No change to report from yesterday–trails have been groomed and are in very good shape. It’s not as cold out today (14) compared to yesterday. The big news now is the Winter Weather Advisory from 5 pm Friday through 12 noon Saturday and the Windchill Advisory for tomorrow through Sunday. Predictions are for 1-4″ of snow, winds, and single-digit temps Saturday and Sunday. Fresh snow is great for our trails, and cold weather helps lock in the base after our guys groom. The key to enjoying your weekend will be layering to stay warm! Do not leave any skin exposed or you’ll risk frostbite. Have a great weekend and be safe on your sleds!

Just an FYI that there’s logging activity on the east loop of our wooded trail. The area is signed but watch for changing trails conditions where the trail has been plowed for vehicle traffic. The activity stretches about 1/2 to 1 mile.

Other grooming club news is the new drag we took delivery of in January. The State approved our purchase and this drag was custom-made for us by the experts at Dubie Welding & Fabrication in Gaylord. We’re glad to support local, Michigan business with this purchase. And since this drag will be paid for with State dollars it’s nice to know your trail permit money is coming back around.

If you’re interested in supporting local grooming efforts, visit www.justgroomit.org for details on joining the Indian River Snowmobile Grooming club with a membership donation. We have hats and t-shirts (short & long sleeve) for sale too. Even when we can’t groom we still have operational expenses like insurance, two-way radio communication subscriptions, and more. Thanks to member donations we’re putting up a groomer building ,where we now store and can work on the equipment. Your support makes all the difference! Thank you–

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Visit Indian River Snowmobile Grooming Club Condition Report >>>>

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February 13, 2015 – Happy Friday the 13th! Cold, cold, cold…that’s what we’re expecting for this weekend. We’re presently in a winter storm advisory for today with high winds expected Friday night through Saturday – so bundle up by layering your clothing, always head out with a full tank of fuel and top it off whenever near a gas station as we do have some long stretches with no fuel available. Always travel with a buddy or at the least share your plans with a friend. Make sure to not let any skin be exposed while riding as frost bite is a concern. The good news is that all this cold and the snow we’re getting today, and expect Saturday as well, makes for excellent grooming conditions. Some sledders are telling us they’ve never ridden better trails! Do keep in mind that this is a holiday weekend so there will likely be families with young riders out on the trails. Please ride safely by staying to one side only while riding and keep speeds reasonable.

Next week continues to look great with highs in the single digits to teens and lows around zero or below with more snow in the early week.

Logging has moved past our portion of trail on 13 north and we are rerouted around logging on 13 south – please watch for signing.

***VERY IMPORTANT – EFFECTIVE JANUARY 26TH THROUGH MARCH*** -The big news is a reroute over the area where trails 1, 102 and 8 west meet, north of Merriweather and west for about 5 miles. Please watch for changes and new signing (and there is plenty of it) in this area and heed all trail signage. There will be many pipeline workers plus a lot of heavy equipment in the area formally used for trails in this area so for their safety as well as yours please heed the new signing and don’t take any “short cuts”. This reroute will be in effect for most of the remainder of the snowmobile season, but we will post any changes as they occur. You will also want to top off your gas if headed north through this area as the reroute will add on an extra 10 miles (there and back) to your trip with no gas stops between Lake Gogebic and Silver City. YOU CAN NOT USE THIS AREA FOR ANY RIDING.

Keep in mind that we continue to groom our trails typically until the last day of March. Of course that depends a great deal on the weather as we’ve had years where we had to stop prior to that date but then again we’ve had years where, after receiving special permission from the DNR we groomed as late as April 8th! There’s a lot to be said for snowmobiling that late in the season!

You can legally ride any county road that does not get plowed, but check with the Forest Service for a map to these roads. They have a waterproof one for $10.00. Call 906-932-1330 or go to www.fs.usda.gov/ottawa for more info.

The new snowmobile maps are out and available at most local businesses. Please remember that only money put into the wooden map money boxes with the photo of the groomers on it goes back to the trails – so please be aware of this and watch for this.

That’s all for now from Carolyn at the Hoop! Keep checking back for more updates as conditions change. For additional information about the Lake Gogebic area please visit the chamber website at www.LakeGogebicArea.com or call them at 1-888-464-3242 (888-GOGEBIC). Have a great day and a great ride.

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Lake Gogebic Area Chamber of Commerce –

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