snowfarmer

hi terry !!!
 
merci !!! great ...if possible ,send a pm before ...just in case !!!
on a normal week ..im grooming  sunday and wednesday night + friday morning starting around 7-8 am..
back an hr ago from grooming local trails !!!great snow !!!
see you soon !!!
 
jean-guy

OK I'm not selling my sleds! We left New Richmond on freshly groomed trails on our way to Amqui and the riding was as good as it could possibly get. It was cold, the Sun was shining and the trails were mint. We took a few secondary trails and they were even better if that's possible. Today was the best riding I have done in over two years. The amount of snow up here is staggering. Fresh snow everywhere. Tomorrow we will ride back to RDL. So far in 5 days of riding 4 have been great with only one bad. I'm looking forward to our last leg of our trip tomorrow. The best part is I'm riding my brand new sled and I haven't even opened up a side panel. Just add gas and go!
Joe

Been riding Gaspe since Monday. Thursday trails were really getting rough, combination 2 days of snow, warm weather, lots of traffic and wasn't much grooming done for couple days.
This morning we left Amqui heading for Mont Joli to complete our loop. Most of the trails were groomed last night. We wanted full day of riding so we did few loops over to Rimouski, 579,587 etc. In summary we did 280 km having an excellent day. Passed a few groomers during the day. They are getting things back into shape. Fields were drifted today but was soft so fun at times. Looking at the weather I would say by Sunday conditions will be very good. Anyone starting out the next few days doing the loop counter clockwise might be the best option

We have arrived at the Universal.  We haven't been out on the trail yet.  I'll leave the trail update for Mike or whoever else feels ambitious.  
We can give you an update from the black trail though.  At the border crossing from VT, the snow was thin and that is a compliment.  We really didn't see any significant snow cover until 30 miles or so before Levis / Quebec City.  Here it looks like there was quite a bit of rain.  The snow has a shinny crust on it.  Around Montmagny there is a little more fluff on the snow and it is getting deeper.  The trees have a lot of ice on the branches indicating a fair amount of freezing rain recently.  About 50 miles from RDL we drove thru a quick snow squall and some wind.  Arriving at RDL there is good snow cover and some fluff on the crust.  The groomers have been out and the trail at the hotel shows traffic.  The parking lot is packed with truck / trailers on the gas station side and the east side.  Many, many riders are based out of here.  I would think a lot of them are on a Gaspe adventure.  The weather forecast for this weekend looks great.
We hope to see some QuebecRider folks this weekend.
Jack & Sandi

All of us who ride with our special ladies know the motto " happy wife happy life " 

My wife is most happy when I am in Quebec riding... :)

All of us who ride with our special ladies know the motto " happy wife happy life " 

All of us who ride with our special ladies know the motto " happy wife happy life " 

I will be on the Eddieskidoo plan....
 
"Are you where you want to be?"
and "Make your plan as you go"
 
i will however hang in Amqui for the weekend and then head up to one of my favourite places in Cap Monday morning. Stay a night then decide. 
 
I hope to see some friends and meet some new faces. Please say hi! 
 
Lindasledgirl
 

All of us who ride with our special ladies know the motto " happy wife happy life " 

All of us who ride with our special ladies know the motto " happy wife happy life " 

Pushed some twigs n snow n stuff out da way for lunch with Josie & Anick @ Vilain...

