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Snowmobiling: Here's a Trip Down Memory Lane

January 21, 2009 - BANGOR -- On Saturday morning, all snowmobilers are invited to take part in a vintage snowmobile ride from the Paul Bunyan Snowmobile Club's clubhouse on Union Street in Bangor to Dysart's in Hermon for lunch.

While the ride is expected to feature two dozen or more vintage sleds, everyone is invited to take part in this event (free except for the cost of lunch), no matter how old or new their sleds are. Club member Toby Williams of Bangor came up with the idea for the ride.

"We are hoping to have 25 or 30 sleds all from the mid-'60s to mid-'70s." Williams said. "Hopefully, there will be a good turnout, because a lot of people have expressed an interest in a ride like this one. There are quite a few vintage shows in Maine, but I hadn't heard anything about a vintage ride."

Williams and a group of his friends with vintage snowmobiles will often go on more informal rides together. The old sleds not only take them on local trails, but down memory lane to the days of their youth.

"When I was 16 years old and living in Keene, New Hampshire, I had a 1970 Ski-Doo and went snowmobiling in the area. Today, I have a 1970 Olympic as well as a 1970 Artic Cat," he said. "When we go on rides, there is a lot of stopping, as someone always has to tinker with the chains.

"These old sleds are relatively easy to work on. You need a little mechanical ability, but they are a lot easier to work on than a modern sled."

Jerry Thompson, a member of the Hungry Hollow 76ers Snowmobile Club in Levant, is among the group who go with Williams on these informal antique sled rides. Thompson's wife, Mary, and his son, Craig, will be riding on vintage sleds as well this Saturday. Thompson owns a dozen vintage sleds.

"All of these sleds are part of history," said Thompson, who is 48 and grew up in Bangor. "When we were kids, these sleds are what we grew up on. My first sled was a 'Bubble Nose Ski-Doo' (Olympic) – a one-lunger. I was about 10 years old, and it was the greatest thing ever!

"Back then, before the trail system was really established, we just rode around the fields and in the neighborhood. Now, we are middle-age men who love to tinker and ride snowmobiles. The ride this Saturday is about 10 to 12 miles. We hope our sleds make it!"

Breakdowns are part of the fun and challenge of riding vintage sleds – but you need to be prepared.

"It is cold, but that is to be expected here in Maine. We carry spare parts with us like belts and plugs," Thompson said. "The most important rule is that everyone carries a tow rope with them. This is the first thing you need if you are going to be a vintage sled owner. In fact, I had to tow my neighbor yesterday because his old sled broke down."

Everyone interested is to meet for free coffee and doughnuts at 7:30 a.m. at the Paul Bunyan Snowmobile Clubhouse on Union Street, just past the Paul Bunyan Campground. The group plans to leave for Dysart's by around 9:30 a.m.

"I think this is great, and hopefully there will be a lot of people. A lot of people don't even know we have a snowmobile club in Bangor," said Marcia Mower, secretary of the Paul Bunyan Snowmobile Club. "People can come just to look at the old sleds. But we have our groomers all set to pull anyone who breaks down on the trail."

Why do people go to all the trouble of finding and fixing up old sleds and then take the highly probable risk of breaking down on the trails?

"You do it because you love these old machines," Williams said.

For more information about the Vintage Sled Snowmobile Ride, contact Marcia Mower at 262-7808 or e-mail PaulBunyanSCBangor@hotmail.com.

For more information about upcoming snowmobiling events, visit the Maine Snowmobile Association Web site at www.mesnow.com.

CATHY GENTHNER, Portland Press Herald, January 15, 2009


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Regions: Bangor


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