2007 Ride Reports
Ride Report for 3/21/07
Members: #5, #18, #1776
2007 Vernal Equinox Ride
It was planned as the last hoorah for
the ’07 season. I was really glad to have gone out 3 days
prior during a snow storm because none of us knew if the snow would
hold out for several more days. With the understanding that these
are spring rides, expectations are never very high, the days can either
way. We were just happy to get out for a few last turns before we
put the machines away for the long, hot summer. So we were quite
efficient in the morning having had a practice run. We made good
time and were at the drop point of the “end of the road”
parking area at the entrance to Corr 5 by 8:45. Temps were colder
than expected at departure, just 4 marks above, but no wind
whatsoever. It is worth noting that we were delayed in our
leaving by a couple of guys who bewildered us when they asked for help
getting their 4WD 2500 Turbo DieselMax unstuck only to see them back it
directly back into that spot after we left them. Massholes.
Now, the conditions I am going to
describe in this report are not exaggeration or fabrication. They
are not designed to make anyone feel bad or sad; they are simply an
account of snowmobile trail conditions that we experienced on our trip
Wednesday. There is one other thing that must be cleared up for
this ride report. This report will focus only on the actual
snowmobiling experience, and will not note other usual memories such as
eating, joking and so on. In other words, the reason this ride
was so memorable is not for those attending (although good members all)
or the scenery or the distance or any of that, but only for the extreme
pure snowmobiling factor. Ok, let’s get started.
First, let me just outline the loop that was made, as you’ll see, nothing special.
5N > 110E > 134N (first stop on
Dixville Peaks) > 134N and then I got tricked and didn’t end
up where I thought I was so we used > 5/18 > 126N > 21N >
20W >142E now on this trail we stopped at a place called the Back
Rub Pub and it was noon but I couldn’t be positive we were on
track so we decided to push further and it wasn’t long before we
went 139E > 141? (the trail that goes in front of the Arctic Cat
dealer and then under Rt. 3) and onto The Café for lunch and
gas. We were at 67 miles and it was 12:30.
After lunch we crossed Rt.3 and did
the following. 140N > 141E > 5S > 145E > 143S >
112S > 18S and finally to the 110 junction. Here we held a
meeting of the minds. It was 4pm and we had 70 miles on our
tanks. I was confident we had 30 miles left in our tanks and we
all agreed we didn’t want to take the time to go to Errol for
gas. I made the decision to push for the trucks knowing that
there was no room for any mistakes and the most confusing part of the
trail system lied between us and the trailer. After several best
guesses in the myriad of Millsfield Loop Trail section and the sun
waning we finally hit 115. But as we all know this trail is a
loop and I couldn’t be 100% sure I knew where I was along the
loop. Now we had only 20 miles left in the tanks. I started
to question my guesstimate on the distance back. It was critical
to make the right choice to hit 19. The signs to Errol and gas
beckoned us from every signpost. I made a final guess and after
only a half mile knew I had got it wrong. The snow turned brown
and we descended into Errol, the feeling was not bad, of course, as we
all knew we had defaulted to safety. It is important to note for
the record that we never would have made it.
It was the same shot back 18W >
115W > 19S > 119W (I admit here I have no idea why we were on
119, kudos here go to #1776 for remembering the Pres questioning the
reason for this on Sunday as well, so on we went > 28W > 5S.
Now the conditions, I won’t
bother doing it by trail because let me tell you, other than some giant
rollers to the west of Lake Francis on 20W and the usual garbage around
Errol, the trails were absolutely, positively perfect. Flat,
wide, packed base with 2-3” loose granular on top. The
consistency of the snow ranged from soft sugary powder in the shaded
areas to moist, “sno-cone” spring snow in the sun.
The number of corners with noticeable ice underneath could be counted
on one hand. The consistency of the grooming was something
I’ve never seen before. It’s as if all of the trails
had been groomed that morning by the same drag. Traffic was
minimal and was the serious weekday rider caliber. At one point,
I was upset when a solo lady on a Rev zipped in front of us and into
the trail just as we were about to go. I never saw her again and
believe me, I was trying like hell to catch her.
