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This past week my father and I spent a week riding around the Lanaudière & Mauricie regions. We have been regulars of the area for a good amount of time but life got in our way and we haven't been back until now. We stayed at Real Masse as this has been our home away from home for a good amount of time. We haven't been to Real in roughly 10 years so it was freshing to walk in and have everyone remember us as we were there yesterday. I can't say how amazing this place is, no matter what they will help you with whatever you may need. So lets get onto the import part of the trip the riding.... Day 1: 2/4/17 We arrived at Real around 2:30pm, checked in, changed and took a quick ride. My father had to break in his new sled for the first time so we though why not. The ride wasn't long but we rode out to La Glaciere then up to the intersection of 23 and 350 then back to Real. Trails were good, bumpy in the corners but that is what you would expect for a Saturday. Day 2: 2/5/17 Sunday's ride was a relaxing 175 miles. Left Real around 8AM headed up towards the dam and then over towards Lac Taureau. After that rode the reserver down to Saint-Michel-des-Saints and then over to Koubek for a nice ride. Trails were great even by the afternoon they were smooth and didn't pass much traffic for a Sunday. Also dinner at Real I believe we were the only people there for about 2 hours until another couple showed up. Day 3: 2/6/17 Monday's ride was a nice trip of to St. Donat and then south from there. Trails were fully groomed the night before and were flat and fast. Another 175 miles done for the day with passing maybe 8-10 sleds all day. Stopped for a rest before heading towards St. Donat at Coin Lavigne Stopped for a little rest in Entrelacs. Video from the day. Day 4: 2/7/17 Tuesday's ride is a familiar one with almost anyone who rides the area. We took the trip up to Riviere-Matawin and then back since the trails were so smooth. Took a little break at the river crossing. As you can see the trails were smooth. Video from the day. Day 5: 2/8/17 Tuesday into Wednesday they were calling for snow and ice, we received way more snow then ice. Received about 6-8 inches with a very thin layer of ice on top. Decided to head into the Maurice region and down to Lac Blanc then head up towards Saint-Alexis-des-Monts. Took the 23 that comes out above Le Cabanon back. Trail was good, needed to have the fresh snow packed but passed 2 groups of sleds. Enjoying the fresh snow on top of the great trails. Day 6: 2/9/17 Thursday we took a look at the grooming delay and realized everything was bright green so we took the best run possible back up the river again. Woke up to an amazing view from Real Stopped at Le Cabanon for a break in the afternoon and got to watch a plan take off on the lake. Day 7: 2/10/17 Friday was our last day, we covered over 1,000 miles already so we decided to have a nice ride and take in some different area. We headed south towards Saint-Gabriel to view the look out and run through the fields. Overall what can I say, my dad and I had an amazing time again and we look forward to heading back. Thanks for taking the time to read this, and I will continue to post videos from the week. Father on the left (Mike), mrgrumpers on the right (Kyle)

With our ride partner Snowcruiser we had a nice weekend: went round trip to sleep to the Relais22 in Haute Mauricie. Here is the trail path of the weekend Saturday morning at the beginning of our ride, -16C under the snow. Starting east from Trois-Rivières in Champlain. Here crossing under #40 highway With the snow falling and the gray weather the visibility was difficult in the fields but the wooded sections were good As the morning goes and as we headed north the snow had slow down and then stopped. The trails were all hard and fast. We stopped early for our lunch at Blue Jay restaurant in St-Joseph de Mekinac. We then continued north on the pipeline trail There were a few bumps in the big hills other than that very fast We took a short break under the large railway bridge over the rivière du milieu We continued and in a short time the sky completely cleared and the sun came out So we arrived at La Tuque accompanied by a beautiful blue sky Here the torture along the airport at 30km/h The classic sleds traffic light We refueled and continued north The iron bridge at the exit of the city At about 15 miles from La Tuque, a guy had made a hell long stretch in the trail to end up stalled in the side of the trail The trail conditions were very good Here an improvised snow depth test. We had stop to help them getting out A surprising find, toilets for lady in the middle of nowhere! Courtesy of the La Tuque snowmobile club. There had been a lot of logging last summer in this area to allow the construction of the future electric power lines that will pass through there. This gives the advantage that the trail now uses new roads that were built to get the wood out. The trail had really straighten and got better than before in these sections A little before we reached our destination we crossed the Dozer who was leaving his run to Rapide Blanc to prepare us the trail for the next day. We arrived at the Relais 22 miles a bit past 5:00 pm with a little over 210 miles on the dreammeter When you sit down in a welcoming warm place after a nice snowmobile ride like that, it is magic, so nice! We were very well received at Relais 22 with a good meal, a good time to relax and we went to bed early enough to try to recover from the previous crazy week at job ... To be continued, day#2 soon ....

Saturday 11th. Myself and limesqueezeaxys set out on a trip west starting in Maniwaki. Taking 63 e to 322 w and back to 63 w continued on to the 386 intersection and lunch at La Verendrye Lodge. Then up the 386 to 83 and looking at the time we might as well make a small loop to north local orange across to 313 s to Val-d'or and the Forestel. As a reminder that 63 now drops down to La Verendrye Lodge and adds approx. 20mi to the past 63-386 intersection. 311mi.

