Windrock Tennessee May 20th and 21st
Several of the Wolverines headed down to Windrock Off-Road park in Oliver Tennessee for a two day trip. Jerry and Karen were the trip leaders and joined by Scott and Pam Bower, Jack Schurbert, Bill Welser and Stephen, Paul Phelps, Eric and Nolte Phelps and Mike and Zach Kearns. Bill and Nancy Green joined in on Sunday.
Saturday's weather started out great but we knew rain was coming in the afternoon so Jerry tried to guide us to the more difficult trails in the morning knowing that with the rain coming things were going to get more challenging with wet and slippery rocks. So off to trail 22 which proved to be a good choice with the group as we ended up traveling it in both directions. Jerry attempted to bring the group to trail 26, a Jeep Badge of Honor trail, but there was a very short section of Black trail that was a very steep uphill with some very large rocks, so the group decided better of. After a couple of more short blue trails, Jerry found a nice little pull off area where we enjoyed our lunch and group photo just in time as it started to rain.
As we were pulling away from our Lunch stop, Bill Welser noticed a Cell Phone that was dropped by a Dirt Biker. The group had come across this guy a couple of times in the morning where he was having a tough go of it, including dumping the bike a few times and sustaining some damage to the bike. So in true Wolverine fashion Jerry led us back to the General Store to try to catch the Biker as he had had enough for the day.and return his Cell Phone to him. We missed him but gave the store personnel enough of a description of the Cell Phone's owner to return it to him. The group continued on the rest of the day exploring the east end of the Park in the light rain. The group then met up at the Garage Bar and Grill for dinner while we reviewed highlights of the day's adventures.
Sunday's weather was absolutely perfect, sunny and in the high 70's, a nice change from the Prior day's light rain. As an added bonus, Bill and Nancy Green joined the rest of the group for the day. Jerry led the group out to the northern section of the park to run trail 51, another Jeep Badge of Honor trail. Most of the trails on the way there were rated as Green (easy) trails and proved to be uneventful as they are just connectors for the vast 73,000 acre park. The group entered trail 51 from the eastern end and noted that the remnants of the prior day's rain still lingered on some of the rocks and in the deeper ruts. Jerry managed to find a deep rut with about a foot of water in it that made getting out of it a chore with the steep wet clay/dirt sides. After trying multiple exits multiple times Jerry did manage to make it out. Bill Green was able to find a better way past this section of the trail. About halfway through the trail Jerry directed us to the Panther Rock overlook. off shoot which offered multiple choices of deep ruts thru close knit trees, but all the team members made it to the overlook and enjoyed another group photo opp, sans our vehicles. While we were there we spoke to 3 different ATV parties that had come "down" the western side of the trail and told us it was pretty tough going and that they suggested we turn back the way we came. After some discussion with the group we decided that we would take a chance and see how far we could get to complete the trail and earn our badges. It was a tough uphill climb, but Jerry got us through to the end of the trail. The rest of the day we worked our way back to the General store hoping to find some more challenges on the Moderate Blue trails, but they proved to be more Powder Blue in nature after trail 51's adventures. The group made it back to the general store near 5:00 PM and many of the group members decided it was time to part ways as a long drive back to their lodgings awaited them, so we said our farewells and wished them safe travels. Jerry and Karen along with Scott and Pam, Eric and Bill Welser decided to give a trail near the parking lot a go in search of yet another challenge. While there were a few spots that looked to be interesting they proved for the most part to be not much of a challenge, so the remaining members called it a day and headed out.
All in all it was a great trip, no major damage and no stucks. It was nice meeting up with Bill and Nancy on their home turf and spending time in person with them versus on the meeting calls.
Saturday's weather started out great but we knew rain was coming in the afternoon so Jerry tried to guide us to the more difficult trails in the morning knowing that with the rain coming things were going to get more challenging with wet and slippery rocks. So off to trail 22 which proved to be a good choice with the group as we ended up traveling it in both directions. Jerry attempted to bring the group to trail 26, a Jeep Badge of Honor trail, but there was a very short section of Black trail that was a very steep uphill with some very large rocks, so the group decided better of. After a couple of more short blue trails, Jerry found a nice little pull off area where we enjoyed our lunch and group photo just in time as it started to rain.
