Wyman Pond Racing

Yet another year the spring ride weather could not have been better.  It is true that the past two years the spring ride has been on the vernal equinox (first day of spring around 3/20).  But this year it didn't appear the snow/trail conditions would hold up until then so we made a go of it early.  And with the impression that there would not be a lot of miles available, we decided to keep the driving down and stay on home turf.  So we went to the largest area of state/public land made a available for snowmobiling in the Cwommonwealth.

To hush the [jealous] ball busters (even though the pairing of #'s 5 and 1776 is a built in human rain delay) we rolled out of the drive at 8:06am, as soon as the kinder boarded the big yellow public school transport system vehicle. 1776 had even fueled up sleds and tow vehicle the night before - but still needed to stop for a cup of liquid wake-up before setting out.  This, of course, is an acceptable stop morning of b/c many members prefer this morning ritualistic beverage.  I am glad I am not addicted to any chemical substance.

With a spirited conversation and dry roads, we made quick time of the short ride to N. Adams via State Hwy. 2 via Florida and the hairpin turn at the western edge of the state.  We stopped at a shop to pick up our bag lunch and some super-duper turbo-charged vitamin-injected (akai-blueberry-pomegranite flavored) H2O refreshment.  1776 had done his homework and we simply made one left turn and were on our way to the trailhead.  We arrived in the parking lot at the same moment as a elderly gentlemen and as we unloaded and fired up the machines he was donning a pair of snowshoes.  This guy must have absolutely hated motorized recreational vehicles at this point b/c he came out for a pleasant quiet spring walk and was suffocated by the stink and coccophony of two-stroke exhaust.  Sorry sir.

We both broke into a sweat before even finished getting dressed.  A quick communicator check.  Load the lunches and maps.  And we're off.  Now, I know we all know that friggin awesome feeling when you first jump on the machine and squeeze the paddle.  And this day was just a little bit sweeter with brilliant sunshine and a freshly groomed empty trail full of snow stretched out in front of us.  Picture the WaWa mtn road, except wider, with sweeping turns and elevation gains that kept you in the throttle the whole time.  Up, up and more up we went, with breathtaking vistas around every corner.  I was giggling in my helmet.  1776 led.  The plan was to get to the summit first thing.  The snow had a distinctly spring feel to it.  It was a funny combination of chunky-frozen and sno-cone soft depending on whether it was in the direct sunshine or in the shade.  With 1,000 foot drop offs just to our right (and the snow piled high above the guard rails) pushing front-ends and throttle application needed to be watched very carefully.

As we came close to the summit we saw skiers, with downhill skis and a snowboard, on the side of the trail.  I had to stop.  These guys had hiked up and were skiing down the mtn.  How cool!  We chatted a bit with them.  There is an historic race down what is called the Thunderbolt that has taken place at Greylock for nearly a hundred years.  That is very cool.  Off they went shusshing down the mountain out of sight.  So to the top we went.

We rounded the (guessing) 200' high granite and glass tower erected I believe in the 30's for the Verterans of War from Massachusetts.  Did you know Greylock State Reservation was the first state park established in the commonwealth?  The views from the 3,491' peak could not be beat.  We could see mounts Wachusett (MA), Monadnock (NH), Stratton (VT), Snow (VT) and the Catskills (NY).  There were two guys from CT up there as well.  They gave us a few places in the park where they knew the snow was good.  So snap some photos and let's go.

Coming down we ventured off onto some of the secondary trails which were in suprisingly good shape.  Some groomed, some not.  We were following our progress more closely as our elevation dropped.  Lower and lower we went, the snow was getting thin.  Now we were outside the "official" park perimeter just trying to make a loop.  We ended up on solid ground with only patches of snow.  Dead-ended at a road but with a snowmobile Corridor marker (90) urging us forward.  We agreed there was not enough snow to continue and that the trail we were looking for was probably closed.  Back up we went, it felt so good to get back into great snow conditions.  After making our way to the other side of the trail we were looking for, we could clearly see this trail had no tracks on it and although both ends were covered in snow, it appeared to be closed for the some reason.

It was time for lunch.  We had only 24 miles at this point.  But they were good miles and lots of fun.  We picked a nice spot called Jones' Nose, a crested knoll with lots of trail choices to head in.  As we ate, two sleds, late model Rev and Yamaha, came hammering by us in a full-out rampage.  Hanging it out and never coming off the gas.  I would estimate we were passed at 60-70mph, snow flying, and then they were gone.  1776 and I looked at each other, gobbled down the rest of our food, and slapped helmets back on.  Before we left, a group of about 5-6 sleds came up and parked next to us.  These were the ham-headed knuck-dragging thugs that give anti-OHRVers their ammunition.  Every other word began with F and was 4 letters.  Although this crew had found new usage of that word that I hadn't expected.

This central road through the park was #3's playground.  We absolutely hammered up and down this stretch.  It was a mini-pittsburg nh/canada-like run.  The sun was at it's highest point and the long rolling whoops were a ball to launch off of at 60-70mph.  It was at this point that 1776 gave the only bad news of the day.  The problem was not fixed and he was still experiencing serious lag and lack of power from 20-50mph.  He did not check gas mileage but it was clear the condition remained and the fix was not discovered yet.

With both having early deadlines today, we decided we had done what we came for and would make good on our promise to be home on time.  So we turned the sleds north back towards the truck.  We climbed back up, almost to the summit, where we made our connection to the trail we entered the park on, and just drove the last miles of the 2010 season like they were the last miles of the season, because they were the last miles of the season.  Loaded up and were rolling on pavement headed home.  The first couple of miles not a word was spoken as we both just took in and enjoyed those few precious miles of snowmobiling, 36 to be exact, and locked them away for another long, hot summer.

Oh, one thing that I promised would make the ride report was a funny little puppet show that I did using my full, robber-mask balaclava.  Making the mouth talk like a retarded caveman contemplating the finer skills of blasting stinky farts in closed quarters, thereby punishing others unfortunate enough to be collateral damage caught in the blast zone.  Ok, glad I remembered that, that was important.

Only other note of (personal) interest is that 1776 noticed that my drivers side trailer tire had unusual and extreme wear on the inside of the tread.  Not sure how this uneven wear occurs where the other tire seems to be wearing evenly.  1776 suggested a worn wheel bearing causing the tire tilt in.  It will be one of the many maintenance items that must be addressed on the trailer and sled during this off season.  My equipment is showing it's age and usage.  But nothing a little world famous #5 TLC can't take of.

Thanks for listening.  And thanks for a great year of riding.  Snowmobiling is taking on a different place for me these days.  Not bad, just shifting as the boys get older and time gets more difficult to carve out.  But that's a topic for another post entirely.

#5 out!