Posts Tagged ‘WI’

Snowmobile Trail Conditions Winchester, WI Presque Isle, WI Marinesco, MI Bergland, MI

Saturday, December 27th, 2008

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

Snowmobile Trail Conditions Winchester, WI Presque Isle, WI Marinesco, MI Watersmeet, MI

Friday, December 26th, 2008

We set out for a short ride to break in my brother (he lives in Florida). We took trail 6 East to Presque Isle then trail 1 North towards Marinesco. Both of these trails were in good shape with a few bumps in different areas. Once we got on the Michigan trails they smoothed out a bunch and we were able to cruise along pretty good. We hooked up with trail 2 East and it was perfect! After hitting local trail 13 south we made our way to Rogers bar. If you are out riding and want a pizza or something to drink I’d highly recommend checking out Rogers bar (http://www.rogersbar.net). Sue and Greg are both great hosts and will take good care of you.
After a drink we headed back the same way we came. This time it was misting and it made for some bad visibility in our helmets. We had to stop every couple miles and clean of our shields. I shot a few videos but most didn’t turn out due to the mist. Here is an example of one of them:

It is supposed to get warmer tonight and be above freezing most of tomorrow. 🙁 Then on Sunday it’s supposed to get cold again! 🙂

Overall Trail Rating: 9 out of 10
Distance: 88
Previous: 195
Season Total: 283

Snowmobile Trail Conditions Wakefield, MI Marinesco, MI

Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008

We left Winchester, WI this morning and took trail 6 West around Birch Lake and hooked up with trail 11 North. Trail 6 was in great shape and so was trail 11 until we got into the woods. It was pretty obvious that once we were in the woods, the groomer hadn’t been in there. This area is known to be wet until a little later in the season. Trail 11 was also rerouted from last year, so be careful if you think you know this trail. We ended up making a wrong turn and got to stare a locked gate in the face. The snow was pretty deep and we had a rough time getting our sleds out of there. We found the trail again and were on our way. I’d estimate 18-22 miles of bouncing around through the woods. There was also some logging on this trail, which probably explains the reroute. Once we got out of the woods the groomer had done an awesome job! The trail was flat as could be and plenty of fresh powder on top! We got to trail 8 and headed West to Bingos bar and motel. After pizza and a drink we rode into Wakefield to get gas. We fueled up and then headed East on trail 8 then South on trail 11 then East on trail 2. This is where we hit the best trail of the day! It is an old rail road right of way that is flat and long! We cruised this trail all the way into Marenisco and shot some videos along the way.

If you are thinking about coming up, maybe this video will convince you!

Overall Trail Rating: 9 out of 10
Distance: 91
Previous: 104
Season Total: 195

Snowmobile Trail Conditions Winchester, WI Presque Isle, WI Marenisco, MI Bergland, MI Rockland, MI Bruce Crossing, MI Watersmeet, MI

Saturday, February 23rd, 2008

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

Snowmobile Trail Conditions Winchester, WI Presque Isle, WI Boulder Jct., WI

Friday, February 22nd, 2008

Today was just a quick ride to breakfast, then a short ways down trail 6 East towards Boulder Junction and then back. The trails were in decent shape, but the corners were starting to get icy. There was a good bit of traffic today and the trails were starting to show it. We took 6 East from Winchester to Presque Isle and ate breakfast at the Outpost cafe. After breakfast we continued East on trail 6 for another 20 miles before we turned around and took the same route home.

Overall Trail Rating: 8 out of 10
Distance: 48
Previous: 1,648
Season Total: 1,696

Snowmobile Trail Conditions Winchester, WI Presque Isle, WI Boulder Jct., WI Sayner, WI Land O Lakes, WI Watersmeet, MI Marenisco, MI

Saturday, February 16th, 2008

After yesterdays long ride, we took it easy today. We started off by going to Sayner, WI “The Birthplace of the Snowmobile”. We took trail 6 East through Winchester and Presque Isle and hooked up with trail 15 South through Boulder Junction.

The trails were good until we got through Boulder Junction. This was a holiday weekend and there was TONS of traffic in that area. The trails were decent, but not as good as what we had yesterday. After arriving in Sayner, we noticed the snowmobile exhibit was closed, so we just peeked through the window. We then ate lunch at the Sayner pub. After lunch we rode across Plum lake, taking the same path news anchor Randy Salerno and Scott Hirshey took prior to their very publicized crash. After crossing the lake we continued on trail 11 North to trail 7 and then hooked up with trail 6 East again. We ended up at Bents Camp and noticed they were having a radar run. It looked like a lot of fun, so we decided to stop and check it out. After 1/2 hour of watching the sleds run, we headed across the Cisco chain and hooked up with trail 13 North and stopped in to Rogers Bar.

After a couple sodas, we took trail 13 North to trail 2 West and made our way for home.

