Ron Rybicki
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OK Thanks Darin My friends are still riding around Piseco, Morehouse and OxBow as of last Saturday. They clicked off 100 and said it was a 9 out of a possible 10. I know the Powley Rd should still be good and in the woods when I left on Sunday March 9 there was 3 ft of snow left on our drive way in Evergreen Lake. They put in at the Pine Lake parking area went towards Nine Corner Lake and Pleasant Lake and continued up to Piseco. Se you next season.
RonTrails around Arietta, Piseco Lake and Morehouse were holding up real well. over 2 feet of snow in the woods and they are hard as a rock. Got beat up a little by Saturday night but not that bad. The good ole boys will get them back to perfect.
As far as the coming week end with the warm up I’m not sure how they will fair. I saw a couple of mud holes starting to appear on C8A at the end of the Powley Rd. The 60 plus degrees predicted will also not be good for my e tec. It does not like these temps. with the drag from the soft trails.
Any way we are done for this season. Took my sled home till next season. Had one of the best for quite awhile.
RonDarin was right about the lakes being glazed over. Talked to guys that came from Spectacular last Friday in the OxBow. They did not have studs or good carbides and could not hold it straight, wound up doing several spins outs. By Saturday though the Piseco area got several inches blown into piles but enough to cool and lube the slides.
We rode down to the Doldgeville R & G Club this past Saturday and had a great ride. Several well used trails like C8A, C4, and C4A in a lot of places had the 3 to 8 inch stutters. And of course a lot worse getting back to Piseco that night. But it was a great ride and went to the top of the highest point in Herkimer County ( Barto Hill ) for the view of the wind mills all around there. Almost got blown off the hill. Wind was extreme. Did’nt spend to much time there. If you ever plan to see this view, stop at the Saisbury Club to get one of their local maps as very few of the trails down here are marked. That big NYS map is worthless. I did not ride around down here for a couple of years and the club changed some of the trails so I stopped sleds a couple of times to ask directions.
Darin is right about the warm up coming so I think it could be over down in these southern areas. I saw mud holes starting to open up along C8A ( our 5 mile from hell ) (Powley Rd to Stratford). Around Piseco there is still over 2 feet of snow on the ground and the trails are hard as a rock. This coming week end is over heat time for my e tec but I took my sleds home for the season anyway. I dont ride thru mud holes any more.
RonLooking at what the rain did to already marginal conditions below Dolgeville I cant see much hope here. My friends got below the Opinheim Club last Saturday and found bare fields. No lube or cooling. They had to stop several times and throw snow from the patches they could find on their heat syncs. Once they got past the Dolgeville R & G Club heading to the Salisbury Club they said you could see the snow getting deeper. How ever all the trails around the club, thru Stratford to the Powley Rd were tore up and horrible. On the way down thru Pleasant Lake to Opinheim they said the trails were great.
We all know that you cant put a couple of hundred sleds on a narrow trail like C8A at he end of the Powley Rd and expect it to be any thing but horrible by that night. I have come back to Piseco so many time at night from down here and found the same trail conditions, but usually the boys from Stratford and Salisbury get out and do their magic with the drags so we dont have to knock our livers loose all the time.
RonI just looked at the web cams for OxBow, Indian and Piseco Lakes. They all look very wet with standing water on them. Probably OK now for lube and cooling but with the cool down coming and blowing snow I visualize patches of bare ice, no lube or cooling. Have to wait and see if the snow sticks before the wind blows it off.
RonTrails around the town were great last Friday afternoon at least thru Sherriff Lake and the Powley Rd ( S88 ). The trail from RT 10 to the Oxbow got chopped up to 4 inch stutters C8 ) Still not bad. Talked to several that took the out house trail from Piseco east and said about the same. ( C4 )
By Saturday night almost every trail was beat. I never saw so many sleds out around the town or down towards Ohio or Stratford and Salisbury.I cant imagine what the tug hill area was like. Had friends that went up there for the week end. Have to see what they say.
RonI’ve got a call into DEC Forester ( Jon DeSantis ) about the Wilcox Lake UMP but so far have not heard from him. I was just wondering if any work is being done here or have the DEC stopped working on UMP’s As far as trail maintenance goes the TME’s can still clear, groom and replace bridges that need replacing except it the are long ones, like the one over fall stream in Arietta. I was told by a forester that the DEC is currently working on a trail maintenance plan for TME’s since the law suit. It is not done yet and will not be done till next season.
That bridge over Fall Stream turned out to be a almost disaster for snowmobilers. The DEC was not going to replace it even though they already had the material in there. If you remember, this trail was slated to be closed and we were to get a new trail from Piseco to Perkins but the law suit took care of this. The Highway Super from Arietta got involved and told the DEC the bridge was dangerous and they were going to replace it. Miraculously the DEC recanted and met the town boys to help do the work and on the way into the bridge the town boys also built new ones over small cricks that the lumber was just laying there.
Anyway My question for the DEC is. If a trail washes out like the one going up to Echo Cliff and the DEC made a nice re route for the hikers to a safer location and they got permission suposedly to do this from higher up the chain of command, WHY cant they do this for snowmobile trails that the bridges have rotted or washed out. Interesting aint it ? ? Sucks big time
RonI remember about 7 or 8 years ago that the then Snowmobile Coordinator ( Nicole Unser ) for Parks decided to take a ride with some of the officials in Albany on these trails towards Stony Creek from Wells area. I think they were using S43 on the map towards Wilcox Lake as their route. I remember her saying at a meeting the group got in from Griffin Lake only about a couple of miles on this unbroken, of course ungroomed, not even cut out trail and gave up. She was so angry at the TME and I think it was a club out of Stony Creek that Parks sent a nasty letter to the club say that they would with hold any future funding for this high snow formula trail until it got fixed and was properly maintained. I heard from the Foresters in Northville that it got fixed right away.
