Blueblood

I would suggest everyone carrying fuel.  that's a long run if your pushing any snow and if it's like it normally is and smooth its hard not to run fast.

I would suggest everyone carrying fuel.  that's a long run if your pushing any snow and if it's like it normally is and smooth its hard not to run fast.

Beautiful sunny Sunday with winter temperatures (-15C at start around 9:30), we did this ride: a kind of Taureau reservoir loop with a fuel up at Marineau Mattawin!

We parked the trailer in the parking lot of Pub 111 in St-Michel des Saints, the trail passes through the parking lot.

We left a little late around 9:45 and headed off on #63 towards the Cabanon. The snow base held the thaw good but there was a bit less new snow on top around the village of St-Michel. The big slopes facing south near the village are the only place that suffered and some rock has risen to the surface and is mixed with the snow. the little snow we got today and forecast this week will help getting this spot better

This pic is not very representative and unfortunately I had not a lot of photos at the start of the ride because my Gopro didn't want to cooperate and we are at testing with a new camera to replace Kristine's old Sony which is about dying(the camera 😉). You may notice some photos of a different look in my reports.
We rode up to Auberge Le Cabanon and then took the #345 towards the Taureau dam. It had not been regroomed overnight and Saturday's heavy traffic day+warm weather had sculpt the trail shape! .The lady behind me was swearing into her helmeth... that's why we don't have communicators!!!

We took a little break at the dam. We see that the reservoir level has started to drop down...

And the water output flow is still high...

We then continued on #360 east. Grooming was much better despite some bumps to watch in the curves up to #345 junction (towards Pourvoirie Lac du Repos)

We then got superb, almost perfect trail conditions on the #360 up to Mattawin. I like this very panoramic section


the snow cover is even much better going toward Mattawin

This is one of the most beautiful section of the #360 with a fast trail along the beautiful Mattawin River.


We took our usual little break at stop 440 to admire the river which is currently flowing at high flow.


we then continued east...

As many of you know, the M20 trail (and M21) are not done this season due to logging, which requires plowing the road of the usual route of these trails to get the wood out. Here the M20 path which is closed to snowmobiles this season

The Zec Chapeau de Paille road that we usually use for the continuation of the #360 towards Marineau is also plowed, so the club made detour trail further north. It's a bit winding at the beginning especially the first miles but it quickly becomes better and then very good for the 2nd half with beautiful nice stretchs


The detour joins the usual trail at the height the Zec entrance and we continue on familiar trail path


To finally arrive at our refueling point around 12:45 with 93 miles on the meter


After a good meal break at the auberge, we left in the opposite direction a little before 2:00 p.m. for the second half of our ride. It bugged me to not be able to film in such beautiful conditions and by dint of trying I managed to find a way to convince my gopro to stay alive in the afternoon and I finally have images in the bank for a future video.


it was really good and nice ride


We took a first and only break at #360/#345 junction (towards Repos) and surprisingly we had a little beggar who came to ask for his food!

After all these years in Lanaudière, we have often had gray jays come in our hands, but black-capped chickadees this is the first time here. We had some last spring in Gaspésie... they may have spread the word about us!!!

We then continued and once near the dam held the #360 to loop around the reservoir on the west side

It was riding very well, just usual season beginning ruts to watch out for. There is a short section less than one miles where the club had started to groom the trail next to the road path where we usually pass??

The trail became even nicer from the  #33 junction which had been groomed the night before. We were quickly  near the Auberge du Lac Taureau and chose to cut across the Taureau reservoir to return to St-Michel. The snowmobile club had published earlier last week having marked it out after testing the ice at 15" thick.
The level of the reservoir is still high enough so that the ice cover is still almost flat on the whole length, riding this was like a creamy cherry on the top of our day ride

 
We finally got back to the trailer around 4:45 p.m. with a total of 188 miles/302kms on the meter to say it's pretty much the same distance either way of the reservoir

So a 2nd great ride in the last 3 days for us which kicks off our snowmobile season this year. I expect that the trail network will continue to grow rapidly with the actual cold and snow ahead and also that the information on the interactive map will become more up to date as there are open places that are not shown on the map actually but also several other places that the clubs are at finish opening.
Everything is finally falling into place for a great 2023 snowmobile season!

