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Frederic, MI Trail Conditions
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JOIN THE SLEDHEADS OF FREDERIC CLUB ON YAHOO! |
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Monday January 5, 2009, 10:30 a.m. No new snow since yesterdays rain but it has turned cold enough to get the grayling groomers moving again, I saw where the groomer crossed just north of the high school heading towards frederic and then talked to Keith in the John Deere and he was heading to lovells. The trail along m 93 looked pretty decent to me this morning too. I had a guy write me the other day about why I have not been reporting about the gaylord groomer. That is because they do not bring it into frederic and I have not seen it all year. They turn around at the north end grocery. I have had both bad and good reports on most all of the trails around here but when there is heavy sled traffic there is no way around it they are just going to get bumpy. BUT just to show one Waters person opionion I am going to put the letter below here that he sent me.........then after that I will start up again....... Hi Pete, I enjoy your page and visit your store. I noticed however that "trail conditions" are rarely reported on you trail condition page. You mention weather and sled traffic, but little about the trails anymore. The first subject that should be tackled is the POOR job the DNR is doing with the Gaylord trails. They remind me of the days before grooming was ever done up here. The crossings on trail 4 showed no signs of a groomer the last few days, with single file crossings where the plows pushed the road snow on the trail. The lack of groom is producing a major amount of snirt, and people are riding all over the place off the trails to avoid the poor conditions. Trail 7 is a back breaker!! I realized that everyone under the sun is up here, but when you combine that with the lack of grooming the trails are destroyed. I emailed the DNR office, with no response as usual. Appreciate your efforts. Thanks, Bill (Waters, MI) O.K with that being said back to Pete again, I see that I missed 2 other sled fatalites during december which brought the count to 3, but this weekend there were to fatals in northern michigan that I know of, One was an 11 year old boy who died near cheboygan and the other was a 42 year old lady down by gladwin...I recieved a letter from a reader on the 11 year old and here it is...... Pete, my name is Chris we met a few years back when you sold me your own personal cat face sheild because you didn't have any in stock. I always read your postings. I write because we just received the sad news that a boy in my daughters 5th grade class was killed in a snowmobiling accident in Cheboygan during the holliday break. my daughter just showed me his yearbook picture that made it hit home just how real and final death is. I know you have children as do I. in fact we rode sleds to Frederic on Wed and ate at the inn. I don't know what caused the accident but I do know that know matter how careful you ride there are people who ride like they are the only ones on the trail. please let people know that no life is worth losing over snowmobiling much less that of a child. ride safe, never ride under the influence of anything and if you ride with kids just be as safe as possible so this kind of tragedy will never happen again. thanks for listening. Chris. Back to Pete again, next is a letter I recieved from Linda who was in here saturday and is from canada, their club has a page in canada under www.sledhead.ca just in case anyone wants to see it. I did see the boyfriend of the girl who was in the accident out front here on saturday and he said she had a minor concussion and is just sore and nothing broken. Boy am I glad for her because she looked and sounded alot worse than that laying out there in the snow. Next letter...... Hi Pete It was nice to meet you yesterday. I have to say I couldn't believe how 'sled friendly' your community there is. We stayed at the Ramada and had a great time discovering the trails in Michigan for the first time.I would like that helmet foolishness (Mohawk or the pony tail) when I next visit! I have to say I heard more about you on the trails than anyone else. Good job! I keep my eye on your site in hopes that I hear some good news about the head on collision on the trails yesterday. I saw the guys/girls laying in the snow. It made me think about just how easily our days can change. I hope you will be the source of good news as we are all asking each other what happened to these sledders? I was also there when the two dogs were dropped off. I was wondering if they had something to do with the head on crash. Just seemed odd that the dogs were loose at the same time. I have some pictures of the Polaris. The man that was driving this sled in Indian River went down the bank towards the cottages and hit a big rock. He was fine. I spoke to him as he had his wreck right beside my trailer. It was kind of neat because I had walked over that morning to see them unload this sled off their trailer. I had a question about the trailer they had. When I came back and saw the sled, I was worried. But they were ok. Good thing! Nice to meet you and your wife and little beagle! Sincerely,Linda Pete again, Linda sent me a few pictures that she had taken and that reminds me that I have been wanting to say for a while that I would like you to email me your favorite frederic riding pictures, I have a new digital picture frame that I am going to put up in here so I can add the pictures to it and have something more for people to look at when they come in here. Also it looks like I am going to head out on a big ride with Chubby Roger and Husky Mel and the Nascar boys on wednesday as long as everything comes together right. More on that later. Thanks for checking in. Pete -------------------------------------------------------------- Sunday January 4, 2009 9:40 a.m. This morning at 6 a.m. all was well even though we didnt get any new snow over night but at 7 the rain and drizzle started and has been nice enough to give us a slippery, ugly coating of ice, NOT what we would like to see. At 8 a.m. I did see the grayling john deere groomer going thru town so I assume he had been out on the trail but I have not talked to anyone about it. Sled traffic was heavy yesterday and I had many reports of both good and bad trails but with traffic that heavy thats just what you get. I took a ride thru the motel parking lots this morning and there were still alot of sleds and trailers with some people loading up and I took a picture of a wrecked polaris dragon that was setting on the edge of a snowbank in the Ramada Parking lot. I heard of a head on crash up near deward and another crash down off lewiston grade yesterday, and we also had one right across the street from the shop here where a piece of fence sticking out onto the trail grabbed the ski and dead stopped the sled where it put the sled on its side. They were riding double and the driver who had just been in here with his girlfriend and bought oil and then they went to get gas. He was o.k. but she was in serious pain and the ambulance came and took her to the hospital, I havent heard yet how she came out but to see her laying there in so much pain was hard on me and thinking back to just 15 minutes before that she was standing in here with her nice smile and all happy to be out riding. Things sure do and can change in a split second. The other incident for yesterday here was some guys pulled up on sleds with 2 big dogs they found running down the trail. These dogs, one with a chain wrapped around him and they had bleeding paws, actually got on the sleds with these guys and rode here to the shop with them. I had a hard time a couple weeks ago with just the 35 pound beagle in my lap and these had to be 80 to a hundred pounds...anyways we brought them in the back room and I gave them some water and food and called for the animal control lady, she was here within about 45 minutes and took them to the shelter......and I was glad for that too as they had lifted there legs on 2 different arctic cats in the back room but left the polaris's alone......this has been the weekend for unique incidents around Sledheads......Thats about it for now. Thanks for checking in and lets hope the rain turns to snow......Pete ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Saturday January 3, 2009 9:15 a.m. I rolled into frederic at 7:40 this morning and was greeted by 3 sleds already riding into the gas station. I went over to the swamp and set up my lighted message board to try to drive some more business over here, you can see my sign on the web cam today. We had about 4 new inches of snow yesterday and I finally got to put my plow back on. On the way here this morning I did the motel survey and I didnt even think about counting the trailers and sleds at the Days Inn and the Ramada, they were definetly full........Had dinner last night and Canadian Steak and Fish next to the Days Inn in grayling. I sat at the bar with the owners Steve & Greg and they were good enough to buy my dinner....Thanks guys, it was great..... The first customers in this morning were a couple guys staying at the Ramada and they were at the Keg in waters last night and the one guy had his extra belt stolen along with his spark plug