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'm almost embarrassed to admit that I had spent very little time snowmobiling in the St. Germain-Eagle River, Wisconsin area during past World Championship derbies. At the time, it seemed so important to know all there is about who was racing and how they were doing. Fact was that most of the information you needed to know came later in the local pubs anyway.
That was then. This is now. This year we hauled two scooters to St. Germain, about 14 miles from the derby track. After a particularly wimpy winter last year, we were primed to ride - and take in the 25th anniversary derby.
It was mid-afternoon on the Thursday before the big race when we trucked into Fath's Big Woods Resort on the outskirts of St. Germain. We checked in. Dressed for riding, we unloaded the scooters.
We were supposed to meet a friend for dinner, but he hadn't told us when. So, what do you do? Hit the trails in search of his weekend hideaway. We stopped at supper clubs along the way - of which there are many. We asked for directions. But, because we felt guilty asking for something and not giving anything back in return - well, we would quaff a local brew before going on our way. Fortunately, the way to our friend's wasn't far. There must be more bars and supper clubs per mile in this part of Wisconsin than any other place in the universe. If a person had a brew at every bar on the Bo-Boen trail, he'd most certainly set a Guinness record of some kind.
The trails - even for newcomers - are extremely well mapped. In no time at all, we were feeling like area veterans.
From our friend's resort, we rode our sleds to dinner while he drove his van.
Dinner at Blink Bonnie's was exceptional. The steak was steaming hot - charred some on the outside, but just near perfect on the inside. To give you the feeling of being in the northwoods, the owner lights the back yard to show off the local deer population that grazes on the hay and grain fed to them.
While the food was very good, you have to be on time to get it. No exceptions. One evening we missed the cut-off by five minutes. Sorry, boys, no dinner. Another time the bar keep had suggested that the bar would remain open late. He changed his mind. Sorry, boys. The scheduled hours may be what they say, but don't bet on it.
Regardless, our experience in St. Germain was extremely pleasant.
The Kountry Inn, which was opened just before Christmas by the Kadza family, is a very friendly place to stop. It's Number 9 on the trail map and Number One in our hearts as a place to stop and relax.
The first time we checked in, Bernie Kadza was offering free samples of some of the best venison sausage we'd tasted. (No, he wasn't getting the sausage made from the deer at Blink Bonnie's, we asked!) No matter how busy it got, Bernie, Janet and Kris were always smiling and helpful. Take a break in St. Germain at Pit Stop #9.
And if you like a down-home breakfast, don't miss eating at Betty's Cafe. If it's full - which it might be because it's small and has gained a good reputation - it's worth waiting for a seat.
This is a snowmobiler's kind of place. The food is plentiful, tasty and the price for it is easy to digest too.
It's right on the main drag, so you can't miss it.
That was Friday's breakfast. It got us through the day. And it was a day of being on the go. We rode over to the derby for press passes and a weekend schedule. It's a good ride over easy-to-follow trails, although we did stray a couple of times.
Since trail speeds are only in the 20s, we had no trouble keeping up with traffic on our scooters. We even had a little extra "oomph" to spare from time to time.
If you go out alone, it's a good idea to ask about river and open water conditions. It was above freezing when we were riding and the river was just starting to open up here and there. If you don't know something, ask. The people in St. Germain are willing to help.
On our way back from Eagle River, we hit the lakes St. Germain, big and little.
For night riding, these lakes are hard to beat. There are wooden markers pointing the way for most key Pit Stops, and at the junctions, there is usually a yellow blinking construction light to warn you that a course change may be in order.
Pick a place to stop. We couldn't find a bad one in the bunch. Some we liked better than others, but there wasn't a bad one to be found.
When Saturday rolled around, well, we thought we should go to the track. We did, sort of. We got an official "parking pass" for our truck. Then we headed north to Michigan.
Watersmeet is a half hour north of the track. And, this year, at least, there was more snow on the trails in Michigan than 30 miles south in Eagle River. With the warming weather and increasingly heavy influx of sleds, we thought our chances for fresh riding would be better in Michigan. So, we said "Yes!" to Michigan and unloaded at the Sunset Motel.
We'd talked with Betty Tate, co-owner with her husband Maurice, on the telephone when we solicited advertising. We'd never been to their place. That's changed.
Unannounced and not intending to disrupt their busy schedule, we asked for a trail map and some suggestions. Maurice wouldn't have any of that. Said he, "I'd rather go snowmobiling than clean motel rooms any day." And, after a quick - but delicious - bite of French Dip sandwich at Minnie's Cafe, which is next to Walt's Bar, we were off.
We were glad that Maurice had decided to join us. He took us out on a few trails that no one else had touched a ski to in days. Through the Ottawa National Forest we roamed. Waterfalls, open river, thick forests and mile after mile of straight trails intermixed with tight twisting climbs up hills and quick charges down the other side. On the way out of Watersmeet, we met groups of sledders - 10 or more at a time. On the way back, we had the forest to ourselves.
If you ride in Watersmeet, talk with Maurice. He can tell you where to find solo riding. He can suggest some places to explore that are just off the beaten track, not hard to reach nor return from.
From our day's ride with Maurice, we're convinced that there are a few miles of trail in that area that no one ever touches. There are that many miles of good riding in the area.
Saturday's ride came to an end. We loaded up our scooters and headed back to St. Germain.
With Sunday's arrival, we knew that we couldn't avoid it anymore. We went to the race track. It was nice to see old friends and watch the "ice-mobile" dare evils scream around the banked oval. But, after finally taking the time to ride around the area during derby weekend, we decided that maybe we'd been missing the best part of race weekend. Derby weekend is for riding!