NH-Moose

Rode out of RDL this chilly 7F morning. Brad, Mark and me from NH, Marty and Steve from NY. Headed southwest on 5 and 35 through Pohenegamook, gas in Cabano, gas in Lac Des Aigles (not a recommended gas stop, lots of pavement to gas), then 35 towards Mont Joli. TQ’s were definitely best groomed, perfectly flat and very great Indy car action. Fields were a bit drifts, but not bad. A few sections of orange trails like 544 and 571 were not whooped, but could use a grooming. Clear and sunny for most of the day, ending in cloudy windy and blowing snow. Very windy here at Gaspesiana, wind howling from the St Lawrence, we all had excellent seafood, their specialty. Very light traffic today, by 11am we passed 1sled, was a police sled but did not stop us. I didn’t even notice it said police on the hood, and saw no radar ;<) Then a small tour or family group making a souvenir video south of Cabano, and only a few others by the end of the day. Could count them all on 10 fingers ;<) Tried to find a sailboat for Brads summer enjoyment, but nothing in his size in the dry dock. As reported by others, plenty of snow and they are grooming daily. We saw several groomers out today. Off to the south shore tomorrow, maybe Baie Blue. Not many pictures today, too busy riding, besides it’s hard to beat Mikerider and Towings pics ;<)

Great conditions here Don, you got in some great days. We are at Gaspesiana tonight, heading to south shore tomorrow. Happy trails!

Thanks for the trail reports Mike! Also interested location of Smokey Bear, we are riding out or RDL in the AM, probably towards Cabano

No rouge, but was bored at work today and my mind wandered......to Gaspe. Groomer, I think you can groom sand on a beach in the off season......at night, no sunshine ;<) Eric, thanks for breaking the trail so the surfacer s can prep the trails for a proper ride. I’m with Iceman, if my butt is off the seat, something’s wrong. But you got to take some iffy trails to get to the gems sometimes. Thanks Tom, I see you had some great rips this season as well, giving the Yammi some exercise. will start a new thread when we hit the trails Monday happy trails to all

We are 5 riding out of RDl on Monday the 19th, hope to see lots of QR's on the trail......no, wait....this just in.......you should all stay home on your couches because conditions will be all mud, no gas at any of the gas stations, LaCache will be closed, the Rock has sunk, all the surfacers are broken down, Internet and electricity will be down across the peninsula, Groomer will be on vacation in Barbados, views of the Chic Chocs will be horrible due to volcanic activity, Policia will be radaring everyone riding across the muddy fields, a North Korean EMP will render all sled ignition and fuel injection systems useless, Trudeau banned snowmobiles over 2 horsepower, and Trump plans to close the border after we cross on the 18th. Much better to stay home and not risk it ;<)

No problem Phil1....it was going to either be Trio or Threesome, so I looked up the definition of Threesome to be sure, and the actual definition fit fine: A group of three people engaged in the same activity. You’re the winner, I was wondering how long it would take a QR to get a giggle out of the alternate risqué definitions ;<) Phil Snohorse.....thank you. But you guys had the serious adventure, enjoyed following your ferry hopping adventures and glad the boys got the variety pack of conditions, trails, and speeds. my sleds trip odometer had 999.5 miles on it when I loaded onto the trailer, should have lapped the Roquemont a few times to breach 1k

A few more pics from the trip

High of 36F with a touch or rain predicted after 1PM, but luckily we never saw rain. 378 to 3 West was fresh groomed, great. But quickly turned to.whoops on 3 West from near Baie St Paul south. Too many sleds, not enough grooming. Better west of Quebec City to St Raymond. Very crowded at Roquemont, parking lot full, people everywhere, many just arriving and unloading. Not a room left if you didn’t have a reservation. Hard to believe so many people arrive ON Friday to ride ON a weekend. One group we chatted with from NY arrived to do day loops out of here, best of luck to them dodging weekend bullets. Big tour groups staying at Roquemont on different nights, staff said one night will be a group from Brazil, another night Mexico, and another New Zealanders. Gonna be dangerous around here. Overall a great trip. Knew there was going to be some whooped junk around the loop in the usual crowded places ( Mt Valin, 3W near Q City etc) but had to pass through to hit the planned stops of Delta and Richilieu. Best trails by far were above the Lake and Pelchat, both were fresh groomed for us. To do,it again, I would try to stay away from Jonquiere, Mt Valin, and probably skip TQ3 and Quebec City by looping back up Clermont Express over to Hebertville down through L Etape. But that too can be brutal, all depends on timing. Another option is to skip this peak traffic time of the year and ride later in March when most people think it’s all over.

