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Showing content with the highest reputation on 03/20/2018 in all areas

  1. Rode out of RDL this chilly 7F morning. Brad, Mark and me from NH, Marty and Steve from NY. Headed southwest on 5 and 35 through Pohenegamook, gas in Cabano, gas in Lac Des Aigles (not a recommended gas stop, lots of pavement to gas), then 35 towards Mont Joli. TQ’s were definitely best groomed, perfectly flat and very great Indy car action. Fields were a bit drifts, but not bad. A few sections of orange trails like 544 and 571 were not whooped, but could use a grooming. Clear and sunny for most of the day, ending in cloudy windy and blowing snow. Very windy here at Gaspesiana, wind howling from the St Lawrence, we all had excellent seafood, their specialty. Very light traffic today, by 11am we passed 1sled, was a police sled but did not stop us. I didn’t even notice it said police on the hood, and saw no radar ;<) Then a small tour or family group making a souvenir video south of Cabano, and only a few others by the end of the day. Could count them all on 10 fingers ;<) Tried to find a sailboat for Brads summer enjoyment, but nothing in his size in the dry dock. As reported by others, plenty of snow and they are grooming daily. We saw several groomers out today. Off to the south shore tomorrow, maybe Baie Blue. Not many pictures today, too busy riding, besides it’s hard to beat Mikerider and Towings pics ;<)
    9 points
  2. The season is over for my boys and me. David flew in from North Carolina on Thursday to Watertown and nephew Mike and I picked him up at the airport with the trailer loaded and truck fueled up. First question was are we going back to home before we leave. Answer was nope don't have time. We have reservations at the Drakkar. Best part is my other boy Christopher and his group of three were meeting us there a little later. Friday morning comes and off we go. Big group of seven but all have riden in Quebec and are all good riders. We leave the hotel and head for Roberville. Rt. 3 to a local trail to the river. Good place to get the boys to get the kinks out. Up 360 to 355 and on to La Tugue for lunch. Next we have to decide do go 355 or 73 to 83. Farther 73 to 83 so it's 355. Problem is more places to stop on 355. Same amount of time to get there I believed. Long day but we made it. Next David, Mike and I decide we are heading north because we can stay an extra day. The other group headed south to Quebec city . It was great to spend time with all of the boys especially my boys as they live so far apart. Saturday David, Mike and I head for chibougamua. Bad spelling. Trails were good but mostly great. Hard fast and smooth. 198 miles and we were at the Nortic hotel. Great day with the boys who take very good care of the old man. Sunday up and heading back south going to Relay 22 and maybe farther. Now the temperature is 13 below as in our scale. Had to stop and put on an other shirt and a hoody under the Helmet. Fingers got cold and never thought they would get warm. Not a lot of sleds were out there with us. I think below the sawmill we did meet Phil and his group but I'm sure they wanted to get where they were going like us. At La Dore got gas and headed for Relay 22. Local trail little rough to 83 but that's part of the adventure. Got to Relay 22 and had to make the decision to stay or go. I had one beer and decided this was the place for me. The boys did agree and we were in bed by 9. Up early this morning and off to the truck. Trails were hard and smooth and a nice ride back. 175 miles and at the truck at about 3. Total of about 900 miles for 4 days. Hit the road and home at 8 30 tonite. All and all we road 2300 miles, mostly in Quebec with no big issues and no one got hurt. I am very lucky to have 3 very great people I get to ride with as in David, Mike and Jimmy who take care of me and make sure I have a great time. They are all 25 years younger of me. So everyone have a good summer and hopefully we all get to tell of our adventures again next year. Be safe everyone.
    8 points
  3. Last ride of the season: Was only appropriate the ACE hit the 15,000 mile mark on the Mikerider bypass. That would sound more impressive in Kilometers! Sled goes just like it came off the showroom floor. Saw a black cat for several seconds in a field today before he disappeared into the woods. Looked 25 to 30 pounds, no idea what it was. And, best of all, the mice story did not get me kicked off QR, thanks for all the positive feedback on the story. mike
    5 points
  4. Probably the most interesting or telling comment on this thread is, especially after it snows, the trail is almost always single track, RIGHT DOWN THE MIDDLE OF THE TRAIL!! It usually takes a half day for it to widen out, and yes , the smooth stuff is always on the right. Be safe, do not ride over your head, and respect on coming traffic, and respect sleds that you are passing, meaning don't trade side panel paint with them or leave them in blinding snow dust.If we observe these simple courtesies I think things are pretty good out on the trail. When you see cops in town, I wonder how many residents have called them because some one is riding thru too fast, go easy in town when fueling and eating, give way to pedestrians, it will go a long way, we are all representing our sport!!
    4 points
  5. Phil 1

