Restricted area in Ottawa National Forest

old abe

Well-known member
Seems to be more than eagles, owls, and wild life to this. Spring/thaw/runoff/weather involved. The diversion of water from Bond Falls to the Old Victory Dam???
 
T

Tracker

Guest
Well yeah, but you can't go cross-country in the yellow area, which a lot of people like to do.

if the roads are not plowed and go across country in that area....isn't that the same as taking a goat path across country....but there is one good thing aboot these responses.....leaves more untouched for us in the forest whilst ya'lls on summer sports....still livin the dream sickle...LOL....never had trouble riding in there after the season...eagles, owls or not...and water is not a factor...its there same as everywhere else
 

DamageInc

Member
if the roads are not plowed and go across country in that area....isn't that the same as taking a goat path across country....but there is one good thing aboot these responses.....leaves more untouched for us in the forest whilst ya'lls on summer sports....still livin the dream sickle...LOL....never had trouble riding in there after the season...eagles, owls or not...and water is not a factor...its there same as everywhere else

No, it's not at all the same. It's a lot safer for your sled, since there is less chance of hitting something that might damage it. But there aren't steep hills, small snow-covered trees that have turned into jumps, and all the other fun stuff that comes from boondocking. Don't get me wrong; I love riding unplowed forest roads. But it's not the same thing as boondocking.

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Seems to be more than eagles, owls, and wild life to this. Spring/thaw/runoff/weather involved. The diversion of water from Bond Falls to the Old Victory Dam???

In many years (although not as much in the last 4), the snow isn't melting yet on March 1. We have years where late March is still frozen up solid, like 2013-14.
 

old abe

Well-known member
I hear that. March riding in the UP is not what it used to be. Sad, but so. My son and I used to ride late March on his spring break always. Rode pretty much where ever we wanted. Not so now as it seems??? I sure wish it was though, always very good trips, many enjoyable miles!!! Many counties in Wis. we used to always ride, haven't had their trails even open for several years now. Bummer!!!!!!!!
 

DamageInc

Member
I hear that. March riding in the UP is not what it used to be. Sad, but so. My son and I used to ride late March on his spring break always. Rode pretty much where ever we wanted. Not so now as it seems??? I sure wish it was though, always very good trips, many enjoyable miles!!! Many counties in Wis. we used to always ride, haven't had their trails even open for several years now. Bummer!!!!!!!!

It's all cyclical, and we will probably have years like that again (unless we are entering a prolonged period of warmth like the Medieval Warm Period). We are approaching the lowest point of activity in the solar cycle, and solar activity is trending well below average, which gives us better odds for the upcoming winters. As I suspect John will back up, solar cycles, ENSO, NOA, AO, etc. increase the odds of a certain type of winter, but there is never any guarantee. FWIW, those awesome winters we had in the mid-90s were at the low point in the solar cycle.
 

old abe

Well-known member
It's all cyclical, and we will probably have years like that again (unless we are entering a prolonged period of warmth like the Medieval Warm Period). We are approaching the lowest point of activity in the solar cycle, and solar activity is trending well below average, which gives us better odds for the upcoming winters. As I suspect John will back up, solar cycles, ENSO, NOA, AO, etc. increase the odds of a certain type of winter, but there is never any guarantee. FWIW, those awesome winters we had in the mid-90s were at the low point in the solar cycle.

Not to disagree, and I hope your thoughts happen. But, I've been chasing snow further, and further north for a lot longer than the mid 90's. We shall see. Good rideable snow has been migrating farther north as the years have passed for sure.
 

DamageInc

Member
Not to disagree, and I hope your thoughts happen. But, I've been chasing snow further, and further north for a lot longer than the mid 90's. We shall see. Good rideable snow has been migrating farther north as the years have passed for sure.

The lowest temperatures every recorded in WI were in Feb 1996. The coldest winter (average temp) for most of WI was just 5 years ago. Most of the top ten warmest winters in WI history were in the 1930s. Sometimes our perception is not the same as reality, and we humans tend to have very selective memories. Some people got the idea that those great winters in the 70s and 90s were "normal", or how it's supposed to be. Those were an anomaly, and it's never been normal to have adequate snowcover for the entire winter in southern WI (in the last century, since we started keeping records).
 

old abe

Well-known member
Again, not here to argue. There is always abnormalities, and I understand the NWS "normal". As I worked outside, I remember bad winters, 79, 81, 96, and the "polar vortex" year. They happen, and normal change. When we started snowmobiling we didn't have to go far to find real good riding snow. Black River Falls, Wis. had snow all winter long. South west Wi. was a short hop to ride the trails. Rode a lot right at home, many miles. But as the years passed, we had to go further, and further, north to ride. Merril/Tomohawk, Rice lake/Hayward, Mellen/Ashland, and then to the UP. Sad but so it is. The strip mine lakes we used to ice fish all winter at home, had ice 16" to 20"+, and expansion cracks that would scare the crap out of you. They would retain snow cover all winter long, and it would get deep. You can't ice fish many of these same lakes at all now, due to inadequate ice cover, some winters now, no ice on some lakes. The lakes are 30 to 60 feet deep. Just the way it was.
 
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