Adventures in Gaylord – January 2021

One thing I love about blogging is the reliving of the moment when you tell a story. Here I am on a Monday night, I’ve gone through my photos, video and notes in my notebook and now I get to sit down and go through it all again.  Thanks for coming along.

Our snowmobiling weekends are limited, we are down to 8 remaining weekends, which may seem like a lot of time but weather depending, they might click by with no optimal snow on which to go play. We heard the Gaylord area got some additional snow mid-week, and we heard of a vacancy at Lake Park Cabins, formerly DerMiner’s Parkside Resort. We decided to go for it. It was a little more than what we normally would pay for a motel, but would find that it was well worth it!

So Friday night we hopped on I-75 and joined the train of sled trailers going north. Earlier on my Facebook, I had shared a meme, “Ruin a band name with one letter” and we were highly amused by the steady stream of comments: Food Fighters, Iggy Poop, The Why, Green Bay, amongst many, many more. I contributed Fleetwood Mace and the Grateful Deaf to the mix. Haha.

The roads were dry, thankfully, and the fields on both sides of the highway eventually turned to white the farther north we went. We watched the thermostat slowly drop from double to single digits. The remainder of the full moon cast shadows of the trees on the snowy fields. I was cozy warm in the truck as we cruised north, excited for the weekend.

My first mistake was trusting the Google Maps to get us there. It put us about a mile too far north and on the wrong side of the road. By now it was pitch dark and pretty difficult to see any kind of signage. Our host, Sheila, graciously took my call at around 10pm, gave us a landmark and guided us in. We parked and hauled our gear into the cabin, which had two bedrooms, one bath and a full kitchen! I was already happy we made this choice.

After a good night’s sleep, (Yes! No sharing a wall with Drunk Uncle this weekend like our last motel stay!) we got ready for the day. We brought the Keurig, breakfast sandwiches and burritos as last time we really couldn’t find a place serving breakfast we could ride to, plus, this weekend was still no indoor dining. Just in case, we also brought frozen snacks to pop in the oven in the event dinner fell through as well (igloos and outdoor shelters were likely booked well into the night). In the morning light, I walked around for some photos. Here is our cabin from the parking area.

And the front yard, facing Otsego Lake.

Our view out the front door.

Steps leading down to a platform by the lake.

Bill got our sleds unloaded and fired up, and we were soon on our way.

Now, where to go? We started by riding trail 7 south into Frederic. Last trip we rode certain trails and would have liked to explore something new. But, not being familiar with the area and not being certain there is gas where you are going (maps weren’t quite clear), after a few minutes consulting the map outside Sledhead’s we decided to just ride the same route, to be safe. The difference would be, we were doing it in the daytime, rather than at night like we did last month.

After a while, we stopped at a trail intersection and found that my studded track had eaten my snow flap. The stiff rubber had curved inward, making it even easier to catch on the track, and the longer studs easily grabbed hold. You may recall this problem started on our last trip and my MacGuyver husband tied it with a piece of an old kill switch tether.

Bill then used zip ties to affix it to the bar on the back, but that did not keep it clear of the track.  While he worked on zip tying it, I was drawn to two lone birch trees in the middle of the open field.

I have always loved birch trees, especially the way they look against a clear sky. It was a happy moment for me. I trudged through the relatively deep snow back to our sleds as Bill was finishing up.

Our next stop was the Hideaway Bar in Starvation Lake as we didn’t get to stop last time. Of course, it was packed.

We rode around the back and found a place to park.

I’m glad we did, because right in front of us was a sled with a Frankenstrat wrap! Bill is a huge Van Halen fan and really got a kick! Too cool. We would end up seeing this sled on the trail later in the day.

We walked around to the front of the restaurant and found a line out the door waiting to get in. They had a huge tent outside with what I’m guessing were separate rooms. Who knows?  We decided to move on. Upon walking back to our sleds, a group of sleds had pulled in next to us, blocking us in. You might be surprised that we had to literally spell out to these fools that they were blocking us in, but yes, we did. Once they let us out, we headed to the Starvation Lake General store for gas and to figure out our next plan.

After gassing up, Bill went in to find more zip ties, (did I mention the original zip ties broke? Yep!) and the nice lady attendant gave him some twine. He ended up tying the flap to his tank bag and holding it in with his leg for the remainder of the day. What a guy!

We decided to just forgo trying to get an “igloo” anywhere and partake in the snacks I had packed, water, turkey sticks, string cheese and peanut butter crackers. Yep. Across the way from the gas pumps.

We rode for a good bit and stopped again. One of my favorite secluded stops was this thick section of young pines. It was like this on both sides of the trail. Seeing two parked sleds didn’t deter people from flying past us, so we had to definitely watch.

From here on out, we rode my two favorite spots on trail 4, the power lines and the hills. I posted a short clip on my YouTube channel riding the power lines, when Bill sprays me with ice and gravel trying the cross the road. Haha. And those super steep hills I spoke of in my last snowmobiling post? I captured them with the GoPro but it really didn’t illustrate what it was like to ride it.

Once we were back on trail 7 from trail 4 we decided to try the Porter Haus. They had no igloo availability until 10:30pm and it was now 5pm. So we rode back south on trail 7 to the Keg Bar where we’d gone before. There was a group of 6 or 7 around the fire barrel, but when they dispersed, we took their spots. And we camped out in their little visqueen house when our food came, just in time to leave before their reservation arrived.

Upon arriving “home” to our cabin, we had the luxury of parking our sleds in one of their garages. They are first come, first serve and we got lucky again! Our neighbors drove by in their truck and inquired about them. (Translated: “How the hell did YOU get a garage???”) I think it was their first time here too. I told them to ask about the garage availability if they returned.

It was nice knowing the kids were safely tucked in bed for the night. Haha, check out all the snow that got kicked up because I was sans a snow flap. I had to repeatedly knock snow off my backpack throughout the day.

Sunday we decided to pack up instead of riding a bit more first. There was a winter advisory for our area downstate and we expected a slower go due to road conditions. Though the roads were just fine, I’m glad we gave ourselves time as we had a flat on the trailer. This was a BRAND NEW tire and rim. By the time we limped off the exit and into someone’s open-gated farm equipment yard, this is all that was left.

Bill had me time it and he finished with the spare in 9 minutes and 36 seconds.

We were home in plenty of time to unpack and get ready for the workweek, and I’ll be going through more GoPro video in the days to come. Gaylord is expecting 6″ to 8″ this week, so I can imagine just how busy it will be. Until then, I’ll be planning our next trip, hopefully along new to us trails. Bill and I have commented several times on how much fun we had on this trip.

Making memories is what it’s all about.