It was such a beautiful day that it would have been a crime not to take a snowmobile ride with that endless blue sky.
After a morning low of 8*F, I waited for the March sun to become my friend and break up the hard trail surface before setting out.
Snow was getting nice and soft by late morning when I headed out C8 out toward Cedar River Headquarters:
The trail surface ranged from smooth to studder-ripple to the occasional moguls on the turns.
There were some bald spots:
But also a lot of this:
And I couldn’t pass up this chance to stop and listen to the river:
Moose River Plains
From Headquarters, I ran down S88 to Cedar River Road. That was AMAZING!
Then I doubled back into Moose River Plains. The Indian Lake side of things from Headquarters to Silver Run had long-wave, low-amplitude rollers which were soft enough to keep the riding fun. The S-turns had some dirt showing, but otherwise the trail had near 100% snow coverage.
Silver Run to the Big-T on the Inlet side was fast and flat with just a hint of studder-ripple in places. By the time I got to the Big-T, the riding surface become a wet, mealy layer of granular snow on top of wet ice.
With the exception of some sharp turns, almost 100% snow coverage through the Red River-T and approaching Inlet.
For giggles, I pointed my sled into that awful 14 mile trail to Raquette Lake. Needless to say, my foray didn’t last long:
My progress on Moose River Plains ended about a couple miles short of the Limekiln Gate when I encountered this skank:
I probably could have made it into Inlet in a dire emergency. But I was out for fun and that didn’t fit the bill.
The way back
I hit the Red River dead-ender, which was decent…but nothing better. It had a lot more bumps than I usually see on that trail.
Mitchell Ponds Loop trail looked inviting, so I gave that a shot. And it was a nice slow, twisty ride through the woods. There were a few chuckholes along the way and a couple spots where the water had eaten halfway across the trail. But overall, I was very glad I ran it. Saw a nice little pond back there:
The Big-T dead-ender was a glorious run back to Otter Brook bridge:
Along the way back through Moose River Plains, I hit a place “off the grid” that I only usually get to once a year:
Once I got back to Headquarters, I zipped down S88 to Cedar River Road for another cheap thrill.
I suppose you can get from the Browns Farm Parking Lot to the trailhead if you hump the snowbank. But I can’t imagine that would be fun:
On C8 from Headquarters back to Indian Lake, the trail got somewhat wet in places and the several bald spots were growing.
After I crossed Route 28/30, near the former Arctic Cat dealer, I was greeted by this going back into town:
I can tell you the Indian Lake village trails took a hit today with the sunshine and mid-40s afternoon temperatures. But they still held close to 100% coverage in the shade, with the exceptions of some bald corners.
The shelf along Crow Hill Road was holding up, but getting grubby. And the bald areas going into town from Crow Hill Road got bigger as the day wore on:
But, fear not! S86/Little Canada from Adirondack One Stop to Lone Birch was still a fun rip along the power-lines. I was sure to thrash it thrice:
Rolled back into the compound with 116 miles for the day, in picture perfect weather for being outdoors. The meager snow cover on the lakes had been replaced with a slushy rime that is probably fun to ride during the day, but would freeze up tight at night.
Just a great day to be outside and enjoy the beauty that remains out there.
I got to “celebrate” the first day of Spring in a way appropriate to me. 😉
You can see where I went on my Moose River Plains jaunt:
Weekend Outlook
The strong March sun is doing its dirty work, but we’re not near the point of no return on the snowmobiling season. I think we have at least one more weekend left.
Of course: It would be nice to get a dump of snow prior to the weekend. And that could very well happen late Thursday night through Friday as a significant coastal storm rolls through:
Since this would be a heavy-wet snowfall, we may have to deal with low hanging branches and possible fallen trees. But at least it would cover the skanky spots going into the weekend. The way this snowmobiling season has gone, I would bet on getting the snow. 😉
For the ilsnow nation,
Darrin
This report is brought to you by Steet Ponte Auto Group. Many of the vehicles here in Indian Lake are bought from the Steet Ponte. Co-owner Joe Steet is a huge fan and booster of ilsnow.com. If you’re looking for a new truck, give Steet Ponte a good look.