As we were pulling away from our Lunch stop, Bill Welser noticed a Cell Phone that was dropped by a Dirt Biker. The group had come across this guy a couple of times in the morning where he was having a tough go of it, including dumping the bike a few times and sustaining some damage to the bike. So in true Wolverine fashion Jerry led us back to the General Store to try to catch the Biker as he had had enough for the day.and return his Cell Phone to him. We missed him but gave the store personnel enough of a description of the Cell Phone's owner to return it to him. The group continued on the rest of the day exploring the east end of the Park in the light rain. The group then met up at the Garage Bar and Grill for dinner while we reviewed highlights of the day's adventures.
Sunday's weather was absolutely perfect, sunny and in the high 70's, a nice change from the Prior day's light rain. As an added bonus, Bill and Nancy Green joined the rest of the group for the day. Jerry led the group out to the northern section of the park to run trail 51, another Jeep Badge of Honor trail. Most of the trails on the way there were rated as Green (easy) trails and proved to be uneventful as they are just connectors for the vast 73,000 acre park. The group entered trail 51 from the eastern end and noted that the remnants of the prior day's rain still lingered on some of the rocks and in the deeper ruts. Jerry managed to find a deep rut with about a foot of water in it that made getting out of it a chore with the steep wet clay/dirt sides. After trying multiple exits multiple times Jerry did manage to make it out. Bill Green was able to find a better way past this section of the trail. About halfway through the trail Jerry directed us to the Panther Rock overlook. off shoot which offered multiple choices of deep ruts thru close knit trees, but all the team members made it to the overlook and enjoyed another group photo opp, sans our vehicles. While we were there we spoke to 3 different ATV parties that had come "down" the western side of the trail and told us it was pretty tough going and that they suggested we turn back the way we came. After some discussion with the group we decided that we would take a chance and see how far we could get to complete the trail and earn our badges. It was a tough uphill climb, but Jerry got us through to the end of the trail. The rest of the day we worked our way back to the General store hoping to find some more challenges on the Moderate Blue trails, but they proved to be more Powder Blue in nature after trail 51's adventures. The group made it back to the general store near 5:00 PM and many of the group members decided it was time to part ways as a long drive back to their lodgings awaited them, so we said our farewells and wished them safe travels. Jerry and Karen along with Scott and Pam, Eric and Bill Welser decided to give a trail near the parking lot a go in search of yet another challenge. While there were a few spots that looked to be interesting they proved for the most part to be not much of a challenge, so the remaining members called it a day and headed out.
All in all it was a great trip, no major damage and no stucks. It was nice meeting up with Bill and Nancy on their home turf and spending time in person with them versus on the meeting calls.
Silver Lake April 15th and 16th
The Wolverines were able to enjoy a beautiful spring weekend on the Silver Lake Sand Dunes! Sunshine, warm temperatures and light breezes, a near perfect Saturday, and a nice Sunday.
Saturday we had 5 vehicles: Karen and Jerry Budnick in their JK, their friend David in his 6.2 Raptor, Bill and Elizabeth Welser in their 6.0 swapped JKU, Nate Stewart in his TRD Tacoma, and Pam, Bailey and Scott Bower in their JKU acting as trail lead.
Low tire pressure and ample throttle were required in the soft sand to help us all navigate the challenges. Even with tire pressure adjusted and throttle usage Scott was able to get stuck trying a steep climb back in the playground area! Jerry picked a better line in the JK and came around to pull the JKU to safety (much to the appreciation of Pam and Bailey!).
Test hill was again a favorite for rig watching, and challenging ourselves! The dune was definitely blown to a soft peak over the winter. The V8 vehicles really shined blasting over test hill. It is hard not to love the sound of those V8s! (Read previous sentence as jealously! Pam, if you are reading this, 392?)
