Update 3/20/14: We picked up around 4 inches of snow at Indian Lake last night into early this morning. A little sleet mixed in, but there wasn’t much, if any, rain. No matter how good the snow is mid to late March, it can get “old” with the strong sun and temperatures crossing 32*F at least twice a day. So, this fresh snow puts us in great footing for another riding weekend in ilsnow land!
Trail Report 3/18/14: The early morning was frigid and the clouds took their sweet time to lift. But once the sun came out in the afternoon, it became a great day to ride! I took Darrin Jr for an after school ride out to Moose River Plains.
Starting in Indian Lake, the village trails were groomed but were still showing signs of abuse from the weekend in the form of studder-chatter. C8 out to Headquarters was more of the same story. Some of the tight corners between Adirondack Mountains Sports and Deer Valley were worn down to dirt with a few rock tops showing up through the base. Past Deer Valley, the snow was more pristine, but the studder-chatter never totally went away. It got particularly rough for a half mile past the Cedar River hill climb. At this point, I was wondering if I had picked the wrong ride. Then it got much smoother for the final couple of miles out to Headquarters.
We took the trail from Headquarters back to the end of Cedar River Road. I figured it would be a good way to pad some nice miles. But it blew away my expectations! It was A++ all the way with no fault or blemish whatsoever. At the trail head, we found out why it was a highway to heaven:
We jetted back to Headquarters to see what the Piston Bully did for the stretch between Headquarters and Silver Run. Needless to say, it was a much better ride than I found it last week. There were scant residual long-wave, very low amplitude rollers. The big hill had a few of the modest rollers. And the S-turns had some chop. But overall, it was B+/A- riding through there. It will be great to have the Piston Bully working on our side of the Plains for next winter, that’s for sure! Already something to look forward too. 🙂
Silver Run through Red River-T was A/A+ riding all the way through. The Big-T flats were simply amazing! There was hardly a icy or snirty turn. Inlet definitely had it’s A-game in full swing for Moose River Plains! We tried the Red River dead-ender, but that was somewhat rough. After we rode along the river, we turned back to get the great stuff on the main drag. The snow turned somewhat mealy for the final few miles toward the Limekiln Gate, but still solid A- riding through there.
Inlet loop trails were in good to outstanding shape throughout. I almost always have a good ride in there. It was nice to use the loop trails to bypass the rapidly drying Limekiln Road to make it over to the E-Z Mart. The sleds didn’t need gas, but the teenage boy riding behind me was getting hungry. Guess I don’t really need that money sitting in my wallet…
After we ate, we ran the Inlet loop trails some more, then headed for home. Moose River Plains was just a peach of a ride late in the afternoon. It was nice heading AWAY from the sun so we wouldn’t be blinded. C8 from Headquarters back to Indian Lake was more studdery and bumpy on the way back, but Darrin Jr hung in there pretty well on the Ole Formula S.
We ran 42nd & Broadway, Little Canada and Ski Hut trails to round out the ride. Ski Hut trail and Little Canada between Sawmill Road and Lone Birch were the very best of that lot. We rolled back to the compound with 101 miles for the afternoon and evening. We had a great time, the stuff that father/son rides should be made of.
Outlook:
The Indian Lake trails need more work to bring them back up to snuff, but Moose River Plains is already aces! The needle is pointing more toward snow instead of rain for Wednesday night into Thursday. We’ll have to see what shakes from the sky, but it appears we’re going to run full stride into another riding weekend here in ilsnow land. Snow pack is 1-2+ feet around town and 2-3+ feet in the traditional “snow bowls.” We’ll probably have more snow on Saturday. We’re not close to sniffing diehard season yet. Ride it while we got it!
Darrin @ ilsnow.com
