#2 and all...
34 and SELF went up to P-burg on Saturday. We off loaded at 10:00 a.m., and rode up to the border so #34 could see what Canada looks like. We didn't cross, as it was already 12:00, and I didn't want to blow the bucks on a 1/2 day ride. After asuring #34 that we would do a Quebec ride soon (maybe in 2 weeks?), I pried him away from the border, and we heade south on 141 to 140. We refueled in P-burg, and headed south to grab some lunch. After lunch we continued south to West Stewardstown, then further south to Colebrook. In Colebrook, we topped off the sleds (no chance of running out on THIS trip!), and headed east to Colman State Park. We rode thru the park, and headed north back towards P-burg via Little Diamond Pond.
I got sick trailside 3 times (bad lunch or a touch of the bug....not sure STILL), which made for a fun time! On the return trip to P-burg, the snow was falling LARGE and heavy! I couldn't see more than 25 feet up the trail, so it slowed us down. We finally made it back to the truck at 7:30, loaded up and headed home.
.....mileage for the day: 180
"66"
P.S. The season is FAR from over up there.....TRUST ME!
PPS....I've read on the trail reports that Maine is "DONE".....I've seen posted reports on the N.H. post that riders are still cruising into Ogousic, and points north.

ride report for Saturday nite 3/23/02:
#2 demonstrated the advantages of club membership by providing door to door
service due to my trailer being out of commission (that's a story for
another time - I'm not ready to talk about that yet, it's too soon still...)
we had planned riding the main trails of Leominster S.F. to try to get a few
miles in on the little and waning snow. I had scoped it earlier and there
was coverage but as one would imagine, not much. we tossed some gas in and
decided we would ride Hagar Park to see what the field looked like. we
stowed the truck in a cozy little corner away from the busy hustle of the
backside of Wyman's Lake on a March Saturday nite.

the trails had good snow but of course you did feel everything on the
ground. surprisingly, the field was in worse shape than the woods.
somebody got there before us and used it up good. (there were no trees down
blocking either entry which is what I remember being reported from #388.)
had some cold ones up at the rebuilt picnic roof under a cold clear 3/4 moon
sky. we explored further the new trail system and found a terrific little
race track that circled the top of the hill with a neat little offset jump
in the trail. two little stretches and one nice right-hander that twisted
uphill as it went around. the pres mentioned dash for cash... but it would
still be among the trees, of course, I think he was just pondering. the
booga green mach has a revving issue that I believe is related to a broken
kill button. the report was that the SX felt a little sluggish at times (we
didn't ride at 30mph all night but I did see 40mph for about 3 seconds at
one time). there was not enough room to line up anywhere. he jumps me at
the line anyway with this new clutch (the weights don't align correctly).

it was nice to get out locally and thanks to #2 for doing all the driving.
it was the first chance I got to load on the new rig, it was real nice. I
am happy to report we remembered to always put the pin in................

I realized after sending that I did not include mileage. 12 miles - 3 hours

(based on our discussion this equates to an average ride speed of 4mph if you include

break time and 6mph for just
riding time.) either way, you can see this was truly a high speed night of
sledding in the tiny WPR trails.
#5

Night of hell 38 miles???

I night started off with my almost 2 hour commute home. Once I was home, My wife made one her worst yet spiciest meals ever. Before I could leave I had to snow blow the driveway (blower wouldn't start) move my trailer from behind the bricks (thanks to home depot delve) adjust my track (to loose) and get gas. Needless to say I was late. Once out in the field the stress was gone. Quick twelve laps and # 3 was ready to move over to the next field. Thanks to # 3 awesome scouting road are no longer required. The 2nd field was wet and muddy. Not as wet as we expect this time of year due to this drout. A small track was set up and we were off to the races. # 3 # 4 and myself all took turns riding blind and out of control only to ourselves off the course heading towards # 5 famous swamp.

# 3 was quite determined to cross the pond, he spent allot of time scouting looking for the ideal spot, since the water was low there was at least a 12" drop. After much thought I wasn't going to let this obstacle stop me. I first made sure there tractor was operational and asked if # 3 would come in and get me. I hit the water @ 60 mph and made it in 2 skips. It was allot easier than it looked. That was also # 3 line that convince me to go for it.

The high light of the night was listening to a local drunk Townsend guy riding his f250 out in the fields. He was bash Yamaha. Finally I asked what was wrong with viper? And then there was silence.