Talking it over I think I am going to plan on going up next week. Hoping the storm coming up this week will open up everything around the area.

and this afternoon ....i went on logging rd up to mile 45 !!!
 
jean-guy

bonsoir !!!
 
back from a pirouette on the z e c .....very grey sky ....snowing mollo...an extra 3-4'' since yesterday 
-4c and getting windy on my way back !!!
 
jean-guy

bonsoir !!!
 
thx...took a few....just lucky i turned my head back...i was walking down the mountain ,half a mile before truck...
-11c tonight !!!...brrrrrr...ahahaa
 
jean-guy

N47° 56.103' W74° 05.807'

Wishing her a speedy recovery. If someone did that to my wife he would wish for the cops to get there before i was done. So sad there are useless pieces of crap like that out there.

News on Central 
Bonjour à vous tous,je vous souhaites une bonne et heureuse année.vaut mieux en retard que pas du tout 😊
L’hôtel Central Parent est ouvert du mercredi au samedi à partir de 13:00.La salle à manger est fermé,les repas seront servis à partir du 14 janvier mais seulement au bar.Je vous reviens avec les dates et heures exactes car fort probable que nous pourrons ouvrir avant .Désolé nous aurions aimé ouvrir avant mais c’est hors de notre contrôle,merci de votre compréhension 
Sylvie
hello to all of you, I wish you a happy new year. better late than not at all 😊 The Central Parent hotel is open from Wednesday to Saturday from 1:00 p.m. The dining room is closed, meals will be served from January 14 but only at the bar. I will get back to you with the exact dates and times because strong it is likely that we will be able to open before. Sorry, we would have liked to open before but it is beyond our control, thank you for your understanding Sylvia

Today between Cabanon and Mattawin.

Yes, as GSX800 said her English is good.  She will use FB, their website, or telephone.
I agree with the attitude at school thing. Now I find that if I try my limited french on them, wave my arms, and laugh, they will wave their arms, laugh at me, then 99 time out of 100 they get my money and I get what I want. LOL

I prefer 22.  accommodations are a separate building with a common room to hangout.  with bedrooms down two wings.  bathrooms are shared but plenty big enough.  food was pretty good there as well.  service last year was great also a small bar where some locals come in.  side note one of the helpers said they have snow into late April to ride.

Under a cloudy sky with a little snow/-2C we made this ride yesterday January 6, 2023 in St-Zenon area through the Mastigouche Wildlife Reserve starting from St-Gabriel de Brandon

As a drop point we chose the parking lot of the Multifunctional Center 111 Chemin du mont Lanaudière (it's the road just past the Highschool) which is an official parking lot for trailers and the trail pass just aside. We arrived a little late and parked on the roadside in front of it. 

Despite the last thaw there is still a lot of snow, the conditions are good here in the field in St-Damien.

Even the big hill in climbing on the mountain was nice with barely a couple browning snow spots , otherwise very good. Given the traffic there were a few bumps but it ride very well.

We passed the Renard Bleu outfitter

The road is plowed farther this year but has been widened and our trail is next to it. We just have to cross it a couple of times as the trail change of side otherwise it's fine.


the snow cover is very good


From the #23 we then took trail #350 east.

After this thaw I was expecting to ride on very hard trails but no there is a good layer of loose snow on top , thick enough that the skis were not even bite the trail hard base most of the time. Very good conditions


Passed the junction for the #23 towards the Cabanon we continued on the #350 towards Koubec with even better trail conditions

 

We stopped for lunch at the Relais Koubec (Outfitter Mastigouche)


It's been a while since we stopped eating there. It was very good and quick and their huge double-sided fireplace in the center of the dining room always impresses me!

After the lunch break we continued in the Mastigouche reserve. I did a round trip stretch on #23 eastbound. We passed the junction for the trail to Gaston (#350 towards Lac Blanc)

Before turning around and continuing on #23 westbound


The section of #23 which comes to reconnect on the #345 (towards the Taureau dam) is less used and as usual it did not disappoint us with its good condition and beautiful fast sections.



