dkarwh

Bob, are you home or in Quebec? Karl

Hi Bill. I was checking the wx for the next couple of weeks. Kind of liked Feb 24 thru whenever. I am wondering when you will pull up stakes and head south. It doesn't look like the warm-up will affect it too much. Would appreciate your opinion and also the price for the rooms single vs double. Thanks, Karl

I am available for this ride.2 to 3 hours after the border could put us in Beauceville, Riding east/east northeast lots of nice trails. OR, anywhere else for that matter!!!!!.....

I was on the pc when they were deciding where to meet, I had to make a couple of phone calls and when I got back everything was done. Probably will be hovering in Val D'Or at the La Gourmet B&B on main st. Let me know if you have anything planned. Thanks, Karl

Looking for anyone interested in riding in the Bas St Laurent/Chaudière App./Moose Valley/Northern New Brunswick area this winter. After riding by myself last winter I decided it would probably be in my best interest to find someone to ride with. Most of the guys I used to ride with now think of a ride as base to bar-room and back. I like a beer after but not during. So...if interested drop me a line. My email is dkarwh@aol.com Available Dec 26 thru April15 24/7 Karl Bill, are you riding this year?

Hi Mike! How is the riding up there. Was up last week and it was great around Thetford until Friday and the rain came about 7pm. Waited until Sat and left for home. They were talking about a warm-up thru and inc Monday. According to the wx now the deep freeze is coming in. When I stopped at Lac DelEst in march last year they were talking about Andre at Relais 540 and I believe he was sick with C. When we went through it was late in March and they were closed. The new relais in Tourville is selling gas and they said not many sleds were stopping at Andre's. Most of them get over 100 MPT, plenty enough for Cabano or RDL or Riviere Blue. I think things are changing in our sport, faster than I like to see. Trail closings, other trails with the <fragile> signs on them,, stay on trail signs which seems to trigger some riders to go off trail. If anyone watched the accident that happened about 20 miles from Moose Valley they would never go off trail again. The perfect off trail has big surprises sometimes! Hey, have a nice time Mike. Are you going up to LSJ this year? I may go up for a ride. Take care. Karl

WOW!!!! Actually got a ride home before going up north. Got a foot or more and it made for some great field riding. Almost ran out of gas I was having so much fun. Have to check Greylock out later on! Happy New Year.......

I remember the story about him (actually a couple). He was leaving on a tour out of Victo and he arrived early in the morning. He didn't want to rent a room for only a few hours so he decided to catch a nap in his suburban. He woke up and his suburban was going down the road. The thieves had stolen his truck and trailer with him in it. They promptly threw him out of the truck and drove off. He never ran a tour out of Victo again. Another problem he had was paying the Quebec guides after a trip. I almost went to work for him until I learned of this problem. He owed so many people money he couldn't come back. Another story had him and a group of sledders in the city of Gaspe, pouring cats and dogs. He deserted them, leaving them to get back from where they started on their own. They ended up hiring a semi for the sleds and they all took the bus. I personally have been in a few season enders myself and it makes you really wonder why you didn't leave the day before. It seemed like if this guy had any luck it was always bad.

HOLIDAYS.....happy, happy, happy holidays to all.....Karl

Hi Mike. I am doing well thanks. Glad to hear that 548 opened up. The only time out there last year ended up getting the compass out to get out of there. Made it to the turnaround but after that no way. When that trail marker isn't there, especially at night, and no tracks to follow..........What are you driving now? I did a lot of riding by myself last winter. Everyone was back to work because of the early spring and no money etc, etc. I cruised the entire area from Victo to RDL. I think I took every trail in 3 weeks of riding. Left on a monday afternoon and before I got to the border it was raining and that was the end. Did one trip to Jackman, Millinocket, Van Buren, Fort Kent and back during the three weeks I was there. One of the guys got sick and that wasn't much fun. Is Bill doing the same as usual up north. Have to come up and ride with you guys if he is. Didn't go to the drags in NH this year so I missed him. Take care Mike, maybe I'll see you sometime, Karl