cap ends.....he said 3 different cats out in the lot got hit up for parts. Luckily things dont happen to much like that but there has to be a few bad apples out there just to ruin it for some, like the guy said the extra belt wasnt to bad but no plug ends left him dead in the snow.....so they had to drive back to grayling to get their trailer........There was a lady in here last night that had been in here a bit while her husband changed carbides on her sled. I saw her walking away from the post where I have the pictures of the fatal sled accident sleds and I saw she was crying and I thought I had never seen anyone cry because of those pictures, well it turns out she was crying because she had just realized she lost her wedding ring. She said she hadnt been anywhere but here since they left the cabin. We searched all over in here thru the shirts and behind everything and then out into the parking lot with the bright lights looking and we didnt find a thing.....I got her name and number in case it turned up........well about an hour or so later she called me and she had found her ring.......she left it at the cabin......she was pretty relieved........well I have to go now, I have shirts to straighten up......Also here is a video I clipped together of the many sleds that were in town yesterday. Thanks for checking in. Pete ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- January 2, 2009 9:30 a.m. 3 to 4 inches of new fluffy snow is what we have on the ground this morning, already sleds rolling thru town....yesterday was by far the busiest day of the week so far, it just took a while for everybody to get moving. Its about 23 degrees out right now and snow is still falling. Jake was already in this morning and he wanted to tell the boys in Windsor Canada boys that they are missing out on the riding.....we keep getting a little new snow each night but we could use a nice blast, my picnic table in the yard has about 5 inches on it since the rain last week.......a little snow chant wouldnt hurt. Thanks for checking in. Pete ----------------------------------------------------- HAPPY NEW YEAR January 1, 2009 10:30 a.m. I hope everybody made it thru last night o.k. Its been very quiet here in frederic so far this morning. There have been a few people in so far but no sleds yet. Sled traffic was slow yesterday thru frederic. Cathy and I went out for dinner last night at Canadian Steak and Fish in grayling and then I did a trailer count at the Ramada of 15 trailers and then we went on to a party at the Eagles club and home by midnight to watch the ball come down in NYC........I would bet most people are sleeping in this morning so things should kick in later today. Today is the last day of bow season so I will try my luck again this afternoon. I made a video out front here just to show the snow as its pretty quiet out there....sorry if its a bit boring but its the best I have for today......Thanks for checking in. Pete ---------------------------------------------- Wednesday December 31, 2008 9:00 a.m. It looks more like it should in frederic this morning, 0 degrees and 3 inches of new snow....pretty quiet out there so far. Yesterday was the busiest day so far since Christmas and I would expect today and tommorow to gain on that. I will do another post later on today as things change....Thanks for checking in. Pete --------------------------------------------------- Tuesday December 30, 2008 10:10 a.m. Not to much in the way of new snow to report in fact we didnt get a new flake overnight. I have been getting alot of phone calls from people wondering how riding is. The people I have talked to that have been riding into here report that it is surprisingly good out there. Icy in the corners but at least the soft stuff has firmed up. There is snow in the forcast so it can only get better thru the week. The grayling groomer was thru here yesterday afternoon. I went thru the Ramada Inn parking lot and there were about 12 trailers there and the best one I saw was the one with the Sledheads decal on the side, if you come in here I have free trailer decals for your trailer....also in the next day or so I will have new SledheadsUSA.com reflective helmet decals in here for $2... they will show up great on the back of your helmet........I had the port a potty delivered yesterday for everyones convienince and also no have the web cam zoomed in on it so once again I have the only port a potty cam in the north.......Next I am going to paste a story I read on yahoo this morning about sledders in an avalanche in British Columbia...... Police: 7 bodies recovered in Canada avalanches Mon Dec 29, 11:22 pm ET FERNIE, British Columbia – Search teams recovered the bodies of seven snowmobilers Monday, a day after they were swept away by avalanches in western Canada's backcountry, police said. An eighth man was missing and believed dead. The bodies were found late Monday afternoon as searchers plowed through avalanche debris near Fernie in British Columbia's Elk Valley, about 550 miles east of Vancouver, said Royal Canadian Mounted Police Cpl. Chris Faulkner. Eleven snowmobilers, mainly in their 20's from the nearby coal-mining town of Sparwood, were hit by back-to-back avalanches on Sunday. Eight were buried but three from the group clawed through the snow and reached safety. Search efforts — which involved several dozen rescue officials and volunteers as well as search dogs — had been delayed until later Monday by the threat of more avalanches. "The snowmobilers were well-outfitted, dressed warmly and many had the proper safety equipment," said Faulkner. The victims, some of who wore special rescue transmitters, were found under several feet of hard-packed snow, said Chris Thomas, president of Fernie Search and Rescue. "It's pretty dramatic. In a town of this size, everybody knows everybody. It's gonna cause everybody to think twice about conditions they thought were safe," said Elkford Snowmobile Associate spokesman Peter Cunningham. The first avalanche buried a group of seven snowmobilers, while they were resting at the foot of a hill, said David Wilks, mayor of Sparwood. "It appears a cornice let loose — an overhang on the top of the mountain — and buried them," he said. Another group of four snowmobilers heard their shouts, hurried over and started digging when they were hit by a second avalanche. Two men dug themselves out and then pulled a third man free. Wilks, who spoke to one of the survivors, said he was told they were buried twice and were fortunate enough to be able to dig themselves out after about 20 minutes after the second avalanche hit. "They're very distraught that they weren't able to stay and try and find or help their buddies, but ... one of them was injured and they felt there was an imminent risk of another avalanche coming down," said Wilks. "They had lost their gloves, they had lost everything so they were starting to dig by hand." The three men sustained minor injuries. Wilks said all 11 were skilled outdoorsmen who knew each other in the town of 4,000. He said they well-liked in the community and said many had families, including two whose wives gave birth to their first children just a few months ago. "It's pretty devastating," said Chuck Meadows, a coal mine trucker who worked with most of the men. "It's pretty sad to see, with newly started families." The Canadian Avalanche Centre had issued an advisory that day warning of dangerous conditions and the strong possibility of avalanches. "The conditions that we've got in the last few days are so severe that it's a shame they decided to go into the backcountry," Fernie Mayor Cindy Corrigan said. Thanks for checking in. Pete -------------------------------------------------------------- Monday December 29, 2008 9:30 a.m. Pretty quiet in frederic so far this morning. There was a guy in this morning that rode yesterday and he said trails are o.k. but icy in spots and corners and watch for ruts......I would say we have had about 2 inches of snow since the rain. Its about 25 out right now. There did end up being alot of sleds out yesterday afternoon so things are coming back around. Thats about all the news from around here.....BUT next I am printing a story that a reader from Indiana sent me, I only do this just to remind people of the dangers and what can happen out there and the consequences.........the story is regarding a sled death in Indiana last week........ Published: December 27, 2008 3:00 a.m. Crash injuries prove fatal Holly AbramsThe Journal GazetteAn Angola father of two died Tuesday from injuries he suffered in a snowmobile crash. Trenton Dove, 31, was operating a snowmobile just after midnight Sunday near Nevada Mills Road and County Road 300 West in Angola when he struck a tree, Indiana conservation officers said. He was taken to Parkview Hospital in Fort Wayne with head injuries. He died there two days later. A U.S. Army veteran, Dove served in the 101st Airborne Division and was stationed at Fort Campbell, Ky. He was employed at Tenneco Automotive in Angola and was a member of the National Guard and Orland American Legion Post 423. He is survived by his wife, Shanna, and their two daughters, Taylor, 7, and Brianna, 3. “He was a good character, and he kept everyone’s spirits up and alive,” his wife said, adding that her husband was strong-willed and strong-hearted. In his spare time, Dove enjoyed hunting, fishing, snowmobiling and watching NASCAR events. “He loved his family and he loved his friends, and they all loved him,” his wife said. “He cared about everybody.” Services will be at 11 a.m. today at Beams Funeral Home in Fremont. Burial will follow in Jordan Cemetery in Fremont. Military committal services will also be conducted at the cemetery by members of the Orland American Legion. PLEASE REMEMBER TO RIDE SAFELY & thanks for checking in. Pete ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sunday December 28, 2008 10:55 a.m. The winds are howling hard from the west in frederic this morning, It is just barely below 32 degrees out and snow is falling. The ground is just barely covered with new snow, and the yardstick from the picnic table was laying on the ground when I got here this morning, so the table went from 16 inches of snow yesterday morning to no snow this morning, boy does that stink. I was out for a walk in the woods this morning and I would say there is still 8 to 12 inches out there even though it was very soft. If you are going to ride now I would watch for very icy corners and big slush puddles till we get some more snow cover. We never did get to much rain yesterday until I decided to leave to go hunting around 3 and thats when it let loose with the torrential downpour.....and the only good thing to come out of that was that all the snow and ice is gone off my house....still have to Jan 1 for bowhunting and I still have one more tag so I think I will have to try again this afternoon. Thanks for checking in. Pete ----------------------------------------------------------------- Saturday December 27, 2008 9:50 a.m. Its a beautiful morning here in frederic, that is if you consider rain and 39 degrees beautiful.....melting is going on way more than any of us would like to see. The pinic table dropped to 16 inches overnight and I pushed alot of slush and dirty snow out of the way this morning. On the bright side I heard JC's parter Greg, in the weather forcasting business this morning on the radio and he says back to snow by sunday night.....Not the forcast we wanted for this weekend but hey what can you do. I did see one sled riding along this morning on the way here. So its back to the Spam line and starting up the snow chants of MO MO NAH CHEE CHEE NAH>>>>>......thanks for checking in. Pete ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Friday December 26, 2008 9:15 a.m. Its as dead as a sunday morning here in frederic with about 20 degrees out there. I just came in from plowing about a fresh 6 to 8 inches of new snow again. For any of you that saw me on the webcam pushing that snow you could see what I mean, its a nice fluffy snow too. The picnic table is back up to 22 inches on the yardstick. At 7:45 this morning I saw the grayling groomer going down thru hanson hills and over towards the blue bear trail. At 3 this morning there was no new snow and then by 6:30 we had about 3 to 3 and half inches of new snow, that came in fast. Now the forcasts for the wintery rain mix really have me kind of worried but I am hoping they are wrong......I would say that with all the room I have outside the building for trailer parking that about half of my space is used up by all the snow that I have plowed so far this winter. I just talked to Bob over at the Swamp and he wants to remind people that he has trailer parking behind the bar too and of course you are welcome to park trailers here too as long as I have enough room left back there....We still have openings for lodging at our cottage at Lake Margrethe too so give me a call if you want a nice place to stay.......Thanks for checking in. Pete ------------------------------------------------------------------ Merry Christas December 25, 2008 10:30 a.m. Santa came by to visit us at home last night and the girls are busy playing the wii right now. We had about another inch or so plus of snow last night and I didnt like the prediction for saturday of a wintery mix with some rain in it.....if its a little rain it wont hurt to much but it figures after a month of great weather the timing couldnt be worse....I still think that unless there is a downpour there will still be lots of sleds out. So I hope everybody is having a good christmas and I am posting a video someone I just found out about recently and its really heartwarming, this 7 year old girl from across the Atlantic can really sing so I thought you might enjoy a nice christmas song from her. Her name is Connie Talbot and her website is www.connietalbot.com I am sure this girl has a big career ahead of her....Merry Christmas to all..... ----------------------------------------------- Wednesday December 24, 2008 noon thirty, I sure dont know where the morning went, I was here at 9 and between calls and doing things and this computer locking up the day is half shot already. Only been a couple sleds in and the one couple that just left rode down from indian river and they said it was pretty nice. At 9 this morning when I was plowing it was 20 degrees out there but there was a mist hitting my windshield,,,,,as long as we keep it to a mist it wont hurt our snow any......So today is Christmas eve day and I hope to be leaving the shop here in a while and figure Santa will be coming by our house tonight.....I was in the hardware store this morning and I saw a guy I knew and I knew he was a Jehovas witness so I asked him if Jehovas do christmas and he said they didnt so I told him Merry Christmas anyways and after that told him to have a nice day with a laugh....I just couldnt resist asking him about that...he knew I was joking too.. So anyways from town to frederic I would like to wish Merry Christmas to everyone out there from our Sledhead family to yours and for a bit of entertainment watch this video, it takes a bit to load. Hoping Santa brings everyone a memorable time with their families. Pete, Cathy, Melissa, Haley and the Ellie the Beagle ----------------------------------------------------- Tuesday December 23, 2008 9:30 a.m. Another wintery looking morning in frederic with about an inch of new snow overnight and its 8 degrees out. Saw the grayling groomer here in town yesterday and passed the grayling groomer on the road in grayling this morning. Trying to get this place straightend up for the after christmas rush. No other news that I know of so thanks for checking in. Pete -------------------------------------------------------------------- Monday December 22, 2008 10:45 a.m. As my daughter would say in a text to a friend OMG the snow is great out there. Finally I got a 30 mile round trip ride in to home and back. I left here yesterday afternoon on my 4 stroke with the beagle in my lap. Trying to go thru fields with 2 feet of powder in them and a 40 pound beagle on your arm is a bit tough but this morning I came back without her and went to a couple spots that I figured had been untouched and I was right,,,,boy was it great, I was leaning as hard to the left as I could practically on my side and so much snow on me I couldnt see a thing, I just knew I was in the middle of a nice big field and kicking it up hard.....I sure would like to do it some more. I havent seen any sleds yet this morning and I expect to get even slower till Friday and then watch out.......If any of you are on the webcam much you know that it moves pretty smooth and fast every 30 seconds to a new location, if you are on it and it seems maybe a bit jerky and not on its normal spots its because I am on it moving it around, either from here in the shop or at home from my laptop. I like to check it out from home to see whats going on......Just thought I would let you know that. The picnic table is still at 18 inches and we only had a skiff of snow overnight. Thanks for checking in. Pete ------------------------------------------------------------- Sunday December 21, 2008 10:40 a.m. Happy first day of winter, well the snow chanters have brought us another 5 to 6 inches that I had to plow out of the lot again this morning and its about 18 degrees out there. I have already seen several sleds buzzing around this morning. Yesterday it took a while longer for the to come out because of the frigid temps. And as I predicted yesterday was slow or maybe the calm before the storm as after christmas I think everybody will be out in full force. The yardstick on the picnic table is back up to 18 this morning. I wonder if because I have it so close to the carport and the little sled building if that is not why its really piling up the same inches we get in the parking lot......We had our Century 21 christmas party last night which was a nice get together and before that Santa who suspiciouly looked like a slightly pudgy overwieght snowmobile shop owner was at a friends family christmas party entertaining the kids and getting their christmas wishes......the best one he heard was from a little girl who wanted her family to have the best christmas ever....and also speaking of unique requests a guy came into sledheads yesterday and wanted me to make him a shirt for his infant daughter.....the shirt went like this,,,,top line said MOMMY, then a picture of a heart below that, then below that it said...WILL YOU MARRY DADDY? He was very excited about it as he has the ring ready for her, He wasnt going to spring it on her for a few days yet. Tonight I have decided that I am finally going to