Spring Break '01 was our second opportunity for the Crew to head to the Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming. Our first trip last year was great and expectations were high as we prepared to leave. This year, our group grew from the five who went last year to a total of ten who planned to go. However only eight of us actually went when two of the guys had to drop-out unexpectedly.
Andrew and I cresting a slope.
Zac over the top with my Powder Special.
We left on Friday, March 9th in two groups. Dad, Ardie, Doug, and Sam headed out with two trailers loaded with nine sleds at about 6:30 that morning.
Andrew, Zac, Nic, and I followed them at about 12:30. Two of my professors decided it would be a good idea to give a test before the break and I couldn't miss that. Being that we weren't loaded down with a trailer, we flew across South Dakota and Wyoming and pulled into our hotel in Ranchester in just over 11 hours - just a couple of hours behind the first group.
Because we made good time, we were able to get a good night's rest before heading up the mountain the next morning. We awoke to a two inch coating of snow on the cars and roads. Thankfully, the plows were out early and the roads were sanded for the winding trek up to 8000 feet.
There wasn't great snow this year, but I found a few places to bury myself.
Keep her straight, Big Dog!
That year, we made reservations at the Big Horn Mountain Lodge near Burgess Junction. The year before, driving up and down the mountain everyday was a hassle and shortened our riding day by a couple of hours.
We pulled into our lodge at about 9:30 that morning and quickly unloaded sleds and gear, settled into our rooms, and prepared to head out. But our departure was to be significantly delayed...
Out of the 9 sleds we took along, the two Polaris' weren't cooperative at the start. To begin with, Doug's RXL would only run on 2 cylinders - this isn't good when you've got a third cylinder that won't fire. He had a flooding problem that didn't clear up easily. When we finally got that going, we had to turn our attention to the other Polaris.
Zac carving it up on his ZL 440 short track.
Instead of bringing along his ZR 600, Andrew borrowed a 700 RMK from a Polaris dealership near where he lives. The night before we left, he had problems with it running on only one cylinder and discovered he had MAJOR flooding in one cylinder. After he cleared it up, it seemed to run fine and we assumed it would be okay once we reached the lodge. But unloading it from the trailer, it was obvious only a single cylinder was firing.
The Polaris guys back home told Andrew that bad needles and/or seats would cause it to flood if the gas was left on during the night, but it would run fine otherwise. Whatever the problem was, it worsened. Pulling the plugs and a tug on the rope would send a steady stream of raw fuel shooting out the plug whole at least 7 feet straight up!
Launching out of a small brook. Steep banks make good launch pads!
It was clear the RMK had severe problems that needed correcting or Andrew would not be riding that machine.
Being that the Polaris dealer said the needle and seats were bad, we turned our attention there. I'll bet Andrew and I spent a good hour removing the carbs, adjusting the float position and trying to start the RMK. But each time, she would only run on a single cylinder.
There was a Polaris dealership at Bear Lodge so we made a run over there to buy a needle (seats are permanent on these carbs). Would you believe this dealership doesn't carry any parts?! Believe it; we went away empty handed.
One last try at adjusting the carbs proved fruitless. It was already noon and Andrew decided to rent a 600 RMK for the rest of the day and then ready our extra Cougar for the remainder of the trip.
