7881-R1_MSA_Feb2022_MaineSnowmobiler

MSA Club News

At our recent club meeting the Trail Master reported our man hours have increased to 648, not counting hours worked on equipment.

cold which has made it a lot easier for us to traverse our trouble areas that are usually an issue when grooming. We completed our Skidoo Renegade raffle back in December. It was a great success and congratulations to Mac Witham who won the sled! We would also like to put a big thank you out there to Bangor Motorsports who helped us secure the sled for the raffle which is big considering the year it has been for snowmobile stock. We plan on doing another sled raffle next year around the same time so stay tuned for that information when it comes along. Let’s hope for continued storms and just maybe we will have our first “Late” win- ter in quite a few years! Respectfully Andrew Jackson Penobscot Snowmobile Club MATTAWAMKEAG ROAD RUNNERS Mattawamkeag, ME Hello all! It’s Nate here, our snowmobile season has been off to a slow start in the months of December and January. I am writing today 1/22 to give a trail report and where we cur- rently stand for the season. A handful of us have been hard at work hanging signs, and preparing another reroute on our ITS81 trail north near Benedicta. I ventured out last week to start grooming some of our trails, my sched- ule has been extremely busy as I have been working for Twin Pines grooming for them 3-4 nights a week and going out for Mat- tawamkeag on my spare time. The trail report is good, trails are fair-good conditions as of now. Riders should use caution this time of year as we just don’t have enough snow in the heavy wooded areas, but once you get onto the logging roads the trails are good. So far I’ve been to Lincoln, Benedicta, Medway groom- ing, all trails are open however. We are hoping February will bring us the snow we need, the past few years we have experienced the same short riding season, but we will continue to do our best to provide you all with some of the best trails in the state. The challenges we have to deal with this year have been concerning to me, ITS81 comes straight into town across the Mattawamkeag River bridge which is currently under con- struction. There is a temporary bridge as of right now with a traffic light on each side. This light can be annoying and changes about every 7.5 minutes so waiting on the hot top is going to be challenge. The sidewalk is too narrow for sleds to pass and I strongly DO NOT rec- ommend trying the sidewalk. Riders will have to wait for the light to turn Green, then traffic to clear and cross the bridge. It is not ideal but we hope once the new bridge is done it will better suite our needs. The Springfield connector trail will have about 2 miles of plowed road and we are working with the person who plows it to have a small snowmobile lane beside the road however the road is ice and should not effect the sleds. There is another small portion on our 110 Connector Trail to Medway that is plowed, that is about 1 mile in length and caution should be used because they are log- ging in the area, this section is on the Pinkham Camp road for those who are familiar. We are holding our first poker run in years! The date is February 26 th registration is that morning until 10am, we will start at the old Fosters Mill yard in town and finish in the Mattawamkeag Wilderness Park for hot dogs, burgers and prizes! We hope for good weather that day and to see you all there! Find us on facebook for more information on trail condi- tions and events. Ride Safe, Ride the Orange Nathaniel Peters Trailmaster Mattawamkeag Road Runners

BLUE RIDGE RIDERS Rockwood, ME

and Melissa pulled them back to the plowed road and sent them on their way, safe and sound. See, that’s the really important part of this story, safe and sound. -29.4 below zero is very unforgiving. As I sat and waited for the all clear, which came just before 10 pm, my mind thought and hoped they had cleared their exhaust so they wouldn’t be asphyxiated, and did they have enough gas to hold until help arrived? So many things can go wrong so sud- denly but this time, they were lucky. Now onto other things! Thank you to all who have sponsored an Adopt a Trail this sea- son! Huge help covering our fuel costs, which are as you all know, will be going up! We have completed the process of obtaining our IRS 501(C)(3) with the IRS and it is retroac- tive to 9/15/2010. Now to get the purchase of the property completed and move on to the next project! In closing, I just want to say, take care of yourselves. Pay attention to the little things and get out there and ENJOY LIFE! Thank you all for your support! Ride right, ride safe and remember… It not about the mileage, it’s about the smileage! Laurie Plourde, President Ebeemee Snow- mobile Club The season is off to a slow start. Though temperatures are colder and we’ve had snow showers often, together this builds a great base. Now we need a good amount of snow. Most clubs are just beginning grooming, still a lot of early season conditions. Ride safe, be aware of the trail conditions. Some areas are rerouted due to landowner request and logging activity. Watch for signs & markings. The weekend breakfast & lunch has started at our clubhouse 7am to noon. We have also started monthly public suppers. The first Tur- key supper served in nearly 2 years, February 3 rd 4-6pm. Katahdin Area Winter Fest is February 18, 2022 to February 20, 2022 Kicks off Friday 2/18/22 5:30pm with antique sled parade to downtown, then return to clubhouse for food & Bonfire. See our Facebook page or website for dates and details on clubhouse activity as well as area trail conditions. We try to keep current as most folks travel to get to Katahdin region where you find some of the best riding. Did you know you can get long term trailer registrations? Available from DMV in Augusta. Periods of 5-12 years. Trailers up to 2000# -$5 per year, over 2000#- $10 per year. Owner can transfer to another trailer. Thanks to all who give their time and energy to keep trail maintenance done and bridges in good repair. Volunteers make it all happen. Thank you to all who belong to this club and other local clubs. Patti Rioux Secretary Northern Timber Cruisers EAST BRANCH SNO-ROVERS & ATV CLUB Medway & East Millinocket, ME ndesc@myfairpoint.net NORTHERN TIMBER CRUISERS Millinocket, ME