ride....the beagle and I are going to ride home on a sled tonight. This snow is so great I still cant believe I havent been out in it. Thanks for checking in. Pete ------------------------------------------------------------------ Saturday December 20, 2008 9:40 a.m. Its a chilly one here in frederic this morning, it was about -18 below when I got here and it hasnt gone up to much so far. I plowed and cleaned up around the building here and I think everybody is laying low so far this morning. I went thru the Ramada parking lot in grayling this morning and was surprised to count 13 trailers there and 1 in the parking lot at the Days Inn,,,,by the looks of things at the Ramada the sledders were the only ones there as the rest of the parking lot was empty as can be. Things were slow yesterday as I expected,,,,I would say we had about 6 to 8 inches of new snow yesterday and I think that grayling got just a bit more than frederic.....Just had a group of guys stop in that are heading home and they rode 3 days up around wolverine and indian river and alanson and they said riding was incredible the whole time they rode, even chandler hills was perfect they said. So Thanks for checking in and Please Ride Safely. Pete ---------------------------------------------------------- Friday December 19, 2008 9:45 a.m. Its a quiet morning here in frederic as the snow falls. We have had about 2 inches so far this morning and they are saying a few more inches for the day. Had a couple sleds in here already. The picnic table measures 15 and a half inches this morning. It was so slow yesterday afternoon I decided heck with it so I closed and got my bow and went to the woods......and finally after 2 years of being skunked I got a deer with my osage longbow that I carved myself out of a solid piece of osage.......I usually wait a few hours before I go track the deer but thought I would just go find first blood so I would get on the trail easier later on,,,,well I only found a couple specks and then could see my broken off arrow up ahead so I went to that spot and sure enough it was stuck in the snow right next to my deer, and it was less than 5 minutes from the time I shot...so that made it easy......fresh venison for dinner tonight......I shot a little video out front here this morning as I havent done to many so far this season, it looks nice out there with the fresh snowfalling, I plowed the drive when I got here with a couple inches of snow and the way its coming down will probably have to do it again later. Thanks for checking in. Pete ---------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday afternoon 2:00 p.m. I just got back from gaylord and drove up along 27 all the way up there and I have to say the trail looks pretty darn good. Its sunny and 20 out right now and forgot to say this morning that there are winter storm warnings for us for 5 or 6 inches, that sounds good to me.....sled traffic has been light today and I just had a call from a guy on his snowmobiling honeymoon and they are leaving boyne and want to come and ride around here.... Thursday December 18, 2008 9:00 a.m. Its about 15 degrees out and we had a fluffy couple new inches of snow over night even though the picnic table still reads 15 inches.....trails looked nice along m 93 and at the crossings up by the high school. Not to many sleds around yesterday and my guess is that it should be a great weekend to ride as I think most people will be staying home and saving it up for after christmas. I wont know if that is right till after sunday. I really havent heard any other news of interest so thanks for checking in. Pete ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Wednedsday December 17, 2008 11:15 a.m. We had about 2 inches of new fluffy snow overnight. I had a call yesterday that the grayling groomers were out on all of their trails and that things are shaping up pretty well on those trails. The yardstick on the picnic table is down to 15 inches. Sled traffic today so far and yesterday was very light if not almost non existent........So thats about all there is to report but I have copied and pasted this news story from todays Gaylord Herald Times on the accident from this weekend. BAGLEY TWP -- Investigators from the Gaylord Michigan State Police (MSP) post believe speed and alcohol may have been contributing factors in a fatal snowmobile crash which killed a 31-year-old Gaylord man early Sunday morning. Troopers from the Gaylord post were dispatched around 1:46 a.m. to the Old 27 South groomed snowmobile trail near North Otsego Lake Road in Bagley Township for a crash involving a single snowmobile. Reports indicate the snowmobile struck a utility pole head on. According to MSP investigators, the driver, Eric Inman, was pronounced dead at the scene. Inman’s passenger and wife, 28-year-old Stephanie Inman, was seriously injured and transported to Otsego Memorial Hospital by the Otsego County EMS/Rescue for treatment of injuries. She was later transferred to another medical facility. Reports from troopers indicate Inman was riding southbound on the trail when his 2009 Skidoo collided with a utility pole. According to investigators, Inman had been bringing up the rear end of a group of friends with whom he and his wife had been out riding. Thanks for checking in. Pete -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday December 16, 208 10:30 a.m. Its a cold, hard, crunchy morning out there. I have been out plowing trying to get the rest cleaned up that I didnt finish before the rain and its rock hard and hard to move. All our nice trails with the perfect base underneath have turned to not so nice trails to ride on till we get some more snow. I did see 2 sleds going by a little while ago. I dont know what is up with the webcam, it is working fine in the shop but it is not broadcasting online, the power flashed yesterday during the high winds but I am not sure why the computer is not finding its way online.....Thats about it for today, thanks for checking in and I will try to get the cam back online.Pete -------------------------------------------------------------- Monday December 15, 2008 7:40 a.m. Coming at you this morning from the Holiday Inn in Midland after a very slick drive here from grayling this morning. It rained pretty much all night and now there are high winds and dropping temps which is making it very slick out there and schools thruout northern michigan are closed this morning. All that nice snow we had has now been compacted by the rain, now we need to add to it again. On the accident from saturday night the male rider that died was 31 years old and from gaylord, as in most accidents speed and alcohol was a factor. From what I have read in the past its mostly speed in all fatals and of course the alcohol is no help either. They hit a telephone pole on the trail. Well I need to be in my class in 10 minutes so thanks for checking in. Pete Sunday Night December 14, 2008 9:45 p.m. Well what I was afraid of this morning was confirmed, there was a death on the trail up by otsego lake about 2 on saturday night. A male was k killed and a female had a severed leg and was transported to a downstate hospital. I have dreaded this first fatal accident of the season and even though you know its coming it still is hard. At least it took a week longer to happen this year than last year. Cathy and I were back up in frederic saturday night about 11:30 and I was surprised to see how many sleds were out. There were about 10 at the gas station and about 25 over at the swamp. It is still above 32 out and there is lots of water dripping off the roofs. The snow is getting soft and slick. Not what we would like to see. I will not have an update on here on monday morning as I will be in midland at a continuing education class for real estate....if there is a computer around I might be able to put something on during one of our breaks. Thanks for checking in and PLEASE RIDE SAFELY. PETE -------------------------------------------------------- Sunday December 14, 2008 11:40 a.m. There is a misty drizzle in the air but there are still sleds out and about, I dont think we are going to get hit to hard with the rain but it is enough to make our nice snow alot heavier and slicker than it has been. Just had a 4 riders in that rode back here this morning from Mackinaw City, they parked here yesterday and headed north and there trip was 175 miles where for the most part they said it was good but a little rough north of indian river. Also yesterday Justin,Jerry, and Corey from Harbor Beach were in and wanted to tell Derick that he missed out on the 300 mile day.....This morning Mt.Vernon Dave from Ohio was in and he was riding and wasnt to bothered by the mist.....Its supposed to cool back down....I heard about a big end over end crash in the potatoe fields by Alba yesterday where luckily nobody got hurt but it did look like a yard sale with parts scattered everywhere. I also had a rider come in this morning telling of a very bad wreck near gaylord last night, I will post more info on that one when I have the official story. Thanks for checking in and please ride safely. Pete ---------------------------------------------------------------- Saturday December 13, 2008 10:15 a.m. Its been a hectic saturday morning here so far, quite a few sleds in, and Ohio Mike, Bad Leg Barry were in with their crew and they even got to meet