Hi Terry. The trip is turning out great. What a season. This morning we have a change in cast. Farmer Old and Michigan Rev have bid their farewells and are off on the black highway. Have a safe trip guys. Sandi and I are looking for volunteers to ride with. Not everyone wants to ride "lady miles" but we find John and Ethan from CT that are willing to go with us. They asked me to say hi to Sig who couldn't make it this trip. We miss you Sig. So with the new team we head off. It looks good to the north. 383 to the two bridges and 134 it is. About half way up 134, the groomer came out of the cul de sac on the left. Good show. At the junction with 93, the groomer stayed straight continuing on 134. Guess which way we are going. This part of 134 can be really nasty when it is drifted in but right after the groomer it is paradise. It is relatively flat, nice turns and long straights. Time to book. Quick work of the 134 and we turn right on 328. At 476 we stop and look. 328 isn't fresh groomed and either is 476 but 476 looks better and we are off to Onatchiway. The lower part of this is twisty to say the least but Sandi loves it. Sometimes I think she had power steering installed when I wasn't looking. She is gone. About eight miles into the 476 and it eases up and straightens out some. The trail is in good shape. Traffic has been on it but that gives the trail some texture for the carbides to grip. We pull into Onatchiway for a short break. Too early for lunch. Mont Vilain would be a good choice for lunch. Lets check out trail 484. We get on the sleds and go to the edge of Onatchiway's parking lot and yes, it was groomed last night. This will be good. The four of us are off and running. 484 doesn't get used much and it is one of those really fun trails. Not a high speed rail bed but you can get up a good pace and just lean back and forth thru the turns. Before you know it we are dropping down onto the river and heading down the last stretch to Mont Vilain. Wow. For a Tuesday this place is has a lot of sledders. It is just after noon and there are a lot of wide track utility type sleds here. The locals that have their camps in the surrounding area are all here for lunch. Another nice place for lunch. We didn't beat the noon rush today so it takes a little longer for lunch. After lunch we get back on Lac Tchitogama and head west to pick up trail 367. This is more fun than running 367 thru the woods. We get off the water and on 367. Another fun trail with its gentle curves and rollers. Off we go. We work our way down to 328 and stop at the Sonerco in L'Ascension for gas. We continue down 328 to 93 and on into Alma. We are early and the trails are great so lets take a little detour and cross the river in Alma on 23. We then get on local 563 which is great and then 562 and this isn't so great. This has been drifted in overnight and is choppy. OK we can put up with 8 miles of some bad stuff and we are on 383 and this is good again. At Lac Kenogami we pick up 83 and scoot back to the Delta. 83 is fine other than the 500 meters that isn't getting groomed. I haven't heard why but it must be a land use issue. Back in the corral safe and sound. One more day for this trip. This is so much better than work. Jack & Sandi

Tues 14th Were set up good to make a run to the truck so up and on em at 6:30am rolling in the pre-dawn is awesome! We take 83 to the Lepine trail which has a fresh 4"-6" of powder on it so we go for it at a fast pace as the sun comes up and onward to Le Pensive Relay by 8:30 for coffee. The owners asked where we came from I replied Clova and the lady looked liked she was in disbelief!! We laughed warmed up and off to Rabaska for fuel. After fuel down to 322 to locals around devils Mt. And onto 13/63 to Maniwaki which was just groomed to perfection. 202mi Loaded em up and and on the black trail at 12:30. FYI for approx 15+ miles above Le Pensive is plowed for logging but passable. Watch out for the loggers as they were heading up to work as we were coming down and they were traveling as were we! The rest of the trail hasn't been groomed in a while and needs it. Word is that the groomer is down? 1138mi trip total on GPS.Pre dawn on the LepineLe Pensive's mascot AKA Buck.

That's dedication. Ride on!

hi jg !!! thx !!! hahha...'' not too productive ''.....your mind was still on the trail ??? glad your had great conditions... looks like were going to have a storm...sunny earlier this morning ...turning to grey sky !!! -25c at 8 am.....-16 c now !!! salut et a la prochane ...thx for stopping !!! old pics !!! jean-guy

I came down Lepine this morning from Clova. Clova-Le Pensive 90mi Le-pensive-Rabaska 40mi mileage from my GPS. And yes 20mi plowed above Le Pensive and in bad need of grooming below!

hi terry !!! great to meet you too yesterday with jg !!! colder this morning ....-32c at 8 am .....blue sky !!! warming up slowly !!! let me know if you come back in march !!! hi stan !!! pics from last friday on local trails !! jean-guy

For those of you that remember, we bumped into Andre and Nicole today. We were running from Bernieres to RDL on the poog and they were getting their mail as we were crossing the road. They both look good and we were happy to see them if only for a few minutes. They were always very welcoming as we have made this trip for many years. We always stopped for a snack and gas. They have been closed in the winter for the last few years. I can remember Andre posting whenever the groomer would pass back on HCS. Unfortunately with sleds getting such better mileage than in the past, some fuel stops are not as important as they used to be. Happy life to you, Andre and Nicole, and thanks for your support in our sport. Jeff and Sandy

Buck was very playful Sunday when we were thru... seems he really wanted my gloves !

