Je me souviens

Wow this got some serious traction right away! Sweet. I like the plan, I'm in. I am not sure on the logistics just yet, but that price @ the Forestel is nice, way to go Bill. My room is booked. Lady @ the desk said right away: is this for the QR gathering? I would love to say that leaving the Rabaska heading to Clova for Friday then onto the Forestel Saturday and back down to the Rabaska would be a sweet trip but I can't predict the trifecta of cash flow, weather, and vacation days that far our right now. So for now I can tell you that Shannon and I will see you for supper Saturday night @ the Forestel.

Very nice. I have been dreaming about riding up to Clova on Lepine in the summer for a few years now, really sucks about the bridge. Using an ice crossing in the winter isn't a great long term solution either. I really hope that bridge crossing gets re-opened one way or another in the near future. Nonetheless sounds like you had a great ride up to Clova after that initial discovery. If you have more pictures or info about the long way around, I would love to hear about them, are you headed to the summer gathering? More pics please - looked like a lot of fun

Ray, Shannon & I are in. Just got off the phone from pulling the trigger on the keg. Magic Hat Elder Betty http://www.magichat.net/elixirs/elderbetty/ should be tapped no later than noon Saturday. C U guys there, looking forward to meeting more fellow QR members, and trading tales with the crew.

Here is a list of what they have, the names in red take a little longer to get. I put the ones that sound good to me in bold. Let the votes roll!!! AB Seasonal Alexander Keith's Bass Beck's Blue Moon Budweiser Budweiser Light Budweiser Light Lime Busch Busch Light Coors Light Davidson Brothers Dogfish 60 Minute IPA DOS XX Amber DOS XX Lager Dundee Honey Brown Lager Goose Island Guinness Stout Harpoon IPA Hoegaarden Keystone Light Killians Labatt Blue Labatt Blue Light Lagunitas IPA Lake Placid UBU Ale Long Trail Blackberry Wheat Ale Magic Hat Michelob Light Michelob Ultra Miller Lite Oskar Blues Dale's Pale Ale Otter Creek Pabst Blue Ribbon Red Hook Rolling Rock Sam Adams Cherry Wheat Sam Adams Lager Sam Adams Seasonal Sapporo Lager Saranac Adirondack Amber Saranac Black Forest Saranac Pale Ale Shock Top Shock Top Raspberry Sierra Nevada Smithwick's Irish Red Ale Smuttynose IPA Southern Tier 2X IPA Southern Tier IPA Stella Artois Stone Arrogant Bastard Ale Yuengling

Excellent. Let's all agree to respect our hosts boundaries, and keep the beer off the patio after dinner. My plan was to grab a bucket stuff it with ice, slap a keg on there and head down. Keg should be tapped by noon on Saturday. Some fresh ice would great come later in the afternoon. Any votes on what kind of beer to bring? They have Switchback, and all kinds of tasty stuff.

Hey folks, I was thinking about bringing a keg to the gathering this year. I didn't quite have enough of the Saranac Blueberry Blonde Ale last year for everyone to sample. I was in the local craft brews supplier the other day, I noticed the keg pricing, then the boggie wheels started turning. Not bad considering how much beer you get. I ought to bring one down to the gathering, that way everyone could enjoy. I like the IPA's but then not everybody enjoys that kind of beer, nor do I want to bring a half spent keg back home. So here is a small poll I would like to start. Let's get some suggestions going, and see what the majority of us agrees is drinkable. I know they have access to a wide variety of tasty beer. Let me know what you think, this is all subject to Bill's approval of course.

Bill, I wish you a speedy recovery my friend

Bill, that's great, looking forward to it. MR & TB: Yes Evasion burned down - I was told it was Sunday March 3rd.

Mid Range: I would say it is thanks to you that I found out about the Legendary Lepine I love so much - Thank you kindly for sharing such a great location with us Mike, I hope you come out to the summer gathering if your schedule allows it this year RMK - You are extremely attentive to detail - Snow man was @ the Rabaska, LOL - he looked a little meeker on Sunday when we got back Linda - Season was great, I sure would like to trade stories with you @ the summer gathering - I bet you have some good ones to tell by the looks of the pics you posted @ JG's J&S - another year has escaped w/o hooking up for a ride together, I still think its a good idea - lets plan one @ the Summer gathering Most importantly - Bill, What are the dates for the summer gathering? I sure hope you are planning to have one again this year - so much fun to meet all people - and put a face to the screen name - Unless someone objects - I was planning on bringing name tags for us to wear, that way we can start with a different question, instead of - whats your screen name? I was disappointed that we never made it up to the Delta or the Saguenay region to see you this winter. It is most likely the location for @ least one night of next winter's "Grand Tour" . Keep the pics rolling Cheers

A few more... Last ones....

