Ron Rybicki
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Arietta & Morehouse Trail
WE did not ride this past week end but here’s my friends report from yesterday. They started in Evergreen-Rode thru Sheriff Lake ( C4 & S88 )- Super Great to the Powley Rd, up and down Powley ( C8A )- Bumpy in the turns and hills, Crossed Rt 10 rode to Oxbow ( C4 )- Worn out on the hills and turns but passable. Lunch at Oxbow then to Piseco Lake via the short trail-Clipped a few rocks but passable (no problems), Fall Stream cutting way into Piseco-gave it a wide swing-not to far as Mill Creek near the Irondequoit Club beach cuts in, down Piseco back to Evergreen and on thru Morehouse ( C4A ) ( just groomed by the good ole boys of Morehouse) to the Fire Co. Took a break then back to Evergreen via ( C 4 ) Sheriff Lake area. 60 miles and worth ever inch of it.
With the temps this coming week we might get a short one in and burn some dogs of death either on the Powley Rd or Mosquito Hill or maybe not. Depends on the predicted rain for Saturday and Sunday coming up. But we will see.
RonOhio Club trail C4 from Jerseyfield Lake Rd to Bull Hill is definetly closed. We took it this past Saturday thru Morehouse to Mosquito Hill and on towards the Salisbury Club. Dont try it. There is a major wash out with a ice jam on it about a 1/2 mile from the bridge that the DEC was supposed to replace this past year but never did. Going on 25 years now begging them to make this a safe trail to ride. We got thru by cutting some bushes around the ice jam and made it to the top of the switch back where there at least 25 sleds taking in the view. We just got thru the jam when here come at least a dozen rider, some double going towards Ohio. I should have told them to take some pictures and send them to their local politicians. This may be the only way we will ever get this trail fixed. I really dont think Ohio care whether it fixed or not. They can blame the DEC for not being able to groom it while reaping the high snow corridor funding.. It should be closed and de funded. Maybe other people will then complain beside me and maybe if enough complain we might see some action.
After leaving the Salisbury Club we went north thru Stratford and beat our liver loose on the bumps and dodged mud holes around open mud holes . Must have been a ton of sleds cause it was tore up bad. Powley Rd was great. Deep rollers on the turns and hills though..
We are done going this way this year and we might be done for sure. It poured in Piseco till about noon Mud holes opening up.
Friends went to the Ohio Tavern thru Nobolsboro and said it was great all the way.. A little scratchy from Haskells along Rt 8 in some places.
RonBoy, Do I agree on the cost of these sleds today. Some of these prices are unreal for What! At best we get maybe 9 week ends of decent riding these days, then the mud holes start to appear. Once I plow thru a mud hole with a $10,000 sled I’m done. Some times we push the envelope and try to get into the 2nd week of March and as I said my wife and I almost got into trouble trying to get onto Oxbow Lake a few years ago. So far in the last 5 years or so we have a hard time to get this far. We mainly ride out of our camp in Evergreen and almost all of the trails we ride are goat paths as Darin calls the trail from Piseco to the out house near Fawn Lake intersection. The town of Arietta did help the DEC fix most of this trail after I got the big boss in Raybrook to tell his foresters to go ahead and spend the money to bring in the lumber and do it. The trail was unsafe and it was only a matter of time that a rider would get hurt in one of the horrible mud holes here. I also got them to let the town make a couple of re routes on state land up in Sheriff Lake. And I complement the town of Morehouse also. Those boys every year try to make improvements to their trail system and you can see it when you ride them. As a snowmobilier I definitely see the climate change. In the early 90’s we would get up to 15 feet of snow for a season. Now we are lucky to get 6 or 7 feet. I envy Darin’s rides and follow his routes on the big map to see where he’s talking about. He definitely is a avid snowmobilier. Nuff said
RonJust in from Pleasant Riders–Oxbow Lake opened up at the east end (Sacandaga Lake end) for about 6 feet. You will have to give it the gun to slide up on the hard ice if your heading to the Oxbow Inn. This is where My wife and I found our selves a few years ago only it was about 8 feet to hard ice and where Mike O sunk his sled, got soaked and had to get help to get his sled out. We took the snow fence down and went along the shore to hard ice. We probably caused some heart aches for the club and were sorry but to go back via the Fawn Lake trail which was worse in one fly was not going to happen. The bridge here was floating. We pushed it to the limit for a ride and should have put the sleds away sooner. Now we are older and smarter.
