• Saturday-What'sUP December 17 - 10:38 pm

The Keweenaw has been getting plenty of snow this December, in fact it's one of the snowiest, or so it seems when I rev up the snow blower each morning to clear the driveway. But once that snow is moved out of the way, then it's time to play. Bruce Watters snapped a great shot of something many snowmobilers covet - - fresh powder to make tracks in! Others just enjoy a good trail, free of moguls, like Doug Smith had the good fortune to be riding on. No matter what you prefer, be sure to ride smart and ride safe. You've heard the old saying, All work and no play makes Toivo a dull boy, so now it's time for me to suit up and take advantage of all this snow myself!

Good morning from Mishawaka IN. I have never been on a snowmobile, but it sure looks like fun. I think it would be great to ride through a snow covered woods. Great pictures this morning!

NKR, Snowmobile: UP version of our jetskis, eh.

Snowmobiles must be fun, but no one enjoys them more than
U.P. tourist people along the Lake Superior shoreline. For
downstaters to use their snow-toys, they know where they have
to go, and that's up north where the snow is guaranteed, there
are lots of trails, and the bar-and-innkeepers eagerly await
them and their welcome winter business.

Snowmobiling! I think of it often when I wake up in the night with the pain in my right shoulder! Back in the early 70's I was ridng my snowmobile heck-bent for-election, across my neighbors field and not looking where I was going. I looked forward just in time to see the 15" high ridge where a tiling machine had gone. I was ridng on one knee. The machine and I became airborne and at the apex of our jump we seperated. I landed on my right shoulder and skidded along until hitting a solid object that caused me to flip to a upright running position. The machine landed on it's track and skis and just sat there waiting for me! I had no major injuries at that time but I am sure that incident contributed to my current painful times. Also pitching and catching fastpitch softball until I was 43 years old! It was fun though. That was 30 years ago! Drive safely!

I can reasure your thoughts that snowmobiling is FUN! My hubby and I are the kind of snowmobilers that like to ride at a steady pace and enjoy the beautiful scenery. Not hot rod it and try to scare people out of their wits! We have a cutter sleigh for snowmobiles, so even our Scottish Terriers have enjoyed snowmobiling as well. This year we have had plenty of snow here in eastern Iowa to be able to snowmobile right out of our own door, that doesn't happen to often anymore.

In our "younger days we did our share of snowmobiling on farm fields. But as we got older and the snow in our area became scarce we gave it up. Had some fun times with friends. But like jetskies, it depends on the drivers' ability and curtesies ( ughh, spelling). We had a bad experience on a lake rental near Mi./Wis state line one year in early 90's. Some yahoo rented a jet-ski for 3 days. The beautiful loon family that crusied by our dock in the evening's peace each night never came back. Grrrrrrr

Brrrr! Looks like fun though. Hot chocolate not withstanding. Sleet here today.

Give me snow any day verses the ice storms that they have now in the south. We have had 8" of snow on the ground here south of Detroit since before Thanksgiving. We talked with friends today in South Carolina that have not had power since Wed Eve because of the ice and will not be restored until next Tuesday at the earliest. Our snows come and go but the ice comes and destroys..

MsKatie,
I agree with you about the jetskis. Hubby and I have owned a jetski for years...but some yahoos (and that is the perfect term;), are way out of control with them.
We no longer go jetskiing with one couple, because the wife is an accident, waiting to happen on the darn thing. Hubby and his friends were towing our kids on one of those innertube things, from a boat...and the men were leaning over the boat, to help my step daughter back into the boat, when the one wife came zooming by on her jet ski...and intentionally swamped the boat. The passenger on her jet ski, fell off the back end...almost slamming head first into the boat...the guys in the boat almost fell overboard...and she almost ran over my step daughter, who was in the water.
As if that wasn't bad enough, the woman's husband was on board the boat...and got mad at my hubby and the other guys, for yelling at his wife. Duh!

MsKatie and sur5er, how true you are, it's not the machine (whatever it may be) that's a danger, it's the human operator!