Well, the great days of winter are upon us here in the Midwest and we're gonna try and
bring you something that will brighten your day coming up next on Your Next Wild Weekend.
Coming up next on this edition of Your Next Wild Weekend, we'll throw our leg over the
sport of snowmobiling and find out why it's become such a huge attraction for the entire
family.
Our children are 14 years old and they're just starting to get involved in it so it is something
you can do as a family.
Also, could you ride on a shaky, quaky rig like this for 14 hours at a time?
We'll show you the extreme dedication of trail groomers.
I think somebody said we have like 3,000 internet connections, people getting on the
internet per day up here for snow sledders.
And for those of you who choose not to travel down the path less traveled, we'll show you
what you're missing out on.
To sort of quote a friend of mine, he says you can be hunting for 30 years and tomorrow
you can go out there and see something you've never seen before.
And unless you're out there, you're not gonna see it.
All this in our tribute to Charles is all coming up next on this edition of Your Next
Wild Weekend.
You know, anybody who's spent any kind of time around snowmobiles probably remembers
the day when you'd spend 2 or 3 hours riding them and you'd have to lift up the hood and
spend another 4 or 5 hours working on them.
You almost had to be a mechanic to own one of these things.
But those days are long gone.
The only time I'm in the hood anymore is to check the oil or maybe even look at the spark
plugs.
I think you could safely say at this point that snowmobiling has transformed into a family
friendly sport.
Well I rode it as a child but as an adult we just recently bought snowmobiles.
Oh I liked it.
I was a little sore because we went 200 miles in one day my first time so I was a little
sore.
I enjoyed it, you know, the country and taking it all the scenery and it was fun.
I remember going on trail safaris where you just limited to just a certain amount of area
and then now you can go out independently or with some friends and just go from point
A to point B and cover 100 to 200 miles in a matter of hours when before you wouldn't
want to think about that in a whole day.
And it's statements like these that prove that the sport of snowmobiling is growing
quickly and believe it or not it's not just the hardcore weekend warrior that's purchasing
new model sleds, it's the family.
Sometimes a family will buy three sleds or four sleds in a huge trailer and a lot of
people in this area have vacation homes here so they buy multiple units, leave them up
here, they have a reason to come up here and yeah the whole family likes to come up.
It's just something as a family we can get together and do.
Safety is always the issue, you know, we're always looking at being safe.
Our children are 14 years old and they're just starting to get involved in it so it
is something you can do as a family.
And there are many reasons why snowmobiling has become so family friendly.
One big reason is the smooth ride.
What's happened really with the suspension is since it's got more high tech, since it's
got nicer ride, since it's got longer travel, there's also more levels of suspension.
Talking about suspension, your average suspension is 9 inches in the front and 13 in the back.
If there's a little bump in the trailer or something, you don't even feel it hardly.
You know, they got adjustments on them where you can adjust the springs on the front and
in the back and it's almost like driving a car in some ways and people ask, how can
you ride a sled that long?
Well, it's something that once you can't describe it, once you ride one, it's appreciable.
Anybody can actually ride one.
The manufacturers, you know, tailor make sleds to different degrees of riders so not only
is it easier to ride but there's more choices in suspension.
It's not just engine anymore, it's you can have a mid-sized engine and a firm suspension
and you can have a huge engine and a soft suspension for a vice person all the way around.
And of course, with any sport that ever graced the face of the earth, we know that it's better
to look good than to feel good.
But in this case, you can actually have both.
Oh, it is definitely an issue with the children, what color, what design, absolutely matching
your suit up with your, you know, with your snowmobile going out, yeah.
So it's kind of almost a fashion show?
Absolutely, especially when you have teenagers, gotta have the suits, gotta match your snowmobile.
It used to be each manufacturer had their own specific color, you know, it was yellow,
it was black, it was green, but it was red.
Well, as it got to be a more fashionable thing with the clothing, the suits, the helmets,
the sleds followed suit, it's the manufacturers that pick the clothing also pick the sled
colors.
So now you have one model that may come in three colors, you may have three colors of
suit in three or four different styles of that suit.
So you can kind of make a fashion statement out of picking the color of a sled and the
color of a suit and the style of a suit and the helmet and etc., etc.
And riding a snowmobile on a trail that's not been groomed is like driving on a freeway
full of potholes.
Thankfully, there's many hardworking individuals in the Midwest that take care of that very
problem.
