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Showing content with the highest reputation on 02/19/2018 in all areas

  1. Andyman

    Blue Bird Day!

    Rode through the Chic Chocs on an amazing day!
    7 points
  2. Florida Snowman

    Blue Bird Day!

    Great pics Andy! What day where you there? We rode thru last Tuesday. Conditions were excellent!
    4 points
  3. ODog

    Sept Isles

    8Epic adventure in the books. 2325 mi in 10 days. 965 mi during first 4 days in Abitibi, (Fontbrune, Club Trout, Lac Fallion, 100 Lacs, Fontbrune) then trailered to Baie St Paul . Rode east with nights in Forestville, Port Cartier and Harve St Pierre -both up and back. With exception of the last few mi returning to BSP on Sunday afternoon, conditions were fantastic for 1360 mi. IMO this region competes with the North shore of Gaspe for variety of trails and scenery but with less traffic. As I said we lucked out with sun and fresh snow the entire trip....however...the last 100 miles heading into HSP -knowing what i do now- i wouldnt attempt in a snowstorm or heavy wind. Miles and miles of elevation with no vegetation, navigating stake to stake through the drifting snow and sharp, off-canter turns. If you like Gaspe (and who doesn't???) you should put Cote Nord on the list... Now if I can only figure how to post pics
    3 points
  4. Day 6 Monday. We say goodbye to Jason and Yushen. They've turned in the rental and are heading back to CT. It was a great 3 day ride with them. The only bad trail was trail 3 last night for 25 miles but it was Sunday afternoon near Quebec City. That is to be expected. Today Sandi and I take off and they groomed trail 3 again last night. It is amazing what they can do with the drag. The trail has set up nicely and we are off. We turn left on 304, the short connector to 369. Turn right on 369 and everything has been groomed. Not much for traffic. It is Monday. Knocking off the miles will pull into L'Etape. Too early for lunch so we top off the tanks and take a 10 minute break. On weekends it is tough to find a seat here. Monday is a different story. We get on 23 north and meet the groomer heading south a few miles before Mont Apica. There are a few sleds at Mont Apica. Time for lunch. No need for gas. We have plenty to make it to the Delta. A nice day albeit on the warm side. The trail is a little soft but plenty of snow. We finish 23 to 368 and over to 83. All of this again is fine. Maybe the groomers are trying to stay ahead of Wednesday's warm up. We pull into the Delta and unload. Another day for the books. Tomorrow we go up to Bilodeau in Normandin to pick up the mitts I ordered. No more cold fingertips for me! Jack & Sandi
    2 points
  5. problem solved............. just get a yamaha,,and get a full night of RESTFUL SLEEP,,
    2 points
  6. ODog