So Trailblazer comes to get me at Chez Ice at 4pm on Wednesday. We load my sled and gear in pouring rain. We head out direction Forestville to meet up with the rest of the alliance. Up to Baie St. Paul is all rain. Now here it's changing and its all snow, we take a break at Tim's in BSP. Then back on the road and its white knuckle for JG all the way up to Forestville. We pull in just before midnight. I need to pry JG's fingers off the sterring wheel. He's had enough of that for tonight. Not easy to get here. We check in and park and go to visit with Mark and Randy. Well it's like old times and we call it a night at 1:30am. We got a big ride tmmrw. 
Up early at 5:30 to get organized. Breakfast at 6:30. In and out and time to suit up. It's been snowing and blowing all night this is gonna be fun. 
Out of Forrestville I am along for the ride so it's nice to follow mindlessly and just stay in line. I could get used to this. Hat's off to mark and randy cause they are breaking us a trail and we are clipping along. Near zero vis. We push on. We roll on and arrive in Baie Comeau just before noon. Take gas and off to the rollercoaster section. Surprisingly fun and not too bad but these guys are blowing trail open for us. Then on up and through Godbout, here snow is way more deeper. Easily a foot here. We really are making great time and roll into Baie Trinity for gas and some snacks. Here is really snowing like crazy. Once we leave it's lightened up a bit. Still alot of new snow, passed 2 sleds so far both locals just bombing around. We head on and into Port Cartier at 5pm gas and go. Snow has stopped now but still deep. We run up and arrive into Sept Isles to Comfort Inn. 6:15pm with close to 320 miles. Tomorrow we make for Havre St. Pierre maybe more. 

The Trans Labrador trail was an initiative started a decade or 2 ago to connect the Labrador communities and promote tourism. It has fallen onto complete disrepair in the Remote regions of Labrador. The huge runs between these villages with minimal services created obstacles that they apparently could not overcome.  It's a big shame, because this ride and experience could be enjoyed by many with a commitment to better signage and trail maintenance, even if it was similar to the white road program in Cote Nord, where they use smaller more nimble machines to do the trail with, it would be awesome.
The scenert,people and hospitality in this region is second to none.  Just really great people!
The Trans Lab, Quebec loop would also take coordination between both Quebec FCMQ and Lab to make a success. That can be difficult too. 
Maybe it will come back sometime with a coordinated effort. Tourism is such an important part of local economies today.
 

bonsoir !!!
 
sure...stop...enough for now !!! ahaha
just checked by the window....very windy...-15c ...nice drifts on the next run i guess !!!
fixing a minor problem tomorrow morning on the machine,,,then go for the day !!!
see you soon !!!
ps: i hope you let your sunshine at  home !!!!
 
jean-guy

bonsoir !!!
 
few pics from tq 5 + 1 local trail !!!....great storm !!!
-3c at 1 30 am...- 10 c at 3 45 pm + windy !!!
still snowing very lightly...storm almost kaputt !!!
heavy traffic !!!.....99.8 % coming from cross point side !!!
 
jean-guy

Hi Paul and welcome to QR, glad to see Trakmaps  have become one of our advertisers,  it's great to have you aboard. 
Gary and Pat

It was a full day for sure, 185 miles of unbroken trail. many sleds stuck, 30 miles of ditch riding and 10 miles of trans Lab highway. But a blast still. A blue sky day this morning and some gorgeous power line running. Deep snow with now base in places, and settled snow on the wind blown areas. The Team Maine trailer and support crew provided fuel and food for the mid day as there is nothing in between. The Team Maine proto type 850 Freeride got put to its test today. It did very well!
Churchill is a company town for  the Churchill hydro power. The only civilization in central Lab.  Tomorrow off for Lab city!
 
RR

Looking good! I went out this afternoon for a 75 mile run going SW to Explorateurs club house for lunch. About six inches of fluff just outside RDL and about under 2 inches 35 miles SW at the club relais. At times its was snowing steady with occasional blizzard like conditions for ten minute clips. I also met up   with Oilman upon his return from riding 140 miles going E to Trois Pisteles, S  and then made his way over to Cabanno. Said riding was good, and like me said less new snow to the south but still good riding. Hopefully the groomers will get out tonight and do their thing. many groomers have sat out this bad spell of weather although my route today was smooth. So it seems we are back in business, and it looks like winter again with the trees caked in snow and sleds at all the club houses, and the parking lots no longer wearing off the carbides.
mike