Chubby Roger cause he was here too, Toledo Bob & Amy called in first thing and were on their way here too......Its about 18 out no new snow overnight but I still have a mess to clean up outside with the plow from being gone for a couple days.....the weather for sunday is not sounding to good as they are calling for rain snow mix or any part there of,,so who knows what tommorow will bring. Everyone that had rode most anywhere you can think of yesterday reported great conditions......I see the stick on the picnic table is back down to 20 inches on it....My daughter Melissa is doing a fund raiser for her youth in government class and she is taking orders on turkeys and hams, which will be available for pickup here at Sledheads next saturday....they come frozen in a box, the turkey is 15 to 16 pounds and is $25 and the half spiral ham with glaze is $35....if you are going to be up next weekend and want something great to eat, give me a call and I will put you on the list....989 344 7669..... The money she raises on this goes towards their cost of a 3 day trip to Lansing and the Capital. Thanks for checking in. Pete -------------------------------------------------------- Friday December 12, 2008 11:15 a.m. Its sunny and 10 degrees out here in frederic this morning. I got here about 9:45 after leaving Rockford about 7 this morning. It was snowing very hard in the Cadillac area but slowed up to no snow as I got to Houghton Lake....There has already been a couple large groups of sleds in here this morning and they are heading out on long trips for the day.....wish I could go.......Thats about all I know for right now, will update again if anything exciting comes up. Thanks for checking in. Pete ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Thursday December 11, 2008 10:30 a.m. Coming at you from my moms house in Kalamzoo this morning. Got up early and went out to a friend farm for some a little bowhunting, I knew it wouldnt be to good out there today as the snow is loud and crunchy and just the noise from walking would scare off a heard of anything....but it was a nice morning for a walk in the woods. Came back to my moms and we just had breakfast and I checked out the webcam to see a few sleds in the lot. Cathy is at the counter today and I am planning on being back in there tommorow morning. Tonight is my annual christmas shopping trip with the guys from Rockford and we will be hitting the mall in Grand Rapids. Heading for GR in a few hours. It was nice to see that there was solid snow all the way from Grayling to Kzoo......Thanks for checking in. Pete ---------------------------------------------------------- Wednesday 11:00 a.m. Forgot to say earlier that I had a call from the self appointed "Chosen One" Ohio Mike and he says he is coming up to ride but to bad for Slow Sled Dave who has no sled, that might have something to do with the fact he got married, and then there is Bad Leg Barry who you should stay away from as he shot his truck recently.....at least he hit it....I have become kind of the detroit lions of bowhunting as I took a shot and no score the other night,,,,I sure can miss..... Wednesday December 10, 2008 10:30 The snow must be fueled by the energizer bunny as it just keeps snowing and snowing and snowing....the yardstick is up to 22 inches and basically I had to plow outside the shop here 3 times for yesterday. No snow in the air right now but conditions are just absoutely perfect. I have had several tell me that this is the best riding they have ever seen. Not even the middle of december yet and my snowpiles outside are getting big enough that its really going to make the parking lot smaller. Brought a trailer load of wood in yesterday for the weekend campfires.....Still surprising light on sled traffic and I am still hoping to get out there........There will probably be no update tommorow morning so you will have to check out the camera. I am planning on being gone and will hopefully later in the day be able to get on for an update. So thanks for checking in. Pete --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday Afternoon. Dec 9 Here is a press release about Lovells FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Dec. 9, 2008 Contacts: Susan Thiel 989-34... or Mary Dettloff 51... Snowmobile Riders Can Continue to Access Village of Lovells A section of designated snowmobile trail 452 that runs through the Village of Lovells in Crawford County remains open as an unsigned and ungroomed portion of trail, according to the Department of Natural Resources. In the past, this one-half mile section of trail has not been groomed. Recently, signage was installed along the south side of F-97 leading into Lovells, which encouraged two- way traffic along the south side of the county road. The DNR recently removed the signs in response to safety and liability concerns. "Proper permission to allow snowmobiles to operate against the flow of traffic in this stretch was not obtained, and as a result we removed the signs," said Susan Thiel, DNR unit manager for the Grayling Forest Management Unit. The Crawford County Road Commission also requested this stretch not be groomed due to damage being incurred on the county road, along with safety issues. As a result, snowmobile riders can continue to access Lovells along this one-half mile stretch of trail by riding with the flow of traffic along the county road right-of-way. The DNR will continue to work toward finding an alternative route into Lovells, which will require the purchase of easements across private lands. Meanwhile, snowmobile riders can continue to access services offered by the Village of Lovells by riding with the flow of traffic along F-97 and County Road 612. Questions may be directed to Susan Thiel, at the Grayling DNR Field Office at 989-348-6371 , ext 7440. The DNR is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state's natural resources for current and future generations. Tuesday December 9, 2008 10:15 a.m. Just came in from plowing the lot, I would say we had another 5 inches last night, the yardstick on the picnic table is up to 21 inches. This is great and winter isnt even here yet. I forgot to write yesterday that the accident stories started coming in on Sunday. I heard of 3 different accidents in the area and a couple sounded pretty serious and then on the news last night there was a story on a sled that went thru the ice on Otsego Lake, I would NOT go on any lakes yet. The amount of snow we have had pushes down what little ice there is and makes things extremely dangerous...... I talked to Pam from the Gaylord Chamber yesterday and she says that the DNR has taken over their trails and things are getting groomed. That is why I have not seen the gaylord groomer here in frederic as they only groom the trail down to the north end grocery......There was a posting somewhere I think on one of the lewiston sites about riding into lovells....the lewiston club was asked by the DNR several times to remove signs they had along F 97 and they didnt do it so the DNR removed the signs themselves....it is still perfectly legal to ride into lovells as state law says you can ride the unplowed portion of county roads.......Lovells is a great place to ride to......Stop by and see Keith and Maggie at the Lovells Restraunt and Motel...if you want to stay right in the heart of great sledding call them at 989 348 9589. They have 6 motel units there and they are nice and clean and priced right....Tell Maggie I told you to call....Thanks for checking in. Pete ----------------------------------------------------------- Monday December 8, 2008 10:45 a.m. Only about a half inch of new snow overnight. Sled traffic was really light on sunday in frederic. I got an email from a guy this morning about the gaylord trails and first I am going to paste a news story about the gaylord trails from the paper from Nov 3 and then I will post the note he sent me under that..... GAYLORD -- Grooming of Otsego County snowmobile trails will be taken over by the Michigan Dept. of Natural Resources (DNR) this season. Don Klingler, Fire and Recreation supervisor for the DNR's Gaylord Management Unit, assured the Herald Times Thursday trails will still open to snowmobile traffic Dec. 1. No section of trail will be closed and "users should see no difference in the condition of the trails" compared to last year, said Klingler. He added the current bid out for grooming covers 75 miles of the 101 miles originally covered by the trails council. The remaining 26 miles is expected to be picked up by other area trails councils or DNR units. The Gaylord Area Snowmobile Trails Council had been, for the past four years, contracting local excavation companies to maintain the trails and drive the groomers. The council paid contracted workers with DNR grants. Klingler said the trails council did not submit a grant application this year. According to Paul Beachnau, director of the Gaylord Area Convention and Tourism Bureau and secretary for the snowmobile council, the change came after the council requested reducing the number of miles groomed by the Gaylord organization from 101 to 65 in order to reduce groomer maintenance cost, and hand off the remaining miles to neighboring groomer groups. He said he was informed the DNR would be resuming grooming responsibilities. "Last year we spent over $31,000 in maintenance," Beachnau said of