    Sept Isles

    C-N in wind and snow is nuthin when compared to posting pics of said adventure...
    2 points
  7. Unfortunately I had chance to use this method on Thursday. Towed my wife’s machine 32 Miles in an hour and half with her on the back of my machine. It worked perfect ! Cruised at 35 mph most of the way. I had the dead machine on my left in the kill zone. Was kind of scary on the turns, luckily we only passed 6 sleds going the other way and none trying to pass.
    2 points
  8. Day 4 Saturday. A little cooler this morning but a clear sky. We are heading to the Delta today. What does the groomer map say? Really, 93 is groomed to the Six Mile Lac turn off. Thank you! Last night before bed this was not groomed but it was done overnight. This part of trail 93 aka C-900, for those of you that haven't ventured on it, is a logging road that runs way up into the north land. 93 uses about 35 miles of the lower end of this road. It is wide, gentle turns and rolling hills. Just what a trail cruiser would order. We check out, get the sleds out of the enclosure and load up. Sandi gets back on her sled and - it won't restart. It was just running. OK. Don't panic. Open up the right side panel and jump the starter solenoid. The motor spins but no spark. Pop the cover off of the relay box, pull the relays and warm them up in our hands for a few minutes. Plug them back in, hit the starter button and voila its running. Sandi is off in a shot and there are a few tracks on the trail northbound from overnight but no southbound tracks. The groomer lives in Sacre Coeur so the southbound lane is clean. Its a few miles before we actually get on the C-900. It looks fine. Sandi is picking up speed now. The sled is warmed up and she is too. Clear sky, groomed trail, autobahn here we go. Sandi makes short work of the 35 miles to where 93 turns left. We get to the turn off to the lookout. We are early, lets go. Its a 5 mile jaunt but its worth it. This trail doesn't really go up much in elevation like the other lookouts but what a view. Jason, Yushen and Sandi. A few white crystals on the branches against that Canadian blue sky! Back on the trail. I usually don't recommend riding Mont Valin on weekends but our schedule didn't give us many options. Here we go down 93 from La Chappelle to Valinuet. It was groomed last night and it is before noon. Traffic heading down the mountain is non-existent but up hill traffic is Quebec City at rush hour. Keep your eyes open Sandi. Sled after sled and group after group all heading up. We have seen more sleds in this 25 mile stretch than I think we saw in the past 2 days, 600-700 miles. We stop to get gas at Passion. The ski slope is looking good. A lot of chalets have been built here over the years and it keeps expanding. We get back on the sleds and go look for food. Down 93 and right on 328. We end up in St David de Farladeau. We get gas in St David but have never stopped to eat here. There is a Snack Bar next to the gas station and it is very good. Clean, easy to get to but not much English. We can get by. After lunch we stay on 328 west for a little bit and then take 134 south. Both of these are fantastic. 134 can be miserable when drifted but it was groomed. We cross the 2 bridges and we are back at the Delta. A lot of folks here tonight. Its going to be a busy weekend up here. Another ride for the books. We lucked out on Mont Valin on a Saturday and everything else was great. Tomorrow we head south back to the Four Points. Jack & Sandi
    2 points
  9. It was time for the family ski trip to Colorado and seeing how last year in Vail I found there was no oxygen so I was sick for a week i would prepare. First I drank a orange and grape drink for a couple days before departure. It tastes like tang the stuff they took into space. Younger people might not remember. Second flew to Denver, spent the night. I was told we are acclimating. Next started the drive over the mountain to Cresta Butte. Need to work our way there I was told. Well I remembered years ago I spent a day in Black Hawk so let's spend a nite there. What I remembered was a little town with a couple motels and 1 casino. Not now. The whole town is casinos. My idea, no one else to blame but I could spent 3 night's in Quebec for what I paid for one. No problem honey we are on vacation. Looking back now that was the cheap part. Spend just too many hours in a casino. That's alright we are on vacation. Lol. Next day west on 70 the south and then west to Gunnison. Very interesting drive. Spent the nite with a Friend and had a great dinner and conversation. Wonderful evening and I was still breathing. Everything is great. Final leg to the ski area, found the house, unloaded the car and where did the oxygen go. Thought I accumulated. Time has gone by and maybe more people have arrived and less oxygen is to be had. Well today we , as in my honey and I, went to the ski village clinic, seen the doctor and now I am laying in bed with a concentrator pumping air in my. Amazing how fast you feel better when you have something to breathe. Only pain is a friend out here had sleds ready for a day or two of riding. If I got stuck I would die no doubt. It's alright seeing how i don't ski and I am now resting up for when I get home because my next stop is RDL Quebec. Next year I am going to lose 50 lbs and try it again. It's tough out here but it is beautiful. Be safe all.
