Now we've all heard it before . a storm front is moving down from the Northwest and will bring unsettled weather for the next few days with temperatures dropping and a chance of snow.
You can feel that nip in the air. Early in the morning there's a chill. The first ray of sunlight isn't warming up the air as it does during the summer. The leaves are changing colors. Mother Nature is preparing for winter.
When you add the signs offered by nature to the crates being delivered to snowmobile dealerships across North America, there's no denying that it will only be days before somewhere, someone will post the first photos of tracked snow.
Just yesterday I was out wandering around my shop, making sure my tools are in their right places and cleaning up a few lingering summer projects so the work bench would be ready for what's surely to come. I noticed there were a few holdover projects from last winter-some clutch parts and drive belts-still left out over the long summer and waiting for renewed attention before that first ride.
My neighbor had a couple of sleds loaded on a trailer and headed for the dealership to be traded in for this year's models. Apparently, he too was sensing the change in the weather.
Although we may have a few more days, perhaps weeks, before that first big storm puts down a cushion of white fluff, one thing is for sure: We know it's coming.
And the smell of fall isn't complete until we blend it with the smell of two-stroke oil. After all, the weatherman says there's a chance of snow.
SJ