Doonali getting it done

There is plenty of snow. I'm sure it will survive it was snowing hard when we pulled out and more forecasted.

Monday 13th Planned on heading to Pourvoirie Martin for the night. Took 93 w to 307 s to Rivière-Heva where we joined a super nice 83 e through Val-d'Or onward to Lovicourt where we dropped down to the local orange cut across that is in need of a groomer. Then back on 83 e to Lac Faillon for lunch. Made a call to Martin for the night but sorry were FULL!! Hmm on a Monday wow. So call to Clova and they say only one room left in school house with shared bath. We settle for the good ole Tamarack instead. So we burn the 83 into Clova and find 12 sled tour group just fueling and decide to take a small bonus run up toward Martin and played in the deep stuff a bit and back down to Clova for the night. 301miGood Morning Amos.

Sunday 12th Our plan was lunch in Matagmi so off we went across 83 e to Senneterre then joining up to a rocket ship fast 93 w to LSQ for fuel and a warm up. Then onward up freshly groomed 396 (which was both of our favorites) into Matagmi for lunch and another warm up 7deg. F. After lunch we rolled down the western side of 396 which approx 10 mi is plowed but very passable due to power line work. Then onward into Amos and the Amosphère for the night. Sleds put to bed in the heated garage at 5:30 324mi

Nice that sun set pic is a winner!

Back at home JG, 1st day at work not too productive, ski doo dreaming. Always a pleasure to meet with you and chat. We'll have to do it again. Ride back to RDL and the trucks was incredible and with out a doubt your trails were in prestine shape, the snowmobile community owes a lot to you. A la prochaine jeune homme

You know, guys and gals, once you hop off the Ferry at Masson-Cumberland, you're only about 30 minutes from the Hill & Gully Riders clubhouse. The clubhouse is open weekends from 9:00am if you want to suit up, use the washroom or grab a coffee, but the parking is free and available 24/7. There's lots of room for rigs, and a pretty good loading ramp. It's located at 149 Chemin Inlet in Mulgrave-et-Derry (use the French terminology in Google Maps), and is only 1 km off the pavement on Route 315. The trails lead north into the Papineau-Labelle Reserve in two directions, either towards Notre-Dame-de-La-Salette or Montpelier and Le Mulet. Anyway, just a suggest if you want to stop driving and start riding a bit sooner. And we're always glad to see new people!

Great report and videos. My father got me into this sport 35 years ago. Now at 45, I still cherish all of the times we spent on our sleds. I miss the times when he was picking up the tab...haha. Conditions appear to have been great. Thanks for sharing!!

Father and son, riding partners for life, I love it!

Rabaska , such a nice place ! I can see why it's most always booked up when we call for a stay .

No sign of life at Evasion on Lapine rd trail .

"Tiny" the sled dog at Clova

New to them groomer at Martin

Mixed up my KM and MI for a minute.

1600 miles , at least you know if it starts to leak you can drive it. I put 300 miles with it leaking.(and extra antifreeze of course)

We took the Lapine road, (Pensive) out of Clova. Dominic has not groomed it in some time for sure. You can still run 65-75 easy, but chopped up a bit. The last 20 miles to gas was plowed road but plenty of snow on it. Getting gas we asked the trail to Gateneau, the lady said groomer broke but very nice. Hum...... Full on snocross for 20 miles, (nice means something different in French?). Gateneau said no more lunch or relay service, he only does the BB deal with room, breakfast and dinner, been that way for a few years. The next 15 miles to Rebaska was pretty darn nice. We ate lunch there and were back to the truck at 3:30 with 230 miles for the day. 505 for the (2) days. Out of Rebaska was fabulous and groomed awesome all the way back to the truck. The last part of 63 on the RR bed was marked very clear 30KM and 60KM. Police were out, be careful. When riding in areas of very close houses and serious posted limited we try really hard to go slow as to not cause the local clubs and neighbors any grief, got to remember that you are not in the bush sometimes. Tons of snow, snowing like mad, conditions up there are really nice.

back from tq 5 ...snowed a bit ...not too happy with the trail ...very bumpy ... about 20 sleds ..-7c ...grey sky !!! jean-guy

New trail, Red staked all the way from Clova, was really nice yesterday. They said customer tried to go to Barrage Gouin across the Gouin, got lost but made it back to Martins. He had no tracks and no GPS. It is staked to Opitciwan, but not the rest of the way.

Wow , new lunch option in Parent ! Opened this fall , very good English spoken and menu was great

100 lacs for a splash of fuel n go with 110 mIles on the tank .

Motel Ours Bleu , great place to start a trip

back from meeting jg and terry at the clubhouse !!! thx for the visit guys !!! great weather for them to ride !!! -16c and sunny !!! jean-guy