Just got back from shopping and I have almost enough snow for a trip around the field. If it wasn't for the 2 million seeds in the front of my sled I would do it. I now have a 2011 Yamaha XTX which I actually like very much. It is very close to my Thundercats in the weight, handling and performance departments. Wasn't over-joyed with the hy-fax but once I put the wheels on it and the small wheels up front that problem was solved. I have somewhere between 7 and 8 thousand miles on it, all set to go. I thought the P/S was going to be a gimmick but I like it. Especially after the first few hundred. It is strange the number of times I have left Beauceville on a week trip, a four day, a three day and a few times just a two day. Probably 40 times in the last 7 or 8 years and you were probably just ahead, just behind or pretty near one way or the other. I like the sounds of a ride, I am available anytime, to go anywhere and stay as long as I want. My wife hooks up with our granddaughter that lives in Manhattan so she is happy to spend time with her. Have you heard anything about 548 from Squatec to Cabano being closed? Started down it last year and the half from Squatec was groomed and the half from Cabano wasn't. Tried to find out but no one knew anything.

For many years I have ridden out of the St Fortunat, Vienny, Lac William, St Ephrem, St. Victor, Notre Dam, Beauceville area. It seems like there has been good snow from these places going ENE to St Pamphile, Maine, New Brunswick, Cabano, Squatec and very seldom I have had to call ahead for conditions. I have a friend that lives in St Victor that I can call if it looks questionable. There have been a few times crossing the river in Notre Dame or St Joseph it has been a little bony but once up on the hill going east it is usually pretty nice riding. One of my favorites is Jackman, Van Buren, Moose Valley, Squatec, Pohenagamook, Lac D'el Est and back. Sooo, I don't live there but I usually keep close track of the weather and conditions. My friends brother who is from the Hartford area has a house in St Victor that has plenty of room for parking the trucks. We often ride together or in a small group. If you are interested in riding let me know. A lot of the guys from the group have given up riding because of the high cost of gas, trail passes. etc. etc. When I can't ride a few hundred miles a day then I will consider packing it in. I was thinking of this week-end but my wife talked me out of it! Happy sledding, take care. Karl

Hi Schooter. This is Karl and I wanted to pass on my experience with ski wheels. I have used them for 2 years and have had excellent results with qualipieces. A friend got another brand made in Bangor ME and they didn't survive one ride. I don't remember the name of them.

Does anyone know if the trail from Pohenagamook to Riviere Bleu to Clair is open yet and groomed? I think it is NB41 after TQ35.

I am now on an Apex RX10 XTX, 144 track. I like it but I don't like yamaha's warranty. A friend I ride with bought the same sled and last year on the first ride at less than a hundred miles both sleds were out of hyfax. Mine stuck so bad we had to use a trail stake to break it free from the track clips. I called customer service and the girl there refused to acknowledge that there could be a problem with the hyfax. $200 dollars later it was fixed but I was pretty mad about it. Jesus, they just flat ass refuse to even entertain the thought that something could be defective on there machine. Biggest and first question was "did you buy the extended warranty?". I thought the thing was guaranteed for a year! Enough ranting, I am over it now, have 4000+ miles on it and everything is fine. It is blue like yours and I wanted a red one but none were available. I actually like the color. Also had an 09 in-between. Same issue with the hyfax. I guess I don't know anyone that has bought one that didn't have an issue. They must make a lot of money figuring $200 bucks per sled X how many ever they sell. My friend is on his 4th set, gave him the fix and he finally agreed. Our 700 mile ride this week we had no problem. Have to get together for a ride sometime. I have tons of time to ride but everyone has this work issue. I think I have covered the C-A, BSP trail system at least a dozen times but I never get sick of it. The diversity of the trails is lots of fun and very interesting. 35 is boring but if it is fairly flat it isn't too bad. Everyone is screaming about 548 being closed. The re-route was a little stiff last year but it was fun. Talked to a guy in Cabano and he said he doubts it will be opened again. I tried to open it but after breaking trail for 30 miles I finally gave up. Keep in touch. Karl The closing of 548 has something to do with Moose Valley, the quebecer's are very jealous of this place for some reason. I will tell you about it later.

Just returned from both of these areas after 3 days of riding and WOW! Trails were at 99.9%! Left Beauceville, 55 to St Pamphile, 557 to 35, 526 to RDL,5 to Trois Pistoles, greeny to Squatec, 548 to no where as the trail is closed this year to Cabano. We tried it not knowing it was closed and had to divert to St Cyprien. 545 to TQ85, to RDL, 526 to Lac Saumon, local to 35, Tourville to St Pamphile and back to Beauceville. 694 miles without a bump. It was a little on the chilly side but there is nothing like 0 degree snow, groomed without a sled track on it. Didn't pass more than 6 sleds until we got back to St Magliore. Gas is a little pricey but to pay to play for perfect conditions is well worth it. Happy sledding!