Overall Trail Rating: 8 out of 10
Distance: 120
Previous: 1,528
Season Total: 1,648

Snowmobile Trail Conditions Winchester, WI Presque Isle, WI Bergland, MI Rockland, MI South Range, MI Twin Lakes, MI Houghton, MI Copper Harbor, MI

Friday, February 15th, 2008

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

Snowmobile Trail Conditions Sayner, WI, Boulder Jct., WI Conover, WI Phelps, WI Star Lake, WI Land O Lakes, WI Watersmeet, MI

Tuesday, February 5th, 2008

Today we decided to head South and try out some of the Wisconsin trails. We headed West on trail 6 towards Boulder Junction and then went South.

These trails were in good shape, but the corners were a bit icy.

After arriving in Boulder Junction, we got gas and made our way towards Sayner. As we left Boulder Junction, the trails were pretty dirty and on the choppy side. There was TON of traffic in the area and that would explain the bumps. We ate a few pizzas for lunch at the Sayner pub and then went East across Plum lake.

That trail took us into Conover where we gassed up again. We continued East until we got to Phelps.

After riding through Phelps we headed for the Gateway Lodge in Land O Lakes. One of the sleds was having a bogie wheel problem so we dropped it off at the Lodge and went out on another ride. This ride took us down trail 6 West again to Bents Camp. We went across the Cisco Chain and then to Rogers bar. After a soda there, we got on trail 2 East to Watersmeet and then trail 3 South to Land O lakes. Overall the trails were in very good condition. I haven’t seen the Wisconsin trails this good in 4-5 seasons!

Overall Trail Rating: 9 out of 10
Distance: 165
Previous: 706
Season Total: 871

Snowmobile Trail Conditions Winchester, WI Presque Isle, WI Marinesco, MI Watersmeet, MI Land O Lakes, WI

Friday, January 18th, 2008

Today we did the exact same trip as the last trip, except in reverse order. My buddy and his girlfriend are visiting and today was her first day on a snowmobile. We decided to take the easy way out and the more challenging way back to give her some time to adjust to the sled.

Playing around on the lake

(part 1) Trail 6 East from Winchester Wisconsin to Presque Isle Wisconsin

(part 2) Trail 6 East from Winchester Wisconsin to Presque Isle Wisconsin

On our way through Presque Isle, we stopped off at the Outpost Cafe and grabbed some brunch. After brunch we took trail 1 North to trail 2 East.

Trail 1 North Presque Isle, WI to Marinesco, MI

(part 2) Trail 1 North Presque Isle, WI to Marinesco, MI

Trail 2 East Marinesco, MI to Watersmeet, MI

It was pretty cold out today, the high was 4 degrees (without the wind chill). Trail 1 was in excellent shape and trail 2 was in PERFECT shape (not a bump to be found!). About 1/2 way down trail 2, we were all a little cold so we decided to make a stop at Rogers bar to warm up. After a soda and some popcorn we were back on our way to Bents Camp.

Trail 13 South From trail 2 to Rogers Bar

Normally on this trip, 1 tank of gas is plenty, but we decided to stop at the Cisco bar and get a few extra gallons to be on the safe side, especially since it was so cold today. FYI…gas at the Cisco bar is $4.50 per gallon for 93 octane. If you can avoid paying those ridiculous prices and get gas elsewhere, that will help out your wallet! So we made our way across the Cisco chain and rolled into Bents Camp. Tonight was fish fry Friday. The broiled Walleye was excellent (as usual). I’ve eaten here several times and I can honestly say I’ve never had a bad meal here. After dinner and warming up by the fire, we headed South out of Bents Camp to trail 6 West. This trail was once again thin on snow from what appears to be snow plowing for automobile traffic. This trail is pretty hard on your carbides and slides as well. The trail really didn’t improve until we got closer to the Boulder Junction trail system. The further West we went, the deeper the snow got and the smoother the trails were. We did cross paths with the Presque Isle, WI Sno Bunnie groomer. After that, the trail was perfect all the way back home.

I apologize for all of the videos! Somehow the camera got tilted so it looks like I’m riding sideways!

Overall Trail Rating: 9.5 out of 10
Distance: 88
Previous: 454
Season Total: 542

Snowmobile Trail Conditions Winchester, WI Presque Isle, WI Marinesco, MI

Sunday, January 6th, 2008

Today was just a quick ride for lunch and then back to the house. The temp today was 40+ and it took a toll on the trails. Any spots with direct sunlight were burned down to the dirt which created a ton of “snirt” (snow/dirt) everywhere. We rode 6 East to trail 1 North to Marinesco and ate lunch at Bam Bam’s. Then we turned around and took the same route back. As the day went on the trails got sloppier and more bare. Hopefully it won’t get as warm tomorrow and we’ll get some snow later in the week!

Overall Trail Rating: 5 out of 10
Distance: 44
Previous: 213
Season Total: 257