Hondo you are the man 
I have no doubt you'll make your goal. I've been following this thread all season great job on the pictures and the commentary very enjoyable reading 
I have no doubt you'll make your goal. I've been following this thread all season great job on the pictures and the commentary very enjoyable reading 
Thanks Convert,
Glad to hear you have enjoyed it!
I've had fun putting it together.
Glad to hear you have enjoyed it!
I've had fun putting it together.
Today, we got er done. I had planned on riding more than 185 miles, but one never knows how their rides are actually going to unfold.
When I departed the house early this morning the temperature was 8 degree F, the sun was shinning, and at one point there was not a cloud in the sky.
The snowfall yesterday left the fields, and parts of the trails looking as they would look during the middle of winter.
What a great day.
Today, was the second day of spring.
I rode the 83 South power lines to the 105 South rail bed and headed to Washburn for fuel. The ride was fantastic.
ITS 83 South power lines.
Connector 105 South, rail bed. The rail bed is so straight, and flat, it seemed like you can see the curvature of the earth.
With the exception of a couple of major water holes, the 105 rail bed is in great shape.
Normally, Caterpillar Challengers are for agricultural use in soft ground areas. The Washburn club uses the Challenger for grooming.
The rail bed groomer.
I stopped at the Exxon in Washburn for fuel. There are two fuel choices in Washburn.
The groomers have done their part getting the trails in order for the weekend. I had planned on a two hundred plus mile ride, but I felt it was important to help out some sledders, faced with a tough situation on the trail.
After my fuel stop, I was heading North up the 105 rail bed heading to Van Buren, when I found a group of riders along the trail. One of the sledders riding an old Yamaha Vmax 4, had tangled with a young, very small bull moose. The accident site was two miles South of the Connector 94 / 79 intersection that heads towards Long Lake, and, Van Buren Cove.
The rider was O.K. however the sleds cowl, and windscreen was damaged.
Unfortunately, the moose was mortally wounded.
The moose was purely in a defensive posture at this point. Although small, this wounded moose can be dangerous.
There was no cell phone coverage in the area. I told the sledders I would ride to the Tulsa Station, in Van Buren and call a game warden. The ride to Van Buren was about 15 miles. Once I arrived at the station, I called the local police dispatcher, and provided the information, and location of the accident. When I got back to the accident site the moose still alive, but was now laying in the trail. About 30 minutes later, 3 game wardens arrived. They took all the information as appropriate, and also properly dispatched the moose. No photo’s are appropriate.
After all the excitement, I rode a route back home to Eagle Lake where I got fuel. Then I rode up on the side my property where RS Venture rolled 21,000 miles.
From here, I had just one more mile to go to reach today’s goal.
RS Venture miles.
To date, I have completed 9,000 miles for the season, and the TY Mileage Fun Contest.
What a great day, and have such a great sled to ride.
When I departed the house early this morning the temperature was 8 degree F, the sun was shinning, and at one point there was not a cloud in the sky.
The snowfall yesterday left the fields, and parts of the trails looking as they would look during the middle of winter.
What a great day.
Today, was the second day of spring.
I rode the 83 South power lines to the 105 South rail bed and headed to Washburn for fuel. The ride was fantastic.
ITS 83 South power lines.
Connector 105 South, rail bed. The rail bed is so straight, and flat, it seemed like you can see the curvature of the earth.
With the exception of a couple of major water holes, the 105 rail bed is in great shape.
Normally, Caterpillar Challengers are for agricultural use in soft ground areas. The Washburn club uses the Challenger for grooming.
The rail bed groomer.
I stopped at the Exxon in Washburn for fuel. There are two fuel choices in Washburn.
The groomers have done their part getting the trails in order for the weekend. I had planned on a two hundred plus mile ride, but I felt it was important to help out some sledders, faced with a tough situation on the trail.
After my fuel stop, I was heading North up the 105 rail bed heading to Van Buren, when I found a group of riders along the trail. One of the sledders riding an old Yamaha Vmax 4, had tangled with a young, very small bull moose. The accident site was two miles South of the Connector 94 / 79 intersection that heads towards Long Lake, and, Van Buren Cove.
The rider was O.K. however the sleds cowl, and windscreen was damaged.
Unfortunately, the moose was mortally wounded.
The moose was purely in a defensive posture at this point. Although small, this wounded moose can be dangerous.
There was no cell phone coverage in the area. I told the sledders I would ride to the Tulsa Station, in Van Buren and call a game warden. The ride to Van Buren was about 15 miles. Once I arrived at the station, I called the local police dispatcher, and provided the information, and location of the accident. When I got back to the accident site the moose still alive, but was now laying in the trail. About 30 minutes later, 3 game wardens arrived. They took all the information as appropriate, and also properly dispatched the moose. No photo’s are appropriate.
After all the excitement, I rode a route back home to Eagle Lake where I got fuel. Then I rode up on the side my property where RS Venture rolled 21,000 miles.
From here, I had just one more mile to go to reach today’s goal.
RS Venture miles.
To date, I have completed 9,000 miles for the season, and the TY Mileage Fun Contest.
What a great day, and have such a great sled to ride.
DaveyBoy
TY 4 Stroke Guru
Congradulations Hondo I am very Happpy for u! The trails look like they are holding up well
Swiss Sledder
TY 4 Stroke God
Hondo, the miles are great but more impressive is your snowmobile conduct. It was really good of you at the time to sacrifice your personal goals to make sure a fellow sledder was OK and to make sure the moose was addressed appropriately. Well done.
