Just got back ...

[Bontz]

We had a group of nine of us who did a mini saddlebag trip in the U.P. and man ... couldn't have asked for much better conditions.  Day 1, part of the group rode from the Cable, WI area (Lake Namakagon) to meet the rest of us just west of Watersmeet, MI on Thousand Island Lake.  They said the trails were good, but wore down as they got closer to Boulder Junction area.  That was the worst of it for them.  On Day 2 we rode to Big Bay and stayed at the Thunder Bird Inn, and then we made the trek from there to Copper Harbor on Day 3.  That ride got really interesting as we got closer to Houghton because they had a good snow storm kick in on Monday ... the ride from Houghton to Copper was one of those where you needed to stay right on the taillight of the person in front of you - lots of snow and snow dust!  We then rode back from Copper Harbor to Watersmeet on Tuesday, and the rest of crew rode back to Namakagon yesterday.  For our crew it was 580+ miles and for the other group it was around 900 miles.  No breakdowns, no issues - just a lot of miles and some great trails.  Two of the guys in our group had Boosts (a VR1 and an Assault) and holy shit ... talk about fun sleds!  It made going back to the 800's and 850's feel like going to a 600.

The one crappy part of the trip was on Sunday, when we rode from Watersmeet to Big Bay ... there was damn near nothing for stops.  We rode 60 miles and stopped for gas and some breakfast pizza, and then it was 120'ish miles all the way to Big Bay since places were closed.  It's been a long time since I've done 120 miles non-stop.  The beer in Big Bay was much needed & we enjoyed A LOT of it!! LOL

Kudos to the two wives that joined us ... absolutely no issues with them keeping up when we'd up the pace to 80+ mph at times and carry a pretty brisk pace through the woods.  They can ride and hang right with the boys.

[EvilBird]

Nice man ... but no pics ?!?! 

[Bontz]

57 minutes ago, EvilBird said:

Nice man ... but no pics ?!?! 

Was in a hurry & forgot a few pics … we didn’t stop a lot but here’s a few

[EvilBird]

Hell ya man badass 

[Palu49]

3 hours ago, Bontz said:

Was in a hurry & forgot a few pics … we didn’t stop a lot but here’s a few

Looks like your group makes up about half of arctic cats market share

[hayward]

Just now, Palu49 said:

Looks like your group makes up about half of arctic cats market share

and they too made the trip with no problem? 

helluva ride.  I miss backpack trips.

[Crnr2Crnr]

sounds like a great trip @Bontz, having spent a lot of time in the area between L'Anse and Big Bay not during snowmobile season that ride is on my bucket list.  

also glad your sled arrived and didn't start on fire because after all, this is the GF and because Polaris.  

 & 

[Badger**]

I did that ride back in the early 90's and that's was a long haul between Baraga and Big Bay on a 650 Wild Cat back then. Coming back that night we crossed L'Anse bay to get back to Baraga, that was a very eerie feeling crossing that bay at night.

If I remember right that's where we learn the story about Henry Ford and the logging in the area for the woody cars of the time and how he perfected what we know now as charcoal, he wasn't the true inventor but he perfected the invention. 

Edited February 3, 2023 by Badger**

[Bontz]

I had to chuckle ... mostly out of frustration ... my first day back and I see my Snowcheck finally arrived and was listed on my dealer's website.  Go figure!! LOL 

Regarding the trip, we had a "small world" moment when we got up by Calumet and ran into two guys from our hometown.  We thought they were staying in the area for the week, and found out ... nope, they rode from Zumbro Falls (about 20 minutes north of Rochester, MN) and across Lake Pepin by our hometown & up to Lake Namakagon a day earlier (I think that was 250+ miles).  Then that day, they left Namakagon for Copper Harbor & were taking a break in Calumet when we met them.  We ended up meeting them again at the Mariner, where we all stayed, and saw them heading out bright and early Tuesday morning, headed back to the Cable area.  Those boys were really taking advantage of the good conditions & getting some miles in!!

[EvilBird]

10 hours ago, Crnr2Crnr said:

also glad your sled arrived and didn't start on fire because after all, this is the GF and because Polaris.  

 & 

Yup Cats never catch fire. Fucking idiot. 

[p51mstg]

2 hours ago, Bontz said:

I had to chuckle ... mostly out of frustration ... my first day back and I see my Snowcheck finally arrived and was listed on my dealer's website.  Go figure!! LOL 

Regarding the trip, we had a "small world" moment when we got up by Calumet and ran into two guys from our hometown.  We thought they were staying in the area for the week, and found out ... nope, they rode from Zumbro Falls (about 20 minutes north of Rochester, MN) and across Lake Pepin by our hometown & up to Lake Namakagon a day earlier (I think that was 250+ miles).  Then that day, they left Namakagon for Copper Harbor & were taking a break in Calumet when we met them.  We ended up meeting them again at the Mariner, where we all stayed, and saw them heading out bright and early Tuesday morning, headed back to the Cable area.  Those boys were really taking advantage of the good conditions & getting some miles in!!

That's a lot of miles!

It's amazing how small the world can get.  When I was out in Wyoming, Dave McClure took us to Brooks Lodge.  As we're sitting in the bar, he and Riley Kincaid got recognized and before we knew it those two had a stream of young ladies stopping by to have their picture taken.  One of those fans was from the Chatfield, MN area, darn close to my original stomping grounds (other side of Rochester, but still close by, considering where we were at the time).