By the time we were on Dixville Peak
at 10:30am, it was toasty warm and blindingly sunny with not a cloud in
sight and absolutely NO WIND (remember we’re standing at the top
of a significant peak here). #18 proved worthy beyond his
experience as he produced bottles of water to enjoy. I was
actually proud of him. If others thought he rode well on Sunday,
he was just getting warmed up. Keep in mind he is on an
ill-functioning sled. Every time I turned around he was on my
tail. I mean RIGHT on my tail. Ok, when we get down off
this mountain I will show him his place in this club. The next 25
miles I rode BALLS-OUT as fast as I could possible go, pushing the
limits of myself and my machine. I was in a zone very rarely
achieved. The sled was performing perfectly, I could put it
ANYWHERE that I wanted to. Throttle response was crisp and
strong. Traction was at about 85% with track spin. But
SUN-OF-A-GUN every time I turn around, sure I’ll see nothing but
snow dust, all I got was a face full of YAMAHA BLUE. What
the… Ok, that’s it, in a rare lapse of judgement, I
said this trail is mine, apex to apex cornering, full throttle power to
full brake slides into the corner and full power exits, hanging off the
sides, wraping the throttle wrist in right handers, and tucking behind
the windscreen in 90mph straights. Let me tell you boys, he was
right there every time. #18, I’m not saying I’m a
fast rider, but you are as fast as me anytime. Nice riding.
Members, this was the kind of day we
live for. It was snowmobile movie perfect. The trails
looked like commercials in snowmobiling magazines. They
couldn’t have been painted by an artist any more perfect.
Let me remind you, I’m not talking about vistas. I’m
just talking about the trails. 140, 141, 145, 143 and 112 were
like I’ve never seen trails before. My speedo never went
under 60mph. It was like the groomer had gone over them again and
again and three times wide. Ok, enough said.
I wish you all were there. It
was a perfect spring day of ultimate snowmobiling. All I kept
saying all day was how happy I was. What a way to end the
season. Knowing it was all coming to an end as I turned onto 28W,
I decided for one last section of all out riding. The trail
conditions just never gave up. I rode for 25 minutes non-stop at
my limit. As I waited for 18 and 1776 at the 28Alt junction, I
realized there was only a few more miles of this perfect ride and the
season. It was bittersweet and I took it all in as we dumped onto
5 and home.
Sorry for the ranting report, but I
just want to document what may be the #1 ride of my life. It will
absolutely go down as Top 3. It has set a new highmark for
conditions in my book. As I said before, I am glad I went on
Sunday as we reached the end of the season, but weekday riding is the
only way to go. You can take that to the bank! Thank you to
all the groomers out there who gave me something to dream about all
summer long.
196 exquisite miles
Over and out,
#5
The Groveton 10 3-18-2007 Report
The N. Groton report see link (work in progess as i learn this new software)
Atendance: 1776, 388, 10, 7, 5, 2, and guest Kirk or Kurt (never figured it out)
Ride Report 3/8/07
Members in at
Drop point: Nash Stream parking lot (behind Shelly’s Deli)
Now, we’ve all ridden in some
cold conditions. Those that have traveled to Canada in January
know what cold is. As #7 noted, Shawinagin 2003 cold. It
would freeze the tip of your dick off in the time it takes to drain it
if it weren’t for 98.6F degree fluid running through it. I
don’t even tap in this weather. Pins and needles in your
fingers and toes, makes your jaw ache and gives you an ice cream
headache even without the pleasure of getting to eat ice cream.
Shivers that make you periodically shake with uncontrollable
violence. You would expect that in January, maybe even February,
even in northern New England. But March??
It was a stark reminder of what this
country is all about in the winter months, where it was crystal clear
and sunny everywhere else, the skies were gray and foreboding with
light flurries as we passed through the Notch. I switched into
4WD and the cellos and double basses drew their bows across their
strings in a low ominous drone. Standing temp at unload was
4F. Cross winds were blowing at gale force. I don’t
know the wind-chill math, but you couldn’t stand still for a
moment.