    1 point
  10. Friday after lunch I leave from the yard for paradise, decided to take the outlaw trail, fastest way up. 3 Hours later I find myself buying gas in Chenneville with 180 k from the house. A quick stop at the local grocery store and onwards to le Chalet. Departure time 12:30 arrival time 4:30. Light up the stove prepare supper for jusque moi cuz everyone else is staying in for the weekend with their honeys (boo hoo) cause they are all off to the Gaspe next week. As soon as I was on the mainland in Pointe des Cascade this morning the trails were freshly groomed, flat and as hard as concrete, scratchers came down and it was like that all the way up. Saturday morning, the plan is to ride up to Mekoos and meet with Scranton and friends for lunch, they are departing from Maniwaki for a four day ride, I was asked to join in but sorry guys can't do Monday and Tuesdays. We both aim for 11:30 Mekoos time, I arrive at 11:40 and 10 minutes later Scranton walks in with 2 of his buddies, Doonali and forgive me I'm getting old forgot the other guys name but we do share the same line of work. Nice group of guys, would've been a lot of fun riding with them I'm sure. My ride up was to begin with the 43 out of the gate then 323/319/63 east to the 319 again and stuck with it 'till the 53 then back on the 319 into Mekoos, all trails were flat and as hard as concrete, made for some great milage. I filled my tank at the chalet with a jerry can from the cabane so I could leave on full. Arrived at Mekoos with 160 k and a half a tank showing. Wow! Now let's see how far I can take this.......after lunch we all have a quick ride together back to the 319/53 intersection where we split ways. I decide to continue on the 53 to the west side of the Kiamika Reservoir, very picturestic. Take the local over the dam and some dykes then jump back on the 53 down to the 63, head east to the 319 but not before running out of gas, I was hoping to make it into Nominigue but when I saw the milage sign posting Nominigue for another 16 klms and I already have 250 on the take with the light lite for some time now. Well just as I was finishing that thought she starts burping on me, I pull over and put the spare can in at 252 k. 16 klms later take the gas continue on the 63 'till the 319 and down to an old friends place at Lac aux Castor for a few rounds and supper. later in the evening I get the 600 Ace Tundra escort at 40 kph with diplomatic flags waving. Half way back escort takes a U turn and am in for a night cap at 9:30. Again all the trails were not disappointing at all, all flat and as hard as concrete once more. Sunday, todays plan, sleep in.........................ride back. Upon my return last night I had an E code lite up on my gauges and a message coming across the screen "Faulte Suspension". So in the morning I see the tail end of the sled sagging, OH OH!! Start her up and I can hear the compressor going, gauges are reading the pressure up to the shock setting that I had it last set too, which was 5. Taking some time to go from 1 to 5 then when it gets there it drops back to 4 then up to 5 and does this a couple times and boom! The E code is set in place. Well it's clear to me I have an air pressure issue. Thank god the trails are flat and hard cuz it looks like I'll be riding on the spring all the way back. Load her up and off I go at a 12:15 departure. I was planning on taking a different route for my return ride which would add more klms and more time for the return but that's out the door, it's the outlaw passage back. Heading into Rigaud on the rail bed on coming sledders are twirling their fingers in the air signaling PO PO up a head so I take her down a notch....or 2. What the hell is it with the PO PO and me. Sure enough they're ahead and stop me. They ask me if I'm the owner of the sled notice I have a valid license plate a trail pass, ask me where I'm going and where I have come from and wave me off, toddles boyz. Then another check point stop in the mountain, this time FCMQ officials, guy waves me over and they must have at least a dozen sleds pulled over and there were 2 more officials doing paperwork on their sled seats. Guy asks me for my pink trail pass slip and insurance. This is where it gets interesting, I hand over the pink slip and a photocopy of my drivers license, insurance and registration all on one sheet. (something I learned a long time ago). He takes a quick scan sees everything in tact and waves me off, in and out in a minute or 2 while all the others are still there waiting, telling me they must all have some kind of issue with the FCMQ. Love it when you can ride in and out of these check points in a snap. On the other side of the mountain in St.Marthe I come up on a little parade of B10s or B12s, zip on right by them to get a head a little so I can take a few shots as they are passing by. Really something special to see history on the trail. Arrival time at 4pm. After thawing out overnight I take a peak underneath looking and hoping for an air leak while keeping my fingers crossed that I didn't blow the shock. Start her up listen for the compressor and VOILA!!! I see the culprit, huge ass bubble on the air lin going from the shock to the body pissing out air, phew!!!! just a hose great news. Now for more inspection and off to the dealer for parts to continue the adventure.
    1 point
  11. smclelan

