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Light rain
47°F
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Tue
70/43
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Wed
77/45
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Thu
88/54
Snowmobiling
Fri, 20 April 2012
AuSable Valley Snowmobile Association
April 2012 Newsletter
General Membership Meetings– are held on the First Thursday of every month beginning in September running through April at the Ramada Inn of Grayling starting at 7: pm. AVSA meetings are open to anyone who wishes to attend. Our next meeting will be September 6, 2012. Have a great summer!
Signing Handbook – some additional information about the New Michigan Motorized Trail Signing Handbook I discussed in last month’s Newsletter. The SAW committee approved and recommended adoption of the new signing handbook to make trails safer. Many studies throughout the U.S. and Canada have shown that we are over signing the trails. Snowmobilers are following the signs and not paying attention to the trails. In an effort to slow traffic down, some types of signs are going to be removed from Michigan trails. Most signs denoting Curves and Chevrons will be removed from Michigan trails. In addition Winding Trail, Narrow Trail, Two-way Trail, Trail Crossing, Drift Area and Truck Traffic signs will be eliminated. This update will also combine ATV and Snowmobile signs when and where they can be and bring them all to a uniform size. Approved the signing handbook goes into effect for the 2012-2013 season.
In May we will start removing the now obsolete signs and pulling sign posts. The signs will be returned to the DNR to be recycled and useable post will be put back into inventory for future use.
Storm clean up – the March 2nd snow storm caused a lot of damage knocking down trees and causing power outages to most of northern Michigan, some areas did not get power restored for 7 days. The storm dropped more than 14 inches of wet heavy snow in the Grayling area. Our trails were not spared, literally hundreds of trees snapped or up rooted partially or completely blocking miles of trails. Our groomer drivers were able to push trees back far enough to groom however as soon as the snow was gone those trees needed to be cut up and removed from the trail right-away. The week of March 26th, a group of 6 volunteers spent 4 days cutting, chipping and generally removing debris from the trails. Some work remains to be completed however that work will be finished using the AVSA tractors.
A big “Thank You” goes out to the volunteers for their hard work.
This is the last newsletter for the 2011-2012 season. See you next season on the trails and hopefully at one of our monthly General Membership Meetings. Have a safe summer.
Safe Riding – remember safe riding starts with you! Ride sober!
AVSA Board of Directors
Pres.-Rich Filley V.P.-Tom Everly Secretary-Mike Miller Grooming-Keith Miles
Safety-Art Fisette Web & Treas.-Rob Tomlinson B.O.D.-Bob Smith
B.O.D.-Bill Weaver B.O.D.-Mike Brown
Contact via US mail at: AVSA, PO Box 1176, Grayling, MI 49738
Or visit us at: www.GoSledGrayling.org
Frequent our Business Sponsors Whenever Possible!!
Airway Automation
Fay’s Motel & Cottages
Grayling Generating Station
Grayling Visitors Bureau
Jack Millikin, Inc. Excavating
McLean’s Ace Hardware
Pointe North Motel
Ramada Inn
Rich’s Cycle Service
River Country Motor Lodge
Woodland Motor Lodge
Charlie’s County Corners
Grayling Restaurant
Sledheads of Frederic
Spicer’s Boat City
Forward Shell Gas Station
The Medicine Shoppe
Random Articles You Might Be Interested In:
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Wed, 07 March 2012
Normally I don’t plagiarize Keith’s report, but this is one case where I’m going to do so. Thanks to Keith at Fay’s Motel and groomer driver for the AuSable Valley Snowmobile Association for this report…
“Saturday morning I got up to face better than a foot of heavy snow and my first obligation is to Fay’s and its guests and while plowing my phone was ringing and people were telling me about downed trees, strike three. Once I got the place so everyone could get in and out and Sandy could get to all the rooms I hit the trail at 10:00am and I figured I’d go out and move a few trees and that would be that. OH SO WRONG Mister “this won’t be a big deal” there were trees everywhere and eight and a half hours later I finally got the Lovells trail cleared. I returned in time for the night shift to go out and do the main loop. By this time the trail had stiffened to the point that D1 was back in the game. The tandem run on the main is 42 miles and is always done in 6 to 6.5 hours max., at one stretch of pines on trail 79 it took the guys 4 hours to go 12 miles, that’s how many trees were down.
