And one more thing... I think we need those crazy warning lights on our sleds. I would guess the majority of the sleds we saw on Friday had them. I was getting pissed because nobody seemed to be using hand signals then light dawned over...
x2 on the soreness factor, my quads are still sore today. Just to be clear (and I'm one of those riders who is happy to not hit a bump all day) I thought the trails were awesome. Greatly exceeded my expectations for the day. The 15-20 miles of junk were a minor annoyance compared to the 155 miles of what i thought were close to Quebec standards.
Random thoughts: -Why do idiots always drive old ZRT's?? (almost got taken out by an out of control ZRT, and later a REV was completely sideways in front of me before the driver was able to snap it back. -having range is awesome when the in town trails (to gas are crap). The only mistake I made was not carrying my small reserve tank. My range is about 160 miles (based on those conditions) and while it wasn't a big deal, topping off out on the good trails would have been that much better - #3's sled makes you smile when you ride it. Love the engine, ergonomics, and the seat. Didn't love the wind protection and he's running a little more carbide than I would choose but what a great ride - Would love to sneak one more ride in!!!!!!
I believe we caught the last great day to ride northern NH on friday. I never have seen so many trucks and trailers parked at Nash Stream. We saw even more on their way up north that evening. Even when 13 had to stop for gas, at least five trailers passed the gas station heading North fully loaded. That being said, on the trail, we never got passed. We did see more sleds than I usually see in a year. Fortunately they were going the other way. Most of the were moving pretty good. Mid week riding is the best.
We were on the trail by 8 or 8:30. We headed straight across the first dirt road and picked up 119. This was an excellent choice. It and trail 28 might be the best trail combination up there. They offer a little over everything. The morning was cold so the trail was for the most part frozen slush. It was hard, twisty and fast. It had been groomed the day before so it was not too beat up. The views were excellent. In fact, we saw a large moose on the trail with in the first 10 miles. This looped around to the north and back to corridor 5, 28 miles. Here we wondered where everyone else was? North on 5 to Dicksville peak. There must have been 30 sleds up in this winter wonderland. The trees were covered in 8.5 inches of snow. The snow conditions had gone from frozen slush to ample snow to logging frozen dirt roads to deep snow. The higher up the mountains we went, the better it got. We also rode a section of whoops that would had 5 wondering how they were made? Down the mountain and past the Balsams heading north east. We met a group of guys at a junction that just rode in on a trail that came from the east. I do not remember the number. They said it was excellent and advised us to stay away from Pittsburgh gas. "Very rough, mud and rocks all they way in." They also mentioned a log cabin style resturant that served a good lunch. Say no more. Off we went. These trails were very good as well and the hamburger was not too bad. 75 miles by 11:30 well done. The service was not great. The crabby lady wanted to charge us $6 for a map that was of no use to us on this trip. She was angry that I handle it. This would make an excellent Saturday Night Live skit. Back on the trail to find C5 and then gas for 13 in the waterski town of Kidderville. Down the hill and the condition deteriorated quickly. Lots of mud crossing and many of the corners were getting thin and brown. I realized the bumps were beating me up and tried to find a map for an alternate route back. No luck. We returned the way we came. The frozen mud sections we passed over on the way up were now wet and the bumps grew taller going down hill any ways. We skipped back onto 28 and tore it up. 13 was so turn around, he did not realize we had been on this trail earlier. It was still pretty good.
On the way up, I got to ride 13's sled on this section. It reminded me of riding a four wheeler. Same ergonomics. It had a very strange sensation of speed. Everything felt to be in slow motion. It lacked the snap in the throttle that I personally enjoy. The rider is so well protected, it sure is a warm smooth ride.
Back at the trucks we decide to do the 5 to 5A loop. This was still fast and for the most part smooth. 5 was getting slushy and slippery. 5A was still in excellent condition. The new parking lot and the fact that Colebrook proper has no show probably keeps everyone on 5. We could have zipped up and down that all day and had a good time. Back to the trucks 3 or 3:30? 175 miles.
Overall this was an excellent trip. Sure the conditions could have been better. But we didn't complain. It brought back memories of the old days. You remember don't you? Remember the early days of riding before we became spoiled and our expectations became unreachable. Friday we rode through just about every sunny day trail condition this strange year could throw at us. It was interesting.
Thanks to 13 for pulling me up there. Anyone want to go this week?
