RoadRunner
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Posts posted by RoadRunner
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6 hours ago, Trailblazer said:
This is by far has got to be the craziest thing I've ever done, solo'd La Route Blanche half at night and half in the day. Guess I was in Cains Quest mode.
TB, after watching you and F3 this week, I suspect there may have been a few other times when the word “crazy” could be used to describe previous adventures. Just saying😉.
You boys can get it done. A great adventure week for sure!
Onto Havre 😊
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We all celebrated the Team Maine victory today when we got the news in St Augustine. A great lunch there and than we hooked onto the WiFi from the store to get the results. Congratulations Rob, Andrew, Dixon and Scott on a well run race. The entire support team was awesome and a deciding factor in the win! Couldn’t have happened on a better day as it was Robs birthday as well!
After that things got interesting again, seems to be a common happening on this trip😉. It started with RR Jr nearly rolling his led just outside of St Augustine, than a very nice stop at the fishing shacks, where we were treated to cod treats and a tour of the ice shacks. Than onto Harrington Harbor. We are making great time and talking about touring La Tabatierre and mutton bay on the way down.
Than, just like clock work, the gremlins came out again. Yours truly was cruising along at about 40, when things started to go to pieces in a hurry. I could see parts flying coming out of both sides of the sled and we went from 40 to zero in about 50 feet. This is not gonna be good! , driven clutch, track ? Where are all the flying parts coming from. I walked out into the snow and picked up a piece, and it was a track clip. This really is not good. We are in the absolute worst location to break down on this trip. It’s a boat ride next summer to get this behemoth out of here, if we don’t get parts and wait for it, that could be days! We unwind the track that has the spring arm up through it and has torn a third of the cleats and rods out of it. Put it back on the snow and say let’s see if it will move. It did!, We Limped it in to La Tabatierre, about 10 miles, and found Cletus Gallichon’s garage, he brings the sled in as the track unravels, literally going in the door. He says it doesn’t look good but he has a used track he took out of his sled, it out in the snow bank, do I want to try it? Absolutely, how could this happen? The trail gods are doing a blessing now!
Cletis, 603 Backcountry lead the charge, F3 and Yogi are also all over it, they have the track out and Cletis’s Track on, in 1.5 hours. This is pit crew time. We had to feed BC a mood enhancer as he was grease to his armpits, Backcountry does not miss a beat when he is turning wrenches, and the Wiff of Crown only speed things up, Yogi and F3 are right there too. Unbelievable! We roll out at 5 pm, call Jean At Harrington Harbor to let her know we will be a few hours late. Another day of adversity behind us. A great home cooked meal at Jeans boarding house caps the night.
Off to Harve tomorrow!
Happy Trails RR
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Out operating in three separate groups on Tuesday,
the half day country adventure that two time White road veteran Yogi Bear took us on yesterday, we were back to Base camp in Lanse au Clair early afternoon. In addition to running the DC high tension power line that will take the hydro power from the new Dam being built at Muskrat Falls near Goose Bay over to the Island of Newfoundland than into Maritime Canada and on into the US.
Yogi did take us thru some scrub land bush riding, a few snow bowls and other “unforeseen” tactical maneuvers on our way back. All fun but the flat light blind riding diminished the joy a bit, as Backcountry 603 noticed when we stopped for lunch at Fast Freddies Burger’s in Lanse au loop, a great dstop for lunch! He had managed to drag down half of the entire forest in this region, all wrapped up in his front end parts. As you can see from all the scenery pics, half the forest is not much😉 !
The snow blindness was only verified by the stories we got from Trailblazers riding partner F3 and Coutter, of Coutters Quality Used Sled Sales on their adventure-to Marys Harbor. They managed to spend an hour in Mary’s Harbor looking for each other as they got separated going into Town. We suspect these two veterans have more to this story than they are telling , but photo evidence does reveal their ability to separate not only from each other but their sleds as well😉
We went to sleep thinking about Trailblazers stories of running the White Road Solo over slobby ,sketchy sea ice in the middle of the night, to his stop for fresh baked muffins , rolls and coffee, bright and early yesterday morning in St Augustine
All is well that ends well.
Wednesday AM we head back , at “full strength “ again, all eight are back together!
Our destination, Harrington Harbor
Happy Trails RR
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The twins are together now, .....we went out a little bit in the north country this morning and played , the light was very flat so it didn't allow us to cover we wanted to, also gave us real feel for what the racers are running in and than we had a starter issue with RR Jr free ride so decided to run to the dealer to check it out, he had no parts for the 850 so we bought a pull cord handle to make it easier for the line start and than back to meet Trailblazer, on our way back there he was! We are reunited! Back down the white road tomorrow!
Frank aka F3, and Coutter made the run to Marys Harbor for lunch, we meet us back here tonight.
