revct1

What could the conversation be? I'm low on gas. Is there a station nearby? My son just got his first snowmobile and I'm showing him the trails! I was out late last night at Joe's Bar & Grill. I'm avoiding going by the Police Department! Is this the way to Tim Horton's? My wife is in labor and this is the shortest way to the hospital! Jack & Sandi

I woke up at 2 am during the night. Boy was it foggy out. It has cleared off now, 6 am. Today is a short day. Jason has to have the Evasion rental back at 3:30 pm. We won't go near Mont Valin on a weekend. That is just asking for torture. We had enough bumps yesterday afternoon. We will discuss a ride at breakfast. Jack & Sandi

The grooming map looks good. They were out in force last night. We head back up 373 the way we had come in. We wanted to go to the zoo but couldn't find the trail for it yesterday afternoon. Today as we head north on 373, we see the auto road for the zoo but no signs or snowmobile trail leading to it. One would have to run the side of the auto road to get to the zoo. Carry on. We go by Relais des Buttes and turn right to cross the river. Instead of the local trail to Dolbeau like we came in on, we turn left and head towards Normandin. The trails are fine this morning other than a little thin in a few corners. Nothing to get concerned about. Turn right and go thru Albanel and then head south towards Dolbeau. Just before Dolbeau at the intersection of 93 and 901, there must be 20 - 25 sleds here parked all over the trail. The maps are out and they are looking at the signs. Come on guys, at least pull over to the side of the trail so others can get thru. We get past that mess and continue on. Nice riding to Relais Vauvert. Good spot for a coffee and bathroom break. Quite a few sleds here. Most of the riders are almost as old as me. They must out taking the wife for a ride. Great day to do it. After Vauvert, we take the local trail to St Jeanne d'Arc. This trail is always nice. Not much traffic and it is well groomed. After Relais Erabliere the trail is getting rough. Still enough snow but just a lot more traffic. Its getting pretty bumpy into the truck stop. This place is full. There has to be 50 sleds here. No wonder the trail is beat up. A good lunch as always and off towards the big bridge on 373. This is a very scenic trail but everyone must be heading to the bridge. The trail is showing a lot of wear. First time we are at the bridge and it must be Happy Hour here. Got to be 25 sleds before the bridge and another 35 sleds up on top of the hill overlooking the bridge from the east side. Everyone is stopped, taking pictures and having beverages. I'm sure they aren't consuming alcohol. We stop and no beverages for us but I have to take a few pictures. I'll try loading a couple. I usually don't have very good luck doing it though. Quite an impressive bridge. Back on the trail. Very rough going down 482. As we get further away from the bridge, it smooths out a little. I decide to take 328 to the east and then 134 south to the two bridges. 134 is perfect most of the way. The last 10 miles or so get rough again and the snow is thin on the hills and corners. Not as much snow the closer we get to Jonquiere. We cross the bridges and get back to the Delta. The best riding was from Alma to St Felicien yesterday and then today from St Felicien to St Jeanne d'Arc. A lot of traffic the closer we got to the east side of Lac St Jean. It is the weekend and many people were out. Lets see what tomorrow brings.

Thanks guys. This season had such a late start, it is good to get a few really nice miles in. We are here for a week. No snow in the forecast and temps are OK until the end of the week. Then it is suppose to get warmer! Its February and we are in Quebec not Connecticut. It should not get above freezing. We shouldn't need the suntan lotion. I imagine sled sales will be down this year due to the short season and lack of snow. Maybe there will be some good deals on left over sleds next year. I know we won't have the miles we usually put on. Back to the Delta after breakfast today. Jack & Sandi