With the good snow we have had so far this year, I cant understand why these trails are in this condition. Maybe they did not get the snow that all other areas did this year. I dont know but the new coordinator for parks is Bill Shattuck 518 486 7872 ( email=williamshattuck@parks.ny.gov) and Pete is right. The TME is the Algonquin SnoBlazers.
I went to him about the trail from Jerseyfield Lake RD ( Salisbury ) to Bull Hill RD (Ohio ) Corridor ( C4 ). This trail I told him that the DEC abandoned it for 26 years. The TME is the Ohio Club. Agreed the DEC will not let the club replace a major Bridge over Mill Stream but the club did go in and beefed it up with their own timbers. This is OK by the DEC. This year it is open and being groomed by Perry S. He lives in Jerseyfield Lake. Bill said he would go to the DEC and the Club. Amazing its fixed and ridable this year after 26 years. Let him know of the situation on these trails. He was very interested on what I told him and wants to hear about this type of problem with trails, now that we are paying 65 bucks per sled and having to ride garbage. The TME’S are going to get a big raise this year.
Ron
PS Pete-the trails around Dexter Lake and Water Mill Pond are still open as far as I know cause the UMP for this area has never been accepted by the DEC. I dont think they have been cut out and I know they are not groomed but your Tundra should not have any problem.Talked to the same friend who took trails from Caroga to Evergreen on this past Sunday afternoon on his way back to Broadalbin. He said they were all perfect. Chad D. was out all night Saturday and is not happy with the turd who burned up his trail abound Pleasant Lake. I hope when he’s out grooming that he does not see a turd doing this it wont be good for him. No need for this kind of trail riding around here. They belong up in Tug Hill where they might just take a curve to fast and eat a tree.
RonGreat turn out. Probably over a 100 people ( Mostly riders ) The fire works show was the best I ever seen. See the show on facebook, I’m sure. Kids had a great time sledding and sliding on the hill in the OxBow’s yard.
A big thanks to the Pleasant Riders Club for all their work to put it on especially to Mike O. for getting the fire work show and Mike K. and Ron C. for staying out on the deck cooking all the burgers and dogs of death
PS All the trails leading to the OxBow were great. A big thanks also to the town of Arietta for grooming here.
RonOhio Club announced that all of their trails are now open. That Perry S. went from Jerseyfield Lake Rd to Bull Hill Rd. ( C4 ) and from Buck Point Lodge intersection 17 ( C4C) to Mosquito Hill. They said C4 to Jerseyfield Rd was a little rough in places but passable.
With the high winds we are experiencing I would guess that you will encounter trees or at best limbs down on these trails as they are in the deep woods with no open fields.
Have to wait for more info from the Club for this up coming week end.
RonOn face book Ohio groomed all around the big trails near the Ohio Tavern with the heated cab big machines. No mention of the trails that have to be groomed with a Scandic like the one to Mosquito Hill ( C4C ) or the one to Jerseyfield lake Rd. (C4) or the one along Rt 8 at Nobolsboro. (S46A) . Oh well at least we get a good ride from Piseco thru Morehouse to the Tavern. Maybe they will hit these smaller trails soon. Morehouse is always good. ( C4 )
It was just announced on face book that they groomed S46A to South Lake. We call this the trail that goes nowhere as there are no business’s or any place to get gas or food here or to North Lake 2 miles away on heavy sanded road. Unless Trackside Groomers get down to North Lake from Bear Creek lake Rd. which they will groom when all of their other trails are done with a Scandic. For some reason the club insist on getting this trail done before they do the trails that have the most traffic uses. as I mentioned above. I dont get it and I have brought this subjuect to the club president many times. I give up.
RonTalked to the Highway Super. just a few minutes ago and complimented him ands the town boys for all the work they did in Sheriff Lake and getting off Piseco on the west end. He chewed on me a little for listening to people that love to complain and do not know the circumstances of maintaining a trail.
We rode thru Sheriff lake this past Saturday and it was all fixed and really for what snow we got that will not pack it was pretty darn good. Clicking off the usual rocks that can not get covered so I loved it. It was not that smooth that I had to worry about some idiot going to fast with the snow on every bush. The dips that we found were from hot spots that will not fill in until we get some snow that will pack and stay before sleds blow it out. He said he is going in this summer with some equipment and fix all that bad spots properly.
The Powley was a 10 and even the trail at the south end was good. ( C8A ) No mud holes any where. Salisbury was out the day before and all their trails were great up to Stratford from the club. The rock garden ( C4 ) north of Stratford was not that bad but again clicking off the rocks that can not get covered.
Blew down Piseco and found some short slush spots that were only a few inches deep. Should not be a problem for any body. On the way back to Piseco the trails got a little chewed up but still not that bad.
Looking forward to this coming week end for another great ride.
RonYes –Its been open for a week now. The trails are a 10 here and on into Ohio where they have been grooming with the big machines for awhile now.
Ron
