• Thursday-What'sUP March 21 - 08:44 am

These two road shots from Katie Tormala's photo album over in the Guest Gallery, depict the emerging roads here in the Copper Country pretty well. Even though my "Bigger than ever" Pasty Cam Calendar tells me that Spring begins today, there's still plenty of snow on the ground. The difference between now and January though, is that wherever you travel, you're seeing bare roads along the way. In Katie's top photo, you can see a sign indicating a snowmobile crossing up ahead...not being a snowmobiler myself, that made me wonder if the bare roads this time of year present a problem for the late season snowmobile traffic?

Our yard is mostly grass now, though the weathermen say we're in for 4 to 8 inches tomorrow. Wonder if they can be wrong again. We haven't gotten that much snow at one time this whole season.

Hence Mary, the reason at most snowmobile crossings you will see the reinforced concrete pad across the highway to protect the highway from the studded tracks.

It really doesn't present too much of a problem, other than wearing the front skis a little. The salt on the roads probably presents bigger problems in the long run....

Mary about the bare roads. Back in about 1980 when we started to use carbide runners on the ski's I got about half way acrost and became stuck. I was moving slow and the runner ( wear bar) cut into the pavement. I had to rock the machine to the side and give it more throttle. Carbides and other more modern wear bars will cut pavement ( garage floors etc.) As the Capt. pointed out crossings will use concrete as it is more resistant to this but still will show wear.

One can run a snowmobile on short distances on bare pavement such as a crossing. Too much bare pavement will/can wear the carbides which aids in steering and traction of the front skis and will wear out the hyfax. The hyfax needs the cooling and lubrication of the snow to keep from wearing down. Avoid as much bare pavement as possible, as you have no steering control. Make your pavement crossing a short and straight direction if possible.

While waiting at a stop light in Terre Haute, In., back in February,I was surprised to see a snowmobile zip by with the other traffic. There are virtually no snowmobiles down here. Oh, yeah, there was no snow within 50 miles.

Deb, we in Northern Il are under a storm watch until Saturday morning. Am hearing estimates from 5 to 14 inches. Keep it in MN. We have had enough this year!

I like the blue sky in both pictures.

If you have to travel very far over bare pavement with carbide runners you need to remember to put a good magnehelic lubricant on the seals to the bikiniffelator or you might get a buildup of dilithium crystals on your flux capacitor... never a good thing!

dilithium crystals....flux capacitor.... I get it!!

Good one!

Don't forget to check your blinker fluid and the muffler
bearings!

And always keep the muffler belt tight and the kanewtin valve properly adjusted.

Not to mention an even distribution of flys on the fly wheel and check pressure in the hi-compression seat cushions.

I never knew...no wonder by thing-mree-bob is kittywompus.

We learned all that at Pelkie Tech....

That snowmobile crossing sign is sure something you don't see in Kansas.

Judging by the above comments, I think winter has been too long for some Yooper snowmobilers. But, a long winter might be better than the spring flooding here in southeast Indiana.

Wow it's a good thing he's a music teacher and not what used to be call "industrial arts" teacher. Hope he knows the musical instruments better than that :o>)!