Did I mention # 3 sled was towed in from the field due to a mechanical? Great night # 2

3/13 ride report

#2,
34 and SELF off loaded at Fabyians, and proceded North thru Jefferson, Gorham, and up to Berlin. We cut across to ITS 11 south, and looped back to Fabyans.
All in all, the trails where in fair shape, with the Jefferson Mountain road being the worst. Short mileage for a short day.
Mileage: 114
"66"

 Early morning, the day reserved for remembering our past presidents (of the USA not WPR), # 388 and # 1 drove up to Nash Stream for a day of riding. We unloaded at 9:30 and proceeded up a bumpy and familiar Corridor 5 with one mission: get North fast. Our instincts told us that the riding would be better as we got further north. We were right.

# 388 lead the way keeping a decent pace. We were pleasantly suprised by the lack of traffic. We saw trailer after trailer pass us on the drive up so we got a little more excited as the sleds were headed the other direction.

It was about 25 degrees in the morning and 35 degrees for most of the afternoon. By the time we got to Cranberry Notch the bumps were now the well groomed trails that you think about when your supposed to be earning a living. Colbrook to the Sportsman lodge was primo riding. We stopped only to read signs and only for a few quick words. When the riding is like this you try to get as much of it as you can. By the way, we never stopped by the Sportsman Lodge, since we must have missed the turn, so what.

# 388 had his digital camara, so we decided we would head up Dixville Peak, like the Sportsman Lodge we must have missed the turn. It turns out that # 5 is not the only one that's directionally challenged, again so what.

We finally found our way to Pittsburgh, NH, the closest town to Canada. We said "Let's go for it, it will be something to talk about" We got to the Sports Bar in Pittsburgh (that we ate on the progressive trip day one) and just kept going for the border. We stopped cause # 388 wanted to make some movies with his camara, that's when I began to have problems, yes CAT and DOO riders, the story of a Star fading a bit. My Throttle Position Sensor was limiting me to 5000 rpm's and bogging out in a most unpleasant fashion. We changed plugs thinking they were fouled. Everything was fine so we proceeded to the Great White North. Two guys were broken down, so (being good citizens of sledding) we stopped to see if they were all right. My TPS switch was shutting me down to bogging and a maximum of 5000 rpm's at about 28 mph. We decided to head back. We stopped at the Pittsburgh gas station with the same problem. We went about 10 miles at the slow pace. We stopped to pee and read signs. The sled came back! Suddenly there were no more problems with the Polaris. We rode back hard with # 1 leading the way for about 15 miles at a torrid pace. It's amazing how fast you ride right after your wounded machine shakes off the pain.

We headed down Route 21 to Route 18 to Route 7. Nice path to take home from Pittsburgh, plenty of scenic views, quite hilly and plenty of Potato fields with valleys. It was getting near 4:00pm and the late afternoon grey snow started to play tricks on our eyes. We connected with old friend Corridor 5 and got back to the truck.

# 388 drove both ways, nice job. I haven't forgotton that I owe you two plugs. I'm working on some solutions to my machine problems. Someone told me that he thought that I needed to bleed my coolant, he also told me to set my TPS to 3.75 to 3.90 amps. Anyone want to offer any suggestions? Please do so?

# 1

Then, there was the showdown in Big Bay with the following contestants:

# 388 2001 Polaris XC SP 700
buddy 2000 Ski-Doo MXZ 700
# 2 1997 Yamaha V-Max SX 600
# 1 2001 Polaris Edge X 600

2/3/02

# 388 and # 2 out on Wyman's. Very little snow mostly chewed up ice chips. Extremely fast, an easy 100-mph if you wanted it. The XC 700 SP ves seemed fast basically smoked me every race by 5-sled length going across big bay. The funny part was when I rode the 700 it didn't get good hook up out of the hole. I had real good hook up from a dead stop. yet the 2 sleds were even out of the gate every time. His slightly extra weight probably makes the difference

2 hours, 25 miles, a clutch adjust for 388 that I liked (it slowed him down) and a few 1000 miles off of the slides we called it a day # 2

Annual ride. This year Northern NH and Western Maine due to lack of
snow everywhere else.

At 5am on Sunday, the group of seven assembled at the Townsend Common to
pull north. #'s 2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 13, and 99 in attendance. Can you
Believe #7 made the time. Keep in mind, he went to the Pats game
the night before and then drove north from Easton. Well done.

