vt_bluyamaha54

It’s always a sad time when the end comes but nowadays too many won’t recognize the reality that a big spring storm doesn’t restore mid-winter riding.  

Hard to find good help these days. 
 

That is why you got tbe good deal.
its a fixer upper

Exactly 
no base in many places. 

It’s always a sad time when the end comes but nowadays too many won’t recognize the reality that a big spring storm doesn’t restore mid-winter riding.  

Day 7 Sunday 
 
Great night at Windigo, drinks, conversations, stories throw in the nosh on the wings and smoked meat sandwiches. Oh yes. 
To Team Vermont….looking forward to next seasons rendezvous. After saying our goodbyes and loading up. 
Everyone ready to go. 
My sled loves it here so much it doesn’t fire off on the first go. Never good. This will take extra effort. Get coolant heater plugged in. Decided to hook up Daniel’s big jumpbox. Spins over real nice this go round and finally fires. Maybe 15 minutes of giving it attention, For what its worth by far not the coldest night out this week, but is the one night i did not cover my sled. Maybe nothing maybe something, 
 
Up driveway out of  Windigo. TQ83 magic carpet ride back all the wsy to Relais 22 . 
Bridge still unsafe for groomer straight out back of Relais 22 on TQ83. 83 west this year is just north of Relais 22 its 30 km longer then going out the old trail and over the bridge.
 
Gas n go and quick conversation with Christine at 22, knowing full well that many sleds are bearing down on this place from up the TQ83 coming for lunch on Sunday. 
Up we go and as expected busy trail. But all well behaved. Love the new Sena 50 really top shelf. Nice ride back up TQ83 then secret trail to 355 from TQ83 was a stunner. Said goodbye to our trail mates as they were headed to load uo and haul south today. Great guys NH Moose aka “bullwinkle” anytime anywhere goes without saying. Mark ditto do not get to see him enough. Great guy. Phil sr newest member of Team Iceman. Another rider. Gets it done solid. Loved spending time on and off trail with you all.. Until next time boys.
 
Snohorse and I continue on TQ83 junk. And junk. Seriously not good. Big difference in conditions here. We suffer on to local orange to Saint Andre. Ok but best up. Went in another local trail tour then a retrace of our route back to 355 and Auberge Eva. Only people here tonight. Private hotel and restaurant. No one else. 
 
We stitched it together as my partner in trails Snohorse says. Successful week stellar trails with excellent company. Some new discoveries and some new memories on long cherished sections of trails. Some of our favorites, 
 
Is it the last ride? 
 
Stay tuned
 

Day 5 Friday 
 
Woke at Pouvoirie La Dore. I like it here. Snowing again. Not super cold as my gatorade aint frozen on porch. It’s cold thought This will hold me over until getting some coffee. Boys are stirring around looking like the warm has lost the battle this go round. Wind picking up still snowing on and off. Enjoyed talking for a long time with Stephane last night. Quite interesting as I learned alot we all did asking hunting and fishing questions trying to get an understanding on how they do it all year. Great place and super hosts. Go and stay they have one big chalet with four bedrooms 
So 8 singje beds max, only chalet insulated for clients thus winter. Next year probably 1 more. But this will remain an intimate place. More personal to stay here. For lunch they have been doing well. Many clients. They make their living May to November. 
Like i said before there is just something about this place. 
Stephane met us after a great breakfast and we took a ride out and up the lake and back. He took us out the back over the bridge and showed us the way to join up with the local orange trail branche ouest. Interesting.  But not as fast as the TQ93. 
He showed us another nine mile loop around the lake by the lodge. This has Team VT written all over it as he said no problem go and explore, their are trails everywhere. We had to say goodbye for now and bailed out the backdoor to La Dore. Still snowing on and off temps already noticeably colder, wind is biting. TQ93 to Gas n go La Dore. 
Trail mint. Been 95% all week. Very little traffic. This being the “Tour to nowhere” we got nowhere to go to. All day to do it. Now those of you that pay attention know what is next……if you guessed trail bingo = winning. 👍
 
Stayed in the sweet spot. All around above lake. St Felicien to Dolbeau. To 373 then back across 373 searching for red sticks with wind howling in the fields. One of those days you think about where to stop for a break and finding somewhere tucked in the trees to block that wind. Temperature has plummeted and with wind not great for the hands being out of the gloves too long. Only real rough spot few KM between middle orange trail and TQ93 up near Lac a Jim. Everything else very nice. Likey likey. 
 
