowmobile season is winding down in the St. John's area. There is still enough snow from Central - West for a run but Sooley is definitely done for the season, with the Mach1-ton wrote off and the Enticer in need of resurrection. Overall this season wasn't up to par snowfall-wise but we did manage to get a few runs in and do a bit of powder play, which just makes it more of an exciting wait for next season. I am headed to Roddickton on the Great Northern Peninsula for a week long ride with Dad and a few if his buddies.
March 14, 2005 Another week, another promise of a storm, and once again we were left disappointed with only a few useless centimetres of snow on the ground. That however did not discourage the crew as three of us set out Saturday morning to take advantage of what snow we had. Sooley Bill and I left Adam's Pond in Paradise, and made our way to Northern Pond Road, crossing to the Foxtrap Pasture lands, making our way out the road to the power lines that parallel the highway to Witless Bay Line. The paths were very rough with many many back breaking, leg torturing yes mams, but it was worth it once we got to the power lines. The trail there was excellent, and took us quickly across a lot of country, stopping often to play amongst the hills and valleys, climbing walls of snow and finding powder drifted amongst the rocks and trees. We then crossed the Witless Bay Line and made our way across the open barrens and cabin trails to Crane's North Atlantic Station to fuel up for the final leg or our trip across the old pole line to the Goulds. We made it back to Paradise, tired and well worn, but ready and rearing to go next weekend!!!
March 5, 2005 Sooley went for a Rip next to his house late Sunday afternoon with the intent to go out on Adam’s Pond and play awhile, but spent most of the day getting the Mach1-ton unstuck. I was out for a solo run and when I got to Paradise Irving I called French and Bill and they were in the Goulds on a rip as well. We met up on chicken farm road after a gruelling bumpy ride in Cochrane Pond Road, we ended up in the fields and trails back in the Goulds for a great powder rip!
February 21, 2005 Our annual Winter cabin trip has come and gone for another year. We spent a great 5 days in the country snowmobiling, ice fishing, and partying. Even though the weather didn't always cooperate we still managed to log a few miles, make some jumps, find some open water and break stuff up!!! Wednesday brought sunny skies and fresh powder for us early birds, and we didn't hesitate to take full advantage of these pristine conditions that day. Thursday was a little wet, as mild weather brought rain and created lots of slush on the ponds, but that didn't dampen our spirits!!! Friday and Saturday were great days spent on the pond fishing and havin' a time around the campfire. Late nights and early mornings really make you wonder what kind of a vacation this trip really is!!! If you said we are doin' it right, then you are correct!
February 14, 2005 The skidoos remained parked this past weekend as a few of us spent a beautiful sunny Saturday Ice Fishing at Goose Lake. Plans for entering the Buy & Sell fishing derby on Octagon Pond in Paradise were scrapped as the event was postponed, so we hit the highway and headed west to Whitbourne instead. We lucked into another fantastic day of sunny skies, and caught plenty of fish, keeping just a few for the pan that evening. We wait in eager anticipation for the cabin trip which starts Wednesday morning!!!!
February 7, 2005 Well this past weekend was a very busy one for the Shed-Headz Crew, Saturday was spent installing cable, data, telephone and security wiring in Bill's new house. Sunday was "Beater Day" at Sooley's Cabin where we dragged out Sooley's old 340 Enticer, my 440 Invader and Mr. Sooley's 410 Enticer II. Beautiful sunny skies, a few easily solved hic-ups with the machines, and some bumps & bruises made for a great day!!! Things we learned on this trip: 1. Mike's Paint jobs hold up great even when sliding upside down on ice for 30 feet!!! 2. A Yamaha Enticer II is probably too much sled for Bill to handle!!! 3. Sooley will come off a machine regardless of how fast and/or powerful it is!!
January 27, 2005 Not much new this past week, sledsooley himself had work commitments, but some of us got a run in the weekend. Some of us (not mentioning any names) found themselves really stuck in some really cold waist high water in the Goulds. Ice Fishing season opens February 1, 2005, so along with some snowmobiling we may get a chance to wet a line this week too.
Copyright © 2011 Michael Smith
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icons! Big Big pre-wedding congrats to Steve & Kailee on their upcoming nuptials
later this week as we head to Cuba to celebrate the event! 
