Grizz88 Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 We had a great time. Rode 1600km (1000mi)(4 days of riding) in the 5 days we were there. One day was a rain out. Cabin was nice and worked out great. One of the nieghbors even let us use their yard to access the lake so we did not have to run the road. So happy we stayed in Dub, as we only made day trips. (no back pack trips) Dub is a great hub for that. Luc does an amazing job grooming and the town as well as ourselves owe him a big thank you. All of the clubs did a great job with the trails. We rode north as far as Hearst, west to White River, east to have a burger with Ernie and south to Wawa. I think the riding is done as they where closing trails thursday and friday. The low lying areas where filling up with water from the melt. Only seen 4 sleds on the trail. (the first day and the last day) Thanks Ski and Luc for all your advice and help. Hope you both enjoyed the curds. I look forward to my next trip to Dub. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skidooboy Posted March 19, 2012 Author Share Posted March 19, 2012 grizz, glad you guys had a good trip. i was worried you may have came 12 hours for a poor trip. i hope you guys will come back, with better conditions next season. thanks for the curds, the wife and i really enjoyed them for snacks on the way home. i am envious you were able to eat an ernie burger. our trip over this year did not end up filling our bellies with his burgers and fries. the young lady left to mind the store wouldnt (or didnt know how to) run the grill. i wanted that burger BAD TOO. hard to settle for fries when you have burgers on your mind. the hearst run must have been a fun one! that is a fast, fun, trail to ride. that must have been a 200 mile day on it's own. did you guys see any wolves, lynx, or moose???? Ski Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grizz88 Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 Yes, Hearst run was a blast. Dub to Hearst and back is just short of 400mi. We were back in time to have supper at Uncles. I seen three lynx, three grouse a couple snowshoe rabbits. Lots of moose tracks and moose crap but no moose. No wolves but seen allot of wolf tracks also. Was really hoping to see a moose. Wolves dont excite me as we have allot of them around here. Yes I will be back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pappy Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 We rode through Dub on our way to hearst on March 6th. The trails were all fresh groomed in and out of Dub and the snow was as deep as I have ever seen in that area. We opened Ernies and Yes we had our burgers. Too bad the season ended so abruptly because the conditions we had were as good as it gets the first week of march. My wife took the pic of the Lynx between Dub and Hornepayne, he was looking at a snowshoe bunny in the bush. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
white dragon Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 nice pics....least you got a last ride...thx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
700renegade Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 skidooboy, Were you at Ernies mid-afternoon on Friday the 9th? A buddy and I were there when a group of 6 or 8 came in - working on a Yamaha out front...... I'd have said Hi if I knew one was you. Small world if it was you. Ended up making a great run that weekend thru Timmins/ canyon/ Hearst and back to Wawa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skidooboy Posted March 21, 2012 Author Share Posted March 21, 2012 yep that was the 6 of us. you can find the wife and me really easy by looking for the clown clothes. LOL! i was the one who was alittle miffed that i couldnt get a burger. LOL! my wife asked what i wanted, i told her, she said they dont have any burgers, i said, "I dont want anything then". LOL! that is the WHOLE REASON to go to ernies. LOL!!! all of us would have ordered burgers fries and drinks. i'll bet we would have dropped close to 100 bux between the 6 of us, if she would have started the grill. i was more mad i had to work on that yamaha, than that i couldnt get a burger. sorry we didnt get to talk, if i would have known that was you, i would have gladly taken time away from working on that piece of crap yamaha nytro, that mooks wife rides. the things you do for friends when their crap doesnt run right, at trip time. LOL! yep, you said it.... small world. glad you guys had a good last run up there. the snow left in a hurry. Mo's web cam showed 4 cases of longneck bottles covered march first. it was all gone to grass by the 21st. 3-4 feet gone in 20 days. CRAZY!!!! we were supposed to go up and ice fish with nicole and alain at chez gaston this weekend. they just emailed me telling me the