Bingo card full it’s time for early happy hour. Into Girardville. Happy campers. 
 

Did you guys cause this?
 

Day 2 Tuesday 
 
Woke to beautiful cold morning after awesome night at Pouvoirie La Dore. Great stay had great conversation with Owner Stephane super nice guy. Big chalet with four bedrooms nice fun. Terrain here is big i think their territory stretches 20 miles. 18 chalets and big fishing and hunting for bear, moose and caribou. Lake trout and brook trout. 8 miles out trail to TQ93 trail groomed into pouvoirie with small drag but real good. TQ93 has been groomed north he has not returned south. It’s beautiful all the way to local trail to Resto du Chef.  Saw 2 sleds north bound direction Chibougamau. Been very little traffic few here and there but very spread out. 
 
Bingo that is the plan. Good old fashioned trail bingo. Here in the honey hole. I got all day to go nowhere. Destination St Felicien tonight and we will be in the vincinty all day. 
 
And now please stand by for a
Public service announcement. 
 
Everyone please continue to circulate only on the Blue federal trails as you are now. 
We thank you all for you continued cooperation in helping us enjoy the other trails privately without undue, unnecessary, excessive traffic. Thank you for the support. 
 
 
Say it with me or even better sing it out loud.  B I N G O……B I N G O 
 
Up down over back up down over up back around all that. And is awesome. 
One after the other  
Please sir may i have another? Yes you can. 
 
Late lunch Resto du Chef then then another 80 miles into hotel the BINGO way. 
 
Saw Mother Lynx with kitten. On TQ93 west of Lac a Jim. Leisurely strolling together right off side of trail. 
 
We will keep on going. One day at a time. Headed for Otis Nature via 373 and some bonus honey hole action. 
 
Well oiled machine here. Great bunch of riders. 
 
206 miles of
8/10 to 10/10 all damn day (r.i.p. Big) 
 
Corral full and overflowing here at Du Jardin. Hotel full tonight. 
Ordered dinner from Restaurant Mikes. 
 

 
 

Used to be a frequent trek circa 80s / early 90s when our group spent ‘vacation week’ at Tall Timber. 
Is the picture of the moose and the horse mating still up behind the bar?  Haha

What's one to do when you desire Quebec pub grub? Jump on the sled and get it. Thirty-eight miles bump-free from camp on the local Pittsburg USA trail system to the Chartieville QC Customs house. Three of us produced documents & after exchanging pleasantries with a very courteous and joyful customs officer, we traveled an additional twenty-eight miles to La Patrie via 65 & 525. We passed the local groomer inbound & outbound, laying the flat trails with the small amount of snow he had to work with. Upon arrival, we had a great lunch in the very crowded Resto-Bar La Patrie. Surprisingly, the bar & dining room were packed for a Thursday afternoon with tradespeople & snowmobilers. 
The Canadian trails were mint; however, sections in the fields, thankfully short in length, were ugly as they had no snow or were snirt & slush. On our return in Chartieveille, we encountered a sick groundhog that refused to vacate the trail. 
Minimal snow is forecasted locally for the next 24 hours. Failure to get a few inches of new snow and those short stretches of no snow & or muddy slush I described will only be lengthier, deeper, and muddier as the sun was high, bright & warm today. 
Stay safe. 
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Ice - thanks for the detailed write up and much thanks to Caro for lots of great pictures. You probably know I ride a lot in that area and have never seen it look like this in February. As you said, we can’t change it but hope for better days ahead!
 

