Well great new! Our full time groomer operater was able to get the layoff he needed just in time for vacation week. What does that mean? Committment to keeping our trails in the best shape possible with 90+ miles of trail and only one machine to do them with.
Last night all the trails to the south were groomed in freezing cold temps setting them up nicely for the weekend. This included ITS 84, Lake Rd to Withee Pond that goes by towers 1- 11, the Iron Gate Rd and the upper tower 22 thru 32 where we connect with Kingsbury Pond.
Tonight we will focus on getting ITS 87 back in great shape, as again freezing cold temps will allow for better processing of the snow. And with some but limited week day traffic currently here we should be in great shape for the weekend.
Once hitting the Ripple Rd on ITS 87 north after crossing the Austin Stream bridge, you will notice the NECEC project have made there way to Moscow if you have not aready noticed. They have allowed us to share the road from the gravel pit up to where the Stream Rd heads to the Radar Site. We do only have about 10' or so to work with, and we are urging riders to respect this road sharing. In the past, road sharing was a huge part of keeping our trails open with no or minimal re-routes, but some riders lack of respect stopped road sharing with the landowners. Please be sure to stay on the groomed marked section, which will obviously help give more life to your carbides.
We do still need some help from anyone that's willing to do some alder brushing on the ditch side to allow the groomer to pull that snow back into the trail, before it freezes so hard that its not usable. We hope before the weekend to also install 6' grade stakes every few hundred yards that was requested to show a clear seperation between trail and plowed road. Please help police anyone running them over, and/or put them back up if you notice them down.
We are anticipating a very busy weekend and 7 days that follow through the vacation week so riders should use extreme caution.
There is more snow in the forcast for Sunday of about 4" and we seem to finally be getting the 1" and light dusting storms the last 2 days that we have been waiting for to help improve conditions.
If you haven't already, please stop into our shop and join the Valley Riders Snowmobile Club. It is only $30 to be a member unless you are already a member of an exisiting club, in which case you can join our as an Associate Member for just $15. They say it takes a village to raise a family, and therefore it must take a community for our sport to continue to flourish.
Thank you for all your support, and we will see you on the trails.
Starting Friday night, our grooming schedule will move to every night for at least 10 days. Some nights we will alternate north and south, while weekendswill focus more on ITS trails, and not as much on club trails. We are happy to hear your feedback on our trails so we can fix things that are missed or just need attention!