Also Piseco Lake at the east end where Fall Stream and Mill Creek cuts into the lake is open for about 50 feet. This is right where the trail dumps onto the lake.
I have a feeling there are going to be some wet rescues this week end up there.
The club did get out this week on the Spy Lake trail and video’d it. Couple of small bad spots but not to bad. I wonder it they crossed Spy Lake towards RT 10. If its safe.The Ohio Club just posted that the trail (C4) from Jerseyfield Lake Rd to Ohio is now under water in one spot. No bridge evidently. We can thank the DEC for this. They will not let the club build bridges on state land. So do not go this way. Salisbury did send out a groomer to Norway but Ohio stopped grooming for the season last week. Cant blame them for not wanting to wreck their equipment trying to groom dirt and rocks. I saw 12 sleds in the yard at the Ohio Tavern this past Sunday on their web cam. Got to be locals or desperate riders.
Its going to be 51 degrees in Albany next Monday and I think it will be in the high 40’s in these southern towns. With the sparse snow I think its over down here.
RonOhio Trail by the Poland School and Play Ground is now closed due to idiots that cant stay within the flags and tapes. I swear it looks like these vandals do this on purpose.
Now the only way to get to the military rd or the Alamo from the Ohio Tavern is to ride the bare Hall Rd for 2 miles towards Rt 8 . That is if you want to ride un groomed trails as the club is all through for the season grooming anything. This was just posted on face book. They only got 6 inches and the trails are pretty much shot but if you dont care about your sled go ahead and ride them.
Salisbury said its very boney down there also but there trails are still open and not to ride on the trail at the end of the lower track as it was under water and the ice may not be thick enough for a sled. To get into the club go out on Curtiss Rd and ride the last 100 feet on the edge of the road. Some of the mud holes thru Stratford might not be frozen solid so you may get into some of that black muck. They only got 6 inches also.
News from the Oxbow Inn is she has very little gas in her tank and she is not going to put any more in for this season. You had better get gas else where or carry it. I think she see’s the end is near. I hope not. Any way we stayed home this week end cause of this little bit of snow may not have helped the trails that much from what I saw after the thaw.
RonAs of this morning Salisbury, Stratford and Ohio trails are still closed according to whats on face book. The pictures of the lower race track at the Salisbury Club looks more like a lake than a race track.
Chad of Stratford was going out yesterday to assess the damage and will report back.
My friends stayed off Piseco and Evergreen as Darrin warned….. They did take a ride from Evergreen to the morehouse fire co. on the upper morehouse trail ( C4 ) thru Sheriff Lake trail and said it was not that bad but came onto some kids that were stuck on a ice jam over a bridge about 1 mile west of junction C4 and C4A (43). They got thru it OK and helped the kids go back towards the Powley Rd.
I know the bridge over a small fly just before you get to the Jones Rd has to be under water. on this trail.
As Darrin said its shot for now and if it rains as predicted tomorrow as predicted, its only going to get worse. Hope that little bit of snow coming this Friday helps. I dont think the lakes will be safe from a lot of over run from the cricks dumping in them. At least from looking at Panther Mtn. stream dumping into Evergreen. It flooded out the whole east end of the lake. I would’nt go out on it.
RonI had all the oil settings and gas usage settings checked out by a Skidoo computer and was told all was within their proper dimentions. What blew my piston was the heat dried out the rubber intake manifold mounts and they cracked allowing the engine to lean out on that right side.
I to ride with other e-techs (that why I bought one) . They seem to run with the same temp indications on their gauge as I do and get the the same gas and oil mileage as I do.
