mccaffrey

I like the ball mount on the truck, looks like a potato already went through the grill.

Wanted one more trip on the batmobile before breaking out the snowmobile.  Mattawin to Kanawata via the northern roads on Saturday and return to the truck via the southern roads Sunday.  It was a relatively short trip so we didn’t have to start so early in the morning, allowing the sun to warm things up a little for us.  Saturday afternoon the rain hit just as we pulled into Kanawata, so we brought the luggage in our rooms.  About 20 minutes later the sun came back out, so we headed Nord to Casey and checked out the new stripping on the runway.  Back down to Kanawata for supper.  200 miles for the day.  We watched the Habs beat Bedard and the Hawks on the new couches.  There has been significant investment made in the last 2 years at Kanawata, you might not recognize it now. Sunday morning  Mario fed us all the big breakfast plate before hitting the trail back to the truck.  The drizzle kept the dust down most of the day. Stopped at the Mattawin damn for the first time in years and had a snack.  150 miles for the day.  Here are some pics.
PS the road between Repos and the Manawan cut off is the current title holder for bumpiest gravel road in Quebec right now. 
 

Thanks to the support of the FCMQ, by the end of the week we'll have a new bridge for snowmobilers on trail 23, about 25 km south of l’Etape,  Lac Champlain sector.
 
The Club motoneige St Raymond will be ready to welcome you as soon as the trails are usable.
 

Bummer! 
Maybe next year.
                                                                                                                                           

Club Mattawin posted on FB that there will be no grooming on M20 & M21 again this year.  😢

Here are some of my favorite spots for each of your nights:
1.  Amqui - Hotel Select
2. Mont Louis - l' Amarre
3. Perce - La Table a Roland
4. Carleton - Baie Bleue
5. Campbellton - I would stay in Pointe a la Croix at the Interprovincial then cross the river in the morning. ( Mundles Towing will shuttle you across)
 
Hope some of these ideas help.

As mentioned, lodging has become a tremendous problem. And in my opinion, so has the decreasing length of time that good riding conditions exist. Therefore, as also mentioned, February is peak season, and really the best time to make the trip, which further complicates the lodging issue. I can certainly understand booking way in advance for a group of your size. This is not my personal preference, as too much can go wrong, namely weather and trail conditions, next,mechanical and health issues. The list goes on from there. However, Advance booking is probably best for your situation, you can always cancel. Last year three of us, three men, taking two rooms, made the trip. We drove up from Southern Maine/NH. We unloaded in Monticello, Maine, and rode to Fort Kent, staying at the Northern Door Inn, eating at the Swamp Buck restaurant. Yum. We had a reservation for the Hotel. From here we wung it reservation wise. I can speak some French, so that helps calling ahead for reservations. We stayed at the Quality Inn Mont joli the next night, although Matane is certainly doable. From there we made a reservation at the Delice in Mont St. Pierre. I understand they will be closed this winter. keeping an eye on that. Snow was predicted for the next day, so no reservation was made. We encountered snow very early, and it became heavy by mid day. Being older, and in my case fat, I don't want to risk getting stuck. We were able to get rooms at the Caribou Inn,  Riviere Au Renaud early in the afternoon.  It was still snowing in the morning, we got a late start, and managed to get out of town without getting stuck,  and the weather cleared quickly. We skipped Perce due to the late start, and stopped in Grande-Riviere for fuel, then stopped at the clubhouse to use the wifi and  attempt to secure a room for the night in New Richmond. No rooms available. We pressed on. My sled flashed an error code upon getting into Chandler. We stopped at the Motel Chandler. Very quiet there, It was early February, and there had been little or snow or riding in January. The lady there, Beatrice,  was very helpful, letting us use the wifi, and made a call to the dealer for us. By the time we figured the sled was going to run fine, minus the thumb warmer, and plus an annoying code on the screen which obliterated my trip meter, we had killed an hour. It was after 3 PM, so we took a room there. The restaurant was closed, so Beatrice gave us a ride to and from the Dixie Lee for supper. We secured rooms at the Interprovincial In Pointe-A-La- Croix for the next night, Super Bowl Sunday.  Nice room, great meal, some Molson Canadian, snored through the Super Bowl. We secured  rooms at the Hampton Inn Presque Isle, Maine for the next night, and the next morning called Mundles for the transport across to Cambleton, New Brunswick. They dropped us trailside in town. There is fuel,  and injection oil for our two smoke friend across the street. Trails in New Brunswick were great for a while, but we hit a few hours of junk. Crossed the border at St Leonard/Van Buran, and got to the Hampton Inn without issue. Just over an hour to the truck the next morning. In your case, you could take the reverse route mentioned above, and reenter at Fort kent. Not sure what will happen this year. I will buy my trail pass Monday if the website doesn't fight me too much. I never tire of the Gaspe, Winter or summer. I hope your trip goes well. Please share. 

