Sunday night’s fresh inch of snow inspired me to take a Perkins Clearing rip, just to say I rode in April.
So, I trucked my sled down to Mason Lake parking lot and started from there. I gotta say that if we had gotten several inches of snow, I would have been seriously tempted to do this ride from Indian Lake without the trailer.
Anyway, I ran down the north end of Perkins Clearing Road which still had essentially 100% snow coverage. Some light bumps here and there, but nothing bad.
You can see my first tracks after I had pulled into the Perkins-T intersection:
Jessup River Road was a very nice ride, even better than Perkins Clearing Road. Only a few bumps on the turns.
About 9-10 miles into my ride, I noticed the engine was misfiring and there was a noticeable lack of power at the usual cruising RPM band.
Didn’t like that, so I headed back to the truck straightway!
I didn’t notice any other problematic symptoms like overheating, stalling, low-oil pressure, or any idiot light popping on. Sled still starts easily. Seemed to me like one of the cylinders was mis-firing for some reason.
So, I’m optimistic that it’s only a minor electrical problem that will be easily remedied before next winter.
When I got back to the compound, I did spin around a bit on the Indian Lake village trails. Clinically, they are still “rideable” but not what you’d call quality riding.
Midweek Outlook
Snow pack ranges from bare to several inches thick in the exposed areas to 1-2+ feet. As you can see, the snow pack is starting to become Swiss cheese:
Perkins Clearing certainly had enough on it for another week, if you start in from the Mason Lake parking lot.
Not sure what to say about 538/Newcomb trail since the first 3-4 miles was plowed for most of the winter. I didn’t get a chance to recon that today.
Looks like I’m done riding for the season with a total near 3700 miles. This is probably a new seasonal high for me, as I can’t recall ever approaching 4000 miles in a season. I certainly got my cuts in, for sure!
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.
