Unbelievable!!!

First Ride 2010-2011

Riders: MB, Bill and Gregg
Miles: MB and Bill - 71; Gregg - 20?

What a crazy day! We were excited to get out on the trails for the first ride of the season. We had a quick breakfast at P&H Truck Stop and then headed up to the Butterfield Parking Lot in Groton to meet up with Gregg. When we got to the lot Gregg said his sled wasn't running right and thought he needed a battery. We drove him back home so he could go get a new battery and made plans to meet back up in the lot.

Bill and I went back to Butterfield and were taking the sleds off the new trailer, the sleds slid out fast and the top of the new trailer came down and smashed the windshield and mirror right off my sled and broke Bill's windshield too. What the @#$%^&!!!! At that point I was ready to give in and call it a day. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to go riding after all. Bill was anxious to test out his new machine so we went around the loop and rode as far as we could before the trails got really messy.

After about 40 miles we went back to the lot to meet up with Gregg. He was just finishing up getting the new battery in and we were in business. We rode around the same trails for about an hour or so and since the temperatures were rising we decided to head back before it got really bad.

Bill and I were at an intersection waiting for Gregg to catch up which was unusual because we usually ride in a tight group. After a few minutes Gregg flew by and yelled out that he couldn't stop because his sled was not running right. His sled was backfiring and popping and he was trying to ride as fast and as far as he could to get back home. We made it down the trail about 5 miles when I noticed that the exhaust on Gregg's sled was getting red, especially on the left side.

I was watching his exhaust heat up and was thinking I should try to stop him to let him know I had a tow rope so he didn't blow his motor trying to ride it all the way back. Before we got another 5 miles down the trail there were actual 6"-8" flames coming out of the exhaust and burning right up Gregg's back.

I knew I had to get him to stop somehow because he had no idea his sled was ON FIRE! I decided the only option I had was to try to run him off the trail to get him to stop. I sped up and tried to get around him but he was so intent on getting back it took him a while to even notice I was beside him.

Bill was behind me so he had no idea why I was riding like a maniac on the wrong side of the trail. I finally got up beside Gregg and forced him to stop and screamed "YOUR SLED'S ON FIRE!!!" Gregg jumped off and we both immediately started grabbing armfuls of snow and throwing it on the flames. Gregg was yelling to get back because the fire was running under his seat and getting closer and closer to the gas tank. Bill was trying to get the seat off and eventually just ripped the thing right off even though it bolted on. We finally got the fire out and then had to figure out how to get his sled back home.

Thankfully I carry a tow rope so Bill was able to tow Gregg back. It was over 10 miles back to Butterfield. It had started to warm up and the trails were barely covered so Bill had to stay on the throttle at a steady speed so they didn't get stuck going uphill. I wish I had my camera out at the time because it was hysterical watching Gregg try to hold on as Bill went over bumps and around corners. The whole ten miles back Bill's sled was throwing snow and ice rooster tails right in Gregg's face.

About 5 miles before we got back to Butterfield I slid off the trail and amazed myself by throttling it out without any help. I knew Bill wasn't going to stop 'til he got them back to the parking lot so I was on my own.

So, that was the start to the 2010-2011 season. I'm hoping the rest of the season is uneventful. Whew...we live to ride another day.

Ride on.