32 | Snowmobile VERMONT CALEDONIA COUNTY and energy put into this event, yet the McKenna family makes it seem effortless. To see what a great time was had by all, check out our Special People Ride album on our Facebook page. As the season’s end draws near, we would like to remind you that there are thousands of volunteer hours that go into making the snowmobile trail system possible. The Woodford SnoBusters thank each and every volunteer that gave their time and efforts to further this fabulous sport that we all love! We encourage you to share your appreciation and consider volunteering your time to your local snowmobile club! Stacey Bleile, Hospitality Director snobusters.com Like us on Facebook Chief Joe Sarzejko of the Southern Vermont Snowmobile Task Force conducted around 40 snowmobile safety checks at the Woodford Sno-Buster’s facility on Jan. 20. Buckaroos of 302 After an excellent start to the season, Mother Nature has decided to turn her back on the snowmobiling community. Unseasonably warm temperatures, rain showers and a lack of snow storms have decimated the trail system across the state. We are crossing our fingers and doing extra snow dances in the hopes that we’ll get a few late- season snowstorms and extend the season into April. While the season has taken a turn for the worse, it’s still been a good year for the Buckaroos of 302. As of March 4, the Buckaroos have sold over 600 TMAs, making this the second straight year we have sold 600 TMAs! Caledonia County Snowmobile Trail Club The articles submitted this year have been centered on weather. Continuing that theme, we have had a very mixed winter. Essentially, we have started over three times so far. Twice, when the warmth and rain invaded, in January and February. The first start was opening day when we had to clear major sections of our system following a wind storm. During our latest warm spell, we took a week to change the belts on the tracks of the Trail Bully. Anyone who has not enjoyed this task should consider there are 888 bolts that need to be removed and reinstalled, 16 ounces of red Loctite is applied and 87 man hours of labor invested. The saving grace was having a groomer barn to lay everything out. Still, having to bend over for hours disassembling and reassembling is tough on our aging volunteers. Our wallet took a whack as well, costing over $6,000 to change everything, which was not recovered in grooming reimbursements during this down time. So far, 2017/18 grooming season is looking very similar to last year. Looking into the crystal ball, we will be challenged to have an extended season with predicted weather patterns heading into spring. Even a big dump of snow might mean only a few days of good riding as the daylight hours increase and the angle of the sun The Buckaroos sold out within two hours at the 41st Annual Dick Page Ride-In on Feb. 10. It marked the second year we have sold out! Thank you to all our volunteers and those who donated prizes to our raffle. If you were riding around on the Buckaroos trail system this winter, you may have noticed some small blue signs underneath stop signs at road crossings. These blue signs are 911 address locations in the event of an accident on the trail system and you need emergency personnel. This was a project undertaken by our vice president, Kevin McDonnell, who worked with Groton’s Volunteer Fire Department to identify all road crossings in the Buckaroos trail system. In the event that you need emergency personnel, locate the nearest road crossing and take note of the number and address. In the event you have no service, according to the Vermont 911 site, you should be able to send a 911 text in over 90 percent of Vermont, even if there seems to be no service. This will help speed up the response time of Groton’s Emergency Services, as it can be confusing where the trail system intersects with Groton’s roadways. A big thank you to Kevin and Groton’s Volunteer Department for undertaking this project and making our trail system that much safer! That’s all we have to report for now! As always, be safe, respect the landowners’ property, and please don’t litter our beautiful trails. Taylor Lamberton, President Kevin McDonnell, Vice President buckaroosof302.com Like us on Facebook This is one of the Buckaroos’new 911 address signs attached to the stop sign at the Boulder Beach Road crossing on Corridor 132.