Happy Trails
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Jean guy is on his way to Lanse, he left Kegaska last night, stayed in Whale Head (Tete Balene) last night as is rollin now towards St Augustine on a rented 900 Expedition. Go TB!
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A quick update, we lounged around today getting settled into Lanse and waiting for Rob to check into Lanse in first place. The race is fast paced this year and going well for Team Maine. The support teams are getting run very ragged chasing these fast paced racers around the course. We found the gremlin in the air shock on the expedition today also. It was the pressure control model that had a hairline crack in the housing that was overplayed by a rubber seal. Great diagnosis by the dealer in Lanse au loop.
Team 22 leaves at 11:45 tonight for Goose Bay.
We will spend tomorrow running some areas in Lab and connect with Trailblazer tomorrow night as he made it to Tete Balene tonight on his rental sled. Way to go JG!
Happy Trails RR
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We will anxiously await TB's progress while he is on his own journey of gathering a sled to ride and heading down the white road solo.
Some quick observations on this run vs last year.
The trail conditions between Sept Isle and Harve this year were much better than last year. All groomed and well traveled.
The non maintained section between Johan Beetz and Aguanish had improved marking and was more traveled than last year. This still is a rough section to run and make any time on.
The white road, while very well marked, was much rougher between Kegaska and Chevery on all the overland passages this year do to heavy local traffic, a weekend and warm temps.
The section north of Chevery to vieux fort was similar condition to last year, and the run from the fort to Sablon was better than last year. All in all, a great run.
- Rodmax, Florida Snowman, mikerider and 2 others
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1 hour ago, mikerider said:
That land looks so baron. Is Trailblazer going to get his sled fixed and catch up with the group? He must be teed missing this part of the journey. He is an adventurer.
Have fun,
mike
Mike, Trailblazer is bound and determined to make it to the end of the White Road, his plan is to get his sled repaired and meet us here Tuesday night. Now that is a true adventure rider! We will await further updates from TB and look for him here In The Big Land!
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Today we had a nice run down the shore to Lanse Au Claire Labrador. Gorgeous scenery was the topic today. The sled gremlins did not leave us completely today, but it was by no means a show stopper. More on that in a bit.
We had four with us today in the group who were able to celebrate the completion of the White road for their first time. Couter, Roadrunner Jr, Infamous Quebec guide Yves and Francois, Trailblazers riding partner! Congratulations gentlemen!
Three White road veterans, made their second completion today, Yogi, QRs Back country 603, and yours truly..We are stationed at the Northern lights inn eagerly awaiting the arrival of our Adventure riding mentor, Rob, from Team Maine Racing, who is currently running in a very competitive position for the Cain’s Quest Race.
Tomorrow is play day here in Lab for our group as we await the arrival of the Team Maine teams.
It also was sled gremlin day for , yours truly , ( everyone gets their turn on this trip lol) as the air ride suspension in the Ski Doo Expedition decided that it did not want to function today. This made for a cautious ride in today as we are running heavy and these trails are not groomed to fcmq standards....by a long shot! However all the lakes and sea ice that you run are a treat, we had to proceed with caution today off the ice with a shock less, spring only suspension. The gremlins will need to be sorted out before we had back down this trail for sure.
The next few days will be focused on the race, good friends, good laughs, good wine, good food, a great adventure ride...what else do you need?
More updates on the white road run, the conditions, markings and observations on this run vs last year tomorrow
Happy Trails RR
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The wall of Fame at Misty River
And a more readable version of the updates
😉
A few other notes and updates from yesterday. �
Trailblazer will either get his sled repaired Monday or rent a sled and meet us in Lanse au Claire on Tuesday night
The “McIvering” that our two lead trail mechanics, Coutter ( President of Coutter’s’ Quality’s Used Sleds LLC) and Quebec’s infamous trail guide Yves ( who has continued on in this adventure on a rental sled after blowing the engine in his 850 back on day 1) did to get Trailblazer so that he could limp his machine back to Kegaska was exceptional and worth noting. A twitch rope to yank the skid back into place and Hose clamps can be used for amazing things😉.
We had a large group of 8 for this adventure, and the challenge of keeping everyone accounted for presented itself so we decided to break into two travel groups yesterday to help in keeping the group moving along at an acceptable pace. �
The “Point group”, lead by our new recruit Roadrunner JR and adventure trail veteran Yogi Bear, we’re both issued penalty slips last night at our “evening meeting🍷🍻.�
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Yogi got his penalty slip for failing to secure his gear properly �
RR jr, got his penalty for leaving a fellow group member ( Trailblazer incident noted above) behind and Unaccounted while he was on his in reach trying to line up a 🙍♀️“date”💃🏻 up for a Saturday night in Chevery. ( RR Jr was unsuccessful in that effort😉)
Fortnately in both cases the Sweep Group rescued the gear for Yogi, and repaired TB’s sled and secured Trailblazers safe return back to Kegaska
Just another day of adventures
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7 hours ago, snowmonkey said:
Thanks RoadRunner for the info. Very much appreciated.