All in all it took us less than 24 hours to clear the main trails and I finished the tree pushing extravaganza on a little used trail segment to the south yesterday, it too had a mile plus stretch of pines and was horrible.
You have to remember that we are as long as an over the road trailer working on 20′ or less wide trails amongst the still upright trees, lots of neck busting turning around and I for one am glad it’s over. We didn’t keep up with traffic as far as grooming goes and I never expected to this past weekend or any other weekend for that matter as it’s basically two against several thousand. Not real good odds, but we did our best.
The drivers would like to extend a huge thank you to all of you that give us a thumbs up and recognize our efforts and we hope you understand that last weekend was one that we have never experienced in terms of the severity of fallen trees coupled with the depth and moisture of the snow that we received.
I rode today with my good friend Robin C. and we traveled on our trails that were pretty good but going south fast. With temps going to 50 tomorrow and beyond I think the trails’ days are numbered and that number is probably on one of your hands, no need to take either boot off to count further.
It’s 45 and Sunny today and the forecast out to the 15th is calling for more of the same. So I guess I’ll wrap this deal up for another year. This has been a year of RIRN (ride it right now) to say the least and it’s been one of the toughest to report on. We try very hard both in the report and on the phone to provide you with information that doesn’t set the expectation bar too high, we would rather set it lower and have you walk away happy enough to become a volunteer groomer jockey which would allow me more time to go play. Hopefully we were successful.”
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Thu, 01 March 2012
We received 6+ inches of a heavy, wet snow yesterday and overnight. Groomers will be running starting Thursday. The weather report looks promising for the weekend (see below). If you want to get a ride in before spring, this might be your only chance because the forecast for the end of next week is for rain and warm temps.
Thursday: Cloudy, with a high near 36. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph.
Thursday night: Cloudy, with a low around 26. Calm wind.
Friday: Rain and snow likely, mainly after 1pm. Cloudy, with a high near 35. East wind between 5 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.
Friday Night: Snow. The snow could be heavy at times. Low around 28. North wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.
Saturday: Snow showers likely, mainly after 1pm. Cloudy, with a high near 31. Breezy, with a west wind between 15 and 20 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Saturday Night: Snow showers likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 10. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Sunday: Snow showers likely. Cloudy, with a high near 23. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Sunday Night: A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 9.
Monday: Partly sunny, with a high near 28.
Monday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 18.
Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 44.
Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 35.
Wednesday: A chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 46.
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Tue, 28 February 2012
Snowmobile trails were groomed on Sunday. There is finally a base being built. Depending on the actual track of the upcoming storm, trails will either improve or get icy. Stay tuned.
National Weather Service forecast:
Tuesday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 35. South wind around 5 mph.
Tuesday night: Snow before 3am, then snow and sleet. Low around 28. Southeast wind between 5 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow and sleet accumulation of around an inch possible.
Wednesday: Freezing rain and sleet before 1pm, then rain. High near 39. Breezy, with a east wind between 10 and 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New ice accumulation of less than a 0.1 of an inch possible. New sleet accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
Wednesday Night: Snow likely, possibly mixed with rain showers before 10pm, then snow. Low around 29. South wind around 5 mph becoming west. Chance of precipitation is 90%.
Thursday: Snow likely, possibly mixed with drizzle and freezing drizzle, mainly before 7am. Cloudy, with a high near 34. West wind around 5 mph.
Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 23.
Friday: A chance of rain and snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 38. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
Friday Night: Rain and snow likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 28.
Saturday: A chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 36.
Saturday Night: A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 19.
Sunday: A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 31.
Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 16.
