Back From The Vintage Challenge!

JoeRainville · Post by **JoeRainville** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 9:26 am

Nice job telling your story Brian. I will fully give you credit for being pretty fast while being on a mid-motor, you were consistantly the first sled to catch up to Kenny and I when we would stop to let the the group catch up.

What a ride it was!
-Rainville

kenwaters · Post by **kenwaters** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 10:44 am

Brian,

Excellent yarn! That ride will live in infamy! Seriously, a decent pace for all that rode, the group that stayed with the guide Mike, was consistently the group to catch up to me and Joe all day. That proved to be very true at the end, as we were the first of the tour group to get back to the dinner.

Kevin,

What a nice 75 X-8! I wish I could have rode all day with you, but since Joe was the instigator in all this madness, I stayed with him and the group.

Jon,

It sure was a pleasure to ride alongside you and the Dator across the lakes. Both Joe and I agree, that was one of the highlights of the trip, to see the boss at work on a Dator.

Everyone,

Thanks for a ton of great memories! The only drawback from the whole trip was my learning experience on I-90 with Joe's truck and trailer. I will say as I've said a thousand times since; "Sorry Joe" Thankfully no one was hurt, and just a wrinkle in the front of the trailer and tire problems.

johnnycyclone · Post by **johnnycyclone** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 11:53 am

Very nice writing Brian. It puts me right there with you, even though I wasn't there. Nice job!

Terre

kwc · Post by **kwc** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 2:33 pm

Thank you for the compliments Kenny, I am real happy how the ol' black beater turned out and ran on Saturday! It took me three different X8's and a NOS bumper from Rainville to get it completed.

I have offically started gathering parts for my 2010 HOF Vintage Challenge sled and will get started on it around the first of April.

Holy smokes....only 359 days until we ride again!! :lol22:

http://www.timeanddate.com/counters/customcounter.html?month=2&day=20&year=2010&hour=8&min=00&sec=&p0=142

JoeRainville · Post by **JoeRainville** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 2:55 pm

Kevin,

As I said in person, your X-8 was a beautiful looking and sweet running machine. I give you and Linder a lot credit for hammering along with those Mid-motor Deeres. It's also really nice to see a few of my parts being put to good use! I think the only more challenging sled to ride the far, that hard, would be an 800. Bogies baby, bogies! (Owe my back hurts just thinking about it!)

I am going to start my 2010 challenge sled as soon as SnoCross season ends, while still finishing my not yet done 2009 340/s resto. If all goes well, you guys will like my sled and back up sled for next year.

You had to go and post another countdown timer didn't you. Stupid timer, I feel pressured already, LOL!

More later...
-Rainville

kwc · Post by **kwc** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 5:20 pm

Thank you very much Joe, I appreciate it.

I think my 800 will have to be the next VC restoration now that I have a challenge from you!! Sorry Troy, the 800 is no longer for sale.

DeereFan 77 · Post by **DeereFan 77** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 8:13 pm

Brian,

Great job on recalling the adventure.

Kevin,

Does that mean the Phyclone project is now on hold that we engineered all the way from Wisconsin to K-zoo??

400brian · Post by **400brian** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 5:40 pm

Riding in the dark holds no special terror for me, most of the riding I did as a kid was after dark. If fact, I believe the first trail ride I drove a sled on was at night. I had a bit of concern about the charging system on the sled. When we got to the Cisco stop, the battery wouldn't start the engine. I turned the lights off, and when I went to start at Fishtails, it did. So it appeared the charging system wasn't keeping up to the draw of the lights. So, I wasn't 100% sure what was going to happen. When we pulled into the woods heading back from Cisco, I flipped the lights on, they worked, continued to work, and I never thought about them again.

As we continued south, the trails deteriorated back to the icy conditions we'd encountered on the way up. I had to pull the speed down a bit, and as they had all day long, the sleds in the lead disappeared from sight. JD16 was running in front of me on the Sprint, and I had sleds behind me for a time, but then as had happened all day, the sleds behind me dropped behind.

JD16 and I continued on. He was running a pace I could stay with, and we were putting the miles behind us. In the dark, my perception of time and distance suffers, it seemed like we had traveled a long way, and I was expecting Mike to stop and re-group us, but it didn't happen. Eventually we came to an intersection, and we stopped and sized up the situation. The sign indicated a left turn ( south ) would take us toward Sayner ( the way we had come ) or we could go straight towards Star Lake. The logical course of action would be to head for Sayner, but the tracks in the trail appeared to have been made by vintage sleds going straight through! I waved JD16 straight, and we traveled on, hoping I'd made the right call.

We traveled a fair distance ( several miles ), and eventually pulled into a bar/resort called "Stillwaters", and there sat our lead element. Mike, Rainville, Waters, Meyers, and Teresa Larsen ( the one who had taken the nap on the lake earlier ).
So now there were seven. We chatted a bit, and I asked them what they were doing? They replied that they were waiting for the group. I suggested that since they had taken a wrong turn, and weren't where they were supposed to be, that I didn't think the group would be showing up.

