Hard to believe I hadn’t trucked my snowmobile to Washington Street parking lot in Tupper Lake in a month. But I’ve had good snow for rides from Indian Lake for weeks.
I did miss the ease of riding C7 from Tupper Lake to Malone. Trail reports are easy too!
Temperature had dipped to -9*F at the ilsnow storm center, Indian Lake early Friday morning. Between loading the 900 ACE Turbo onto the wagon and trucking it to Tupper Lake, temperature warmed to 14*F by 10:30am in Tupper Lake. Felt BALMY on that parking lot. Only two other truck-n-trailers parked when I got there.
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C7 Tupper Lake to Lake Clear
I’ve said that some of the best riding in New York State starts past this gate.
Friday morning, it certainly did! Other than a few long wave rollers to keep me honest, C7 northward from Tupper Lake lived up to its standard.
C7 Lake Clear to Malone
Through Loon Lake, various sections of C7/Pole line had been groomed more recently than others. Good to excellent riding throughout this stretch.
Great C7 pole dancing!
North of Loon Lake to C8/Meacham Lake exit ramp was BUMPY! Some improvement after that, especially from C8A/Wolf Pond Road exit ramp into Mountain View.
Mountain View to S78/Trailside exit ramp was bumpy in places. Then I hit helmet-whipping booty call to Owls Head.
From Owls Head, I picked up a fresh groom for smooth sailing to Malone Junction.
Encountered lengthy pebbly sections between Titus Mountain exit ramp and Malone Junction. Even some fist-sized floating rocks (not in picture here)
Around Malone
Tried the new Local 839 trail to Constable. It’s part of the old C7 spur from Malone Junction to the Canadian Border. Aside from thin spots and a carbide-unfriendly steel grate bridge, it was a VERY FUN ride! Rubber strip for the skis and track would be a VERY welcome addition to that bridge.
When you see the plow, you know the ride’s over and it’s time to turn tail!
A fresh groom on C8C led me to straight-arrow time warps through Burke.
FAAAAAAST!
As I approached the wind farm, C8C became rocky and thin in the fields. T’was time for me to turn around and hoof it back to Malone!
S80 in Malone had been groomed, but was THIN.
Plenty of carbide clank through the woods, with this being the ugliest spot.
People ask on Facebook groups whether one could ride out of Holiday Inn, Malone.
The answer is YES, but the cornfield looked painfully THIN. I didn’t bother riding it.
Decided to eat lunch at The Pines Tap and Table. The trail leading there was a nice rip!
Started with Irish pub nachos with added pork. Should have asked how big this was when the waitress took my order. Got more than I bargained for! Good eats there.
After polishing that off, it was on to the loaded grilled cheese with gruyere cheese, carmelized onions and bacon.
Delicious sandwich! But with at least another 65 miles to ride, I boxed half the sandwich and some fries to enjoy later. Part of wisdom is knowing when enough is enough. No ego eating here.
Back to Tupper Lake!
After following the roller-ama to Roberts Sports of Malone for a refuel, it was time to head back to the truck.
Caught a fresh groom on C7/Pole line south of Mountain View and followed that for several miles until I overcame the groomer tag team.
By late afternoon, C7 had become very chattery. Decided to peel off S83 exit ramp and roll C7B through Bloomingdale.
WISE CHOICE! Beautiful ride until NY-86 highway crossing. There was DEEP snow hiding in places, with over 3 feet on picnic tables!
C7B Rock Garden was rough as a corn cob. Managed to escape that medieval torture chamber and ride a snowbank along NY-86 highway to Lake Colby Boat Launch.
Ripped the lake and rejoined C7B into Metro Saranac Lake. I didn’t press on to Ray Brook and Lake Placid, but that direction did look nice!
After taking a short breather at that spot, it was time to make the move back to the truck.
Lake Colby causeway was loaded with studderbumps. C7C to Lake Clear had lots of soft ski chatter.
C7 from Lake Clear to Tupper Lake was littered with heavy studder-bumps and occasional high rollers. It had been THRASHED by the day’s traffic.
Got back to Washington Street parking lot as it got dark. Wanted a couple mile of fun to end the ride on a high note. I found it on Local 871/Junction Pass Trail for a nice rip to the Golden Arches and back.
Finished the ride with 171 miles. Easy day at the office.
After I packed up, I hit up Tupper Lake Save a Lot. When you ain’t got a grocery store in your hometown, you gotta cart up whenever you can.
Snow pack on my ride was quite variable. Upwards of 2-3 FEET in places between Tupper Lake and Loon Lake, around 1-2 FEET in Mountain View and Owls Head. Only 6-12+ inches in Malone, Constable and Burke. No more than a foot in Metro Saranac Lake – amazing drop off in thickness from what it was only several miles away in Lake Clear.
Ride map
Click here for ride stats, larger map and 3D Flyover
Bottom line
Great time, but it was BUSY out there! WEEKEND LITE
I think people were grabbing some before the Polar Express arrives for the weekend. Saw lots of snowmobiles parked near the depot Friday evening.
DRESS FOR SURVIVAL if you’ll be riding this weekend. National Weather Service has issued an Extreme Cold Warning from Saturday AM into Sunday for wind chills of minus 25-40.
For the ilsnow nation,
Darirn
