Today was the first day of our club trip. We headed North out of Land O Lakes WI up trail 3 to Watersmeet, MI.
The trail was in perfect condition, we couldn’t ask for anything better! We got on trail 2 East and then got back on 3 North. After we hit trail 107 we took that to Kenton. This trail was beat up a little bit, but still probably a 7. We arrived in Kenton and grabbed some food at U.P. Chucks. After lunch we took trail 8 West to Bergland and stopped at the Polaris dealer. One of the club members had some work done and then we got back on trail 8 East to trail 13 North. We arrived in Rockland and got food at Henrys Never Inn. Trail 13 was in great shape (it can get pretty beat sometimes). We left there and hooked up with trail 3 South.
After getting gas in Bruce Crossing we made our way towards Watersmeet. Trail 3 was in great shape also. For the entire day, we might have hit 15 miles of bumps, other than that the trails were unreal!
Overall Trail Rating: 10 out of 10
Distance: 174
Previous: 981
Season Total: 1,155
We set our alarm for 6:30am and were on the sleds by 7. After arriving at the only gas station in town, we realized they didn’t open until 9am! Unfortunately we had already locked our room and left the keys inside. It had to be around 0 degrees and it was extremely windy. Luckily we were able to wait in the foyer of another building next door to stay warm. At 8am the Tamarack restaurant opened, so we went there to get some breakfast. As luck would have it, the gas station owner came to this same restaurant each morning to get some coffee. He was a nice guy and opened the gas station 30 minutes early for us. This all worked in our favor, but we just didn’t know it yet. While we were waiting for the gas station to open, the groomer was headed towards us. By the time we got gas and headed out of town, the groomer had the entire trail in perfect condition! We cruised up Brockway Mountain without hitting a single bump!
After heading West on trail 3 from Brockway Mountain, we rode the first 40 miles of trails without seeing another sled!
Even after we saw some other sleds, the trails were in excellent shape. We stopped in Lake Linden for breakfast and then headed for home. The entire way home, I think we might have hit 2 bumps. Unfortunately when we left Rockland on trail 13 we came across an accident. The guy was pretty shook up (he hit a tree) but he seemed like he would be ok. After helping them get back to Henry’s Never Inn, we headed for Bergland. Trail 13 was in great shape the whole way to Bergland. After getting on lake Gogebic we rode to the Lake Gogebic Lodge and then rode into Marenisco to get gas. We then headed south on Trail 1 into Presque Isle and then trail 6 West to Winchester. This was by far my best ride to Copper Harbor ever. One of the best things was I got to do it with my Dad!
Overall Trail Rating: 10 out of 10
Distance: 188
Previous: 688
Season Total: 876
Today was the start of a much longer ride. We left around 10am for Copper Harbor and both agreed to take our time getting up there since we had a room for the night. After pulling out of the yard, one of the sleds had some fouled plugs, so we changed those and were on our way. Trail 6 East into Presque Isle was in great shape and so was trail 1 North to Marenisco. (I’ll bet there were maybe 5 or 6 sleds on these trails before us since they were last groomed) After getting gas at the Marenisco mini mart, we made our way up trail 1 to Fishtales pub n grub. If you are ever in the Lake Gogebic area, this is a must stop! They have Walleye and Eggs for breakfast. Yea, I know it might sound a little odd to some people, but once you have it, you’ll be “hooked”! After our great breakfast we rode Lake Gogebic into Bergland and hooked up with trail 13 North towards Rockland.
The first half of trail 13 from Bergland to Rockland was in excellent shape! Then we switched to another trail system on the second 1/2 and it got very bumpy. This section is pretty narrow and tends to get rutted up pretty quick and it definitely was today! Once we passed Rockland and got on trail 3 North, things got a lot better! From this point on, we rode nothing less than “9″ to “10″ rated trails! We stopped at Parkview in Twin Lakes for a drink and then gassed up at the BP. Then we cruised in to Houghton!
After making our way across the bridge we continued on trail 3 towards Copper Harbor. Along the way we decided to take another route up through Eagle River (Michigan) then over through Eagle Harbor. We stopped at the Eagle Harbor Inn for a drink and then finished our route into Copper Harbor. We arrived at the Mariner around 8pm and checked in. After unloading our stuff in the room, we hit the restaurant for some great food and fun.
Overall Trail Rating: 9 out of 10
Distance: 195
Previous: 493
Season Total: 688
We headed out of Winchester around noon and made our way towards Bergland. It ended up snowing another 2-4 inches yesterday, so that helped to fill in the holes created by the thaw on Saturday. Trail 6 East was in better shape and trail 1 North was in great shape. We got gas in Marenisco and then headed for the Lake Gogebic Lodge. A few days ago the lake was very slushy, so we were reluctant to ride the lake, but it was in fair condition. The main problem was hitting the ice chunks that were slush and then refroze. After arriving in Bergland we hung out for a bit and then jumped back on the lake. This time we rode to Fishtales and got off there. The lake had decent snow close to shore most of the way to Fishtales, once you got South of there, it was pretty bare.
Overall Trail Rating: 9 out of 10
Distance: 101
Previous: 392
Season Total: 493
We made a trip to Bergland today. Trail 6 East was pretty beat up as well as trail 1 North out of Marenisco.
