2011 Fish Lake
February 26th 2011 was a busy day for the town of Fredenberg, MN (about 15 miles north of Duluth, MN). The 13th Annual Fish Lake Classic Snowmobile Challenge was another great success. The 20 mile vintage snowmobile ride is one of the biggest in the state. I personally counted 415 snowmobiles this year, 1980 and older. This was a great turnout considering the thermometer was at negative 20 degrees the morning of the event. This shows how dedicated our vintage snowmobile enthusiasts are! Cold weather did not dampen the spirits; we had many smiles and laughs throughout the crowd. We left the Eagles Nest Resort at Noon and marched proudly across Fish Lake. Every year I restore a vintage snowmobile just for this ride. This year's
machine is a 1974 Polaris Colt 294 twin. My brother rode my 1972 Arctic Cat Cheetah, 303 wankel. Both machines ran great in the cold weather with the exception of a starter rewind problem on the Cheetah. We were easily able to start it off the clutch side. We rode to the end of the lake and had our unofficial stop to gather and have a few laughs. After that we rode the trail to the Cloquet River boat landing for our official half way rest stop. At the boat landing we had 2 fire pits, restrooms, and food vendors. From there we rode the trail to Hi-Banks Resort for another large gathering of classic snowmobiles. The last stretch was to the trail to the Fredenberg Community Center for a spaghetti dinner, trophies and door prizes. The Grand Door Prize given away this year was a 1980 Polaris TXL 340. After the Banquet we all gathered back at the Eagles Nest Resort for music, dancing, beverages and great conversation about the day's ride. Thanks again to Steve Wick and Maureen Johnson and all the volunteers that help keep making this ride northern Minnesota's best vintage get-together.
See you all again next year!
Chris Chesney, Duluth MN