On Saturday afternoon we came upon a UTV on its side near the edge of a pretty good drop-off. I believe there were 4 people in the UTV, fortunately none were injured! The Wolverine crew offered their vehicles, recover gear and assistance. Jerry led the rigging and we righted the UTV in 2 steps. First, we winched the UTV 90 degrees away from the edge. Second, Jerry re-rigged with a kinetic rope doubled on the roll cage and we repositioned at 90 degrees to winch the UTV gently back on to its tires. During the recovery the Park Rangers came up to make sure everyone was okay. The Rangers and the owner were happy to let us handle the recovery. The owner was grateful for our help and that no additional damage was done during the recovery. The UTV was able to start and continue under its own power.
We did see multiple people being towed back to the parking lot. One four door Jeep, I believe a JL, had to call a local off-road tow truck because they shelled out the Dana 30 challenging a steep climb with a sharp edge. The front axle was locked up, so the tow truck needed to pull them backwards down the dune and then lift the front end to get them off the dunes. Fortunately, the Wolverines were all able to drive off the dunes.
Those of us wheeling both days stayed at hotels in Ludington on Saturday evening. After checking-in and a few minutes to clean-up we met for dinner at Culver’s. At dinner we were able to recap the day and after checking the weather we made a plan for Sunday.
On Sunday, Karen and Jerry, Nate, and Pam, Bailey and Scott returned to the Dunes for a 9:00 am start. Between some earlier rain and the start time we were able to make some of the first tracks on the sand and experience the traction difference with a wet top layer of sand. We almost had the dunes to ourselves which was really a great experience!
Karen took the wheel of the JK for some of the day and conquered every challenge she attempted! Nate said he learned a lot about his truck, tires and driving on the sand. Rain was moving in so at 11:30 we headed for the Welcome Center’s Air Station. We all aired up, secured our flags, reflected on a fun weekend, and headed home.
I believe the consensus is a very good outing!
Saturday we had 5 vehicles: Karen and Jerry Budnick in their JK, their friend David in his 6.2 Raptor, Bill and Elizabeth Welser in their 6.0 swapped JKU, Nate Stewart in his TRD Tacoma, and Pam, Bailey and Scott Bower in their JKU acting as trail lead.
Low tire pressure and ample throttle were required in the soft sand to help us all navigate the challenges. Even with tire pressure adjusted and throttle usage Scott was able to get stuck trying a steep climb back in the playground area! Jerry picked a better line in the JK and came around to pull the JKU to safety (much to the appreciation of Pam and Bailey!).
Test hill was again a favorite for rig watching, and challenging ourselves! The dune was definitely blown to a soft peak over the winter. The V8 vehicles really shined blasting over test hill. It is hard not to love the sound of those V8s! (Read previous sentence as jealously! Pam, if you are reading this, 392?)
On Saturday afternoon we came upon a UTV on its side near the edge of a pretty good drop-off. I believe there were 4 people in the UTV, fortunately none were injured! The Wolverine crew offered their vehicles, recover gear and assistance. Jerry led the rigging and we righted the UTV in 2 steps. First, we winched the UTV 90 degrees away from the edge. Second, Jerry re-rigged with a kinetic rope doubled on the roll cage and we repositioned at 90 degrees to winch the UTV gently back on to its tires. During the recovery the Park Rangers came up to make sure everyone was okay. The Rangers and the owner were happy to let us handle the recovery. The owner was grateful for our help and that no additional damage was done during the recovery. The UTV was able to start and continue under its own power.
We did see multiple people being towed back to the parking lot. One four door Jeep, I believe a JL, had to call a local off-road tow truck because they shelled out the Dana 30 challenging a steep climb with a sharp edge. The front axle was locked up, so the tow truck needed to pull them backwards down the dune and then lift the front end to get them off the dunes. Fortunately, the Wolverines were all able to drive off the dunes.
Those of us wheeling both days stayed at hotels in Ludington on Saturday evening. After checking-in and a few minutes to clean-up we met for dinner at Culver’s. At dinner we were able to recap the day and after checking the weather we made a plan for Sunday.
On Sunday, Karen and Jerry, Nate, and Pam, Bailey and Scott returned to the Dunes for a 9:00 am start. Between some earlier rain and the start time we were able to make some of the first tracks on the sand and experience the traction difference with a wet top layer of sand. We almost had the dunes to ourselves which was really a great experience!
