smclelan

How about posting some pictures of your sled with what you think is nice scenery in the back ground. Here is a start. These were taken at the look out above Mont Saint Pierre in the Gaspesie Region.

I see are celebrating a Birthday today. Hope you have a good day with family and friends. Have a nice glass of wine!! Happy Birthday Jean Guy!!

Here is one with my Buddy in it. I bet a lot of you will recognize this mount.

Here is the Famous QuebecRider Photographer at work. Here is one I took of the same moose walking into the woods a couple seconds later

Had a great time snowshoeing with Groomer, weather was perfect again for the third year in a row. Here are a couple of my pics, hard to compete with the Photography Master of the Gaspesie. On the way to the Serpentine Abri Note the shelter on the bottom left These skiers are by the rocks you see directly above the shelter on the previous picture This is to the right of the shelter, top of the ridge On our way back to the truck Thanks for the hospitality and a great time Jean Guy. I look forward to our next adventure.

Check before you stop in, I was there this year and they are under new management. There were only open for fishing and hunting, but hoped to be open for sleds next winter.

Great pictures, looks like you guys had a good trip. I recognized where most of the pictures were taken. If you were impressed with what you saw then you had better come back next winter and travel more. That was just a taste, the two interior trails (595, 597) are just as impressive.

I guess I thought the clubhouse was where the groomers were parked. Where you have the pin is where the trail crosses when the river is frozen.

Do you know where they plan to build it? Will it be right by their clubhouse/golf course. That would work well with the trail. There have been problems there the last couple of years with the river freezing hard enought to use. LOL I just looked at the picture, it looks like it will be by the clubhouse.

Same as said above Thanks! You are a great asset to snowmobiling and tourism in general in the Gaspesie region. Your beard seems to be getting a little more grey each year but you still volunteer the hours that a young man would have trouble keeping up to. See you in the next couple of weeks Old Timer Hope you can keep up on the mountian.

A very good report and exceptional pictures!! Looks like you had incredible weather, that just makes a trip even more memorable. I have traveled all those areas in the past if was good to see some familiar sites again. I remember my first trip through that area, I took lots of pictures as well.

Three of us took a little Gaspesie Loop and contrary to popular belief the trail conditions were spectacular!! I have a short report and a very few pictures, I apologize for the pictures but once you have done this area as many times as I have you don't take as many, Day 1 We left from Pointe a la Croix, it was a little scratchy out in front of the motel but by the time we went 1 kilometer or to the first look-out the trails were great. We traveled the TQ 5 till we got to the local trail that leads to Albertville, we went and had a coffee with Groomer (nope he didn't have wine!!! LOL) We left there taveled into Causapscal where we took the local trails up through Saint Alexandre, Saint Tharcius, and Saint Vianney coming out on the east side of Matane. We continued east and had lunch at the St Paulin Relais, then to Mont Saint Pierre for the night 285 miles. The trails were perfect all day. Day 2 Took off early from MSP, stopped at the look-out for a picture or two then south on the 597 to Murdochville. After a call to Patsy we decided against Perce. We continued south on the 597 for about 50 miles till we got to the local trail that goes east out to the coast just south of the town of Gaspe. The trails to this point were some of the best I have ever ridden on. We then turned North on the TQ5 the trails here were great as well, however there were two sections one around Sunny Bank and the other a few miles north of there again ( both right around the town of Gaspe) they were scratchy and bare by spots both around 3/4 of a mile in length then back to great snow. We continued around the tip through Riviere Renaud, Petiete Vallee, etc... We stopped in one spot and took a picture of a guy that had shoveled the eves out on his camp to get at it ( over 9' of snow on the level!!). Great trails all day. We ended the day back in Murdochville giving us a 305 mile day. Day 3 Left Murdochville and headed to La Cache, again great trails. The last 10 mile going into La Cache is rerouted and the scenery is spectacular to say then least. The last mile going into La Cache was a bit scratchy as well with a few bare spots, not the end of the world. Going out of La Cache toward St Paulin you have about 7 miles that have been plowed and you have to travel on a hard ice base. I put the ice scratchers down on my sled and there was no issues, one of the other guys had to duck off into the edge every now and then for a little loose snow and lubrication, none of us had any issues. We stopped for lunch at St Paulin again, then on toward Matane. We went west of Matane and onto the 591 stopping at the Abrupte in Sainte Paule for a coolie. We parked for the night at Pastili in Amqui. 175 miles. Another day of great trails. Day 4 After drinking too much the night before, we left Amqui and headed down to the Albertville Club for breakfast (no sign of Groomer, I suspect he drank too much the night before too). We then took the 587 back toward Pointe a la Croix, this trail has also been rerouted and is now very scenic. It was very bare for about 3/4 of a mile going through the town of Matepedia other than that this trail was fabulous. 140 miles for the morning. We got back to the truck by noon on Sunday and very regretably headed for home. Trip total was 904 miles and maybe 3 miles of poor trail. Everything was groomed to perfection, no traffic, great weather and great people all along the route.

Just got back from 3.5 days/900 mles in the Gaspe give me a call Al and I will fill you in. Conditions were unbelieveable!!

I will be up there on Thursday as well. The conditions are sounding pretty good. For open riding (some hills) the best place is going to be off the 597 or between Murdochville and LaCache, that is where most of the snow is in the Gaspesie.

Good report. Did you have a small memory card in your camera?

I have stopped at that place in Ste Margurite, they don't serve coffee there!! Busted!!!

A buddy of mine just bought a pair of Simmons Flex Skis and there was a thing on them that worked as scratchers to throw snow into the front of the track and whole skid.

Excellent report and pictures as usual Alain.

Great looking pictures. Looks like they have lots of snow.

You have been into the wine again haven't you..... :wacko:

I was through the day before and broke trail for them.

Gaspesie Trail Conditions This is a good site to check conditions and usually quite accurate, click on Trail Conditions. I would say by the time you start your trip I suspect all the trails will be open. A lot will change there in 2 weeks. I will help more if you have more specific questions.

The hat comes free when you drink enough Budwiser. I expect a call from MACDAV as soon as he sees the picture.

Myself, MACDAV, and another fellow went for a little twist in the Gaspe. We had a four day run and put on just under 700 miles. That may not sound like much but we ran into a true Gaspesie snow storm. We left from Pointe a la Croix Thursday morning traveling up through the Matepdia Valley, trail were A1 as usual. We stopped long enough to have a beer with the Grooming Embassador of the Gaspe. We stopped the first night in Sainte Annes Des Monts. Lots of snow in front of the Bus The next day we struck off Eastward, there was a little snow in the air, trails were perfect. It did not take long to see it had snowed in the night and with elevation the depth of snow increased. By the time we started coming down out of the hills into La Martre we had hit sections breaking trail all the way, with more than 40 inches of fresh powder. At the lookout at Mont Saint Pierre there was an easy 36 inches of fresh, we were still the first sleds through. All that powder is hard to manuover in some times. LOL We drove over as far as Murdochville and back to MSP for the night. Trails from MSP to Murdochville were groomed to perfection. A couple pictures coming back through the powder. We were almost all the way back through before we met any other sleds, no one had been through since we were the day before. That night we stayed in Matane at the Quality Inn where we had a couple of beers. and maybe a laugh or two. We stopped at the warming shack at the edge of Groomers area, 25 miles from the truck. Trails through the Matepedia still perfect. I would recommmend to anyone to explore some of the back local trail in that area, some very nice scenery.