Hi Mike. Just a small addition to your excellent post. A few years ago I brought parts (track, suspension parts & other small parts), all new and worth about a thousand bucks. I paid for them in the states and had the receipt (luckily). What a ration of crap they gave me! I told them up front that I had them, kept me there for a couple of hours with the bull-shit, wanting to know why I didn't buy them in Canada, etc. It led to them checking my plate and insisting that my truck was registered in RI. When I finally opened my wallet to get my license they saw my badge and immediately backed off. I asked to see the computer and told them I wanted a print-out. I didn't get a copy and was sent on my way. They like to play games sometimes, of course I have had a few problems getting back into my own country. Read your post about your trip out west and it brought back some good memories. I rode Me last winter and got one decent ride in. Never knew the trails were so good but their signage could use some work. Hope you are having a good summer. Take care! Karl

Just a few comments after riding QC for 25 years! First of all on changing pumps, sure they are checked twice a year but the day after they are calibrated to the next scheduled test (6 months)?, probably got a free ride for at least 4 months. I have many experiences including changing money at a Caisse Populaire where the teller scammed me for a $100 American and she ALMOST got away with it. If another guy in the group hadn't asked me to change the same amount she probably would have. Oh, she said, sorry I make mistake. Change at a rest or bar, wow, after 25 years of trying they never give up. I went to a mall in Victoriaville to buy my wife a gift, gave the girl at the checkout a $100 bill, price for what I bought should have given me $60+ in change, it was missing $50! When I brought it to her attention, Oh, Sorry, don't speak english! What the hell has speaking english got to do with making change????? I now consider every transaction is a scam unless I prove it otherwise. Being on vacation and using money that is unfamiliar shouldn't be a license to steal. Tourism is way down and when you stop at the Relais they ask where is everyone? Probably out looking for the truck, 4 sled trailer and 4 sleds that dis-appeared last night without a trace. Karl Before I see it in print, I know that the majority are honest, too bad the 10 or 15% are out there. Gives the entire place a bad rap, just like the THEFT problem. After a while most people figure out there are other places to go.

Just got back from a 900 miler in 4 days. Left St Victor to Beauceville to Saint Pamphile to Lac Del L'Est to Poheenagamook to Riviere Bleu to Clair to Fort Kent to Van Buren to Edmunston to Moose Valley to Bien Coup to Cabano to Pohenagamook to Lac Del L'Est to Saint Magliore to Lac Frontier to Saint Sabine to Lac Etchemin to Beauceville and back to Saint Victor. All trails except east and west of Lac Etchemin were a perfect 10, most without a sled track on them except ours. Also encountered a very dangerous condition on the trail from St Joseph to St Jacques. There was a high banked chute about 200 feet long on a steep down-hill which had a spring at the top feeding water down it and the entire thing was glare ice. Luckily no one was coming and rode it out to the bottom. Called the club and they were trying to come up with a fix for the week-end. Also appreciated the re-route to Beauceville on 75. Only thing is there is just about the same amount of trail on the road and the first warm-up we will be riding blacktop again (or dirt). Looks like they kind of exchanged routes and came up with the same thing. NB, Maine and QC otherwise is open for business as usual. Normal Febuary conditions!! Feb 9 thru 12. Karl

Just got back from a 900 miler in 4 days. Left St Victor to Beauceville to Saint Pamphile to Poheenagamok to Riviere Bleu to Clair to Fort Kent to Van Buren to Edmunston to Moose Valley to Bien Coup to Cabano to Pohenagamook to Lac Des L'Est to Saint Magliore to Lac Frontier to Saint Sabine to Lac Etchemin to Beauceville and back to Saint Victor. All trails except east and west of Lac Etchemin were a perfect 10, most without a sled track on them except ours. Also encountered a very dangerous condition on the trail from St Joseph to St Jacques. Their was a high banked chute about 200 feet long which had a spring at the top feeding water down it and the entire thing was glare ice. Luckily no one coming and rode it out to the bottom. Called the club and they ware trying to come up with a fix for the week-end. Also appreciated the re-route to Beauceville on 75. Only thing is there is just about the same amount of trail on the road and the first warm-up we will be riding blacktop again (or dirt). Looks like they kind of exchanged routes and came up with the same thing. NB, Maine and QC otherwise is open for business as usual. Normal Febuary conditions!!! Karl