7 WPR Racers rushed off to unload for a big day of riding in Nash
Stream. We had a very successful
team meeting in Twin Mountains. This was the start of having bacon
served at every meal for the next 4 days. On to the parking area where
we unloaded, dressed, paid, warmed the machines and waited forth now
lost members #5 & 10. In any event, they did find us. There was snow on
the ground and the conditions were good. We got going
down trail 5, smooth and wide and perfect. Five miles into the ride,
The Pyres had his hood up to change plugs. This is very unlike our
"President." Again the communicators proved did prove useful while
blasting our way 26 miles up to Dixville Peak. This route brought us by
more sleds than I have ever seen on the trails. The vast majority were
new models.To the top of the mountain where we took a break and talked
about all the tweaking and the traffic. Off to Pittsburgh where we had
a late lunch and then to our 1st overnight on Back Lake. This route was
a little bumpy and proved too much for the Pres's saddle bags. They
fell off and where almost run over. The Powder Horn was clean but well
used. We were warned about riding on the lake too fast and about
traveling on the road out front. Apparently it was heavily patrolled
and strictly enforced. The refreshment stand was within walking
distance, so we did.

The next morning we were off to Maine with a destination of The Forks.
We left early get more bacon and the a stop for Maine regs. Oh yeah, #2
needed to update his saddle bags at the local Yamaha dealer. He was
forced to buy new. Others were beginning to wonder if this was going to
be a pattern? This was the second day in a row we had to stop for the
Pyres and his personal problems. I could tell it was starting to eat at
him. There were several examples of unusual behavior. The majority of
which had to do with being President but acting more like a Dictator.
We head south and found conditions to be outstanding. The trials were
fast and flat with good changes in elevation and direction. One
unscheduled stop to change a belt for #5 and we were off again. I led
the boys a little too far south so we needed to make a route adjustment
and head for the Maine boarder. This small detour forced us to consider
then range of the Arctic Cats. Their operators were now concerned.
Gas was becoming an issue and we were a long way from the pumps. We
found a nice sand pit and some took a few jumps. Others watched. We
cruised over the ME boarder at an easy pace in order to conserve fuel.
The first trials were logging roads. With a mere 25 miles from the next
services, #13 runs out of gas. We siphoned some for my sled and some
more from #7 and made an additional 10 miles before that was exhausted.
Here we made a decision to send two on to fill up and return full. The
rest of us would limp along as far as we were able. The mighty Polaris
once again shined like a star. It pulled the feeble cat owned by 13
some 8 miles up hill the entire way before #5’s cat ran out of gas as
well. It might be noted that #7 offer to give 13 a ride on the back of
his sled. 13 was grateful and rumor has it that after that short ride,
he is considering a Polaris as well. I ask you, why not? Seems to make
sense to me. Now with two cats down and two Polaris towing them again
up hill, the hole was getting deeper. At the next trail junction, we
were told by a passing rider that #99 had run out of gas ahead and the
the Yamaha went on ahead to refuel. We then decided to put the
remaining gas between the three of us into #10's sled and he would then
try to make the refueling station and return. At this point we did not
know how far away it was. we were told that it was at least 15 miles
but that was unconfirmed. It turns out it was only 7 or 8 miles away.
One interesting note. All of the Cats ran out of gas on the trail. It
appeared that ski duo and #7's Polaris would have made it as well. The
interesting thing to me is that my Polaris would have made it also with
gallons to spare. After siphoning fuel out into 13 machine and then
towing more than 8 miles, most of which was up hill, I had plenty to put
into #10 sled to make the journey. Hum...... Three hours later.... We
were sitting in the restaurant having lunch realizing the Forks was not
probable due to the time and now poor conditions of the trails in terms
of lack of snow in Maine.

We had met up #34 and #66. What are the odds? Due to their report
having been East the day before, we decided to stay in Rangley and had a
very enjoyable night ride to the Rangely Inn. 66 set a blistering pace
over thinly groomed trails through the hills, woods and roads. As
always, not to disappoint, he made a few trails of his own.

Back to Pittsburgh. We stopped to get some more gas for the cats. It
was a good thing too because we had received 4 inches of snow in the
lowlands and eight up in the hills. The powder reduced our range but it
turned out to be a none issue. 99 decided to show us the bottom of his
sled by rolling it into a corner. The damage was minor. He collected
his phone and we continued. In Pittsburgh, we stayed on First Ct Lake.
We settled down and planned our first voluntary night ride. 99 and 13
decided to stay behind. What a surprise. We took a thirty plus mile
tour in the crisp Pittsburgh wilderness. It was exhilarating.

