spanky123

There is good news concerning the trail closure in La Macaza that created a dead end on 63. A deal has been made with another land owner to bypass the closure. 

Just heard from the boys, they went from Cabanon to Sacacomie 152 klms. They said the trail was groomed to perfection like mid winter conditions. 10” of ice on the lac in front of Cabanon. Guys are riding up to Repos but not groomed yet, they will start next week. Surprisingly traffic was light.

After reading everyone's list I have come to the conclusion...... I am going to die 

I usually try to ride with Scorpionbowl he has everything. NH moose too. 
I got a leatherman tool. Lighter and extra pack of smokes. Oh and cold Jack Daniels. Good to go. 

same thing, paid for it a couple of times and this year it updated on its own...

I love to see your reports and great pics!  

My sweetheart being back from her trip, she accompanied me riding yesterday to see the Black Mountain of St-Donat. We made a nice big loop of 235 miles following the route below



The bad weather last Thursday (January 24th) left some ice in the trees in the south of my area. Here on trail # 43 near home in St-Thomas



We took the #3 trail westbound. Beautiful hard and fast trail,  a bit hard (-17C this morning) so I lowered a scratchcher for security but not really necessary.



Here a river in  St-Roch l'Achigan area. A little scary but it's just some water that had risen on the ice and frozen there, very solid. We crossed several rivers and they were all in good condition, this one being the worst



In St-Lin direction, still some ice  in the trees and perfect trail



We passed through St-Calixte ...





and ride to the #33 trail that we took in west direction(northwest)





Here on the lake at Ste-Marguerite Lake Masson



We had not seen any trace of ice for a while but here a little north of Esterel there is a still icy area. So beautiful with the sun!





And going north towards St-Donat it quickly becomes a white painted scenery





the beauties of nature ...



We turned before St-Donat to get the local trail to the Mountain





Here the view of the summit taken from the top of the belvedere ...



It was our first time on a clear day. The view is simply amazing





The gray jays were there again always as hungry



We spent quite a bit of time at the summit as we improvised a dinner/snacks there. Cold for the fingers but it allowed us to enjoy the place a little longer. No it's not one of her finger that the bird is eating but a piece of saucage!!!


We then continued on the other side of the mountain(north)





the north side trail is also really nice to ride/see and the snow is really good





We crossed the Archambault Lake to return to St-Donat and refuel



And then returned to the east by the #33 trail,  first part was somewhat bumpy but we met the dozer there



We passed the Coin Lavigne, joined the #63 trail and ride back down to Ste-Émilie de l'Energie



Where we crossed another dozer


 
We stopped to have a good meal break around 5:00 PM in St-Jean de Matha before continuing and come back home around 7:30 PM with a total of 235 miles on the dreammeter.
In the end, the bad weather of last week has not damaged the trails and on the contrary had increase the snow to the ground. In fact the snow is impressive especially on the north side, we are really spoiled this season with a really better than average snow cover.
The best of the season is now,  don't wait because it is too cold: it's winter !!! go out and enjoy, it's now that it is happening !!!
You can still take a look here to see trails details in the trail condition section or use the rest of the site as a planning helper for your next trip: https://www.snowmobilecountry.ca/en/conditions/
Alain

Anybody ever heard of a "plantar fascia?"   Nah, me neither!   Apparently it's important for keeping the foot all connected from the bottom.  And I can tell ya, it frickin smarts since my left one went "pop" last night while fueling up to head north! 
It was hysterical at 3:00am when the doc came back from radiology smiling and shaking his head saying: "Your foot anatomy is NOT NORMAL!"  So much for 32 year-old Honda XL vs Ford LTD carnage! 
So for now I can't walk on it.  I could ride!  But I'm heading into NYC Monday to see a specialist.  Y'know surfing around WedMD is great for nightmares:  Minor = 2-3 weeks.  Major = Happy Easter!
Thanks for the insights on this loop!  Now please go put some miles on up there and post some pics for the rest of us! 
Sorry no trail pics at this time!  Soon, very soon!...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

Exactly!  Much nicer now for sure!