Just got back from a mini trip in C-A. The trail from Beauceville to Lac Etchemin is not very good. They need a good dump at the least and 2 would be better. Trail 55 was hammered. We passed the groomer coming in but he wasn't doing much, moving the stones and dirt around. After Lac Etchemin it was fair to St Sabine and after that it was gorgeous. 55 was a solid ten out to St Pamphile and up to Tourville. Took 35 east to Poheenagamook. They opened the trail on the lake thursday afternoon and staked it. You don't need to use the 546 unless you want to. Went to Riviere Blue, gassed up and headed to Clair. The trail is closed or re-routed and grooming was questionable as of Thursday night. We ended up riding it until we came to a bridge that was out and we were near Lac Glazier. If anyone has any input on this trail, Closed maybe?. It appeared that it had been groomed maybe 3 snowstorms prior to us being there. Decided to come back home early because of the wx. Did see a set of moose in New Brunswick. A male and female and the male was huge. Looked dark black, thought they were more brown. One more snowstorm and the place would be golden. Other notes, talked to some guys that came down the 75 from St Marie to Beauceville and they said it was bad and also met some guys that came from Thetford to St Marie and that wasn't good either. The clubs that list their trails as limited means just that. They should list them as needing 1 more snow storm. I am not trying to be negative about the area, just relaying the way it actually is! It is mt favorite!

Not much activity about my favorite area. Thought I would awaken a few riders and get some thoughts on C-A! Maybe it will shake a bit of snow loose and get things moving. This damn trend we have with my sister living north of Atlanta getting 11 inches of snow and she hates it to my favorite area for snowmobiling getting a dusting at best. Watching the month of Jan slide by and studying the wx reports every half hour is getting boring. Maybe if we don't get any snow they will extend our trail permits until next year! I have right now another new foot on the ground with more coming. I DON'T WANT IT HERE!!!!! It would be nice if the guys that live in C-Appal could post conditions for us flat-landers down south. FCMQ is good but once a week really should be twice a week. I have made the 7 hour ride for marginal conditions and it is no fun and not worth it. I'm not really a flat-lander but everyone thinks so! Cheers, think snow!!!

I have a few comments to make about the 06 Apex. I rode cats from 1968 to 2005 and 1/2. Walked out of the woods once when my 90 EXT ran out of gas. Probably my fault but they did like the gas! I purchased an 06 Apex mid season. The following is a list of defectiveness (word?) I experienced with this POS. I did manage to run it up to 18,000 miles. Hi-fax, drive axle twice, axle bearing left side 3 times, relay for cooling fan, front end bushing & bolts twice, spring in undercarriage, shock in undercarriage 3 times, W arm in front of skid, all bearings in jackshaft and driveshaft, drive chain twice, sprockets once, darting (continuous) finally snow trackers, track - first time drive axle broke, exhaust 3 times (major money), hand and thumb warmer (useless), 38 idler wheels, 38 is not a typo! The last straw was the drive axle breaking the second time on the trail from Pointe ala Croix to Amqui. Those of you that have ridden this trail know exactly what I went through to get the sled back to X-point. I know one thing for sure, if I had it to do over I would burn it right on the spot. Zero brakes is ok towing on level ground but when in mountain goat country it is no fun. Yamaha wouldn't reimburse me for the boots I wore out dragging them on the ground. The axle broke about 10 miles from the bridge where the groomers turn around. I'm sure I have forgotten a few things. For what these things cost and getting Yamaha to admit they had any problems! It took 3 years to get a store credit for the second drive axle. I really loved it when they asked, are you sure you have the extended warranty!!! The biggest problem I had was buying the sled from a first year dealer and then having the son of a bitch skip town and go belly-up. Try and find another dealer to take care of the sled and the joke of a warranty. Luckily I have gotten past this shit although it probably doesn't seem like it. I am dismayed at the fact a snowmobile with very little machining compared to a car costs so much. 10,000 would be plenty and forget the fancy - make it to last. I feel better now, thanks for listening and where the hell is the snow?

Hey Mr. Gutz! What were you up to in my hometown of Lanesboro? It wasn't a good day to be out and about. This weather stinks, just checked the 14 day forecast for up north and it doesn't look like anything for 2 more weeks. I sure hope that changes. If they had a trail here worth riding it would be ok I guess but the normal lack of snow makes it difficult.