There had been more traffic on the #345 towards the Cabanon. The snow cover remains good even if there are a few spots of more brownish snow in the few km that leave the forest road and which had been reworked with a bulldozer just before the season.


We stopped to fuel up at Auberge Le Cabanon


And we went back down to our starting point via #23 trail

Real Masse outfitter, which had major problems with their plumbing and water distribution system during an extended power outage (christmas storm) is not open and the trail goes straight, trail not groomed yet

the #23 south of #350 was weared from traffic and was bumpy on the way back south, especially in the section maintained by St-Charles club

The last section groomed by St-Gabriel club was better but the traffic had still done its job. With the announced cold and grooming, it will come back good because the snow cover is good.

To summarize,  the storm of December 23 had left impressive amounts of snow, the following thaw packed it down to give us a solid base for the trails and the last snow put some cream on the cake which gives very good conditions. There are still a couples of not frozen small ditches and you can still see the remains of fallen /damaged trees but the ride we did was very nice overall. 
Trail opening and grooming is still underway, I know that from St-Zenon or Mattawin it is possible to go to Pourvoirie Repos. Kanawata wrote their trails was open (4January) and Alliance du nord club that groom norther on the #83 state that they finished opening trails and are at grooming them. Many places in Parent/clova were starting their operations this weekend. Latuque snowmobile club also state their trails opened.
With the cold announced I expect that the open trail network will continue to expand and connect rapidly in the coming days
Happy 2023 season!
Alain

Our rooms are now available with meal plan (dinner and breakfast).
- single occupation $145.00/night/person
- double occupancy $130.00/night/person
- triple occupancy $125.00/night/person
Also our kitchen is open to welcome you from Wednesday to Sunday for breakfast, lunch and dinner. On group request we can accommodate you on Mondays and Tuesdays too.
Book our rooms today, short season and availability is limited.
Looking forward to welcoming you to Base Camp Casey!
 
 
 

Posted today
Bonjour à tous, le surfaceur est de retour dans les sentiers du 100 lacs. Tout nos connexion sont fait!
Du mekoos
Du Scott 
De la Manawan 
Et du Fer à Cheval vers Parent merci bienvenue a tous
 
hello to all, the groomer is back on the trails of the 100 lakes. All our connections are done!
Mekoos
Scott
Manawan
And from Fer à Cheval to Parent
thank you welcome to all

bonsoir gt rider !!!
 
great to hear from you .......great thx...very happy , pic kept his '' sharpness ''....ain t look flat at all....more than happy..
just back from a walk on the z e c.....very poor quantity of snow....for sure i was in a windy place...but about 3-4'' max.....turning to sugar btw..
pics of lake casault and mountains of park matane and gaspesie park 
 
jean-guy

English below
Qu'attendez-vous ? Avec le Club motoneige Alliance du Nord Parent Clova, la motoneige c'est dans quelques dodos !
Nous recevons actuellement beaucoup de messages texte ainsi que d'appels téléphoniques concernant l'état de nos sentiers et l'ouverture de ces derniers.
TQ 83 - Parent Wemotaci - Premier passage fait et débroussaillage terminé. Nous prévoyons entamer le 1er surfacage jeudi si la température le permet.
TQ-83 / 13 - Parent - Fer à Cheval - Mitchinamecus - OPÉRATEURS EN SENTIERS AUJOURD'HUI premier passage / surfacage vers Fer à Cheval et demain retour vers Parent 
TQ-83 Parent Clova - Premier passage prévu pour jeudi au plus tard vendredi.
LES SENTIERS DEMEURENT FERMÉS, Y CIRCULER EST À VOS RISQUES ET RESPONSABILITÉS. 
Nous vous demandons d'être patients et compréhensifs, Avec le redoux des derniers jours, les conditions de surfacage sont beaucoup plus ardus pour nos opérateurs.
Merci de votre compréhension !
Equipe ADN
__________________________________________
What are you waiting for? With the Club motoneige Alliance du Nord Parent Clova, snowmobiling is in a few sleeps!
We are currently receiving a lot of text messages as well as phone calls regarding our trail conditions and the official opening.
TQ 83 - Parent Wemotaci - First pass done and clearing finished. We plan to start the 1st grooming on Thursday.
TQ-83 / 13 - Parent - Fer à Cheval - Mitchinamecus - OPERATORS ARE ON TRAIL TODAY first passage / grooming and clearing towards Fer à Cheval and tomorrow return towards Parent.
TQ-83 Parent Clova - First pass scheduled for Thursday.
THE TRAILS REMAIN CLOSED, RIDING THERE IS AT YOUR RISK AND RESPONSIBILITY.
We ask you to be patient and understanding. With the warm weather of the last few days, the grooming conditions are more difficult for our operators.
Thank you for your understanding !
DNA team