I was there in 2000 i think.  Was there a "strange" bathroom setup?

Im  booked for Windigo Saturday night. Lady says trails good. I called Kanawata and he said trails were groomed 2 days ago and are excellent. 
Leaving from Glacier 
first run of season .  Looking forward to it. 

another one! Few minutes of the first part of our last ride , between home and the St-Maurice river
 
 
Alain

Our last ride was on February 12th at Relais 22. Since this, busy with the job+ the bad weather but especially my life partner who was knock out because of pneumonia have thrown away all opportunities of riding. My Krikri, who was now a little better, was very frustrated to not being able to follow but she just begin to feel better and riding back on a snowmobile as a passenger at this time with the current cold would have simply ruined the gains she had managed to make In the last week.
So it was solo on my venture accompanied by our partner Snowcruiser that I saddle up. Having lost my official photographer, I had to managed to take some pics myself. It's why I have much less beautiful stuff to show you but still some decent pics.
Here is the path of our ride.


Saturday morning, beautiful sunny blue jay day -21C at start



It was very dry at start, the dozer of Carcamps snowmobile club of Berthierville had not groomed since the rain few days ago. With the scratchers down and going moderately we had did well.

A few miles later we entered the Joliette snowmobile club territory  who have made a pass since the thaw, it already ride much better.



At the next intersection we seen the dozer of Joliette finishing his run and have just put some ice on the cake for us



Further along on the trails of St-Felix de Valois, the dozers also passed



Not alot loose stuff over the hard base but was ok. We did not raise the scratchers but it would ride without.



We chatted a bit with a couple of nice guys from Joliette before heading up toward Saint-Jean de Matha



The Black River north of Matha near the BRP dealer Géro was still very solid and easy to cross



The good thing in those conditions is that there are no bumps. Just beautiful, hard and very fast trails, here just south of Ste-Émilie de l'Energie



North of Ste-Émilie the big hills were beautiful, no ice at all





The altitude makes a big difference and at the top of the hills the conditions become winter one



Here passing in front of the Pourvoirie Bazinet



We followed the #63 and made a small detour on the local trail that goes to the Auberge du Vieux Moulin, starting point for the dozer of the area and which allows to make a loop and to take back the #63 farther. Very nice trail/point of view especially in the southern part



Here during a break on the #63 between La Glacière and St-Zénon village. Beautiful conditions and much loose stuff on the trail



With our late start it was already noon so we stopped eating at the Relais St-Zenon in front of Lake St-Louis



After a good meal we continued on the # 63 north



We passed the Auberge Le Cabanon and continued towards St-Michel des Saints, very nice trail



Here just before before arriving at St-Michel, we see the village in the distance



We stopped to refuel at the Harnois gas station near the Central. We took a moment to re-evaluate the initial plan, already 2:20pm  and we were just about to loop around the reservoir ... we won't be back home soon! After consulting, we agree to keep the initial plan and took the lake shortcut to quickly reach the Auberge du Lac Taureau.

The level is already well down and yes, it is the summer docks you see in the air in front of the chalets



The level is not yet at its lowest and even it is necessary to be careful there are not too many big slopes to pass, it ride well.





We see better here the level once passed the Auberge while the trail passes on the beach shore ...



The section from there to the junction with the #33 to the Repos had a bit of ripple, nothing big but a little less beautiful. Then the #360 eastward  was really nice. This year it takes another route than usual because of wood transport . I loved this new trail a very beautiful and pretty fast path. We stopped at the dam for a few pictures but we did not stayed there long because the wind was whipping!



The rest of the #360 was just beautiful, at its best. Let's say we caught up some time there! Very quickly, we arrived at the bridge of the Mattawin river where we took a break  away from the wind. I was able to heat up the kodak who was freeze and take some good shots









The #345 was perfect, I think this is best conditions I had seen there on a Saturday at the end of the day. In addition, a little further south we cross the dozer who was at making it another pass!