We have a lot of snowmobile clubs that dedicate a lot of their time in the summer to clearing
trails, to marking trails, to mapping trails, and then they spend a lot of their time in
the winter grooming trails, and the DNR participates in that too, Michigan here, they keep the trails
as smooth as they possibly can, and that just makes it nicer for everyone, it makes it safer,
it makes it easier, it makes it funnier.
Stay tuned because coming up next will take you behind the scenes of snowmobiling and
spend an afternoon with the hardworking folks who are making your next wild weekend go perfectly
smooth.
Also, what lies at the end of one of these trails?
You won't believe your eyes.
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It's a snowmobiler's wild weekend giveaway, win a two night stay in a cabin for up to
five people at Timberridge ski resort.
If you're a snowmobiler headed to the Traverse City area and want the rustic experience, Timberridge
holds the key.
Join your family in the lodge by the fire and create memories that will last a lifetime,
and then hit the trails for phenomenal snowmobiling that will lead you to anywhere in Michigan.
Watch Wild Weekend Sunday at 11 or log on to wildweekendgd.com.
Welcome back, I'm your host Byron Goggin.
We're in Newberry, Michigan, the epicenter when it comes to snowmobiling in Michigan.
Did you know that snowmobiling is a multi-million dollar industry?
The average snowmobiler spends $230 per day per person on their average snowmobile trip.
Now we're at the Aquamanon Area Snowmobile Association visiting some of the groomers.
These guys are in charge of making sure that you have the best experience possible when
it comes to your weekend snowmobile trip.
We started in September with a new brush hog that goes on in front of us with three 24-inch
blades on it.
We started brushing this trail December 12th and it went on until April.
How many miles do you have to cover a day?
Oh, us guys, we cover around 146, something like that, 147 miles with three groomers.
That's one way and then you double that and come back.
This trail right here is like eight hours to do it.
Eight hours to go back through the Aquamanon Falls.
That's 30 miles.
You've got to find something that's 45 miles one way.
That takes around 13 hours.
And all these hours of work have paid off in the form of national recognition.
Last year we were voted 59 states, Yellowstone, Wyoming, Iowa, and there was another one and
then there was us.
I couldn't believe it.
Well, you better believe it because people are coming in droves to experience the Aquamanon
Area Trail System, especially families.
I enjoy coming out here watching the families.
I see more and more kids with the families and stuff and that's what I like to see out
here.
And we see more and more of it every year lately.
Now grooming is not to be taken lightly.
Bumpy trails, lack of warning signs, and overall maintenance can be the difference between snowmobiles
coming again or going somewhere else.
The biggest problem on trails are the moguls that build up from access traffic.
That's another safety factor right there is getting these groomers out every day, getting
them trails knocked down.
Because then my moguls doesn't get pretty rough and people do get hurt on them too.
I try to, 99% of the time, or even 100% of the time to get these trails done seven days
a week.
But what's the big deal?
Flattening snow can't be all that difficult or can it?
If I want to get a lot of snow, all I gotta do is push the front down a little bit here
so you go down and bring it back up.
I can fill that pan right up, especially going in the corners.
Make them corners real smooth and fill it right in with snow.
I try to keep it at an even slow distance so I'm picking up enough snow to fill that
pan up back there in front.
This year's got a vibrator on the pan back there.
That vibrator back there is vibrating so many times per minute.
It packs the trail down and it makes it real hard behind you.
You don't want to go very fast.
The slower you go, the more it packs that down.
It's like concrete back there.
We want to get out there and walk back there.
So if managing that pan thing isn't already difficult enough without constantly looking
backwards, there's another added obstacle that makes a groomer's life pretty tough.
Getting nerve wracking after a while, especially when you get a lot of snow slugs on the trail
here.
Some of them are coming at you like 60 miles an hour or whatever.
I've had a hit before, head on around the corner of the snow powder and it hit me so
hard to take them bend the snow slug right in half and then wrap the vibrator on their
leg and couldn't get their leg out of that heck of a time.
So they take precautions.
I take the brush and I'll get the inside corners way back as far as I can.
So that two or three second time period right there between the time you see the sled and
they see you to be the dimmer between getting hurt real bad or killed.
By then either hitting me or going off and hitting a three.
So we're pretty conscious of no where to watch for the sled.
It almost seems like an air traffic controller's job.
I mean when you're on your game, you're virtually unnoticed.
But if you're not, it could cost lives.
It's a huge responsibility that often goes without thanks, but not always.
I appreciate the groomers.