    Updated LA Cache

    Five of us stopped at La Cache on Saturday for gas and a meal, a whole new spot. The new management was very friendly and obliging. The food was excellent, good old fashion home-made boiled pork dinner, with pea soup and desert. Inside was bright, clean, and inviting. They have rooms ready for rent, however I think at least one has to get the shower finished. $130 tx incl for the room, this includes breakfast. The rooms have two beds, so two guys split the room and each get breakfast, a good deal i believe.
    1 point
  12. lol lol ,you know i'm teasing,my gear is almost the same,and you might get a large suprize taughting me lol lol iv'e never ever been passed
    1 point
  13. PLAYHARD

    Blue Bird Day!

    Amazing how certain iconic pics can bring back all of the endorphin rush!
    1 point
  14. viper2

    I'm boycotting QR!

    Idk, my Dad always taught me to wear the old stuff out first
    1 point
  15. yes there were two on board when it broke through the ice, both are ok... were a bit shaken up at the time!!
    1 point
  16. Love to! Next time!
    1 point
  17. zrtkat

    Zrtkat is in Matagami

    We had 275 miles of smiles today best trails so far, wide open trails no traffic at all heading to Val-dor Monday then hopefully to the truck in Temiscaming on Tuesday, worried about the weather in Temiscaming on Tuesday?????
    1 point
  18. zrtkat

    Zrtkat is in Matagami

    Teamiceman You are right it is what it is will deal with it when that day comes lol.going to be a nice day to ride tommorow
    1 point
  19. And the bar fridge too !!!
    1 point
  20. quebec bob

    next weeks weather

    I hear you, I have a ton of work at the shop, and once April comes , no days off until....next fall, maybe even after x-mass...so I am going...and I know when I get back I will wonder why I ever left, I am in the office right now!! !!
    1 point
  21. Pipeman