ice isnt safe. they had 30" of ice 10 days ago. man, i wanted to catch a few more walleye up there this year. PS>>>>> nice pics and report Pappy! Ski Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slomo Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 yep that was the 6 of us. you can find the wife and me really easy by looking for the clown clothes. LOL! i was the one who was alittle miffed that i couldnt get a burger. LOL! my wife asked what i wanted, i told her, she said they dont have any burgers, i said, "I dont want anything then". LOL! that is the WHOLE REASON to go to ernies. LOL!!! all of us would have ordered burgers fries and drinks. i'll bet we would have dropped close to 100 bux between the 6 of us, if she would have started the grill. i was more mad i had to work on that yamaha, than that i couldnt get a burger. PS>>>>> nice pics and report Pappy! Ski Maybe this picture will keep you going until your next visit: Also from the Burger File - here is one should you be riding through Mattawa this summer - great scenary along highway 17 out that way - Yamahas knows this burger as well: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AC+YA Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 I was at Ernies 7 times this season and got burgers only 3 times. Best when his wife is also there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grizz88 Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 Clowns clothes....... we seen some hoser riding in his long handles, red one piece. I think the back flap may have even been down. Not sure what that means north of the border but it aint good around here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skidooboy Posted March 23, 2012 Author Share Posted March 23, 2012 clown clothes.... cliff drop on the hydro line... walleye in the sunshine. it was over 60* that day, 30' of ice and 3-4 feet of snow still. it all left in 10 days. Crazy Weather! ski Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbo Doo Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 Great pics guys. Cannot wait to ride there next season.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IH 1456 Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 I know that there are pictures of the guy in the union suit, why not post them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grizz88 Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 We seen this guy on the lake on the west side of Dub. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ox Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 western rockies are forecasted for 10 days of snow. we are thinking about going out for easter. we had north plans for the last weekend of pickerel but, it doesnt look like that is going to happen unless i want to take the boat. Well? As of right now - we are headed that direction sometime next week. Chumm wants to test ride a '13 Summit in Col next weekend. Then we will point the truck to wherever looks the most promissing.... (of course plans could change) . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skidooboy Posted March 29, 2012 Author Share Posted March 29, 2012 we are done, even outwest is looking bleak. the snowies, havent saw snow in 14 days, and no new snow forecasted. even looking at togwotee's web cam, you can see the warm and rain is taking it's toll fast. washington, and oregon, and Alberta and BC might be a better bet. all the snow south of the border is set up hero snow for the most part. i wish you safe travels, and good luck finding good snow. it looks like buny and i are taking the sportbikes to NC and TN to ride the mountain roads next week, instead of sledding. Ski Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grizz88 Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 You're a lucky man Ski. She rides sleds and bikes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skidooboy Posted March 29, 2012 Author Share Posted March 29, 2012 YES I AM! Ski Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grizz88 Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 I noticed though she has you trained pretty good. I seen who has to clean the fish...