smclelan

Ah resting, I thought maybe your camera died!! You have been pretty stingy with pictures lately.

Bring on the trucks!

That is hard work!! Time to think about the forwarder.

Powersaw or spacing saw?

I think you and I have drank beer in that 2 story moose blind haven't we?

Good to see you made it to the camp. Looks like there are a couple moose around. Great selfie!

I never met Bernard, but sounds like he was quite a character and always went above and beyond for sdledders. The new owner has big shoes to fill

Those of us that have been sledding Quebec for several years have seen changes in the number of sledders on the trails. Most of the fluctuations are caused by the economy. Last winter gas was lower and the exchange rate was more favorable for those coming from south of the border. Did these two factors help make people put more miles on this past winter then in the previous few?? I due to uncontrollable circumstances put one less miles this winter then past winters.

Wow!! May 5th and still can't get to the camp! There wasn't a lot of snow in the Gaspesie this year but it doesn't seem to want to give up! Weather looks good this week, maybe by the weekend you will make it all the way.

I think the Yamaha engines are bullet proof and their fuel mileage is right there with other 4 strokes. The Ace are in a class by them self's when driven to get high mileage. I did go this winter on a trip with a 900 Ace around the Gaspesie where there is a a lot of up and down and on and off the throttle on corners. The Ace in these conditions were online with my 1200. Wulsock 1 your question was on miles per tank, this is where I believe the Yamaha struggles, not due to miles/gal but due to the smaller volume their tanks can hold.

The old ferry is tired and certainly ready to be replaced. I suspect this one will have the power to help prevent it being jammed in the ice as often. The bigger ferry hopefully will also reduce the number of times you can't get a space because the boat is full.

The best place for that old ark is on the bottom of the St Lawrence as a man made reef for divers!!Ballerina's on the boat.....there would never be another sled cross in the shuttle in Quebec City!

A great weekend! Great weather, great food, and lots of wine! In fact there is some wine in the previous post about sore legs Bahahahah!!! A couple pics I took.

Call me old school or call me square headed but I pay $300 to have a trail that doesn't have 4 Wheeler, or fat bike ruts on it. I will. pretty much gaurentee the bikers want to use the trails but will not pay the full permit price to help maintain them. I have heard the shared use story many times with many different users and none of them want to pay the real cost. Just my $0.02 worth.

Just got an email from Dale at the Chandler Club, La Cache is only closed for the season.

I see on the Chandler club website they are stating La Cache Relais on trail 595 is closed. It is showing that the trail is still open. Has anyone heard if this is something to be concerned about. Most sleds would struggle to go through the 595 without getting fuel somewhere along the way.

Happy Birthday Bill. Great to see you at the Gathering, and hope to see you in Maine.

Holy!! I didn't think that happened. This is the first Apex engine coming apart I have heard of. Usually the body wears out around them before the engines fail.

That is a great spot to take pictures. Thanks Jean Guy

You guys south of the border would never try that line, would you??? Haha

Have a great birthday ole timer!! LOL Sun forecast for next Saturday!

You have some good and valid points. My feeling is the different levels of government need to recognize/understand the economic impact of snowmobiling. The impact in Quebec along is $2.5 BILLION per year. A portion of those dollars are provincial and federal taxes that should be coming back to the FCMQ to help fund infrastructure projects (bridges, trail reroutes from loses of landowner permissions) and new or refurbished grooming equipment. There is some government help out there but it still does not recognize how big an impact this in to rural regions, in non typical tourist seasons. Unfortunately the volunteer base is not in the clubs there used to be to work on projects, reality is they have to hire people to do some of these things now. Business is tight no, and businesses that donated people, equipment and materials before, can not be a generous as in years gone by. In short it can not be a user pay system that covers all the costs. Dollars need to come from all that benefit from the sport motels/hotels, gas stations, restaurants, dealerships, outfitters........ JMO

I knew this series of pictures were coming, just not sure when. When I saw the picture of the groomer on the wooden bridge just below the 132 and poplar mill I knew you were on the way to the clubhouse. Thanks for all your volunteer hours grooming, updates, trail advice and pictures. We all certainly appreciate when you take your own time and gas to meet QuebecRiders when they go through the clubhouse. I will be up soon for our snowshoe trek!!

I agree with the two previous posters.....best to pay the ticket.

I am with you and certainly hope trail permits do not go up for next season. However if they do I will be a true snowmobiler and grumble, but will also make sure I buy an Early Permit! I do understand the cost of maintaining the trail systems we ride on, and have been around long enough to remember what it was like before it became as organized as it is today. Are you a regular Quebec snowmobiler? I have been coming to PQ since 1998 and have seen the glory days and have seen the really tough years. The reason I ask if you are a regular sledder, is that I felt the number of Americans on the trails were up noticeably this year. Myself I thought it was due to the strong US dollar, that is good for Quebec snowmobiling. I certainly hope the cost of the permit isn't the factor that prevents you from coming back to Quebec next season.