Here are some more

Sadly, I have decided to put the sled away for the year. 32xx miles for the season. I Spent most of the season on the western side of the province. We did the first trip of the year out of SMDS, went up to see Genevieve & Andre in Parent, they definitely have a nice set-up. Next trip was Lepine Rd. - a big mess after the heavy snow, but they did a great job cleaning up, the last ride of the year was the same trip, was an improvement. I think Dominic had just groomed it just for Shannon and I. When we got to the schoolhouse, he had a big smile and asked: "how was the trail this time?" The Tamarak still has the best Bloody Ceasars in town according to Shannon. Most of the other miles were spent running between Le Domaine & Val D'Or. Here is the season in pictures.

They were great last week end

Yup I second that statement. UNH you better lay off the peace pipe. How many canucks are playing 4 UNH this year?

Jack, I used to stop there on our way up to the HI. I grew very fond of Marc & Annie. When I stopped there last time, the older man running the place said he was the owner, and that Marc & Annie were leasing the place and had left without paying the bills. He basically told me they took the money & ran. I found this hard to believe as I thought that Marc & Co. seemed pretty normal. So when I got to the Goeland for gas, because the Trappeur did not have any, I ran what I was told by the man @ Trappeur by the lady @ the Goeland (can't remember her name). She was not willing to confirm or deny that the story was true. I told her I found the story hard to believe, and that my brain led me to believe that when the new trail connecting L'Etape to 355 was opened, perhaps the owner of the Trappeur saw an opportunity to make more money, due to the increased flow of traffic, and decided to pull the rug out from beneath Marc & Annie. When I was done telling her what I believed may have happened, the lady behind the counter @ the Goeland, just smiled and said, I may be not far from the truth. Granted none of this can be taken as fact based testimony, I think I nailed it on the head. I remember once my buddy told me he was going to pay for lunch @ the trappeur, back when Marc was still there, and the first malamute was just a pup. I never asked any questions, and we left. Come supper time I told him it was my turn to pay, after all lunch with gas must have been a pretty penny, then he told me that he did not pay for the gas back @ the Trappeur. So when I got home, I called the Trappeur on the CB system they had. I explained to Marc what had happened, and that I owed him for 32 Liters of gas, and that I would pay him on the next trip. He said he did not realize I had not paid for the gas, and that he would catch up with me next time. 2 weeks later I showed back up @ the Trappeur with extra cash in hand, he said that he would not take it, and that the honesty I had displayed by calling back told him that I was planning on stopping there for years to come. I told him that after he took the time to perfect his Pizza recipe i was planning on making that my lunch stop for many trips to come. I was saddened to learn that they would no longer be running the place. That and the fact that traffic was greatly increased after they opened the connector trail between L'Etape and 355 ave made it that I have not been back up 355 but once in the last 2 years

I did not see it with my own eyes, however, when we were in Clova last week end, I was told that Gyslain (the owner of Martin) was not going to stake the route this year. Unless you hook up with the GPS maps, I would not dare get on the ice without the stakes. Also, worth taking note of the forecast for the day, any snow squalls would make for an interesting day, even with the GPS tracks. Cheers

HAHAHAHAHA, Love it.... Is it time to ride yet? On a positive note, I did notice some of the leaves were changing in the higher elevations along 87 in the ADKs this week end Timbo, damn you keep good records, always say I am going to start doing that but never do, then when I try to answer questions for people, on places I know with my eyes shut, I can't remember a damn thing!!!!

Trailblazer, That looks like the gas station/restaurant/depanneur in Kitchtassik, between Val D'Or & Mont Laurier. The trail that leads out of town towards Val D'Or has the "roller coaster" ride shortly thereafter Don't slam the metal frame door, it was pretty loose last season

Hats off to Bill for putting together another great yearly edition. Next year I am bringing name tags. Like mcstar said its great to put the screen names to faces. Without a few key intros I would have missed knowing who I was talking to. I have been reading scorpionbowl's site for years, and I was talking to him for a few minutes before I finally put 2 & 2 together. I know I reneged on my word to be @ breakfast this year, oops. As long as my sled is ready to leave the station @ 8 sharp, I think Bill will have me back for the winter classic. Hey, smclean, I want a tabernak shirt. LOL I felt like we were a largely extended family when Shannon and I arrived to be welcomed by Andy & Co. Cheers to all that came, and those that will make it out next year. How much longer?

