mccaffrey

bonjour playhard !!!
hahhaha...
forgot to mention last night .....guardian of the pool told me....there s 228 salmon right now in the pool ......only 40 last year at the same date...
looks like the arrival of jaws pushed them up the river this year !!!😁
 
jean-guy

bonsoir !!!
 
a little pirouette to the falls !!!
 
jean-guy

Picture from today 6/18/20 ... BRP's being born !

“Ultimate Arctic Cat Journey” is Complete
with Warm Welcome in Thief River Falls
Bob Steeves, an avid Arctic Cat snowmobiler, has talked about snowmobiling from his home in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, to the Arctic Cat plant in Thief River Falls, Minnesota, for the last 40 years.
Last week, Bob, 80 years old; his son Lorne; good friend Trueman Copp, who is 74; and Trueman’s son Trevor completed the more than 2,800-mile, “Ultimate Arctic Cat Journey” to Arctic Cat’s headquarters in Thief River Falls, Minn. The journey was completed on three 2018 Thundercats and a 2020 Riot 8000.
    
“We ran into so many people who recognized us when we stopped that were following our journey. It was amazing,” said Lorne Steeves. “We had no issues with the sleds, they were bulletproof.”
      
The journey took them from Moncton, New Brunswick through Quebec where they crossed the Ottawa River into Ontario. In Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, they met Arctic Cat dealer River City Motorsports who drove them across the border. Once in the United States, the foursome headed across the Upper Peninsula of Michigan into Wisconsin, and then into Minnesota.
 
When they arrived in Thief River Falls, they were greeted by current Arctic Cat employees and former executive and Hall of Fame member Roger Skime with a banner signed by the plant commemorating the epic journey, took a plant tour, and enjoyed dinner with members of the Arctic Cat team. 
 
“We had such a warm welcome from everyone at Arctic Cat. I’ve never met such nice people than those working in the Arctic Cat plant,” added Steeves. 
The memories of the two-and-a-half-week journey will last a lifetime and is a true testament to the passion for the brand that only Arctic Cat snowmobilers understand. #UltimateACATJourney

LOL!!!
3500.00 that was for the week we went tubing, shopping, Winter Carnival, in QC , then a Family Sled trip at LSJ!!
And it was a great time and would have spent double!!!
So I'm Extra Special!!
GutZ

Still isolating at my cabin on weekends. Last night company stopped in unexpectedly for a visit. He understood the rules and sat well over 6' away. LOL  He was not invited inside.
 

M-20 Trail, nothing much to say about it.

 

83 has some great sections, my new fav is from Wemotaci to Parent.

It's not even summer yet and the withdrawal is setting in.  Something to pass the time.  Post your top 5 Quebec trails you've ridden and why they make the list.  Pictures are encouraged if you have them.  Here's mine.
1. TQ 83 south of Saguenay towards La Malbaie - open riding and exceptional mountain scenery
2. TQ 63 through the Rouge-Matawin Wildlife Reserve north of Mont Tremblant National Park - just an incredible road.  Big wide and open
3. RT 355 Saint-Joseph-de-Mékinac through to La Tuque - pipeline and awesome access roads 
4. TQ 23 north of L'Etape - great mountain scenery, tons of snow
5. RT 386 Swisha to Pourvoire Pavillon la Verendrye - 160 km of remote riding on great forest access roads.  Really gives you the sense of isolation.  Very little traffic
6. LT 267 Monts Valin East area.  Big wide open road running at elevation with lots of snow
I know I posted 6.  Couldn't makeup my mind.  So many great choices to pick from.  I feel I have lots of exploring left to do in la belle province.
 

Another benefit for contributing members who stop by my house, a free beer, in the spirit of Bernard...🍻

Thought I would share this . Read it tonight , interesting view . Right or wrong.
 
On Covid-19 And Our Immediate Future
Written by Brad J. Lamb
 
 
Like most Canadians and citizens of the world, I am accepting our government’s current version of the best response to COVID-19. I am, however, becoming less satisfied as I watch the world melt away in an unprecedented loss of wealth, business, and employment. The damage to our world as a result of these forced measures will be devastating. Alcoholism, drug addiction, spousal abuse, child abuse, suicide, depression and other mental health issues are massively on the rise. Poverty and an inability to pay monthly bills is also soaring. The stress on everyone is becoming unmanageable. It is possible that the toll that the government exacts from its citizens to fight this virus will exceed the damage caused by the virus itself. In effect, we have two pandemics: COVID-19 and an economic depression (along with the deaths and misery that come with the latter). We will need to deal with both.
 
