42 FALL 2021 ISSUE 01 / VOL . 03
SNOWGOER . COM 43
The Long Ride Home
The tight and twisting Trail 8 took us to Clam Lake ( population : 37 ), where we grabbed fuel and prepared for a long loop home – the riding was so good , we decided to take the extended route .
That led us down Trail 25 , which uses much of the famous Dead Horse Trail corridor loved and loathed by ATV riders in the summer for its high level of challenge . Entirely encased in the Chequamegon , it ’ s a narrow trail with off-camber turns at one moment , and then a blast down a Forest Service Road
corridor the next .
In typical Wisconsin fashion , the trails were very well marked – every intersection carries signs telling what trails and which establishments were in each direction . Our headlight illuminated a handful of Bambis along the way . We also spotted one oversized mammallooking thing , though we ’ re still not sure exactly what we saw – it was like a slightly oversized and more athleticlooking raccoon , and it moved fast .
Eventually we caught up to the Tuscobia Trail ( No . 10 ), a rail trail that took us all the way back to the Birchwood area to end a long and fun day . Once down to the Tuscobia , we were again driving out of the narrow belt of snow that was available that winter . By the time we got through the towns of Winter and Radisson , it was rough hyfaxand carbide-eating conditions again . We slobbered down a pizza at a neighborhood saloon before calling it a night .
We had planned to make the next day our last Midwestern ride of the season , but Ma ’ Nature had different plans . It actually approached 70 the next day with strong south winds : On our drive back to Minneapolis , the roadsides looked like mini rivers with all of the water from the rapid snowmelt .
Reuniting with the Cable area that winter was like meeting up with an old friend . Except , in this case , when we claimed we ’ d see each other again soon , we actually meant it . And , as it turns out , we have indeed made multiple trips back there every year since this story was written .