We struck out on 5 and actually
everything was right in the world as #5 took no less than 2 miles to
make the wrong turn and have #2 call me back. We were trying
something a little different today and took 7 to 7A to 18 to 21.
I called out to the others “sleds in trail” when I was
flagged to a stop. It took a moment to see the MXZ Rev twisted
and broken with blue blood (XPS oil one assumes) staining the
snow. Tree: 1 Snowmobile: 0. There was
questionable behavior with pictures being taken of #7 sprawled out in
front of the demolished sled with the actual rider only 5 feet away
looking on in disgust. No one was [badly] injured so off we
went. We would see evidence that others weren’t so
fortunate on this day.
And then it began, like a poorly made
second rate B movie thriller, the demons struck. The dreaded
“hold up” came over the radio. I pulled to the side
of the trail. As I heard the discussion over the speakers I
couldn’t quite believe that somebody’s trailing arm had
“sheared off”. So I looped 10 feet off the trail to
turn around and sunk straight down into 4 feet of snow. The call
came out to help me but pride wouldn’t allow it. #7 came to
my rescue when he heard the desperate gasping for air over the
radio. But aha! He took one step off the trail and sunk
down to his crotch. Now there was an appreciation to why I
didn’t make it out.
Anyway, guest Kirk, also known as
Kurt, had a tie-rod end and trailing arm pivot bolt shear.
Unrideable. So the decision was made to leave it at a nearby road
and all head back to the trucks. No sooner did we all get turned
around when #10 was seen with his head up under the tunnel. Left
side torsion spring sheared in half. I told you it was
cold. Tie wrap the remains and we had a stylin’ low rider
in the crew. #388 used modern gps technology to mark the location
of the sled which would be used to find the sled by truck. #2
doubled guest. You think we made it back to the trucks with no
more incidents? Read on…
We elected a more direct route back
and decided for gas along the way. After all topped up at the gas
station on Rt. 26, the last rider 1776, pulled his machine alive again
which it did quite faithfully. It struck him as odd that the
motor would now be running with the pull handle still in his hands and
not retracting. They tend to not retract when no longer connected
to the motor. It was at this time that #388 and I started to
discuss which member we would start the sacrifices with. The bad
plot continued as we heard and saw several rescue and ambulances speed
past and then a truck with snowmobile trailer in tow. I hope
everyone will turn out alright.
After we left our two broken riders we
decided for lunch in Errol. With #5 safely in the back this time,
we used 5 to 28 to 18 and landed at the Northern Exposure restaurant
which we now has also been Errol Restaurant and the [something] Dog,
#388 please help out. Too much food later it was time to once
again rope around the clutch start 1776. After #2 got the job
done, I silently noted #388 non-chalantly reaching over and with the
touch of a button the Genesis 1000 roared to life, I think I saw #388
yawning as his big 4 cylinder jumped to life.
We had decided to loop just a little
north on 18 and 134 before heading back to the trucks. We happily
took the detour up to the top of Dixville Peak where brine ice froze to
Sarge’s eye lashes. As hard as I tried to pass 1776 on the
way up, including resorting to some Nascar style bump and run tactics,
I could not get around the Formula 500, he drives a wide sled.
I’ll call him Dario for now.
Oh, you thought the casualties were
all finished? Not yet, the biggest loss to date was about to go
down. I heard several talking about someone with no
headlamp. I thought, what poor sap has sled issues now? As
I pulled up to the next junction and asked who doesn’t have a
headlight, I saw 4 faces staring back at me. I peeked over my
windscreen only to see darkness in lens. A click over and high
beams were bright. (So #3, have you fixed your switch yet?)
This was clearly the biggest blow to the WPR racers and they could not
take any more tragedy in one day. So we decided to get back asap.
The ride back was cold and fun.
The trails were superb all day long with only short sections of
bumps. The groomers are working their magic again this
year. I am already looking forward to the 21st. Who’s
coming????
