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stupe

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Posts posted by stupe

  1. Rode 23 Saturday. Its groomed all the way up but there are so many sleds around there the groomers can't keep up. Get's thin as you get further North. We pounded through 150 miles of whoops. Trails were powdery so they weren't locked up. Guys were riding down from Jonquiere area.

  2. You could make it to Beaupre, QC (about 30 minutes Northeast of Quebec City) from Brunswick, ME in about 5 1/2 hours if you went up through St. Georges. (Not sure where you are starting from in Maine). Ride 369 to L'Etape or just take TQ3 North. Plenty of sled traffic in case that trip wrecker leaves you stranded. lol. Plenty of snow and trails are groomed. However, riding from any hotel around there was tricky last weekend without a GPS. Local trail wasn't marked at all. But there is a safe parking spot 5 minutes from town where the groomer runs out of. Guy charges $10 a day.

  3. Thanks for the report. This is the area I usually start from on saddlebag trips. Do you know if the ST Anne river, on trail 3 heading east towards Charlevoix is passable?

    Not sure, we only went 50 miles north on 3 out of Beaupre until we hit that relais. It was perfect. Took 369 half way to L'Etape and that was perfect too. Got six inches of snow when we left today. Groomers are out.

  4. We are about 30 minutes northeast of Quebec city right now and the trails are terrific. Past the groomer heading up 369 toward le tape, and it wasn't the first time that trail was groomed. Trail 3 was groomed perfect. Plenty of snow. Signage is still going up, but lots of sleds out riding. We decided to come up despite what the fcmq site said. Glad we did.

  5. I've been using the NUVI 550 for a few years now. Everyone has given great advice here. I went with the Trakmaps SD card. I will say though that Trakmaps has great customer service. I had an issue with my GPS seeing all of the maps (there is normally a transparent and non-transparent map) so I mailed my GPS to Trakmaps and told them to send it back when it worked. A week later it showed up at my house and everything has been fine since.

    With a GPS, you will sometimes notice though that the trails are continually changing throughout the year with re-routes for loggging. It gets a little un-nerving at times when you find yourself off the GPS trail in the middle of nowhere, but eventually you loop back to the trail you see on the GPS.

    I also found that setting the GPS to 2D view rather than 3D view worked best for snowmobile trails.

  6. Berthierville, maybe 1 hr east or so from Montreal on Auto route 40. Say halfway between montreal and trois riveres. Never started a trip there but there are several hotels restaurants and gas all there. Right there is TQ 43 seen many sleds around that area.

    Yup, stayed at the Days Inn in Berthierville a couple of times. Seemed safe. They even put a boot on my truck which was nice since we never even stayed the night there. Truck was there 5 days later when we got back. Snow is somwetimes a little thin around that area but picks up nicely once you get into the woods.

  7. We stayed at Odanak this Saturday. That trail out of La Tuque toward Relais 22 is a twisty goat path. It was a crapy trail years ago and its worse now. It's absolutely passable (and there is a section of the road that is plowed and rocky) but I can drive trails like that here in NY if I wanted that crap. I was hoping the new trail would be inproved, not worse. I was told it was re-routed because of some farmers in the La Croche area.

    Anyway, if I had to go that way, I'd go through Windigo and connect up with 83. I hear there is a local trail that dumps you onto the lake (or reservoir) off of 73. It shows up on the local map for that area. I asked the guy at Odanak how 73 North of there was and he said not that good (meaning twisty most of the way). However, 73 was freshly groomed when we were there but painfully slow for Canada. If your heading that way just to hit 83 to Roberval, it might be worth the pain. That trail is great!

  8. I posted on Trail Conditions 2011 that friends of mine rode from St Raymond to L'Etape, down 369 to Point a Pic, then from to there to the HI. See my post on that thread.

    Yeah I saw that Bill. I was wondering from St. Raymond to Quebec City via 3. We won't have time to go up through L'Etape and back down to 3. I'm sure it will be fine in a week.

  9. Bob, your talking about the Saint-Maurice river that runs North out of La Tuque. The same river that parallels route 155. The locals told us that you could run that river North towards Relais 22 and it would eventually connect back up with trail 73. It supposedly saves a bunch of time and avoids the twisty part of 73. We just need to figure out where to jump on the river coming South from Relais 22 on our way to La Tuque. Or we just come down 355 and be done with it. Just hate to miss 83 between Roberval and Relais 22.

  10. In a few weeks we are doing a loop and one leg of the loop will be going from Roberval to Relias 22 and then on to La Tuque. Last year someone posted a short cut running a lake from Relias 22 to La Tuque and I thought they posted coordinates. I tried to find it and couldn't. Any help would be great. :drinks:

    Thanks,

    Bob

    I'll add to this...has anyone taken the re-routed trail 73 North out of La Tuque yet? It appears to be about 20 miles longer than the old trail. Is the new trail better in terms of being straighter, or is it painfully slow and twisty still like the old trail?

