Hi All, First, thanks to whomever plowed the Badger after the Blizzard. Contrary to some reports, it is plowed at least as far south as Whalen. Some of the crossings might require a dismount, but that's all part of the fun as far as I'm concerned. People have been out on it as recently as yesterday:
<http://www.flickr.com/photos/paranoidbadger/5431768359/> And by people, I mean fat bike riders. Even with the really big tires, we can't ride just anywhere. Places other bikes can't go? Sure. Really good to have something plowed or packed to a solid base. Finally, it's worth plowing the paved sections just to keep the snowmobiles off of them. I have nothing against snowmobiles generally, since they create that packed base that makes riding easier. My understanding, however, was that they were not allowed on the paved portion of the Badger or MR trails (with the exception of a sort section on the MRT just north of Old Highway PB near Verona) with good reason. Back when we got our first real snowfall on December 4, I came to some snowmobile tracks on the Badger just north of Highway M and followed them all the way to the Cap City trail. Although the snow cover was thick enough generally to keep the snowmobile off the pavement, there was evidence near some of the intersections that the operator had spun the carbide-studded tracks of the sled and dug into the asphalt, leaving grooves. Not being an expert on pavement, I don't know whether plowing or snowmobile track damage is worse, but I could make a guess... Michael _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected] http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org
