I have to write one more column about snow. Apologies to my friend and co-worker Jane who is more than ready for the cold to go away, but I am still enamored with the white stuff. I was just about ready for winter to be over, but then another friend, Nancy from Ely, visited and set off a chain of events that ended in a 150-mile-plus snowmobile ride.
Nancy and her husband Doug rode their snowmobiles to Grand Marais on Tuesday of last week. We met at My Sister’s Place for dinner and talked about the trails, which according to Nancy and Doug were the best they have been all season. Nancy, whose nickname and e-mail moniker is snow angel, was excited about sledding up the Gunflint Trail the next day.
After dinner, my husband Chuck and I talked about how little we had gone snowmobiling this year. Feeling a bit sorry for ourselves, we vowed to get at least a quick ride in over the weekend.
But then we got a call from Nancy— she was a guest at the emergency room at North Shore Hospital. Unfortunately, after a great day of riding all the way up to Gunflint Lodge, with stops at Hungry Jack Lodge and Trail Center, Nancy had crashed in the parking lot of the Aspen Lodge.
Nancy aka snow angel is an experienced snowmobiler who logs thousands of miles on her Arctic Cat every year, so it just goes to show that accidents can happen to anyone. Somehow when she went up and over the snowbank into the parking lot, she tipped her machine over. And somehow it resulted in a gash in her shin that required the trip to the ER and many stitches.
Because her snowmobiling is over for this season, Nancy and Doug asked if Chuck or I could give them a ride to Ely so they could get their truck and trailer to come and get their sleds. I said of course, but Chuck had a much better idea. He said we should let Doug and Nancy load their machines onto our trailer and take our vehicle home to Ely. Then he and I could snowmobile over to Ely on Saturday.
What a fabulous idea. Doug and Nancy agreed and set off for home. Poor Nancy, I was almost glad for her mishap because it meant a one-way ride on the fabulous trails between Grand Marais and Ely.
And the trails were amazing. We borrowed a machine so I got to drive myself. It was exciting and invigorating to try to keep up with Chuck, zipping along corners, leaning with all my might to stay on the inside of the curve. Of course my top speed at any point was 40 mph but I felt as if I was going 100.
The weather was wonderful and when we stopped for a delicious pastrami sandwich at Trestle Inn, I peeled off a layer of winter clothes. Anyone who thinks snowmobiling is not exercise needs to try riding 50 miles or more. You will feel aches in areas of your body that you weren’t even aware you had!
When we got to the Ely area, we missed the turnoff and we traveled all the way to Babbitt. We put on an extra 50 miles or so, but the trails were so smooth we didn’t mind too much. And the trail north of Babbitt, headed to Ely was one of the most enjoyable sections. It had huge rolling hills and it felt a little bit like riding a rollercoaster.
Of course, it may have been that I was giddy from exhaustion. Both of us were tired and we added to the tiredness by getting lost for a little while on Shagwa Lake. Snowmobiling 150 miles is a lot for one day. When we finally met Nancy and Doug and they directed us to the Grand Ely Lodge for dinner, I could hardly lift my fork to eat my food.
I felt kind of beat-up, like I had been in an accident. Nancy was getting around better than I was as we loaded up the snowmobiles for the drive home. I hope she continues to heal well and quickly. I feel bad that she was injured in our fair village.
But I really did enjoy our accidental trip to Ely!
It’s a bizarre but wonderful feeling,
to arrive dead center of a target you
didn’t even know you were aiming for.
Lois McMaster Bujold
Leave a Reply