A 30 year old "cardinal sin"

[rminier]

 A couple pics from the early 80s...not sure how they will show up.
 Just sumthin' to share while we await another great winter season....el nino be danged!
 3 of us, in the Houghton Lake, Grayling area of Michigan.
 Me on my 79 Invader...my good friend Kevin on his 81 Blizzard MX, and our business associate Bob....who was new to the sport.
 Bob was riding my 75 SnoJet....he apparently enjoyed our adventures, since he bought a 1 year old Indy 500 a few years later....then a brand new 99 doo mxz 600... and still enjoys life with a new rev XP.
 We took turns in the " pecking order"...who was in the lead...2nd, 3rd....
 A bunch of fresh snow had fallen....trail conditions were absolutely beautiful.
 Bob, on my 75 SnoJet, was in the lead, me 2nd, Kevin as tail end Charlie.
 I committed one of the cardinal sins in sledding, by following too closely.
 I was just playing around following Bob through the trails, knowing I could blow by him anywhere with the Invader.....when he suddenly slowed....no warning, no brake light...
 It turned out, with the snow and snow dust in the air, he had missed seeing a right arrow sign where the trail turned. RIGHT TURN, CLYDE!!!!
 I had to quickly jerk the handlebars left to miss him....duhhhh
 Only to see the Mississippi River in front of me.
 Actually, it was only a small creek. As I launched off the 20 foot bank (Ok, it was only 3 feet) I remember my brain thinking, in a few milliseconds, reading in the old SnoWeek papers of the day, about sleds navigating water in the summer...ala Mark Maki.
 Bob swears to this day that he heard me yell something less than "PG rated" when I flew by him. I think he's making that crap up!
 We had all been observing the weather and trail reports leading up to our trip North....trying to coordinate vacations, placating our wives that we will return, safe and sound, Sunday evening...
 Michigan had gone through some zero to sub-zero weather the week before our trip North.....thank goodness the creek was frozen pretty solidly.
 I remember pinning the Invader in mid-air....don't fail me now!! as can be seen by the clear ice track I left on the surface.
 I was very happy to nose into the dry land on the opposite bank. I am a real wimp when it comes to ice cold water.
 After collecting my nerves for a moment or two, I look back to see my 2 buddies...my friends...my partners in crime, bent over double laughing at me.
 With friends like that, who needs enemies??
 Kevin is doing an outstanding job of supervising....in his SkiDoo suit of the day, while I dig the skis out to climb up out of the creek bank.
 Bob must have been taking the pictures....I'm surprised he could hold the Minolta steady after his convulsions of laughter...
  Looking back...it was a relatively minor occurrence.....but for a millisecond or two, it looked liked the Mississippi River down near New Orleans, where it is about a mile wide.
 Ahh..great times....great memories....we decided it might be best if we didn't share anything about this episode with our wives...
 Oh, the Invader had already received the astonishing performance enhancement from the blue rear idler wheels....some tunnel decals from NAPA, since my leaking fuel filler neck had degraded the original....and, the reflectors had fallen off and been replaced by some generic ones from NAPA.
 Gotta love the "SnoStuff" aftermarket, high windshield. I love it on cold days.
 I really prefer the original, low windshield for "looks", but you can't beat that tall one when it's zero degrees.

Ricktooclosetostop.

[gixxer6]

That must be the AuSable river?  You're very lucky it was frozen...It's not real often in this area that rivers freeze enough to support a snowmobile.  And when they do there are thin spots caused by the currents. 

Great story! 

[Interceptor398]

Fun story!!  I too am a wimp when it comes to icy water.

[rminier]

 Hah..LOL. I shouldn't make light of this, although it's easier to do, 30 some years later.
 gixxer6, I was lucky.
 I didn't have to deal with a sunken sled.
 Much worse, I didn't have to deal with hypothermia, if I had gone through the ice....miles from nowhere...long before cell phones.
 I'm not sure my two " buddies" could have built a fire, if you gave them a 5 gallon jug of kerosene, and a book of dry matches!
 The most damage done was to my " shattered nerves".
 And, a bruised ego....having to listen to the razzing from my so called "buddies" for the rest of the trip!
 I have looked on Google maps, trying to figure out where we were, but it's hard to tell.
 There are so many twists and turns ....it's hard to pinpoint.
 I know one thing....it forever cured me of " suckin' eggs!! and following too closely behind another sledder.
 A valuable lesson learned....perhaps why replacement taillight lenses are one of the most common items during the winter!!