My thoughts were turning to cx season as I spent two hours swapping a set of Challenge Strada Biancas36s (wide road tires, essentially) for some Challenge Chicane 33s on one of my wheelsets.

(Note to self: always re-tape when swapping tires. Or get better tape).

Anyway, I had to pause to give my thumbs a break, and looked up details of the local CX calendar in my Canadian province, centered around a capital city region of just under 1 million people.

7 races between early September and early November, which is an increase of at least one race from last season. If participation is like past years, we are talking 100+ participants between the various categories, raced over 3 slots (A, B, C), plus the U12 kids races.

What is the scene like where you live? I feel like we've still got a healthy calendar given our population and relative isolation (nobody from out of province is coming to these races).

I've already seen the calendar of Wisconsin (very impressive!) and Ohio Valley posted here in the last week or two.

EDIT: I should also ask how much do you pay to race? Here it's usually $40-50 CAD per race entry (there are no overlapping categories so that's your max per race day) plus the annual race license (about $100).

I am working on a canoe route plan for later this summer. Some of you are probably familiar with the Experimental Lakes Area in NW Ontario east of Kenora. I have paddled the popular Stewart Lake Loop through Winnange Lake several times, and have also done some paddling a bit further west in the Ethelma/Highwind/Hillock/Dryberry/Robinson lakes.

I'm trying to find info about one specific connection in order to do a loop in between these two previous loops. In order (or in reverse order): Upper Stewart-Geejay Lake-Fish Lake-Rivet Lake-Porcus Lake-Highwind Lake-Silvery Lake-Feist Lake-Skin Lake-Windermere Lake which ends on the opposite side of the road as Upper Stewart.

I have good info for most of these lakes and portages. The one that is a bit of a question mark is connecting from Highwind Lake to Silvery Lake via the Berry River (or a portage bypassing some or all of this creek section).

I was able to find the following here, from an ancient route description: https://www.myccr.com/sites/default/files/storage/CCR%20pdf/Ontario/OtherCanoeRoutes/DryberryFiestLoop.pdf

Silvery Lake - A very attractive lake with many good campsites along the west shoreline. It is a very long and narrow lake and provided for good canoeing. The portage to J. R. Lake is short and well marked. The trail follows a small stream flowing into J.R. Lake. Landing is relatively steep and mossy and launching site is broken rock along stream bottom with a gradual slope.

J.R. Lake - is nothing more than a wide spot in the Barry River and of no further note. Portage to Highwind Lake is actually along Berry River. It is necessary to bypass several rapids, falls, logs and a beaver dam. It is one mile in length.

This last portage is the hardest in the route and it is suggested that only small groups of canoeist should attempt it. It would appeal to the canoeist who wants to have hard portages demanding much physical effort.

Have any of you done this connection before? Is the creek mostly navigable? I don't mind doing a section that requires "much physical effort" but more information would be helpful if available.

The location the portage from Feist Lake to Silvery Lake is also not specified, so if anyone has traveled there that info would be helpful as well.