hppants
Well-known member
I recently had a few wonderful days of “YEE HAA” riding in the Black Hills of South Dakota and Wyoming.
In late January.
The significance of that statement deserves its own paragraph. I’ve lived in south Louisiana my whole life. The slab on my house resides a whopping 24 feet above sea level. It rarely gets below 30 degrees in these parts. A few weeks ago, we had a quarter inch of ice and it shut down the entire State for 3 days.
Uh…. Yeah, this will qualify just fine and dandy as getting out of my box!!!
I met Mark the Poolboy in Arkansas on a motorcycle trip years ago and from the word go, I liked him. The quintessential “Good Ole Boy”, I don’t think Mark ever met an enemy in his life. His sarcastic sense of humor is contagious and whenever we are together, the laughing just never ends. Since then, even though we are a thousand miles apart, we often seem to find the same places to ride motorcycles and I always look forward to seeing him somewhere on the road.
As is customary of any friends who live in different places, Mark and I often talk about our home town interest. I’ve told Mark about coastal fishing, and even showed him how to throw a cast net when he dropped by for a visit. Suffice it to say that if we have to rely on Mark to supply us with a seafood feast, we are going to need a lot of rice. And Mark shared snowmobiling with me, which I found fascinating. Every time he described it, his deep voice kind of lightened a little bit with excitement. I listened to his stories like a little kid.
One day a couple years ago, in a bold and ballzy verbal vomit, I told Mark that if he could help me out, I’d like to try snowmobiling some time. He responded positively and I waited patiently. Then in November, I got a text saying they had an opening on an upcoming trip and I immediately replied “IN!!!” I would have gladly rented a sled, but imagine my joy when Mark indicated that his buddy (whom I had never met) had an extra sled that I could use!!
So I bought a plane ticket and some fancy pants long johns and I waited with excitement. And we had a hoot!! I hope you enjoy the pics.
Programming Note: The airline wouldn’t let me bring my camera (lithium battery) so I apologize in advance for the crappy cell phone pics on this ride report.
Day 1: Lafayette, LA to Lead, SD
My flight was perfect and on time. Mark and Wes picked me up at the airport and it was only a short 90 minute ride to the Recreational Springs Resort near the town of Lead, South Dakota.
The others were a little ahead of us, and the first order of business was unloading the trailer.
The guys were nice enough to let me ride a Yamaha sled.
I walked into the lodge and rented my gear. They were out of stock for the boots in my size, but that was only a temporary issue.
Mark and I took a short ride down the trail so that I could get familiar with the snowmobile. I remember a couple observations from my first ride:
1. When you put the heat to it, this puppy goes!
2. They put the brake where the clutch is on the motorcycle and that took some getting accustomed to. Once I stopped feathering the brake, things got better.
The Black Hills sports a groomed system of some 350 miles of trails. They were much wider than I expected. Plenty of room to make a mistake in these parts.
We went back and picked up the others for a short trail ride before dark just to make sure the sleds were running well.
Then it was back to the resort for some happy hour. Mark remembered to bring my favorite happy juice!!
From there, we walked 50 feet to the lodge restaurant for dinner. I tried this beer brewed in nearby Sturgis and it was pretty good.
After dinner, it was back to our room to have a few snorts of the good stuff before turning in.
Day 2: 110 miles on the frozen trail.
Mark snores like a lumberjack, so I put the ear plugs in and after that, slept well. The lodge restaurant doesn’t open until 8 am, so we decided to hit the trail early and eat along the way. I asked the crew for a salute and they didn’t disappoint.
Pictured below are:
Font Row:
- Craig, who does public works for a smaller city near Council Bluffs
- Chris, a car mechanic shop owner who was kind enough to loan me one of his sleds.
Back Row
- Mark, the Poolboy and my friend from Council Bluffs
- Wes, who owns and operates a heavy equipment dirt moving company with his dad.
- Jay, a mechanical engineer riding the lone Skidoo sled
- Randy, who installs swimming pools and is from Connecticut
Everyone was so cool and really made me feel welcome. We had a lot of fun cutting up the whole time.
We rode about 25 miles through the hills and though the forest of mostly Birch, Aspen, and Ponderosa Pine trees. We even found a closed road and I had an opportunity to pin the throttle up to about 60 mph with plenty more left in reserve. At that speed, about 3 feet from the snow, you really can feel it.
We stopped at this place to gas up and eat breakfast.
Fuel cost about $4.25 a gallon in these parts but that’s the price you pay for convenience and I was honored to support the local economy.
Then it was back on the trail for some more frozen fun. Even though it was about 25 degrees, I was toasty warm and even got a little hot at times. That gear is very effective.
Heading generally north, we crossed a border.
As you can see, everything is so nice and well maintained. All week, I never saw one piece of litter anywhere.
I’m starting to get the hang of this. I’d describe it as a cross between riding a 4-wheeler and a jet ski.
Despite great benefit from girth, my first attempt ever at a snow angel didn’t come out too well. Mark said I wasn’t on the right snow.