2500 not impressive, but it sure beat waiting to ride in Loon Lake. Bill I have said it before, and will say it again: "You are my hero" I am still making my contributions to your social security. I expect the interest to yield a good time in Franconia this summer. Cheers

Sweet vid NH Moose

The ideal would be 4 gadgets. SPOT The Air Medic Beacon GPS SAT phone. Emergency procedure 1. Immediately bush SOS on SPOT & Air Medic beacon 2. Look @ GPS coordinates 3. Use SAT phone to call local emergencies, bear in mind dialing 911 on a SAT phone could be a lengthy process to find the "local" authorities. Which reminds me, in your emergency bag with over $1000 worth of gadgets, you need a priceless piece of comparatively cheap information. The contact numbers for the local emergency responders, in the area your are riding in. Bottom line is, when Shannon hit the bridge we were extremely lucky, that the nature of the injuries, although severe, needed no immediate medical attention. Meaning there was no massive bleeding, or imperitive steps to take in order to save her life. I thank the Lord for this almost daily. However, had the injuries required medical attention, administered by a professional, within say an hour of the accident, the story would have had a different ending. My father is an EMT @ the local fire dept, where he is also very involved in the firefighting end of things. I am going to have him show me the proper procedure for tying a turniquet.(SP) to stop hemmorrage bleeding. Also a quick lesson in other common, and useful emergency techniques would be highly appropriate. One of the things that always stuck in mind was when Greg said, the TNO's have no specific designated response team or plan in place. So say you are riding in a Territoire Non Organizer, Non Organized Territory, many of which have trails, and you get hurt, once you finally get ahold of the authorities, chance are, the first thing they will do is not come to the rescue, but many times they will argue about who is the closest to the scene, and who is responsible to allocate their rescue resources for the day. This thread has had many useful inputs. Lets keep sharing knowledge, so that as a group, we will collectively gather more and more information, that way each of us can take what we feel to be the appropriate steps towards creating an emergency situation plan. Also lets all prey we never have to use it. I have found that time and time again, the phrase: "Better to have and not need, than to need and not have" to be applicable to many of life trials and tribulations. Now what do we have left? Another 9 months before we can head out again? I really need another passion! Boating sounds like fun, but even more fun when someone else owns the boat. I will pay my share in fuel expense, anyone need a skier to tow this summer? Cheers

Thanks to everyone that had input. Another reason I really love this site, all good stuff here. I think ramps, rollers and buttons should do it for now. Once I have it apart I will know for sure. You guys ever see the vids Mark has on you tube? He times himself doing maintenance, I think we should get Greg and the rest of his crew to push for a clutch rebuild video from Mark. If he wants to set the time clock that would be cool. That way I know how slow I really am compared to the pros, lol Where is the Yellowstone report from Greg anyway? Last year we got a great sneak peek, with real time updates, this year all is hush hush. I looked for one of the vids I am referring to, but there is so much on you tube I don't have an hour to sift, perhaps someone remembers Mark's channel so we can tune in

Ian, Call up Tom and have him give you Jeff's number, he is the one that was asking about any place to ride a few days ago. You could hook up right before you cross the border, he is about 20 miles west of 87 @ exit 42. Just a thought. Have fun up there, nice teaser vids... I wish I could talk Shannon into another ride, I would drive to the mts if I had the extra time to take from work, like the guy sais on ur post on DT, I hate the summerize button

I was considering it may be time to do a little preventative maintenance on the ole girl. She has 5500 miles, and I have heard numerous times that the clutch is the weakest link on the 1200's. I was thinking about getting a cookie cutter kit that most likely will include the primary spring, still need to do a little investigating as to what kit I will likely purchase. However once I have made that decision, I think I should replace some of the parts inside the clutch. So far my list consists of: new arms, rollers, buttons, the cotter pins. What else do you think I should consider? Maybe the ramps, I am missing something else? Please advise if you have any insight on this, thank you. If you think about it, why would SD revise the primary set-up to include 6 arms rather than 3 for MY '13, must be they know that the system was not working. I would much rather do preventative maintenance in the garage at 70 degrees, than repairs mid trip in the cold with no tools and no garage at my disposal. On another note, thanks to all who have posted their trip reports this year, I love reading peoples experiences and looking at their pics. Gotta love the site Rob put together for us to share here, cheers