Get out and ride!

This may be your last chance!!!  Not only do trails close soon...but the snow is almost gone.  The last week of warm temperatures has really taken a toll on the trails...atleast from the road.  The trails that are in the woods are probably still very rideable. Now for some good news.  We have received close to 6 inches of new snow overnight!  It is expected to keep falling all day too.  For the die hard folks this is perfect!  I might even dig out the ol' Yamaha and see what the trails look like this morning. 

I do not recall if I mentioned I took my Renegade in for service or not.  I was having trouble getting it to shift over to reverse...each time I hit the button it would stall.  After 6-7 tries it would finally shift and I would be able to back up.  Trying to shift into forward stalled the sled after backing up.  I was getting frustrated so I called Burt Lake Marina to have them look at it.  After four days I finally called them to see what was up.  I got a voicemail reply saying that they had the engine torn apart and it should be done next week.  WHAT?!?!?  It turns out that the pistons that they used in the Renegades were too large and caused damage in the engine.  So my engine is being rebuilt.  (Note: This exact same thing happened to my buddy that bought a Renegade...but his actually broke pieces of the engine while riding.  The fix is the same.  Rebuild.)  So hopefully I will get my sled back this week so I can try it out in the woods.  I really would like to ride the snot out of it when I get it back to make sure everything works as it is supposed to.  

I have not had much time to write ot work on the new site this week...my priority has been work.  We had a new Check 21 product that we had to implement on Friday.  NEVER implement new products on Friday.  Bad idea.  There is no one to support ANYTHING.  

Stay tuned for updates on the new site...I am really excited to get it rolled out!  It may take some time...but it will be worth it.

Get out and ride!

-Derek

Hey! Big News!

I am excited to announce that my blog will be moving!  I have teamed up with some additional local bloggers to develop a new site completely dedicated to the great outdoors in Northern Michigan.  All of the content that you view right now will continue to be available...but you will also receive insight from others making your viewing experience even more valuable.

I will continue to post here until the new site is done...and will post the URL when we have something up and running.  Stay tuned!

Anyway, sorry for my absence lately.  I have been sick AGAIN and this time I am trying to take care of myself.  I went to the doc and gots meds finally (after nearly a month of struggling with this sickness) and should be up and running soon.  

A quick snow update...it is going fast!  The snow off the hills is just about zero.  There are a few spots around town that have some white stuff on the ground...but nothing worth messing with.  On the hills we still have over a foot of snow.  Unfortunately, my sled is sick and is at the shop.  This will most likely be your last weekend to do ANY riding if you plan to do so.  40s and rain next week.  There might be some cooling and snow over the next couple weeks...but I think winter is about done.  I am really looking forward to getting outside and enjoying the spring!

It is now time to get some stuff figured out on the new site.  It has been a LONG time since I have had to do any real host side work...so the new release date might be a bit into the future. ;)

Good morning from Northern Michigan!

-Derek

A quick ride...

We took a quick ride to Alanson tonight.  Trails were not groomed but they were in great shape.  There were a couple spots where the water was collecting toward town...but overall they were awesome.  

Time for bed...but I will write about the ride tomorrow.

-Derek

Lots of new snow...

We got a general foot of new snow around the house.  2 hours of shoveling and snowblowing wore me out. :P  Now only 5 hours until I get to snowmobile.

More on the storm later.

-Derek

It warmed up...

We did see some 40s over the past couple days.  However, it never rained.  There is still PLENTY of snow!  I will probably hits the trails around the house today to see what kind of shape they are in.  According to HSSC the trails have a decent base, and as long as it got cold enough last night, they groomed overnight.  No news on their website yet.

From the looks of it, our winter has been spared once again!  We are under a winter weather advisory right now.  Possibly 2 to 4 inches tonight.  That sucks since I have to work tomorrow and will not get to enjoy it.  Of course after this snow it looks to turn warm and start raining again for the first part of the week.  Doh!  The good news is as we roll into the weekend it should cool off again.  This is our roller coaster season here in Northern Michigan!

Until I ride a bit I have nothing much to talk about.  I did get the four wheeler out yesterday and did a few donuts on the ice...but the battery died and I put it away. :P  The battery has been a thorn in my side since the day we brought it home.  The machine sat in a shed for a year and a half until we picked it up...so the battery kicked over.  Once we get a new one though...the chains go on and I hit the woods! :D  In a sense I am getting excited for spring.  I like the smell of the woods, the sound of the animals, and the fresh foliage starting to pop out.   PLUS, spring brings my ability to get outside for walks. ;)  This has been a COLD winter...so I have not done much outside.  No hiking, walking, skiing, snowshoeing...I have been incredibly lazy.  I will give you an example of how bad it is.  :P  We have been looking at new homes lately...Wednesday we had to walk down an unplowed driveway.  Maybe just shy of a couple hundred yards.  Half way down the driveway...my stupid leg started to get a charlie horse!  In less than a foot of snow!  How pathetic!  *laugh*  Hopefully that will change soon. :P

Enough for now...

-Derek

Is Winter Over?

Not quite yet.  We are most certainly going to see some warmer temperatures...and even some rain over the next couple days...but I think we still have some winter left.  There are some chances for snow through the next couple weeks according to AccuWeather.  I do not really hold much that AccuWeather says to be reliable...but I use them for the current temperatures and such.  As long as I get one more good ride in I will be happy.  If I can avoid the rain I will head out this weekend...and probably again with my dad before all the snow melts.  We were riding in the middle of April last year.  There sure was not much snow...but it was fun. ;)  I look forward to a similar event this year!