Monday: Partly sunny, with a high near 33.
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Fri, 24 February 2012
Trails are not being groomed, but are in fair condition with the current new snowfall. Groomer driver Keith says that depending on what section of trail you’re on, and if the sun has been hitting it, conditions will vary. However, people have been riding. With that said, it is still snowing. We’ve gotten about two inches so far today. To follow is the weather report from the National Weather Service.
Friday: Snow. High near 31. North wind between 10 and 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Total daytime snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.
Friday night: Snow showers. Low around 22. West wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of around an inch possible.
Saturday: Snow showers likely, mainly before 7am. Mostly cloudy, with a steady temperature around 24. Northwest wind between 10 and 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 10. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Sunday: A 40 percent chance of snow after 4pm. Cloudy, with a high near 33. South wind between 5 and 15 mph.
Sunday Night: A 30 percent chance of snow before 1am. Cloudy, with a low around 26.
Monday: Partly sunny, with a high near 35.
Monday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 19.
Tuesday: A chance of snow. Partly sunny, with a high near 31.
Tuesday Night: A chance of snow. Cloudy, with a low around 23.
Wednesday: Rain and snow likely. Cloudy, with a high near 35.
Wednesday Night: A chance of snow. Cloudy, with a low around 22.
Thursday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 31.
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Tue, 21 February 2012
AuSable Valley Snowmobile Association
February 2012 Newsletter
General Membership Meetings– Only two regular scheduled meetings remain for the 2011-2012 season. The next meeting will be held on March 1st. 2012 starting at 7pm. Meetings are held on the First Thursday of every month beginning in October running through April at the Ramada Inn of Grayling. AVSA meetings are open to anyone who wishes to attend.
The last scheduled meeting for the 2011 – 2012 season will be held on April 5th, 2012.
Grooming / Equipment Report – A new all-time record was set for miles groomed by AVSA and it was not a good one. As of February 20, 2012 only 1,200 miles of grooming had been completed for this season. The groomer drivers have only spent 10 days out on the trails. No grooming was completed in November or December due to poor snow conditions and only 8 days in January. So far for February the groomers have only been out twice.
UPDATE: Snowmobilers’ Rights Protected in Huron-Manistee Forest – On September 29, 2010, Kurt Meister, a southeast Michigan attorney won a case against the USDA Forest Service claiming that his right to enjoy public lands in Michigan was being infringed upon by noisy firearms hunters and folks using snowmobiles on designated trails. His solution? Ban guns and snowmobiles on almost 70,000 acres of the Huron-Manistee National Forest.
On January 23, 2012 the USFWS adopted “Alternative 4″ which maintains the rights of snowmobilers will be preserved on designated trails and the hunters to hunt in all areas as were allowed previously. While this was not MSA’s choice (MSA wanted alternative #3) Alternative #4 will allow the same use that snowmobilers enjoyed over the past 6 years. What alternative #4 will do by not designating the Semi Primitive Non-Motorized (SPNM) areas to Semi Primitive Motorized (SPM) areas, which may leave the door open to further lawsuits.
The USFS ruling was not without some potential problems however. The agency also announced that it will retain the objective in several areas in the Huron-Manistee to provide for a “less-roaded opportunity” relative to the rest of the forest. Any road closures would still have to go through analysis and public comment before a site-specific decision would be made.
MSA understand the Forest Service’s desire to eliminate some roads that either were not intended to be permanent or were illegally created, but there must be a process in place to determine which roads will be closed so that adequate access is maintained. There is a fine line between creating a more solitary experience for those who are seeking that and shutting the public out of the land that they own.
Note: Reprinted in part from MSA with permission from MSA. To read more on this subject and other topics visit MSA web site at http://www.msasnow.org/
Safe Riding – remember safe riding starts with you! Ride sober!