#5
Ride Report 2/17-2/19 Lancaster, NH #7 & #388 and the Lampi’s
Day One:
We drove from Hubbardston to Rindge to meet up with Shannon and Dave
Lampi. We got some chow and had some quick hellos and drove up
north. We took my trailer and #388's Diesel Ram Truck. As we were
traveling toward the Notch, Dave called on the cell phone saying that
something fell off the trailer. It was my license plate. Dave noted the
mile marker so we went back for it. Both 388 and I never saw it. Dave
knew it was on the fast lane side and found it. He darted across
the highway in dangerous traffic and grabbed the beaten plate. We
arrived at the COOS Motor Inn in Lancaster, but the frightening woman
at the front desk would not let us check in. Her teeth were the
worst I had ever seen. We parked the trucks and got dressed and
rode off. Dave (and Northern NH Frogger champion) lead the way up
Corridor 5 with some local trails messing us up a little. It was
warm and the snow was loose and soft (like Anna Nicole Smith). We
made it to Nash Stream about 1pm . We headed down trail 28 toward
Errol. It was some nice mountain riding with several elevation
changes. Dave actually went off the trail twice on day one. #388 did
some leading on this day too. Shannon is quite a rider. She
holds her own and then some. The route we was took 115 to 110 to
18. It was single track ungroomed crazy bumps. We stopped for
lunch in Errol for some burgers, steak bombs and soup. We headed
back route 18 to corridor 5. We were beat from the drive up and
all the bumps and about 20 miles short of Lancaster when we saw the
groomer coming right towards us. It was smooth sailing the rest
of the way back to the Coos Inn.
Dinner was a trip. There was a considerable wait for a table at
this upscale steak place. The Sarge took the bull by the horns,
literally, by ordering appetizers and then a 32 ounce Porterhouse
Steak. My new idol made quick work of this slab of cow.
This unrivaled champion put on a clinic. In short, it was
impressive work. No slouch myself, I took second with the 28
ounce King Cut Prime Rib with potatos and brocolli. I was full
until 2:00pm the next day. The Lampi's both went with the Filet
Mignon and salads for honorable mention.
Day 2:
We decided to drive to Nash Stream for a quick start.
Unfortunately, #388 forgot his snow pants. He initially tried to
wear Shannon's extra pants. I apologize to everyone for not
getting pictures of this scene. I haven’t giggled like that
since Chuck Sullivan’s 3 second fart reverberated around Biology
class in 10th grade. He drove back to the motel for pants.
Another late start sent us up Corridor 5 to route 18. Conditions
were pretty good compared to the previous day. It was also
snowing quite heavily. We saw signs while up on Dixville
Notch for the Balsams Resort. We decided to ride over there for
lunch knowing we would easily blend in at this posh resort. The
view coming down off the mountain facing the ski area was stunning. As
we came around the next mountain the resort was also sight to see. We
knew #13 was there with family, but did not see him and therefore
didn’t embarrass him. After a late lunch at 2:30pm the
Lampi’s decided to head home. #388 and I pushed on towards
Diamond Pond. For the first time all weekend, I was leading the
ride. We took 18 for a while looking for 5. We got lost a
few times and finally found the corridor. 18 was in great shape
so we were ok with just buzzing back and forth. We gassed up at Diamond
pond after 4:00pm. Traveling with just two people, we were able to
cover some serious ground toward Pittsburgh. We made it to 1st
Connecticut lake at the intersection of 5 and 138 or was it 139?
The map says one thing and the sign says another. At 4:30 and
after pounding some bumps for the last 25 miles we headed back toward
Nash Stream. It was getting dark and we knew that Corridor 5 was the
fastest way back to the truck. Again I was leading and enjoying it.
Sure it’s more dangerous, but you get to set the pace, make
decisions on behalf of the group and don’t have to deal with any
snow dust. We stopped at an intersection to help some lady with her ZL
stuck in a ditch. I grabbed the front ski and almost got her out.
#388 showed up moments later and tapped the lady on the shoulder and
politely asked her to get out of the way. Her husband, at the bottom of
the ditch accomplishing jacksh!t says “Where did you come
from” ,obviously grateful to 388 for some real help. He dragged
the rear end of the sled out with one hand and little effort.
Without waiting for a thank you, we used this opportunity to pass these
inept clowns. We made it back to the truck by 6:45am as we
contemplated Sunday night’s menu. It was going to be
Mexican and beer. Room 108 at the COOS has some permanent
damage. We wound up with 136 miles for the day.
