SnomoGary

You Guys Are Killing Me!!!!!
It's 100 Degrees in Western Mass right now......
But.... We are leaving to pick up Mini from Camp in Bethel Maine and running for the Border!
He thinks we are going Tubing at Val-Cartier.... Wait till he sees the Water Park!!!!!
Hahahahaha!!! He thinks Great Wolf is Big!!
GutZ

Yer we were told  the same  Don , no sleds at delta....😞😞😞

I spent more on fuel last season in QC than food and lodging! (includes truck fuel). First time in 35 years that has happened. I was shocked! Actually my wife was shocked I didn't really care, I had a great season.

Dont you guys get head aches standing on your head in all these pics?

Travelling from the UK we already do,   unlike you guy's we require an   eTa  (electronic travel application)  which is $14 cad for 5 year's . Which is great value for money as far as I'm concerned....  but you're  right i wouldn't be surprised if they keep the ArriveCan in place. 

Here our last ride, Sunday March 13, 2022.


Time flies! we are already at mid march and having a very good snow cover with a fully operational trail network in my area,  it was a perfect timing to ride this Lanaudière/Mauricie 280 miles loop,  a classic one day ride for us that we had not did yet this season. 
Here is a first video of the ride from St-Thomas to the Cabanon in St-Zénon

And here a second one from Cabanon to Marineau in Trois-Rives (Mattawin) where we stop for lunch at 1:15pm with 155 miles done
We took a good lunch break at Marineau and headed back south. Very good conditions up to the St-Maurice river which was also very nice and fast


 
There was a kite kite festival in Grande-Pile on the St-Maurice river



From Lac à la Tortue to Gabelle crossing the trail was bumpy but we met 2 groomers there who were at work


Gabelle crossing was good and coming back to the west the fields were very windy and there was a lot of loose powder on the trail which slowed our pace a bit. We met Berthier's dozer on #3 trail who gave us a much appreciated last break

 
And here is a last video of our afternoon.
I don't know what mother nature have for us ahead for the next days but at least the snow cover for the date is excellent!!! It's the time of the year that some outfitters will begin to shutdown some services so just do your homeworks before the ride depending where you go. I know Kanawata just closed the kitchen and accomodation but gaz still available. Repos is still fully operational up to next weekend at least... 
Leave you this link for more details https://www.snowmobilecountry.ca/en/conditions/
Alain

Hopefully by next year the transport will not be needed, but if it is, this is what we found,today. We were headed west from sept isle. Called from Baie Comeau last night. Called the guy in Pointe-aux-outardes, seemed most logistical. He owns the Petro Canada gas station in that town and has 2 rollback trucks. Nice guy named Thomas. We told him we would get into town at 9am. Trail goes right into town. He dropped us at a side road crossing at Columbier. But he is flexible. He could have picked us up in Baie Comeau or dropped us in Forestville. But he charges by the hour, so shorter is better. He charged us 135 plus tax. His rate is 100 per hour.
 All 3 of the guys on the poster are independent. Didn't check with the others. This guy seemed reasonable and was easy to work with.
      Jeff and Sandy 
 

Don
Have a safe ride with Mini and train him well!
Teach him that you never know when a Sled/Deer or a hard left pops into his view . and he needs to be able to stop.
Also teach him he does not need to be a Speed Racer!
 
John

We are just back from our sled week therapy in Gaspesia: sled/eat/sleep...&repeat 😄

I don't have the time to put together a big report but this will be a pretty good summary of how it goes:
This 6-day/1000 miles ride in known territory for us (5th time) went well and even if it was a bit cold/windy, we had no snow storms or mechanical breakdowns, which gave us a very nice easy trip

However the current context have changed the planning requirements from the past years: I have never seen so many snowmobilers in Gaspesia and the accommodation offer is probably a little less than usual... anyway all the places where we stayed were already booked full when we arrived. We booked our overnight stays 2 or 3 days in advance and the only shot we delayed at the night before for New Richmond, the 2 hotels there were already full and we had to extend our trip to Carleton sur Mer where we booked the last room. So you really have to book sooner this year

Day#1 Mont-Joli/Cap-Chat passing by St-Pierre mountain total 176 miles.

Here's the St-Pierre mountain belvedere under a very cloudy sky


We had a lunch in Amqui and slept at the Auberge Grande Nature in Cap-Chat, just at the foot of the Chic-Chocs.


Day#2 Cap-Chat/Grande Vallée via trail#5 total 148 miles

It was a cold and very windy day. There has been a lot of logging between Cap-Chat and La Martre since our last visit in 2018, so the wind is even stronger on the trails.


