Greetings to all of you.  It is October. I guess we will call this the “Official” start of the Snowmobile Season.  We have actually been busy for a month planning, preparing our Grant applications and contacting landowners.  We were fortunate that Tropical Storm Irene was kind to the Rangeley Region.  We had only a little wind damage and we did not lose any bridges to swollen streams.  It is still very wet on many of our trails that are not on roads but all in all, we were fortunate.

It was good to see so many people at the Open House on Labor Day Weekend.  We served nearly 100 hamburgers, three gallons of chili and plenty of hot dogs. Thank you to those of you who helped out and to you who donated dessert items.  Those were all gone early.  Clark Allen and Doug Richmond did a great job getting the grooming tractors started and moved the Barn cleaned up.  Rick Godaire handled the cooking with help from Sheldon Smith.  Sandi and Don Dumont handled memberships and club merchandise.  Mac Dudley prepared the chili. 

Thank you to everyone who has already renewed your memberships.  Thanks also to you who purchased some chances for our sled raffle, Easy Bucks and Snodeo 50/50.  We depend on the money raised by these fundraisers to pay for grooming and maintenance. Thank you.

As always, we can use your help with fall preparations on our trails.  Just a few hours of cutting brush and limbs back are a big help.  Give Clark (670-5306) or Steve (491-6153) a call if you can do some work.  As long as you have a partner for safety, we can send you to a location whenever you have time. If you need tools, we can provide them.  If you would like to participate in a planned Club work effort, we can help with that too.  We have a couple light carpentry jobs to get done at the Groomer Barn and help making signs is always appreciated.

The big project this summer has been continued renovation of ITS 84 and ITS 89 through Dallas and Sandy River Plantations.  The Camp 2 Riders (Rangeley’s ATV Club), have been managing and doing the bulk of the work.  The results are amazing and for the RLSC, the results insure that we will have a quality trail connecting Rangeley with point’s south even in low snow years. 

We are tracking some trail changes (as always).  We will reopen the Notch/Flatiron Trail and the Bud Russell Trail this year. These have been closed for three years.  We will open the Quill Hill Trail as well.  ITS 89 will run from Madrid over to Gull Pond Trail, follow the Greeley Trail to Bud Russell Road and then up to East Kennebago Trail.  From there it will join the Arnold Trails (Eustis) connection north of East Kennebago Mountain.  The two trails we opened last year into Langtown, will be closed.

We are working with landowners to open a new trail that will potentially by-pass busy logging operations near Round Pond.  This is the trail that leads north out of Rangeley starting at Moose Alley.  The re-route, if it happens, will begin just north of the airport. We may open the Round Pond Trail as well but it will need some excavation to by-pass plowed roads.  This new trail would bring riders to the Groomer Barn and then out the Groomer Access Trail to the Cedar Swamp Trail.  It would offer a quick route between Rangeley and Eustis but a longer trail ride to Oquossoc.

There is some uncertainty on ITS 84 going toward New Hampshire and Bosebuck Camps.  This appears to be our only remaining major trail issue going into the season.

We made progress toward our planning for our Clubhouse addition to the Groomer Barn.  Our initial estimates for a 40X50 foot addition is $35,000 to $50,000 and would be dependant on considerable volunteer labor. The addition would be road and trail accessible and includes a meeting and winter warming area with bathrooms, a small kitchen and ample parking. We will develop more specific plans and drawings over winter and present them to the membership for discussion in February and March.

We are pleased to announce that Maine and New Hampshire have agreed to a Free Snowmobile Weekend.  Vermont will probably join the event as well. This weekend event will occur January 27,28 and 29.  As long as you have a Resident or Non-Resident sled registration, you will be allowed to travel on any snowmobile trail in NH (and we hope in Vermont) during those three days.  This is great for those of you who start you sledding day in or near Rangeley but do not pay for NH or Vermont registrations.  It gives you the opportunity to ride some place new.  As the date approaches, we will have more information about the event and have information about riding to NH destinations easily done in a day from Rangeley.

     Dates to remember:

Our Annual Thanksgiving Dinner Club Meeting is November 12th at the Undercroft at 5:30 pm. It is always a great meal and a good time to catch up with friends and Club news. Hope to see you there.

Our Easy Bucks winners will be chosen for October as well as for November during that meeting.

Snodeo 2012- January 19, 20 & 21

Free Snowmobile Weekend 2012- January 27, 28 & 29 (see above).

Looking forward to winter (but not too soon!).

Steve Dudley

President, RLSC

Please visit our Sponsors page to check out businesses who have donated or pledged to donate to our grooming and trail maintenance program for this season. Be sure to patronize these businesses when in the area. It is due to their donations that we have the great riding conditions we all enjoy!