Karen took the wheel of the JK for some of the day and conquered every challenge she attempted! Nate said he learned a lot about his truck, tires and driving on the sand. Rain was moving in so at 11:30 we headed for the Welcome Center’s Air Station. We all aired up, secured our flags, reflected on a fun weekend, and headed home.
I believe the consensus is a very good outing!
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Badlands March 18th
We had three club members attend the event, Scott and Pam Bower with Baily the wonder dog, Jack Schubert and his daughter Cici, and our Trip leaders Jerry and Karen Budnick. The day started out with a bit of snow and 17 deg temps which made for a bit of excitement during the 40-minute drive from Lafayette to Attica. Once we had our wristbands and aired down, we headed out onto the trails under Jerry’s lead. We turned to the left and hit a couple of trails on our way toward the quarry and the pipe areas. Jerry managed to guide us through some varying amounts of frozen over ponds of about 6 to 18 inches in depths in-between mostly dirt covered trails and around and through some trees. The recent snowfall made for some great scenery as we were the first ones out this early in the morning. We found ourselves in a large sandy area very similar to silver lake that we all know and love. Along the way we met up with a local named Mike who assisted Jerry in getting to the quarry area and introduced us to a rather challenging hill climb, which we all made with a bit of persistence. Mike then led Jack on the return downhill while pausing for a little two-wheel balancing act that brought a smile to Cici’s face, Karen made sure to get a video of the gymnastics. Jerry and Scott decided to take the long way around. Mike continued to assist Jerry with making our way around this area of the park and then found our way back to the Pipe area where once again Cici had a great time going through the pipes with the clicky clack of our flags. We then parted ways with Mike and headed to the parking lot to enjoy our Lunch and the warm restroom facilities.
After Lunch Jerry led us to the right side of the park and some very tight trails and in true leadership fashion (Hold my Beer) found a very tight uphill area literally between a tree a rock and a hard place. He came to appreciate his limb lifters, body armor and both axle lockers. He blazed the trail well but managed to bend his tie rod link a bit throwing off his toe settings. Jack and Scott found another way around. The rest of the day was spent following the many-colored arrows leading around the park.
Overall we had a great first day, the weather stayed rather cold, but the sun came out and made it seem almost comfortable. We ended the day with a group dinner at a cozy Mexican restaurant named El Chicano. Great food but no Frozen Margaritas. We also had to say goodbye to Jack and Cici, as they had another engagement to attend.
Day two weather predictions said it would be warmer, but 17 degrees again when we started up the Jeeps in the morning. We arrived at the 9AM opening time to try to straighten out Jerry’s steering, but once again rusty threads and short wrenches ruled the day. We knew we had a short day and a long drive home, so Jerry started out in the Silver Lake wanna be area where we enjoyed some easy wheeling and beautiful sights with the snow-covered trees in the background. Jerry of course found some tight trails with some pretty good off camber turns around large trees. It is a shame they don’t make armor that protects the top edge of our hard top roofs.
While nearing the end of our morning tour out of the park we came across three XJ’s with the red one stuck deep into a muddy ditch already winching up trying to go forward to no avail. He unhooked and a Green XJ used a snatch strap from the rear and freed the stuck vehicle. Unfortunately, the Green Jeep debeaded a tire in a mud hole. In true Wolverine fashion we did our best to assist our fellow Jeeper’s while using some of Scott’s tire repair expertise and tools. They finally decided to just remove the tire and try their hand at the Air station after trying to clean up the bead area.
So, in summary a great time had by all, although it was cold the memories will keep us warm. As hard as Jerry tried he did not manage to explore all that this huge park has to offer. Plenty of Cherokee friendly areas and enough mud to keep even Jack happy. No Stucks and plenty of new pinstripes.
After Lunch Jerry led us to the right side of the park and some very tight trails and in true leadership fashion (Hold my Beer) found a very tight uphill area literally between a tree a rock and a hard place. He came to appreciate his limb lifters, body armor and both axle lockers. He blazed the trail well but managed to bend his tie rod link a bit throwing off his toe settings. Jack and Scott found another way around. The rest of the day was spent following the many-colored arrows leading around the park.
