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Rick Zach and Dean Zach
(13) missed
Snodeo 2007 due to Rick's work commitments.
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Not so in 2008.
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One of the the rights of passage of snowmobiling is to
finally travel to Pittsburg, NH which is north of the
Vermont- Canadian border. At age 13, Dean
completed his first visit to Mecca. The weekend round
trip covered 103 miles with every mile driven by Dean on
his own machine.
(Dean has a special NH youth snowmobile driver's
certificate)
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Part of the enjoyment is to visit genuine
small town America.
The owners of this Pittsburg store are seated on a large
couch behind the coat rack. This is also their
living room. Note the hanging TV. Several pictures
on the wall are of Presidential candidates visiting
Pittsburg during the New Hampshire primaries.
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Same store... other side.
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The History Channel live on top.
A fake
TV with Lucy on the bottom.
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The general store, restaurant and
apartments are heated by wood-heated, underground forced
hot water which is pump-circulated at 180-degrees F.
This wood-stove boiler is located at the rear of the
parking lot.
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Inside were a toddler and a pre-schooler.
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Due to being in the deepest of rural
woods, getting lost can become a genuine safety issue.
Fortunately, the local snowmobile clubs spend a
significant effort on proper signage and safety
placards. Not all clubs in other regions are this
proficient.
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The trail junction numbering system is brand new and is
greatly appreciated. The new junction numbers tie into
special numbers on local club trailmaps. Savvy
clubs could use the sale of numbered trail maps as a
very appropriate revenue-generator.
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Vehicular roads can be many miles away
with few
reference points in between. Obtaining a "fix" can
be a challenge without these well marked remote trail
junctions.
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Reporting injuries or breakdowns in the unmarked woods can be a
daunting task. This weatherproof rescue card and the
newly-numbered trail junctions would be an excellent idea for more
clubs to adopt.
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Lake Francis in Pittsburg, NH
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Dean Zach and the Lake Francis earthen
dam
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Dean got stuck three times in the deep
powder on the lake. Due to blowing drifts, we
never found the trail entrance on the opposite side of
the lake. Even our recent tracks were blown away
on the return trip. The middle of the lake looked
more like a moonscape.
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Most snowmobiling on the trails is only
at speeds of 20-30 MPH. This is the obligatory
hotdog photo for Dean to show his friends...
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Cellular phone access simply does not
exist even when high on a hill. While it may
sound excessive at first, having access to both GPS and
Ham Radio in the remote back woods can become a
essential safety tool. We used
the GPS quite a bit and wouldn't leave without it. |