We have returned from supper. So this morning, we wake up and look out the window from the tenth floor of the Delta. Sandi, all of the vehicles out in the parking lot have snow on them. Maybe an inch or two. Not a lot but we will take anything Mother Nature will give us. A good breakfast and we load up the sleds and head out. Sandi's son, Jason, and his wife, Yushen , are with us. Not a lot of snow, a few inches, but the trail has been groomed and really not much snirt. Just a little at the top of a rise or in a corner but better than what we were expecting. We head for the two dams. Just before the two dams is the scale house by the gravel pit. The trail did go straight to the dams and 383 went off to the left towards Spence Ski Doo. The trail no longer goes straight. You have to turn left and about 1/4 mile there is a hard right, signed, to go to the two dams. Easy enough to follow but it made me think for a second. Be careful of the hard right. There is a good drop off to the side. The trail to the dams hasn't been groomed in a few days but is in decent shape. We are heading to St Felicien so after the dams we go left on 367 instead of taking Pickle Park. The trail is good. Thru what were the scrubby pines which are now really tall, the trail is very good. Cross by Geant Trailer and we turn left on 93. Oops, detour around the Crevier station. It is closed and there is the temporary construction fence around it and an excavator in the parking lot. Looks like that station is coming down. Not too far into 93 and it bears off the old trail and heads south. I remember this from last year. 10 miles of a still young new trail and it is twisty, narrow and bumpy. This is not what Quebec is known for. Finally we get to road crossing. I see a sign that says St Charles 2 km. We cross the road and get on the old St Charles trail heading back to the warming hut where 93 used to join in. The trail is much better now. Sit back and enjoy the ride Sandi. The further we go the better it gets. The new section of 93 around Alma where the auto road was expanded is nice. No more bumpity bump in Alma. That is history now. Time to tank up at St Henri. The Petrocan is an easy in and easy out. Good bathroom break for the ladies. Now the trail is really getting to feel like Quebec. The trail thru the fields is wide, flat and fast. The sun is out bright and it is a beautiful day to be riding. A fair number of sleds are out. Everybody is behaving and staying on their side of the trail. Cruising down the 8 mile stretch of power line after St Monique. A little bit of chatter in the trail but still a beautiful ride. We turn left on 367, the Peribonka trail I like to call it. All of this is just gorgeous riding. We have found where all the snow is in Quebec. Maybe it isn't as deep as it usually is but it is smooth. We pull into Relais Vouvert for lunch. Only 3 other sleds here. What a beautiful day. My phone rings at lunch. Who could this be? Oh, I won't say my "friend's name" but he was scheduled to be with us but changed his mind at the last minute thinking the trails would be bad. I tell him how bad the trails are so he won't feel like he is missing a really good ride. More snow for us. Back on the sleds and ride on. We cross the river at Dolbeau. Turn left on 901, local trail to St Felicien. We catch up to 3 slower sleds. I take my time thru the woods here and stay behind them. We get to a nice open stretch and we carefully pass and give a thank you wave. Making good time thru here. These yellow trails are always well kept. We cross the river at Relais des Buttes. Boy is this place packed. There has to be 30 sleds here or more. No need for a break now. We run down 373 and pull into Hotel du Jardin. It has been awhile since we have been here. A lot of businesses along the road. The first time we were here, this was all empty fields. We came in from the back side of the hotel back then. What a difference but I'm dating myself now. That was a time when snowmobiles had pull ropes to start them and reverse was tuggin' on the rear bumper. It looks like no snow in the forecast but the temps are going to stay below freezing. We head back to the Delta tomorrow. See you then. Jack & Sandi

Hi Don. I wasn't sure about the bridge crossing in the middle. We have never crossed it after all these years. We took the north trail to Relais des Buttes and then came down 373. We checked out the bridge crossing in the middle (auto route 169) once we got to the hotel and there is a dedicated lane for the sleds. This time of year there were also many tracks crossing on the ice below the bridge. We may have taken the south crossing that you circled a long time ago. That was OK way back then. I'll post later about trail conditions. We have reservations for supper. Yum! Gotta go for now. Jack & Sandi

Now that it is after 6 AM, the grooming map has been updated and I couldn't ask for anything better. It is showing purple all over, groomed last night. Even here in Jonquiere it shows groomed. Just a little bit of blue, groomed within 24 - 36 hours. The St Felicien ride should be fine. The weather forecast is -9C now and -5C during the day with very light wind. Does anybody know about the snowmobile trail crossing the river at St Felicien? We have always crossed the river north of St Felicien to Relais des Buttes. The FCMQ shows a trail going directly to St Felicien but it is crossing the river via auto route 169. Is that a transport or does the trail have a designated lane like in Alma? Thanks. Jack & Sandi

Note: Each way. Round trip 216 miles. A nice day run with a good lunch stop. Jack & Sandi

Hi guys. I forgot to mention, Sandi has a 2024 Ski Doo MXZ X. Of course that is one of the sleds that has the potential defective left ski. The Ski Doo bulletin states not to drive the sled unless the ski has been replaced. Yuk! I had borrowed a used ski from a friend yesterday just in case. I took the ski off and checked the mold number. The mold number is cast into the ski, under the rubber block that is between the ski and the ski leg. One bolt, easy removal. Sandi's mold number is AC1. The bad mold number is AC2. Yea! So, Joe, you can come up and pick up your ski. It looks like we won't be needing it. Thank you. I attached the bulletin but I don't know if you can open it. I don't have very good luck with attachments. 2024 MXZ X left ski.zip

We are here at the Delta. It was a nice drive up. An easy border crossing. As we approach Drummondville, a little rain sprinkles on the windshield. Temperature, 37F. Not good but there is snow. All the way up route 20 the temperature fluctuates but always above freezing. The highway is wet but not frozen. Not much for traffic and I don't see many snowmobile trailers in either direction. In Quebec, we get on route 175. As we climb in elevation, the snow off to the side of the road gets deeper. The temperature is now below freezing. Not the typical February snow depth but so much more than what we had at RDL last week. We pass L'Etape and where the trail runs along side of the road, we can see the red stakes. Looks like a good 2' of snow here. The sprinkles before Quebec City have turned into a light snow now. I'm smiling. I wasn't sure of what to expect but this looks promising. We pull into the Delta and the parking lot has snow. Not deep but there is a couple of inches here. That is all were hoping for. All we need is enough to get out of town. From the FCMQ trail map, it is showing decent snow north of the river. 3 other sleds in the lock up when I park ours. A lot of hockey kids here tonight. A tournament in town. As far as snowmobilers, 1 two place trailer and 4 four larger trailers. Ours being one of them. There is a grey Proline that looks like the Gutz entourage but I don't see them. We ate in at Boston Pizza. I had the "Big Dipper" sandwich in honor of one of my QR buddies. It was just as good as I remembered. Sandi had the smoked meat sandwich. I never ordered one for years until recently because I didn't know what it was. Now I have learned it is a Rueben and they are always good. That is it for now. A ride to St Felician tomorrow. We will report back. Happy trails to all. Jack & Sandi

