Tom's trip from Sault Saint Marie, MI to Toke, Ak SITREP#3

To All:

Please feel free to send to our friends and post
on our blog.

We stayed in Montegue, MI last night and drove today
to Sault St Marie. I drove the truck with four sleds
and three of the "sledders". The weather was blustering
with about 6 inches of snowfall - lots of snow on the
road and several cars in the ditch. At first, the truck
owner drove, then I took over. He drove 75 mph with a
death wish. I drove a bit slower.

Getting ready this morning at 6:00am was cold. I am
still freezing my butt off. the locals are use to
the cold and one was in short sleeves this morning.
I can't believe it.

We got our safety briefing this evening and the
sledders will drive at an average speed of 65mph
all the way to Ishpiment (218 miles)tomorrow. I
will be on the road behind them but at least 40-50
miles away to handle machine breakdowns.

The first group that took off ahead of us has had
a lot of troubles. Two of the sleds were stolen at
the hotel where we are tonight and one was injured
on the trail. They have been denied permission to
cross a local Indian reservation and so will have
to make a 90 mile detour. They did not make their
first stop tonight by 8:00pm - so they are still out
- and cold.

Among our group, there is a lot of anticipation
and excitement. These guys really think that they
can make the journey.

They have the culture of aviation pilots and non
of the phony bravado of motorcycle types. I really
like their spirit and wish I had the experience to
ride with them. They spent hours this evening telling
war stories from their past. I can't emphasize enough
how these people are obsessed with riding. The wives
cheered us off this morning and two followed to SS
Marie to wish off tomorrow morn. ; we start at 6:00am
with the first stop at Grand Marias and then on to
"Ishp". I'll check the phone book for Schillers there.

My fondest wish is to get use to the cold and to
stop shivering. The problem is going from the truck
to outside and vise versa back to the truck for the
many little tasks.

I got the briefing on how to fix common problems
with diesal engines - fuel strainers, tire chains,
tire repairs if flat, empty fuel tanks and
"jerry cans" with lots of fuel gel and loose wiring.
I pray to God that nothing breaks down. Tomorrow,
I will use my GPS.

That's it for tonight.       Tom