Riding with Dan & Dylan, Weekend of January 12, 2008

Sunday, January 13, 2008 at 7:00 am, 30 degrees, light snow falling

We left Chute Pond via Bonita Creek to the 7 N railroad grade, heading north. There was 4-5" of fresh snow on the ground, and all trails were fresh and un-groomed. We took the small connecting trail from the 7 N grade to 2112. This trail is still in poor shape due to logging activity. Many ruts and rocks- avoid this trail if possible. We took 2112 to the tunnel trail west to 18 W trail. This section was flat and smooth for the most part, and was in good condition. We took 18 W towards Boulder Lake, and stopped at the county line, because Langlade trails were still closed. We doubled back, and took 18 E to Hwy 32. Again, this section of trail was in good condition. There was 4-5" of fresh snow on the trails we rode up to this point.

         2112 towards the tunnel                 Trail 18 W                  Bridge near Boulder Lake      4-5" fresh snow on ice base     18 E Mountain Lake Rd       Railroad grade 7 S/ 18 E

We crossed Hwy 32 and headed south on 7 S/ 18 E railroad grade. This section was fair, with some gravel mixed in with the fresh snow. We turned at Kingston Road onto 18 E, and followed 18 E all the way to Crooked Lake. The fresh snow got deeper as we went east, and we were blasting through 6-7" of fresh powder by the time we got to Crooked Lake. This was an exceptional ride- very pretty scenery, and the powder was a lot of fun. This trail was in very good riding condition. We went through town, and followed 18 E to the pipeline. We took the pipeline south. The section just south of Crooked Lake was in poor condition. There was plenty of snow, but huge ruts and holes and uneven trails make this an area to use extreme caution in. Further south, the pipeline was in fair to good condition. We made the turn onto Swamp Rd at the new trail re-routing. This lead us to Jack Pine, and then back to 18 W behind the old Junction. We followed 18 W back to 7 S railroad grade, and back to Chute Pond. All of these trails were in good condition.

              5-7 " snow on ice base         18 E to Crooked Lake           18 E to Crooked Lake          Pipeline heading south          Jack Pine heading south     18 W behind old Junction   

We woke up to some unexpected fresh snow, which sat very nicely on our solid ice base. We beat the groomers out today, and this added to our fun. The trails were a pleasure to ride, but be advised that most turns are icy, and even stopping requires extra distance because of the icy base. Overall, the trails are in fair to good condition. We rode 81 miles today. Ride safe, ride sober. Ride with extra caution. See you on the trails.