My son is finally old enough to enjoy the winter with me. Yesterday we enjoyed some time in the snow, planning another ride tomorrow.
Looks fun…. Don’t get enough of it around here for that kinda of playing…. But I do enjoy snow removal…
Another local-ish ride today,(Pontiac Lake State Park) my wife and daughter tagged along. My buddy let my wife use an extra sled since hers isn’t registered yet.
Nice! Did 12 miles yesterday and hoping for some more today. We had freezing rain the other night which didn’t help. But the trails are holding up OK. Hoping for more snow soon!
Just got home from the UP, went last weekend with buddies this weekend with the family. yooperdave where abouts are you? We stayed around Curtis this weekend and Newberry last.
Crazy stuff! Heading back up tomorrow but staying around St Ignace if the trails are decent. Good thing my buddy that is going is in his early 20’s and don’t mind driving. Wish the Gaylord area would get some decent snow.
Honestly, when there's snow on the ground and a good trail system that you can actually use to get places, or a vast expanse of off trail rideable terrain, there's nothing more fun than snowmobiling. rdust Nice starting him on on a sled he can actually handle. Far too often I've seen dad's just let their kids have their old big boy sleds when they get a new one. A 380 will get him the experience without being able to get in over his head.
I started with a two up and my wife enjoyed riding on the back. I then found a deal on a single seater and that became her sled. She doesn’t like riding two up any more. Lol.
Have you ever visited the Cherohala Skyway on 2 wheels? US129 etc. That whole area is 2 wheel bliss. Then there's track days. I did the same with my wife with motorcycles. Got her a scooter to start, then a Buell Blast and eventually an SV650. Made me worry like heII, She sold it and got back on with me, and she was ok doing so. One of those careful what you wish for moments. Sleds would be totally different though, I get that. We just don't get enough of it to justify the investment. Every time we see commercials advertising this type of vaca, I tell her how much I would love it. I've planted the seed, lol.
I've been on many crazy twisty roads from California's route 1 in NorCal all the way to Maine on motorcycles. Also I've done track days at Road America, Blackhawk farms, and Autobahn on my TLS/R. As fun as all of those experiences are, none hold a candle to snowmobiling, and I haven't even done a proper mountain sledding trip yet. I've found over my decades of riding that when you really get into the groove on a bike, you are breaking a lot of laws. The possibility of having the popo ruin your fun and having legal and monetary consequences, as well the boneheaded state of most cagers and their poor driving habits makes any street riding more dangerous than it should be. Track days are great, but can be ruined by weather as well as all that planning and just a very limited amount of time to do them. Sure, snow melts, and snow is really weather dependant, but if you have the machine, and time after work etc, you can typically go out and at least drive a couple hours north( at least for me) and be able to go riding all weekend, or whatever, for at least a few months a year. Aside from my states 55mph at night rule, and other rules like no drunk riding, and staying on the trails on private property where the trails are allowed to pass through, you can do what you want. Find a lake and want to see how fast you can go? Open it up. Most cases you simply do just that with no worries about getting a speeding ticket. Want to catch some air off that hill? Do it. I recommend circling back and taking that jump a few more times. Want to see how fast up the mountain you can go, to see where your highmark is? Do it. Sure there's possibility of avalanches in the mountains etc, and there's always risk to anything like this, but most of it is up to you abilities. For the night time 55mph rule, just go for the twisty routes through the trees, where if you average 35 mph you are HAULING a$$. Muscling a 500 lb machine around is a workout, but a very fun one. My wife enjoys riding on the back of the 2up and having me be the high speed trail chauffeur through the wilderness. She used to pilot her own sled, but like you with yours on her own bike, I was always worried a bit. Heated handles for her and other ways to keep her warm( newer models even have heated seats) and she's happy enjoying the ride and the scenery. Ahhh. Maybe next year I'll get that newer sled again, and hope for a better winter for riding conditions.
