This was our final ride of the season. Two weeks to the day after my snowmobiling accident, I was doing well enough to get a final ride in on a borrowed sled that I could sit on comfortably for 120 miles. However, we did have a rough start, as we had a deer run out into the road and hit the side of the truck we were hauling the sled trailer with so this was a minor delay in the day.
Once we were back on the road, we made our way to Houlton to fuel the sleds up and grab a quick breakfast. (Make sure you grab some Houlton Farms Dairy chocolate milk at the Irving when you stop. They offer various sizes) We unloaded in Presque Isle in the Lowe's parking lot. The parking lot puts you right on the trail you need to be to go straight to Lakeview Restaurant in St. Agatha.
You start on ITS 83 which brings you through quite a few road crossings to get out of town and a decent sized bridge that is enclosed on both sides. This trail will bring you to the snowmobile club in Washburn, home of the Washburn Trailrunners Snowmobile club.
Coming out of Washurn we hit up the 105 connector which then put us back on ITS 83 in the Stockholm area. Continue to head north with he signs that point you towards Sinclair and St. Agatha to make it to the Lakeview Restaurant. Once we arrived at Lakeview around noon time, I couldn't believe the number of sleds that were already there! This is a very popular destination! The food is reasonably priced and the location is a decent hub for most trips in the area.
The overall trip was a little rough but I think everyone who still had their heart set on riding this season was on those trails! The best trails we rode on during our 120 mile round trip was through Presque Isle and Washburn. We debated doing a loop but decided to treat this trip as an out and back. The loop had a water crossing shown on the map and being late in the season, we didn't want to risk turning around and having to go over incredibly rough trails again.
On our way back it was cloudy and snowing making the trails a little mealy but packed in some of the bumps that were in the trail previously. The 105 connector was of honorable mention for this trip. We had a broken sled in the group on our way back but we still made it back to the parking lot where we unloaded in a reasonable time.
Overall, I was thankful the black cloud wasn’t over me this trip and also thankful I could end the season with a great group of guys! Here's to next season! Hopefully we get more miles in and the fuel prices drop some!
Happy riding!
-Amanda