From the US Forest Service Duluth, Minnesota March 25, 2009
Winter Storm Creates Hazardous Conditions on Forest Roads
Freezing rain and continued cold temperatures are creating hazardous conditions on forest roads in the eastern portion of the Superior National Forest. Ice-laden trees leaning over roads and in many cases blocking roads or reducing traffic down to one lane have created driving hazards.
Although most of the main roads are open and in fair condition, many side roads remained impassable as of Wednesday morning. Power outages have occurred in parts of Cook and Lake Counties.
In light of slippery conditions, motorists are urged to use caution when traveling forest roads. Power company and road crews are out in force and may be encountered along road right-a-ways. Forest Service crews are currently focused on assessing road conditions and road clearing.
An assessment of trail conditions will occur after completion of road assessments. It is expected that trails in the lower portion of Cook and Lake Counties will be impassable. This is the time of year when grooming of ski and snowmobile trails is normally discontinued due to snow melt.
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Thursday, March 26, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Be Part of the Worlds Largest ATV Parade and make a new record!
You can be a part of the Worlds Largest ATV Parade and help make a new record!
Join us in an attempt to break the record for the "Worlds Longest ATV Parade".
Currently, the Harlan County Ridge Runners in Evarts, Kentucky holds the record for the Longest ATV Parade. The club set the record of 1,138 ATVs in a parade in the summer of 2006, surpassing the old record of 687 set in Hurley, Wisconsin.
This past June, Silver Bay, MN was buzzing as ATVs rolled into town in an attempt to break the World Record. The official count for the parade was 1,083 ATVs; unfortunately, we were 56 ATVs short from breaking the record (three wheelers and side x sides did not count towards the record).
Once again, Silver Bay has opened its doors to us as ATVAM attempts to break the record on June 13, 2009. There is plenty of parking available on side roads near the staging area as well as parking in Beaver Bay or Finland and then ride the trail to Silver Bay.
Grab your ATV and make a week-end out of it, between the Moose Walk & the Red Dot trails there are over 50 miles of riding; they are just about the nicest trails you will ever ride.
>>>JUNE 13th 2009... SILVER BAY NOW HOLDS THE LONGEST ATV PARADE RECORD....
see for more details; http://www.snowmobiletrailsblog.com/2009/06/silver-bay-mn-now-holds-worlds-record.html
More information and registration is at; http://www.atvparade.org/
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Saturday, March 14, 2009
Frost Heave / Rough Road Warning
Frost Heave Warning; Frost Heaves are very widespread in Lake and Cook County. We've experienced and have been advised by our readers to watch for frost heaves on Devil Track Road / County Road 8, Gunflint Trail / County Road 12, Arrowhead Trail / County Road 16 and Mineral Center Road / County Road 17, especially the Old Hwy 61 section is very rough in Cook County and County Roads 2 & 3 in Lake County.
You can sit and watch people drive too fast over a set of 'UNMARKED - BUT KNOWN ABOUT' heaves on the Devil Track Road / County Road 8 in Cook County, north of Grand Marais. Slow down going over these, especially if you're hauling a trailer full of sleds. People have suffered vehicle and trailer damage. Heave are widespread.
What is a Frost Heave? Frost heaves are the large bumps or sunken areas on roadways, many caused by impropery filling excavations for culverts or tunnels under roadways. Driving over these can make you go airborne or/and cause serious vehicle or trailer damage.
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You can sit and watch people drive too fast over a set of 'UNMARKED - BUT KNOWN ABOUT' heaves on the Devil Track Road / County Road 8 in Cook County, north of Grand Marais. Slow down going over these, especially if you're hauling a trailer full of sleds. People have suffered vehicle and trailer damage. Heave are widespread.
What is a Frost Heave? Frost heaves are the large bumps or sunken areas on roadways, many caused by impropery filling excavations for culverts or tunnels under roadways. Driving over these can make you go airborne or/and cause serious vehicle or trailer damage.
