doonali

bonsoir !!!
 
few pics from tq 5 + 1 local trail !!!....great storm !!!
-3c at 1 30 am...- 10 c at 3 45 pm + windy !!!
still snowing very lightly...storm almost kaputt !!!
heavy traffic !!!.....99.8 % coming from cross point side !!!
 
jean-guy

Can I stop dancing now? Is there enough!!
i love the colours of those sleds. Safer to have bright colours!
Great pictures Jean-Guy! I am on my way!

bonsoir !!!
 
sure...stop...enough for now !!! ahaha
just checked by the window....very windy...-15c ...nice drifts on the next run i guess !!!
fixing a minor problem tomorrow morning on the machine,,,then go for the day !!!
see you soon !!!
ps: i hope you let your sunshine at  home !!!!
 
jean-guy

So Trailblazer comes to get me at Chez Ice at 4pm on Wednesday. We load my sled and gear in pouring rain. We head out direction Forestville to meet up with the rest of the alliance. Up to Baie St. Paul is all rain. Now here it's changing and its all snow, we take a break at Tim's in BSP. Then back on the road and its white knuckle for JG all the way up to Forestville. We pull in just before midnight. I need to pry JG's fingers off the sterring wheel. He's had enough of that for tonight. Not easy to get here. We check in and park and go to visit with Mark and Randy. Well it's like old times and we call it a night at 1:30am. We got a big ride tmmrw. 
Up early at 5:30 to get organized. Breakfast at 6:30. In and out and time to suit up. It's been snowing and blowing all night this is gonna be fun. 
Out of Forrestville I am along for the ride so it's nice to follow mindlessly and just stay in line. I could get used to this. Hat's off to mark and randy cause they are breaking us a trail and we are clipping along. Near zero vis. We push on. We roll on and arrive in Baie Comeau just before noon. Take gas and off to the rollercoaster section. Surprisingly fun and not too bad but these guys are blowing trail open for us. Then on up and through Godbout, here snow is way more deeper. Easily a foot here. We really are making great time and roll into Baie Trinity for gas and some snacks. Here is really snowing like crazy. Once we leave it's lightened up a bit. Still alot of new snow, passed 2 sleds so far both locals just bombing around. We head on and into Port Cartier at 5pm gas and go. Snow has stopped now but still deep. We run up and arrive into Sept Isles to Comfort Inn. 6:15pm with close to 320 miles. Tomorrow we make for Havre St. Pierre maybe more. 

It was a full day for sure, 185 miles of unbroken trail. many sleds stuck, 30 miles of ditch riding and 10 miles of trans Lab highway. But a blast still. A blue sky day this morning and some gorgeous power line running. Deep snow with now base in places, and settled snow on the wind blown areas. The Team Maine trailer and support crew provided fuel and food for the mid day as there is nothing in between. The Team Maine proto type 850 Freeride got put to its test today. It did very well!
Churchill is a company town for  the Churchill hydro power. The only civilization in central Lab.  Tomorrow off for Lab city!
 
RR

Looking good! I went out this afternoon for a 75 mile run going SW to Explorateurs club house for lunch. About six inches of fluff just outside RDL and about under 2 inches 35 miles SW at the club relais. At times its was snowing steady with occasional blizzard like conditions for ten minute clips. I also met up   with Oilman upon his return from riding 140 miles going E to Trois Pisteles, S  and then made his way over to Cabanno. Said riding was good, and like me said less new snow to the south but still good riding. Hopefully the groomers will get out tonight and do their thing. many groomers have sat out this bad spell of weather although my route today was smooth. So it seems we are back in business, and it looks like winter again with the trees caked in snow and sleds at all the club houses, and the parking lots no longer wearing off the carbides.
mike

I plan to stay the weekend, although my reservations end Friday. Front desk assures me there will be cancellations. 
The dignitary at the hotel today was the prime minister of Quebec.
Pic of front entrance to hotel.
 

Thanks for posting Bill.  
I would like to mention that the sled is a 1200 SkiDoo with the electronic throttle.  Sandi and I have had our issues with the electronic throttle on her 2016 Renegade 1200.  I know a lot of riders like it but we have found it to be very sensitive.  For model year 2017, SkiDoo has put more spring resistance in the lever.  This tells me SkiDoo has had complaints.
The 900 ACE isn't as quirky because it isn't as powerful as the 1200.  I'm not trying to say anything good or bad but just to pass along what we have found.  It takes awhile to get use to the soft touch.
Jack & Sandi

Lucky Lindasledgirl is coming this weekend...:can you please lay this gently on the trails 😜

Two coffee stops a day, I belong to a union!

