I have never been a fan of snowmobiling. I guess it is the noise and fumes for one and the danger for another reason. I have always been a lover of the silent sports of : biking, x-c skiing and kayaking that give you an hour or two of exercise and scenery too. But now that we are spending alot of our winter free time in the upper peninsula of Michigan well i am becoming a convert.The 200 inches of annual snowfall here combined with the 300 miles of well groomed trails into undeveloped forests and country side are breath taking and irresistable. We just x-c ski for exercise an hour or two before we ride our snowmobiles ,or combine a snowmobile ride with a stop for snowshoeing back to a lake or waterfall or on a winter nature trail open to snowshoeing. The U P has a trail system that is constantly groomed with nice wide trails( some almost 2 car widths) that go for miles and miles and miles, many on seasonal roads that are only used for snowmobiling in winter.
I had snowmobiled before in the northern tip of Wisconsin on the Lake Michigan coastline ,to see the beautiful "Ice heaves" that are baby blue in color and to explore the nearby islands. This was great, but in the UP ,well, snowmobiling is the second form of transportation in the country in winter and offers 100 mile journeys into the woods.. Of course Dave and I being older and wiser, will pick the least busy trails on off days to avoid any traffic . Also generally the eastern shore of Lake Superior is ALOT less crowded on the trails than the western end, probably as there are many more trails available here. A few weeks ago we rode out on a bay of Lake Superior to see the beautiful ice cliffs- about 40 feet of frozen waterfalls all different colors from the mineral deposits in the rocky cliffs-some yellow, other brown and the most glorious baby blue!!
Yesterday we rode 100 miles with a stop for lunch at a cute little resort called "Camel Riders"on an inland lake. When Dave asked the waitress how it got its unique name she told of a former owner who was from Lebanon originally and who worked as a "camel jokey"!!! Who knew there were such things as camel jockeys?? The U P is full of surprises!!
Today we rode 80 miles in 4 hours with a nice stop for lunch half way and only saw less than a dozen other riders on the trails. We have ridden up to Grand Marais a few weeks ago- a beautiful little port town that looks like some little coastal town in Maine . It is the half way point in the" 200 UP" Dog Sled Race that starts and ends in Marquette. We stopped for lunch at Grand Marais( about 2 1/2 hours one way )to view the sleds and dogs as they were on a layover. The dogs looked exhausted. We talked with a man and his son manning a break point stop of the trail ( where the dog sled trail crossed the snowmobile trails) . When asked how they were doing, he said there were 27 sleds in the race ( some local)but a few had injured dogs so may call it quits at the half way point. He said ,one dog that was injured effected another dog on the same sled( his brother) as he refused to run after his brother got hurt!! And they say animals don't have strong feelings!! Anyway it was fun to see part of this huge race which is a qualifier for the one in Alaska. We keep taking rides to see the beautiful countryside and explore cute places to stop and have lunch at the half way point in our rides to take a physical break to stretch a bit. For those of you who have not ridden on a a snowmobile, i would describe it as a combination of the feel of the childlike thrill of go- carting with the smoothness of a ride on a motorcycle and in the UP, the wilderness of a backpack trip.It is always an adventure into the deep forests and a great way to spend 4-6 hours outside in a winter day. I do love winter!!
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