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skidooboy Posted March 30, 2012 Author Share Posted March 30, 2012 LOL! hear's sound of whip cracking. ski Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ox Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 we are done, even outwest is looking bleak. the snowies, havent saw snow in 14 days, and no new snow forecasted. even looking at togwotee's web cam, you can see the warm and rain is taking it's toll fast. washington, and oregon, and Alberta and BC might be a better bet. all the snow south of the border is set up hero snow for the most part. i wish you safe travels, and good luck finding good snow. it looks like buny and i are taking the sportbikes to NC and TN to ride the mountain roads next week, instead of sledding. Ski Picked up my chumm S of Angola, Ind on Wed evening about dusk, and when we went to leave, I noticed only one headlight on his garage doors. Thumped on it, but no go. Drove into Angola and after some amount of time and blood seaping out a few places on the back of my paw, got a new bulb in place before the parts store closed. Pulled out of Angola about 9pm. Drove to Pitkin, Col, dropped off some materials for "Wild" Bill Harmon's snowmachine jacks, and hooked onto a trailer with my chumms sled inside, and proceeded towards Grand Mesa, Col. Got to Bills other place near Delta, Col just after dark on Thursday night. http://www.highliftjack.com/ Bill and Dan were both scheduled to ride the new '13 Doo snowmachines at Thunder Mountain Lodge @ 9:00 AM on Friday. Here we are following Bill towards the hill. Not looking good so far.... We went on a ride with the Doo rep for a cpl hours and came back and had dinner. (lunch?) Then they unloaded their own sleds and we went back out for the afternoon. Dan in the middle of the pic comming from the trailer, and "Wild" Bill at his truck with his seatless Doo sporting twin jacks in the foreground. (Bill is Shirley well into his 60's and has not had a seat on his sleds as long as I have known him.) The snow was rock hard in the AM, but it had been warm previously, and the top layer of overnight freeze was about gone, and now there were slushy spots popping up in the sun baked areas. This pic shows just such a spot - where I climbed up through the trees and as soon as I hit sunlight, both skis sunk in and I went over the bars. I grabbed some juice as I was going over, but the sled spun out instead of comming back underneath me. Got back to the truck middle of the afternoon and decided that we had _ had enough of this. Bill went home and me and Dan pointed the truck N. Not sure where N, but N, and we would start to make some calls once we got into cell service. (largely expected this part) Dans chumm said that the some report somewhere was showing 12" of new @ Togwatee in the last 24 hours, and the Tog web cam showed that it was still snowing. So then I am thinking that Skidooboy had cancelled his trip to Tog this weekend.... "Oh - this should be good!" So I called home and had my boy look up SDB's cell number, and I was gunna take a pic of us playing in 12" of fresh and send the pic to SDB. However, when we got there @ 3pm the next day - we didn't find no 12" of fresh. We did find up to 4" of fresh on top of hardpack in places, and it tapered off the further you went - either E or W. So I never bothered with the pic.... Shot this pic of me @ Tog in the "Wind River Range" with the "Tetons" in the distance. Kinda hard to see in the pic, but the Wind River Range is VERY forgiving terain. (most) everything rolls. Hardly any sharp drops anywhere. I had never seen quite this layout before. The Bighorns are similar, but those seem to have a LOT more cornices to watch for on the way back if you get in a snowstorm. (Could be related to the low snow level this year tho too?) I think I like Tog a lot better than the Horns. But then - I don't like the Horns all that well. (Didn't care all that much for Grand Mesa for that matter - not counting the poor conditions. It was OK, but...) Hard to see, but the Tetons are VERY new mountians, and are sharp everywhere. I am told - not much riding there... Those look humbling! We rode maybe 5-6 hours on Sat and got back to the truck at dark. The lodge was closed for the season, so we went back down into Dubois and there was no restraunts open after 8 PM in town, so we ate out of the vending machine at the Super 8. Went back up the hill the next morning. Changed the can on my chumms 1100 Turbo to a much nicer sounding can from the POS Speedwerx that he had on it. (The Speedwerx can melted his side panel, the chaincase vent tube, and part of the belly pan on a previous trip last month) And then we headed out. (Don't know the make of the new can - but looked like a Glasspack that I would have had on my trucks 2-3 decades ago - just ceramic coated, not painted red) While we are there in the Lodge parking lot working on his sled, his cell phone starts ringing - somewhere from inside the trailer. Finally finds it (surprised that there is signal here) and his chumm is on the phone. "Where you guys at?" He told him that we were in the lodge parking lot wrenching on the new Kitty. "Oh, are you guys in that red truck?" as he just happened to have the Tog web cam up on his 'putor at that time. This day (Sunday) we headed west from the lodge to see if we could fine better fresh snow. Here is a pic along trail V. I'll let