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Early Saturday morning I was out on the trail looking for a good place to get
some photos of the sled teams. I went down trail 8 where I ran into two more early birds.
Groomer driver Norm Geiger, (Grand Marais Sno-Trails Assn, Vice President and Trail Boss),
and passenger Paulita Korby (UPSDA Staff Member, Marquette Race Headquarters).
They were smoothing out trails and had just come south from Grand Marais on the dog sled trail
which will become part of the snowmobile trail next season as trail 8A.
The rest of the morning I maneuvered my way around some back roads and two tracks
looking for good photo spots.
That afternoon I stopped back at the same intersection where
Ed and Karla Bowen, owners of Edward Bowen & Assoc. Real Estate, would handle the check point
and watch the snowmobile traffic.
Ed is the Former Sponsor for the Grand Marais Snowmobile Trail Grant
Program and past MSA District Representative. They would have a long night
and brought plenty of firewood and food to help them through.
The U.P. 200 that started in Marquette last night will end up in Grand Marais
tonight before heading back to Marquette for Sundays finish.
It takes many volunteers to get the trails ready.
Checkpoints, vets, food, rescue and communications all
need to be in place for the race and I commend them all!.
Around 3:30 I met up with the first team just north
of Pelican Lake on Cr730. The snow was heavy back here and even after grooming
the pulling was tough. The teams would like to see -0 readings and today
it was 28 degrees. I timed their speed at 6.5 mph average as I followed
them a short ways. I turned off at the next two track and quickly headed back
so I would have some light when the first teams arrived in Grand Marais.
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