About 240 miles today over and around St. Pamphille area, met friends for lunch and we rode back to hotel together.
Darn close to amazing conditions now that groomers worked their magic.  Trails still hard but really sweet most everywhere.
mike

Some of the trail and views from Johan beetz over to aguanish and onto Chevery yesterday afternoon. Note the stakes or tripods every 50 feet👍 The single track sections are between johan and aguanish. The staked trail and very new warming huts are on the ministry maintained trail between Kegaska and Chevery

Markus
We got an early start,  on the sleds around 7, we were off on our journey!
We wanted to get ahead start on the weather system coming in, You hit the report perfectly,  the first 25 miles were great to the Mosey River, then the next 45 miles,  would make you ask your self  I am doing this because I want to right? This section had the machine thru without a drag,  a long time ago. But not marked particularly well,  rough,  but rideable,  helps greatly to have a gps.
This section,  would be ugly, after or during a snow storm, we lucked out today with decent visibility and some sleds have been thru. Than after 45 miles, and crossing river Tortue, bang, there was a fairly fresh groomed trail!  Wow, should have checked fcmq and the groomer surfacing report, we would not have been so shocked,  from there on in we rolled it out fast, checking into to Hotel du Havre around 2 PM and 170 miles on.  A great first day on out journey,  prepared to rough ride it in, but very happy, the last 100 miles were great! 
On to Chevery tomorrow! 

These are the kind of people who ultimately ruin it for everyone else, they have zero respect for our environment or all the really wonderful people who are enjoying it. If I had it my way they would never ride or register a sled again, loose their hunting and fishing licenses for life and be banned from all public land as well as loose their drivers license as though they had killed a person, for 15 or 20 years!! What I would really like to see I cannot mention here.....%&#*!!? degenerates!! I hope they get caught and sent to jail!!

Just once I would like to see the moose turn around and trample these low life's. No one with any decency would do this to an animal of any type. 

I'll say it.....Fu*#%n MORONS!!!!

Northbound, we fueled and left Baie Comeau about 10:30 and were near Godbout around 12 :15. You should have met 5 of us, but we may have been spread out a bit? This is what some of the sleds looked like.
 
TB, we are hoping for decent wifi along the way, met some guts tonight who got hauled out of the Cote Nord on a car carrier today, said the trail was very rough. We are hoping that their rough and our rough are two different things!!
Hope to  have wifi to report more tomorrow
RR

The Gaspesie has the best snow conditions in several years, this couple mild days will not effect that. 

Trailblazer, Jean Guy is in the group!  how can we beat that, getting led around Lab with Jean Guy and Rob, two of the best Cains Quest racers in recent history. Sure to be a fun, great trip🍻🍻
RR

Tues 14th
Were set up good to make a run to the truck so up and on em at 6:30am rolling in the pre-dawn is awesome! We take 83 to the Lepine trail which has a fresh 4"-6" of powder on it so we go for it at a fast pace as the sun comes up and onward to Le Pensive Relay by 8:30 for coffee. The owners asked where we came from I replied Clova and the lady looked liked she was in disbelief!! We laughed  warmed up and off to Rabaska for fuel. After fuel down to 322 to locals around devils Mt. And onto 13/63 to Maniwaki which was just groomed to perfection.
202mi
Loaded em up and and on the black trail at 12:30.
FYI for approx 15+ miles above Le Pensive is plowed for logging but passable. Watch out for the loggers as they were heading up to work as we were coming down and they were traveling as were we! The rest of the trail hasn't been groomed in a while and needs it. Word is that the groomer is down?
1138mi trip total on GPS.Pre dawn on the LepineLe Pensive's mascot AKA Buck.

Gas a Le Domaine again at La Verendrye lodge at the 63/386 intersection again at Kitcisakik (cash only last week) and again at Lovicourt.
FYI. If your looking at Via Explora the mileage is off by 20mi. 63 drops down to La Verendrye this yr. adding 20mi to the 63/386 n.

Definitely a nice run.  No problems and good snow.  This is the season to get the miles on.
I Like the sunrise pic, very nice.
Jack & Sandi

Saturday 11th.
Myself and limesqueezeaxys set out on a trip west starting in Maniwaki. Taking 63 e to 322 w and back to 63 w continued on to the 386 intersection and  lunch at La Verendrye Lodge. Then up the 386 to 83 and looking at the time we might as well make a small loop to north local orange across to 313 s to Val-d'or and the Forestel. 
As a reminder that 63 now drops down to La Verendrye Lodge and adds approx. 20mi to the past 63-386 intersection.
311mi.

Agreed. This is the route I use. Not bad at all unless rush hr. and then it's usually 417 that is slow!