We continued north through the forest to a place called Cement Ridge.
Here, it was snowing and the view was somewhat obstructed. The guys said it was only a very light snow shower, but it felt like a total blizzard to me.
Occasionally I gave Randy a hard time about riding Harleys, but he was a good sport and ribbed back at me whenever he could. I enjoyed being with him.
We continued on to a place that these guys call The Honey Hole. It’s a wide open untouched area of deep powder. Here, I start to understand the difference between a sled designed for the trail, and one designed for deep powder.
Here, Mark is playing in the puffy stuff.
I played around in it too and then found a nice area where I could watch the others have fun and just sit and be thankful for my blessings.
I’m very surprised to find that hardly anyone is here. The whole time we basically had the entire forest to ourselves.
Mark’s 800 cc Artic Cat Sno Pro will definitely get the job done!
We played at the Honey Hole for about an hour and then continued on for more adventure. A few places on the trail have these warming huts where someone can get out of the weather in case they are stranded. There are some matches and a little firewood in there.
They showed me this place in Spearfish Canyon where some of the movie “Dances With Wolves” was filmed.
This whole place is a winter wonderland!
I’m a big orange Cajun Yeti!!!
This is Roughhouse Falls. Apparently, if the water is moving, it won’t freeze. Pants is learning all kinds of stuff about this place.
A short ride up the road we gassed up here and had a beer in the lodge.
Just beautiful.
Then it was back on the trail for some more fun.
We arrived back at the lodge safely about 5:30 pm. I didn’t realize we rode over 100 miles for the day as the whole thing was so much fun.
We popped over to the lodge for some dinner and cold beer, and then back to the room for a nightcap (or four). What a fantastic day I had!!
Day 3: More Yee Ha!!!
I started with the ear plugs and slept straight through the night. I was a little sore in the back of my neck, but otherwise, no worse for the wear. Again, the lodge opens too late so we decided to eat on the run.
Along the way without warning, Craig’s frozen rooster tail behind his sled died abruptly and I had all I could do to avoid slamming him from behind. Lesson learned Pants, keep you following distance in check!
Anyhoo, I was excited to see what the sudden stop was all about – about 30 huge elk prancing around.
After breakfast at the TrailsHead Lodge, we rode back into Wyoming and stopped at this place.
I wouldn’t want to come head to head with this critter on the trail!
We don’t have many of these fish species in Louisiana!
Later in the day, we stopped at this place to take a break. Everything is so pretty and white.
The business end of these machines does an amazing job!!
The engine coolant heat exchanger is located under the seat, where slinging snow cools it. That’s so foreign to this gear head!
In late January.
The significance of that statement deserves its own paragraph. I’ve lived in south Louisiana my whole life. The slab on my house resides a whopping 24 feet above sea level. It rarely gets below 30 degrees in these parts. A few weeks ago, we had a quarter inch of ice and it shut down the entire State for 3 days.
Uh…. Yeah, this will qualify just fine and dandy as getting out of my box!!!
I met Mark the Poolboy in Arkansas on a motorcycle trip years ago and from the word go, I liked him. The quintessential “Good Ole Boy”, I don’t think Mark ever met an enemy in his life. His sarcastic sense of humor is contagious and whenever we are together, the laughing just never ends. Since then, even though we are a thousand miles apart, we often seem to find the same places to ride motorcycles and I always look forward to seeing him somewhere on the road.
As is customary of any friends who live in different places, Mark and I often talk about our home town interest. I’ve told Mark about coastal fishing, and even showed him how to throw a cast net when he dropped by for a visit. Suffice it to say that if we have to rely on Mark to supply us with a seafood feast, we are going to need a lot of rice. And Mark shared snowmobiling with me, which I found fascinating. Every time he described it, his deep voice kind of lightened a little bit with excitement. I listened to his stories like a little kid.
One day a couple years ago, in a bold and ballzy verbal vomit, I told Mark that if he could help me out, I’d like to try snowmobiling some time. He responded positively and I waited patiently. Then in November, I got a text saying they had an opening on an upcoming trip and I immediately replied “IN!!!” I would have gladly rented a sled, but imagine my joy when Mark indicated that his buddy (whom I had never met) had an extra sled that I could use!!
So I bought a plane ticket and some fancy pants long johns and I waited with excitement. And we had a hoot!! I hope you enjoy the pics.
Programming Note: The airline wouldn’t let me bring my camera (lithium battery) so I apologize in advance for the crappy cell phone pics on this ride report.
Day 1: Lafayette, LA to Lead, SD
My flight was perfect and on time. Mark and Wes picked me up at the airport and it was only a short 90 minute ride to the Recreational Springs Resort near the town of Lead, South Dakota.
The others were a little ahead of us, and the first order of business was unloading the trailer.
The guys were nice enough to let me ride a Yamaha sled.
I walked into the lodge and rented my gear. They were out of stock for the boots in my size, but that was only a temporary issue.