    Iceman and the Boss man

    Nice report ! Your getting good at it , way more patience than I have to do them.
    1 point
  22. Shore1066

    Zrtkat is in Matagami

    If you can get to Ville Marie just ride the river. Them arctic cats will go miles on water. No just kidding. I think you will be fine. Get a early start. Be safe.
    1 point
  23. iceman

    next weeks weather

    Looking good here...
    1 point
  24. iceman

    Zrtkat is in Matagami

    First you were nervous, now your worried? So you are a nervous worrier.lol. not much you can do about the weather. Just gonna have to deal with it. Hope things go smoothly for your trip back.
    1 point
  25. Day 5 Sunday. We are going back down to the Four Points. A few snow flurries here at the Delta. We pack up and the four of us are on our way. 83 east and then 368 west. Both in good shape. The snow is getting steadier now. 23 south here we go. A little bit of traffic going with us. At Mont Apica there are a dozen sleds or so. Hot chocolate time and a short break. Back on the 23 and Sandi is rolling along. We see some oncoming traffic as we get closer to L'Etape. Still not bad for a Sunday. At L'Etape we gas up and grab food. The snow is letting up now. A few flurries but not steady like it was. Here we jump on 369 south. Same trail we took earlier to the Four Points. This time as we get near trail 3, I'm debating on 369 or the 304 cutoff and pick up 3 sooner. 369 was really twisty thru Lac Beauport and I know 3 isn't going to be a cream puff on a Sunday afternoon. I roll the dice and opt for 304 to 3. 304 is good and in 4 miles we are at the junction with 3. We get on 3 west and as I thought it is rough. It isn't going to slow Sandi down though. Jason needs to get the rental back by 5:00 and Sandi is going to make sure he isn't late. We stop at the last gas station just before Four Points and fill the sleds up. Another mile and we are in. Plenty of time for Jason. Another good ride except for trail 3. Going 304 to 3 is about 10 miles shorter than 369 to 3 to the Four Points. Even being as rough as 3 was, it is still quicker. Until tomorrow, be safe and happy trails. Jack & Sandi
    1 point
  26. After lunch we are back on 3 east. A few miles down the trail and there is a gas station just off the trail. Top off the tanks and continue on. We pass the Clermont cutoff and trail 83 that heads back up to Lac St Jean. A few more miles and here is the groomer coming towards us. This is great. The groomer map showed this section wasn't groomed and now I know why. He must have left this morning after the map had been updated. Smooth sailing again. 3 is really nice until you get closer to Baie Sainte Catherine. The trail gets a little cranky compared to what we were on. It is still snowmobiling. Finally we can see the Riviere Saguenay and drop down to the landing for the ferry. Perfect timing. The ferry is just coming over. A few more sleds come down off the trail as one of the tractor trailers pull off of the ferry. This is a no charge ferry because it is part of the road system. The ferry is a fun ride. Something most snowmobilers don't get a chance to do. Cars, buses, trucks and sleds all together for the trip across the river. Jason and Yushen. Sandi standing guard. We get off the ferry and get back on 3. Still groomed. Getting cooler now and the sun is going down. The east sky has clouds and towards the west it is clear. As the sunsets, the colors in the clouds keeps changing. Mother Nature giving us a little light show. Trail 3 to 93 and we arrive at the Coronet for the night. Lock up the sleds, relax over a couple of beverages with supper. A great ride we had. Tomorrow to the Delta. Jack & Sandi
    1 point
  27. One of our son and his girlfriend had booked us a night at La Tuque as a Christmas gift and it was last weekend that we enjoyed it. Here is the path of 486miles that we traveled last Saturday and Sunday.-22C under a cloudy sky at first, not so good for pics, but acceptable visibility to ride. We were going first to join our friend Snowcruiser who was leaving Champlain and we had agreed to join him for lunch a little past 1:00pm at Marineau in Trois-Rives. We had an ambitious ride to do before lunch, so we left home early a little past 8:00am. The trails were beautiful and freshly groomed for the most part. Here in the fields north of St-Gabriel de Brandon to St-Damien. The little white line up to the top of the mountain is the snowmobile trail ...We crossed a bumpy section in the Zec des Nymphes which had not been re-surfaced due to a broken dozer, otherwise north of Réal Massé everything had been done and was beautiful.The cold had frosted the top of the mountainsWe passed by the Taureau dam reservoir whose level is already well loweredWe took the opportunity for a short pics breakThe #360 was like a carpet and very fast. With the gray sky and the high cruising speed we have unfortunately not many good picsAnother little photo break at halte 440. We see that it has been cold this season because the river is frozen over most of its route leaving only the rapids to clear water. Usually high flow prevents it from freezing over a large portionWhen exiting Zec Chapeau de Paille, the trail runs along the river about 1mile this year that give nice view on the river in this areaHere the beautiful classic view, and the trail takes the usual path from there We had a surprising good timing and arrived as planned to lunch at Marineau with Snowcruiser at 1:05pm with 149 miles on the dreammeter. Having arrived there a bit late we left around 2:30pm towards #355 north. A friend of Snowcruiser, Michel who had come to lunch with us accompanied us up to #360 #355 junction and then continued south while we lined up to the north Too dark sky for good pics but beautiful sceneryThe classic pipeline. The trail was ruff in this part, especially the big hills. Enough snow just need a dozer runThe famous railway bridge la rivière du milieu. Always a nice spot to take a breakThe next section was much better and we even met 2 dozers who were leaving from La Tuque to go down to groom the #355 we had just done and #73 to the eastWe arrived at 5:30pm in La tuque to stay at Marineau hotel where we had our reservation. It's really a sledders place, almost just snowmobiles in the parking lot. We had quiet evening, lying down early to compensate for my abuse the day before and get in shape for the next day ... Sunday morning during breakfast, guess who had come to sit just behind us: Mr and Mrs Iceman! accompanied by their friends, world is small!!! Was very nice to meet them and chat a bit (with my bad frenglish) too bad my other crew members don't really speak english so we would had talk longer... Krikri english vocabulary is limited at yes, no, toaster, bumber and wiper! Then we got back on the trail toward St-Raymond. Another nice cold night, -22C when we leaved which already announces nice hard trails And we were not disappointed. The #73 "La Jeannotte" as whe called it was freshly groomed by one of the dozer we had crossed the day beforeWe even had a few sun rays! We took the opportunity to take few pics, with the sun it makes all the difference for photos, looks almost as postcards with itUn vrai tapisWe arrived just at noon for lunch at Roquemont. It has changed a lot since our last visit, which was already a few years ago. It may be my nostalgic side but personally I liked better before. The drink side is very large with a lot of choice of beer but the meal side for dinner is rather limited. It's certainly not everyone's opinion because the place was packed full. We then pointed our skis south to return on home side. We still had a good distance to travel but most on fast fields trail which were very nice Instead of taking the #3 trail all the way ,we went down further south a notch via trails #302/351 which are a little faster in my opinion. We ride along the #40 highway for several miles. Here on the Batiscan River just under the highway We left our friend Snowcruiser just a little further so he got back home in Champlain area while we continued south alone. Following the advice of Snowcruiser we tried a new trail (for us) that goes to St-Louis de France but then newly connect to the #3 trail (not on the map). The trail is not super wide but ride very well and represented for us a shortcut of several miles. We ended up in the power lines just few miles from La Gabelle St-Maurice river crossing . I have approximated the route on the map on my first pic on this report for those interested...We did one last fuel up in St-Étienne just after crossing the St-Maurice river at around 4:00pm followed by a short break. It was then that it get worst...The ice storm began as we started again. The visibility with the ice and night coming was really difficult. I managed to find a functional rhythm: my Nolan electric visor plugged + heated handles at maximum and wiping with my hot left mits at 10 seconds so the ice was wipable. And when my right hand was about to catch on fire (7-8 minutes) I stopped and cool it down in the Kristine visor so she can see something front again As darkness set in, it became easier with the lights. It did not stop us from smiling, was just part of the adventure!We finally been home around 6:30pm. We started to be crusted a lot! and snowmobiling too ... A very good ride, it gave us a total of 246miles for the day and 486 miles gps for the 2 days. The ice storm has not damaged the trail network and has instead added compact stuff the dozers used to give us beautiful solid trails ... We are really in the best of the season and time flies quickly so it is the time or never to go for it! Alain
    1 point
  28. And if you forget your swimming trunks they sell disposable suits which look like there made out of tyvek house rap. Quite the statement as you strut towards the pool!
    1 point
  29. thre is a system made by sno-bunji for $19.95 that works slick.
    1 point
  30. Great trip report David! Thanks for sharing. Excellent video!! Love the music & editing. Gives a nice peek of what our favorite pastime of snowmotouring is all about!
    1 point
  31. quebec bob

    PLAYHARD Opener!

    nice video, exactly what Quebec riding is all about, enjoying all the wonderful Canadian outdoor adventure with good friends, thanks!!
    1 point
  32. Mid Range

    I'm boycotting QR!

    Posting from Pourvoirie Lavérendrye...trail is like a hardwood floor around here(incredible). Yes it's time to get back to Maniwaki before the thaw.
    0 points
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