AVSA Board of Directors
Pres.-Rich Filley V.P.-Tom Everly Secretary-Mike Miller Grooming-Keith Miles
Safety-Art Fisette Web & Treas.-Rob Tomlinson B.O.D.-Bob Smith
B.O.D.-Bill Weaver B.O.D.-Mike Brown
Contact via US mail at: AVSA, PO Box 1176, Grayling, MI 49738
Or visit us at: www.GoSledGrayling.org
Frequent our Business Sponsors Whenever Possible!!
Airway Automation Fay’s Motel & Cottages Grayling Generating Station
Grayling Visitors Bureau Jack Millikin, Inc. Excavating McLean’s Ace Hardware
Pointe North Motel Ramada Inn Rich’s Cycle Service River Country Motor Lodge Woodland Motor Lodge Charlie’s County Corners Grayling Restaurant Sledheads of Frederic Spicer’s Boat City
Forward Shell Gas Station The Medicine Shoppe
Random Articles You Might Be Interested In:
Fri, 17 February 2012
2-3 inches of snowfall yesterday improved the trails, but not to the point where they can be groomed. Right now they are rideable and in fair, late season condition, but depending on the weather, this could change. See below.
National Weather Service forecast:
Friday: Increasing clouds, with a high near 38. West wind between 5 and 10 mph.
Friday night: Snow, mainly after 9pm. Low around 22. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of around an inch possible.
Saturday: Snow before 1pm, then occasional flurries after 5pm. High near 30. North wind between 5 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 12. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 30. North wind around 5 mph.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 17.
Washington’s Birthday: Sunny, with a high near 38.
Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 24.
Tuesday: A chance of rain and snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 38.
Tuesday Night: A chance of rain and snow. Cloudy, with a low around 28.
Wednesday: A chance of rain and snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 38.
Wednesday Night: A chance of rain and snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 29.
Thursday: A chance of rain and snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 39.
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Mon, 13 February 2012
Trails continue to be in poor condition.
National Weather Service forecast:
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 35. West wind between 10 and 15 mph.
Monday night: A chance of snow and freezing drizzle between 10pm and 1am, then snow likely. Increasing clouds, with a low around 21. Southwest wind between 5 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Little or no ice accumulation expected. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
Tuesday: Snow likely before 1pm, then a chance of snow and freezing drizzle. Cloudy, with a high near 35. South wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Little or no ice accumulation expected. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
Tuesday Night: Cloudy, with a low around 23. West wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 36. Southwest wind between 5 and 10 mph.
Wednesday Night: A 30 percent chance of snow. Cloudy, with a low around 24.
Thursday: Snow likely. Cloudy, with a high near 35. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Thursday Night: A chance of snow. Cloudy, with a low around 26.
Friday: A chance of snow showers. Cloudy, with a high near 33.
Friday Night: A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 19.
Saturday: A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 31.
Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 16.
Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 29.
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Wed, 08 February 2012
Trails are still in poor condition. The forecast isn’t predicting any significant snowfall at this time. I’ll update again if conditions improve.
National Weather Service forecast:
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 31. West wind around 10 mph.
Wednesday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 18. West wind around 5 mph.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 38. West wind between 5 and 15 mph.
Thursday Night: Snow showers after 1am. Low around 16. West wind between 10 and 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.
Friday: A 30 percent chance of snow showers before 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 17. North wind between 10 and 15 mph.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 0.
Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 17.
Saturday Night: A chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 8.
Sunday: A chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 23.
Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 12.
Monday: Partly sunny, with a high near 30.
Monday Night: A chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 23.
Tuesday: A chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 34.
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Thu, 02 February 2012
The bad word from groomer Keith is that trails are now in poor condition, due to the warm temperatures the past two days. The upcoming forecast isn’t promising…see below.
National Weather Service forecast:
Thursday: Occasional flurries, mainly before 3pm. Cloudy, with a high near 35. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph.
Thursday night: Cloudy, with a low around 27. Calm wind.
Friday: Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 38. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 3. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 39. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 21.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 36.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 25.
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 38.
Monday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 23.
Tuesday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 29.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 17.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 30.
