vt_bluyamaha54

So glad you had a great time and great trails with your daughter. Much respect to her and thank her for for service please. 

Yeah...  i was bummed to hear this.  The last communication i had from them was that they were coming to the La Glaciere where there is secure sled and trailer parking.  The hotel where the sled was stolen is right in the main part of town...right off of hwy 131.  On the way home on sunday...I saw a another truck and trailer park there and wondered if the hotel management would warn them of the incident the day before...hmmm???  My wife and I stayed at the Montagne Coupee earlier this year and they have a nice setup for your sled.  They will also let you park trailer in there if there is room.  Only downfall is the garage is a little hike down the hill from main hotel...also a little bit of asphalt riding to get to main trail, which can be an issue in spring weather.  On a bright side....me and my daughter had an amazing time riding the trails this past weekend after her deployment.  From the desert sands to the frozen lands....she was all smiles !!!   

few pics from last sunday riding with linda and others from ontario !!!
a mix of groomed trails and off the trail riding at my camp !!!
stopped at clubhouse a few mins in the morning  and lucky to meet wulsock and shore 1066 !!!
 
 
jean-guy

for the respect and memory of that guy from nova scotia and his 3 friends !!!
condolences to family and friends !!!
 
jean-guy

Steamer we go the end of March every year, only once did we get skunked, usually tons of snow groomed and nobody at all riding. Last year we left RDL on 4/6 we were the only truck in the lot... The parking lots and streets are bare but who cares.

Day 3.       With the forecast calling for freezing rain, we decided to alter our travel plans. Initially we were going to leave the copper and head down 597 to see the Rock and then head up 5 to Grand vallee for the evening. But as the rain and sleet we're falling in the morning, we reminded ourselves that we were on vacation, and we didn't have to ride in crappy weather! Plan was revised to just take the short route to Grand vallee. However.....When we left the copper at 9:30, the rain has stopped and we changed our plans yet again. Everything has been fresh groomed on 5, so we headed west. Took tons of pics of mt st Pierre and checked out all of the lookouts. Was not a sunny day, but still incredible views. Took fuel in Sainte Anne Des monts, took soup at next relais (can't remember name) and sailed all the way to Matane for a night at the Riotel. We battled a a little bit of rain and a whole lot of heavy snow for the last 30 miles, but the trail was flat and fast nearly the entire day. The last 10 miles had some chop and we were navigating red stake to red stake as it was near whiteout conditions. Glad we made adjustments to our day, it turned out fantastic!   Pulled into the Riotel at 5pm with 197 miles for the day and an incredible sunset to boot just as the snow quit!

hi terry and mario !!!
rough weekend !!!
started grooming at 4 am .....back at 3 20 pm....in 17 years of grooming ...i don t remember seeing tq 5 destroyed like that !!!
4 windy days in a row...week with no school...carnival in ste marguerite + the tourists ...timing was perfect for rough trails...
this where i met mario...about 4 miles west of st fidele cb !!!
met 2 guys..americans i guess..just before the drifts after the 90' corner on my way down to st fidele cb....they were happy to see me....and they still had a great sense of humor !!!
 
jean-guy
 

Here is yet another thread on doing the Gaspe loop! Wife Molly and I drove up to the Universal yesterday from Vermont. Met Mikerider, Jack, Sandi and several other Quebec Riders. Had dinner and breakfast with Jack and Sandi, then said our good-byes. Left the universal at 8:10, destination Carleton. Took 5 east all the way to 579 south, to 587 and stopped at Groomers clubhouse for a bowl of soup at 12:30 with 190 miles. Lots of fresh grooming, fair amount of day old stuff, and very little bumpy terrain. Some drifting in the open areas. No sign of groomer, maybe Linda sled girl over served the rouge last night! From. The clubhouse we took 587 briefly, then took an orange shortcut trail through Sainte Florence back over to 5 east. This was a good move, great fast trail with no traffic. Our next move, or actually lack of, cost us so.e extra miles with many bumps added in. Planned on taking the short cut orange trail off from 5 that dumps you into L'Alverne back on the 5, but we missed it! Ended up staying on the 5 down through Pointe a-la Croix, and that plain sucked! Once we got within 30 miles of Carleton, we had a super flat and fast finish all the way to Hostellerie Baie Bleue. Good way to finish the day, pulled in at 5:45 with 303.1 miles for the day. Getting cleaned up and headed to the bar for some well deserved bourbon! Will try to post some pics....