In at Roquemont, parking lot is a zoo. Sleds are loaded up, dinner reservation at 5PM to beat the crowds to food :<) More to follow in the evening report.

Luckily today we had a destination only 140 miles from Escoumins since we woke to 6 inches of fresh snow on top of the freshly groomed TQ3, and still snowing hard. Wind was calm so it as not drifted at all. Broke trail towards Sacre Coeur, slow and steady going, no problems other than low visibility. A 2-up passed us which made it easier to read the trail. Very enjoyable, but happy there was only 6-7 inches, and no traffic. was single track most of the way which sucks, especially in the turns where oncoming is likely running up the middle, but only passed a few sleds all day. South of Sacre Cœur the grooming stopped and the trail is twisty, which slowed the pace, but sleds leaving Coronet earlier opened up the trail nicely. Only 1 ferry in service, not sure why, so it too a while. The crew packed the ferry full, literally from end to end. Gas in St Simeone with 102 miles on the tank. Nice run into the Fairmont Richilieu, in early to enjoy and sight see. 140 something miles for the day, felt like more :<) Outdoor pool and hot tub was great as always, nice chat with JBlavl and his brother in the hot tub, then off to dinner at St Hubert in the casino. Ribs, chicken, pot pie, etc. great menu, casual dining away from the main building. My new favorite way to eat at this stop. lots of renovation completed at the casino. Brad and Mark enjoyed their first Richilieu visit and are talking about adding it summer trips with their wives. Sleds are resting in the garage, now costs about $15 a night per sled. Still,a great stop, but prices are up across the board. Tomorrow a short run back to St. Ray for our last riding day. Not looking forward to this section as it’s usually beat up and lots of local traffic, the price you pay to stay at the Fairmont, but luckily there seems to be a lot of grooming today and tonight in the area, so should be as good as it gets. Saw a vandalized Iceman sticker, will call the RCMP and launch an investigation.

Left Sagueneenne same times as few other groups, probably racing against the competing hordes from the Delta hotel also heading to Mt Valin. Trails were great up to Onichiway, further north the better the trail conditions with the higher elevations and lower temperatures. Onichiway was not very busy, only 3-4 sled wait at the gas pump. so gas and a sandwich and off to KM31 for gas. As usually, Mont Valins trails were beat up, not as whooped as it can get, but just not fun for 20 miles miles. We survived and once on the Pelchat trail it was a fast run to Escoumins, 40 miles of full speed super grin inspiring highway into Pelchat Complex was a needed finish after the Valin bumps. Saw my first Lynx ever today, on the lower 3rd of the Pelchat trail, a big fluffy one trotted across the trail 75-100 yards in front of me with a stealthy trot. I saw tall whisky tufts of hair above its ears, and it’s long hind legs, so I’m pretty sure it was not a Bobcat. In hindsight I should have stopped and took pictures of it’s foot prints. Working our way south today, Target is Richilieu More pictures tonight

We are at Escoumins tonight, so missed you by a day. Glad the boys are enjoying the Indy race track parts, and off trailing, it’s a 2 for 1deal!

Left St Felicien this morning, warm today, saw 41F on my thermometer at one point. The section near Lac Au Jim is now called LT700. 93 now officially bypasses Lac Jim and St Thomas Didyme. It now hooks westward and later loops back in to its normal path over the top. The new part of 93 was not on my 2017 paper map, or our just updated GPS maps. Scratching our heads.....GPS and intuition said go to the right, the old way to Lac Jim, so of course we went....left, following the <93 sign and the groomer. Went a few miles, what a fantastic trail (chemin breadcrumbs on the map), groomed, but headed due West. West...WTH? Stopped a couple times to chat, and decided to keep going and eventually it turned north and east, and reconnected. Perfect trail, so we did not want to turn around ;<) It had some shiny new 93 signs on it, but no town names or clues, so we were confident, but not positive. It paid off, some of the absolute best trails so far. Ran 93 through Dolbeau, gas at Belize at St Jeanne D Arc with 120 miles on, more than expected due to those bonus miles on 93. Best tank of gas on the trip so far. Shipshaw and down. St Felicien was deserted so we winged it tonight with no reservations, headed to Delta to say hi to Bill and stay over. As we rolled in saw a line of sleds outside and lots of riders chatting. No rooms available. Cell call to Sagueneenne, lots of rooms, 25 minutes later we check in. Sleds are camping, out in the tents. Some of those folks we saw outside Delta, also rolled into Saguenneenne later. Road crossings and getting around in town are really junk in Jonquiere and Chicoutimi, the warm has taken its toll. I also forget how treacherous the many highway road crossings are too, no way that would fly in the states. Avoid and bypass to stay on good trails outside of towns is a must as spring springs. Loose gravel and mud are on the way! May head to Onichiway tomorrow as we have not had a relaais burger yet. We definitely dread the trek back to Shipshaw to cross back over the river to get to the good stuff, so we are calculating now.