    Speed Limit 70 kmh (42 mph)

    43 MPH is like watching paint dry just shoot me. I would rather knit.
    4 points
  6. Phil, how did you know? That is what I do for work so I can go snowmobiling. I paint parking lots and have to wait until the paint is dry before I open up the lot to traffic. Jack & Sandi
    3 points
  7. I just read MikeRider's post regarding radar on trail 85 on the rail bed. It made me start thinking about the Provincial speed limit of 70 kmh (42 mph). I understand the Police want to keep everyone safe. I'm all for safety too but radar on the rail bed? In town, busy areas where there are a number of road crossings, where there may be pedestrians that also use the trail, high traffic areas, etc. These are places that an accident has the potential of hurting someone else. I'm in favor of keeping the speed down in areas like this. The way sleds have improved over the years as far as handling, starting and stopping is far superior to what we rode 20 or 30 years ago. The way trails have been opened up so visibility is better, the signage is better and grooming is fantastic brings into question the practicality of an overall Provincial speed limit of 70 kmh. Maybe the Provincial speed limit of 70 kmh should be revisited and reassessed. Trails that are on rail beds, rivers, lakes and the such are much safer than the trails that are barely wide enough to allow two sleds to pass each other twisting thru the trees and yet many of these twisty trails aren't posted with a lower speed limit so their limit is the same as a rail bed. The speed limit was determined many years ago when the Provincial trail system was in its infancy and had an entirely different look to it. In yesteryear, the trails were narrow and twisty. When you did have a straight away, it would be so bumpy you still couldn't go very fast. The old sled suspensions also limited your speed because they didn't have the travel or sophistication that the new sleds have. Back then, 60 mph was flying. You were holding on so you wouldn't lose control. Now a days, 60 mph on these super trails is just cruising along and not hardly feeling a bump. Imagine what it would be like in your truck on the interstate with a speed limit of 45 mph because that is what the speed limit was on the secondary roads before the interstate system. What do you think? Please post if you would like. Just our 2¢. Jack & Sandi
    2 points
  8. 2 points
  9. Honorable pin striping! Check it!
    2 points
  10. 5,893k = 3,661mi Nothing extreme but TONS of great memories. Hopefully enough to get thru the warmer months!
    2 points
  11. Phil 1

    Pirate ride.

    BJ has been having issues with ice building up on stud backers and eating rear idlers, this morning he was at the dealer at 8, they took him right in changed idlers and hyfax, out in a hour. Kudos to the dealer in Chibougamau for their great and friendly service. Stayed at the Nordic rooms have been redone quite nice and reasonable. We were in no real hurry anyway sort of a rest day, left around 9:30 did not stop in Chapis for fuel. 93 was flat and fast we would alternate between hammer down and mild speed as it was pretty cold again. Fuel began getting low BJ and Dan stopped to dump some in, Greg and I wanted to see if we could make it to LSQ we put the diesels in eco and held them to the bar 40 mph, pulled into gas with 165 miles on the speedo. Greg took 37.6 liters and i took 39. Last couple miles mine was stumbling on the up hill sections, not necessary but fun to push mileage. 4 days left to ride we are in no hurry to get south of the fence it will be our last QC trip this year.
    2 points
  12. Right ski at right edge of trail period! And KEEP YOUR HANDS ON THE HANDLEBARS! I don’t care how many sleds might be behind you. Control YOUR sled with both hands!
    2 points
  13. 1 point
  14. Phil 1

    Pirate ride.