Much like RRs expedition, there is safety (and peace of mind) with numbers and good navigators are a requirement. Make no mistake; as ice man said, these are not snowmobile trips for the unseasoned but serious expeditions. 
Congrats to you boys; many of us enjoyed this more from our screens than we would have in person. When snowmobiling is more work than fun is It really still fun??

Wow Mike, it was hard to go 10mi in the 70s without changing a plug or a belt. Who could forget broken bogie wheel suspension parts and leaf springs? Starter ropes busted from pulling them so many times b/c the carbs were flood or vapor locked and wouldn't start? I'll take a modern sled any day or something from the 70s or 80s.
While I don't doubt your observations of the sleds coming back broken down, I would bet you a rouge or two that most of the flatbed returns are tied to these types of problems rather than manufacturer reliability
a) poor / no or improper maintenance
b) bad fuel / old fuel (that has been in a sled all summer??) - see 'a' above
c) improperly tensioned tracks and chaincases  - see 'a' above
d) lack of preparedness (carrying basic tools or knowing how to make minor repairs)
I might be sticking my neck out here but I would bet that most of the folks here are riding groomed trails so with the exceptions already mentioned for standing, no one is. Why/how would you ever stand up longer than to gain + give visibility when riding on groomed trails? Am I missing something? (and I ride a Vector long track)

Extra gas was an an insurance policy, deep snow and one run at 100+ miles, best to bring it.  Noone needed any but if you have sled issues and someone needs a tow you never have too much gas.

Sometimes the higher the investment in a trip and an adventure, the greater the reward 😀.  Certainly not for everyone. 😎

Glad you arrived home safely Bill (and JD, + Pepper also). Thanks for another year of service to all the snowmobilers who visit Paradise. Invaluable!

Awful to hear this Linda. Hope everyone recovers and get home safely. 

Glad you arrived home safely Bill (and JD, + Pepper also). Thanks for another year of service to all the snowmobilers who visit Paradise. Invaluable!

Glad you arrived home safely Bill (and JD, + Pepper also). Thanks for another year of service to all the snowmobilers who visit Paradise. Invaluable!

Glad you arrived home safely Bill (and JD, + Pepper also). Thanks for another year of service to all the snowmobilers who visit Paradise. Invaluable!

RE:  Standing. IMO it's always a good idea to stand up at road crossings to see - and BE seen. Just a safety issue. 

Few more pictures

Holy hell!  VERY happy to be experiencing this from a nice warm computer!

Congratulations Guys!  Great reporting Don.  Looks like Mountain Sleds with 3" paddle tracks would have come in handy today!  My back hurts just looking at all that digging & lifting. 
Safe travels back west.

This where the adventure begins

A lot of this going on today


I have to officially rate this portion of the 3 EXPERT. 

That Team has got it together. The bush chain case repair last year shows nothing stops them.
Nice work getting there. I am sure it is very satisfying for you all. We are rooting for you guys.

Timing is everthing, Luck plays the biggest part as we cannot control the weather. 
If it has not snowed recently and there are some tracks to follow, You could stand a chance. Trust me it aint easy to follow this trail. When you got up to Havre or beyond if it were to snow any significant amout. You are screwed. Some much open space and wind just piles up the snow. Now I know why i've been in Sept Isles several times and seen many groups arriving back to Sept Isles from the east by Flatbed. 
You need four people minimum. Just to be sure you can get out of what you might get into. Just my 2 cents. 

Congratulations to the entire team!