Thanks DaveyBoy,
The trails are in better than average shape for this time of the season. As I'm writing this the temperature is 40 degrees F outside.
The warmer weather as we approach the weekend was my biggest concern.
Yesterday was probably the best day to ride. There were alot of sleds on the trails, however the base was hard to handle the traffic. This warm weekend is going to cause some major ruts.
Thanks Swiss Sledder,
It was the right thing to do.
There was much uncertainty, and confusion at the accident site regarding procedures, and handling a wounded animal etc.
Everything turned out for the best.
In this sport, you never know how your day is going to unfold. This is certainly part of the excitement.
Thanks again!
The trails are in better than average shape for this time of the season. As I'm writing this the temperature is 40 degrees F outside.
The warmer weather as we approach the weekend was my biggest concern.
Yesterday was probably the best day to ride. There were alot of sleds on the trails, however the base was hard to handle the traffic. This warm weekend is going to cause some major ruts.
Thanks Swiss Sledder,
It was the right thing to do.
There was much uncertainty, and confusion at the accident site regarding procedures, and handling a wounded animal etc.
Everything turned out for the best.
In this sport, you never know how your day is going to unfold. This is certainly part of the excitement.
Thanks again!
MCApex44
TY 4 Stroke Guru
- Joined
- Mar 30, 2006
- Messages
- 973
- Location
- Western New York, Chautauqua County
- Country
- USA
- Snowmobile
- 2014 Viper RTX SE (sold)
All I can say is "WOW"...what a great job Hondo! It took forever to get through all 5 pages but it was well worth it. Great pics...really enjoyed them! Thanks for putting in the time.
Thanks mchimera,
I appreciate the acknowledgement.
I am glad to hear that you enjoyed the presentation.
I enjoyed putting it together.
I appreciate the acknowledgement.
I am glad to hear that you enjoyed the presentation.
I enjoyed putting it together.
Today, the temperature hit a high of 48 degrees. In Northern Maine, the weather has been on a roller coaster ride. It’s part of the transition to spring.
I had some business to tend to at home. As I was sitting in my office, I kept on hearing sleds zipping up, and down the lake. It’s pretty normal, many families have come up for the weekend to enjoy riding "The County".
Hearing the sleds, I couldn’t take it any more. So, I pulled the sled out of the garage, and rode one of my favorite 65 mile loops, when I just want to take a brief ride.
Two days ago the temperature was in the 20’s, and we had fresh powder to ride on.
Today was a different story. I rode in slush, studders, and what I call; suspension sine wave rollers in the straights.
Slush and studders.
Suspension sine wave rollers in the straights.
The sine wave rollers are a function of the suspension working properly, and on the down side, the track is able to dig out a longer, and shallower rut. At 40 mph, these rollers are fun to ride.
Anytime I can get out, and ride, I thank my lucky stars, but I know with the heavy weekend traffic, and continued warm weather, the trails are not going to last. Next season on deck, is a month of "mud season".
Trail over hill, and dale between Daigle, and St Agatha, ME
We have all heard of "email", and "snail mail".
Here we have "sled mail", LOL…
It won’t be long before this road opens back up.
With the coating of ice over the snow, the glare was quite intense.
RS Venture miles.
To date, I have completed 9,065 miles for the season, and the TY Mileage Fun Contest.
Although today’s ride was brief, it’s always a real good day when one can get out, and play!
I had some business to tend to at home. As I was sitting in my office, I kept on hearing sleds zipping up, and down the lake. It’s pretty normal, many families have come up for the weekend to enjoy riding "The County".
Hearing the sleds, I couldn’t take it any more. So, I pulled the sled out of the garage, and rode one of my favorite 65 mile loops, when I just want to take a brief ride.
Two days ago the temperature was in the 20’s, and we had fresh powder to ride on.
Today was a different story. I rode in slush, studders, and what I call; suspension sine wave rollers in the straights.
Slush and studders.
Suspension sine wave rollers in the straights.
The sine wave rollers are a function of the suspension working properly, and on the down side, the track is able to dig out a longer, and shallower rut. At 40 mph, these rollers are fun to ride.
Anytime I can get out, and ride, I thank my lucky stars, but I know with the heavy weekend traffic, and continued warm weather, the trails are not going to last. Next season on deck, is a month of "mud season".
Trail over hill, and dale between Daigle, and St Agatha, ME
We have all heard of "email", and "snail mail".
Here we have "sled mail", LOL…
It won’t be long before this road opens back up.
With the coating of ice over the snow, the glare was quite intense.
RS Venture miles.
To date, I have completed 9,065 miles for the season, and the TY Mileage Fun Contest.
Although today’s ride was brief, it’s always a real good day when one can get out, and play!
Damn. Thanks again for the pics - always refreshing to see after living in the concrete jungles of NJ.
I've become accustomed to the trails within 100 miles of Greenville, and I keep seeing what I've been missing by never getting that far up north! Next time I get my friends up there, I'll be looking you up for a tour and advice on places to stay....
I've become accustomed to the trails within 100 miles of Greenville, and I keep seeing what I've been missing by never getting that far up north! Next time I get my friends up there, I'll be looking you up for a tour and advice on places to stay....
You bet Silversurfer,
Just let me know when you will be in the area.
Thanks for the acknowledgement!
Just let me know when you will be in the area.
Thanks for the acknowledgement!
151tf
Extreme
Great pics again it looks alot like here just your hills are not as big. 
This is true 151tf,
We have alot of rolling hills and mountains in this area.
We have alot of rolling hills and mountains in this area.
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