Overall we had a great first day, the weather stayed rather cold, but the sun came out and made it seem almost comfortable. We ended the day with a group dinner at a cozy Mexican restaurant named El Chicano. Great food but no Frozen Margaritas. We also had to say goodbye to Jack and Cici, as they had another engagement to attend.
Day two weather predictions said it would be warmer, but 17 degrees again when we started up the Jeeps in the morning. We arrived at the 9AM opening time to try to straighten out Jerry’s steering, but once again rusty threads and short wrenches ruled the day. We knew we had a short day and a long drive home, so Jerry started out in the Silver Lake wanna be area where we enjoyed some easy wheeling and beautiful sights with the snow-covered trees in the background. Jerry of course found some tight trails with some pretty good off camber turns around large trees. It is a shame they don’t make armor that protects the top edge of our hard top roofs.
While nearing the end of our morning tour out of the park we came across three XJ’s with the red one stuck deep into a muddy ditch already winching up trying to go forward to no avail. He unhooked and a Green XJ used a snatch strap from the rear and freed the stuck vehicle. Unfortunately, the Green Jeep debeaded a tire in a mud hole. In true Wolverine fashion we did our best to assist our fellow Jeeper’s while using some of Scott’s tire repair expertise and tools. They finally decided to just remove the tire and try their hand at the Air station after trying to clean up the bead area.
So, in summary a great time had by all, although it was cold the memories will keep us warm. As hard as Jerry tried he did not manage to explore all that this huge park has to offer. Plenty of Cherokee friendly areas and enough mud to keep even Jack happy. No Stucks and plenty of new pinstripes.
Drummond Island Michigan, August 2021
WOW 2021 at Estes Park Colorado - July 11-16th, 2021
Click the picture above to view all the fun pictures!
Spring Time in Tennessee - April 15-19th, 2021
Click the picture above to view all the fun pictures!
Holly Oaks ORV Park -February 6th 2021
Click the picture above to view all the fun pictures!
SNO* BLIND Pre-Run January 24th 2021
Click the picture above to view all the fun pictures!
Holly Oaks ORV Park - September 26th 2020
Wolverines Out West (WOW)- Rocky Mountain National Park July 13-17th 2020
The 2020 WOW trip will take our adventurers this year to Estes Park the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. What started out as about 20 vehicles has been whittled down to 6 due to COVID-19. As our trailmaster was one of the many who had to cancel the trails were split up amongst the balance of the group,. This way everyone had a stake in the trip and got the chance to be a leader for the day. The old saying if your not the lead dog the scenery never changes but it does anyways in Colorado. Each day is planned for a different area, unique trails and of course the varied terrain/scenery and pictures too!
West Branch June 20th 2020
Rocks & Valleys Event May 15th 2020
Sno*Blind Event February 14th-16th 2020
Sno*Blind PreRun February 1st 2020
Silver Lake Sand Dunes October 19-20th, 2019
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West Branch September 21, 2019
Rausch Creek OHV Park, Pennsylvania August 24-25th 2019
Bundy Hill July 13, 2019
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The Mounds June 15th, 2019
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Daniel Boone Backcountry Byway May 25-26th, 2019
Silver Lake Sand Dunes April 28th, 2019
Sno*Blind February 8-10th 2019
Gleaners Food Bank Oct 27th
The Wolverines filled individual bags and added items for previously packed bags then had lunch at Aubree's pizza. You will have to ask the attendees what they were doing in the picture below.
Left to right: Phil, Linda, Paul, Joann, Cindy, Layne, John (Woody) and in the back row Joe and Bob.
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Silver Lake October 20th-21st
West Branch Area September 15th
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Drummond Island August 25th
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The Jeep Festival June 23rd
The Jeep Festival was put on by the Two-Trackers another Great Lakes club and was hoping to raise $40,000 for charity this year. They had an obstacle course which for $20.00 you could do it as many times as you like or ride along with a volunteer. They also had a show and shine plus extensive vendor area. Layne, Brian and Paul represented the club as we will plan on not only attending but also doing some of their events next year!