I am still sick...so I have not done ANYTHING this week.  I do need to get out and put the snowshoes to use.  I feel bad that I got them and they have been sitting in the closet since that day!  It has been so dang bitter cold for most of the winter that I have not taken full advantage of all of the sports that winter offers.  It does not help that my skis are broken. :P  The bottoms peeled off.  Doh!

Anyway...enough for tonight.  Goodnight from Northern Michigan!

-Derek

03/01/09 Ride...

I made it out again today! It still was not a very long ride...but I did make it over toward Indian River. Here is my analysis of the trails. I was met with some of the worst conditions I have seen all winter. All this new snow and horrible trails? What gives? Atleast I have an answer. I visited the HSSC website and found that the crew was in the Soo for some kind of groomer show. They did not have enough people to man the groomers when they got back...so the trails were left unattended. The area East of Alanson was probably the worst. There were a LOT of bumps...and often some ice underneath a little bit of snow. The areas West of Alanson were still quite bad. The bumps were almost obnoxious...even on the Renegade. I am not supposed to complain though...I do not volunteer with HSSC and I do not donate to HSSC. That may change...since even one extra groomer could have done the rest of the trails east of Pleasantview last night. I might get involved and train to be a groomer in the '09-'10 winter.

So I took off from up toward Harbor Springs and shot down to Alanson. That was a bumpy ride but there was plenty of snow. I got behind two sleds on my way off the hills and they gladly pulled off and let me pass. That is awesome. I do not drive fast but I go a bit faster than the "Sunday Drivers". I got to Alanson and shot over to trail 76 toward Indian River. The swamp was in TERRIBLE shape. The first picture above is along Banwell Rd. You cannot really see how bad it is...but you had better be prepared to drive SLOW if you are going that way. It is REALLY rough. In the swamp there is little snow and lots of ice. The corners are built up so if you ride the outside they would be fine. The side of the road on Lakeview was not horrible but there is not a ton of snow to ride on. Once I got to Coors Rd. things improved and I was able to enjoy the ride a bit more. Winding through the trails I got close to Indian River and decided to turn around and head home before it got dark. I had to stock the basement with wood for the night...we are possibly going to be in the -20s tonight! Anyway, on the way back home I was facing the sun (West) and I got to experience what the sport is all about. Enjoying the outdoors...and going places that you might not be able to get on foot with ease. Just down the trail from where you can head toward Webber Lake or Indian River I stopped for a second too enjoy the scenery. I took a picture of a small hill leading down into the woods. It is not an incredible picture...but it is something that most people probably would not take the time to enjoy. I think it is a beautiful spot on the trail system.

I think I am about done for now...it is seriously time for some dinner. :P I am going to upload ALL of my pictures to my Picasa site for you to view. http://picasaweb.google.com/dallerding.

Goodnight from Northern Michigan!

-Derek

R.I.P Paul Harvey

His broadcasts will be missed.

-Derek

02/28/09 Ride...

It was not a long ride by any means...but it was enjoyable. I was gone for probably around half an hour. I just shot down to Alanson to put some gas in the sled so I would not have to do it today. Unfortunately, I think I will still have to stop by Spanky's to see if they have the XPS synthetic for the E-Tecs. I have been going all the way to Indian River ot get it...so hopefully Spanky's will be stocked.

I do have a few pictures to share of the trail...you will see those stuck throughout the post. It was in pretty rough shape in some spots. There was plenty of snow...it was just beaten down from the days use. There must have been a lot of sleds out during the afternoon. I went out around 6:30 PM and I only passed one sled on my way to Alanson. I bought my gas and shot back home. I saw no sleds on my way back...until I got just beyond Crump Rd. There was a sled and rider sitting on the side of the trail. The rider flagged me down. It turned out to be a lady from Cross Village that was heading home. One of the spark plugs on her sled popped out and she could not get it started again. I checked the plugs and plug wires and gave it a pull. It did not want to start right away...but with a little coaxing it fired up and was ready to roll. I followed the sled until North Conway road and I took off ahead from there. I got way ahead and show down some side trails to get home. It was a beautiful night to ride for sure!

I am really glad the sales fell through on my sled. There is a guy that is still interested in it if I decide to sell it...but at this point I am pretty darn happy that I decided to keep it. Getting rid of it would have been pointless this year. Maybe next fall I can sell it and pay it off...but for now I am just going to enjoy all the winter that I can get. We are trying to put together a ride to the U.P. for a night. That would be a good time. I have never been up there on a sled. I have visions of super highway snowmobile trails. I am sure that my visions are a bit distorted...but that is what I dream of. :P Being able to open it wide and scoot along for a bit would be awesome.

Right now it is a beautiful sunny day outside. It is COLD but it is nice. I woke up to around 5 degrees this morning. I would guess we are nearing around 10-12 degrees...but that is a guess since I am too lazy to get up and look. ;) This week is supposed to warm up a bit...with a few very small chances for new snow. We might even see a bit of rain toward the end. Yikes! I better get outside!

Well, that is about it for now. I think I will probably be out for a ride later tonight...so I will try to get some additional pictures posted.

Goodmorning from Northern Michigan!

-Derek