Greetings and welcome!
2pm-
The trails are a lot quieter than I expected them to be. I suppose Christmas in 3 days will do that.
The riders that I have talked to so far and the comments all found the trails to be in really nice shape for this time of year and the first real snowstorm.
Maybe last weekend’s rain was a blessing in disguise. It didn’t seem like it at the time, but now a lot of placess have a base because of it. The 4″ snow set the stage, the rain soaked it down, and now the cold made it into an icy base. The snow seems to be setting up on it pretty well.
At the moment I am updating from the front porch of the Rapids Resort, stop in if you are in the neighborhood. So far it is pretty quiet, but a few groups have passed through since I started writing this. Looks like a group stopped, time to get back to work. I am expecting to be here at least another hour or two.
RJB
Late night update-
The weekend is finally here, and it looks like it will be a big one on the trails. I was seeing groups of sleds out already tonight at work and more on the way home at about 11.
Based on the hit counter, the holidays, and the traffic tonight, I am going to suggest that it looks like a big weekend for snowmobiling. You will want to expect some company on the trails and have a sense of humor about some early season conditions. I saw some thin spots and a muddy spot, but most of the trails looked like they groomed out very nicely for a first snow.
Tonight is pretty clear and is expected to go into single digits. That should help set the trails up a little more.
STAY OFF OF THE ICE!
The lakes are way behind where they normally would be for the holidays. Check out my Tuesday post for pictures of Caldron Falls Flowage before the snow. We are going to want some cold nights before that ice gets thick enough to ride or walk on.
The ride to work Thursday on the new sled was pretty fun. It is going to need a few things, but overall it performed well. It was pushing through pretty close to a foot of fairly heavy powder, and it stood up to a lot (28 miles..) of it.
The track on it is pretty low profile and un-studded, so at some point that has to go. It is pretty slippery, and that’s fun sometimes, and fine on a packed trail, but a boondocker it ain’t. The other change is that it needs the limiter strap pulled in for a little more ski pressure.
That is all a pretty quick job on that sled and I have a good used track. Once RXL #2 gets done that one will be getting adjustment.
Overall I liked it. It is a fun little reliable sled. It is also cheap on gas and nice and light.
I am going to be bar tending at Rapids Resort Saturday from about noon till three. After that it depends on how many riders are around and how good the beer tastes. I will have the camera and will be glad to do group pictures to share on the web.
The weather this week looks pretty good. There aren’t any storms, that’s the bad news. The good news is that the high pressure that will push the storms elsewhere will bring us a week of normal weather. Think highs in the mid-20s, lows around 10, and maybe colder on clear nights. It isn’t snow, but it isn’t a high of -5 and a low of -35 either.
Have a good weekend and thank you for visiting!
RJB