Riding with Dan & Dylan, Weekend of January 26, 2008

Friday, January 25, 2008. Temperature was 20 degrees at 2:30 pm

We left Chute Pond via Bonita Creek at 2:30 pm and rode north on the 7 N railroad grade. We stopped at the shop in Mountain to pick up some trail signs, got gas at Parkside, and went north to where the trail 18 W turns. We placed a few trail signs as needed at that intersection, as well as at Kingston Rd, and headed back to Chute Pond. The railroad grade was in very good condition. We left Chute Pond past Everbreeze Resort, and followed the 18 W trail into Crooked Lake. This trail was in very good condition, and a very nice ride. We stopped at Randall's Resort before taking the Pines shortcut across Crooked Lake, then went south on the pipeline. Trail Boss Dan Huth and the groomers have done a great job of improving this trail with the re-routing and extensive grooming work. There are a few big dips in the trail, but for the most part, this trail all the way back to the old Junction is in very good condition, and a great ride. We ditched from South Shore Dr to Anderson Lake, then stopped in at Soletske's Water's Edge before heading down 2112 to Kitty's Grill and bar for a tasty fish fry. There were considerably more riders out today vs. last weekend, and I expect even more tomorrow as we go on our Club Ride starting at Kitty's at 8:00 am for breakfast. The ride will start at 9:30, and will end up back at Kitty's for a beer barrel cookout at 5:00 pm. We rode 58 miles today, and the trails were in very good condition. We can't wait to get back out on the trails Saturday!

Saturday, January 26, 2008. Temperature was 20 degrees at 9:30 am

We met at Kitty's Grill and Bar for breakfast (Gary's Famous Skillet was awesome!) and left on our first Club Ride of this year at 9:30 am. Dylan led the pack of 14 club members on 11 sleds as we took the Bonita trail off the lake onto 7 N railroad grade and headed up to Parkside for gas. We continued north to where the trail turns to 18 W, and we took that trail to Boulder Lake Lodge. These trails were in very good shape, and we made such good time to Boulder Lake that BLL was not even open yet when we got there. We then headed west and north into Langlade county and the Boulder Lake Snow Goer trails to 9 Mile Resort, where we made a pit stop. We then headed back east and south into Paul Bunyan trails, making another pit stop at Animal's Bear Trail. The trails up to this point were in very good condition, but we could see traffic was picking up considerably. We then headed back into Chute Pond trails and rode to Pine Grove Bar & Grill for another pit stop, where two riders headed home, but we gained five others who met up with us there. Here is a picture of the gang at Pine Grove:

We took the tunnel trail to 2112, then headed south on 7 S the railroad grade to Rhode's Oasis in Breed for gas. The tunnel was bumpy, and the grade was showing signs of heavy use as well- it was bumpy as well. We turned back north on 7N and rode up to Kingston Rd where we took the 18 E trail all the way to Randall's Resort in Crooked Lake. The 18 trail was in pretty good shape considering the number of riders out today. We met up with about 20 other club members who rode to Randall's to meet us there. After playing the "fan game" a few times, we left and headed down the pipeline. The pipeline was in need of grooming- it was very bumpy. One rider had problems with his sled, so we ended up towing him back down old 64 back to Chute Pond. We dropped his sled off at his cottage, and headed over to Kitty's Grill and Bar where Jay Tousey and his crew had a delicious beer barrel cookout prepared for us. We rode 112 miles today, and the trails were very good in the morning, but as we expected, showed signs of wear in the afternoon.

Sunday, January 27, 2008. Temperature was 23 degrees at 10:00 am

We left Chute Pond on the Bonita Creek trail and took 7 N railroad grade to Parkside for gas. It should be no secret that I am not a huge fan of the railroad grade, but our groomers did a very nice job of putting it back into good condition last night. We continued north and stopped in for a visit with Bart & Chris at the Rawhide to find out how their first "Italian Night" went last night. It went very well, by the way- you need to stop and meet these great people! We took the Maiden Lake trail west into Paul Bunyan trails, then headed south on the Mountain Lakes trail towards 4 corners. The Paul Bunyan section of the railroad grade was not groomed and a little bumpy, but the wooded trails were freshly groomed, flat, and fantastic. The Chute Pond section of the Mountain Lakes trail was also freshly groomed and very nice, but once we headed for the tunnel trail south of the "Y", it was not groomed and very bumpy. The tunnel was almost unbearably bumpy, but it is nothing the groomers won't fix with a pass or two over it. We continued onto 2112, then back to Chute Pond. Traffic on the railroad grade was fairly heavy for a Sunday morning, but we only saw two other sleds on the wooded trails (another reason I like to stay off the railroad grade). All in all, our short ride was very enjoyable, and the trails were very nice. We rode 39 miles today.