The mech that put me back together thought that the one time I over heated (light came on) may have started the failure. Dont know but I’m due for a new sled once the price gets back to some what normal. I got 3K on this 2016.
I’m looking at that 600 EFI Skidoo now makes. Same basic e tech engine but NO power valves to have to clean each year from riding 10mph on the trails around here. My friend have one and loves it. Like him I dont need speed any more at my age.
RonTrails Closed
The Ohio Club just posed on face Book their trails are now closed due to lack of snow in some of the fields. Snow further north did absorb the rain OK but they closed all of their trails.
Stratford Club suggest that you run their Poker Run this Saturday by car and please support the club by doing so. Their trails are closed due to trees down and probably many wash outs. I know I talked to riders last week end at the Bow who came from Caroga via lower Arietta and Avery’s and said they were horrible. Avery’s north were better. They asked how to get back another way. I sent them down the Powley Rd and at the iron post bridge go left towards Pleasant Lake to stop and follow the signs at the inter sections.
I know the snow was so soft the trails got torn up just by the volume of sleds. Sounds like icicleal and Wayner got their trails back in shape but where do you go once you get to the end of their system (Nobolsboro) going south.
It does’nt sound like the trails around Spectacular are in any better shape either.
I wonder how the lake would be after the rain ? ?
RonSnowmobile Deaths
From my weekly Ranger report this one happened on top of Prospect Mountain in Lake George. (No Details) This brings the death count to I think 5 or 6 this season. Hate to be the bearer of this kind of news but usually its speed and or alcohol involved. SLOW DOWN OUT THERE AND LIVE LONGER.
Two guys went into Long Lake at the south end. They were both rescued and warmed up by the Long Lake Fire Company. This sounds like the same location where my friend went in about 5 years ago and was in the water for about an hour before the Long Lake Fire Company air boat got him out.
Rangers were alerted to a abandon sled crashed into a tree in the Moose River Plains. The owner appeared with a recovery team only to be issued two tickets for leaving the scene of a accident and no registration.
Another accident near Oak Mountain in Spectacular. Rangers and ECo responded. Rider was OK.
Rangers, Sheriffs, Troopers and ECOs are all out there this year watching and looking for violations.
RonThats great but I dont trust these e- tec engines. They run so lean that they run hot and it seems most of the time. I found that I need a minimum of 1 to 2 inches to keep my heat in the safe range. I’m running 2 ice scrapers on mine. When I first got it I took a ride on Evergreen (Had about 1 inch loose snow) and down the trail towards Morehouse. Next thing I know my high temp light went on so I stopped and put snow on the heat exchanger. This might have been the start of my downward spiral to causing the rubber intake manifold mounts to develop cracks and lean the engine out more to where I ate a piston on Piseco. Cost me $1700 to get going again.
With this rain coming and no snow for cooling and the temp for Friday nite to be almost in the single digits I might be done for this week end. I might just get out my 1970 Skidoo with boogie wheels and a fan to take a ride.