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Too Many Deer on HWY 61 Roadway Warning
Large numbers of whitetail deer are yarding up all along HWY 61 from the Duluth area through the Grand Marais area. Typical for this time of year, deer are crossing roadways near Lake Superior especially after dark. I counted 74 deer and 7 carcasses in 15 miles on / near HWY 61 roadway March 13th @10pm between Grand Marais and Judge Magney State Park and more than 150 deer and 11 carcasses in 18 miles between Grand Marais and Lutsen same day 5pm.
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Best conditions of the season and my sled is down!!!!!!!!!
After our ride back from Lutsen Thursday I parked my sled and changed out of my gear at a friends on Devil Track Lake. About an hour later, I went back out to load my sled in the back of my truck, it was near zero degrees. I've had some problems with my throttle cable freezing up in real cold temps, from all of the powder we've been hittin'. I started my Crossfire up and hit the throttle...she died. The throttle safety switch sensed that the cable would not return to the full closed position and automatically disabled the ignition.
Messing around with this in near zero and about dark conditions wasn't what I had planned for my evening. I tried to thaw and lubricate the throttle, it wasn't working... I left it in my friends shop for the night, so it would be ready for another epic ride we've been planning for days, in the Lutsen area Friday. Friday morning came and the cable was still not returning to the closed position. On further inspection I noticed that the cable was melted after it came loose from the plastic loop fastener that was broken. Allowing the throttle cable to lay against the exhaust. Needless to say the cable frayed and won't operate and I need to replace it.
The group I was going to be riding with was already waiting for me to show-up... needless to say I was not going... I had to stay home and try to find a replacement cable and try to salvage the weekend riding. I hooked my sled up to the back of my truck and towed it over to RC Bucks place, parking in front of the shop door, I untied the snowmobile from my truck.
::::::::::::::::::::Things do downhill from here:::::::::::::::::::
I removed the exhaust and the heat shield above the throttle body assembly, where the throttle cable connects to. Suddenly, I heard the snow on the metal roof break loose, right above me and the snowmobile. Snow begun to cascade down onto me, knocking me down and filling the engine compartment area with a foot of snow. It came down faster and faster and further away from the building and perfectly onto my sled with the hood open.
A deep breathe and a few loud words later... I took off most of my clothes to get the snow out of my underwear and boots. Changed into some dry clothes and began taking the throttle cable off of the sled, so I could go down to Grand Marais and see if anyone had a cable that would work. I figured I'd be driving to the nearest Arctic Cat dealer, which is now in Thunder Bay, Ontario - Canada... about an hour away.
The cable was easy to remove, and once I had it off of the sled it was easy to see that is was very frayed inside of the casing, caused by the spot that was burned by the exhaust. How I got home without problems from Lutsen the day before, not sure... I headed to a friends coffee shop in downtown Grand Marais to have a hot drink and use the computer and find a cable, new or used, or a dealer that had one in stock.
::::::::::::::::::::Things do downhill even more from here:::::::::::::::::::
Not one dealer on the Arctic Cat Web site has a throttle cable in stock, not even in Ontario!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I kept thinking; "March, the best riding of the season... March, the best riding of the season... LOOOOOOOZER you're not riding until you get a new cable..."
I'm going to a concert Wednesday night at the Myth in Maplewood, Minnesota, so I ordered a new cable from Lighthouse Motorsports in Rosemount, Minnesota, I see the Lighthouse Motorsport's enclosed trailer up in Grand Marais often, and they are close to where I'll be staying Wednesday night. I was told it would be there Wednesday or Thursday... I'm bummed, that it seems I'm going to miss out on nearly a week of sensational riding.
I'm a believer that things happen for a reason, and that if you go with it, stay positive, you'll make out just fine. I'm not sure what the reason for this is, but I've already accepted it... I'll get my YZ450F studded up to run on the lakes and ice or spend more time at the Lutsen Mountains Ski Hill snowboarding...HA.
8:00am; friends calling to see if I'm riding...describing the planned ride...
8:05am; this sucks, friends going on epic rides without me...
8:10am; 35 degrees, sunny, great day for riding...
8:15am; text messages teasing me...that's it...
