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Did it again! That’s 2 for 2. 500 miles in 24 hours earns you a hat, patch and bragging rights in Grand Marais, Michigan. We left for Grand Marais early Thursday morning so that we could get started mid afternoon on our 24 hour “clock”. Snowmobiles were packed and the trailer hooked up Wednesday night so I just swung past Brian’s house about 0630 and we were on our way. The snowmobiles were even full of oil and gas so that all we had to do was get Michigan trail permits on our way up. Had ‘em mounted before we even pulled out from the mini-mart. Brian closed up the trailer and we were on our way.
Checked into the hotel, put on our gear and had the gal behind the desk snap this shot as we prepare to head out. The first few stops came at a pretty good clip. It was a bit bumpy due to the lack of fresh snow, but mostly white and it looked that we could get done in 15 hours. As we headed to some of the more southern check points, conditions degraded. By time we got to Seney, our most southern checkpoint, we had to slow considerably due to trail conditions.
We pressed on thru the night, with our last gas stop at about 2300 in Munising. We caught another checkpoint on the way back to Grand Marais and slept from about 0330 to 0530. Then it was East to Paradise. Up along the lake things were a little whiter, but still bumpy. All the bouncing made for frequent “rest’ stops along the way. We made it to Paradise for our scheduled fuel stop and pointed our sleds for the finish line.
By now it was mid morning and the warm temperatures were really taking their toll on the trails, especially where there was a lot of traffic or you had to follow local roads. It was too warm to snow so it rained! Anything that melted just turned into muddy water.
The final hours got pretty ugly. We were wet from the rain, and the snow was turning from white to brown to water. I snapped this pic on the trail heading North. My gloves were wet from wiping the rain from my shield. I downloaded my bionic eye to my ipod, and here’s how it looked from inside my helmet.
Despite all the “fun” we made it. Not by much, but within the 24 hours allowed. Brian and I were both quite happy with the way our new sleds gobbled up the bumps and held up under generally poor trail conditions. Here’s my dirty snowmobile parked along Lake Superior taking a well deserved rest. Sure needed a good washing up when I got it home!
Here’s a link to the GM500 website. Try it next year!
Ride safe!
Larry |
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January 18, 2006 |
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Ellisville Bison Dispatch |