    Another slow morning, hit 93 stud groomed and nice and fast, not 43 MPH 🤪, to 83 also nice went to Val Dor for fuel and lunch. Hit 309 as none of us had ever ridden it, more turns than any other trail over here on the west side. Could use a groom, we stopped at Rapid 7 they were closed, BJ said that trail would be perfect if it were groomed well we got off the dam and viola the trail was perfect just groomed. Ran it to 63 that was also just groomed making first tracks a lot of the way. Got to 303 sud to Villa Marie for the night.
    1 point
  15. Trails look amazing Mike. Glad you’re last rode was a great one. We will be back !
    1 point
  16. gowser

    Lac St Jean

    Thanks iceman..much appreciated. Those stickers are everywhere😊
    1 point
  17. For Playhard it isn't about the miles, it's the destination !!
    1 point
  18. Triggerhappy

    Update on grooming

    Great. Thank you.
    1 point
  19. Yes I agree Blue Blood!! I have 4300 miles still need one more fix!!
    1 point
  20. Never enough miles to get me threw till next season.
    1 point
  21. Bueno! Just tell the law that you're bad at math?
    1 point
  22. Holy moley! Ran it today. If I had SR1 in my backyard at home I wouldn't need to schlep to Quebec. What an awesome mix of everything you'd want. Plus bunches of well tracked offshoots to go explore. No piston-ally, but if you need that you can stay on the railbed (which was also perfect from St Ray to 353 today).
    1 point
  23. I HAVE BEEN HIT , head on by a group of 3 , going like crazy no studs on icy trails around cabanon in st zenon , and i only had 40 km on my new sled . when the came around the corner on my side , not even the middle , first two missed me but not the third and i had even driven off the trail to avoid the yahoos , and please keep both hands on the bars , i don't care how many are behind you , USE common SENSE
    1 point
  24. Trailblazer

    Pirate ride.

    You guys are getting great weather and trails are looking really awesome, Phil go gently on the eye you can get back double vision in the evenings. 😊
    1 point
  25. doo4adoo

    Trail report

    Spoke with my buddy and he got up Saturday and trailered from Mt Laurier to St Ann. Word was trails not that great between. This is where we usually ride from but since he was only going to Clova was hoping to extend his ride. He left things to Thursday before he called to book and all the northern places were booked. I suggest at least for Saturday booking in some where. Wish I could join you but have to work part of Friday Mike
    1 point
  26. I agree with iceman on don't trust anyone.If you ride a motorcycle like many of us do you must think like everyone does not see you and trust no other vehicle on the road.
    1 point
  27. Not sure what the ticket is for speeding in Qc, is it based on how much you are over, similar to getting a ticket in your car? In Ontario it is a flat rate, $120.00 I think. So if you see the radar gun in Ontario, you might as well give it shit and see what you clock in at. lol I was skiing in Mont Tremblant last week, was reading the paper regarding ticketed infractions for snowmobiling. Was surprised to see wearing a scarf while sledding carries a fine of $150.00. There was no mention for a speeding infraction.
    1 point
  28. Never gonna happen, (higher limits). Be thankful they don’t look to lower it. More likely this will happen in the future. Will end up like Ontario at 50km everywhere. As for riding the middle. Unfortunately most do it. Even guys who think they are riding on the right are not. I know I do. Look at the scratches on my new sled, all on the right side. If you ride right your sled is scratched up and your helmet too, only on the right side. If not it’s just a matter of time before you will meet someone else who rides like you do(the middle) and you will do more than scratch your sled. Hey, this will never change. I can only control what I do. Like CNC said. I have never trusted the other guy. That’s how you get hurt or killed. My 2cents.
    1 point
  29. Hi Jack, In Ontario the speed limit is 50 KPH or 30 MPH. Very seldom have I seen or heard of radar on Ontario trails except near Bancroft there is a rail bed and often police will set up there and ticket unfortunate riders. In February we rode for 5 days in northern New Brunswick. My understanding there is no posted speed limit for snowmobile trails in the province. The message was use common sense which really is the only practical system for the diversity in trails, topography, conditions etc that exist on the trail system. Was a benefit in New Brunswick because there is a lot of fast riding there. I feel staying on the right side of the trail is much more of a safety issue than speed. One of the reason enjoy Quebec so much is it seems to have a older more mature group of riders than you will find on Ontario trails during the weekend. Steve
    1 point
  30. Cnc

