Sad News

[Midwest Player]

Does anybody know if this happened by Krupps. ATVs are always crossing the road there.
https://www.uppermichiganssource.com/2021/05/02/deadly-side-by-side-crash-in-houghton-county/

 

[Skylar]

It happened at the intersection of Twin Lakes road and M26. I drove by probably 10-15 minutes after it happened.

 

[Midwest Player]

It happened at the intersection of Twin Lakes road and M26. I drove by probably 10-15 minutes after it happened.

Thanks. I always slow down at snowmobile trail crossings in both winter and summer. I thought it probably happened at the Krupps store as there is always ATV's crossing over to the store. I'm kind of puzzled how this could be a head on crash if he was crossing the road. I know in the summer both golf carts and ATV's pop out of the woods at that spot to get from the trail to Twin Lakes Road.

 

[ezra]

Well at 86 there are much much worse ways to check out.

 

[eao]

Unfortunately way to many ORV riders don't take crossing roads as a big safety issue. I had several cross a county road bridge as I was approaching, they seen me coming but drove toward me anyways on the wrong side of the road and they were going fast. They would not wait for me to go across but challenged me for the road and I was in the correct lane. I could have easily hit them and lucky no one was coming and I could drive across the center line as they came racing towards me in an effort to beat me to the bridge.

 

[Skylar]

Unfortunately way to many ORV riders don't take crossing roads as a big safety issue. I had several cross a county road bridge as I was approaching, they seen me coming but drove toward me anyways on the wrong side of the road and they were going fast. They would not wait for me to go across but challenged me for the road and I was in the correct lane. I could have easily hit them and lucky no one was coming and I could drive across the center line as they came racing towards me in an effort to beat me to the bridge.

And fortunately the majority of ORV riders do.

 

[xcr440]

And fortunately the majority of ORV riders do.

There are a number of bridges that snowmobile trails have to run the shoulders of the bridges, I never understood why some riders just hop up on the road and start crossing without checking for traffic.

To me, its just like walking and crossing a road. Yeah, the pedestrian may have the "right of way" when crossing a road, but you are going to just walk right out there and trust the driver of a vehicle is paying attention? Not me....

 

[G]

I have had more 'close ones' with Rangers and Razors in the last 5 years than riding my sleds on trails. And I am always in my Ford so the Rangers and the Razors would have lost. In my experience they don't look. They just go. I have had them cross highways directly in front of me without ever looking or stopping. Young, old male, female, male - it doesn't matter. They all drive like poo. If I see them coming from any angle I just assume they will do something stupid and slow down or get ready for some stunt driving. I don't want to scratch my Ford. But the way they 'drive' it is only a matter of time before they manage to hurt themselves.

 

[old abe]

I have had more 'close ones' with Rangers and Razors in the last 5 years than riding my sleds on trails. And I am always in my Ford so the Rangers and the Razors would have lost. In my experience they don't look. They just go. I have had them cross highways directly in front of me without ever looking or stopping. Young, old male, female, male - it doesn't matter. They all drive like poo. If I see them coming from any angle I just assume they will do something stupid and slow down or get ready for some stunt driving. I don't want to scratch my Ford. But the way they 'drive' it is only a matter of time before they manage to hurt themselves.

All TRUE!

 

[Sandylake]

Well at 86 there are much much worse ways to check out.

You would have never known Richard was 86. He was more like a guy that you'd think was 60 but in really good shape.


My dad rode countless trail miles with him, before trails were trails, on a sled.


Lifetime member of the South Range Snowmobile Club.


His son Randy was a Phenom dirt bike rider and passed away far too young and is the namesake of the old Randy Trudgeon Whealcate Bluff Memorial Hill Climb that use to happen every July 4th.

 

[katden4]

You would have never known Richard was 86. He was more like a guy that you'd think was 60 but in really good shape.


My dad rode countless trail miles with him, before trails were trails, on a sled.


Lifetime member of the South Range Snowmobile Club.


His son Randy was a Phenom dirt bike rider and passed away far too young and is the namesake of the old Randy Trudgeon Whealcate Bluff Memorial Hill Climb that use to happen every July 4th.

I met him in Krupps one morning having coffee. Extremely helpful with trail knowledge. Something strange must have happened, he was not the type of rider who wouldn't look before crossing. Could have been sun in his eyes? don't know but its a shame. It would be interesting to know how many miles he rode snow and dirt in his life!

 

[Sandylake]

I met him in Krupps one morning having coffee. Extremely helpful with trail knowledge. Something strange must have happened, he was not the type of rider who wouldn't look before crossing. Could have been sun in his eyes? don't know but its a shame. It would be interesting to know how many miles he rode snow and dirt in his life!

He was just a good guy.

In the 70's my uncle Don used to have a Artic Cat dealership in Houghton. Nobody cared about selling sleds...really, it was all about racing at the club, **** was one of the drivers.

As a fun side note; the local Polaris dealer filed a complaint in 1974 and had all 340cc Artic Cats 73's and 74's banned from racing at South Range because they just blew everything away, so somehow they must be cheating. My dad said that racers and Artic Cat headquarters were always swapping ideas how to tweak speed out of the sleds and won a lot

 

[mezz]

Lifetime member of the South Range Snowmobile Club.


His son Randy was a Phenom dirt bike rider and passed away far too young and is the namesake of the old Randy Trudgeon Whealkeat Bluff Memorial Hill Climb that use to happen every July 4th.

Ahh Yes, Good times, Good memories. Thanks for the throw back. -Mezz