Mike was consulting his map, while I sought out a particularly dry looking tree to help out. They had a light set up behind the bar, and a couple of does were at the feeding station. When I returned, Mike was still consulting the map. I asked him where we were, and he pointed to several dots on Star Lake. I suggested that he ask the bartender which dot we were at, so we could navigate back to Sayner. Mike agreed, and headed into the bar. Rainville was taking a nap on the sled, and the rest were standing around.
Mike returned in only a couple of minutes, ready to go. The gal at the bar had drawn a line on the map across Star Lake ( which wasn't marked on the map ). She told Mike this was the short cut to Sayner, and that it was well marked. As we saddled up, I asked Mike to keep us together.

We dropped down to the lake to find trail markers like a picket fence! The lake was smoother than most we'd been on, and we opened them up to a nice pace. We crossed a peninsula, then the other half of the lake, man it was great!
We soon were back on a land trail, and were headed for Sayner. It seemed to go fast to me now, and we were soon through Sayner and headed for St Germain. Victory was close at hand! Sled keep running! Stay out of the trees, I hope we have enough gas!

Next: Where is everyone?

River Rat · Post by **River Rat** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 8:12 pm

Brian.. Excellent stories..Keep em coming.. Who's doing chores while you type all that.?? :lol22:

My stories would be something like...Got up,,,started snowmobile,,went snowmobiling,,stopped at the bar,,got drunk,,went home.. That's all I would remember..

Frankie

Eric Bergstrom · Post by **Eric Bergstrom** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 8:36 pm

Hey guys, this is a great site you have over here! I have been a Cat guy all my life, but I participated in the Ride With the Champs as well, and what a great time! I need to compliment all of you on your passion for old Deeres as well. What a genuine bunch of fun people... and it's sure obvious that you take great pride in your brand! I must say, I saw some super nice JD sleds on the big ride.

As for the ride, it was everything I hoped it would be. Even a mechanical issue with my '79 El Tigre 5000 turned into a great memory maker. Brian Nelson was the first guy to my side when it broke down, and Jon Carlson personally took time out to help me repair it... and they could not have been more humble despite helping out some kid they'd never met before. Talk about great memories!! I posted a bunch more over on vintagesleds.com, but just wanted to make a comment here after hearing such great things about the site and also getting to meet so many of you in St. Germain. Keep up the good work and thank you very much!

400brian · Post by **400brian** » Fri Feb 27, 2009 6:19 am

When we left Stillwater's, Tod pulled in behind me because he'd noted that my tail light wasn't working. As we ran the icy trails between Sayner and St Germain, Tod ( who stuck to me like glue ) got a good look at "mid-mount ice riding techniques" I'd be sliding through the turns, using the edge of the trail to keep me from sliding out into the trees, running the high side of the turns ( because it was slightly smoother up there ), and using a lot of body english. Tod later told me that this looked like a lot of work. Hey, when I got to the Whitetail Inn I was hungry!

Actually, throughout the day, I had guys coming up to me and asking if I was riding the X8? When I would reply that I was, they would say: " I can't believe how hard you are running that old sled! I would tell them that Campbell was out running me, and on one stop, had to lift Kevin's hood so they could see the tuner pipe in there! Another told me that he had a couple of JDXs, but had never felt the urge to get either of them running until he had saw how Kevin and I were riding these! I didn't think I was riding it all that hard, I was just riding how I've always rode mid-mounts.

We were winding our way through St Germain, Mike had missed the trail that goes west of town and crosses the lake. Everyone loves the signs that say St Germain three miles, then point in two opposite directions, then you ride for 10 minutes and come to a sign that says St Germain 3 miles. Anyway the group stopped. We later learned that Kenny's low oil light had come on ( the one in his head ) and he needed to add some before it ran out. The stars were shining brightly, and big snow flakes were drifting down. I was feeling pretty good, and had never been cold all day.

Finally we came to HWY 70, and headed the last few miles to the Whitetail Inn. However, when we passed the motel, everyone but Teresa and I pealed off. We rode into the Inn, and I was confused. There were no tire tracks in the fresh snow in the driveway, there were no sleds parked out front, and there seemed to be few lights on. I was thinking, it must be really late, the banquet must be over!
I could see someone standing in the entryway, so I walked in.

Once inside, I asked what was going on, and the gentleman replied that "we are about to serve the meal." Great! It takes me awhile to get my helmet off. When I pull the chin strap tight, it wedges the cinch or something, and I struggle to get it loose. Finally I get the helmet off and walk into the dinning room. I'm wearing my black riding gear, green VC bib, and carrying the black/yellow full face helmet.