Day 3.
Weather reports had a starting temp of -8 degrees with a high
temperature of 4 degress. We again drove to Groveton for an early
start. We wanted to ride 2/3 of the day. The first good
sign was seeing double wide freshly groomed Corridor 5 through the
parking lot. The snow was much more firm on this morning because
of the cold. I had trouble with my sled getting started and
staying started. #388 picked me up and we headed north up
Corridor 7. This route was freshly groomed for the first 30
miles. It was a perfect 10 conditions. I love this route. I was leading
again on this day. We had no specific destination but ended up in
Colebrook. On the way, there were more stunning views and
twisting turning hills of North Western New Hampshire. We saw 3
white tail Deer on the trail. We actually chased them for a half mile
before the last one finally ducked into the woods. The Sarge had them
clocked at 30 mph. They were beautiful animals. I don’t
understand why people shoot them. I’m biased, my dog looks
like a really short and fat deer. We took route 18 west to
Colebrook. We got drinks at the Dollar store and maps at the Ski
Doo dealership. We took a little bit of a rest there. #388 ruined
the crapper at the dealership, an apparent case of the “Mexicalli
Blues”. We took 18 out of Colebrook toward the Balsams. The
sights were spectacular with our riding facing the ski resort way off
in the distance. There are a lot of open fields on this western part of
route 18. #5 would have wanted to make some stops to
“Play”. As we pushed on down Corridor 5, I realized
that all the worrying about the amount of sleds and dumbass’s
were for the most part unfounded. I did have a close call on the
last day. There’s always at least one. I managed to avoid contact
with the idiot on a 2 up sled on the wrong side of the trail on a blind
corner. 388, once again, backed me up by extending that certain
finger to the jackass in question. We were making fantastic time as we
made our way toward the trucks. After riding 65 miles and not
satisfied, we took a left onto 32 up the hills for a loop. We
turned onto 18a which was a mess. It was only one lane and loaded with
ugly bumps. We turned onto route 117 and were pleasantly
surprised to find freshly groomed trails-yahoo! The end of our ride was
sunny and perfect conditions. We cruised 35 miles back to Corridor 5
and the trucks. It was a perfect ending to a great weekend. We
completed 100 miles
3 day total 368 miles.
Winter enduro
Well, It was probably the most fun ride I have ever done, you guys need
to invest in some studs!!! Especially when there's not enough snow for
that sled that has gotten a whole 1/4 mile on it this year in my yard.
John, you need to come over and take it for a rip down the driveway, you
will not believe how good it hooks up.
Left the house around 7:00am Sunday Feb 4th headed for Waterboro, Maine
and it was a brisk 9 degrees and I was not looking forward to changing
into my riding gear outside the truck. They had gotten 6-8" of snow the
day before, so carbide spikes were a necessity. Car studs would be of no
advantage today. Arrived at 9:30am just in time to see the novice class
take off at 10:00 and boy did they look cold on the starting line
waiting for the flag to drop. Watched the novice class for a while and
when I saw a few bikes being pushed back to the trucks, I remembered you
need to insulate the carb when it's this cold or your fuel will freeze.
I asked around the pits and luckily the guy from Mason Racing had some
heat shield material I could form around the carb and vent hoses, it fit
like a glove. Actually to good, I had to remove it to pull up the choke.
Completely froze my butt off changing and then had to sit in the truck
with the heat on just to thaw out before heading to the start.....I bet
you guys are really wanting to do this right now huh. Once I was all
geared up, bike warmed up and up to the start I felt really good, thank
god for that balaclava under the helmet or else my face would have
froze!!
It was a 6.5 mile course and we were set to do 7 laps, 45+ miles. When
the Green flag dropped for the AA pro class it looked like a row of snow
blowers 50' wide went into the first corner, white roost everywhere. It
was my wave(biggest wave yet about 45 bikes) after the 250 class. A
little scary hoping not to go down with all those 3/4" spikes in every
knobbie, ouch that would hurt. I got through pretty good about 8th place
I think through the first corner and then it was a drag race to the
woods through a motocross section with snow whoops, table tops and
double jumps. I entered the woods in about 5th. The first lap was
awesome, real fast and I came through in 3rd at the end of the first
lap. The course was getting faster and better as long as you stayed in
the groove, as soon as you tried to pass through the 8" of powder off
the course it was a little hairy. Ended the second lap in 2nd place
about 20 seconds behind 1st so things were going good, and I felt great.