Mark and I took a short ride down the trail so that I could get familiar with the snowmobile. I remember a couple observations from my first ride:
1. When you put the heat to it, this puppy goes!
2. They put the brake where the clutch is on the motorcycle and that took some getting accustomed to. Once I stopped feathering the brake, things got better.
The Black Hills sports a groomed system of some 350 miles of trails. They were much wider than I expected. Plenty of room to make a mistake in these parts.
We went back and picked up the others for a short trail ride before dark just to make sure the sleds were running well.
Then it was back to the resort for some happy hour. Mark remembered to bring my favorite happy juice!!
From there, we walked 50 feet to the lodge restaurant for dinner. I tried this beer brewed in nearby Sturgis and it was pretty good.
After dinner, it was back to our room to have a few snorts of the good stuff before turning in.
Day 2: 110 miles on the frozen trail.
Mark snores like a lumberjack, so I put the ear plugs in and after that, slept well. The lodge restaurant doesn’t open until 8 am, so we decided to hit the trail early and eat along the way. I asked the crew for a salute and they didn’t disappoint.
Pictured below are:
Font Row:
- Craig, who does public works for a smaller city near Council Bluffs
- Chris, a car mechanic shop owner who was kind enough to loan me one of his sleds.
Back Row
- Mark, the Poolboy and my friend from Council Bluffs
- Wes, who owns and operates a heavy equipment dirt moving company with his dad.
- Jay, a mechanical engineer riding the lone Skidoo sled
- Randy, who installs swimming pools and is from Connecticut
Everyone was so cool and really made me feel welcome. We had a lot of fun cutting up the whole time.
We rode about 25 miles through the hills and though the forest of mostly Birch, Aspen, and Ponderosa Pine trees. We even found a closed road and I had an opportunity to pin the throttle up to about 60 mph with plenty more left in reserve. At that speed, about 3 feet from the snow, you really can feel it.
We stopped at this place to gas up and eat breakfast.
Fuel cost about $4.25 a gallon in these parts but that’s the price you pay for convenience and I was honored to support the local economy.
Then it was back on the trail for some more frozen fun. Even though it was about 25 degrees, I was toasty warm and even got a little hot at times. That gear is very effective.
Heading generally north, we crossed a border.
As you can see, everything is so nice and well maintained. All week, I never saw one piece of litter anywhere.
I’m starting to get the hang of this. I’d describe it as a cross between riding a 4-wheeler and a jet ski.
Despite great benefit from girth, my first attempt ever at a snow angel didn’t come out too well. Mark said I wasn’t on the right snow.
We continued north through the forest to a place called Cement Ridge.
Here, it was snowing and the view was somewhat obstructed. The guys said it was only a very light snow shower, but it felt like a total blizzard to me.
Occasionally I gave Randy a hard time about riding Harleys, but he was a good sport and ribbed back at me whenever he could. I enjoyed being with him.
We continued on to a place that these guys call The Honey Hole. It’s a wide open untouched area of deep powder. Here, I start to understand the difference between a sled designed for the trail, and one designed for deep powder.
Here, Mark is playing in the puffy stuff.
I played around in it too and then found a nice area where I could watch the others have fun and just sit and be thankful for my blessings.
I’m very surprised to find that hardly anyone is here. The whole time we basically had the entire forest to ourselves.
Mark’s 800 cc Artic Cat Sno Pro will definitely get the job done!
We played at the Honey Hole for about an hour and then continued on for more adventure. A few places on the trail have these warming huts where someone can get out of the weather in case they are stranded. There are some matches and a little firewood in there.
They showed me this place in Spearfish Canyon where some of the movie “Dances With Wolves” was filmed.
This whole place is a winter wonderland!
I’m a big orange Cajun Yeti!!!
This is Roughhouse Falls. Apparently, if the water is moving, it won’t freeze. Pants is learning all kinds of stuff about this place.
A short ride up the road we gassed up here and had a beer in the lodge.
Just beautiful.
Then it was back on the trail for some more fun.
We arrived back at the lodge safely about 5:30 pm. I didn’t realize we rode over 100 miles for the day as the whole thing was so much fun.
We popped over to the lodge for some dinner and cold beer, and then back to the room for a nightcap (or four). What a fantastic day I had!!
Day 3: More Yee Ha!!!
I started with the ear plugs and slept straight through the night. I was a little sore in the back of my neck, but otherwise, no worse for the wear. Again, the lodge opens too late so we decided to eat on the run.
Along the way without warning, Craig’s frozen rooster tail behind his sled died abruptly and I had all I could do to avoid slamming him from behind. Lesson learned Pants, keep you following distance in check!
Anyhoo, I was excited to see what the sudden stop was all about – about 30 huge elk prancing around.
After breakfast at the TrailsHead Lodge, we rode back into Wyoming and stopped at this place.
I wouldn’t want to come head to head with this critter on the trail!
We don’t have many of these fish species in Louisiana!
Later in the day, we stopped at this place to take a break. Everything is so pretty and white.
The business end of these machines does an amazing job!!
The engine coolant heat exchanger is located under the seat, where slinging snow cools it. That’s so foreign to this gear head!
