You’ve all been seeing it, my desperate pleas for you to SUBSCRIBE to the SledChix blog.  For those of you who haven’t a clue as to what I’m talking about, let me explain….

Subscribe to SledChix And You’ll Be A Better Sledder

Okay that’s a blatant lie.  But if you do subscribe at least you’ll get updates as they’re posted. 

It’s very easy to do.  All you have to do is hit “Subscribe” above and you will updated in whatever feeds manager you are using whenever a post is published.  That means you don’t have to obsessively check anymore, praying that I’ve brought you something new!  See me in bold, click and come visit.  With the settings you can set how often you want your reader to check for updates (hourly, daily…)

It’s kind of something you have to do to understand, but once you do you’ll be happy you did.  And you’ll never have to miss another post from SledChix again….

Go on!  Give it a try!  SUBSCRIBE to the SledChix snowmobiling blog!

I admit it, Kristy Martin has far better photos of actual sledding from last season than I do–and she was nice enough to send them to me!

Check out the awesome riding Kristy & Company had in Tahoe last year.

(At least the first and third are from Tahoe, the rest I’m not entirely sure; Kristy?)

Kristy Martin’s Awesome ‘07/’08 Snowmobiling Season

In her email Kristy said she missed Winter already, even though Spring has just found her neck of the woods. I feel her pain–with riding like that it’s no wonder she’s doing her snow dance already!

Got last season pics to share? Send them to me! Sledderchick@gmail.com.

Be sure to see everyone’s snowmobile pics! SUBSCRIBE to this snowmobiling blog!

Remember this post about Why I’m Moving To Maine?  About the mother stricken by cancer and the community rallying to bring her home safely to a new house after structural damage and mold made the mobile home they’d been living in unsafe for her and her family? 

Well, the home is complete now.  Yes, that’s right complete.  As in, moved into. 

It took 400 volunteers, 24 local companies, and “dozens” of donations from private individuals, but the community of Old Town, Maine managed to build a new house for the Barclays and have it ready for them to move into just 9 days after the first wall went up.  The foundation wasn’t even poured until May 14th or so, and the family is already home! Not only that, but a private donor even stepped up to pay the college tuition for the Dad who is trying to complete a degree to get a better job and provide for his family a little better (whilst taking care of his wife who is ill…) Now that’s some impressive community action! 

You can read the updated story and see some pictures of the new home at the Bangor Daily news.  Take a tissue, though, it’s a heart-wrenching story of the only wish of a woman with a terminal illness wishing for somehitng better for her family and four kids.  But Kudos to all those people and the Old Town community!

Yes, we did come back, although we were dragging our heals all the way.  We spent a nice four days in East-Central Maine, welcomed the new baby boy to the family (a nephew and future sledhead, Robert William who was born last Wednesday), and enjoyed the Maine outdoors in the late Spring.  No, we did NOT enjoy those infamous Maine black flies, though!  Brutal.  There’s no other way to explain it.

We did purchase bikes at a tag sale while there so we could take the kids riding down the sled trails, but upon second thought decided the quiet back roads were the better route.  The more I thought about it, I remembered the hills at our end of the trail, which are lots of fun & good occassional air on the snowmobiles, but nothing but backbreaking, breathtaking pedalling (or more likely walking) on (off) a bike.  We took the flatlands of the adjacent roads instead.

The weekend slide show did bring a few of you out of the woodwork.  My thanks to those of you who contacted me and/or sent pictures.  Keep them coming if you were out partying!  I’ll start posting some pics from the community tomorrow.

Right now I’m still on weekend recovery mode, as I’m sure all of you are, so for today we’ll keep it light and easy, and get back into it in the a.m.!

I’ll finish up with a few pics again today, and if all is well be back for real tomorrow.  But first, I wanted to give a shout out today to my new nephew-in-law (if that’s a thing) who is currently serving in Iraq.  Memorial Day may be the time to remember those who paid the ultimate price, but let’s not forget those who still stand proud for us!

So to Matthew Denesowicz (and I’m sure I butchered that name spelling), know that we back home love and support you, and are wiating for the day that you get back to Germany safe and sound with Jess!

And when you do make it back stateside, give us a call, and we’ll take you riding!

Here are a few picks to tease you

Have a loved one you want to suport or remember?  Add their name to the list in the comments.  We’ll be sure to take a moment for them all today.

Random reminders of fun…

I’ve shown you mine, now show me yours! [Snowmobile pictures only, please :)]  Send to sledderchick@gmail.com

The proof is in the pictures!

Where are yours? Send your favorite last season snowmobile pictures to sledderchick@gmail.com

Winterfest at Uncle Randy’s!

I’d love to know what Paul (in Blue) is doing to my sled here, which was taken right before he challenged me in the drags!

I’m heading north for the long holiday wekend–and skipping out a day early to boot!  We’re going to see what else we can enjoy in Maine in the off-season. 

But I hate to leave my friends hanging, so I’ve prepared a few posts of some of my favorite pictures from the past snowmobiling season to keep you entertained while I’m gone. 

Here’s the pick of the day from last winter in Maine.

Just a shot I like of a trailside creek.

Pretty, isn’t it?  If this inspires you, send me some of your favorite from last winter!  Sledderchick@gmail.com.

Here’s an article that I found over at Helium.  They apparently requested articles looking to get a pulse on the woman’s snowmobiling experience.  An interesting read, and some common threads amongst the top ranked articles.  But then, I guess that shouldn’t be a surprise.

The top article is very moving, actually, and a good tale of riding from a woman’s POV.

Here’s an excerpt from the story…

There was nothing like a late-night ride up the river with my dad and his friends. I am not a good swimmer and I hated the open water, but the chance to stay up late and ride with my dad (my hero) and his friends in the middle of the night? Are you kidding? Bring it!

That was several lifetimes ago, the last time I rode with them. I remember the excited tension as I put on an extra layer of t-shirt and long johns, zipped up my snowmobile suit, strapped on the helmet. The fear made it better, made the challenge of it more real. The challenge of living up to the expectations I assumed my dad had of me in comparing me and the way I rode to his friends made the fear that much more intense. The adrenaline rush walking out the door and firing up the sled was almost unbearable. I can still feel the resistance of the cord starting it, hear the engines, smell the exhaust.

You can read the rest of it here, and also read from the points of view of other woman snowmobilers chronicling their experiences as women snowmobilers.  But hey!  Why not tell some stories of our own?  Feel free to fill up the comments with stories of your own.