Until......halfway through the third lap I felt like my triple tree or
my steering stabilizer was frozen or stuck, I couldn't turn to save my
life. It took me a whole lap to realize I had a flat front tire, I was
pissed! I decided to press on the remaining 4 laps anyway, just keep on
the gas and try not to damage the rim and brand new $300 spiked tire. I
just kept picturing that front tire coming off the rim while pinned 4th
gear across the sand/snow pit, that would not have been pretty. The last
four laps were consistent lap times and the tire held up good and the
bead stayed on the rim thank god. I only dropped back to 4th and the
last mile of the course on the last lap one more guy got by me so I
ended up in 5th. I guess not bad considering I had a flat front tire for
the last 24 miles of the race. Got some points and a good start to the
season.
Mark your Calendars guys......4/29 is the next Hare Scrambles and it's
LOCAL. Northbridge, MA.
Here is a link to Trailrider Photos.com of the event. Attached are some
pics of me my wife sent from the site.
http://www.photoreflect.com/scripts/prsm.dll?eventthumbs?event=032E006Z0
2&b=0&t=-1&start=0&password=
#1776
# 4's trip to Canada
Left with Sid the
Kid #87 for Thetford Mines on the 9th at 6:30 pm. We drove
through the Notch and #87 asked me if the ski area (Cannon
Mountain) on the left was Mt. Wachusett. Not kidding. We
arrived in Thetford at 12:00 and met up with four other Townsend guys
who arrived a day earlier and we all had some beer that night. We
woke up and headed off to Lac Ecthimen. #87 put his saddle bags
on the top of his seat without strapping them down and hit the
throttle. 100 yards from our hotel his bags were spread out all
over the trail after being chewed up and spit out by his spiked
track. Thank god for duck tape and lots of it. Sid looked like a
homeless snowmobiler. Sid had the ripped jean and shirt look back
in style for the rest of the trip. He actually duck taped his
jeans together. Signs were really bad the first day and we got
lost ( back tracking) several times. Very frustrating. I was yelling at
the Canadians inside my helmet but they could not hear me. Kenny had
his gas cap snap flush off with threads an all so there was a hole in
the top of his tank. Polaris had a recall on this problem. I suggested
stuffing an onion, or a tennis ball duck taped on the hole. We
came up with super glue that held but gas leaked everywhere. We
drove out of our way too find a Polaris dealership near Saint Georges
that was closed for the next two days. Drove to the Meritotel in
Lac Etchimen and stayed there for the night. The most snow was in this
area. The next morning Ken brought his sled to the gaz station across
the street and asked them if he could pull his sled into a bay so he
could make a repair. No problem. He broke the cap off and re
glued it. Then he took silicone and layered it with a hair
dryer. He took the float and stick off the cap so there would be
no torque on the cap. It was as good as new. The heat
really helped the glue & silicone set. We went up into the
mountains late that morning ( trails 549 & 547 are a must do) and
it was incredible. Great views, snow and trails. The best
day of riding, good signs etc... We headed back to Lac Etchimen (
home of Alex Taungway) that night and stayed at the Meritotel again. It
is right off trail 55. The woman who runs this place is as nice
as can be and a very hard worker. The food was as good as I've
ever had. The next day we rode back to Thetford ( sugar
shack, sugar shack sugar, sugar, sugar shack) because we heard of the
storm coming on Wednesday which we didn't want to drive home in so we
cut the trip short a day and headed back Tuesday. We had a great
trip. Three days of riding. Everyone really enjoyed it.
This is a great area to ride in. I hope you guys consider riding
a bit differently. It's time for you to enjoy the views, the
hotels, the local bars, the sugar shacks, the food, the people and most
of all the cold Canadian beer. Total miles maybe 350?
#4
v