you be the judge: Finally we got back around more to the S/SE of the lodge but further back in and started to find some decent climbs. It's all HERO snow, that even a trail machine could go most anywhere, so our 162's just tried to get us into trouble. I went and climbed this here hill. Following other tracks from a cpl weeks ago. Not even getting on it hardly, but not realizing quite how steep it was getting all the while. Near the top the previous guys had dug some graves, so I decided to go around the other side of the tree. But then I couldn't find any place to go after that. I saw no "top" that I could get to and re-assess my situation, and since the snow was so hard, I couldn't just dig into the sidehill and stop. I guess I could have just stopped and dug my own grave (spun the track in) but then what? So I tried to turn out, but the trees were too close and I didn't want to head into them @ great downhill speed, so I did all that I could. I stopped and bailed! I rolled as fast as I could from the sled, but it was catching quickly. Finally I was off to the side far enough for (reasonable) safety and the sled got up on it's skis again and started ghost riding down the hill, but sunk a ski in this tree well right away. (Only damage was a ripped zipper in the tank bag, that I think I have fixed.) I think you can see my track near the top: A little later we found some more open climbs around the corner further. Then we got into this one where my chumm found some soft stuff and wasn't on the coal, and got into a bit of a jackpot. I stayed further down and waited for him to come back down. It didn't look like he was in that bad of condition, but time went on and he was still up there. So I made a pass near him to see what I could and to check the conditions for a closer track. Then made a second pass accrost the top, just below him, and then tried to stop as close as I could to him, but the sled kept sliding down the hill with the brakes locked. Finally skidded to a stop and I spun it down in reverse to park it there. And then climbed up to help him. Pics are very hard to show steepness, but if you see where my sled is at the bottom - and it looks flat, and realize that the brakes would barely hold it on HERO snow _ you can git the idea... You can see that he has his jack trying to hold the sled from rolling down the hill, while he is trying to pull the front end downhill. But he didn't have a shovel on him, and couldn't dig the hard snow out from under the high side, so I scaled the hill to bring him a shovel and hold the sled while he dug. Looking back down to my sled. (Behind a branch) That was about it for a "big" stuff, but later _ as we are heading back to the truck, my chumm got to a drop-off that he couldn't see down, and so he turned back to come down another side, and got stuck in the mud - @ 9000' above sea level. So I climbed up there to help him (OK, so I really went to git the pic ) and once he seen that I climbed up it, he turned it back and just drove down it. (It was really steep tho) It's starting to git late, and we are mozzying back towards the truck, and find some swell climbing areas and played a bunch. But then I went to climb out of an area and into the next, and my sled stumbled part way up and then went on. Insecure - I turned back down, and everything seems OK. Did I burp the throttle and not realize it? I don't think so, but... ???? The everything seemed fine after that, so I followed my chumm back up the hill and into several more play areas and on down the valley towards where we think will take us to the truck. ??? But not near the Continental Divide Trail anymore... ??? Then my sled runs out of gas. GPS says 4.5 miles to the truck (lodge) cross country, but we are in an area with no fresh tracks at all, and not looking promissing of making it out that direction. Maybe? ??? I did have a few gallons of old gas in my back tank, but it would take forever to "pump-ball" a drink can full of gas and poor it into the front tank, and repeat several times. My back tank is supposed to automatically suck into the front tank ( like a "Tour Buddy" system, but for whatever reason just hasn't been working very well recently.) So I GPS'd in my spot and gave it to my chumm and he rode for the truck to fetch gas. (If he could find his way back out that direction) So while I am waiting at 7:00 PM and the sun is going down, I keep thinking if there is some other way to fix my issue. So I get an idea that might work. So I McGyvered my fuel lines to run the back tank directly into the fuel pump. (the back line slipped inside the primary line perfectly!) So then I am back and running! Go about 100' and sled dies aggin. Line got pinched off, so I ended up having to leave my airbox off to leave room for the fuel lines to loop w/o