New American models put the United States at a revised estimate of up to 60,000 COVID-19 deaths. The Canadian model currently estimates 11,000-22,000 deaths. The estimate for Canada appears to be high based upon the assumption that both countries are in approximate lock step with the maturity of the virus. The U.S. is tracking 23,000 deaths currently and Canada is at 767 (as of April 14). I wouldn’t be surprised if in a week the Canadian estimate of 11,000-22,000 gets reduced substantially as new models arise as a result of new data.
 
Keep in mind, we were all told that the objective of the extreme emergency measures being imposed (i.e. - almost complete commercial shutdown and home quarantining) was to ‘flatten the curve.’ This was clearly communicated as the only way to keep the medical system (specifically our hospitals) from being overloaded and allowing people to get the necessary treatment in order to survive. The goal was NOT to reduce our infection rate to ZERO before lifting the personal and economic restrictions.
 
By all accounts, in both the U.S. and Canada, the use of intensive care facilities and ventilator usage is well below the doomsday scenario of 30 days ago. In fact, in most regions, we are through the surge and hospitalizations are falling. My understanding is that hospitals here in Canada and, in the U.S., have more capacity than they need for beds and ventilators. According to a Globe and Mail article published on April 13, in Alberta, as of April 11, only 13 patients were in hospital intensive care for the treatment of Covid-19. Even in Ontario, which has struggled with low testing rates and outbreaks at long term care homes, hospitals are not being overrun with Covid-19 cases. As of April 11, official Ontario statistics show that nearly 80% of the Ontario ventilators are not being used. In other words, there is plenty of patient capacity. It looks like we have accomplished what we have been asked to do. We pushed the infections and admissions down the road, so the hospitals did not get overloaded. We know and have been told that hiding from COVID-19 isn’t a medium or long-term solution. It is going to run its course. We will have to gain herd immunity as a community. Waiting in isolation for the infection rate to hit zero or for a miracle vaccine or cure was not the plan 30 days ago. This is a new narrative. We were told we just need to flatten the curve. This was to allow the most vulnerable an opportunity to be treated in hospital. This has been accomplished. Comparing COVID-19 impacts on mortality with other deadly causes in Canada is displayed below (as deaths per year).
 
CAUSE OF DEATH         DEATHS PER YEAR
 
Suicide                                           4,200
Flu                                                  8,500
Accidental Deaths                         13,300
Accidental Drug Overdoses          14,500
Heart Disease                               50,000
Cancer                                          83,000
Alcohol-related Deaths                 88,000
 
Every cause of death should be treated with equal importance, and if 5,000 people die from COVID-19 this year, it will be tragic. It is also tragic that 14,000 people die from drug overdoses as well. We do not quarantine the country to prevent opioid overdoses. 88,000 people die from alcohol-related incidents. Interestingly, the LCBO is an ‘essential service’ in this time of quarantine and pandemic. We absolutely need to be better at protecting the ‘at risk’ population, but this is not everyone; it is possibly 1-2% of the population.
 
If we had an option to self-isolate for many months, we could look at that, but we do not. More people may die in Canada due to the quarantine that due to the virus. On average, Canadians save $160/month. One third of Canadians have no savings. Many millions in Canada literally live paycheque to paycheque. Deaths from the 7 causes above will definitely increase as a result of the quarantine. Every week of quarantine will carry a cost.
 
The Federal budget deficit is going from a bloated $16B in 2019 to an astounding, unbelievable number of $180B in 2020. This is a just an early estimate and the final tally will likely be much higher. The deficit during the ‘great recession’ of 2009 was approximately $50B to put this in perspective. Our cumulative debt as a 153-year-old nation is about $750B pre-COVID-19 (in one year we will add another $180B). Who exactly is being helped by this monster deficit? Well, I can tell you my companies are not being helped. I have talked to dozens of other small and medium sized business owners and they aren’t getting any meaningful help either. Getting any answers from any level of government is impossible. I am dubious that any of the largesse will really help people. I am sure that abuses from fraudulent claims will occur in large numbers. Are unemployed workers really getting the help they need, and if so, for how long? It seems to me that a better path might have been advisable. For instance, if the elderly and infirm had self- isolated starting in January and masks had been issued to everyone else with an instruction to maintain a reasonable physical distance, could we have avoided the shut down?
 