The cold has overcome my gopro (external power wire broken) and unfortunately I could hardly shoot while riding during the trip. I was deceived because I was hoping to capture the very panoramic segment of Rivière à Claude/Mont St-Pierre/Mt-Louis, but that will be for another time...



We tried to have a lunch at the Mont St-Pierre motel restaurant which was the only one open but it was full with people waiting standing for a table so we continued and found a woody spot sheltered from the wind for a side trail snack break instead. A couple of hours later, we were able to take a real break in an heated place at the marvelous relay of the Snowmobile Club rapide blanc. Large and well equipped with even a toilet for the lady who greatly appreciated this luxury!



We stayed at the Marée Haute motel in Grande Vallée. Even the motel looks basic the food was a notch over the bunch at that place



Day#3 Grande Vallée/Percé by #597 trail  Murdochville total 200miles

So we retraced our steps on #5 trail to get the #597 and go down to Murdochville


We had this surprised encounter there! They took the wrong entrance when they left the gas station after filling up and got stuck there solid...hope no one had need an ambulance in the next hour!



It was too early to lunch there so we picked up some food at the convenience store and went to eat at the junction #597/local trail that join #5 trail to the east. Very nice fast ride pleasant to do
We had some visitors for lunch: Several small black-capped chickadees came to beg us for lunch

It was the first time those ones came to eat in our hands. We are well used to the gray jays and there were also some there who did not hesitate to claim their food too


We went down to the #5 trail and then to Barachois to refuel and admire the rear view of the perce rock which is less common to see and I like much


We then took back #5 trail, crossed the small detour near the emerald river (not so bad) and continued to take the local trail for Percé... the trail of the shame as some call it: 12 miles of big bump to do twice is the penalty to be able to admire the rock!




Being already there we reach on the mountain behind, I like well the different views of the rock, including this one



We stayed at Camp de base in Percé. We had to follow a non-federated trail to get there but it was pretty easy with the instruction given and imotoneige and the stay there was nice in this historic and unusual place

Day#4 Percé/Carleton sur Mer via trail #5 total 178 miles

We took #5 trail which we held the whole day. As I mentioned a lot of sledders in the Gaspesia right now so the trails wear out faster and we encounter good and less good trail conditions and this time our morning unfortunately was quite rough. Here the Grande Rivière bridge


Here the Chandler snowmobile tourist information relay



We slept at the Baie-Bleu hotel in Carleton sur Mer


Day#5 Carleton sur Mer/Cap-Chat via trail #595 total 181 miles

We retraced our steps on #5 trail and took trail #595 to the north. This time we got top notch conditions, trail just groomed during the night. The "moment" of the trip followed with a brief round trip exploration on Mount Lyall located on the Chics-Chocs trail, 6 miles from #595.




We have been there several times but never seen the place like this: mommies as far as the eye can see!




Going back down to the #5trail we saw some impressive snowdrift



We then stopped to refuel at La Cache which was pretty crowed. We waited for the gas but no way I would wait for a lunch there. We just continued on #595 and stopped in a not too windy spot for an outdoor snack... we begin to be used to this!

We then went back down to #5 trail. Kristine was anxious to encounter the famous moose that we saw on video beating up a sledder but we had not seen it. We then turned right towards Cap-Chat again but this time to stay at the Motel Nanook


Day #6 Cap-Chat/Mont-Joli via trail #5+locals total 162 miles
We left on trail #5 trail to return to Mont-Joli. Here the footbridge of Cap-Chat that many will recognize...



We did a short round trip on the local trail to Les Méchins to shape up the ride a bit and then came back west on #5 trail. We stopped for lunch and a last fuel-up in Matane and then  continued on #5. It was another very windy day and the wind there is really strong!

 
We arrived early near Mont-Joli and we went around the town a bit via local trails to shape up the ride a little more again. Just before arriving we passed this dozer



We finally got back to our starting point around 3:45 pm with a total of 1046 easy miles for the 6 days.
Also, we slept twice in Mont-Joli. Before our first sledding day and on the last day at mon Joli motel and the Quality Inn hotel. I would like to point out that Mon Joli Motel offers a free parking for the week and breakdown service in the event of a problem on the ride. You leave them your truck keys and in the event of a problem they can come and pick you up with your own vehicle, which can be extremely nice in the event of a problem along the trip and it brings appreciable peace of mind even you don't need it.
This concludes my 2022 Gaspesia trip report

We're in Gaspe tonight. Came from the south up the 597 and took the local you're talking about. It seems I remember people referring to it years ago as the "bailey bridge cutoff"? Maybe from an old map? Everything was sweet today
 

Ho no !!!!!!   Bummer  really feel for you .   