Sounds like a very large project but it will make TQ75 Beauceville to St. George’s much easier

A measly 24k for a million dollar bridge
220 feet long at a height over river with view of falls at 75 feet high
 
Finally a permanent bridge in St-Georges!!!! 🤩
No more waiting after the ice!
Trail 75 linking St-Georges to Beauceville!
 
A lot of work and hard work!
But we got it :) 👌
Club Motoneige Beauceville Inc
#Motoneigebeaucesud
Motoneige Beauce Sud 03-355
 
Hello snowmobiling friends of the Chaudière Appalaches. A team of volunteers is currently working to complete the financial arrangements for a new bridge over the Rivière Famine in St-Georges. Once completed, it will offer an incredible view of the Plamondon Falls. The project also includes the redevelopment of trails on both sides of the river.
To date, business owners, our Members of Parliament, snowmobile clubs, Bombardier Recreational Products and the Desjardins Grand Fund have joined us in offering donations to help us realize this project, which is so important to all snowmobilers on Trail 75.
Factory construction of the bridge has begun at structures SBL in St-Benoit, and the project is being carried out by Construction Binet. Excavation Lapointe et Fils will carry out the approaches and earthworks required to bring the bridge into place in 4 sections.
As you can see, it's a big challenge for a small team of volunteers.
Fellow snowmobilers who will be using this bridge during your 2025 outings, we need your help to finalize the project. A donation would be greatly appreciated.
Each time you visit us, you'll be proud to have participated in this project for the snowmobiling family.
 
The volunteer team looks forward to meeting you.
To make a donation, contact Serge Lessard at: 581 372-1758
 
 

Black wet trail to Trois Rivieres today. Rain most of way on and off from Near RDL all the way. 
 
Hotel had over 50 cancellations for last night. 
 
regroup and reload

Ice - thanks for the detailed write up and much thanks to Caro for lots of great pictures. You probably know I ride a lot in that area and have never seen it look like this in February. As you said, we can’t change it but hope for better days ahead!
 

Good morning Don and Mrs.  That 518 is a well kept secret.  Don't tell too many people.  Everyone is in a hurry and they take trail 5 to make time.  We have found over the years, the green and yellow trails do not have the traffic and are frequently the crown jewels of the area.  It is not the miles any more.  It is the smiles we love.
Jack & Sandi

Going to give you a bit more. Then bedtime. 
 
we are going nowhere it’s out n back 2 days from here Universel..
Got some new hardware and trying it out while getting mrs ice some much deserved seat time. (She gets very little) nature of the game. 
 
Sena 50s awesome. Group mesh and love it. 
CKX Mission Carbon helmets. Why I waited till now i do not know. Game changing comfort and vision. Badass. 
 
Wheels down February 9 at RDL. This is a special year. That’s it. It is what it is and if you want to ride you can make it happen simple as that. Bitching about it or wondering how it will hold up is a waste of energy. 
 
Close to hotel is boney i have seen worse and rode worse returning here before. Not far out much better we left with no set plan. Following what felt good. 
 
526 to TQ85 to First orange we can find. Let’s Go. 
early morning TQ85 nice and then orange fresh groomed. Beautiful. 
up orange to 544 another beauty  very few sleds and great trail. 
new helmets are sweet. 
now 571 and another stunner. Real nice. Then to TQ5 to the trail of the day 518. WOW WOW WOW, never rode this it is spectacular 
east n 518 to local orange down to Fabien sur mer. To a scenic overlook just niot the best day for the views. But awesome riding. 
Gassed on the orange there right on the 132 been by on the road never on sled here. 
 
to be continued 

Happy they got it out before it froze in but afraid they will have quire a few maintenance issues to deal with. 

Happy they got it out before it froze in but afraid they will have quire a few maintenance issues to deal with. 

Some riders do not understand, land-use is a privilege not a right.  

Definitely a bad sign for the sport and a sad day for the company that really put 4-strokes on snow. 
https://www.instagram.com/p/CuCQV2rt5FM/?igshid=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==