"The Four Moosketeers"
(continued)
January 3rd, four of us left the comfort of our homes to head North to the cold wilderness of the Big Moose Lake area, a 6 hour trip by car.
As we drove through the area, the snowfall increased and it became evident that we were approaching the "Snowmobile Capital of the East", as it is known. Interstate highways were replaced by snowy two-lane roads, and two lane roads were replaced by snow-covered dirt roads connecting the nearly 700 miles of groomed snowmobile trails that make this part of the world a snowmobiler's paradise! There are more snowmobiles on the roads here than anything else.
Quaint little restaurants, inns, and hunting camps surrounded by thousands of acres of untouched natural beauty. A simpler way of life. Friendly people, great food, hospitality, and peace and quiet.
We were headed to Joe's camp, known as the Twitchell Creek Club, a two story log cabin built some 30 years ago, located on 2500 acres deep in the woods. No running water, only a hand pump. No telephone, no electricity, and only wood-fired heat. A beautiful base camp for our trip, with comfortable sleeping quarters and a large propane-fired cooking stove, where our buddy Joe prepared some awesome meals for us during our stay there. Steaks and chicken, "smashed potatoes", gravy, all cooked on an open grill, and hearty breakfasts, with eggs, toast on the flame, home fries, french toast. Everything was great!
Our cell phones stopped working many miles from there, and it was impossible to do anything else but enjoy the beauty of the woods that surrounded our camp. What a peaceful spot!
After loading our gear into the camp that night, we headed out on the snowmobiles to "Stillwater", located on the western shore of the Stillwater Reservoir, a cozy little restaurant about 10 miles down the road from our camp. The temperatures were in the teens, as we drove right down the main road to "Stillwater" , where we met up with 30 or so other snowmobilers and met Marian and Joe Romano, the owners. Marian herself served us cocktails and made us feel very "at home", while we decided whether to have the pot roast, prime rib, or a filet mignon. The food was great, but the hospitality was better! Thanks, Marian!We have more pictures of our dinner on the way! After a fast, cool ride back to camp, we stoked the stoves and settled into our bunks for a comfortable night's rest after a long day on the road. Joe woke up early the next morning and cooked eggs to order, bacon, toast , and home fries.
The cabin was finally getting warmed up, and we were just starting to relax and enjoy our home in the woods, with beautiful views of the woods surrounding our cabin. Huge icicles began to form from the roof line. The temperature was in the 20's, with perpetual snowfall adding depth to the 6" to 24" base already on the ground.
We took a few rides in the loop around the cabin, challenging the snowbanks and pushing the sleds to their limit. Even when we wiped out, the soft snow cushioned our falls, and we had a few laughs watching each other cruise through the fresh snow and wipe out!No animals were harmed, and you could hear the distant sounds of snowmobiles motoring through the area.
This is snowmobile country! Click Here For A Movie Clip Of Our Snowmobile Rides!
(Requires Windows Mpeg Player - 762 Mb - Be Patient - Slow Loading)After hauling some wood in from the shed for the night, we settled in for a nice dinner - New York Strip Steaks, baked potatoes, and spinach, and swapped stories by the fire, before heading out to a few local establishments by snowmobile. First, the "Wayback Inn", then over to the Glenmore Bar & Grill, a friendly little inn on Big Moose Lake. After a few games of pool and a few laughs, we decided to move on to the Big Moose Inn, across the frozen lake.
Unfortunately, while turning around in the lot, I managed to get our truck stuck in the parking lot at the Glenmore, providing lots of entertainment and laughs to the patrons and owners of the bar and grill, while we attempted to free ourselves from the deep snow.
Eventually, Bob Muller, the owner, came out to offer assistance and moral support. I guess he and the other patrons at the bar just couldn't stand to watch anymore, and they quickly dubbed us the "StuckTruck.com " gang, since
our antics were visible on the Web Cam there at the Glenmore Bar and Grill, affording visitors to their website a worldwide view of our dilemna while we kept digging and pushing!!
We finally got ourselves dug out (several times), and came back inside to warm up and thank everyone for having a laugh on us.
We met Becky and Bob Muller, the owners and hosts at the Glenmore, and agreed to return the next day for lunch and to watch some snowmobile races on the lake.
Take a look at their friendly spot on Big Moose Lake. They even put our picture right on their website!
Glenmore Bar & Grill Moose Lake Web Cam Live Picture
~ Laurence Sterne, English
author (1713-1768)
"The Stuck Truck Gang"
Men tire themselves in pursuit of
rest.
& More Photos