8:20am; can't give up yet, in my panic yesterday I forgot about JD's Sports and Repair in Hermantown. Though... they are no longer an Arctic Cat snowmobile dealer, which explains why they were not listed as a dealer on Cat's Web site, maybe they have a cable in stock, maybe I can beg to take one off a used sled? I bought my sled there and they have always taken good care of me...
::::::::::::::::::::Things are looking up:::::::::::::::::::
Incredible...
11:00am heading to Hermantown 2 hours away to pick-up new throttle cable, they had one in stock!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can't salvage today but, tomorrow I'll be ready!
Why didn't I think of this yesterday?
BRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP
Update March 15th, 2009; back up and running Sunday by noon.
Update March 21, 2009; by 5 pm March 15th I was gimping my sled back to Devil Track Lake again. My steering suffered damage from ice on the Temperance River. Used the strap that came in the tool kit to tie my steering together after tearing a few bolts off. Took sled with me to Cities and dropped off at Lighthouse Motorsports in Rosemount, Minnesota. Went to Hollywood Undead concert at the Myth in Maplewood, Minnesota. Sled was done next day... Back-up and running Thursday afternoon... just in time for more riding Friday. See report and images of Friday's ride.
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Messing around with this in near zero and about dark conditions wasn't what I had planned for my evening. I tried to thaw and lubricate the throttle, it wasn't working... I left it in my friends shop for the night, so it would be ready for another epic ride we've been planning for days, in the Lutsen area Friday. Friday morning came and the cable was still not returning to the closed position. On further inspection I noticed that the cable was melted after it came loose from the plastic loop fastener that was broken. Allowing the throttle cable to lay against the exhaust. Needless to say the cable frayed and won't operate and I need to replace it.
The group I was going to be riding with was already waiting for me to show-up... needless to say I was not going... I had to stay home and try to find a replacement cable and try to salvage the weekend riding. I hooked my sled up to the back of my truck and towed it over to RC Bucks place, parking in front of the shop door, I untied the snowmobile from my truck.
::::::::::::::::::::Things do downhill from here:::::::::::::::::::
I removed the exhaust and the heat shield above the throttle body assembly, where the throttle cable connects to. Suddenly, I heard the snow on the metal roof break loose, right above me and the snowmobile. Snow begun to cascade down onto me, knocking me down and filling the engine compartment area with a foot of snow. It came down faster and faster and further away from the building and perfectly onto my sled with the hood open.
A deep breathe and a few loud words later... I took off most of my clothes to get the snow out of my underwear and boots. Changed into some dry clothes and began taking the throttle cable off of the sled, so I could go down to Grand Marais and see if anyone had a cable that would work. I figured I'd be driving to the nearest Arctic Cat dealer, which is now in Thunder Bay, Ontario - Canada... about an hour away.
The cable was easy to remove, and once I had it off of the sled it was easy to see that is was very frayed inside of the casing, caused by the spot that was burned by the exhaust. How I got home without problems from Lutsen the day before, not sure... I headed to a friends coffee shop in downtown Grand Marais to have a hot drink and use the computer and find a cable, new or used, or a dealer that had one in stock.
::::::::::::::::::::Things do downhill even more from here:::::::::::::::::::
Not one dealer on the Arctic Cat Web site has a throttle cable in stock, not even in Ontario!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I kept thinking; "March, the best riding of the season... March, the best riding of the season... LOOOOOOOZER you're not riding until you get a new cable..."
I'm going to a concert Wednesday night at the Myth in Maplewood, Minnesota, so I ordered a new cable from Lighthouse Motorsports in Rosemount, Minnesota, I see the Lighthouse Motorsport's enclosed trailer up in Grand Marais often, and they are close to where I'll be staying Wednesday night. I was told it would be there Wednesday or Thursday... I'm bummed, that it seems I'm going to miss out on nearly a week of sensational riding.
I'm a believer that things happen for a reason, and that if you go with it, stay positive, you'll make out just fine. I'm not sure what the reason for this is, but I've already accepted it... I'll get my YZ450F studded up to run on the lakes and ice or spend more time at the Lutsen Mountains Ski Hill snowboarding...HA.
