Rain to Winter Storm Warning

Now it is snowing with very strong winds.  Yay!  Hopefully we will see more snow throughout the next few days!  More to come soon.

-Derek

Rain!?!?

We are going to get it.  Doh!  I am disappointed to say that we are at 46 degrees and it is going to rain very soon.  There is no way around it this time.  Highs around 55 and rain.  That is SICK for this time of year.  Tomorrow it gets cold and snows again...but not nearly enough to make up for the snow that we have already lost.  This is a snow lover's nightmare.

-Derek

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone! I am taking the day off writing since it is getting late and I am already relaxing in front of the TV...but I have been riding a bit and have a few pictures from last night's ride. Not many but we have PLENTY of snow to withstand the evil warm up that is going to occur over the next two days. Freezing rain tomorrow and rain on Saturday. Oh well...we have over two feet of snow sitting on the ground right now. That is more than we ever had over the entire winter at once last winter. It was pretty cool hitting some of the powder we have been getting the last two days!

Anyway...I am supposed to be relaxing. ;)

Goodnight and Merry Christmas from Northern Michigan!

-Derek

It is STILL snowing!

So here we are...it is not even January and we have already received OVER half of our annual snowfall total.  How awesome is that? It is great for us snowmobilers!  I have been eyeing new sleds...though I am not sure which brand or model to buy.  So far I am looking at the Yamaha FX Nytro XTX, the Arctic Cat Crossfire 8 Sno Pro, or the Ski-Doo Adrenaline 600HO E-Tec.  I like the Yamaha because it is a four stroke, the Arctic Cat because of the reputation it has, and the Ski-Doo because of the new E-Tec engine.  It is a hard decision to make because each of those sleds is EXPENSIVE.  The Ski-Doo is the cheaper option...and gets excellent gas mileage and uses little oil.  The Arctic Cat has a sweet design and comes a little better equipped for deep snow, and the Yamaha is the most expensive option but has all of the above.  

It is snowing like crazy right now...so I'm going to go snap some pictures.  I will try to write more tonight!

-Derek

New Snow! Winter Storm Warning

Overnight we got about 3-4 inches of new snow.  That should have covered some of the leaves and sticks on the snowmobile trails...but since they probably groomed and people probably started riding already...it will not help much. :P  We need a good foot of snow to fall so that they can pack it down and groom it properly.  The weeks where we get 1-2 inches do not do much for the trails since the snow just blows off or gets groomed off.  

The HSSC is touting a picture of their trail system that shows a single path groomed at night...I wish I knew where it was because from the trails I saw last Wednesday and yesterday...there is not one spot that looks like that.  My guess is it was probably North of Harbor Springs.  It would have been an excellent experience to ride behind the groomer on that night.  The trail looked perfect!

Overall I would say that we are probably nearing the 18 inch mark again.  We lost a lot of snow when it rained last weekend.  It packed and got pretty hard though...so that is a plus.  

Anyway...I am hoping to go out for a ride later today.  I will remember my camera and take a few shots of what is going on in the woods.  Stay tuned for that either today or in the next day or two.

Good morning from Northern Michigan!

-Derek

St. Ignace, Arctic Cat, and a Snowmobile Ride

What do they all have in common?  Not much...other than they are all things I saw or did today.  

This morning we had breakfast at Java Joe's in St. Ignace.  They have some really good food.  I had raspberry crepes.  The wife had biscuits and gravy and some french toast.  Good stuff!  We were there bright and early and ended up staying until about 1 PM!  I did not realize how late it was when we got back on the road toward Petoskey...but it left us with little time to get any sled shopping done.  It was well worth the company and food though!

We stopped by Miller Auto to visit Scott's Cycles n' Sleds.  They had an orange Arctic Cat Crossfire 7 that I wanted to look at.  Unfortunately, when we arrived, the sled had already been purchased.  However, there was another Crossfire!  It is all black and has the Sno Pro package.  The sled does have a few miles on it...4600...but it has a lot of life left in it I am sure.  It is a bit pricey for the number or miles it has in my opinion...but it does have a lot of options.  It would be a much better ride than my sled for sure.  I will ride mine for now and decide what to do by the end of the year.  Hopefully I will know where the finances stand by then!  If anyone wants to buy a 1997 Yamaha 600 VMAX XT I would be willing to let it go.  It is a really nice sled for its age.  It only has 7900 miles on it.  I had it tuned up last winter and all the prep for this riding season is done.  It does need a new track (although the current track would be fine for light riding) and if you feel guilt about having the TORS system disabled...you might want to have that fixed.  It no longer overheats (I had the heat exchanges fixed) and the power is back.  I do not usually ride it hard...but today I had it up to about 85 mph (as a test of the TORS system) and it did just fine.  You grip it...and it rips it. :P

