Topics

1

General Snowmobile Discussion / It's coming

« on: November 13, 2018, 01:52:30 PM »

Winter is working it's way in.
Out doing some last minute signing in several inches of snow yesterday.
The thermometer had a pretty small number this morn...    2.6 degrees.
Couple guys had a little below 0.
But Wednesday is supposed to be a high of 38 then pretty much stay under freezing.

2

General Snowmobile Discussion / First Day of Summer

« on: June 21, 2018, 07:35:58 AM »

First Day of Summer !
From now on every day gets shorter ! 
Then it's 

3

General Snowmobile Discussion / 50 years ago Ralph made it

« on: April 19, 2018, 10:31:50 PM »

 
50 years ago today Ralph Plaisted & crew were the first people to make it overland/ice to the North Pole. (Confirmed by the US Air Force) By snowmobile of course. 
The National Geographic Society doesn't like to admit that their boy Robert Peary never actually made it to the Pole, missed it by 60 miles .


I have made the Pilgrimage to Ralph Plaisted's birthplace, Bruno MN on Hwy 23 between Duluth MN and the Twin Cities.
Here's to Ralph, the first Super Sledder. 

4

General Snowmobile Discussion / Iron Dog

« on: February 18, 2018, 09:12:46 PM »

Well Frosty...................
We're five ours in.........
Hows it going?............

5

General Snowmobile Discussion / Broom Snow

« on: January 16, 2018, 12:17:31 AM »

A foot of broom snow today !
Occasionally we get some Lake efffect off Lake Superior. Today we hit the jackpot.
I've swept my sidewalk about three-four times today, never had to use a shovel and I can still find the sidewalk.
The ATV cranks along like it isn't even there but it's pouring over the top of the plow.
For the last couple weeks we have had enough snow to scrape by with the groomers. We were grooming about 110 of our 130 miles.
The last 20 miles were groomed for the first time late this weekend
Trails had started shaping up with a couple small snowfalls, 2-3 inches, then this.  :-)

6

General Snowmobile Discussion / Things are looking up

« on: August 09, 2015, 10:35:01 PM »

I had to turn on the heater in the truck for a while Friday morning.
Oh and I wasn't going to work.................. I don't do that anymore...........

7

General Snowmobile Discussion / Sneek Peeks

« on: February 18, 2015, 10:58:34 PM »

    
2016 Sleds on Display.....
     It's Sneak Peek Time!

The 2016 models of Polaris, Ski-Doo and Yamaha will be on display at the following locations. 

3/6        Stewartstown, NH   --  SnoDeo
                                            9am - 4pm
3/10       Manchester, NH   --  Radisson 
                                            4pm - 9 pm
3/11       Augusta, ME --   Civic Center
                                           4pm - 9 pm
3/13-15  West Yellowstone -- 10am-6pm
                                    Sun: 9 am - 2 pm
3/13-14   Old Forge, NY  --  Hiltebrandt  Pavillion     Noon- 7pm
                                    Sat:  9am -8 pm
3/16       Oaks, PA -- Expo Center 
                                           4pm - 9pm
3/18       Layton, UT  --  Davis Conference Center  4 pm-9pm
3/18       Rochester, NY  --  Blue Cross Arena    4pm - 9 pm
3/20       Birch Run, MY  --  Expo Center     4pm - 9 pm
3/21       Grand Rapids, MI  --  Deltaplex
                                           4pm - 9 pm
3/23       Milwaukee, WI  --  State Fair Park
                                           4pm - 9 pm
3/24       Denver, CO  --  Denver Mart
                                           4pm - 9 pm
3/25       Wausau, WI  --  Convention Center
                                      4pm - 9 pm
3/26-29  Jackson Hole, WY  --  Hill Climb
                          Thurs - Sat:  9am - 5 pm
                                   Sun:  9 am - 3 pm
3/31       Boise, ID   --  Riverside Hotel
                                            4pm - 9 pm
4/1         Fargo, ND  --  Fargo Dome
                                            4pm - 9 pm
4/2         Puyallup, WA  --  State Fair Expo
                                           4pm - 9 pm
4/3-4      Minneapolis, MN -- Nat'l Sports Center   3pm-9 pm           Sat: 10am - 5 pm
4/6         Spokane, WA  --  County
                Fairgrounds     4 pm - 9pm


 




 


 

 
      

8

General Snowmobile Discussion / Winter is coming

« on: August 17, 2014, 10:08:12 PM »

We had our snowmobile club picnic today.
We had to wear jackets, shirts. The couple people that wore shorts were whining.
A high of 65 but I don't know when it was that warm.............
I saw my first snowplow ad on tv today.

9

General Snowmobile Discussion / From now every day gets shorter!