Update on restaurant / renovations:
We have reservations at Universal RDL in a couple of weeks.  I called and they said that renovations are going on but the restaurant is open during the renovations.
Jack & Sandi

Excellent two days out of the Pelchat. We are southbound this morning for home, but a nice run to break in a couple new machines.
Day 1 was to Forestville for lunch at the Danube, which is great as usual. Fueled up and back to the Pelchat, short run. Little reroute headed toward Forestville but nothing crazy. 
 
Yesterday saw us headed to La Chapelle via the 420 but didn’t run it all the way up. We didn’t know what our plans were as the snow was coming down and we got a late start. Took a left and ran to 93. All quick and smooth running…The Turbo R Expedition SE’s have some serious legs over the old 1200 XU machines! Got out to 93 and headed up. La Chapelle was cranking busy, so we picked up fuel there and had lunch at KM31. It’s pretty rough the last 15 miles or so running in/out of there. Otherwise, stellar experience.
Issues/incidents and discovery: The new Montana 700i worked fantastic, especially with the built-in inReach for text communication. The air suspension on the two new Expedition SE’s in our crew failed. One compressor runs but dumped all the air out 105mi away from Pelchat yesterday, which really sucked and I feel like the tin man right now. The other one keeps cycling up and down on its own.
105mi on a tank of fuel in the Expedition. 15.1 miles on the fuel light before it runs out, but very loose snow and lots of spinning headed up the hill yesterday. Did much better coming down.
Great to get a ride in before the new year! Safe travels.

Near St Raymond
this is whats under all that great snow 
plus all the trees everywhere to be cut.
 
need cold weather. Badly ....before more big snow. 
 

Big fun

Back at LeCabanon now
Man, that last stretch between St Michele and here would give Tug Hill a run for its money.
Think I leave LeCabanon at 7 am after they griom.it tonight just to get even
Today's loop adventure 

Had a great shakedown run out to Central. Hit some rough stuff mixed with very good. Some stretches were groomed a day or two earlier and not packed hard so they chopped up. Early season. Poutine and a beer. Happy to visit the legend of the Central.
Left and headed 63 and rather than run the rough patch below Cabana again I decided to run about a 15 mile stretch of 63 that wasnt groomed. How bad could it be ? Its just a cut thru basicly to get to some groomed stuff. Well….
So it went downhill fast. Stuck twice on 63 (ungroomed) trail that if you left the center by a foot you drop in a few feet even where there is a track already. Loose loose traction heading up the steeper hills. Bad call overall. Did I mention stuck twice ? Now….About 10 miles in the trail is closed. Signs and markers. No detour route. Dead end. Lisa says no way she is going back over the 10 miles we did to get there. Pick a direction. Run a road. Poke around looking for a secondary trail that meets up. Nothing.. End up on 131 6 miles from Glasiere in St Zenon. No trails accessible with our no local knowledge. Asked some local folks. They said the non groomed stuff is due to trees or water below the snow. Dont chance it. They are literally still digging cars off side streets. They offered to drive me down 131 the 6+ miles to grab my trailer. I caved and took it.
So no great story of sledding to tell. 70 pathetic miles . Nothing got broke besides the tow rope. Just another sled adventure to laugh about with our sledding friends for the next 20 years. Weve all hadem unless you dont sled. This one was a particularly bad call but I got it out of the way early this season. ……on Day 1  ! 😂
Im ready for a cocktail or 3. Looking forward to starting over tomorrow. Haha