We stopped at the Cabanon to make a last fill up before taking the #23 south. Beautiful at first but we passed the dozer who was not grooming for nothing on that one! We stopped eating at Réal Massé around 6 pm. When parking,  enduro reverse of my partner  refused again to engaged ... He's been already twice  to the dealer for that, the last time relays replaced. Maybe a gear problem like Iceman pointed in an other post? if anyone have more info on this issue, do not hesitate to comment because apart from that it is a whole nice machine but this irritant is intermittently there since the beginning of the season and he will have to go now for a third visit at the dealer.

After a good hot and comforting meal we left around 7:15pm for the last segment of our ride. The #23 was just a little worn out by the day's traffic and we crossed the dozer that was going up about midway to St-Gabriel's Brandon. We arrived at 8:15pm in front of an ambush south of the village of St-Gabriel. A small stream that was overflowing on the trail in between two hills. We saw that there were several sleds that have crossed it but we do not know the deepness of  the water nor if it is mined below, at darkness is not evident. I was not really stressed to cross it on the throttle but my partner did not feel it, the prospect of a bath, even unlikely, left it ... cold! So why having to stress, we left in the morning to ride and a detour mean even more riding !!!

So we turned back and headed back to St-Damien of Brandon than headed west on #63 to join our morning path just north of the St-Jean de Matha slides site. We then followed our morning route integrally. We were pleasantly surprised to meet the Dozer of Berhtierville who was grooming the #43 trail near home in St-Thomas. We were finally back to our starting point at 10:00 pm with 285 mile on the dreammeter.

In summary still very nice winter conditions everywhere north of Ste-Émilie de l'Énergie. The last thaw left harder base that give outstanding trail conditions and very solids trails that are strong over traffic. Still plenty of snow up there. I know that there is again some rain/freezing rain on the forecast for the next days but feel it won't hurt so much, especially with the cold wave that it is also forecast after. We are already in march, season's is well advanced but not done for sure, still very good riding to do, in the best of what this winter have to offer to us, it is to you to enjoy it!
Alain
 

This "trailering" is a foreign language to me. Sounds like fun. 

So Ginger & I got an early start on our last trip to paradise. The miles were passing by quickly & we were on the 20 east bound just before the Madrid exit when Ginger (she was driving) said "oh no we have a flat tire" next thing we heard a pop & now we have two flats on the driver side. She quickly slowed & pulled to shoulder which saved the wheels & fender from damage.
The first thing I do is call AAA which goes to CAA. A very nice English speaking representative tells me the trailer isn't covered but she can still send a rollback. Ok great, she even stays on the line in case she has to translate. Translation is not necessary as the rollback person speaks English & says the truck will be there in 30 minutes. So as were waiting soon there's a woman at the drivers side door asking if we need help. We respond we're OK there's a rollback on the way. She then informs us she's from a trailer dealership less than 3 miles away. Then we notice there's 2 guys with here already verifying the tire size. I have them write their information down & when the rollback shows up I tell the driver take us here. For sure it's not very far & we realize we have seen this place the numerous times we have driven on the 20. Once there the rollback driver says he doesn't want to tilt the bed & risk the trailer falling off because the rollback is almost too narrow for the trailer. No problem since the dealership has a large fork lift for unloading trailers. In my mind I need two tires but Ginger says four, so four it is. The workers roll out the Quebec hospitality & soon we're enjoying some fresh coffee & snacks. Next thing we know they tell us it's all done & ready to go. We pay the bill & pull around to hook up the trailer. It's then we realize they also washed the trailer!!!
The screen shot of Google maps shows a red pin & a blue dot. The red pin is where we stopped & the blue dot is the dealership.
I've been towing trailers since I was 18 & this is the first time I've had one flat let alone two!!!
So if you're on the 20 near Madrid & need service for your trailer I can highly recommend Remorque LeBlanc.
 