the one remaining groomer, a blue 2005 Shur-Trac, adding that expense was not covered by the DNR's grant but rather paid by community donations, tourism bureau funds and other locally raised funds. Beachnau also said selling the Shur-Trac and purchasing a new piece of equipment with a new maintenance contract "would have greatly reduced costs." Klingler said the Shur-Trac, originally purchased with 75 percent DNR funds and 25 percent trails council funds, is now under full ownership of the DNR since the department reimbursed the council its share. He indicated it would be put back into service this season. The other groomer, a 2002 John Deere, was sold last year. Jerry Ryckman, grooming coordinator for the past two years, said he will not take the position this year, citing profit loss last year from paying his own company's money for grooming. He said the DNR has not yet awarded a contract for grooming and is worried the project is behind schedule. "They haven't even started signing and brushing the trail, and that takes two weeks," Ryckman said of the duties also often handled by the same contractor awarded the grooming bid. Klingler said grooming and brushing will be bid out separately this year, adding brushing and signing of the trail was to begin Thursday by employees of J&N Construction, which was awarded the contract. Klingler added one bid for grooming had been received, but the DNR decided to rebid "once word got around" of the project. "The bid we received wasn't a good representation of the bid pool," Klingler said. "From what we're hearing, there's going to be some real good, competitive bids. Ultimately, we want snowmobilers to get the biggest bang for their buck." Bids are due Nov. 17. Beachnau said he is confident the DNR will maintain the area's trails to the same level they've been in years past. "We've been assured by the DNR the trails will be groomed, and they'll be able to maintain a really good quality trail," Beachnau said. "Our prime concern is the trails are groomed because it's such a big part of our marketing of this area." "Our division knows how vital it is here," Klingler added. "One way or another the trails will be groomed." -END OF THE NEWS STORY AND HERE IS THE NOTE I RECIEVED- Last thursday was the first attempt on 7, 774, 4, 404 and whom ever is grooming got off trail with the tractor and got it stuck while heading out to the 4/404 loop east of 27. Also on thursday the DNR asked the Antrim club if they could do from the Blue Bear connector, through lakes of the north and all the way to 27 and the Antrim Club did that section on Friday with 2 groomers. Mr. Klinger at the DNR is claiming the trail will be groomed 6 days a week if you call the gaylord DNR office. However, it is not. May want to post about the crossing the Rail Road tracks as well. Seems trail 7 along otsego lake will be an enforcement zone, Fine for crossing is between $100 and $500. Area with the sting in effect: North end, across the street is the Stampede Saloon and Bennetheum's. Sount End between the House's and State Park. Best place to get on/off the lake: On the south end is at the Marina. On the north end have to use the public access points between the houses. Thats it for today. Thanks for checking in. Pete --------------------------------------------------------------- Sunday December 7, 2008 9:45 a.m. Nice and sunny with 10 degrees in frederic this morning along with about a new 3 inches overnight. Trail crossings up by the high school looked good as along m 93 by hanson hills except the corner where the trail turns south that was worn hard but no bid deal. Saw both Grayling Groomers going thru frederic last night around 6......I have not seen a gaylord groomer here yet this season and dont know what the deal is with them, if anybody knows the story on that please let me know. A good amount of sleds around all day but the wind picked up heavy saturday afternoon which made it cold and blustery with white out conditions, but this morning it was back to nice and calm. Several people that have been new readers for this season stopped in to say hi and a few old ones like Friend John from Brighton who finally came in and bought something. Boy we sure havent needed the MO MO NAH CHEE CHEE NAH snow chant to much this year or maybe its because everybody has been chanting all along......Thanks for checking in. Pete -------------------------------------------------------------- Saturday Afternoon December 6, 2008 Here is a little video clip I took outside around 3..... Saturday December 6, 2008 10:00 a.m. Its off to a quiet start in frederic this morning, only a few sleds thru so far, got here right at 9 and got things opened then thought I would clean up a little with the plow out back,,,then I saw something that I have never seen in frederic, I looked down the road from my back parking lot and was surprised to see 15 turkeys playing in the road, I drove down there just to make sure I wasnt seeing things.....I did the motel survey on the way up here and counted 3 trailers at the days inn and 12 at the Ramada in Grayling and then Fayes motel had a pile of them at their place a usual... I see the picnic table yardstick is down to 16 and a half inches on it.. its supposed to stay cold all week, I need to get out and ride myself yet. Being in here all the time sure cuts into the riding and has cut my bowhunting season darn short too.....Thanks for checking in. Pete ------------------------------------------------- Friday December 5, 2008 10:00 a.m. Its a sunny chilly 10 degrees in frederic and we are a bit shy on the 1 to 2 feet of snow we are supposed to get by tonight. I would say since that came out we have had about 3 or 4 inches although the stick on the picnic table is still reading 17 inches. I think it just keeps setteling on there. I know schools in gaylord and north of there were closed today so I think they got a good pile of snow overnight. I have only seen a few sleds here in town so far this morning but also saw trailers at a couple of the motels this morning....Also as a reminder if you want to come north and stay at a nice place we have our cottage next to our house at Lake Margrethe that we rent out.....just click on the tab above here that says wayside inn cottage and you can see pictures or call me at the shop to book yourself in. The place is spotless clean and fully furnished, cable t.v. and a gas log fireplace and is non smoking only.....Thanks for checking in. Pete ------------------------------------------------------------------ Thursday December 4, 2008 11:10 a.m We only had a couple inches of new snow overnight. Things have been quiet in frederic this morning and only a few sleds out and about. I figure it should start kicking in for the weekend. I dont expect a huge weekend because just like last year it seems like people are to busy with christmas and other things to really get heavy into riding till after christmas BUT there will be the diehard Sledheads ready to be out there.....I guess I will tell you for sure after the weekend and see......Still waiting for the 1 to 2 feet to hit us......Thanks for checking in. Pete ------------------------------------------------------- Wednesday night 7:45 I heard this on the radio earlier today and find it hard to believe weather its true or not it sure sounded good, then just a bit ago I got this off one of the weather sites,,,will it come true?? ... Winter Storm Warning remains in effect until 4 am EST Friday... A Winter Storm Warning remains in effect until 4 am EST Friday. Widespread snow will continue across northwest lower Michigan through this evening... then transition to lake effect snow showers within developing west to northwest winds overnight. Snow showers will continue into Friday morning. Total snowfall amounts from this morning through Friday morning will range from one to two feet in some areas within the warning area... primarily north of M-72. A Winter Storm Warning for heavy snow means severe winter weather conditions are expected. Significant amounts of snow will make travel dangerous. If you must travel... use extreme caution. Yes that said 1 to 2 feet......WOW I sure hope so. Thanks for checking in. --- Wednesday December 3, 2008 7:11 a.m Its about 32 out this morning here at home and I see we had just a skiff of snow overnight, but rest assured we are expecting a pile more by this weekend. I shoveled my roof off at home for the second time in a week which I dont think I have ever had to do before, even the Sledheads building has snow on the roof and that never happens either. Usually the wind is blowing so good thru there that the snow does not stay on the roof.......Sled traffic was once again surprising slow but the few that did stop by reported great riding. One group rode in from Mancelona and then I heard that a group of my friends from town were out riding and that sure makes me with I had a chance to get out there. I even had a call from Ohio Mike who really wants to come north......Thanks for checking in. Pete ------------------------------------------------------------- December 2, 2008 10:35 a.m. Been outside plowing for quite a while and if you watching the camera you saw that I was stuck too for a while, still have alot of snow to move. Heard the trails to lovells was awsome yesterday but was very surprised of the lack of sleds out there considering it was the