Ho no !!!!!!   Bummer  really feel for you .   

We had some great day of riding with some new and old friends

I crossed the border alone 4 times this season never got the random test. Just lucky or the fact I am a wonderful law abiding citizen? 🙂

Great riding with you guys  , day in today I think.. lol

Great riding with you guys  , day in today I think.. lol

Some other bed night entertainment...
 

Delta to Mt Apica 83-23 and back to 383 to 83 ( trails were a 10! ) ( FarmerOld, Tammy, JAK, Long Hair and Myself ) 
https://www.relive.cc/view/vYvE5DQ17wv
Following day the trails had gotten beat-up and dropped to a 9!
Pat, Gary, Jeff, Sandy, John, Tracey, Long Hair and Myself.
https://www.relive.cc/view/v26MxgGWD3O
Then a short run to Onach' via Bras Louise.
https://www.relive.cc/view/v1vj1oY2jYq
Rain today!!! WTF??? 
Later
GutZ

SNOWMOBILE OPERATOR'S PERMIT
What the law says
Under Section 16 of the Act respecting Off-highway vehicles, all snowmobile operators must be at least 16 years of age. In addition, 16 and 17 year old drivers must have a certificate of competency showing that they have the skills to operate a snowmobile in addition to holding a driver's licence.
The Fédération des clubs de motoneigistes du Québec has mandated the ConduiPro driving schools group to dispense this information and issue a certificate of competence to those candidates that have successfully completed the theoretical training course.   
For additional information, please visit the ConduiPro Web site or call 1-877-766-3443.
Attention ! In such instances where the snowmobile trail crosses a public roadway or utilises a road right-of-way, the operator must be the holder of a licence authorizing him under the Highway Safety Code to drive a road vehicle on such a roadway, regardless of his/her age. In addition to an automobile licence, the following permits are also authorized:
Mopeds or scooters (class 6D)
Probationary licence (class 5)
Tractor (class http://quebecrider.com/forums/uploads/emoticons/default_dirol.gif
NB :  The learner’s licence is to be used under the same conditions as those that apply for its use on a roadway for motorcycles. For additional information, please visit : https://saaq.gouv.qc.ca/en/drivers-licences/obtaining-licence/motorcycle-6a-6b-6c-6e/motorcycle-classes-6a-6b-6c?ADMCMD_prev=
For non-Quebec residents
Operators aged 16 and 17 years old must possess proof that they are legally entitled to operate an off-highway vehicle in their home jurisdiction in addition to holding a driver's licence. Please note that even in instances when the home state or province allows legal operation of a snowmobile to individuals aged below 16 years of age, driving a snowmobile in Quebec for anyone under 16 is strictly prohibited.
What you need before you leave
Your FCMQ trail permit
Your vehicle registration
Your driver's licence 
Proof of $1 000,000 liability insurance coverage
A rental contract (if the snowmobile is rented)
16 and 17 year old drivers must have a certificate of competency showing that they have the skills to operate a snowmobile in addition to holding a driver's licence (V-1.3).

Jack, I think I read somewhere that if you get that result you cant go home until April 15th.😉

Sandi and I both got the lucky test this trip at the border this past Sunday.  We took the tests with the laptop at the Delta and refrigerated the tests overnight.  We left the tests at the desk and went snowmobiling.
I looked a couple of days later on DynaCare's website and Sandi's test was negative and my sample had:
TEST RESULT FOR COVID-19 PCR:
TEST NOT PROCESSED
An issue with the submitted sample prevented COVID-19 viral testing. Resubmission and retesting of another sample is required to determine infection status.
I imagine this does happen occasionally.  No one has contacted me via e-mail about a re-test and we are heading back to Connecticut tomorrow.  We will see what happens next time I cross the border into Canada.  I feel like the guinea pig.  I'll keep everyone informed if something unusual happens.
Jack & Sandi

I was just in the lobby and wanted to let the Gutz family know that Reception is getting ready for your arrival.
http://quebecrider.com/forums/uploads/monthly_2022_02/IMG_0008.thumb.JPG.1da47b821654658a46c94b450d1bace5.JPG
Hors devours will be set out later.  See you tonight.
The forecast is for above freezing temps until you get north of Quebec.  So if you run into a little drizzle, don't fret.  Be careful in the Park.
Jack & Sandi