The closer we got to Bergland, the better trail 1 got. Unfortunately the temperature got up to 40 degrees and melted the trails down pretty hard.
We stopped in to Hoop N Holler for some food and a drink. Then we headed back down trail 1 to Marenisco. We decided not to run Lake Gogebic on the way back because it was a soupy mess.
They are calling for more snow tonight, hopefully we will get some!
Overall Trail Rating: 6 out of 10
Distance: 109
Previous: 283
Season Total: 392
Today was our first ride of the 2008-2009 season. The trails were spectacular! I’ve never seen the trails this good, this early in the season. We added a snow gauge to the web site this year and it’s showing 14+ inches: http://www.snowsnakes.com/webcam-northwoods.php
We rode from Winchester, WI to Presque Isle, WI….got gas and bought trail stickers for Michigan ($25/ea this year). Then we headed north up trail 1 through Marenisco towards Lake Gogebic. The trails were flat as could be and we only saw a handful of sleds. We jumped on Lake Gogebic and headed for Bergland. The lake was in good shape with a few fishermen in their ice shacks. There were a few slushy spots that had re froze, other than that it was full of fluffy powder. After arriving in Bergland we gassed up and got lunch at Antonios. We heard a rumor that the trail into Bergland was closed, but this turned out to be false. It was closed earlier this month, but it is business as usual now. After lunch we decided to take the trail back instead of running the lake. This was a great choice!
We got behind the groomer and rode a perfect trail for 20-30 miles! Once we passed the groomer, the trail was still in great shape! We rode through Marenisco and then made our way South to Presque Isle, WI.
If this ride is any indication of how this season will end up, it should be one of the best ever!
Overall Trail Rating: 10 out of 10
Distance: 104
Previous: 0
Season Total: 104
Today had to be one of the nicest riding days I’ve had in a while. The temperature was right around 28 degrees all day and the sun was out too! My Dad and I left the house around 9am on our way to Fish Tales pub and grub for our standard walleye breakfast. We took trail 6 East into Presque Isle and then trail 1 North through Marenisco. Both trail 6 and trail 1 were in excellent shape! They were freshly groomed and we were maybe the 5th or 6th sleds on them. After breakfast (The food was great as usual!) we made our way into Bergland to gas up. We then took trail 8 East to trail 13 North. Both of these trails were in excellent shape as well.
There were a few small bumps on our way out of town, but overall very good! The closer we got to Rockland (A.K.A. Roughland) the trail got a lot more choppy. The last 15 miles into town were just plain ROUGH! We stopped in town at Henry’s Never Inn and had a soda. After that last 15 miles of trail we decided to take a different way back. That meant we’d take trail 3 South from Rockland. Trail 3 was in unbelievably great shape! I think we hit 1, maybe 2 bumps the entire ride. We hooked up with trail 8 East into Bruce Crossing and gassed up again. Then we took trail 8 East out of Bruce Crossing to trail 3 South again and made our way to Da Flowage Pub N Grub. We grabbed another soda there and relaxed a bit.
We hit the trail again and continued South on trail 3 until we hit trail 2 West. We took that into Watersmeet and gassed up. After leaving Watersmeet we took trail 2 West to trail 13 South and made a stop at Rogers Bar. Trail 2 was in decent shape with a few bumps on the bridges, but that was about it. After a pizza and soda at Rogers bar, we headed for home and took trail 2 West to trail 1 South into Presque Isle.
Trail 1 South had just been groomed, but thanks to some “Blair Morgan wanna-bee’s” that like to burn the snow off of every corner, it was already pretty well chewed up. We ran into these “wanna-bee’s” after they had run off the trail and got stuck out in the deep snow (serves them right!). Trail 6 West had also been freshly groomed, but since the “wanna-bee’s” were stuck in the snow, the trail was still in pretty good shape!
Overall Trail Rating: 9.5 out of 10
Distance: 191
Previous: 1,696
Season Total: 1,887
Today was quite a long trip. We left the house at 8am and didn’t make it back until 10pm. Our destination was Copper Harbor, MI. When we hit the trails, we were very happy to see them perfectly groomed! The entire way to Copper Harbor, I think we might have hit 2 bumps. It was just unreal! We rode trail 1 North to trail 13 East to trail 3 East and made fuel stops in Bergland, Twin Lakes, Houghton and Copper Harbor.
After arriving in Copper Harbor, we grabbed a quick bite to eat at the Mariner and then started our journey back. The first 20 miles on the way back were still in great shape. Once we got closer to Houghton, things started to get a bit choppy. We gassed up there and headed for Twin Lakes. The closer we got to Park View, the rougher the trails got. It was simply a product of lots of traffic in that area. After we got past Park View, everything seemed to smooth out again and it was smooth sailing. It was pretty cold out today, right around -10 and probably -20 to -30 with the wind chill. On the way back, we both got so cold, we made a stop at the Gogebic Lodge to warm up for a bit. Once we hit the trail again, we crossed paths with the groomer and rode perfect trails all the way back to the house!
Overall Trail Rating: 9.5 out of 10
Distance: 363
Previous: 1,165
Season Total: 1,528
