HD-RIDER

Hi guys ! Thanks for this awesome trip , Now I really have the icth ! for more off-trail riding ...
will meet again next year
Francois

Hi guys ! Thanks for this awesome trip , Now I really have the icth ! for more off-trail riding ...
will meet again next year
Francois

Hi guys ! Thanks for this awesome trip , Now I really have the icth ! for more off-trail riding ...
will meet again next year
Francois

Hi guys ! Thanks for this awesome trip , Now I really have the icth ! for more off-trail riding ...
will meet again next year
Francois

And than there were 3. Many of our trips this year have neen coupled with carnage or breakdowns for some reason. Today was no different. We started the blue sky day with 10 of us headed to Le chapel for lunch , some were breaking off and continuing on into the valley and home tomorrow and  4 of us including TRailblazer  would be looping back to Forestville.
We started of and temporarily lost the two lead members of our party, they were apparently taking different way to Mt Valin than our planned route😉. We meet them later at Valin for lunch 
It was one of those perfect Blue Sky days and we were running mostly groomed secondary trails to lunch. Half way up the secondary trail on the Portneuf river we run into another Cains Quest racer, go figure, these guys love to explore even when they are not racing, they  are taking the same "off trail" short cut that we have planned.
On we go only to find when we take a break as we connect with the school bus trail, a snow bungee wound up in Couter' s extreme expedition.
We unwind this from the track and continue on the the water fall. Gorgeous scenery here. At lunch we connect back with out two lost leaders and a briefly back to ten before our split up after lunch
Trailblazer is loving the off road riding version so he wants to head north and off we go. 25 miles or s into this awesome backcountry ride we loose Couter on Lake Poulin de Courval. Uh Oh  starting to feel like the Lab loop again. So his secondary is bound up but he can drive in 40 miles an hour or less. We abort or northern trip plan and head for the quickest way to Forestville, only 125 miles away. We get 15 miles or so this way and than the clutch is done. We do trailside triage and determine an emergency operation needs to be attempted to save the patient.
By "clotting" up the splines of the clutch with our delicate field tools, we might be able to continue to limp this home to Forestville.  The patient died on the table! On the hook it goes to km 31. 
And than there were three. After Trailblazer, Francois and I pounded down a Grand Labatt Blue and it was nearing 6 pm, it's time to head for Forestville, of we go for an awesome 110 mile ride into Forestville with the setting sun and an 8:45 arrival. Thank goodness the restaurant stays open till 10!   A quick happy hour with TB , a great meal with 2 bottles of wine and we called it a day.
TB will be back for more off trail adventure next year, we think?
A great adventure and examples of off trailing in the Quebec North Country
Till Next season
Happy Trails 
RR
 

Uhhh... aren't you supposed to use carbide runners?

Rupp Rupp....

Yesterday's ride was a perfect mix of smooth groomed, to single track woods roads, to some aggressive roads, to ice roads to unplowed super hiway roads , lake and river runnning and bush wacking. Just a normal day of back country riding in the Forestville region. After 305 miles, we decided early on that Trailblazer and Francois were one of us. This duo can run with the best of them. We did not have any serious break downs but definitely some carnage.
 
In the ride disclaimer, I know Trailblazer read the small print ....that we do on occasion run plowed roads.  Well needless to say this morning TB has two differently colored skis to ride on??
we got a chance early in the morning to refuel at Benoits and say hi, they plan to be open next year with a loop trail connecting with Escoumin and Forestville.  That's good news for the north country!
The end of the day also was a little scattered as several of our ride members needed to order up fuel delivery servces! Three members fell miles short of the Columbier refueling depot! TB also won that award for being the furthest away when the last drizzle of fuel ran thru his fuel pump⛽️
Yesterday was a great example of the mix of riding conditions, we also should mention that lunch options were limited so the extra large breakfast we ordered yesterday am payed off huge.
Today a run up towards the Pipmuacan and a scenic photo opportunities with a projected blue sky day!