Wednesday morning started at -17*F in Indian Lake, NY. It took much effort to dress for the cold, with enough inner layers to start a thrift store.
I used the cheat code and trucked Darrin Jr and myself to Route 8 parking lot in Ohio – a great place to launch from! By the time we unloaded, temperature had risen to -4*F. Plenty cold for snowmobile exhaust to hang in the trailer upon start-up.
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Rolled C4B, C4G, C4, S44 and C7C into Deerfield. Plowed road sections were cinders and ashes, but passible. Wooded sections had thin/snirty areas, but groomed flat in most cases. Seasonal roads and open fields were good to excellent riding!
The only notable exception to terrific riding was through Poland village and entering Deerfield via C7C, which was worn and quite bumpy.
Who couldn’t go for this?
Or this?
Once into Deerfield, we hit C7R to Mapledale. More fun riding! Wanted to complete a loop via S75A, but encountered a closed trail and got spun around a bit. After that, we backtracked through Mapledale to complete a smaller loop via C7A/C7C which was freshly groomed for a really fun ride.
By mid-day, temperature was up to 10*F. Full sun felt like a heat wave!
After crossing back into Poland, we decided to take a run toward Salisbury. C7C/C4I heading that way was really worn in places. Conditions improved as we gained elevation enroute to C4, but not to the standards we encountered previously.
For some reason I still don’t understand, I wanted an ice cream cone when we stopped at Poland Stewarts. Two scoops of Colombian coffee on a waffle cone strangely hit the spot on this cold mid-winter day.
Salisbury run? Not today
Pressing C4 into Norway, the trail got really worn but wasn’t horribly bumpy.
Was hoping to hit a prize on C4/Military Road to facilitate the run to Salisbury. But the trail was rough, apparently ungroomed since the weekend carnage. Wasn’t fun, so we turned tail on C4 back to Ohio where riding was good.
Ohio again!
Rolled C4 through Hinckley State Park which was good to excellent riding! Trail got really bumpy alongside Route 365 into Remsen. We turned tail and hung out at the Hinkley Reservoir Dam to soak in the cloud-filtered afternoon sun.
Then rolled C4B through Grant which I rated PG for “pretty good” to finally close the Ohio loop we started in the morning.
Rolled northward on C4B to pad happy miles to end the ride, complete with a silky smooth run up C4/Jones Road to Town of Morehouse line. With sun gone for the day, it felt colder by the minute.
Can’t complain when you finish like this!
Got back to the truck before dark with 129 miles for the ride. After we loaded the sleds, we traveled the short distance to Ohio Tavern for dinner.
I opted for the Cubinski special, their Polish-Cuban sandwich with roast pork tenderloin, kielbasa, swiss, spicy mustard & dill pickles – along with a side of pierogies. It was absolutely delicious! A cold day on the trail made it even more enjoyable.
As we finished dinner, Danny stepped out of the kitchen to chat with us for a while. It’s great to hear that Ohio Tavern is having a solid winter!
He also let me know that snowmobilers can park-and-ride from the Ohio Tavern near the 24-hour credit card pumps. Just look for the sign for truck and trailer parking near the gas pump.
Ride map
Click here to see ride stats, larger map and 3D Flyover!
Bottom line
Don’t think I encountered more than a half-dozen other riders out there. The charm of mid-week riding…
Felt awesome to be back on the saddle! Life had other ideas for a time, but my sweet reward was worth the wait. Honestly, the thin snow in Indian Lake made it easier to bide my time. Can’t wait for what’s ahead.
I’ve lived long enough for Darrin Jr to think it’s cool hanging out with Dad. Maybe I’ll be around to see the Redskins win another Super Bowl. That day may be coming soon!
Morehouse note
Looks like a bypass has been established around the C4/trail closure in Morehouse near Route 8. Follow the new signage to get you through.
For the ilsnow nation,
Darrin
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