8:00am; friends calling to see if I'm riding...describing the planned ride...
8:05am; this sucks, friends going on epic rides without me...
8:10am; 35 degrees, sunny, great day for riding...
8:15am; text messages teasing me...that's it...
8:20am; can't give up yet, in my panic yesterday I forgot about JD's Sports and Repair in Hermantown. Though... they are no longer an Arctic Cat snowmobile dealer, which explains why they were not listed as a dealer on Cat's Web site, maybe they have a cable in stock, maybe I can beg to take one off a used sled? I bought my sled there and they have always taken good care of me...
::::::::::::::::::::Things are looking up:::::::::::::::::::
Incredible...
11:00am heading to Hermantown 2 hours away to pick-up new throttle cable, they had one in stock!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can't salvage today but, tomorrow I'll be ready!
Why didn't I think of this yesterday?
BRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP
Update March 15th, 2009; back up and running Sunday by noon.
Update March 21, 2009; by 5 pm March 15th I was gimping my sled back to Devil Track Lake again. My steering suffered damage from ice on the Temperance River. Used the strap that came in the tool kit to tie my steering together after tearing a few bolts off. Took sled with me to Cities and dropped off at Lighthouse Motorsports in Rosemount, Minnesota. Went to Hollywood Undead concert at the Myth in Maplewood, Minnesota. Sled was done next day... Back-up and running Thursday afternoon... just in time for more riding Friday. See report and images of Friday's ride.
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Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Grand Portage Minnesota receives 11 inches of snow
March 11th, 2009 Grand Portage receives 11 inches of snow. Snowmobile trail conditions are very good from Grand Portage to the Gunflint Trail, Grand Marais and to the Ontario border. Go to snow storm totals for North Shore Minnesota and Northwestern Wisconsin; www.snowmobiletrails.com/snow_storm.htmlAs usual the North Shore has the best snow conditions in Minnesota. Snow fall this season 66-98 inches. Check out the trail reports, trailheads and routes at http://www.snowmobiletrails.com/
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Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Appeals court backs snowmobile trail near BWCAW
7 YEARS LATER!!!!!! Appeals court backs snowmobile trail near BWCAW
The 8th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals has backed a snowmobile trail proposed at the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
By: News Tribune, Duluth News Tribune
The 8th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals has backed a snowmobile trail proposed at the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
A three-judge panel of the appeals court last week released a ruling saying an environmental group’s claims against the trail, which focused on whether South Fowl Lake was intended to be inside the wilderness, were nullified because the statute of limitations had expired.
A lower court already had agreed with the Forest Service that the trail was outside the BWCAW and thus legal.
The lower court also ruled that an environmental review was necessary. The appeals court said it lacked jurisdiction to change that decision.
The Forest Service is under an injunction not to build the trail until after an Environmental Impact Statement is conducted. The project has been on hold pending court action, said Kris Reichenbach, Forest Service spokeswoman in Duluth. No decision has been made on when to proceed with the environmental review, she said.
The trail issue surfaced in 2002 when the Forest Service closed an existing snowmobile trail that did illegally enter the motorless BWCAW.
The agency then proposed a new trail route from MacFarland Lake to South Fowl Lake outside the BWCAW boundary, but environmental groups said it was too close to the line and that noise from snowmobiles would disrupt wilderness.
http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/114515/
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The 8th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals has backed a snowmobile trail proposed at the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
By: News Tribune, Duluth News Tribune
The 8th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals has backed a snowmobile trail proposed at the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
A three-judge panel of the appeals court last week released a ruling saying an environmental group’s claims against the trail, which focused on whether South Fowl Lake was intended to be inside the wilderness, were nullified because the statute of limitations had expired.
A lower court already had agreed with the Forest Service that the trail was outside the BWCAW and thus legal.
The lower court also ruled that an environmental review was necessary. The appeals court said it lacked jurisdiction to change that decision.