Ron
PS If you did,nt make the bon fire and fire works at the Ox Bow you missed a great time. Tons of people. Been going there since 1973 when I first came to the Piseco area. Wife and I have dinner there almost evry Friday nite.500ss
I saw where you rode on Sunday and was wondering if you had enough lube and cooling. We left camp for home Sunday about 9AM (Superbowl Party) It was about 12 degrees and my 1/4 mile drive way was froze solid. I chipped out the scratchers as a precaution but I only had a short distance to the car. How did you make out
RonSLUSH
And plenty of it on the lakes
Friday rode to the Salisbury Club from west of Piseco thru Sheriff Lake area on C4 and S88 to the Powley Rd. Best I ever seen Sheriff Lake trails. Powley Rd was great all the way to the end. Arietta Town Hi way Super let the big BR180 go all the way to the end, Thanks a bunch Craig Small. C8A to Stratford was a little bumpy on way down and beat on the way back. Real thin on C4 into down town but passable. The new section of C4A from the end of Ukraine Rd (old ski tow) to the next Rd was very bad due to what snow they got stayed in the spruce trees and did not hit the ground. The club did try but all they did was slide the drag over big rocks and humps till it was snirt but passable. Rest of way into the club was great but on the way back all trails were bumpy due to a lot of traffic
Saturday rode to the Bon Fire and Fire works at the Ox Bow Inn back thru Sheriff Lake, Powley Rd to RT 10 (C4) over Spy Lake to the Bow. Spy was all deep slush and you’d better have a lot of power to get across the short end. C4 over the hill from Rt 10 was beat on the corners and steep hills. I’m not sure if Peasant Riders can even get it back into shape with out some snow. Heard a guy blew a belt out in the middle of Spy and had to change it while his friends watched from shore. I guess you only need one guy to change a belt. The Bow was a mob scene. 5 deep at the bar and over a 100 sleds in the yard. Christy (owner) ran out of food at about 6:30 and dont know if she had enough to open on Sunday. We were lucky and got her small delicious Greek Pizza just before. Heard it was like this since 11 AM when the first wave hit. Also heard that Piseco Lake was deep slush from one end, 5 miles to the other end. My niece was watching the sleds on the lake from the hill at the Irondequoit Inn. They sound like motor boats plowing thru the slush. Several people asked me how to get around Piseco rather than try it after dark. When this freezes this week and it will, the lakes will be a real hazzard to run.
Now with rain predicted for this Thursday it may turn out to be a real treat to try to run these trails again. I sure hope we are not done for the season.
RonWe rode the same way this past Saturday and found the trails all the way to the Alamo in Newport great but a little chewed up on the way back to Piseco. I’ve seen it worse where you could knock your liver loose. Once you get into Morehouse you will find the trails quite a bit better.
Sunday the trails around the Oxbow were great -just groomed. Lunch at the Bow and back down Piseco and home.
Ps Ranger and Sheriff on Piseco Lake checking for registrations. One of our riders had tried to register but with a back log in stickers had had only his paper copy. Lucky one of the Sheriff boys had the same problem. One deputy asked my wife for her insurance card which I carry for both of us. He accepted the fact that we were insured.
Pete– As of Sunday on the way home on Rt 10 it did’nt looked open yet either. I know it was cut out but no tracks on it.
RonA ambitious loop for you guys would be from Indian Lake south thru Perkins Clearing to Oxbow for gas, lunch or dinner. Ox Bow motel right there but call ahead for reservations. If you can’t get into the motel you will have to back track into Spectacular about 20 minutes of lakes for a motel. From here go west over Piseco Lake, thru Morehouse trail system (Excellent trails ) into the Ohio Club system (good trails but a lot of traffic on week ends) You then can go north and cross Hinkley Reservoir (Lot of sleds crossing OK). Now your into Penn Mountain system (also good trails ( but beat on week ends). Still going north you got options to go into Trackside Trail Blazer trails towards Old Forge or head north west closer towards where you want to go. Or reverse your trip. Watch your gas. (from Oxbow only gas is at the Ohio Tavern-35 miles or gas at Hinkley crossing on RT 365
We rode from Piseco this past Saturday thru More House into Ohio and on the the Alamo Inn @ Newport. (Excellent all the way going but a little chewed up coming back) but I’ve seen it worse.
PS I would’nt spend the money for a Old Forge permit just to get thru. You can ride to Big Moose Lake around and head to Raquette Lake then to Indian LakeHate to be the bearer of bad news but maybe I can get thru to some who want to listen. SLOW DOWN JUST A LITTLE.
Saw on my weekly Ranger Report this past Thursday a guy hit a tree in Perkins breaking his femur going to fast to negotiate a curve. Had to get rescued and transported to Nathan Littaure in Gloversville. Plus the one who hit something on Mason Lake early in this season and had to get air lifted to Albany Med.
Heard that one of the deaths was a guy plowing into the side of a truck on one of the roads up in Tug Hill some where. Also I heard that the death count for snowmobile accidents so far this year is up to 4 or 5. Not good news for us old timers just getting into our 2022 season.
Ron.
