Groomer Report
3-16-20
Quick update as conditions will chance in less than 24 hrs.
Trails are for the most part all perfectly flat, and perfectly ridable with a few small issues in the open areas. We lost about 3/4 of our snow in Iggy, but there is still 2ft of snow out in the woods, but trails are iced over and very hard.
We are predicted to get 3/4in of rain tonight, so that will all be in question for the weekend. A quite cold night following all that rain, with maybe only 1in of snow in the morning is going to do nothing for great trails here. Again all we need in a 4in storm and we will be golden, but I am going to call not great conditions right now for sure.
With all of the government closures going on, if you do hear over the bridge (yes it is open) here is some info:
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[*]No the bridge is NO EVER going to close for the virus. This Saturday however it is going to only accept CC, Debit Card and macpass, no cash.
[*]All of our area restaurants are still open for carry-out only. You just call them with your order and it will be ready for pickup.
[*]Gas, grocery are all still open.
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Coming weather:
[QUOTE][SIZE=”1″]Tonight: Showers. Low around 28. East wind 10 to 15 mph becoming north after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
Friday: Snow showers, mainly before 11am. Temperature falling to around 25 by 5pm. Breezy, with a northwest wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 35 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 11. North wind 5 to 15 mph.
Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 28. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 14.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 33.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 22.
Monday: Partly sunny, with a high near 39.[/SIZE][/QUOTE]
That is all for now.
Will update when I have more info.
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3-16-20
Well we officially made mid-March with rideable trails. RIght now everything is very crunchy and/or icy. There was some riding to be had in the woods this weekend, and a very few braved the challenge. Into-out of towns is pretty tough right now.
The thing is, we need like 3in of snow, and we will go from marginal trails, to fantastic with 1 groom. We need more snow before we can do any more with what is out there.
The forecast for this week is more of the same. Some sun, low 30s temps, no precip. That will continue the long snow death, until this weekend which will have a make or break precip event. Some forecasts have rain, some snow. Logically, if rain, we will be done for sure, if snow we will have good trails for the weekend – but will there be anyone around to use them?
So with all of the craziness out there – the Governor just closed all of the dine-in food in Michigan, I am not sure how much the snowmobile season is going to go on. Unless we hear from the DNR, we will go out and take care of the trails at least one more time – if we get new snow.
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3-09-20
Major weather change this weekend for sure. It was cool and perfect riding on Friday & Saturday – low 30s in the day, and about perfect trail conditions. The big change came Saturday night, and Sunday it was 50d here in Iggy. A bit cooler North, but not much. That shifted us into spring riding conditions quickly. Things are still holding up today, but we have rain coming in tonight, so I really can’t tell you what is going to happen over the next few days.
We were planning on this (just not this soon) During the season, we stored snow on the side of most of the trails for a warmup, so we are hoping to be able to go get that snow and lay a good trail for the coming weekend. That is the plan, lets see in MaNature cooperates. The meltdown has definitely hurt the sides of roads, and getting into/out of town for sure though. Main core forest trails should be OK for awhile, and we will see on the RR Grade, and Burma grade.
[SIZE=”1″][QUOTE]Today: A 20 percent chance of rain after 2pm. Cloudy, with a high near 47. Southwest wind 10 to 15 mph.
Tonight: Rain, possibly mixed with freezing rain before 3am, then freezing rain likely, possibly mixed with snow. Areas of fog. Low around 25. Northwest wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Little or no ice accumulation expected. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
Tuesday: A 30 percent chance of snow before 8am. Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 33. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph.
Tuesday Night: A 40 percent chance of snow showers after 2am. Increasing clouds, with a low around 22. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Wednesday: A 40 percent chance of snow showers before 2pm. Cloudy, with a high near 35. Southeast wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 29.
Thursday: A chance of snow showers before 10am, then a chance of rain and snow showers between 10am and 11am, then a chance of rain showers after 11am. Cloudy, with a high near 41. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
Thursday Night: Rain showers likely before 3am, then a chance of rain and snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 32.
Friday: A chance of snow showers before 8am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 37.
Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 25.
Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 34.
Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 22.
Sunday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 33.[/QUOTE][/SIZE]
So, OK trails today, bad weather coming, who knows on trails later in the week.
Now to dispel the rumors, and such, I will address the incident on Friday night. It has been over 10 years, but on Friday night we had a sled hit a groomer on the Huckleberry trail up by Trout Lake. Thankfully our driver had the wherewithal to turn the tractor to the right at the last moment so the sled hit the track, and not the front blade. Luckily, there were no serious injuries, and although severely damaged, the sled drove away. The groomer was not damaged. This was 100% speed related. Please remember, even though we maintain fantastic trails, and you are capable of a higher speeds than a tight twisty trail, you the sledder still have the responsibility to be able to stop period, no matter what. What if there is a water hazard, a fallen tree, some moron riding on the wrong side of the trail? In this case, a groomer and drag takes up 90% of the trail width, where are you going to go? You, the sledder have the responsibility to be able to maintain control and to stop. Please have fun and be safe out there.
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Why drive, when you and RIDE? ~ St. Ignace, Gateway to the UP!