Well, Taiwan and Sweden did just that and they avoided an economic shutdown and personal quarantine. Obviously, trusting people to stay at a safe distance and using masks work. Why did the government not trust us to do it this way? Were we lied to about this? $180B buys a lot of masks and ventilators. Why wasn’t the quarantining of compromised individuals initiated when we knew about the risk for these people? Why did all levels of government and experts sit on this until the only response was a world-wide depression initiated by a coordinated shutdown and quarantine? For those who do not know, in the 1930’s we had what was is known as the “Great Depression.” It was a horrendous time – just ask your grandparents and they will shudder at the memory of the misery. Violence, murder, lawlessness, and suicide was epidemic. Unemployment peaked at 25%, GDP declined by 30%. On a world-wide basis, very few are now working. It is very likely that Canada and the U.S. will see unemployment at levels higher than 25% and GDP will likely fall more than 30%. This happened overnight. The Great Depression rolled on for years to hit those numbers. The misery from this will be epic. The tax base for government spending is going to be greatly reduced, likely to 50% of a typical year. Where will they get all this helicopter money?
 
So, what do we do? We must demand honesty from our leaders. For instance, why are they comfortable publishing death/mortality models but they won’t publish honest infection models? Why aren’t the statistics of infection and death not published by age category and whether the person had an underlying illness? Is it because we would learn that the infection is not deadly for the vast majority of those infected and this would undermine the government’s message that the only solution is totally economic shutdown and self-isolation for EVERYONE? They seem content to scare the shit out of the population with ‘honest’ death rates (which by all accounts are proving to be less than initially thought). Why will they not release the TRUE infection models? No one can believe that just 26,000 people have been infected in Canada. This number is absurd.
 
In a random test, it has been reported that as much as 70% of the Lombardy province of Italy has been infected with COVID-19. There are 10 million people in Lombardy. So, 7 million people by way of this study could reasonably be infected in Lombardy, with perhaps 9,000 fatalities. Admittedly, 7 million is probably too high, but it does create food for thought. The fact is we do not know because no one will tell us.
 
The Italian government’s tests confirm 160,000 people are infected and sadly, 21,000 are dead. This is for the whole of Italy. Is it possible that tens of millions of Italians are infected with 21,000 dead? Do we want to know this? I think we do. A significantly lower death rate will likely change our response. Already the models in the U.S. are being adjusted down. World-wide mortality rates range from 1% to 10% based on tested individuals. What if the mortality rate is 1/10th, 1/20th, or 1/100th of the published mortality rates? What if COVID-19 is similar to the seasonal flu based on mortality rates and overall expected deaths?
 
I think we need to demand to see the truth about the models of those infected. We need to see an estimate at how many Canadians have this virus NOW! We must quickly test millions of people without symptoms to understand the real model. It could be that several million Canadians are already infected and cured. Many people that become infected have none or very slight symptoms. Many millions of people may be immune. Why are the immune in quarantine? We should isolate those at high risk and allow all immune and low-risk people back to work and re-open our economy. Before you ask me to continue to help drive our civilization to ruin, I want answers, I want the truth, and I want it now.
 
If you like this, please share it. We need our government to take action now before it is too late. All our lives are at stake.
 
Brad J. Lamb

The weather was not to bad this weekend so I decided it was time to start thinking spring and open up the storage barn and get some things out. 

Pick your favorite search engine, enter "China hoarding masks in December", then read up from your favorite news source.
 
He's chumming off the aft deck, has been since early in his professional career, then takes care of business up front.  Even the most hardcore supporters have disagreed with style from time to time.  But check the accomplishments record before committing to your opinions.
 
I vote for no politics here.  With my apologies for posting that HILARIOUS pic of Pelosi painted on the back of that honey-dipper truck! 

I was always a dirt bike rider. Sandy's not big on Ohio mud and dust. We always canoe camped since the 70s in canada. Then we started cross country skiing in ontario. We rented a sled one day and became hooked. We bought a used sled that year, I  think in 92. A second used sled the next year. I think. 
   We rode ontario and began saddle bagging, staging in Huntsville and looping through sunbury, Hearst, Cochrane. On a reciprocity weekend we jumped over into the abitibi region from Kirkland while on a trip.
  The next year we trailered to Quebec, staged in Berthierville, rode north. Stayed in a few places including the Cabanon. 
   Next year, we staged again in Berthierville, and looped the gaspe. Now we were really hooked. That was 2000. We've looped the gaspe since then ever year but one. 
    We've ridden most areas of quebec and enjoy them all. 
Many ohio snowmobilers trailer to michigan. We tried that once. But figured we had to trailer anyway, so we might as well trailer further for better conditions.
    We've got a ton of pics and really enjoyed looking through just some of them this morning.
     Jeff and Sandy 

