Getting geared up for Moosejaw?

If so, you are going to be COLD! The NWS is calling for a high of only 18 degrees on Saturday. That is chilly when you combine the wind hitting you as you ride. Needless to say I will probably be there! I am thinking a couple guys from work will ride along with me. We shall see. If no one I know is going then I will skip it again this year. I have never gone on the ride before! My uncle used to go...but we never made it out with him on our "clunkers" that we had.

Back in the day we rode a 1972 Ski-Doo Nordic 440 and a 1971 Ski-Doo Olympique 399. What good times! They were easy to get stuck, did not steer for beans, and rarely started without a struggle. Another one of my uncles built spreaders for the skis on the 399. That helped the stability quite a bit. The 440 worked when it was sold...the 399 was killed by me coming over a hill. It had been acting up in the woods and we, by some kind of magical force, made it back to the road. I came up over the top of the hill and sparks and such started flying out of the hood. I bailed and

commando rolled down the hill into the snowbank. The sled kept going until it hit the bank and died. I pushed it about a quarter mile down the road back to the house. There it sat until it was taken away. Good ol' sleds! I am VERY glad we have new technology though...otherwise I would never have gotten back into it. I was too young at the time to mix the gas...and I am very glad I was too young. Kids have it too easy these days! I did find both of these pictures online...they are not of our original sleds. I will find those some day and post a couple of them. :P 440 came from www.powersportsnetwork.com and 399 in the woods came from www.theworkshop.ca. If you are the owner of the pictures and want them taken down just post a comment and I will find another picture to use. :) I want to be fair since I do not promote the use of my pictures without permission.

So I just checked our thermometer...here is the current weather at our house:

Right now it is -10 degrees at our house. No snow is falling. Calm winds under a cloudy sky. Dang! -10 degrees! Time to go stir the fire up. ;)

Goodnight from Northern Michigan!

-Derek