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Silver Lake Sand Dunes
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This year we had Phil & Linda, Matt & Linda, Christen and Nickolas, Brian & Kinny, Bill & Nancy and Kevin. We had 2 guests Dave & Hannah with their red Cherokee and RJ with his side by side. Supposedly Bill & Nancy had to winch themselves out during the poker chip scavenger hunt. Bill also got the chance to winch Phil out of the trees on a down hill dune. Something about Phil and articulation. Afterwards Bill & Phil got another chance to winch a grand Cherokee out of the trees where it had slid down. It was a foggy day with low visibility. The weekend we chose which was also the pre-runner invasion was probably not the our best choice.
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Spring Time in the Smokies
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The only thing better than the weather was friends four wheeling together. We were able to do trail 1 over to 2 and 3. It was a muddy day and somewhat challenging here and there with the deep ruts. After a river crossing we hit trail 19 and then back to 13 after doing a mini loop. Some may say we were lost but it was less than a 1/10 of a mile loop to figure out our mistake. Some were able to do the trails in 2wd for awhile. Broken 4wd nylon bushing but a quick trail fix and back in business.
Day 2 was the sand mine trail. It was challenging both on the main trail and the bypasses. We saw first hand full articulation and the tire was still 3' off the ground. A big black snake (non-poisonous) hung around while we adjusted and worked on some clutch linkage. A little sandstone in the bead led to a tire changing demonstration. Once we reached the widow maker it was all down hill from there! Rocks and more rocks with ruts here and there made for an interesting ride. We had one Jeep that performed a permanent sway bar disconnect by snapping the bracket on the axle. A couple of scrapes and bruises (both Wolverines and vehicles) were patched up along the way. We had 5 vehicles and 11 Wolverines and covered quite a bit of trails in two days. Next time we will hit the eternal flame and elk viewing towers (well maybe!).
Day 2 was the sand mine trail. It was challenging both on the main trail and the bypasses. We saw first hand full articulation and the tire was still 3' off the ground. A big black snake (non-poisonous) hung around while we adjusted and worked on some clutch linkage. A little sandstone in the bead led to a tire changing demonstration. Once we reached the widow maker it was all down hill from there! Rocks and more rocks with ruts here and there made for an interesting ride. We had one Jeep that performed a permanent sway bar disconnect by snapping the bracket on the axle. A couple of scrapes and bruises (both Wolverines and vehicles) were patched up along the way. We had 5 vehicles and 11 Wolverines and covered quite a bit of trails in two days. Next time we will hit the eternal flame and elk viewing towers (well maybe!).
Rocks & Valleys
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We are changing the name to Rocks, Valleys and SNOW!! The snow was able to add a bit more challenge to the trails. Once you churned up the snow it was even slicker on the dirt/mud providing very little traction.
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Sno*Blind Expedition
West Branch, Michigan
February 9-11, 2018
For 2018 we had Mickal G, Bill & Elizabeth W., Eric, Kristen-Ava-Knowlton P., Paul P. and Bill & Nancy G. attend. Not much snow but all in all a good 24th annual event. Mickal was a Sno*Guide once again and led a group out on Friday and Saturday. The night runs were well attended and most were back by 10:30PM. As a club we were not very lucky when it came to the raffle prizes this year. Bill won a sweatshirt and Nancy got a T-shirt. Our biggest winner was Knowlton who pulled the 50/50 ticket and the winner gave him $$$. Next years event will be February 7-10th. Call now for room reservations as this will be their 25th!!
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Sno*Blind Pre-Run
West Branch, Michigan
January 13, 2018
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Our January run was a day trip to West Branch to pre-run the Sno*Blind trails. The group performed trail maintenance and ensured that the trail was passable. Mike G. was leading the group and found a large water hole that was covered with about 6-inches of ice. His Toyota became an ice breaker right before it became the Titanic. He not only broke through the ice but managed to lodge the ice sheet under the rear axle. After a couple of pictures and discussion of how thick the ice was he was strapped backwards by Paul P. under the guidance of Bill W. The group then honed their ice carving skills and chopped the ice up so not to capture the next unsuspecting trail rider.
They were also able to remove a couple of downed trees that were locking the trail The group had fun while performing the trail maintenance. This marks the 23rd year that Mike has attended while Paul has attended about 20 or so. Bill is looking forward to his first Sno*Blind event this year. |