Sandi and I are planning on heading to the Delta Feb 1st via truck. We are doing a one nighter to St Felician for Friday night and then will be back at the Delta Saturday night. I'll report on conditions. From what I see on the FCMQ site is most trails are OK. The exception is in Saguenay which of course is around the Hotel. Fingers crossed! Jack & Sandi

Welcome to QuebecRider. One of the best sites you will find for Quebec info. Sandi had read about a truck stolen on Facebook too. I don't have any more details. Theft isn't as bad as it was many years ago but it can happen anywhere anytime. Take precautions so your equipment isn't the easiest to steal. It does take awhile to get the passes so order them as soon as you can if you haven't already. Caveat, the snow this season is not as good as it normally is. You may already have found this link but if not https://fcmq.fcmqapi.ca/carte-motoneige/indexen.html#map has a wealth of info for the trails. Click on the snowflake in the top right. It will show snow depth, trail conditions, grooming info, etc. The area you are looking at is very popular. Two other areas that we like to ride are Lac St Jean and the Riviere du Loup. Take your time and enjoy the sights. The trails are much different than anywhere else in the USA or Canada. Get trail maps from where you are staying or download the app. You will find snowmobilers at most hotels and most will be glad to assist you. Be safe. Jack & Sandi

Looking good. We had to wait so long this season but the snow is finally on the ground. Have a great ride George. Jack & Sandi

Sandi isn't going to like this single control for thumb and hands. I hope BRP comes up with a software fix. Why on earth would they think that we need the same heat for both thumb and grips? Jack & Sandi

Looking good on the trail map. Not everything is open as of yet but so much better than a week ago. It might be time to make a phone call to the Universal? Jack & Sandi

You should be able to right click on the page and then click on "Translate to English". It should work on any page you want to translate. Jack & Sandi

Hi Steve. The surgery to replace the radial head went fine and healed in two weeks. The torn ligament the doctor and physical therapist put the fear of God in me saying how easy it is to tear again. I still worked while wearing the brace but worried about the ligament. So far everything is good and I think I'm over the hurdle. Jack & Sandi

Still no big snowfall. The grooming map shows just part of Mount Valin is open. The rest of Quebec is in the 5-10 cm of snow if any. We need to do our snow dance and get Mother Nature back on track. We missed our annual trip to Lac St Jean. The forecast is for cooler temperatures. Let's hope it brings the snow with it. Jack & Sandi

Hi George & Shannon, Good hearing from you guys. I just called the Universal in RDL. No snow! The forecast shows a little snow tomorrow and Saturday but I don't think it will be enough to groom or ride. It is suppose to stay below freezing which will be good to get the ground froze. The season is off to a slow start. Jack & Sandi

Hi Don, Oh if I'm in the second seat, that is only asking for trouble. I don't see anything good coming out of that. Lean? Which way? Oops! Health insurance > I am so glad that Sandi and I are covered. I would be sleeping on a park bench if I didn't have it. When I add up what the insurance company has covered for me, it scares me. I didn't use the insurance much before I was 60 years old. Just the normal check ups and colds. But since then, the list is longer than my broken arm. See you soon. Jack & Sandi

Hi Jim & Gemma, A broken elbow might slow me down but it won't stop me. The surgeon was very pleased with the way it is healing. The surgery was Nov 8th so I'm almost back to normal. Well, whatever my normal is. Jack & Sandi

Hi Gary & Pat, Our reservations are made at the Delta. We will be waiting for you. If my arm feels good enough, tell Pat I might make some fudge! Looking forward to some good riding. Jack & Sandi

Hi Jay, Thanks. I'm hoping for some riding but Quebec needs snow. The weather isn't in our favor yet. Jack & Sandi

Hi Mike, Getting back for Happy Hour in one piece is very important. I'm ready to ride even though my physical therapist prefers me not to. The season is too short and this year is even shorter with the lack of snow. If the snow comes, we are thinking about RDL the week of Jan 8th. Right now it doesn't look too promising. Jack & Sandi

Hi Steven, Snow would be wonderful but not too heavy. That can bring many more issues. Just a nice dump of snow once a week would be my pick. Enough to keep the trails in shape but not so much that we are snowed in or battling drifts and white outs. Getting too old to fight with Mother Nature. Jack & Sandi