Did the single lane out Johan Beetz follow the old trail 3 GPS tracks into Natashquan? Not a big deal just wondering
7 hours ago, snowmonkey said:Great Thanks for the info.
You guys at Misty River?
Yes we are snow monkey
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7 hours ago, snowmonkey said:
Thanks RoadRunner for the info. Very much appreciated.
Did the single lane out Johan Beetz follow the old trail 3 GPS tracks into Natashquan? Not a big deal just wondering
7 hours ago, snowmonkey said:Great Thanks for the info.
You guys at Misty River?
Yes we are snow monkey
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Yes , generally , a few minor changes, but the same general area.
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Another interesting day for sure, we left Harve, heading to Chevery, with above normal temps and no groomed trails other than the 50 miles to Johan Beetz, after that it was game on and how do you deal with adversity for another day😉
The temps made for sticky snow conditions and while the single track trail after Johan Beetz was broke open it was slow going with bumps😉
Once we hit the white road in Kegaska, it was Saturday, so Highway central. All the locals were out trying to get to the next village to visit. How do you spell “MOGUL”? Yup, it was that way for the next 90 miles. But that is why we like adventures.
And yes, just as we leave Kegaska, QR’s infamous Trail blazer senses something wrong, upon further inspection, his rear suspension hangers are broken away from the tunnel. Yes.,, How did we spell MOGULS? Trailblazer suspects what caused this failure immediately.
A patch job to get him back to Kegaska, a temporary fairwell, and off we go to Chevery, a touch behind schedule, but still workable.
A gorgeous sunset 40 miles out of Chevery, a nice steak dinner and off to Lanse au Claire tomorrow.
Story to be continued.......😁
- towing, revct1, Northbound and 2 others
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Yes we were, it is slow going in places but rideable
RR
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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
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51 minutes ago, markusvt said:
Next time I hope to catch it like this!
MarkUs, We truly enjoyed today, prepared for the worst and received the best, but as with any unguided Backcountry adventure tomorrow brings a new day,
Our grooming chart tomorrow should look like this Lol 😁
Happy trails
RR
Game on for sure😉
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1 minute ago, groomer said:
hi rr !!
great pics !!!
the one with the 2 tracks by the sea and jr ....woowww !!!
jean-guy
Groomer, running the beach was really fun , dont get to do that very often😉
- groomer, Jackstraw and Florida Snowman
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RoadRunner JR , our pack leader today, taking in the seascape😉
- Northbound, PLAYHARD, groomer and 2 others
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Well today was the one we were looking for, a great run from Sept Isle to Havre St Pierre. The entire leg of this section all had been groomed within the past few days. How could we have lucked out on that! No breakdowns! We made awesome time today on what can be a very time consuming and rigorous ride. A welcomed surprise for sure.
The blue sky came out this afternoon and allowed us to lounge around the beaches of Longue point Mingan this afternoon and work on our suntans!
Our new recruit from our western run Alex, did a great job leading the pack today, we think he has earned his strips and is getting the nick name RoadRunner JR.
Chez Julie’s tonight for a seafood dinner and onto Chevery tomorrow, conditions and mechanical God’s all willing!
Happy Trails RR
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A great run yesterday and QR’s Trailblazer guided the group flawlessly into Sept Isle. Not only is he a great wine connoisseur but a darned good trail leader😉
- Northbound, Florida Snowman, dooright and 5 others
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1 hour ago, Northbound said:
Roadrunner,
I think it was last year that we passed you as you were headed to the great east beyond, while we were headed to the safety of the west.
Well I think it happened again today. We were the 2 sleds westbound towards forestville and I assume you were the group of I think 5 sleds going east..
I didn't thimk iceman was running with you but I could swear I saw an iceman sticker on the lead sled. Did someone get tagged? Haha
Jeff and Sandy
Jeff and Sandy, 603 and I both commented earlier in the day, that we thought that was you guys! Hope your trails were good, enjoy RR
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Well today was a what we called our shake out day, ....and that it was........they say things happen in threes. So in the last 24 hours , we blew a tire and fender coming up, busted a skid frame 30 minutes into the ride this morning and blew a motor in an 850 just outside of franquelin today.
Trailblazer led a blistering pace and we should have been into sept Isle by 3 pm at the pace he was setting but sorting out the issues, towing sleds into a rescue point, tearing the skid out of one spare Freeride to go into another, caused lots of adjustments and replanning, but we are back on schedule for tomorrow!
All in a days ride, happy hour, is always good, and we know Trailblazer will request wine for dinner, so all is well!
Tomorrow we are off to see what we have for conditions for our run to Harve.
All is well in a day of snowmobiling!
Happy Trails RR
GT 2018
in Cote Nord
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Very nice trail reporting and pictures, it was awesome that you were able to make that run in such awesome weather
Happy trails RR