pinching. No worries.... So now I try to track my chumm, and I saw a cpl tracks up this one hole that I ass_u_med that he had went up and came back down, but I wanted to rule it out before I went on the other way, and my sled died aggin! But this time it was differ'nt. This time it seemed like stuck pistons! Pulled the rope right away and shore nuff, stuck! Kryckie! I had about 3 litres in the res on Friday, and I really don't think that I had rode enough to burn all that up, but ??? (I still don't think that I have. Maybe I need to check to see if my aux spring came off my oil pump?) So now I have moved, and was pretty sure that my chumm would be comming past the concession and ride past me to where I was. So I quick grab my shovel and walk back down this hill to the consession to stab my shovel in to mark the spot for him, and I decide that I may as well just start walking that direction. It IS possible that he is stuck down a hole somewhere or ??? as we were NOT on the trail and din't know the area well. (He hadn't been there in about 10 yrs either) But then I git's to thinking "You idiot, if you're gunna try and walk out you should'a brought a good light and some drink!" but I wasn't going back up the hill to my sled. I ran into my chumm 10 minutes later and he HAD made it to the truck and back, but was all wet. He don't like water, and he's riding a Cat. So that is not a good water combination, but he had found some busted up crick crossings that he had to navigate. But he made it.... I told him that I don't need the gas anymore, but how's about you fetch a litre of oil in the back seat of the truck? So he doubles back and fetches oil, and I walk back to my sled. Soon enough he gits back with a litre of oil. I dump some in the res, some in the gas tank, and a little down each cyl. Fire it up and head back to the truck. Once we got to the wet crick crossing - my chumm was able to make some restitution. (Not knowing that I was right behind him) He had moved to a new part of the crick that hadn't been tracked up yet, but there was a bit of a drop-off, and so he just nailed it and launched off the bank and down onto the slush. Track was spinning hard when he hit the slush and it threw mass amounts of water and slush straight my way! I was covered! Loaded back up after dark and headed back down in Duboise, and no facilities (for food) were open on Sunday night again, so we headed east. On our trip my fuel guage had started acting weird. Was comming off of full too quick, and showing empty too soon. But I had an electrical issue (when the headlights were on) as well that was showing a turn signal on, when it wasn't (but worked fine otherwise) and the cruise control wouldn't work either... ??? Then we were fueling up in Iowa (?) last night and some fuel went on the ground. Looked under the truck to find the fuel tank falling out of the truck! (strap had rotted away) So I grabbed a short ratchet strap and pulled it back into place, and came home. (fuel guage acts fine now - not so well for the electrical issue tho. I think it pulled and bared a wire) Got to my chumms house at 12M last night, and I got home @ 1:00 AM. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skidooboy Posted April 11, 2012 Author Share Posted April 11, 2012 great adventure ox! sounds like one of our trips. i know the drain you are in where the pic is taken with the cat on the jack. kinda south west of the lodge called liedy lake. liedy mountain. that is a great drain when it is fresh and deep. hopefully the doo gets fixed easily. sorry bout the troubles you had. i hope summer is better for you. ski Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AC+YA Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 Ox, Quite a story and nice pics! Wish you had found the conditions you were looking for, but you got the last ride of anyone I know this season. Hope the sled is good for next year, or a good excuse to get a new one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
couchrocket500 Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 Great pics and story Ox. Better year next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ox Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 Oh - I expect the motor will be fine. I wasn't on the juice when she tied. I'll keep an eye on the compression tho. I have been hoping to git a 4 stroke eventually. That turbo 1100 of my chumms is one impressive machine! ESPECIALLY at altitude! It doesn't lose 30% of the power at 10K'. The first trip to Wolf Creek and riding at 12k' turned my 800 into a 550 fan! I just new that if I stopped at the bottom and opened the hood that it would say "Power by Singer" on the valve covers. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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