Hadn’t snowmobiled for years since being teenager around 1980. 2005 bought a Polaris 550 then a 2006 Fusion 600. My boys were getting old enough to ride and we did all our riding around the cottage north of Peterborough Ontario. 
Fall of 2007 starting doing business with a fellow. Wasn’t long before we realized we were both sledders. One day during break at a meeting we were attending he said your a sledder; yep, you have a diesel truck; yep, you have a four place trailer; yep; you want to come to Quebec with us; yep.
So would have been winter of 2008 four of us went to Mont Laurier. Stayed at what was then La Sentatier hotel (now Quality Inn). Arrived about 4:00 pm mid week day. Unloaded and headed north. Don’t recall wether it was Rasbaska lodge or maybe St Ann du Lac we rode up to for supper. Riding these perfectly groomed trails, beautiful scenery. We day tripped from there for 3 or 4 days. Weather was perfect, temperature was cold enough trails set up perfect. Hardly hit a bump over those few days. That was it, l was hooked on Quebec. Each day stopping into a different lodge for lunch. Seems the lodges added so much to the experience and the Quebec  sledding culture. 
Ever since 2008 the same group has been doing our annual trip to Quebec. Going to different regions over the years .
Have had 3 of my sons for trips over the years and now have my wife hooked on Quebec.
We progressed from day tripping in the earlier years to saddle bagging.
One of the enjoyable things has been introducing other people to Quebec. Everyones first trip always has that wow factor . Challenge we are having now is trying to keep our group to a manageable size. For several years always the four us us. This year we had to make a policy maximum of 8 guys.
2 years started a second group with some fellows never rode Quebec before. This winter took them to the Gaspe and had an epic trip in early Feb with 5 beautiful sunny days. 
Every winter spending more time riding Quebec. Self employed using up both holidays and mental health days.
Already planning next winter, can’t wait.
Steve

I was just thinking about our first trip around the Gaspe 2002.
We went without any reservations ( It was the last time I was permitted to do so).
We started out of the Quality Inn . I had a backpack with a shovel, ropes and flashlight for emergencies. When we stopped for gas at Sainte-Anne-des-Monts the backpack was gone. We went on and as the sun went down we were in Rivière-la-Madeleine. I was informed that I needed to find a place to stay. We went to Pourvoirie Au Paradis de Judes et Diane. The proprietor did not speak English but he showed me to the garage to park my sled. The place was bustling. After dinner on the way to the room I saw two guys that later we would meet on the trail.
The next day we headed to Perce. The weather was warm. We came down from the mountains into a valley (I cannot remember exactly) and it was flooded. I was wishing I had a boat. We drove through a massive puddle. Soon after it started to rain. We managed to make it to Perce. We were happy to get out of the rain. We stayed at Table Roland. I remember having a great meal. The restaurant was setup more like a cafeteria back then.
The next morning getting ready to leave I see 4 sleds at the shell station next door. They were all trying to get their machines going. I seems that with all the rain , the gas station had water in the gas. I did not need to get fuel so we head off. It wasn't long before we hit a giant slush zone. I sank like a rock. I carried Gemma to firm snow. My boots filled with water. Then I could hear a couple of machines coming. I tried to point them around the slush. We were all stuck. It was the two guys from the pourvoirie the night before. The three of us managed to move our machines one at a time to firm snow. I thanked them and said goodbye. They insisted we go first just in case.  
We made our way to the clubhouse in Chandler and took a break. The guys came up behind us and we chatted and had a laugh. I told them I caught a few fishes  in my boots. Gemma and I left ahead of them. Going near Port Daniel On a down slope I got stuck bad. Water was running down hill and took out the trail. The Guys were coming I ran uphill to warn them. They helped me out. Then Rene' came down on the Yamaha. He nearly made it. We got him out quick.  Ghislain Came down on a MachZ and he was determined to make it.
Now I was not going to let them out of my sight. Twice bailed out. I had planed to stay in New Richmond. We got there early and I did not want to lose  my new guardians. They wanted to ride on so we followed. Things got very slushy again Near Nouvelle. When we got passed it was getting dark. We made our way to the LArverne Clubhouse. Our guardians were trying to find a hotel. There was a lot of phone calls made by the waitress in the club. It turns out that there's nothing within 100 miles. So the cook calls his father and makes arrangements for us to stay with his dad. We had dinner at the club and followed the cook to his fathers house. I was blown away by the hospitality. I will never forget the kindness. The next morning we had breakfast at the clubhouse. Then we made our way to Groomers TQ5. It was perfect of course. When we got to the north the guys went to RDL and we went to Matane. It was 3 1/2 days Ill not forget.  I received a few pics from Rene' via email. 
Rene'