    Speed Limit 70 kmh (42 mph)

    70kph is 43.5 mph. Yeah not so fast but since half the people that come at me even on a railway bed are closer to the center line with their inside ski there really not that much room for error when you are closing at each other at 87mph. I agree it seems slow and obviously do more that 70kph in straight always but back off when I see a sled approaching or back off in the tight blind corners, and there are lots of trails like that around here. Approximately 1/3 of the on coming sleds I meet on those tight blind corners are in the middle of the trail or seriously on my side. I simply do not trust the other guy anymore. They highways in QC are 100kph and everyone does 120kph or better, if you increase the speed limit say 20 Kph on the trails, people will just exceed the posted limit by the same amount that they do now. The police tolerate about 10kph over the limit on the highways when you pass their radar, maybe that should be their policy on trails, but it seems they mostly post the SQ officers with big ego’s to the trails.
    1 point
  31. I thought those signs were in MPH. My bad.
    1 point
  32. Snobeeler

    Pirate ride.

    Great pics. Thanks for sharing. I call those "slot car trails"
    1 point
  33. Hi Tom, I came up a week, gave myself another week extension, and now another three day extension. Going home Wednesday AM for sure. May need a 'go fund me' for this trip. lol I can't believe how good the riding is. Even RDL has good snow cover.
    1 point
  34. Beautiful trails all day. Brutally cold. One of the pics I'll post is a guy who probably started for the tunnel coming towards RDL and saw how bad it was. Hit reverse and went too far backwards. Must have happened last night. Then a first this afternoon. Stopped for speeding. Saw I was from Maine and asked if I knew the speed limit was 42. Said yes. Said he got me at 98. First thought was damn mice under the hood on Viagra again, then wondering how long I would be in jail. Then I realized he gave speed limit in mph and my speed in kilometers. Whew, only 18 over. Told me to slow down and waved me through. mike
    1 point
  35. Chalets and Spa Lac St Jean is very nice, great chef, awesome spa features. The cabins are very nice too.
    1 point
  36. forgot..... can t confirm ....i was talking with a friend yesterday ....he told me that cross point groomer...kaputt !!!....down !!! i believe that ...looks like there s not much action on their side since a week !!! forgot to walk on their side this morning !!! first tourists on my way to main steeet ..just before 4 am !!! jean-guy
    1 point
  37. NH-Moose

    gaspie

    We are 5 riding out of RDl on Monday the 19th, hope to see lots of QR's on the trail......no, wait....this just in.......you should all stay home on your couches because conditions will be all mud, no gas at any of the gas stations, LaCache will be closed, the Rock has sunk, all the surfacers are broken down, Internet and electricity will be down across the peninsula, Groomer will be on vacation in Barbados, views of the Chic Chocs will be horrible due to volcanic activity, Policia will be radaring everyone riding across the muddy fields, a North Korean EMP will render all sled ignition and fuel injection systems useless, Trudeau banned snowmobiles over 2 horsepower, and Trump plans to close the border after we cross on the 18th. Much better to stay home and not risk it ;<)
    1 point
  38. Some more pics
    1 point
  39. RoadRunner

    White Road Run

    A great day yesterday, here in Havre St Pierre this morning , it is over cast with light snow, sleet and rain forecasted With Lanse au Claire as the Cain’s quest check point, we intend to base there, but a run to Mary’s Harbor Labrador is as far down the Coast as we plan to go, so we still have a ways to go. Hoping for several more blue sky days like yesterday Happy Trails RR
    1 point
  40. Only 2500 for the year headed to my camp on tug Hill this weekend. Not Quebec but still riding.
    0 points
  41. I got a speeding ticket last winter on the rail line not far from Trailblazers chalet. I know there was police ahead but thought they were at the junction so was still doing 94kph. just under $300, my buddy who was behind me was some how going faster and his was mid $3's
    0 points
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