Bonus snowmobile riding continues for ilsnow land!
Waited until late Monday morning to let the hard-pack snow soften up, then it was back on the trail. Had to let the sun be my friend.
Decided to make the run up to Newcomb because I knew Newcomb Cafe would be open for lunch, one of the few places open Monday.
Indian Lake main artery trails were pretty good from the start. Not very messy in Bear Trap Swamp.
S84 heading out of Indian Lake was fairly bumpy around Million Dollar Bridge, but settled into an enjoyable ride nearly all the way through. Nothing much worse than low rollers until Rock Lake Marsh, then some studders after that, but nothing horribly bumpy and rough.
There were some worn spots before I got over the top. These are usually long bald by now.
Once I got over the top, it looked pretty good.
Newcomb/Old 538 had studders and low rollers in places, but wasn’t bad for the first 4-5 miles. Final couple miles to Essex County line got fairly rough through.
Thankfully, the ride after Essex County line was much smoother and more enjoyable for the win.
There were several thin spots and maybe a couple small bald patches, but it was holding together quite well.
After the T-intersection, C8A to Newcomb was mostly a good ride with several thin stretches and a few small bald spots along the way. Had to be alert for a few spots where flowing water was eating away at the trail.
Plowed section into town was thin and pebbly. There was one long bare swath. What would I be saving my carbides for? Summer? Screw it! I pressed through…
Thin and bald in places going through Newcomb proper, but at least the highway had enough bumpy snowbank to connect with Newcomb Cafe for lunch.
Got a tasty big mouth bacon & cheese burger with a side of sweet potato fries. Had fun chatting with the staff and locals who were eating there. On my way out the door, I grabbed a delicious oatmeal raisin cookie to munch on before I hit the trail back home.
Going home
I slow-steamed it through the Newcomb side to stay with good riding as long as possible. Also did “rabbit hole” riding into some places I hadn’t hit before. Pretty fun discovery stuff.
Temperatures into the 40s had caused deterioration of trail conditions with more worn corners and small bald spots emerging.
S84 back to Indian Lake was holding up reasonably well, but more corners down to dirt in the afternoon.
Victory lap had plenty of cheap thrill riding. I ripped S87/42nd and Broadway, Adirondack Lake, S86/One Stop to Lone Birch and S85/Ski Hut trail multiple times for the sheer fun of it.
But S86 near Crow Hill Road was feeling the heat badly by afternoon.
Rolled back to the compound with 76 miles and no regrets over going out.
Hey, it’s March 27th! Gotta grab it while I still can. Quite honestly, I’ve ridden worse mid-week, mid-winter around here.
Got some more cracks at it this week! I’ll be out there…
One more thing
NYS DEC has closed the gates to Moose River Plains to prevent automobile traffic from entering. There is room to ride snowmobiles around the gate, and snowmobiling remains permissible into Moose River Plains as long as snow conditions permit. Still enough snow on the Indian Lake side to enter at this time. Probably completely shot approaching Limekiln Road.
For the ilsnow nation,
Darrin
The report is brought to you by Irondequoit Inn on Piseco Lake. Direct access to snowmobiling and cross country ski trails, direct access to lake ice fishing and close to ski & snowboarding mountains! Call us at 518-548-5500 or visit online to book your room.