  11. Just got back and yes trails are shot around St michel area. North of the lake it MAY have a chance of surviving if it gets cold as of 4 pm yesterday there was still about 6" left on Tq 33 north to Repo but really soft and decide to turn back as it was starting to rain. South of that there was a lot of bare dirt showing.

    Trail 318 and 33 out of town yesterday afternoon was about 75% dirt on the trail and still raining. Decided to take the lake back to town from Auberge du Lac Toro. That was pretty much standing water on top of the ice.

    Summary, the base is shot they have to start all over around town, 33 and 360 MAY have a chance it it turns cold very soon

    Spot link of trip for Friday ( That was actually a very good ride before it started to rain) and Saturday ( short ride)

    http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0ZL8x0gp106yRrE9ixqdK77r68EbmEvr7

    Today I took a blast up 33 towards Repo (just past 360) and it wasn't half bad in the woods. Spring like conditions for sure but flat. I'm pretty sure I was the only fool out there. Friends went all the way to Repo on Saturday and it was nice. Anything South towards St. Michelle was crap though. artcat900, looks like I was banging around the same trails you were, I'm sure we past each other over the last few days. It was sad to see the temps rise into the 40's and rain like hell. oh well...

  12. Has anyone had a fuel issue this year? We blew a doo up and the tech says it was bad gas that we bought. The only gas purchased was at Real Masse and the station next to the ski doo dealership in st. Michelle Des saints. Any help would great thanks guys

    When did this happen? I'm at Auberge Lac Taureau right now and saw a newer 800 doo being towed off the lake. Guy said he smoked it. I fueled up at the same gas station you mentioned next to the dealership and haven't had any problems...yet.

  13. I have used the Nuvi 500 for 2 years , I have found it to be a great unit.

    The basis difference between the Nuvi 500 and 550 are the base maps that are loaded, The 500 does not come with Canada topo loaded but can be purchased as an adder.

    I have mine mounted to the handle bars with a RAM mount. The first year I used it in Canada, I used the cigaret lighter, halfway thru the trip the wire broke from the cold and vibration. Last year I moved a hard wire power cord the unit works great.

    I picked the Nuvi 500 since it east water proof, had off and on road capability and Ialso use the same unit in my truck

    I was also able to get the FMCQ trails loaded to the unit.

    I would buy the same unit again for multipurpose use.

    Schooter

    X2 on everything Schooter said about the Nuvi 500. I loaded the NYS trail maps and FMCQ maps on mine and it works well.

  14. Richard,

    I was going to call you Wed night for some updates. Looks like the forecast I saw says heavy snow by Friday. I hope this is true. If that is the case we will be looking to come up on Saturday.

    Talk to you soon,

    Kel

    I came down the pipeline from La Tuque on Sunday and it was freshly groomed. Almost everything from La tuque to Shawinigan was freashly groomed. Most of 355 was great. Some parts of 355 south were very thin. I heard that the trail was great from Relias 22 to Roberval. I think anything North of La Tuque has decent snow. Most of the trails in Canada right now are better than anything we have in NY. (even after this snowstorm!)

  15. Just got back tonight, we left from the Mekinack on Tues afternoon for Lac Edourd, the 355 was supposedly closed but we went anyway it was fine a little icy in places but no problem. From Lac Edourd North conditions where mint. We did 1020 miles in 41/2 days and it was 8/10. Auberge mekinack is a great place to start from. No charge to leave the trucks there either. Safe corral with security guard. :drinks:

    We left from Richard's place last year and it was a nice place to start from. We headed up towards Roberval but went through Relias 22 (against my better judgment) and the trail from La Tuque to Relais 22 is just painful. It seems to go on forever. How was 355 from 73 to Lac Edourd? I took it years ago and I remember it being just ok.

    Trail 73 South out of La Tuque just never gets old. Probably one of the nicest trails in Canada.

  16. TQ3 is usually always bad (bumpy) near Quebec City that is no secret

    However just for your info ITS REALLY BAD RIGHT NOW

    ROCKS AND A LITTLE BIT OF SNIRT

    NEED SNOW HERE BAD

    so if you are palnning to pass through this section be so advised

    IS lots of snow east of QC CITY and trail was awesome through the entire run from Manior until Quebec city

    Too bad cause the snow east and north of there is fantastic

    TQ 83 9/10

    383 amazing big snow

    Any idea how the trails are from Quebec City toward Grand Mere area. I'll be coming through that way in a few days.

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