I did put 21 miles on my sled today.  That is not a lot...however it was a good time.  The trails a fairly snirty to start.  (I again forgot my stinking camera!!!)  I was a bit disappointed in the trails.  They were really smooth...but pretty darn dirty.  I did not ride much of them due to that.  I shot down the two track to trail 76 by the house and swung around the loop to another two track that leads back up here.  The two tracks were in really great shape! ;)  The bulk of my riding was done on our property.  That made for pretty good riding since our trails have not been abused.  I did pack them down and they should be good for the snow we are supposed to get tonight and tomorrow.  8-10 inches in some areas!

Anyway, that is it for now.  Not much has been going on...this coming week should be fairly full of riding...as long as we are not stuck doing other stuff.  I will keep hoping! :P

Look for more tomorrow. :)

Goodnight from Northern Michigan!

-Derek

I've been sick...

I apologize for no posts for a few days.  I have been sick since the 7th.  I am having a heck of a time shacking this!  I went to the doc today and got some antibiotics and some pain killers (for my throat).  Hopefully that will atleast help me sleep.  Unfortunately, I think I am too tired to sleep.  I have been laying here for the past two hours trying to crash.  Still awake.  Doh!

Anyway, I just wanted to throw an update out here so you knew I was still alive.  If I feel any better tomorrow I will hit the trail and get some pictures taken.  Maybe I can meet up with some people for an afternoon ride!

Goodnight from Northern Michigan...

-Derek

First legal ride...

I did take a ride the other day...but forgot to put my new registration stickers on. Doh! Luckily I only went to buy gas and drove back home. Today I put the new stickers on the sled and went down to Alanson. I bought a couple spare spark plugs and a couple quarts of oil at Spanky's. It is really convenient having that place only a 10 minute ride from the house. A quick stop before hitting the trails and I am ready to go for the day.

Anyway, to the real point of the post. The trail report! Unfortunately I did not have enough time to ride much. Trail 71 to Alanson was great...aside from just before Moore Rd. Somebody tried to drive up the trail. It made for some bumps for sure. Other than that...it was a really nice short ride.

I am looking for a used 121" track for my sled. Preferably either a swapped track from a new sled...but I would be interested in any good condition used tracks.

I took cold medicine...so I need to go lay down. :P

Goodnight from Northern Michigan!

-Derek

An absolutely beautiful day...

I do not know that we have had such a pretty day in the last month.  We have snow hanging from trees, not one single cloud in the sky, and the sun is starting to make it above the hills.  To top it off....the snow plow just went by!!!  Sweet.

The snowmobiles are out!  I have not written about it yet...but I had to do some work on my sled.  Last year after I got it back from the shop it never quite ran right.  It had excellent get up and go...but I could not get over maybe 50 mph.  I posted in a couple forums (www.johndee.com and www.snowmobileforum.com) and quickly got answers after describing all of the systems my sled was having.  It turns out that the Throttle Override System (TORS) was acting up.  I disconnected that and life is good!  However, I am a bit nervous to ride without TORS since if my throttle were to stick...I would be responsible for stopping the sled instead of TORS.  Seems like there is some danger involved.  So I iwll get with my mechanic again and ask him what he thinks.  BUT for now...I can ride around the property and hit some two tracks that no one rides on.  Whoo!  My parents were supposed to be here this weekend to ride with me (I hate riding alone) but because of the nasty weather over the past couple days they stayed home.  Doh!  So the 20 miles I got may be it for the weekend.

Anyway...I just wanted to drop in and note that the sleds were out.  I have to enjoy this day!  You might get another post out of me tonight. :P

Good morning  from Northern Michigan!

Happy First Day Of Snowmobile Season!

With the opening of the 2008-2009 snowmobiling season came a bunch of snow! Since last night we have received about 10 inches of new snow. Beautiful! It is amazing outside. The snow is making everything that was dark and drab a week or so ago incredibly pretty again! I hope to have my live camera up soon...I am having a tough time deciding on what to use. I would really like a night vision camera to use so I can have a camera out 24/7. Unfortunately it will be tough to have it running while I am surfing...our DSL is pretty pathetic now days. I really look forward to them brining higher speeds out this way.

Anyway...I just wanted to wish everyone a big welcome to the season and hope to see you on the trails soon! Think no melting! :P

Goodnight from Northern Michigan...

-Derek