The Forest Service is under an injunction not to build the trail until after an Environmental Impact Statement is conducted. The project has been on hold pending court action, said Kris Reichenbach, Forest Service spokeswoman in Duluth. No decision has been made on when to proceed with the environmental review, she said.
The trail issue surfaced in 2002 when the Forest Service closed an existing snowmobile trail that did illegally enter the motorless BWCAW.
The agency then proposed a new trail route from MacFarland Lake to South Fowl Lake outside the BWCAW boundary, but environmental groups said it was too close to the line and that noise from snowmobiles would disrupt wilderness.
http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/114515/
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Sunday, March 8, 2009
Epic Ride - Cascade River Run
Cascade River Snowmobile Trip March 07, 2009We were late meeting our friends at Devil Track Saturday morning to ride the Cascade River. Three of us hustled ass across Devil Track Lake, over to the Expressway and onto the Cascade River. We could see their tracks going south and we realized this was going to be an incredible ride. About a mile down river we met our five friends taking a break. The river was full of fallen surface ice from low water levels. There was also plenty of running water and open areas around rapids and waterfalls, some areas were treacherous and a few sleds got damaged, nothing we couldn't limp home...
I have a lot of respect for water... I lost two great friends, who were never found on the Yukon River, and I've had to respond to many drownings as an EMT and Search and Rescue Technician. This made for an interesting 'pucker' effect. Read entire report and see images...
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Saturday, March 7, 2009
Deep snow can still be found on the North Shore
In search of off-the-beaten-path deep snow March 06, 2009
We took off from Devil Track Lake, we were sweating in the blazing sun, it was 45 or so degrees. Gloves were optional... What was once hard as a rock snow drifts on Devil Track Lake, was now soft sticky snow. The hookup was incredible. We flew west across Devil Track's 5 and a half mile surface, down to the Expressway Trail. The "X Trail" was in the best shape we've seen it in all year.
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Friday, March 6, 2009
Grand Portage Snowmobile Trail Report
Grand Portage Minnesota March 6th, 2009 Great Trail Conditions and Awesome Scenery
5 of us rode the Grand Portage Snowmobile Trails yesterday. It was about 35 degrees, mostly sunny the first half of the day, then cloudy and cooler after lunch. I rode with no gloves or face mask and never got cold. Instead of riding over from the Devil Track Lake area as we usually do, we trailered our sleds to Mineral Center. This saved quite a bit of time, so we could hit as many of the loops as possible.
From the trailhead we headed out on the Rengo Road, to the Moose Ridge Trail, and onto the Mount Sophie Trail to the fire tower. We climbed to the top of the 100 Ft plus tower. Rather hazy... but well worth the effort. From the top you can see; out onto Lake Superior, Isle Royale, Grand Portage, into Canada, and for quite a few miles in all directions.
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Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Lake Superior Ice Coverage Winter 2008-2009
According NOAA's National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office due to the recent cold spell and below normal temperatures for much of the winter of 2008-2009, ice covers nearly all of Lake Superior. Only small areas of open water remain. This image was taken on Tuesday, March 3rd. If arctic air does not return in the next couple of weeks, it is likely that this will be the day of maximum ice cover on Lake Superior for this winter as warmer weather and periods of stronger winds through the end of this week will cause open water areas to expand.
Picture compliments of NOAA.
Larger image available at; http://www.snowmobiletrails.com/lake_superior_ice_coverage.html
Picture compliments of NOAA.
Larger image available at; http://www.snowmobiletrails.com/lake_superior_ice_coverage.html
Monday, March 2, 2009
Weekend Report - Drag Races on Poplar Lake and Trout Derby Icefishing Contest on Gunflint Lake
Weekend Report March 02, 2009
Drag Races on Poplar Lake and Trout Derby Icefishing Contest on Gunflint Lake
This past weekend was the highlight of the snowmobile season in Cook County, Minnesota. Saturday the Cook County Snowmobile Club held it's annual Drag Races and Radar Runs on Poplar Lake in front of Windigo Lodge on the Gunflint Trail. Then, on Sunday the Club held the Annual Trout Derby and Icefishing Contest on Gunflint Lake in front of Gunflint Lodge.
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