VACATION - Day 4

Riders: MB, Bill and Gregg
Miles: 65


What a difference a day makes. The riding today was SWEET.

We had to check out of the cabin by 11:00 so we drove our gear down to the truck on our way to the Inn for the Continental breakfast. The truck and trailer was snowed in and blocked by a 1/2 dozen sleds but we were just loading the truck so we could get out on the trails.


The access trail from the Inn got beat down a few times from the guys last night so the riding was much easier than breaking trail yesterday. Once we got out to the main trail we hit a stretch of groomed trail that was like glass. I was in the lead and the trail went left but I kept following the groomed trail, it was so nice. We turned around and headed towards Derby.


It was such a winter wonderland today, everything was covered in a blanket of fresh power. The mountain views were spectacular, the sun was out and the skies were bright cobalt blue with puffy white clouds. It was pretty chilly, probably around 18 degrees. We tried to take a break at an intersection out in an open field but it was so windy we had to move into the tree line.


There was less snow west towards Derby today than there was yesterday east towards Island Pond. Some of the fields were still pretty deep. Going across the Salem Lakes and some open fields was just as blinding as yesterday with all the deep drifts. We rode by Al's Snowmobile and out to the gas station in the center of Derby. We made a pit stop, got gas and a hot drink and got back out on the trail.


On the way back to the Inn we came up to a road crossing just as a group of three were going in the opposite direction. Bill stopped at the road on a pile of snow at the road and after all three sleds passed he took off with a huge rooster trail and pounded the girl's back with icy snowballs as she was riding past us. I felt so bad, she ducked like she was getting hit by bullets from all the snow Bill was shooting at her. Gregg and I got the full show; Bill didn't even realize he did it.



The conditions were so good I didn't want to stop riding when we circled back around to the Inn. We planned on leaving around 3:00 but got back early and decided to pack up. We had a hard time figuring out where to load my sled on the truck with the huge snowbanks everywhere. They got it on ok but Bill dropped it out of the truck when he backed up to the trailer. It would be so much easier with a 3 or 4 place trailer.


We got on the road after taking a drive around the lake the long way to the Evans Mart so Gregg could get some gifts for Shannon (moccasins) and Ethan (wooden trucks). He couldn't wait to get back to see Ethan's new teeth. He didn't even want to drop his sled off at his camp so he just unloaded it at our place.


I wanted to take a hot shower tonight but our tub is frozen so now we have to fix that. It is always something here at the Love Shack.