Monday was Valentine’s Day. I was apart from my wife for the first time since we met, and Zack was away from his better half in South Carolina for their first Valentine’s Day. Both the ladies in our lives are very loving, understanding and forgiving of us. They know how much snowmobiling means to us and that we did everything we could to avoid being away from SC. This is a one time thing. Amy and Lindsey, we love you so so much!!!
Now to the ride. We got up and that’s all Zack wanted to do was ride. Didn’t matter the 83 miles the day before. He wanted more. A lot more. He wanted flat and fast trails. He wanted the Ski Doos generously offered to us. It mattered not at all how cold it was. So how is -10 to start?
We arrived in West Leyden, our launch point for the next two days. We got all set up thanks to our friends, the president and vice president of the Southern Tug Hill Sno-Riders. They had us 100% covered. We rode out just after 9 AM to get gas at Hilltop market then we were ready to ride! The ride up towards Barrows from West Leyden was like a magic carpet ride. Freshly groomed. Little traffic. Straight as an arrow. We stopped at Barrows to get a treat and to warm up from the below zero conditions that terrorized us, the only thing that impacted the riding.
Next up we shot up the NORTHWAY (North Road) to Tabolts then hung the right that would bring us to Timberview. And the three miles of hell we went through to get there. Lump city! But we made it to Timberview just after 11 AM, and got ourselves and early lunch hoping we could warm up and thaw out. Which we did. Zack and I got some great footage there which you’ll see soon.
After I put down my burger and Zack tore up his Pizza, back through the three miles of hell to Tabolts we went. From there we continued west, eventually getting to Flat Rock Road and running it all the way to the end, Tug Hill Hook & Ladder. The trails were 100% flat, fast and perfect. We then decided to to the loop to Osceola, back through Camp 2 to Camp 4, then back around to West Leyden. So we set our sails south of Trail 5 on flat and perfect conditions. Until we reached Osceola.
We noticed the rollers and bumps starting then we hit C4K, camp 2 trail and got our butt whooped in a hurry. After 1 mile of lump fest with 10 to go to reach STH’s flat trails, we decided 10 miles of torture were just too much. So we turned around and headed south into Osceola proper, then around the bottom way passing near 46 corners to reach Swancott Mills that way. Lump lump we went for what seemed like forever. Between the beating and the cold, and Zack’s “let’s go, let’s go” attitude, I was starting to get mad. But I bit my tongue and pressed on until we hit TC Riders and got the flat trails back!
We flew just north of 46 corners until we got back to the STH connection leading us to Swancott Mills. The flatter trails after getting our butts kicked in Osceola were a welcome sight. Before we knew it we were back in West Leyden, gassed up again for the next day’s ride, and pulled back into the compound FROZEN by the sub zero windchills and strong winds all day, but with 100 miles exactly to show for it. And the next day’s ride would be SPECTACULAR because of who we’d be riding with!
We ended the day with a beautiful sunset ride back into Utica to pick up the best pizza in the world. Great Valentine’s Day ride with my son.
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