January 2015 is drawing to a close soon. It's been a typical First Month so far, snowy, blustery, windy and somewhat unusually icy. It has been near perfect for winter sports and fun outside (see Motor Toboggan below). Driving, however, has been a whole other story. Here at Koyote Hill we did start one new activity, smoking a turkey outside!
Well, we have done it twice now since Christmas. Both were twenty pound birds, soaked in a brine a couple of us concocted after reading recipes, and placed in the smoker using apple wood we gathered for the smoke flavor. Waiting the eight or so hours away, there were chess games (actually a tournament) and wood splitting, and plenty of beer.
Both birds came out fantastic; moist and flavorful. There was hardly enough left overs to even make turkey soup.
This will likely be a winter tradition for years to come.
We are also about to embark on two other ventures this year which will be revealed within the upcoming weeks. So stay posed or follow the blog. It's going to be a busy, fun year!
Snowmobiles are a lot of fun and hundreds of people in northwestern Pennsylvania enjoy the sport and are members of local clubs. An edited version of the snowmobile story below appeared in the January edition of the Erie Times Publishing Company's
Lake Erie Life Style Magazine . It was headlined
Being Mobile in the Snow . Check out the magazine with the link above.
Hundreds of people, perhaps even
thousands, in Erie and Crawford County, anxiously awaited December
15, plenty of cold weather and heavy snow.
“The official opening of our
snowmobile trail system maintained by the various snowmobile clubs
happens on that day,” Linda McCarthy of Waterford said.
“We want to respect and honor the rights of property owners who are
hunters. Hunting season is pretty much over by that day.”
McCarthy, a member of the Presque Isle
Snowmobile Club and the Erie Crawford Snowmobile Alliance has been
enjoying the winter sport since the late 1960's.
“It's a great winter activity and
just a lot of fun,” she said. “When I first started in the late
sixties, you had to put so many clothes on to stay warm you could
hardly move. Now, with all the better clothing, I can just wear a
t-shirt and put my suit on and go.”
There have been plenty of other changes
in the sport ever since the first “motor toboggan”. Who exactly
was the Thomas Edison of snowmobiles is a rather murky question.
There were numerous attempts to make a motorized sled in the early
1920's. However, a lot of credit is given to Carl Eliason who lived
in Sayner, Wisconson. He was a trapper, who had a foot problem, making
it difficult for him to check his traps in the winter.
In 1924, Eliason began working on his
Motor Toboggan and in 1926 recieved a patent for his invention. He
produced 30 Motor Toboggans until World War 11 when he sold his
patent to the Four Wheel Drive Company (FWD) Company. Eventually, the
FWD Company moved their production of the Motor Toboggans to nearby
Kitchner, Ontario.
Although production was discontinued in
1964, other companies also introduced snowmobiles and today there are
many different varieties of “motor toboggans” for consumers to
choose. With snowmobiles on the market for winter enthusiasts,
attention quickly turned to other issues.
“I began with the Wales Sno-Drifters
Club when we lived in Harborcreek, but when we moved to Waterford, in
part because of the snow, we joined the Presque Isle Club,” she
said. “ Several years ago the Erie Crawford Snowmobile Alliance was
formed to help coordinate and maintain the trail system.”
The Alliance works with all the various
clubs in the region in helping to maintain existing trails and create
new routes.
“We are responsible riders and
respect the property owners who own the land the trails are going
through,” she said. “Sometimes when a property is sold, the new
owners don't want the in that location, so we have to change the
routes. The Alliance also maintains up to date maps of all the trails
which cover the region from from the Ohio State line to the New York
State line and into Crawford County and Warren County.”
The maps are $5 unless a rider belongs
to a club. Club members receive a significant discount, according to
McCarthy. Proceeds from the map sale help to fund various trail
projects and equipment.
“It's best for people to join a club
and be aware of the trail system,” she said. “It's always a good
idea to respect the landowner and stay on the designated trail and
not to take a sled and drive on property where your not wanted. There
are many advantages to joining your local snowmobile club especially
for families.”
The Alliance, like many of the clubs,
meets on a regular monthly basis.
“Sometimes we get a little slow
during the summer months but in general we meet, as do all the clubs
once a month,” McCarthy said. “All of the clubs also have safety
classes and programs. Safety is a top priority and that is why it is
so important to stay on the designated trails. Helmets are also very
important. I always wear mine when I am out. It is such a fun sport
but it does pay to do it safely. People can learn a lot of safety
steps to take by joining a club.”
In addition to the Alliance and the
Presque Isle Snowmobile Club other member clubs include: McKean
Snowriders, Stateline Sno-Trackers in Conneaut, Ohio, Tionesta
Valley SMC, Inc. in Warren County, Tri County Snow Blazers in Warren
County, Triangle S SMC in East Springfield, Wales Sno-Drifters Inc.,
and the Warren County Snowmobile Club. All of the clubs are members
of the Pennsylvania State Snowmobile Association (PSSA), Region One.
The PSSA was formed by a group of
snowmobilers from Marienville in 1969 to counteract legislation which
many in the sport felt was unfair. According to PSSA 2013 figues, the
top five counties where residents have snowmobiles are: Erie County,
2106, Lancaster County, 1689, Berks County, 1514, York County, 1321,
and Bucks County with 914.
Each individual club maintains their
own trails in their own area. The clubs have various fund raisers
throughout the year which help fund the improvements and new trails.
“There's a lot of work in trail maintenance and we have a “trail boss” for different sections of
the fifty miles of trails we take care of throughout the year,”
Mark Sonney of the Wales Sno-Drifters Clubs said. “There is always
a downed tree or a trail needs to be fixed to protect agricultural
land. It can cost the club anywhere between $15,000 and $20,000 every
year.”
The Wales Sno-Drifters, founded in
1971, has a popular gun raffle every year to help raise the needed
money for maintenance. The raffle was held this year on September 20.
“Most of the trails we have are on
private property and we need to take care of them and make sure our
riders remain on the trail system which extends from Lake Pleasant to
the New York State line and then southward to the Spartansburg area
and the Tri-County Snow Blazers Club.“
At the end of November the club was
gearing up for a new season and anticipating cold and snow.
“We're just hoping that we get a good
cold snap to freeze the ground hard before December 15,” Sonney
said. “Then let the heavy snow come. Snowmobiles , however, are not
permitted to use trails that cross State Game Lands this season until
January 18.”
The Tri-County Blazers maintain sixty
some miles of Trails in the Corry Spartnsburg area.
“It is a lot of work and we are
planning on extending the trail in the future,” member Ryan
Peterson said. “We have various fund raisers including a gun raffel
to help keep the trails clean and maintained..”
Today, thousands of people in
northwestern Pennsylvania safely enjoy the snow and cold on well
groomed trails due to the efforts of the various snowmobile clubs
active in the region.
