By 8am that morning Steve and I started to head out. Due to the conditions, Dean and Dale decided to wait for things to die down a bit. We had to cross the lake and that was a bit scary. It was like riding in a bubble. All I could see was ten feet around a world of white. As we crept along at ten mph the wind pushed us sideways. I followed my GPS on the same track we came in on when I could see something. 30 minutes later we came off the lake and on to trail 43 headed north. In the woods the trees blocked enough wind to see the trail. 10 inches of fresh heavy snow and drifts up to five foot came into view. We made it up to Seney about 9am and the only thing open was Andy's Bar where we stopped for breakfast. The town was still digging out as we headed north out 43. This part of the trail runs through many open fields and was the toughest part to follow. You could stand at times to see over the driving snow, other times you just had to stop and wait.    Once we were headed east toward Shingleton the snow and wind started to let up and groomed trails lay in wait. The heavy snow had been flattened and set up hard by the sub-zero temps. We were in the grove now slipping through the woods like bobsleds on a record run. Without the pack sled we were making good time. We met up with the provider of our fun when we reached the 417 intersection just south of Au Train. What a FUN RIDE! The more I rode my new Jag, the more I liked it. It handled the corners with ease, bumps or no bumps. The engine ran very smooth and with the larger windshield a very warm, comfortable ride. We continued west on trail 8 until we reached our lunch stop back at the Snack Bar in Eben Junction. Looking over the maps we kept in touch with Dean and Dale on the cell. They left around 11am so we had a half way head start.

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