Great stuff!! SledNick is with the right crowd at the right time in the right conditions. BUT you got you teach those boys at a young age to whip out the camera before assisting with the pleasantries and extractions. Hopefully there are some pictures coming :<) Keep up the great story telling

Conditions on 23 were fantastic today from St Ray to Le Tape, fresh few inches on top of just groomed. More sled traffic than I remember for a Monday, but not bad. some patches of sun, some miles of heavy flurries, but mostly an overcast day. Towards Hebertville there was clearly less base as others have reported, with more wind swept fields, and likely some prior and rain melt, but the trail was still great. Continued thin around Roberval and fluffier near St Felicien. Quite windy here, easy to see how the fields clear and drifts pile up fast. Car parking lot is near empty, and only a few other sleds in the corral at Du Jardin tonight, but it is a Monday night. Smoked meat in the bistro was very good, but I think Roquemont’s is tastier, will verify that Friday night :<) Over the top of the lake tomorrow, where we land is not yet known, maybe Jonquiere

Marty could not make this trip, but is hopeful for a season ender

Arrived at St Raymond, the adventure begins. A far cry from NH and southern Quebec, there are nice wintery snow banks here in St Raymond :<) Several fresh inches today with a little more due tomorrow. Near white out driving at times, but not slippery. The parking lot has a couple trucks from NY, a couple from CT, a couple from Quebec, and several from NH. Tomorrow we (John, Brad, and Mark) ride to St Felicien. FCMQ shows 23 from St Raymond to Le Tape fresh groomed, hoping they groom northward from there tonight.......hint hint Iceman, I’ve got no pull with the groomer operators, please let them know we’re coming - LOL Pictures from the trail to follow as the trip progresses ;<)

Fantastic trip David, thanks for posting pics and stories. A happy gang for sure 😀 Heading to that area Sunday to loop the lake, Escoumins, etc. party of 4, riding Monday-Friday. Indeed, Richelieu is a bargain, will try to incorporate that stop too. Debating the run back into St Ray whether to just loop back up and over backwards rather through than Q city. Will wait to see conditions in a couple days. Maybe St Ray will not be far enough North to launch (Trail snobs we are for sure ;<)

A great time with a great Team Iceman crew, many thanks. There were frozen mudsickles forming on the machines as we arrived back at the trucks, a sure sign winter is near. And the most amazing part of the story......Playhards canvas shoes were completely dry after the extract. That’s experience!

Now I'm wondering......just how freakin big do they have to be before they're keepers ;<)

A great season ender, great crew, great planning, and the always needed improvisation! A couple videos from March 26th in the heart of the good stuff! "Trails" as amazing as the scenery on the 595 north of La Cache! This is northbound from La Cache: Same trail but southbound after a relais burger at St Paulin: Eastbound from La Cache, across the Chic Chocs "trail", into the gas pumps in Murdochville!

Today's visibility in some locations(Just kidding, that was looking up o the sky) Thought this was a retractable umbrella, turns out it's a picnic table.....Mark is sitting on the tile tabletop ;<) The kids will need to wait a couple months, swingset is temporarily out of service The usual drifty section on the North Shore east of MSP It's a long way down, I'd hate to be the groomer operator in this sector! Lookout at Mt Louis overlooking Mt St Pierre. Due to visibility, nothing to see here, move along

Can't seem toupload video to YT onYtube from Caribou wifi, outbound speed is s l o w.Some stills from today.. Anyone want to play bridge? Iceman wants to play As if you haven't seen a pic of the rock.... Mark made it to the rock on his maiden Gaspe trip John (NH Moose) obligatory rock photo From the lower lookout pull off up Chemin Mt Ste Anne Further up Chemin Mt Ste Anne, new lookout looks like a diving board Trails terrible into Perce, whooped, not recommended. Some sections of 5 out this way are amazing, but mot is pretty lumpy, feel right at home....just like the New Hampshire trails I remember ;<)

The GoPro is attached to the helmet, so it looks "locked on" and stationary in the view relative to the helmet. The helmet is stabilized by human tissue, I.e. me. That is......my body, arms, elbows, and neck all create a shock absorber relative to my head. If the rider is tensed up, maybe there will be more shakey? But if the rider is relaxed, looses goosey, trail is smooth, head is stable. Camera sees what I see, same stability as what I see.

Found an nicely groomed private airstrip, had to line them up a couple times