2008-2009 Season - First Ride

Riders: MB (Skidoo), WildBill (Yamaha), Gregg (Yamaha), Jason the Dairy Farmer (Polaris)
Miles:

The first ride of the season was wet and icy. Bill and I met Gregg and Jason in the Butternut parking lot in Groton Saturday morning. It was barely drizzling when we started out but we didn't care, we were happy to be out on the trails which were in decent condition considering how much snow we got early. We stopped at our usual spot in the state park and then we headed out as the rain continued to come down heavier and heavier.

After a few hours we hit a long road skip which was totally iced over. My sled kept spinning round and round, I couldn't get any traction. I had to run down the edge so I wouldn't spin out. The guys had to pull my sled skis around a few times after I did a 180. At least after the double 360s I was facing in the right direction. I thought I was going to flip it when I tried to pick up speed and it went into wild spins. I've never had picks on my track but could have really used them on this ride.

The weather was getting worse and we were about 3/4 way around a loop after skipping down a icy road for miles when the trail ended. We could see where the trail was but it hadn't been broken in yet and there was no way we were going to be breaking trail so we had to turn around and go back down the long icy road. It wasn't fun.

On the way back, Gregg and Bill were in front when they took a right off the trail. I thought the trail went right but because Bill's tail lights were out I didn't see him take the turn. I stopped to ask Jason if he saw where they went and he said they must have gone straight or they would have stopped. Jason and I ended up down another road icy road for a mile or so. I spun out again and then Jason and I finally turned around and went back to the last intersection because I had a feeling we missed a turn. Bill and Gregg should have waited (and they know it) but Bill thought I saw him turn - he forgot his lights were out.

It was a long wet ride back to the truck. All of us were soaked to the bone by the time we made it back to the truck. I don't think I've ever been so wet in my snowmobile gear, my underwear was soaked. UGGH!

To top off a rough and wet day, Bill almost gave himself a concussion when he loaded the sleds on the trailer. He didn't duck low enough and whacked his head on the trailer. Ouch.

I was happy to have gotten out on the trails but it wasn't the best ride. I hope we'll have better rides in '09.

Snow Days

I love snow. I love almost everything about it.* I love taking pictures of it. I love how it covers the dirty streets of the city and makes everything look clean and fresh. I love how it muffles noise, people stay home from work and off the roads. I love thinking about how excited all those kids will be to have a day off from school. I love watching it fall in big flakes and small, blizzards and dustings. I love when the trees get all droopy when piles of snow bend their branches down. I love how it blankets the fields. I love all winter sports, especially the winter Olympics. I love to ski (expert) and snowboard (beginner). I love a freshly groomed trail and what I love most of all is riding my snowmobile.

I’ve had my own sled since 1997. My first was a 1997 Skidoo MXZ583. The MXZ was a very aggressive sled that had to be muscled around. It was a great sled for a guy but it wasn’t the right one for me. It would start to tip and I didn’t have the upper body strength to pull it back all day. In 2002, I bought a Skidoo Legend 600 Sport. The Legend is a great sled and I miss riding it sometimes but I wanted to upgrade to a rider forward style to take the bumps better. So last year I bought a 2005 Skidoo GSX 600 Limited with low miles. The GSX handles like a dream and it’s much easier on my back in rough conditions. My knees start to ache a little after a 150+ miles but it is worth it.

Winter is my absolute favorite time of the year to get outside. In the middle of July when I’m sweating in the heat and humidity I will be counting the days until the VAST trails open and a new season starts. I actually get depressed when the season ends and start counting the days until I can ride again.

I suffer through the work week as a wage slave in the rat race of the city so I can afford to escape to the Northeast Kingdom and spend the weekends playing in the snow and riding my snowmobile in the mountains of Vermont. To me, there is nothing better than a snow day.

Come along for the ride.

* I don’t love it so much when I have to commute to work in it, shovel it, or watch it get dirty and slushy and I HATE when it melts in the Spring.