We were all up early the next morning. 13 wanted to get an early start
back to the trucks. He had some issues at home that needed his
attention. Have you ever noticed that just because you get up early and
get on your sled that it doesn't necessarily mean you are going to
leave. We waited almost an hour for #5 to tape his bags onto his sled.
And the at least another ten at the gas station for I’m not sure what.
It was obvious that he wanted to stay and that this was his way of
protesting. There was talk of separating, but it was decided to stay
together. Heading south the trails were outstanding. I recall seeing
only two sleds on the trails. What a difference as compared to our
first day. We traveled this section of trail in all of an hour and a
half. We loaded up and headed home.

Though our total mileage was low for riding three and a half days, the
trip was very enjoyable. Traveling from place to place is definitely
the way to go. Here are a couple of tips for anyone considering this
type of trip. Buy good saddle bags. If possible? Buy the model made
specifically for your sled. We wasted a lot of time following around
with after market junk. Take the time to take a test ride.
It may be a good idea to have lodging booked for at least the first
nights stay. Worrying about it is not fun. Especially late in the day.

Try to stay on a normal meal schedule. This includes one for your
machine. Running out of gas sucks. So doesn't eating lunch at 4:30
three days in a row.

Total Mileage 504

WPRY #3

If I am going to get dinged for a plug change then Lets not forget # 99 ride had an electrical issue. #5 had an annoying vibration (to him), #10 "factory saddle bags" required a minor modification. # 3 communicator needed duck to hold it together along with letting his communicator battery die

1/20/02

#'s 1,2,3,5,10,13,99 504 miles report in process by # 10

I would like to submit a ride report for the night of the 8th mostly to get all the miles I can posted but also to give a sled report for the booga green machine in 02. 11 miles in culley's fields with #10. the ZR with the comet clutch and "stock" calibration has absolutely pittiful bottom end performance. something like: squeeze the throttle, check your watch and then hear the motor rev up. but this doesn't mean you're accelerating yet. the motor produces a note that sounds painfully like it's having a hernia and begging you to release the throttle. once you are above 7K rpm the power comes but not in a way that exactly pulls your arms out of the sockets. accel is decent from 40-80mph and I could not get above 85 in my riding yet. all in all I guess this is what I expected when I returned to the stock setting in order to save the new clutch. but you know what guys... fook that!!!!!!!! the booga green machine will have the BM clutch kit in for the trip.

it's looking like we will head for Groveton on Sunday morning and I am pumped for the trip. I was in Hanover, NH today (just south of Lyme) and conditions were the same as here. lets head for the snow and hunt it down where it lies! we're gonna have a blast!!!!

GO PATS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ride Report for NH Trip 1/9/02:

After insisting that I sleep at his house Tuesday night, # 2 and # 1 (formerly # 7) rolled out of bed and shot over to Townsend Common to meet with # 3, # 5 & # 10. # 4 bagged out with a mystery illness. # 3 was a trooper and drove up alone earning early points for WPR Racer of the year. 5 WPR Racers drove north to Lancaster, NH to get registrations at a local Polaris Dealership. This was approximately 40 miles north of Franconia Notch or as # 2 calls it simply: "THE NOTCH".

We rushed off to unload for a big day of riding in Nash Stream. We got dressed and fired up the machines. There was at least a foot of snow on the ground and the conditions were fabulous compared to all reports. We got going down trail 5, smooth and wide and perfect for a little early season warmup. The boys all had communicators and were probably solving the world's problems while blasting their way 26 miles up to Dixville Peak. There were a lot of bumps on the mountain so it seemed strange that we had only gone 26 miles. It was a fairly steep mountain where we took a break and talked about all the tweaking we did in the offseason.

Next, we were on our way up 110 to the Balsams Trail for some intense riding at a pretty fast pace. # 3 with his usual spot leading the way set the pace on his XC. # 10 was next on his sharp doo'. # 5 sporting the Booga Green Machine and # 2 on his doodle' alternated the pecking order. I know they were keeping an eye on me and my new rocket ship. Thanks boys, I appreciate it.

I had a chance to ride the Yamadoodle, it's pretty cool, still rocks. Nice changes bro. I also got an extended ride on # 5's Cat', What a nice riding sled. I enjoyed it. My new sled was all I had hoped for. It was as fast and comfortable as I had remembered ( from a short ride on # 3's last winter ).

