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Post by emtp579 (Dan) on Mar 13, 2008 6:41:36 GMT -5
^ Norman - post up the conditions if you will. Should still be good, but I'd love to hear before I run up for my last ride on Sat.
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Post by nhuskys on Mar 13, 2008 8:15:45 GMT -5
^ Norman - post up the conditions if you will. Should still be good, but I'd love to hear before I run up for my last ride on Sat. Will do.
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Post by mthanehan on Mar 14, 2008 19:04:29 GMT -5
Winona Still in excellent shape. Rode there Thurs. Smooth trails and no SNIRT.
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Post by emtp579 (Dan) on Mar 14, 2008 20:12:53 GMT -5
Thanks, I'll enjoy them tomorrow. And SNIRT? What is that, I am drawing a blank.
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Post by mthanehan on Mar 14, 2008 20:57:26 GMT -5
haha sorry. SNOW+DIRT=SNIRT
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Post by emtp579 (Dan) on Mar 14, 2008 21:08:21 GMT -5
AHHHHHH, got it now. That is good, I am not a fan of what you say in English - oh, yeah, SNIRT hahah. I can't wait till morning!
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Post by nhuskys on Mar 14, 2008 22:01:04 GMT -5
Winona is in excellent shape today and when we pulled out at 7pm tonight it wasn't raining. Rode 90+ miles over to Monatgue Inn for lunch, up to Copenhagen, back down through Barnes Corners and back. Some plowed road sections were crappy(glad I didn't do my ski upgrade yet!), but all else was super. In the 6+ hours we were out the Beaver Creek Section of C5A(Little John over to Salmon River Road took a beating, comparing our ride out and back. One friend was having such a great time, we couldn't get him to leave. He stayed to keep riding into the night. Have a great ride tomorrow! Norman
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Post by emtp579 (Dan) on Mar 15, 2008 4:01:40 GMT -5
Thanks for the update. I still have not decided exactly where I am going to go yet except that I am going to start at Winona and go from there. Thanks for the update and I am glad you guys had a great day!
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Post by robBLACKCAT on Mar 15, 2008 20:55:37 GMT -5
Hope it was good for you Dan. Post some pics if you get some.
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Post by emtp579 (Dan) on Mar 16, 2008 7:38:19 GMT -5
I did about 150 miles (bringing my sled over 3000 miles - was about 1250 when I bought it). Trails started off good even though it was above freezing the night before. They were soft and took a beating as the day went on. I dropped at Little John - that was where I had my first exposure to tug hill. It is also very close to Winona. The paved roads were an absolute mess, so my plan was to ride for a while on the main hill trails then trailer the short distance (maybe 5 miles) to Winona. Well, I got a bit out of control and ended up riding 130 miles before I decided to trailer to Winona. When I got to Winona they were in great shape, but the fog was so thick I was afraid I was going to kill myself. The trails were very very rideable at high speeds, but the line of vision was about 30 MPH appropraite. So I ripped around for about a half hour and then went home. I got it out of my system but did not press my luck :-) Most of the trails were good, some were not. SNIRT starting to form on the lower elevations (that is my new word for the week haha). While I was up there I saw Gov. Spitzer and his entourage riding . . . not sure how he had time. I could not get my camera out quick enough, but I took a pic of where he turned. HAHAHA Here are 2 pics of the fog (in the first picture there is a sled about 100 yards away parked with its light on, in the second picture there is a trail warning sign for a sharp curve about 100 yards away (do you see either of them . . . .I don't think so!): All and all a fun day. Traffic was high. Lots of people riding alone too - more so than normal. I think I got my money's worth out of the sled this year.
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Post by rj on Mar 16, 2008 8:22:12 GMT -5
Can't see the other sled, but I can see the post that the sign is on, just not the sign.
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Post by nhuskys on Mar 16, 2008 12:48:00 GMT -5
Dan, I don't know the area that well, but where would you drop in Little John, that you would need to trailer back to Winona?
Friday was mostly sunny and quite warm. The snow was so slick, you had to be moderate with speed. It got better as the day went on though. I handed over my big map to my friend when he wanted to stay Friday night, so I can't tell you all the trails we were on, but most were very nice.
We dropped by the corner of Wart and Center Roads. Down Wart Rd to Hawley, across Bargy onto Tucker and then onto that sweet secondary trail that goes across County Rd 17 and then back into C5A. Then down to the Beaver Creek trail down to Little John Rd(which is always the most beat trail I see) and up Salmon River Rd and some bare pavement. The good news is that clubs are try to negotiate a real trail bypass for the worst section of this plowed road. Banked turns on this trail further north are a treat.
Lunch at the Montague in was very good and service was fast, though it was busy. but not packed. My buddy was dying to eat prime rib there all season, so it was a "Must Do". I'm happy with a Power Bar by the side of the trail, but a sit down lunch was nice.
I wanted to head south into Talbots Corners and do the South Shore Trail around Salmom Reservoir and back up to Winona as trail reports were good. Friend wanted to go up to the Gorge, but wasn't too sure where it was. We headed north to Copenhagen through the windmill farms, very impressive. Nice mix of fields and some short woods sections for a little fun.
We got to Copenhagen and stopped for gas. Too much bare pavement to negotiate around the towns. It was getting too late to find the Gorge, so needed to head south and west to Barnes Corners, but the map wasn't very clear on where C5 went. It was actually quite a bit more north to start going the way we wanted than the map indicated. More bare pavement at Barnes Corners.
Split off at a C5/C5A junction for Montague, so friend could head back east to keep riding for the evening and we headed south back towards Winona the way we came up. 90+ miles(94 by my odo). I would have liked to had made at least 100 miles, but my buddies are smokers, so the multiple map checks, as we were in some unfamiliar territory, turned into ciggy breaks.
A great ride, with great guys, on a great day. I may squeak one more ride in Winona next Friday. Norman
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Post by emtp579 (Dan) on Mar 16, 2008 18:33:56 GMT -5
Technically I could have ridden there, but the roads were really barren. I dropped at the dead end of little john road. I decided that rather than fight the bumps and barren roads I'd just drive over. It saved some time and perhaps a few mm on my scags. They took a beating yesterday!
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Post by MLV on Mar 17, 2008 8:44:41 GMT -5
Greetings everyone! My first post here. Wanted to send out a HUGE thanks to nhusky-Norm and John for a GREAT ride on Friday at Winoa Forest! It's been a long time since I've been sledding on the Hill and the trails were great and smooth. Later! Mike PS: How do I post pics?
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Post by robBLACKCAT on Mar 17, 2008 9:41:14 GMT -5
Greetings everyone! My first post here. Wanted to send out a HUGE thanks to nhusky-Norm and John for a GREAT ride on Friday at Winoa Forest! It's been a long time since I've been sledding on the Hill and the trails were great and smooth. Later! Mike PS: How do I post pics? Welcome Mike, Thanks for joining up! To post pics I use and recommend to use www.photobucket.comOpen an account (FREE) and use the upload tools to upload your pics to your account. After they are uploaded, each individual pic has links under them. Copy and paste the IMG link to your posting and it will come up. Just be careful of the size of the pic. You can adjust it when you upload to whatever size you want. Just check it out and you will know what I am talking about. Very Easy!!
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