« on: June 21, 2014, 10:52:05 PM »

From now every day gets shorter!
159 days til the Duluth Nationals.
There was STILL snow on Spirit Mountain when I left work Friday afternoon.

10

General Snowmobile Discussion / Finally met Ditchcrusher

« on: March 17, 2014, 10:01:11 PM »

I finally met Ditchcrusher Friday night and we had a good ride on Saturday.  A few times a year he stays with a friend of his about 50 miles from us. We were never able to hook up, it just never worked out.
Like two ships passing in the night we almost met a few weeks ago at our Clubs warming shack, we didn't realize we were going to be on the same trail on the day. Of course he could have walked in and we wouldn't have known each other anyway.   
 

11

General Snowmobile Discussion / Met a Yamaha on the trail today

« on: February 14, 2014, 08:55:45 PM »

Nick Keller, his Yamaha only had 72,000 on it.

If you look up # 19 on his Spot when he is east of Superior, that was me holding him up. 
We were both in a hurry, he had miles to go and and I had a divot to fix. (in the trail, and I didn't make it!)

http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0YLRXvtoLqeRPMRyAi8XFqqQ5KzCMRPen

http://www.snowballcancer.org/

12

General Snowmobile Discussion / Saddlebaggers visiting the ice caves in Cornicopia

« on: February 14, 2014, 04:26:35 PM »

These are the guys I helped across the St Louis River/Bay last week.
The video has some cool shots of the ice caves near Cornucopia WI.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6zWpE1RT3g&feature=youtu.be

There is one shot of my Z1 in there along with a shot of the Kro Bar in Brule.

If anyone ever goes there by sled remember to stay !/4 of a mile away from the shore line when you are in the Apostle Island National Lakeshore.  You have to walk the last 1/4 mile.

13

General Snowmobile Discussion / Cool Ride

« on: February 11, 2014, 12:08:46 AM »

Had a cool ride on a 14 900 ACE Renegade this evening. It was a cool -5 when we made it home.
I had forgotten how foolishly stupid the windshields are on most sleds. DAMN that thing is cold!
The good news is if I could get by freezing to death it's fun to drive. 
Just have to keep in mind it is about 90 hp which is good enough for me. 
Anyone interested in a 1200 GSX?

Kinda weird in eco mode, kinda scoots up to 30 mph and then slowly works it's way up to maybe 50. Haven't tried out the trainer chip yet, tomorrow.  If someone has kids they are a little concerned about it's really slick for that in the eco mode even with out the trainer chip.
In the regular mode it whistles up to 80 pretty quick for 90 hp. The wife was riding it most of the time as that's the primary purpose.
We put 15 plus miles on it mostly in the woods but I did wring it out a bit an a mile of railroad grade with a couple stop signs in the middle of it.  More tomorrow on our weekly lunch ride if I can hang on to my share of time on it .

14

General Snowmobile Discussion / A cold day in Hell

« on: January 29, 2014, 09:54:59 PM »

It was a cold day in hell yesterday, today wasn't so bad, it was warmer.
I just had the thought the other day that the groomers have been relatively trouble free this year...............
Monday I spy a Majorly broken wheel on our Sur-Trac (a converted ag tractor with tracks). It was broken so bad we couldn't drive it to the shop to fix it indoors. Mr Goodwrench  (club pres and chief wrench) also spots a nasty hydraulic leak. (One hose is bad so they all get changed)
Soooooooooooo, most of the last two days was spent out in the great outdoors changing the wheel, wheel studs, pulling hydraulic and  hoses and putting the track back on.  I was the lucky one. I was usually using big wrenches with big nuts, bolts etc and putting new studs in the hub with gubs on. Then somebody had to drive the half hour to get new hoses made. 

Bottom line was I really didn't get too cold with the high of zero yesterday working with big tools, nuts and bolts.  Today the high was way up in the teens so it was far more bearable.

I was XXXXXXXXX pestering Mr Goodwrenche's 14 year old son. How is that it's too cold for you to go to school but we can be out here working on a groomer? I was also XXXXXXXXX pestering him asking if they get Independence Day off from school?
The way schools have been closing around here this year they're going to be going to school in July! 
 

15

General Snowmobile Discussion / Finally! Recreational riding

« on: December 18, 2013, 10:16:56 PM »

I'm around 300 miles so far this year. Lots of work packing, opening trails, a few hours grooming where there wasn't a swamp. Some where around 180ish miles. All work.
Today, 120ish miles of recreational riding.  Mostly RR grade and high ground in Northern Bayfield County. Mostly groomed, not all. Problem was the Pub N Grub was closed. 
Thought my riding partner was going to turn cannibal as he didn't have a real breakfast and we didn't get back to Iron River till 2ish. 

Saw two other pairs of sleds. Spotted one pair three times and the other pair two times.

Oh, then one more sled at the local watering hole. That visit might turn profitable.