We rode motorcycles through that area the first week of September and saw no fire damage anywhere. We were on our way back from a James Bay-Trans Tiaga trip. We rode the dirt roads from Senneterre to La Tuque passing through Parent, Clova and Casey. We even camped at the old radar site in Parent with no sign of any recent fires so I believe all is good to go in that area. 

http://quebecrider.com/forums/uploads/monthly_2023_09/IMG_7062.thumb.png.ce959dff7b5ca4c640d187b4f59c412b.png
Route from Edmunston to Moose Valley to Campellton, NB
http://quebecrider.com/forums/uploads/monthly_2023_09/IMG_7072.thumb.jpeg.45c7ef6af21d34168d5b6bc9f42865b9.jpeg
Bridge from Campellton NB to Pointe a la Croix QC
Quality Inn in Campellton, Interprovincial Hotel  on Quebec side
 
http://quebecrider.com/forums/uploads/monthly_2023_09/IMG_7108.thumb.jpeg.03010731915fb50aa4c52db2d1dbbbde.jpeg
Grand Nature Choc Choc lodge that GS800 mentioned, near Cap Chat on the north shore.

Last two years we have done a 6 day New Brunswick/Gaspe tour.
Here is one option for a route. Will see all of the most scenic parts of the Gaspe. Miss out on Perce Rock but l don’t find it the highlight of the trip. 
We were in the Gaspe last week of February this year and it was very busy. All hotels were full. Going again mid February this year and will book ahead. Rather not but not safe if requiring multiple rooms during prime season.
Another route option in NB: we start in Edmunston, head north to Moose Valley then on to Campellton. That’s a nice one day ride. At Campellton you can take the shuttle (Mundle’s Towing ) to get across the bridge into Quebec. Was $50 a sled last year.
On the map l’m showing not crossing at Campellton but taking the 587S trail up to Amqui. I really like that ride. Then take the orange trail down to NB which will hook up with the NB trail leading to Moose Valley, NB.
200 miles a day in the Gaspe is a full day, mid February the days are short. 200 miles is what we do on the guys trip. On couple trips we aim for 150-175 miles . Find with the wives there is a fine line between a great day vs turning it into a marathon.
Steve

Team Vermont taking in a little Saint Raymond area Mountain bike ride . 
 
 
 
 

Seems like so many places we all love have changed hands in the past couple years, or are about to.
Ombre du vent
Fer a Cheval
100 lacs was for sale, but they changed there minds 
My personal favorite Auberge Clova
relais du touriste 
Notawissi 
Gouin
lac du repos
kanawata
and many others I am sure I missed.  It  sucks to lose your contacts, the new owners don’t realize you are a longtime customer and have been coming for over a decade, making getting you out of a jamb a little less appealing…

Took a trip up to paradise this weekend, we were blessed with great weather.  Saturday morning headed north out of town, skipped by Meekoos on the way through the Manzana and Normandie ZECs.  Pit stop at Lunic’s for petrol. We did not hit either of 100 lacs or Fer a Cheval because it was opening morning of moose by bow, so they are not really interested in hosting the SxS crew at this time, which I completely understand.  Took a shortcut up the road to Parent, back way onto 13 that follows the Bazin river.  Late lunch at the central in town.  You see more weird shit in Parent in the summer than you can imagine….We pushed onto Clova. In for the night by 4:30 with 220 miles for the day. Now let’s have some drinks and laughs over a great meal.  
Sunday morning we hit the dusty trail down Lepine road.  I have not rode it from top to bottom since pre covid, holy shit they have built it up!   All new bridges and signage, not to mention the extra width, it’s basically a super highway almost all the way to Clova.  Petrol at the Pensive then back into the woods at the Petawaga.  Trailside snack at snake falls, then back to the truck before 3:30 with 160 miles on the dream-o-meter. Here are some pics.
 

Hard at it. Making things ready for snow.
#bulldozer
 
 

Some Clubs do alot with very little. 
 
posted by club
Après 57 ans d’existence, le Club aura cet hiver pour la première fois de son histoire, son propre garage. Après toutes ces années à travailler à gauche, à droite et surtout dans le banc de neige 😊 Les bénévoles, les surfaceuses et les équipements du Club auront enfin, un toit sur la tête.
Ce beau projet se réalise grâce à l’implication de plusieurs partenaires et collaborateurs.
After 57 years of existence, the Club will have its own garage this winter for the first time in its history. After all these years working left, right and especially in the snow bank 😊 The Club's volunteers, resurfacers and equipment will finally have a roof over their heads.
This beautiful project is being realized thanks to the involvement of several partners and collaborators.
 
 
 
 

Very nice view all the way around with the drone.
Thank you for sharing

Very nice view all the way around with the drone.
Thank you for sharing

You can live a life of what if's, but it's a terrible way to live.............