Christmas Day Grooming Update
As usual we got off to a late start, but when the snow started to fall, it hasn’t quit. We started grooming a week ago, cleaned up the trails, and this last week we started on Thursday and groomed Christmas Eve as well. We have covered the main trails this week, snow parks, and highway crossings. The only trails we did not get groomed was McIntyre, and Coyote Loop trail. We are finally getting enough snow to do the low country this coming week and will be grooming more often due to the Holiday week. The snow is really soft with no base, so we have been out with the powder bars packing the trails to create a base. There is more snow in the forecast this week, which is good news.
Usually, a TTF member opens and locks the shelters each season, but this year we started hearing it wasn’t open. I opened the one at Bone when I groomed out there. We are glad to hear someone opened the Ruckle Shelter yesterday as the groomer that went to Ruckle did not have a key, someone borrowed it and we don’t have it in the groomer now. I will get another one made and in the CAT.
Don’t be surprised if the roads are closed more this year, and the parking areas not as cleared as past years as ODOT statewide is short 167 employees, almost 60 in the eastern part of the state, 5 in Pendleton and we hear 4 in Elgin. Obviously, service will be less, and main roads plowed as a priority, such as I84 and highway 11, secondary highways less, which includes 204. We have already had one day this last week that 204 was closed. This information was in the East Oregonian newspaper this last week.
The groomers have been running OK except the 08, which has given us brake issues. We think we have that under control now, so hopefully it will be running better this week.
We did have various medical reasons, not Covid, that impacted several of our crew but still got done what really needed done before Christmas. I really appreciate the dedication of our all-volunteer crew to be there when life happens. Our crew will be spending Christmas with families and be back at it starting the first of the week.
Merry Christmas.
Jess Thompson, TTF grooming chairman