rob

I expected this by winter, but not by mid-september.. I'm concerned how low it will go. Damn...

(in)Accuweather just predicts what it feels it's viewers want to hear. The winter forecasts I've seen so far are very disappointing.. Here is the temperature map from the CPC for dec-jan-feb:

Yep I saw that too.

Ok, I just looked at current conditions in our area, and this is exactly what I was referring to. Look at the temp on Mt Washington right now, 54 degrees!! While Kingfield NH is at 29 and Whitefield is 32. Warmer temps up high mean a warming trend coming.

That's very interesting. Looking at the weather map, there is a low pressure area in western quebec with it's associated warm front just to the north of the Falardeau area, meaning that Falardeau is in the warm sector. That would account for why they are warmer than us right now, as we are still under the high pressure area that has been giving us pleasantly warm days and cool/cold nights the last few days. But this is just a short term explanation. If this difference continues, there must be other factors involved. One thing is the elevation. While higher elevations have cooler weather most of the time, they often will be warmer if the flow aloft is from the south. I'm aware of that here. If we, (and places like Mt Washington) are warmer than the valleys, it means a warmup is coming. That may be a reason for Falardeau being warmer this morning also, as the whole northeast is supposed to warm the next few days. I'll keep an eye on it just out of curiosity.

I used to do it often, (back when we had snow) lol. We'd sometimes cross at Derby and come back through Canaan.

I've thought of the same thing, but it's not nearly attractive now as it was a few years ago because of the weak US dollar.

Bienvenue Belle

You guys were with NE Bob that day? Man, I forgot all about that. Who was I with?

You got it That was easy.

Where am I now ??

Great picture!

Close enough. It is east of Desbiens on 383 just as it drops down onto Lac St Jean headed toward St Gédéon. There is a Relais just a bit further on where you come off the big lac that I can't remember the name of.

Where am I now?

That is La Chapelle of course. I think everyone that rides Mt Valin goes there. I once rented a cottage 2 miles from the Chapelle for a week.

LOL

I had BFG AT's a while back and although they are good in deep snow, they seemed very bad on ice. Other people have told me about the Blizzaks not having good handling on dry roads. I looked at the Green Diamond site, and although they sound like a great idea, they are kind of expensive for basically a recapped tire. I sent them an email looking for more info. Another tire I'm now looking at is the Goodyear Fortera TripleTred. That is an all-season tire meets the industry’s severe snow service requirements and is branded with the mountain/snowflake symbol. I was surprised to see that on an all season tire. Does anyone have any experience with it?

I've been using a Cat TXi helmet the last few years, but will be trying out a BV2s this winter.

I know, this has been discussed before. But too often it amounts to, "I bought such-and-such tires and they are the greatest". I'm looking for a more detailed discussion from guys that have experience with some of the winter specialty tires available now. Are they worth the trouble of switching tires every spring and fall? Do they really wear out too fast if you are lazy and leave them on all summer? I'm just trying to determine if they are worth it. I drive a 2004 chev ext cab half ton 4x4. It has about 28k on the OEM tires, and they aren't bald by any means, but for winter driving they are a little marginal in my opinion. Tires are one area I don't like to scrimp on, because I tend to drive fast on bad roads. I'm less interested in deep snow performance but I want a tire that has good ice capability. I've been looking around and two tires have caught my eye, the Bridgestone Blizzak DM-Z3, and the Michelin Latitude X-Ice. Here is a good article: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=24 Does anyone here have any experience with either of those two tires? Thanks.

Duct Tape, heavy-duty wire ties, drygas, and of course a small roll of TP in a ziplock bag. ;) Duct tape is the single most important thing to have. It has saved the day many times.

I have a 8 year old very threadbare Reima suit that is no longer water repellent. I'm in the market for a new suit this fall. Underneath I wear a Tekvest, a Polartec layer (either 200 or 300 weight depending on the temp), and thermax undershirt. Flannel-lined jeans, and Baffin boots, a size larger than normal to give plenty of room for socks and to wiggle my toes. I'll be trying out a BV2s this year, I've heard it is a very warm helmet.

I wear the short-cuff Reima gloves. They are relatively light and have good feel. I keep the ski-doo gauntlets on my machine all the time and I'm quite used to them. I wouldn't ride without gauntlets on a cold day.

You got it! "site of the bears".

I know I've asked this before, but as a webmaster I continue to struggle with it. I design my sites for AT LEAST 1024x768, and I consider that anyone that uses less than that is living in the stone age. If I would design for 800x600 it would look tiny and restricted to most of us. Hint: if you can't see the logo and complete ad banner at page top without scrolling, you are using 800x600 (or less)

Going from experience here, it is very hard to learn the correct pronunciations without actually speaking them. I took a French course several years ago and it helped me a great deal. But even with that, I can read/write French a lot better than I can actually converse in it. It takes a lot of practice. Best bet would be to take a course at your local community college, and try to join in here by reading and writing on the French forums.