I think they do one hell of a job and if it wasn't for them, I don't think a lot of the
towns would survive as much as they do because the trails are groomed.
Everybody wants to go back up there and ride on a nice groomed trail.
Okay, so why would anybody want to become a groomer anyway?
We'll find out coming up next.
Also where do all these trails lead anyway?
Is there a pot of gold or something at the end of them?
Well, I guess that's going to be up to you to decide.
That's all coming up next on your next Wild Weekend.
A train ride plus a fantasy snowmobile ride equals a fantastic Wild Weekend.
It's time to add you to the mix.
We want you to win this trip, be a part of the next Wild Weekend film crew as we take
a trip to the Algoma Central Railway Snow Train.
We load the sleds onto the train, head 150 miles north and are dropped off to enjoy fantastic
open snowmobile trails that are out of this world.
Go to the Wild Weekend website and tell us why you deserve a Wild Weekend snowmobile
vacation.
Wild Weekend Sunday at 11 on Comcast Local.
Didn't get enough of the story you were interested in today?
Check out the Wild Weekend TV dot com website.
There are links to every story that we cover on this program.
So if you're dying for more information, you can find it on Wild Weekend TV dot com.
There are additional links to sites like travel dot michigan dot org that will tell you what
is going on around the state of Michigan.
You can also find out great toys that will make your Wild Weekend more memorable.
No more before you go at Wild Weekend TV dot com.
Welcome back.
Drooming snowmobile trails is an enormously time consuming proposition, not to mention
the hours of isolation that these guys endure.
You may have to ask yourself, where's the upside in the life of a groomer?
What do you like most about this job?
It's kind of solitary, isn't it?
Yeah, that's what I like.
I enjoy being on here by myself.
It's pretty on here.
I see a lot of rabbits, I see a lot of deer, I see bobcats, coyotes, you meet a lot of
nice people out here, and I guess I'm by myself, I'm my own boss.
I enjoy it.
I do enjoy it.
Have you ever seen moose here in the groomer?
Oh yeah.
Well, two years ago, the first time we came out here, I think it was right along in here,
maybe it's up here a little bit farther.
A big bull moose came out here and he stayed on a trail for half an hour in front of the
groomer, he wouldn't get off the trail.
So, if you're sitting in any kind of vehicle for more than 13 hours, you'd think that comfort
would have to be a key, and these guys have it covered.
It's an eight-way plower, you can push the button, it'll tilt it down, bring it back.
I really like that feature on it.
You go left, you go right, or you can angle left or right, back and forth, the drag controls
are all right here.
The top will bring the drag up and bring it back down, you want to grab more snow, just
push it down.
I got my beeper here for snow sledders, they've got them in their helmets, they can hear a
beeper on it from the groomer coming.
The first thing I do when I get in the groomer, I check it out and make sure all the dials
and everything's working, then I get me a little traveling music.
I turn the music up and you're going to hear it.
You've got to have a good beat to it and I'm ready to go down the trail.
Keep it awake and away we go.
Everyone, Molly, make sure they move a little bit there here, but the traveling music helps
all the time.
What's your favorite thing about grooming at night, do you have something?
I like it when there's just a little bit of snow coming down and rabbits are dirt and
back and forth in front of you and you see animals, solitude out here, it's nice and
quiet.
Do the snowmobiles appreciate you enough?
I'll tell you, a couple of days ago, the first time I went out with this here, I got about
halfway up to Pine Stump up there and a sled pulled me over here and he went to pull the
door out and said, what do you want?
I wasn't sure what he wanted.
He was bringing out two 20s and a 10, he was going to give it to me and I've had that
happen before and I don't take money from sledders.
We get paid for doing this and I enjoy being out here doing it and I know they appreciate
it all.
That's how I know they appreciate it.
Coming up next on your next Wild Weekend, we're going to get off the groom trail and
take you to a place where you think you're in a whole nother world, stick with us.
The best handling independent rear suspended ATV currently available, ATV of the year,
one of the best big boy quads of all time, it's in a class by itself, even with all
the accolades, the king quads speaks for itself, the king is here.
Hey, what are you doing next weekend?
We'll make it something different and get off the couch and into the outdoors.
Your next Wild Weekend explores real adventures that you and your family can enjoy together.
We'll show you how and where to get involved.
Your host Byron Goggin will rope you in as he takes you rock climbing, mountain biking,
kayaking, hot air ballooning, scuba diving and a host of sports you have never heard
of.
Whether you're a beginner or an expert with outdoor activities will preview where you
want to be on your next Wild Weekend.
