I haven't added anything to my blog in a while.  I feel this is a good event to add and share.  This past February I had the opportunity to travel to New Hampshire with 12 other guys for a snowmobile trip.  It was a great opportunity to get some miles in on our sleds since our trails around home were experiencing a very mild winter.   I had never ridden in the NH area and was excited to experience the different views and trails they had to offer. They would not disappoint!

Leaving on a Sunday and returning the following Saturday would give us five full days and a half of riding.  I had never ridden for more than three days in a row.  This was a bit of a concern for me.  I'd be leaving following a transfusion week. So, I should be good to go with fresh blood hopefully loaded with young cells able to deliver oxygen quickly and outlast the week of riding. 

Snowmobiling burns an average of 238 calories an hour depending on how hard you ride.  And exercise can rupture red blood cells as they pass through capillaries in contracting muscles.  Reducing my already short supply of RBCs.  It's a legitimate concern rather I'll be able to last the entire week.  I'll be riding with a group of guys of which are mostly 10-15 years younger than me. And the older ones who are my age are mostly healthy.   I figured if I did get too tired to push on, my sled is equipped with the latest in map and GPS technology so I could leave the group and head back to the cabin at any time and or leave later and meet up on the trail. 

Preparing for the week.  

First and foremost, fill up on three units of RBCs and hope they are all newly dated meaning fresh on the shelf with expiration dates far into the month. I'll receive the blood the Thursday prior to leaving.  Scheduling for Thursday gives me a one-day cushion in case something goes wrong at the lab or for any reason they can't have all three units ready on Thursday I can receive them Friday. 

Second, I worked on getting enough sleep prior to leaving and throughout the week of riding.  This would mean not staying up and partying with the young guys.  As much as I wanted to hang with them, I knew I could not if I wanted to last the week.  

Third, I've noticed I require good protein when I am planning on physically pushing myself.  Every morning I started out with and egg, cheese, and meat on a biscuit or bagel for some carbs.  Followed by good hydration throughout the day. 

I'm happy to say.  It all worked out.  I kept up. Not always in the front and occasionally at the rear but I made it through each day feeling good and always ready for the next day.  And I think that is key.  If I had come out of each day exhausted, feeling beat, and sick, I would not have enjoyed the week. Not by any means am I saying I could do this every week or even every month, but I successfully planned and figured out a way to be "normal" for a week. 

All who ride with thal have additional obstacles, but we should never let thal hold us back.  Plan it out and try it.  You can never say you didn't try.  I'm here to say it's worth it.  And to show you, take a look at some pics I've attached from our trip.  

Just board?  Thumb through my YouTube channel. 

It's A Wrap 2018-19 Snow Season

Lets RIDE

It's been a wild and crazy snowmobiling season in Northern New York.  One we took ample advantage of.  Snow pack was plentiful for most of the season.  I tallied a staggering 1,835 snowy miles on my tracked Cat.

Our first ride of the season was a day trip to the Adirondacks to meet up with a couple of riding buddies. Not enough snow home yet required us to trailer the sleds 60 miles North and 1259 feet closer to the clouds to Inlet, NY.

Early morning commute to the trail head in Inlet, NY. 

Moose River Plains

 We rode out from Inlet into the Moose River Plains (MRP) primitive wilderness area.

Moose River Plains

Moose River Plains

Kevin watching over the Cat

Rob and Liz

40 plus mile to the Cedar River Flow ranger station with Liz.

It's about 40 miles from the ranger's station in Inlet to the seasonal ranger's station at the Cedar River Flow outlet.  During the summer through late fall, this area is used for primitive hiking, camping, hunting with dirt road access to areas throughout. When the snow flies, the local snowmobile clubs maintain groomed trails spanning the area and providing access to the rest of the Adirondacks.

40 plus miles to the Cedar River Flow ranger station.

Just a few days later we drove back up to
Old Forge for their tree lighting. 

Spent the rest of our season exploring New York's trail system.  So fortunate to live where we live! Enjoy the slide show below with a few of the views along our trails we got to enjoy this past season.

One of the coolest events we road to this winter was the Model T snowmobile event. 

You may think it's all about getting out and enjoying our beautiful piece of the world.  Not quite.  I've said before, it's not the ride but the food we find at the end. 

The  Norridgewock Lodge is a unique place. Not only do they have great food and rooms but the only way to get there in the winter is by snowmobile.  There is not a single road to the lodge.  During the summer they rely on rail and boat for deliveries and patrons. We road in with our newest friend from down state Greg and his buddies.

Adirondack Hotel in Long Lake

Cedar Pine in Redfield has some of the best wings I've had.

French Dip?

Pin Tree Inn, Brantingham

This was supposed to be a French dip sandwich.  Take a look at that bun and at the container I was expected to dip it into! As a kid I was pretty good at putting the blocks in the correct slots so I can tell you that bun will not fit.  

Back 9 in Lee

Tug Hill Hideaway, West Leyden

Montague Inn, Harrisburg

Slicker, Old Forge
Now that's a French dip!

Don't forget the dessert! 

2017-18 Snowmobile Season

2017-18 snowmobile season arrived like a lion and left like a lamb.  We road out and tacked on a over 2,000 sensational miles this season.  Through all types of snow conditions.

Here are some of the highlights:

One of my first rides was an early season ride January 4 with Liz up to the Tug Hill.  Check out these pics.

 Was a beautiful day!

Towpath Restaurant

 And as usual, it's not necessarily the ride as much as 

the food found on the ride.  We stopped for lunch in 

Turin, NY. 

Yes, you can get a snowmobile stuck.  It's usually just a matter of letting off the throttle to soon.  In this case one of Liz's skis slipped off the trail causing the sled to get sucked off the groomed trail into some real heavy packed deep snow.  Knowing how heavy her sled is and how hard it can be to get it out of deep packed snow, she did the right thing to quickly let off the throttle and annualized the situation.  Come to find out, it wasn't bad at all.  Joe and I packed down the snow directly in front of the sled and I gently throttled it out and back onto the trail.









Took what I thought would be a last ride with Joe.  I had just upgraded and purchased a new to me 4-stroke.  So, glade we could get out and I could tally the 100 plus miles that day.  Above freezing most of the day made it seem like spring even though it was only February 14.

Trails are well marked with route numbers just as road are.

Notice under the map a sign advising Miami 1445 miles. 😆

That signpost is about 4 feet tall!

New (2014) Cat handled great all day. Zero ski lift. Suspension really fits my style of riding (Cool Old Man😎). Needed to stand for ruff trails about half as much as with my older (Polaris 209) sled. And when standing is needed it is much less effort to stand as seating is much more raised and rider-forward.

Nice thing about snow storms is get to ride to my big Sista's for a visit. 

One of THE best burger joints on the trail system! 

The snow just kept coming but this was our last last LAST ride. 

Ohio Ridge Rider's area. We don't get over that way too often.

Really nice day out.