vt_bluyamaha54

Tue March 8 Tour du Lac. Saved about 40m by traveling part of the lake but some of the slush was scary and the snow was real deep! Trails near Roberval and Saint Felicien were off the charts. Started out at 18f, warmed to about 28. Why is the sky so blue in the winter?

A couple more pics from when we passed it today. Drag will be salvageable if they can get pressure to the hydraulics so they can move it.

Yup! We're seeing lots of high banks and partially buried signs this week. Groomer ops really need to open up crossings + be sure signs at crossings are FULLY VISIBLE!

For some reason, they're tightening down. We were asked more questions about a rainbow of subjects than ever before. Probably 2x the normal time to cross at Derby Line Vt last week. Still too bad you drove so far to get turned around.

Monday 3/7 A bit over 2" of new snow overnight and 25 to start. Map shows the trails were touched up overnight after a busy Weekend. 368 to 83 to 383 to L'Anse Saint-Jean for lunch the orange 301 to 83 to 383 back. Snow fell thru mid-morning and visibility was poor even with our heated shields. By.afternoon the temps were above freezing - even with overcast skies. Trails all smooth and fast. The weekend traffic all gone.

Not sure how you had the strength to finish after such a grueling retrieval, the disappointing diagnosis, and the lack of good sleep but thank you for sharing another great trip with the rest of us. Great pics and lots of detail.

Tony + Linda are nice people and run a clean, nice place. When we were there last winter we were the only people there. I hope they are doing OK(?)While there's other restaurants up in town, we've always preferred Pub du Lac.

LaBaie for lunch + check out the ice village Saguenay Fjord

Bill - Scott and I will attend Friday only. Thanks for trying to salvage the Gathering 2016. Ken

Shorts were probably about as brown as that sled! Glad no one was hurt. No plans to recover it?

Call me picky but I don't care to ride when it gets warmer than about -3cThe snow will indeed be here awhile

Never ridden the area before so meeting Ray182, his wife, SaguenayBill, and others. Temps next week may rise way above freezing so we take what comes and hope they are wrong. Perfect day today after a below-zero start. (many no-starts) Milot Truck Stop for lunch

Quite an adventure gents. The whiteout conditions, sink, dig, and sink again make for a very long day. More adventure than I'd want now. We had something similar years ago but we threw in the towel. When day turned to night we still had a ways to get to our beds. We decided to find a sheltered spot, build a fire and hunker down for first light. Called ahead to let them know we wouldn't make it but were OK. A few hours later we see the strobes on the groomer faintly in the distance. By the time we dug the sleds out and turned the groomer around you couldn't see his tracks. I'll never forget that wind! We followed the groomer to his barn, left our sleds there and the operator took us to our truck. Good luck, be safe, and I'll hope the sun comes back out for your return.

A dramatic turn of events/change of conditions in the area. WOW!!

Dear God. This is so awful - and so much worse now that we know how close it is to some of our own. Sincerest condolences to all who are affected but my heart aches so for Dallas's family; especially his wife and children. I do love snowmobiling but things like this make me wonder -

Always enjoy reading your reports and adventures Jim. So sorry to hear your sled let you down. Here's to hoping you can find a way back to your vehicle without too much hassle or expense. UGH - always an adventure but always memorable!

Prayers and sympathy to the families and friends of these fellow snowmobilers. We ride among the trees and rocks - don't ever take that for granted.

Looks like lots of good skinin' Trailblazer. Thanks for sharing. Is that a 1.5gal Tom? One for each side?

It also looks really good when you need fuel!!

Very fortunate the operator is ok. This is a groomer's absolute worst nightmare for sure.

She can't be laying around getting massages + pedicures. There's Grooming to do! Lol

Except for the known issue w/Yamaha Fuel injection relays freezing, IMO, a no start on a new FI sled is usually a battery/starter issue - assuming the fuel system is 100%. You need sufficient voltage to make the electronics work and sufficient amperage to provide cranking/rotational speed for combustion. A battery that is well cared for will last longer than one that isn't but more than 3 or 4 years on a battery is a crap shoot. They get pounded and everything falls out of the plates eventually plus the manufacturers seem to use the smallest unit to save weight and space.

I have used Collett Communicators for about 20 yrs. They are reliable in all weather conditions and the company stands behind and supports them. Although I have to add that I have only had experience with getting help over the phone; I've never sent a unit back for repair. Battery life is good as long as you remember to charge them each night when on a multi-day trip or overnight before each use. Two miles would be generous but they are great for riding in a group or with family members when it is vital to alert others to a hazard or need to communicate in short conversations. Due to the way the microphones key, it may be hard to sustain long talks but we have never found it to be an issue. Safety is the selling point here and they are great to warn others of an issue. For the types of conversations you want they should be fine. Weight is not a concern - you won't even notice them on your helmet. I have both the older 900 units (Collett now lists that they no longer support these) and a newer 900 Bluetooth. I like the Bluetooth for listening to music w/o having cords and the unit switches back and forth from voice to music seamlessly so that is never a problem. I feel the Collett units are pricey but they do what they claim and I don't see any other manufacturers competing in the helmet-to-helmet market. They have a large share of the ATV market I'm told. You may be able to do some research on motorcycle forums and find more discussion about helmet communicators

Concerning to hear this but it is not acceptable to any of us here for you to drop the 'F-Bomb' on the people of Quebec. They too are sometimes the victims of these scumbags - who can be very difficult to identify, apprehend, and prosecute. Thefts in Quebec have waxed and waned in the past 20 years. Some years there are many thefts all over the Province; other years only a few in the 'bad' towns. Drummondville has never been considered 'safe'. I won't attempt to list good or bad areas but just say that I think I speak for most here when I say we always take precautions and that is not really different than most of us do in our country. I have an old saying that "locks only keep honest people honest" but everything/anything you do to make your stuff harder to take is a deterrent. I agree that you shouldn't have to do anything beyond locking your vehicle/trailer but some towns have people who will take them unless you do more. Then again, there are certainly places in the US where the same can be said. Sorry for your loss -

I think he was looking for conditions further south and west of RDL. You were quite a bit further east and south of where jak was looking. - Glad you had a good ride.