Overnight Report-
Greetings and welcome!
The weekend did get warm. Saturday wasn’t too bad when it stayed in the low 30s and briefly hit 36. The trails held up fairly well in most spots, and need snow in others.
Sunday came along and it wasn’t good. I saw it hit 45 on Sunday with full sun, and it stayed that way for a while. I spent most of the afternoon working outside in a T-shirt and actually sweating a little. It was way too warm. One rider that visited the Rapids described it well Saturday night when he said that it was turning to mashed potatoes. Saturday wasn’t too bad, Sunday mashed potatoes described the snow cover well.
Dan brings up a good point in his comment below.. NO it was not supposed to go 45 and sunny Sunday, the forecast was for low 30s and a cooling trend as the day progressed. Sunday brought what I was nervous about all week last week. At least we got Friday & Saturday in at reasonable temps.
There were a fair number of riders around, and it was good to see people riding. Next weekend might be more of a question mark after Sunday’s balmy weather.
From my point of view it was a very fun weekend. I got to see a lot of old friends, and Saturday night found a lot of riders that had parked sleds after a full day and went out to be social. Thank you to all that made it so fun.
I will be out evaluating what is left after the warm weekend today and Tuesday. My guess is that I will find a mixed bag. Some high traffic areas that were getting thin or snirty will suffer. Some of the more secluded trails probably took it and remain decent, but might lack loose snow from the thaw freeze thaw freeze. That is a lot of speculation, especially since as of Sunday night at 9pm it still is 34ºF.
I think that I want to reserve judgment until I get a look around, and until the forecast gets a little clearer. A lot can change over the course of the week, good or bad.
The week ahead does not hold a lot of promise of renewal. We are looking for mid-30s Monday and upper 20s Tuesday-Thursday. Friday-Sunday again are forecast to be in the mid-30s.
Next Saturday night and Sunday the NWS is forecasting light snow. Looking at the GFS, it looks like it could start as rain and switch over Sunday evening, followed by 1-3 or 2-4.
Sunday was way to warm to ride, but it was also way too warm to pass up too. The afternoon found me busy down in the blue room. I chipped the parts RXL out if the ice and pulled it into the shed. I got the engine and a bunch of parts stripped off of it before it was returned to the freshly plowed boneyard. The newer RXL got pulled in and positioned in the shed for a check over and engine transplant. It was a solid four hours of work before sunset, and mostly done in a T-shirt.
If all goes well RXL #2 should run this week. It is a big assumption, I don’t know what I will find when I start working on it. It looks really nice and has low miles, and the main problem seems to be a seized motor. Since there is a runnable engine sitting right in front of it, hopefully the work will go fast. I will know a lot more later today or tomorrow.
Along that same line, some friends came in over the weekend with a lead on what could become RXL #3. I will be scrambling to put together the $$, but I am all for it. Chris thinks that three is too many, I’m thinking it is just right.
Here are some events for the coming weekend..
January 23rd-Chute Pond Vintage Riders 2nd Annual Vintage Snowmobile Show and Ride Everbreeze to Schoolhouse and back.
Paul Bunyan Riders Sno-Fun Weekend in Lakewood January 23 & 24th
10th Annual Radar Run on Waubee Lake January23rd at the Beach Club
January 23rd-Chute Pond Club Breakfast 8:00 am, Ride, Beer Barrel at Kitty’s Grill & Bar on Chute Pond
Next up.. Here are some pictures of people that came to visit at the Rapids. It was great seeing you all and thank you very much!
A little side note.. It is the first time that I recall ever using the first picture of all of the groups. I always take two in case of a focus issue, red eye, or somehow the picture might not otherwise be good. Week after week it has paid off, until today. Hmm.
Again thanks to the news blockade on the topic, most of you haven’t heard about this. This should be in the headlines, but I reckon that it is up to us jammy bloggers to do the job that the press used to do. Read more here.
That is about it from here. Have a good Monday and thank you for vsisting!
RJB