Current Trail Conditions 01-09-05

[Snow VP]

2?+2?+1?= some progress
We did get some snow over the weekend, not a lot each night, but 5-6 total was some help. Some of the thin spots are improving, and the overall base has a little more on it than before. The groomer has run all weekend, and is scheduled to run for the next 3 days. (FYI we groomed over 850 miles total in December)

It has been cold over the last 5 days, except Sunday afternoon, and that has firmed things up quite well. This Tuesday and Wednesday things are supposed to warm up into the mid 30s again. A decision about the poker run will be made on Tuesday or Wednesday, due to that warm-up.

Overall the trails are smooth and ride-able, but quite thin, less than ideal but great condition for the conditions we have been going through. The second groomer will have its computer fixed and begin runs toward the end of the week.

If you rode over the weekend, please chime in and let us know about how things were!

[Snow VP]

I received this E-mail over the weekend, and thought that I would share it with you:

" I Would like to tell who was grooming Friday night on railroad trail by
Trout Lake That he was doing a real good job It was as flat as a super
highway and all the to Brevort was super . I was up there last year and
the trails were all humps and hollows after the groomer had went through
Keep up the good work. Another thing that new Johndeere groomer has the brightest lights I ever saw. Thanks For Super Trails. "

Thanks for the adda-boy, the guys are working hard to keep things up. That particular trail was a major problem in the past. In the summer the trail actually had 2'-3' moguls of gravel on the trail! Very difficult to keep that smooth when the base was already moguls. That was a portion of our grading project last fall, and should help out the situation quite a bit.

As for the lights... you are not kidding. We got the "field vision" option on the tractors, and with everything turned on, and in the high beam setting, they reach out about 1/2 mile! The drivers rally like that though, they say it is reducing operator fatigue some at night, and remember night is the best time to groom. Glad you enjoyed the trail!

[Snow VP]

Here is 1 more report that I snagged from another website:

" Just got back from riding this weekend . Trail out of Trout Lake south to Cut River and St. Ignas were groomed, smooth and good to ride. St Ignace is doing a great job grooming. They come into town every day! Rode the Trout Lake to Stongs trail on Sunday morning - it to was smooth and nice to ride. Another fun weekend in Trout Lake. "

While is is not true that we groom into Trout Lake everyday it is a major connector for us, that gets a lot of attention (even in years past when it could get destroyed in a matter of hours) Only running 1 machine so far this season, it is getting hit on average 4 or 5 times a week. The second machine will be on the trail soon :)
FYI - the Trout Lake Stub is scheduled and will be groomed 6 times a week.

[SPEED RACER]

Its great to here all the positive feedback from everyone, especially during a lull like were seeing. Glad you all are having fun.

Anyway i am geared up and my sled has been geared down. Can't wait to get up to the U.P. this weekend.

So far its only my wife Robin and I going. We will be staying in Newberry at a friends place. Best part is its a 3-day weekend.

Keep up the great work everyone.

[conniver04]

Well we were there this weekend and the conditions were pretty good. We trailered to the hockey arena and rode to Trout Lake. The trail all the way there was smooth as silk. Right when you get into Trout Lake is was dirty and bumpy but thats just the last 1/4 mile if that. From there we headed over to Rexton. That 3 mile stretch of trail through the swamp was horrible. At one spot the swamp is open on one side of the trail so I assume thats why its so bad as the groomer can't get through there till it freezes all the way but it is rideable with snow on it. We were going to head to Newberry but ran into some guys in Rexton that said the trail was not that great and the Sheriff was on the trail giving everyone a hard time coming into town. I'm too assume that was because of the stolen sled report from last weekend but I can't say for sure as we didn't end up going that way. I'm not trying to start a rumor about the whole thing just reporting what these 2 guys were telling everyone in Rexton.

Well from there we headed to the cut river inn and the trails were great. Smooth and a decent base. We then headed to Moran and the trails were the same very smooth. overall I would say they were in good shape but alot of that is due to not alot of people up riding. I think if they had alot of sleds on them they would be tore up in no time. I mean we stay right in St. Ignace and I don't think I saw 5 trailers at the local hotels. Well till next weekend(I hope).

[lov2sled]

Any local motel recommedation? Clean & reasonable?

[Snow VP]

Well I talked to Groomer Dave a few hours ago, and Groomer Nick just came in, here is the skinny:

Same old song and dance - things are still thin, but now they are improving a bit. Base is now 3" ice, and 3-4" of snow, and smooth everywhere. In the last 30 hours, the entire system has been groomed, except the cut river stub. The thin areas on the RR grade have improved. Still a couple of thin spots on the pipeline, you can easily get around them.