Well, mid-January brought us some much needed COLD weather and snow. The Rock- wood trails were rolled with the first snow and groomed regularly since. As always, we hope for some regular snow storms to help keep everything flat and smooth. Thanks to Trail Boss Carey and his crew for keeping the trails open and the groomers run- ning. Rt 66 trail has been widened and I rode it yesterday. It’s the best it has ever been! In fact, the entire northern “Moosehead Trail” From Rockwood to Pittston Farm To NE Carry was great. (So were Shirley and Ed’s burgers at NE Carry!) Moosehead Lake trails at Rockwood have been staked. Thanks to VP Brian, Brent, Levi and Jeff for the hard work in the bitter cold. 4 Staked Trails on Moosehead Lake, Rockwood 1. The Town Boat Landing to Kineo (Blue) 2. From Rockwood Cottages, past Misty Morning Cabins to Kineo (Green) 3. A connector trail along the west shore between the blue trail at the Boat Land- ing to the green trail near Misty Morning (orange) 4. A trail from Kineo to The Birches (red) 5. Caution! The lake is never safe where the Moose River enters the lake near Rockwood Cottages and the island. The Moose River is also never safe as 2 (fool) hardy souls found out on Jan 20 th . Please follow the marked trails! Winter had a late start this year but right now we have beautiful mid-winter conditions. Let’s hope for 20 above and sunshine! I’d like to say Congratulations! to Harvey and Jean Williams from the Anson North Anson Club! The Oakland to Embden rail trail is open and the trestle over the Carrabas- sett River is now officially “Williams Bridge”. On a personal note, my wife Gail and I grew up in Anson and North Anson only a couple of miles from the Williams Farm and we went to school with Dana. Most of the riding then (and now) centered around the rail bed. It is the main artery for riders in that area and it was in my backyard. The rail bed and several other trails were maintained and groomed by Harvey and a handful of other hearty workers. To say that Harvey and Jean were “part of the club” would be a huge understatement. Most clubs have a few people who are the glue that makes the club possible. Harvey and Jean were much of that glue for the Anson North Anson Club going back 50+ years that I personally remember. Gail and I also had the pleasure of being on the Yellowstone Park trip with the Maine crowd who were mostly from Anson and Lisbon. Lots of riders take for granted that the trails will be open and smooth and they don’t give much thought to how that happens. Looking back, other than a few groomer runs with my cousin Bob, I probably didn’t think much about it either. So thanks to Harvey and Jean Williams and thanks to all of the other dedicated club offi- cers and workers who make it possible to span this state on flat, well groomed trails. Mike Hoyt Hello all, Hope you have had a safe winter. The Penobscot Snowmobile Club and the sur- rounding clubs are in action getting the trails up to par and keeping all the riders happy. I would like to remind everyone if you have not done so already, please join and support your local clubs. I have heard a lot of clubs crying for more help. Like many of us like to say there are no such thing as trail fairies....... although I wish that was true lol. One thing we can all enjoy or not enjoy depending on the person is that we have had plenty of sustained PENOBSCOT sc Hermon, ME

The cross-country ski report says the lower trail is good, but the upper trail is not ready due to needing more snow. New carpet has been installed on the club- house stairway and on sections that are walked on upstairs, leaving the dancefloor wood shiny and beautiful. It looks clean and fresh. The members created a Groomer Commit- tee of seven people who will determine what we specifically require in a much needed new groomer. The highly anticipated porta potty has arrived! Ride smart, ride safe. Nancy C Deschene Greetings all! Right off the top we are offering a reminder about our annual Vintage Snowmobile Ride-in and Show that is coming right up on Saturday February 26th from 11am – 3pm (conditions permitting). It is our one big event that we have sponsored for many years. It will also function as our Landowner Appreciation as well. All landowners will be honored with a free lunch. We would not exist without them! Ride in or trailer your vintage snowmobile to our Clubhouse to show off your prize sled. Our kitchen will be open to prepare and serve food to your liking all day. Buy, sell and trade your old or new ride and gear. Participate in the vintage sled parade on our local trails (conditions permitting), maybe even try some out. Win a raffle prize! Enter our photo contest. Win the Best in Show tro- phy!! There will be other small surprises as well. It’s going to be a good time. All dona- tions benefit our Club and go to our trail fund. The public is very much welcome! Parking is available at our Clubhouse for offloading and on the road while you enjoy the day. The clubhouse will be opening on Saturdays conditions permitting. We are located at 262 Long Hill Road in Orrington. Our mailing address is PO Box 202, Orrington, ME 04474. Our contact phone number is 207-852-8000. You can also find us on social media includ- ing Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. That’s where you will get the most updated informa- tion on our goings-on. Our meetings typically take place the first Tuesday of each month through April at 6:30pm. Our trail crew have been working tirelessly every weekend and even sometimes during the week since the fall. That’s one more thing we take pride in, our trail crew. Sadly, many clubs are struggling to find volunteers. We are lucky in that regard. So, with that once again we would like to thank all landowners, volun- teers, members and our community for sup- porting our sport the way they do. There is no such thing as saying thank you too much. So, with that, we hope to see you at the Ride-in, at our meetings, at our open Clubhouse days and on the trails! Laurie La Violette, President ORRINGTON TRAIL RIDERS Orrington, ME www.orringtontrailriders.com

GRAND LAKE sc Grand Lake Stream, ME

“The Usual’s”, our work crew, have a work schedule and decided to have a red hot dog

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