21st Annual winter trek across Northern Michigan
February 21st, 2004 - February 29th, 2004
 

A 2000 mile trek that crossed the bitterly cold winter lands of the Northern Michigan

Trip Status:   Previous Days (click here)

(Saturday, February 28th, 2004) We started the morning in Munising, Michigan, in northeastern UP. We got a very early start at 6:30 A.M. and traveled south back toward the Straits of Mackinaw.  Betty and Joann loaded their sleds on the trailer after breakfast and rode the rest of the way back down (something about "tired of hanging on")Temps started in the teens and warmed to the upper 40's in the afternoon.  Met a lot of uncoming traffic heading north from St. Ignace. We made it to the Straits safely, and choose this time to have our snowmobiles trailered across the bridge.. (An ice breaker went through just hours before.) Darrell ran out of gas a few miles south and Pete rode back to a gas station, filled his spare tank, and road back. We rode the final 20 miles to Alanson, Michigan on rough trails. We competed 200 miles today!

Left: The trees were all covered with fairy dust this morning, we didn't see any fairies! Right: Icebreaker went thru straits this morning..... making it too difficult to skip across...
 
 

Previous Days (click here)

This years riders are George and Betty Pattullo from Caro, Michigan, their son Pete Pattullo from Texas, Joann Putnam of Marlette, Michigan, Robert Herron of Farwell, Michigan and Rookie Darrell West of Imlay City. This years chase support driver is Eugene Putnam of Marlette, Michigan. Most of the run in years past have been to support the American Cancer Society, which raised over $100,000 from the annual event.  Other runs have included raising funds for the restoration of the octagon barn near Gagetown Michigan and for the  Olympic hopeful Mike Ellsworth. This year we are doing the ride without charities.

The riders ride about 200 miles per day in wilderness and remote areas of Canada and Northern Michigan with temperatures well below zero.  This year's trip will begin on February 21st and will completed on February 29th..  Participants ride between 25-50 mph with temperatures dropping into the double digits below zero after the wind chill factor.  Extra fuel and supplies are carried on each snowmobile.  One of the riders this year, Betty Pattullo is a  breast cancer survivor.

The team enjoys getting mail from family and friends following the trip, please drop us an email, so we can read them each night after dinner around the fire

Please email us at:
safari@pattullo2000.com
 
 


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