first day and we have great snow......no new snow overnight but sounds like snow coming for the weekend. I need to give my favorite tv 7 &4 weatherman JC aka Joe Charlevoix a call and see what he thinks, but I think its gonna be a good weekend coming up. Thanks for checking in. Pete ------------------------------------------------------- December 1, 2008 12:30 p.m. Here is a video of the grayling groomer when he stopped in a while ago.... December 1, 2008 9:25 a.m. I got into frederic about 8:30 and just finished plowing outside, I would say overall between here and grayling we had 5 to 6 inches of new snow overnight. Its very quiet here in town this morning and just to kick things off I only saw 2 sleds on the way up here, they were along old 27 and the arctic cat was sitting on the side of the road and there was a rev down in the ditch in the trees......other than that no signs of any sleds. Both Grayling Groomers are out on the trails by now so that is a good sign. I also was told that the groomer that was along I 75 yesterday between 4 mile and the Ramada was the Roscommon groomer and also have heard that the St. Helen groomer was out. On one of the views of the webcam I have the camera aimed at the picnic table out by the fence, I put a orange yardstick in there this morning and it reads 15 inches right now......Thanks for checking in. Pete December 1, 2008 6:20 am. The 2008 - 09 sled season is off with a fantastic winter storm. Schools are closed from about Cadillac all the way to the Mackinaw Bridge. Here at Lake Margrethe it looks like about 5 to 6 inches since last night but I will be out in this shortly so I can see first hand how everything looks. This should make every sledder pretty happy today. I will put another update on after I get to frederic this morning. Right now I need to go do some plowing. Thanks for checking in and PLEASE RIDE SAFELY......There were 24 snowmobile Fatalites last season so lets make this season a SAFER one. Pete ------------------------------------------------------- Sunday November 30, 2008 11:00 a.m It started out nice and chilly this morning, outlook for snow looks pretty good this morning. I just got here to frederic, was out hunting and got a phone call that the alarm here was going off, I guess just to try to get me here earlier but it was a false alarm....heard from one of the cops that came here that he spotted the groomer out along the trail from the I 75 b.l. to 4 mile road.......Tommorow is the opening of the sled season and I wonder how many people are going to be out there. There were a few sleds roaming thru frederic yesterday. Havent seen any yet today. Also I saw the webcam was down for a while this morning, which somehow I think was connected to the alarm deal.....Thanks for checking in. Pete ----------------------------------------------------------- Saturday November 29, 2008 9:50 a.m. Sunny and bright with 26 degrees in frederic this morning, no new snow since yesterday and I am glad as I was sick of plowing by the time I got done with the lot here. A few sleds thru town yesterday and I set the camera on 4 that were over at the swamp around 4:30......people are getting anxious as I had quite a few people in here yesterday, like I have always said this place is like a faucet, if there is no snow there is no business but if there is snow the faucet is on and the people start coming thru the door....talked to a couple last night from tawas that were riding in grayling. Saw them at the Ramada about 11:30 last night and they said they rode till 4 in the morning the night before and were in for another good night last night, they had gone over a hundred miles from the night before.......So now that business has started up a little my new politically correct saying is that I am "obama rich" for right now anyways. Thats about it for now, so thanks for checking in. Pete ---------------------------------------------------------------- Friday November 28, 2008 9:30 a.m. Its a blustery, snowy and blowing winter morning here in frederic, its about 32 degrees out and I would say we have a good new 6 inches out there. I need to do some major plowing out there. I just changed one of the views on the web cam to the picnic tables out by the fence...... so with only 3 days till the opening of the 08-09 sled season it looks like we will be off and riding right on schedule......that makes 2 years in a row.... hard to believe. We had a nice thanksgiving but started the day out with Cathy going to let the beagle out and she slipped and fell on the ice making her pj's all black plus it made her sore, and I dozed off on the couch with a cup of coffee and covered myself pretty good.......other than that everything went fine.......Thanks for checking in. Pete --------------------------------------------------- Thursday November 27, 2008 8:15 a.m. I was hoping to sleep in this morning but Haley had me up an hour ago playing yahtzee and then she even had to win......No new snow over night and really the past couple days we have just been getting a little melting......Just heard shots out on the lake so the boys must be out there after the ducks, me on the other hand, I am going to go up and shovel snow off the roof while Cathy whips up some french toast.....We are going to watch the parade in NYC this morning and its hard to believe that a year has gone by since we were there last year to watch it....at least it wont be as crowded here......Happy Thanksgiving to all..... from our Sledheads family to yours.....p.s. Gene in Pennsylvania I guess we wont be meeting you for lunch again this year.... ---------------------------------------------------------------- Wednesday November 26, 2008 1:15 p.m. No new snow since yesterday but what we do have is wet and heavy, I pushed alot of snow around yesterday with my truck and its 36 out right now.....not much else exciting so Happy Thanksgiving to all....Thanks for checking in. Pete ----------------------------------------------- Tuesday November 25, 2008 11:30 a.m. I have been out plowing all morning, we have wet heavy snow and its about 33 out right now. There were alot of schools closed today but Graylings were open. The snow is very slick and its hard to move in......I really wasnt ready to plow yet as its hard to stay up out of the dirt because it isnt frozen yet......Till tommorow, thanks for checking in. Pete ------------------------------------------------ Monday November 24, 2008 11:00 a.m. A light snow falling here in frederic, I thought it was supposed to be 38 out today but it started snowing pretty good earlier this morning in grayling and I heard on the radio about a winter weather advisory, seeing that I had to have Melissa at school this morning at 7 I decided to go out hunting but just to keep consistent I didnt see a darn thing and that included yesterday afternoons time in the woods.....calls are still picking up into Sledheads which is kind of nice to have the phone ringing again. I had an email from a reader last week saying that in all these hard economic times that the one place that is not laying off and is actually working more is the SPAM factory in Wisconsin......I havent really evey thought about eating spam yet this year......But I am sure thats easier to come by than venison......Last night Cathy cooked us up some Moose Tenderloins that a friend gave to us from hunt he was on....it was pretty darn good. Thanks for checking in. Pete ------------------------------------------------------- Sunday November 23, 2008 noon thirty, Just got up here to frederic to meet a lady that wanted to buy a helmet....things are looking up as she was the fifth phone call I have had today about snowmobiling....most of the time when I leave here I call forward the shop number to my cell phone so I dont miss any calls and that works out pretty good especially right now that I am more fixated on being away from here than being here....heading out hunting in a bit to try my luck again. When I left here yesterday afternoon there were 3 sleds at the frederic inn.... Cathy and I headed down to Pinconning to deliver a sign and we took our time coming back home, it was a nice saturday afternoon drive...I see when I left here yesterday I forgot to put the camera back on to scan so it was stuck in one place all night......I just always have to be messing with something on that.....Thanks for checking in. Pete ------------------------------------------------------- Saturday November 22, 2008 11:45 a.m. Well we had another couple inches of fluffy blow away snow overnight. I just rolled into frederic here about a half hour ago, there had been no tracks in the new snow but a couple guys just came in and got some plugs and oil.....so that might be a good sign...I am still not ready to be here all the time yet but need to get things in order for when the riders do get here. I was just messing with the web cam a bit ago and somehow knocked it offline, dont know what I did or how I got it going again but I guess I just shouldnt mess with that stuff.......I am appropriatley wearing my mo mo nah chee chee nah sweatshirt today hoping for a couple more feet of snow. I put my plow on my truck yesterday but really only to back drag some snow from in front of my house and to push a pile of leaves out of the way. The ground is still to soft to try to plow......Thats about it for today. thanks for checking in. Pete ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Friday November 21, 2008 10:00 a.m. I just got into frederic and its about 25 degrees out, we had a couple new inches since yesterday, talked to my friend up by starvation lake this morning and she says they have had close to 2 feet during this week, it comes and goes but its definetly deeper up that way. Got a call yesterday from Kieth in one of Graylings groomers and he said he was heading thru frederic shortly, actually with both groomers but they werent grooming they were just out grading the trails, if you happened to be on the webcam at the right time you would have seem me follow them thru town when they came thru. Was heading home at 8:45 last night and saw a single sled riding the trail down 93 and out the hanson hills trail, personally I thought he was going way to fast and riding by himself when there is to soft of dirt underneath.........when I left home this morning it was 10 degrees and I looked down at the lake and was surprised to see ice going out about a 100 yards, then along m -72 the whole bay there is frozen over, I cant say I remember seeing ice on the lake this early before,,,,,I dont think I would want to walk on it but it is more than just a skim so far. Quite a few of you have wrote me for the lowes coupons and I have put in all the names so far, it takes about a week for them to comee.......Thats it for today, thanks for checking in. Pete ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Thursday November 20, 2008 7:30 a.m. Its 27 degrees out and we had about 3 new inches of snow here at Lake Margrethe overnight. From the webcam it looks maybe a little less in frederic, I left the webcam on looking north yesterday afternoon because we were getting a freezing rain and the lens was all iced up and you couldnt see anything looking south. I rode one of my sleds yesterday for a couple laps around the parking lot. That was the first one I have fired up so far. For a while I had the webcam on my tracks but the ice kept covering the lens....I have recieved quite a few messages from people that want the 10 percent off coupon from lowes so if you email me on that please include your name and address as I have to mail that coupon to you.....Thanks for checking in. Pete --------------------------------------------------------------------- Wednesday November 19, 2008 10:45 am. We had a couple new inches of fine snow overnight here in frederic, looks nice and white out there but we have a long ways to go to build a base up. I am going to have to get into the swing of things again this season for updating everyday. It looks by my counter that sometime during the end of the sled season we should be coming up on the one millionth hit on my site......I wonder when and who that will be.....So right now as we come into december I will update as things happen around frederic and the snow comes or goes and once we are in full swing I will make sure I do this everyday.......So for now, thanks for checking in. Pete ----------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday November 18, 2008 11:30 a.m. Its a partly sunny and chilly morning here in frederic. I got home from Wellston last night and the snow is much better over there. We had a good 6 to 8 inches when I left but that wasnt any help in getting a deer. I never saw a hair or flash in the woods......but it was a nice 5 days there. There was snow that fell here but it is spotty now but supposed to stay cold all week. It was about 15 this morning and I would say thats the coldest its been so far. Gas is $1.89 in frederic and I hope it stays like that during sled season. On a different note if any of you have any home improvement projects going on email me your adress and I can send you a coupon thru Century 21 and Lowes good for 10 percent off any purhase at lowes,,,if it can save you a few bucks just let me know.......Thats about it for today. Thanks for checking in. Pete ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Friday November 14, 2008 10:45 a.m. Here I am at the Wellston Library, I was planning on bowhunting this morning but it rained so hard all night long I figured I would give the ferns a while to drip dry......it should be a good morning to be out in the woods as it will be quiet and maybe Big Don wont hear me sneaking up on him........just finished a nice breakfast of a couple coney dogs at a little restraunt in town here.....so tommorow morning is the big opening for rifle season and I imagine it will be busy here just like in grayling and frederic.....just tried to get on the web cam in frederic but this computer wont let me download the software......Thats about it for today and I doubt if I will be back on here before next week.......Thanks for checking in. Pete ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday November 13, 2008 3:15 p.m. Its sunny, breezy and cool here at the shores of Lake Margrethe. The snow we got earlier in the week is gone now mostly due to the rain we had yesterday. Only 2 days till the opening day of rifle season and bow season so far has still been unsucessful for me..... still after Big Don, maybe he will show his face in wellston this weekend. Anybody coming up that wants to try out the newest place in grayling, go and try Canadian Steak and Fish Company next to the Days Inn, If you go in ask for Steve the owner and tell him Pete the Greek sent you.......Wednesday night is prime rib night for only ten bucks.... You know I have never been one to get to involved with politics but I got this email with this video yesterday and I have to say it pretty much hits the nail on the head on how I feel so I am going to post it right below this, I would guess that most people will agree with me on this........ ----------------------------------------------------- Monday November 10, 2008 10:00 a..m. Its a nice white morning here in frederic with about 6 inches on the ground around the building here. As I pulled into town I was wondering if I would see any sleds today and sure enough there were 2 pulling into the gas station. Steve Swift and his son Brent (maybe Brett) said they were here to cut wood but they had at least 10 inches up in bradford lake hills and said they had to ride. Got a report from up by sherman road of a foot and last night there were 4 counties with a snow warning. We were one of them along with Otsego,Kalkaska and Antrim.......so a nice little bonus......To bad I am not ready for this yet but it sure looks good.....posting a video of those guys I just took as they left here a couple minutes ago.....Thanks for checking in. Pete ------------------------------------------------------- Sunday night November 9, 2008 8:25 p.m. Just got home a few hours ago from Wellston where I have been spending the past several weekends, it sure is nice an peaceful down there except for last weekend when Cathy and Haley went with me and Haley cried for 2 hours solid because she was afraid the bugs in the cabin were going to get her.....(they were only flies).....when we left there I hit the place with 3 bug bombs and got the shock of my life yesterday when I got there and it looked like the floor was covered with dirt......needless to say I spent alot of time sweeping and vacumming.......I guess they must of built up over the summer because we had open eves........glad we are past that. I was just outside and the ground and cars are covered with a skiff of snow.....I doubt if it will last but it looks nice. I did see a truck and trailer full of trail markers and posts going thru the parking lot at Dingmans tonight so that must mean the trails out that way were getting worked on......just under 3 weeks till the trails open, I find that hard to believe as I am not ready for it yet but would be happy to see it too.......Thanks for checking in. Pete ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Happy Halloween 6:40 a.m. Looks like its going to be a nice day for the ghosts and goblins out there. I have to be dowtown at 1 for the Halloween parade.....Melissa is past that stage but Haley is going to be a punk rocker in the parade and a spider tonight......Not much else exciting in frederic the past couple days, I did have a guy come in yesterday with a sled on a trailer and at first I thought he was a little early in the season but he was looking to sell the sled. Novi is off and running today and I had an email from Denny down in Indiana and he said he and his crew from their club, I believe the Potawamini snowmobilers were going to Novi by Limo, they have done it for quite a few years and make a big fun trip out of it. I have been out bowhunting a few times this week and took a shot last night and got a pine tree..... So thats about it for now. Below I am pasting a video I took last week of Ausable Valley Snowmobile Associations very new and very cool John Deere groomer and drag. Thanks for checking in. Pete --------------------------------------------- Wednesday October 9, 2008 6:30 a.m. FIRST SNOW!!! My van is covered with snow and the ground is white on and off in places. Its pretty wet out there but its a great morning to be heading out to the woods for a little bow hunting action (I hope).......so at least winter is thinking about it. Check out the web cam this morning and see if its white in frederic too......Thanks for checking in. Pete --------------------------------------------------- |
