A Winter Behind A Blue Windshield

[skiroule]

Hello JD Members and Guests,
Any other year I might not have started a thread such as this but being that the some of my riding this year took on a new look I decided to share some things from the first winter with my new old sled. I figured that maybe some of you would enjoy the story. Besides, it is as much about the fun of riding as it is about vintage sleds.

I tried to allow time for riding the little sled at almost every sledding destination. Even in its 34[SUP]th[/SUP] winter, it never missed a beat and was flat-out fun to ride. It was the first and last sled I rode this season. I took some photos and video along the way. This thread is the result.

Hope you enjoy it.

(Quick tip to improve video quality - Select the gear and choose 720p HD)

 

[skiroule]

Lac La Belle, Toivola Michigan, Jan 2013:

This was the first out of state riding trip of 2013 and what better place to work out the kinks on the TX. Got there just in time to catch the first real snow of the season but before the traffic started to build. Temps were on the cool side, -17 on a couple of mornings. Trails in the Lac La Belle area were pristine even late in the morning on some days.

Stopped at the Mosquito on the way home and did a little trail riding from there to warm up the sled. Talked to a couple of great guys in the parking lot that I found out later were JD members (ttallin & 5x700t136). I guess they’re everywhere!

Lac La Belle Lodge before the rush

Twin Sons?

The MOsquito

 

[skiroule]

Clam Lake, WI – Feb, 2013

The Clam Lake trip extended the streak of picking pretty cold riding weather (-17 again). Trails were in excellent condition and many were pool-table smooth with hardly any traffic. First time staying at Clam Lake Junction: nice people, convenience store (with New Glarus beer), gas, comfortable rooms, easy trail access, and a good restaurant across the highway.

Lots of hilly, winding trails mixed in with some stretches of wide open fire roads. Ran into some trail sections that no one had ridden since a recent snowfall – had just the right amount of snow to let the 340 pull easy but still make for a nice soft ride. No elk on the trail this time - maybe next year.

Do they really know this?

 

[skiroule]

Walhalla/Pembina Gorge, ND – Feb/Mar, 2013:

Bearrassler country. Actually got to ride with the Rassler and some of his friends in Feb. - didn’t ride the TX on that trip. It was fast in its day but North Dakota fast is a on a whole new level so I saved the vintage riding for March. The Pembina Gorge area is a fascinating riding area. The story is that the gorge trail may actually spill over into Canada in certain sections - hard to believe eh?

Contrary to all the jokes about ND (mostly made my me), there is a surprising amount of riding variety when you ride in the border area and I’m looking forward to riding up there again next year. And no, I really didn’t bring my own trees just so I had a reason to turn. Did I mention trail permits are $15?

Tetrault Woods Overlook

The Gorge

ND Trail Sign

 

[skiroule]

Lake of the Woods/Upper Red Lake, MN – Jan/Feb/Mar, 2013:

CrossfireLOW’s webcam in Baudette was a welcome addition this year and most likely can lay claim to the northernmost Midwest NCN camera. This is where I grew up so it definitely feels like home turf. Trails up there seem tailor-made for the TX (or vice versa). Frequent straight stretches to put the hammer down, even in the wooded areas, not that I would ever exceed the state speed limit.

Most trips were typical L.O.W. riding experiences – smooth trails, no people but on occasion there was lots of un-groomed fresh snow and wind so it really did feel like riding a 70’s machine in the 70’s again. Nothing quite like drift skipping with leaf springs – you will not doze off.

Major Ice Heave

Igloo Bar on Lake of the Woods. I mean REALLY on Lake of the Woods

 

[snobuilder]

Great season! I like the pic next to the new sled ...how far we have come, eh, yet many things are basicly the same. My 1st sled that my brother and I bought together was a '73 TX 340.
It topped out at about 65 as I recall.

 

[snoluver1]

Fantastic Skiroule!! One heck of a seaon you had there! Looks like your getting a pretty good handle on the film editing software too! Love the side shot of the ski. So cool to see you out there actually having fun on the old iron! I have to admit, I'm a little jealous.

 

[gary_in_neenah]

Ski, your Polaris looks like it just came out of the crate it was shipped in. Good job on the video too, a great way to chronicle your season.

 

[Team Elkhorn]

Awesome video and pics Skiroule!
This was my plan for my "new to me" vintage sled but never had the chance. I have a few rough videos, but nothing edited. I'm still afraid to wander too far from home until I go through the whole sled and check or replace all the bearings, etc. Maybe we can ask John to add a vintage sled section.
View attachment 40035

 

[Deleted member 10829]

Very impressive! Wow, you got out quite a bit this year. I think that's so cool that you bring the TX with you on all the trips. Sorry I missed my chance to ride with you this year at Clam Lake, but hopefully next year! Love the Twin Sons pic and it's classic you would have the retro graphics on the new sled. I'm still looking for a nice TX and found 2 in MN but the guy wants quite a bit for them.

Team Elkhorn's idea of a vintage sled section is a good one.

 

[mezz]

Nicely done, all the way around.-Mezz

 

[ssdsts24]

Awesome video and pics Skiroule!
This was my plan for my "new to me" vintage sled but never had the chance. I have a few rough videos, but nothing edited. I'm still afraid to wander too far from home until I go through the whole sled and check or replace all the bearings, etc. Maybe we can ask John to add a vintage sled section.
View attachment 40035

This sounds like a great idea. WHAT DO YOU THINK JOHN !!!

 

[moosehead]

Neat stuff..how many miles ya got that sled? Just curious.

 

[skiroule]

Neat stuff..how many miles ya got that sled? Just curious.

The current odometer reading is just over 3300 miles. I have no reason to believe it isn’t actual miles. I believe it had a tad over 2900 when I bought it last spring so I’m thinking the season total was around 375.</SPAN>

Some great reaction and thanks for the input! Knowing you members out there appreciate the experience and the effort is pretty rewarding. It’s not everyone’s cup of joe but I’m always impressed at the amount of interest.</SPAN>
I agree with Team Elkhorn (nice Lynx! – we could start the AC/Polaris rivalry all over again.). It would be nice to have a location where a person could find out what members have got going in the vintage area and who might be available for some riding, even if it was just a side activity on a regular sledding trip. I didn’t make any trips this year that were purely for vintage riding but it worked well for me this year to plan a little extra time for a some old school stuff.</SPAN>

If you have any memories/stories of your own and/or photos of your vintage sleds, please feel free to post them here!</SPAN>

 

[bearrassler]

Great pictures and video Skiroule, I think I saw a vintage helmet and vintage gloves in the video. It was fun to ride with you this year but we didn't slow down enough for you to even take any pictures. Maybe someday I will have to get one of our old Vikings running and ride with you on the old iron.

 

[bigvin]

Sweet!

Now THAT's what it is all about!

Thank You for sharing!

 

[jr37]

Kelly, that was an awesome video. Thanks for sharing with us. That sure gives me the itch to get the Sidewinder running for next year, or maybe come up with a different Scorpion just to ride while I restore the other one.

I like the idea of a little "Vintage" section here, just to see what other JDers have. I spend a fair amount of time on Vintagesleds.com, man are there some impressive old sleds out there.

 

[ezra]

impressive all around.

 

[garyl62]

Wow! that was great, from the shots, to the music, and the mixing. Really good, thanks for sharing. Makes me want to do a better job shooting photos and videos next season.

 

[shoelessjoe]

Twin Sons?

Twins like Danny Devito and Arnold