U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Continually Learning How to Keep Others Safe on the Water

Proud to have attended the US Coast Guard Auxiliary Symposium in Pontiac last weekend. A lot of great people learning and working hard to help keep everyone safe on the water in the Great Lakes Region!

Snowmobile Ride to Mackinaw City

In celebration of Valentines Day and the five inches of fresh snow we had received on Friday, a group of us departed Gaylord to head north on the trail system to Mackinaw City. The snow conditions were great for Saturday's ride up the old railroad grade that takes you from Gaylord to Mack City. The further north we got, the better the snow conditions seemed to get. The great conditions called for a celebratory stop at The Meadows Bar and Grille just north of Wolverine.

Great conditions continued to reward us as we arrived at Mullet Lake and stopped for lunch in Topinabee. Running up the length of the lake was a nice, and fast, alternative to the groomed trail system that runs along the west side of the lake between Indian River and Cheboygan. Some parts of that trail are limited to 25 or 35mph and yes, it is patrolled so watch your speed through this area.

Really a beautiful ride north from Cheboygan to Mackinaw City. There is one part of the trail that gives you exposure to Lake Huron, which is really a sight to see. A vast snowy flat land as far as the eye can see.

Mackinaw City offered comfortable accommodations at the Holiday Inn Express, including breakfast for about $75. There are several hotels to choose from. 10 of us enjoyed dinner at the Dixie Saloon near the Shepler Ferry Docks. Great whitefish, walleye and steaks were enjoyed by our group. They also pour a fine cocktail at the attached bar next door, including a White Russian the size of a milkshake!

Some of our group left a day earlier and rode up to Sault Ste. Marie. Crossing the bridge was as simple as loading your sled on a transport trailer, jumping in the van towing the trailer and paying the $10 fare to cross to St. Ignace, and you're back on the trail again! Trails were good in the Upper Peninsula except for about a 10 mile stretch that required some road riding and the road was not well covered.

By Sunday, a warm front had softened the snow conditions so it was a bit messy on the way back to our Gaylord starting point. But that didn't stop the fun with so many great places to stop, eat and enjoy a beverage. I highly recommend the trail from Gaylord to Mackinaw City, especially if you like a nice, smooth trail without a lot of twists and turns. It's a fairly straight shot as you can imagine on a railroad grade. So load up the sleds, your friends and enjoy the ride, the scenery and the hospitality!

-- SC

Otsego Club Hosts U.S. Snowboard Team

GAYLORD, MICHIGAN — Top snowboarders from around the country and world are coming to train at the Otsego Club & Resort next week, and for some, it will be their second visit to the Alpine Village.

The Otsego Club announced Thursday that the United States National Snowboard Team will be training at the resort Jan. 14-18 in preparation for the season’s upcoming national events. Half-pipe riders will be making use of the O-Park, which features a 22-foot superpipe — the same size used at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and at competitions across the country. The same half-pipe drew a dozen international Olympic teams to train for several weeks last winter.

Confirmed to train at the Otsego Club include last year’s U.S. Olympic snowboarding team members Gretchen Bleiler, Louie Vito and Greg Bretz. Other top riders joining them include Ellery Hollingsworth, Kelly Marren, Kaitlyn Farrington, JJ Thomas, Zack Black, Matt Ladley, Ben Watts, and Steve Fisher.

“We are very excited about how the O-Park has become a training ground for not only these world-class athletes, but also elite riders everywhere who want to train in a similar environment that they find out west,” said Otsego Club general manager Kris Klay. “We are looking forward to having the United States National Snowboard Team training here at the O-Park and believe this is just the beginning of a long-standing partnership with the United States’ best riders.”

The biggest advantage, according to the athletes who trained here last season, is the big half-pipe on the small hill, which allows for many more runs in a day than what could be accomplished at a larger, busier resort elsewhere. The half-pipe and the rest of the O-Park are maintained by Planet Snow.


In addition to the top U.S. riders coming to the O-Park this season, the international teams from New Zealand and Australia also will be returning to train this winter. James Hamilton, one of the top riders from New Zealand, is excited to return to the O-Park.

“The half-pipe is perfect and this is why we come back to train. It is world-class and as good as any pipe you will find in the world,” Hamilton said. “It’s great here because we can stay right here at the resort and the chair lift goes right up alongside the half-pipe making training very efficient. I am looking forward to coming back this season and training here for the remainder of the season.”

The Otsego Club is offering limited “Test Drive Package” opportunities to families who want to snowboard and see these world-class athletes in action.

Call 800-752-5510 or visit www.otsegoclub.com or www.the-opark.com for information.