It's a snowmobiler's Wild Weekend giveaway.
Join a two night stay in a cabin for up to five people at Timber Ridge ski resort.
If you're a snowmobiler headed to the Traverse City area and want the rustic experience,
Timber Ridge holds the key.
Join your family in the lodge by the fire and create memories that will last a lifetime
and then hit the trails for phenomenal snowmobiling that will lead you to anywhere in Michigan.
Watch Wild Weekend Sunday at 11 or log on to wildweekendtv.com.
This portion of your next Wild Weekend is brought to you by the Basement Waterproofing
Specialist at Bee Dry Systems of Michigan, providing professional waterproofing service
to your community since 1981.
Now for those of you who are experiencing the snowmobile trails in Upper Michigan, you
might think that the scenery stops at the end of the trail.
But does it really?
If you take the time to get off your snowmobile and walk back into the woods, you'll find
that that's where the scenery actually starts.
Now there are some downfalls to finding things that are off the beaten path, but sometimes
those downfalls can be fun falls.
That's one thing I've always loved about snowmobiles is, you know, to get out and see nature.
I mean, everybody can just, you know, go off they want and I just, I choose to stop and
observe nature as much as I can.
My work, you know, takes up a lot of my summers and this is basically my camping is, is what
I do in the wintertime.
And you know, just, you know, coming out with a family and this is something that we all
enjoy and I just, I just wish, you know, more people come out and enjoy what's, what's
all out here to be offered.
It's hard to believe that places like this more often than not are only a quarter mile
away from the closest trailhead.
And for those who choose not to take the short hike, while it does leave more privacy and
solitude for those of us who keep walking, it's too bad they don't see it though.
It's hard to make the effort to get in here, at least that's the perception.
Once you get in here, I've never known anybody that's come in to see these falls that has
not thought they were worthwhile to see.
To start a quote a friend of mine, he says, you can be hunting for 30 years and tomorrow
you can go out there and see something you've never seen before.
And unless you're out there, you're not going to see it.
I write songs about Native American legends and of course this is the kind of place that
inspires a song about a Native American legend.
They found these places like big medicine, this would be a place where there was medicine.
Not only because there was fish, but because of the beauty of the place.
Every time I come here, it's different.
There's something different, different scenery, I see different wildlife.
The snow conditions might be different, we'll have different ice conditions, the ice will
be different colors.
Sometimes these falls are frozen solid and sometimes like this year there's beautiful
water coming down the falls, it's a new thing every time.
It kind of reminds me of the poem by Robert Frost where it says there was two paths in
the woods and I took the path less traveled by and that has made all the difference.
And you know what, it does make all the difference even if your friends don't understand your
adventurous spirit.
I must admit there are friends of mine who say I'm a little nutty for doing things I
do, but unless you've been there, you can't really understand it and you know what, this
is the epitome of understanding.
A train ride plus a fantasy snowmobile ride equals a fantastic wild weekend.
It's time to add you to the mix.
We want you to win this trip, be a part of the next wild weekend film crew as we take
a trip to the Algama Central Railway Snow Train.
We load the sleds onto the train, head 150 miles north and are dropped off to enjoy fantastic
open snowmobile trails that are out of this world.
Just go to the Wild Weekend website and tell us why you deserve a Wild Weekend snowmobile
vacation.
Wild Weekend Sunday at 11 on Comcast Local.
Didn't get enough of the story you were interested in today?
Check out the wildweekendtv.com website.
There are links to every story that we cover on this program.
So if you're dying for more information, you can find it on wildweekendtv.com.
There are additional links to sites like travel.michigan.org that will tell you what is going on around
the state of Michigan.
You can also find out great toys that will make your Wild Weekend more memorable.
No more before you go at wildweekendtv.com.
A tribute to Charles is brought to you by Bacardi.
Rich, smooth, full-bodied rum.
Bacardi, craftsmanship, tradition, and passion since 1862.
Bacardi, craftsmanship, tradition, and passion since 1862.
Bacardi, craftsmanship, tradition, and passion since 1862.
Bacardi, craftsmanship, tradition since 1862.
Well, thanks for joining us for yet another edition of your next Wild Weekend.
The outdoor television show that focuses on outdoor activities for the entire family.
For more information on stories like these, go to wildweekendtv.com.
Here you can find links to every story that we cover on this show.
So until next time, I'm Byron Goggin, and I'll see you on the path less traveled in search
of your next Wild Weekend.
