I have been going to the Gaylord, MI area for over 15 years. There are a lot of things I like about the area, the people, the restaurants, the scenery on the various trails.
However, there seems to be a problem with the quality of the trails, which appears to be directly related to the grooming. I have heard all the excuses from low snow to high traffic. Although I realize that these factors have to be taken into consideration, I feel they are being used to often as a crutch and the real issues are not being addressed. These same excuses were used in the Munising area for years and they had the same bad trail condition problem that is seen too often in Gaylord.
There are clues that the issue could be related to the lack of Grooming. One: Waitress's at local restaurants stating that they cant remember the last time they saw a groomer. Two: Never seeing a groomer on the trail while riding. I was recently up in the area for four days and only ran into three groomers the entire time...and those groomers were from adjacent clubs...not Gaylord. 3: This is a problem every year, year after year, no matter how much snow or how much traffic.
I find myself asking how can one club get it right and another so wrong? I can't tell you how many times I have said "I'm never going back there again" and I inevitably end up going back...heck, maybe I am the problem...I keep going back even when I know its going to be bad.
I wouldn't complain if I thought that there was nothing that could be done. I think the problem can be fixed, I don't have the exact answer, but I believe in the area and the people and I know it can be better. Maybe they need an intervention like they had to do in Munising. The new plan there seems to have worked...maybe it would work in Gaylord.
However, there seems to be a problem with the quality of the trails, which appears to be directly related to the grooming. I have heard all the excuses from low snow to high traffic. Although I realize that these factors have to be taken into consideration, I feel they are being used to often as a crutch and the real issues are not being addressed. These same excuses were used in the Munising area for years and they had the same bad trail condition problem that is seen too often in Gaylord.
There are clues that the issue could be related to the lack of Grooming. One: Waitress's at local restaurants stating that they cant remember the last time they saw a groomer. Two: Never seeing a groomer on the trail while riding. I was recently up in the area for four days and only ran into three groomers the entire time...and those groomers were from adjacent clubs...not Gaylord. 3: This is a problem every year, year after year, no matter how much snow or how much traffic.
I find myself asking how can one club get it right and another so wrong? I can't tell you how many times I have said "I'm never going back there again" and I inevitably end up going back...heck, maybe I am the problem...I keep going back even when I know its going to be bad.
I wouldn't complain if I thought that there was nothing that could be done. I think the problem can be fixed, I don't have the exact answer, but I believe in the area and the people and I know it can be better. Maybe they need an intervention like they had to do in Munising. The new plan there seems to have worked...maybe it would work in Gaylord.