Lots of internet chatter about how this storm was a bust for other places. But what can I tell you? I forecasted 6-12 inches of snow/sleet mixture for Indian Lake and ended up with about 8 inches at the ilsnow storm center. Most reports along the Route 8 corridor were in the 8-12 inch range.
After I got done clearing my driveway, I got down to business of playing in the snow. I got my Dad to drive me down to Speculator so I could pick up my sled from Village Motorsports, who do a bit of “mid-season touch up work” on the 4-TEC.
Speculator Village trails were freshly groomed and very slippery to ride when I was the first tracks. I ran up LP3/Oak Mountain thence C4 out of town and that was great.
Speculator Tree Farm
S41C/Hatchery Brook trail was a terrific ride. Maybe a couple of spots near the side of the trail thinned out by water. Here’s a look:
The lower Tree Farm hadn’t been groomed yet, but Elm Lake Road, Long Level Road and Fly Creek Road and Cave Hill Road were steaming bowls of pow-dah chow-dah:
Old Route 30 was bumpy all the way down. But the near foot of fresh pow-pow kept the riding fun and I made it down to the steel bridge:
After horsing around for a bit and getting “lost” in a place in the Tree Farm I had never been before, I did this Facebook live shot:
After that, I fumbled my way to Silver Hill, then made my way up Wolf Hill Road and S41 to make a nice run up to Perkins Clearing.
Over to Oxbow
Perkins Clearing was being groomed. I ran Perkins Clearing Road and Jessup River Road with nice results.
Big Brook Trail was a terrific ride. Willis Mountain trail and Fall Lake trail was a single-track width magic carpet ride. Aside from a couple of thin water spots on Willis Mountain trail, it was about as good as it gets through there:
Spy Lake trail was freshly groomed from Oxbow Inn to the Pleasant Riders Clubhouse. Oh yeah!!!!
To my shock and joy, nobody had ridden Spy Lake trail past the Clubhouse, so I took the honor of breaking that through Jack’s Hill and down to Spy Lake. That was incredible FUN!!
I attended the Pleasant Riders Snowmobile Club monthly meeting and got to see some faces I haven’t seen in a while. Also got to check out their clubhouse for the first time.
Then I strolled over to the Oxbow Inn and promptly destroyed this fine plate of steak and sides. It was every bit as good as it looked:
Back to Speculator
After dinner, I ran the lakes over to Speculator. Fish Mountain/Oxbow trail was good to excellent, aside from a water hazard somewhere between Oxbow Lake and the graveyard.
Page Street/LP1 had soft bumps, but nothing bad.
Business Access Trail was a good ride to Mountain Market for refueling.
Return home to Indian Lake
I ran LP3/Oak Mountain and C4 straight up the gut to Perkins Clearing. The Southern Bypass trail was one of the nicest rides I’ve had on it.
And then I hit 2 Miles of Hell, which aside from one decent size hazard was freshly groomed butter:
Lewey Lake and Indian Lake were lonely crossings with only a few tracks through there getting blown over by the wind. Maybe not the smartest thing I’ve done at night, but I got away with it. Indian Lake Campsite was a complete mess with nasty washboards and a large fallen tree I had to skirt around.
C8/Sabael trail needed a comb-over with the groomer, which would also help to fill in some of the water holes on that trail. Indian Lake village trails had some soft bumps through the main arteries. S85/Ski Hut trail was AMAZING!
Rolled back to the compound after 9pm with 106 miles. I’ll be daydreaming about this ride when #summersucks!
Bottom line
All I can say is get up here and ride! The trails should set up good to start the weekend as the groomers continue to pack this snow down. Traffic will probably get very heavy over the holiday weekend. Sooner the better would a good strategy for you.
Indian Lake Snocade
Got a whole bunch of great stuff going for the upcoming week here in ilsnow land as part of Snocade, including:
Indian Lake Snowarrior Time Trials – Saturday, February 16, 2019
New York State Snowmobile Safety Course – Wednesday, February 20, 2019
The very best way to become a safe snowmobile rider is learn safe riding from the beginning. Course instructor Patrica Ryan-Curry will lead a New York State Snowmobile Safety Course at the Town of Indian Lake Byron Park Building on Wednesday, February 20, 2019 from 8am – 4pm. Call Patricia at 518-414-2963 to pre-register and for more information.
A NYS Snowmobile Safety Certificate is REQUIRED for youth ages 10-17 to operate a snowmobile on allowed land. People who successfully complete this course will receive that Safety Certificate.
Central Adirondack Fishing Derby on Indian Lake – Saturday, February 23, 2019
The annual ice fishing derby will be held on Indian Lake on Saturday, February 23, 2019 starting around 5AM. Indian Lake/Blue Mountain Fish and Game Association urges ALL snowmobilers to reduce their speed and use increased caution when riding on Indian Lake ALL day for safety of derby participants.
If you are curious about participating in the ice fishing derby, click here for more information.
For the ilsnow nation,
Darrin
This report is brought to you by Prospect Point Cottages on Blue Mountain Lake. If you are looking for a quiet and scenic winter getaway, this place is for you with fireplaces, free hot brunch and snowshoes provided. The wintry view of Blue Mountain from across the lake is nothing short of amazing with a fresh mantle of snow!