Back to the ride, we rode to lunch at a little spot called the Sportsman Lodge where the cuisine was "not as good as the riding" We planned the rest of our trip there. We headed off to trail 20 to 112. That trail ended and it forced us back on 137 to 136 to 20 up to Pittsburgh. We had stopped and asked directions to get some gas. Apparently, the XC's don't get the gas mileage the others get. I recall a sign that said "Pittsburgh: The Northern Most and Largest Town in New Hampshire" . So we were in the town that borders Canada, but we really weren't that close. After re-fueling and having a drink, we blasted off into the wilderness for some more riding. At this point we were at about 100 miles. I was thinking that we would only get about 140 miles for the day, but I was mistaken, was I ever...

I did not have communication, since the EDGE X wiped me out or $. I was wondering when we would start heading back to the trucks. I was having fun, but did not have a map or any idea where the hell we were. I would say " When are we planning on getting back" or " When are we getting gas" those were my main concerns at that point. After dark, then came the snow... lots of snow. The trails began to collect some fluffy white loose snow. It softened the trails a little, but vision became a slight hinderence. I had changed from high beams to low beams and back 30 times.

Then while taking trail 19 we got lost, the trail ended. We went back and forth on a paved road about 6 times. It got a little eery when we turned the machines off and read the maps by flashlight. It was dark and we were running low on gas.

So we decided to backtrack. The map showed a route that was not direct. We had to go the wrong direction to get back and we still needed gas. # 5 needed oil since he was dangerously low ( Mandatory oil topoff and inspection next time? ).
We finally got the gas/oil around 7:30pm. Fatigued and mentally spent we rode the final 40 or so miles back to trucks down familiar trail 5.

197 miles, 12 hours of riding and one heck of a maiden voyage for my Edge X. Not over, we still had to drive home, leaving at 9:30pm at a snail's pace due to the freaking blizzard we were in. We finally got to Leominster at 1:30am, with little time to sleep before driving to Easton to shower and get dressed. I was facing the unenviable task of getting to my desk by 7:00am in Boston, I had called in sick so I couldn't even talk about my trip.

It took a few days to recover physically, but shit, when do we go again?

To all club members,
#34 and SELF went back up to the Notch/Twin Mountains/Mt. Jefferson today. Trail conditions where....um....ADEQUATE (not bad for low-snow conditions). The day was rather uneventful, as my sled obeyed me this time, and went where I wanted it to go. I installed a set of Roetin carbides..XPERT... 9" of TURNING carbide...Dude that sold 'em to me said they where "overkill" for a 440 ZL, I told him that I hoped they would be "enough"! Well, they worked AWESOME! many icy corners, and the sled tracked better than ever.
If anyone wants to cruise, #34, #66jr, and SELF will be going back up on Monday (12/31). We are going to try heading West to Bethlehem....
If anyone needs to know, the trails in the twins/ jefferson area are decent....some choppy spots, some rutted spots.....but for a TRULY challenging ride, I'd recommend the Cog rail loop....remeniscent of the local trails in Maine on last years trip. Best part was "SMOKIN'" a "gagle" of new MXZXs.....6 I believe, on the ultra chopped rail beds....they where riding like sno crossers, and I "BLEW 'EM INTO THE TREES". I got the "what the f---" look from 'em all!
Total miles for today...121
...the ONE, the ONLY "66"

12/10/01

Attendance # 2,# 3 # 4

To all,
Today, #34 and SELF tallied up 12 miles having SNO-X fun in my back yard. I must say the $15,000 invested in my personal jumping hill was money...well...spent!
We both had a blast, and hope all other WPR members did the same.
'Till next report, have fun! (see you all on Wednesday!)
"66" 34 66jr

Ride report, 12/9/01

Last night # 3 and I made it out the killing fields. Absent once again was # 4 (he must be worried. I suspect he doesn't have the cash for a new sled). Well we were off the 1st field # 3 on his xcr440, after 5 hot laps or so we started working on a drag strip. This is when the Yamaha started to over heat (blinking temp light) with a little bleeding and adding of some anti freeze things seemed better. # 3 went back for his XC 600 SP and we were off the second field to make a track. # 3 true to his trail boss title found the perfect track though the stream filled field.

The show down! # 3 still was able to give me the look! Nuff Said! As night wore down to the end # 3 and I got into some good racing both being able to pass each other thought the closing laps of the night. Then once again the temp light! Funny, my resivior is still filled? Off to the other fun part of snowmobling, Fixing them!

21 miles

# 2