A bit of clarification, there is a bad area right up by Trout Lake, that we are having trouble grooming. About 200 yards long, by the bridge in town. A cable company tore it all up this fall, and did not fix it. MDOT owns it, so we could not grade it without a permit, looks like you are going to have to tough it out through that area, until you make it to the old RR grade just south of town.

:censored: NEW HAZARD: on the Caffey Truck Trail, all the way up by Rexton, next to the roadway. This is the only wet spot on our trail, this is where the big Cat got stuck last year (it took a big bulldozer to get her out) Well Groomer Dave broke through last night, got the Deere stuck. Luckily he got it out under it own power, but we will be bypassing this stretch until it get really, really cold. Don't worry, it is only 100 yards long, and you can easily go around it, just follow the groomer tracks. We may re-route the trail around this hole, as it seems like it never freezes good. I don't know I will check the red-tape!

:help_wsig PLEASE HELP: Tire ruts on the push-pull road (just as you leave the RR Grade) toward Cedarville again. If you catch someone on the trail with a truck, please please take the time to get a license #, and description. (you can get me the info, I will take it from there) I am ticked, and it is time to prosecute. They tore up a fine trail over the weekend, and the groomer almost went into the ditch/trees trying to cover up their ruts. It is January, they have no business on the trail, period.

Happy trails, and the groomers appreciate your good (and bad) comments.

[Wink]

Any local motel recommedation? Clean & reasonable?

We always stay at the Wayside Motel. Mike and Linda always treated us great. They sold it and I talked to the new owners and they seem pretty OK too. You have to ride about 3 or 4 blocks of streets to get to the trail but it's not too bad. The rooms are clean and the price is great. I don't have the phone number here with me, it's at work, but you can get it from information. And it's only a 3 block walk to the Drift Wood. Great food and a nice sports bar. Bob and Tim are two great bartenders even if they are brothers. We'll be at the Wayside this weekend.

[conniver04]

Neil, Tell Groomer Dave, Nick and who ever else is helping out they are doing a great job getting them in that good of shape with what mother nature has give them to work with. Keep up the great work and know that it very much appreciated.:cool2:

[stanjones]

"we Always Appreciate The Hard Work The Groomers Do In The Straits Club.......when they Can Groom The Trails are Always great! But Shhh! Lets Not Tell Everyone And Their Brother Or They Won't Stay Beautiful For Long! P.s. Where Are The Groomers Stationed At? One Of The Groomers Last Year Was Parked Kitty Corner From Our Place And We Have Yet To See It Parked There This Year. Have Fun And Ride Safe!

[Snow VP]

Stan,
Groomers are no longer stationed, they just run 24x7! :eek:





Seriously, they will be at the same locations as last year, one in St. Ignace, the other on Ozark road in Brevort. We just have not have a machine ready for Brevort yet. There will be one there by the end of the week. Scheduled runs for both machines wil begin very soon. Right now the entire system is being covered from St. Ignace.

[andie245]

2 Questions:

Is the "Deer Feed" the same as the Cat & Dog?

And

How do I change my status from "junior rider"?...I may be a new rider, but junior makes me sound YOUNG!

Let me know! Thanks!

[Snow VP]

The Cat & dogs stop was named for our cat groomer, and hot dogs available to eat. We decided to change the name of the trail stop because we no longer have the cat groomer, as we replaced it with 2 John Deere Machines. After a couple of suggestions, it was decided that because some people will give donations, and well there is still food available, that the new trail stop would be named the Deere Feed stop. (But we are always open to suggestions for a re-name!)

As for your user title, that is a ranking that is setup on the message board. Your ranking will change with the total number of posts you have on the board. It is something that you have to setup when installing the board. I did it late one night, and have not gotten around to changing it since. You are a junior rider, until you have 5 posts, then you are upgraded to Fan Cooled, at 25 posts you are upgraded to liquid cooled, and at 50, you become a trail master. If some people would like to discuss new user titles, I would be very open to suggestions, I just had a lot to do when installing the board, and that was quite far down the list. If you guys have some better ideas, lets get a thread going on the general discussion portion of the board.

[andie245]

Thank you soo much for the timely clarifications. They both make complete sense now!! I have updated my fellow trolls who plan to be there this weekend, so we will be sure not to mis-speak our plans to visit the trail stop!

I do want to thank you for all your work on the website! And I thank the groomers, too. See ya!