Jon and Loren spotted me immediately! Both looked worried, but Jon was practically ashen. I was the first VC rider to return ( not counting Campbell and Ross ) and they didn't seem happy to see me, they just wanted to know where Rainville was! Just kidding!
So I'm talking to Loren and Jon, explaining how there are only 5 vintage sleds in the group Mike just led in. I don't think I had been through the door 30 seconds when Troy steps out of the crowd to hand me a beer! Damn! thanks! I asked Troy what time it was, and I think it was between 7:30 and 7:45. Jon was not happy that the group was split, and that I hadn't seen anyone else in hours. Mike walked in, and Jon went over to talk to him.

I sat down with the Deere gang, and we shared some stories about our day. Wasn't long and the meal was served, and I was hungry.
Somewhere around 8:30 the rest of the VC riders walked in, to loud applause! Somehow Rainville had timed it so that he walked in with them. I notice Jon is now all smiles, and Loren reports that all have returned and are accounted for!

As the program starts, the ramrod from each group tells a bit about the ride they ran that day. Jon is handed the microphone last, and he brags us all up, eventually making us all stand and take a bow. Can't remember the last time I was asked to do that. Jon even makes a special note, that 2 of us did the VC on mid-mounts. After that Jon is awarded his trophy, and the inductions begin.

I am falling asleep at the table. I can hear someone saying, "Don't let him fall asleep", So I get up before I get the whipped cream treatment or something worse. I'm back at the bar getting a Dew, I feel dehydrated. Rainville is standing there BSing some poor SOB, I ask him if he wants something, and he replies a Coke. They draw one, I hand it to Joe, and he chugs it! guess he has the same thing going on.

next: wrap up

Attachments:

kwc · Post by **kwc** » Fri Feb 27, 2009 3:55 pm

"I was the first VC rider to return ( not counting Campbell and Ross )" :lol22:

Did I mention how good the soak in hot tub felt before we headed over for cocktail hour at the banquette Saturday night??

Here is the list of guys on the long ride.

Attachments:

VC_riders.jpg (70.34 KB)

400brian · Post by **400brian** » Sat Feb 28, 2009 5:34 pm

Rainville, Kenny, Troy and I talked with Brian Nelson until they started turning the lights off, and Brian's wife Karen took the keys to go warm up the truck.

I asked Troy to hang around until I got the sled started. I pulled the choke and turned the key, it started, but as usual, I couldn't push the choke off quick enough to keep it running. I turned the key again, but it was dead. I pulled the rope, it started but didn't stay running, and I'm standing there holding the rope, it didn't rewind. I tried pulling the rope a bit, but it refused to rewind. It does this once in a while, and if you take the rewind off the engine, it works perfectly. I discovered that it was rewinding enough that I could pull one piston over at a time. So I stood at the rear of the sled and bumped it over, and I'll be darned, it started!

The ride to the motel takes 30 seconds, and Troy stands on the trailer while I load the sled, being as the trailer isn't hooked to anything.
I pounded down a few ibuprofen, and crashed.

The alarm went off at 7:30. I stayed in the sack until Troy was out of the shower. I cranked the water up hot, and tried to work a few of the kinks out of my back. When I came out, Troy announced that unlike the year before, the Dodge had started! I gathered up my gear, and headed out to toss it in the truck. I met Jon at the front desk, and we chatted for a moment. Jon said that those of us who had completed the trip had really done something ( my body was agreeing! ), and that we now had bragging rights! We bid our good byes, and went out to toss our gear into the trucks. We returned to the motel to sit down with Matt and Pat for a light breakfast.

We returned to the trucks to hook on my trailer, and tie down the sleds. Then we were on the road headed towards Eagle River. I much prefer to drive HWY 17 south to Merrill rather than go to Minocqua and take I-39 all the way. Everything went great until I turned onto 17. The turning lane was snow covered, and apparently I was still going a tad too fast. I made the turn, but with the trailer jackknifed around the truck, and the steering wheel turned all the way in the opposite direction! With everything sliding sideways, it slowed to where I could get back on the gas and let the four wheel drive pull everything straight. Hey, I meant to do that!
From there on, everything went good. Troy and I stopped at a Mc Ds in Portage. Troy picked up a Happy Meal, we swapped each other's stuff back, and I was home by 12:30.

So, what did we learn?

We learned that you CAN ride 175 miles on vintage sleds.

We learned that it isn't fatal.

We learned that it is fun!

It is apparent that even the best prepared sleds can fail to make the trip. Troy had been over his sled with a fine tooth comb, bummer.

It appears that the Mikuni equipped sleds ( everyone but me and Campbell ) need to bring a selection of jets.

It appears that we need to start earlier in the morning.

And perhaps most inportant, I think we need better support. Rainville had offered his truck and trailer with back-up sleds. If we had had it along, we could have had Jon on a fresh sled in under 15 minutes, and he wouldn't have had to wonder where we were.

Attachments:

VC_dator_chunks__resize.jpg (118.28 KB)

Danzig · Post by **Danzig** » Sun Mar 01, 2009 12:46 am

sounds like there was alot of gremlins around...........you guys did great.........I missed you all!!!

JDT · Post by **JDT** » Sun Mar 01, 2009 12:39 pm

Really enjoyed your write up Brian. Thank you.