This past week my father and I spent a week riding around the Lanaudière & Mauricie regions.  We have been regulars of the area for a good amount of time but life got in our way and we haven't been back until now.  We stayed at Real Masse as this has been our home away from home for a good amount of time.  We haven't been to Real in roughly 10 years so it was freshing to walk in and have everyone remember us as we were there yesterday.  I can't say how amazing this place is, no matter what they will help you with whatever you may need.  So lets get onto the import part of the trip the riding....
Day 1: 2/4/17 
We arrived at Real around 2:30pm, checked in, changed and took a quick ride. My father had to break in his new sled for the first time so we though why not.  The ride wasn't long but we rode out to La Glaciere then up to the intersection of 23 and 350 then back to Real.  Trails were good, bumpy in the corners but that is what you would expect for a Saturday.  

Day 2: 2/5/17
Sunday's ride was a relaxing 175 miles.  Left Real around 8AM headed up towards the dam and then over towards Lac Taureau.  After that rode the reserver down to Saint-Michel-des-Saints and then over to Koubek for a nice ride.  Trails were great even by the afternoon they were smooth and didn't pass much traffic for a Sunday.  Also dinner at Real I believe we were the only people there for about 2 hours until another couple showed up.



Day 3: 2/6/17
Monday's ride was a nice trip of to St. Donat and then south from there.  Trails were fully groomed the night before and were flat and fast.  Another 175 miles done for the day with passing maybe 8-10 sleds all day.


Stopped for a rest before heading towards St. Donat at Coin Lavigne

Stopped for a little rest in Entrelacs.
Video from the day.
Day 4: 2/7/17
Tuesday's ride is a familiar one with almost anyone who rides the area.  We took the trip up to Riviere-Matawin and then back since the trails were so smooth.

Took a little break at the river crossing.  

As you can see the trails were smooth.

Video from the day.
Day 5: 2/8/17
Tuesday into Wednesday they were calling for snow and ice, we received way more snow then ice.  Received about 6-8 inches with a very thin layer of ice on top.  Decided to head into the Maurice region and down to Lac Blanc then head up towards Saint-Alexis-des-Monts.

Took the 23 that comes out above Le Cabanon back.  Trail was good, needed to have the fresh snow packed but passed 2 groups of sleds.


Enjoying the fresh snow on top of the great trails.
Day 6: 2/9/17
Thursday we took a look at the grooming delay and realized everything was bright green so we took the best run possible back up the river again.


Woke up to an amazing view from Real

Stopped at Le Cabanon for a break in the afternoon and got to watch a plan take off on the lake.
Day 7: 2/10/17
Friday was our last day, we covered over 1,000 miles already so we decided to have a nice ride and take in some different area.  We headed south towards Saint-Gabriel to view the look out and run through the fields.



 
 
Overall what can I say, my dad and I had an amazing time again and we look forward to heading back.  Thanks for taking the time to read this, and I will continue to post videos from the week.

Father on the left (Mike), mrgrumpers on the right (Kyle)
 
 
 

You mean those places where the people put sticks on their feet to go down a hill?
 

hi vt rider !!!
he escaped right in time !!!
fire caught somewhere around the motor !!!
 
jean-guy

Can't get any better

Twins was damn close. Picked up a 2013 Apex XTX from a good friend. Almost feels naughty riding his girl, but she is mine now. Got me a solid second sled as one is never enough. 
Seriously though, I tell the wife I'm going to get a trail pass Sunday and I'll be back. She says "what do you mean? You have a pass on your sled for this year." I said no it's for the new one. 
Her response...."i thought you would save that for next year" 
what? Are u kidding? 
"No" she says and she is serious. "You only need one per year." 
Huh?
I said to her....when you go get your nails done do you do one hand this week and then go back next week for the other hand?
"No way" she says "that makes no sense" 
So I respond.  EXACTLY.  I'll be back soon.