The team awoke Friday morning to a dismal forecast for the entire area.  The weather in the morning was cold, with broken clouds, but the forecast called for rain, freezing rain, more rain, then some rain, followed by thunder storms.  Phew.   It was decided to make a break for the trucks.  Sled were "wheels up" about 8:30 after a great breakfast and a pause while Dick hugged the proprietors (5 minutes??  okay, break it up kids).  TQ 63 east departs right from the premises, winds up the logging roads back to its original location on the eastward leg.  The conditions were very good considering a lack of grooming, with trail frozen hard.  Generally, the faster trails were holding up while, of course, the tighter trails were getting choppy.  They gassed up at Le Domaine, and kept on rolling.  No time to screw around here, although the team did observe a convoy of cars pull in which discharged some "dancer-ish" looking ladies - it was concluded they were on a run between Val d'Or and Mont Laurier gigs, and stopped to um stretch their legs? 
The tighter trails towards Mont Laurier got rougher and rougher, but the boys were like horses heading for the barn.  No stopping, no slowing down.  It started snowing - a heavy, wet slushly snow that stuck to everything, including visors.  Oh well, carry on boys. 
Arrival in Mont Laurier about 1:00 pm, at which time the snow changed to a pouring, freezing rain.  Phew, just in time.  Sleds loaded, then a wrap-up lunch at the micro-brewery next to the Quality Inn.  The boys were home safe in their beds by that night. 

Okay - there was lots of joy in Mudville. 
The team left Amos about 9 in the morning on Thursday morning.  Departed under cloudy drizzly skies.  The 1200 with the new secondary clutch spring performing perfectly, as per team member Rob.  The first 20+ km going east on TQ93 was rough, then improved dramatically toward Senneterre. A bit rough around Senneterre, but that was to be expected.  Trails improved south of Senneterre again, but were still choppy in the corners.  The mild weather was obviously precluding any grooming. They headed south on TQ 83 from Senneterre to Louvicourt, where they lunched and gassed up.  The run across Lac Tiblemont just north of Louvicourt was very slushy - saddle bags soaked. 
Weather remained cloudy, drizzly - they were chasing the rain southward.  The lunch at the Royal was decent, if a bit slow.  The place has been prettied up on the outside, but same "period decor" in the bar where the boys ate.  Club sandwiches seemed to be the lunch theme of the trip. 
During the afternoon, it was south from Louvicourt on 386, through Kitcisakik, towards Pourvoirie La Verendre which was the evening destination.  Trails were fast and faster and fastest until the team arrived at the junction of 386 and TQ 63.  Then it was WTF??? - the combined trail TQ63 and 386 was been diverted south through about 24 kilometres of rabbit warren, a winding seemingly never-ending poke at the end of the day until they arrived at the Pourvoirie.  This diversion did not show up on the app map, the on-line map or the printed maps.  One team member came up to a corner and saw Dick with his sled in a peculiar position against a pine tree.  Dick claimed he was inspecting the special habitat of the region.  Forensics indicated a blown corner.  No charges laid but he is on probation.
The new proprietors of Pourvoirie LaVerendre seem well suited to the hospitality bizz.  Monsieur was right out to the gas pumps when we arrived.  Yes, $2.00 per litre (premium) but if you are counting pennies when sledding, you are in the wrong friggin sport.  Madame seemed to be everywhere, or at least everywhere the team was looking.  
As reported elsewhere, there is a bar/dining room addition on the right side of the lodge.  Also, the power is on all night, due to a battery/inverter system that has been installed. - no "lights out, Good night John Boy" routine anymore.  Supper was very good, the wine was really good, and the scenery in the bar was pretty good too.  About 20 sleds in for the night.  Cost was $125 (including taxes) for accommodation, supper, breakfast.  The bar bill boosted that amount significantly. The establishment now also accepts plastic (debit, credit cards) - no more "cash only". 
 

Left Shawinigan 4pm yesterday. Was still raining. Truck ride with Trailblazer up 138 and just before Baie St. Paul it was snowing. Slow ride up and into Forestville. Met up with rest of the Team. Markusvt, dooright, GregduVT and Dave. 6 strong headed east TQ 3. Going to look for RoadRunner.
full on winter up here.