Ghislain

The waitress and cook in the middle

TQ5

 
 

Wow great memories. I too started riding in the late 60’s on my uncles farm in Rhinebeck NY on an Olympic sled. Our area in eastern New York always seemed to had a lot of riding in the early 70’s. In the 87/88 I had some friends take to tug hill and to Charlie’s  in Saranac lake to trail ride. I thought wow does it get any better . In 88 I decided to buy a new Indy 500 if I was going to be riding trails up north in New York ( I was riding a John Deere liquid fire at the time.)The next year  my wife to be want a new sled ( our first year dating she rode a JD spit fire up at Charlie’s and I’ve still never heard the end of that! )I always had driven past this Polaris dealership in Brewster New York and thought I would stop in a see about snow checking a new Indy lite for the bride to be.The owners Bob and Rita Herman would change my life of sledding forever . After a few minutes talking to them I bought a sled and they invited us  to go with them, their family and a bunch other people to ride in Quebec ( Christmas of 90 i think )We stayed at the “pot” in St Donat . Rode the park all over the whole area. 
In 91 I got married and my job brought me to the family farm here in Ontario. We still went up to the “ pot “ a few more years till the kids came along and snowmobiling was put on hold. In 97 I got back into in a big way and my buddy Richard had been riding a lot of areas in Quebec and opened my eyes wide open. In the early days HCS was a source for the community and also I believe a site TrailConditions . Com too. It didn’t take long before I joined QR. I was always interested in reading other people’s trail reports. Andyman always had the best stories so I reached out to him. I meet him , Timbo , Steve , Florida Snowman and so many other great people I’ve met and rode with ( too many to mention) from this site! I’ve taken a 3 year sabbatical these last three years to ski out west for six weeks at a time but I’m always lurking and plan to be back in the saddle next year. 
 

hi steven !!!
 
in 2005 , i was lurking on hcs....when i saw there was lots of people asking questions  about the gaspesie.....season 2006 , i asked my brother to register me on hcs...
then ,if memory still good...late june , member asked me if i could do both ...hcs and qr ...i registred on qr  few days later...no problemo ...i left hcs a few months later...
you re right...you and andy are the first i met .....then ...eddie ....dave and curtis...and later that same season....or the next one...jackstraw ...phil and eric...etc  !!!
 
jean-guy

We got lots of sanitizer.

Brother Iceman!  This just in!  You & all brave field-ops heroes who need to wash your hands twice!  Tell Alain you need a paint touch-up?...
 
"When you live outside the city limits you usually have a septic system that needs to be pumped out about every five years.  
It's a pretty big business and requires a special "Pumper Truck".
This one gets a lot of return business.  Septic tank cleaned out by a local guy with a sense of humor getting a lot of business these days."
 

I hope not, I will be sitting in my chair shakin like a crack addict if I cant get to Quebec,😩😫😫

some great shots steven !!!
different from what we used to see !!!
 
a little reminder...during summer if you ride 4w or s x s ......practice not to show your footprints....aahahha....i could nt resist !!!
another great day to ride today !!!
 
jean-guy

2021 850 BCXRS is $17,049 CAN in CANADA or $14,849 US in the US.  At today's rate of 1.45,  you could turn $11,758 into $17,049 CAN and save $3092 US on your next sled.  Additional fees, details, discounts, programs, ethics, killing your local dealer relationship and logistics play into it of course, but it gets you thinking a bit 🙂
 

So.....tomorrow we head for home. Sandy really likes her 137. We both love our oxygen helmets. We rode 9893 km or 6147 miles. No exciting stories or drama but we had a great time. We enjoyed visiting with the many Quebec Riders. 
    I think I like retirement.
I hope everyone finishes the year safely.
      Jeff and Sandy 
    

We got to the Delta monday. Just hung around trying to decide what to do on tuesday. Trails are still great, but because of everything going on we decided to ride one more day, then head for home. So today we rode Bill's Tour Du Lac. Very nice day for a ride.