Weekend was for snowmobiling, NFL playoffs

Last Saturday was one of those days made for exploring the snowmobile trails in Dodge County. It was a sunny day that brought out ‘bilers from all over the area. They were all gathered in Riverside Park in Mantorville as part of the annual Ride For Wyatt and served as a fundraiser for suicide prevention.
It was like a time travel event for me. Early in my career I was the managing editor for Snow Goer magazine, based in St. Paul. I would travel Friday for Saturday snowmobile races in Canada, Michigan, here in Minnesota and wherever there were challenges with snowmobiles.
The crowd that gathered to celebrate Wyatt’s life and to bring awareness to the plague of suicide was revved up and all signed in for the 60-ish mile ride.
One rider whose sled stood out was from Minneapolis. Kim Lynn McVay was there to make the trek with her fianc?, a member of the Byron snowmobile club.
There were sleds parked in a lot across from the registration area that was located in the picnic shelter.
As the clock wound down to the start, one could hear the engines crank up and riders donning their helmets in anticipation of the adventure. Snowmobilers crossed the Zumbrota River bridge on Highway 57, making their way to the trailhead that led them into a wooded area and out onto the groomed trail. As each sled passed over the bridge single file. It was an army of about 100 who led the charge.
Following their ride through woods and over fields, many ended their day with a chili feed at the Mantorville Saloon. CJ & the BS Boys provided Bluegrass music for those who stayed after the ride.
Saturday evening proved to be one of anticipation for the NFC and AFC championship games on Sunday.
Sunday’s first game was between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Kansas City Chiefs. Having lived in Missouri before moving home, Tricia and I became Chiefs fans. They were winners.
Tricia asked me which team I was pulling for and seemed surprised when I said, “the Bengals.” They were the underdogs and hadn’t been to the big game since 1988. It was time to see a new, scrappy team take a spot in the big dance.
Again, Cincinnati won on a field goal with seconds left on the clock.
Late afternoon game was pitting two California teams against each other with San Francisco having the leg up against the LA Rams.
Once again, I picked the underdog: the Rams.
San Francisco was the odds on favorite to route the Rams by the pre-game prognosticators. It was 17-7 heading into the fourth quarter. It seemed in evitable that the Rams would come up short, again.
Ram’s quarterback Matt Stafford had suffered in the Detroit Lions organization for 12 year prior to showing up in LA.
In the final quarter, it was all LA. They managed to score 13 points and grabbed the remaining spot in Super Bowl 56. LA will play the big game in the multi-billion dollar SoFi Stadium, it’s home field.