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towing

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  1. Like
    towing reacted to Byrd in Better late than never…   
    M&M Tours is off. Left Oliphant Sunday March 17th, pulled into the Best Western Premier Hotel Aristocrate in Quebec City around 8 and had a fabulous dinner at the in house restaurant, La Fenouillière. Off Monday morning and checked in to Complexe Hotelier Escoumins then spent 3 hours trying to find places to stay for them next 5-7 days. 
     
    Rode loops for the first 3 days in a variety of conditions…good, bad & ugly mostly due to the new, wet snow even though the groomers were out. Des Bouleaux Blanc clubhouse is a great stop 40 km from town. Thursday morning rode most the day through storm conditions to the ski village Valinouët and stayed at a local rental house, Auberge du Yeti. Rode up 373 as far as we could then spent the night in a cabin at Auberge 31. A quick lunch at Piste D’or was tasty and the owner was entertaining-he sort of reminded us of Bernard 
     
    Then back to truck and trailer, 93 did not disappoint-smooth, fast trails. Loaded up and drove to Forestville.

















  2. Like
    towing got a reaction from MrGutz in Berthier/St-Zenon photo ride report 25/02/24   
    Yes even with the limited snow base it was possible to get good riding on cold winters days but mother nature throw us another a warm sequence ahead and it seems that this will be the end... I considered trying St-Donat tomorrow that is still open but with rain on the forecast I think we will stay home.
    I confirm you Real Masse has passed on February 27. There is actually a wave of tribute comments on the web about him, he was very appreciated by most people who crossed his path. I have not seen the official obituary yet but will post if I find it. Condolences this his family and friends 

    I try an approximate translation here:
    Dear customers,
    It is with sadness and much sorrow that we announce the departure of our dear Réal.
    This past February 27, our beloved left us for his last trip to the heavens.
    Since 1986, Réal has made it his duty to offer the best to his customers.
    The family is committed to continuing the current activities of the outfitter, and to providing the same service that you have received for all these years.
    In this moment of mourning, we ask you to respect the need for a moment of rest, so that we can live this moment as a family.
    Sportingly yours,
    Réal Massé's family
     
     
     X2
  3. Thanks
    towing got a reaction from NSHM in Berthier/St-Zenon photo ride report 25/02/24   
    Yes even with the limited snow base it was possible to get good riding on cold winters days but mother nature throw us another a warm sequence ahead and it seems that this will be the end... I considered trying St-Donat tomorrow that is still open but with rain on the forecast I think we will stay home.
    I confirm you Real Masse has passed on February 27. There is actually a wave of tribute comments on the web about him, he was very appreciated by most people who crossed his path. I have not seen the official obituary yet but will post if I find it. Condolences this his family and friends 

    I try an approximate translation here:
    Dear customers,
    It is with sadness and much sorrow that we announce the departure of our dear Réal.
    This past February 27, our beloved left us for his last trip to the heavens.
    Since 1986, Réal has made it his duty to offer the best to his customers.
    The family is committed to continuing the current activities of the outfitter, and to providing the same service that you have received for all these years.
    In this moment of mourning, we ask you to respect the need for a moment of rest, so that we can live this moment as a family.
    Sportingly yours,
    Réal Massé's family
     
     
     X2
  4. Like
    towing reacted to Snappy Hank in Berthier/St-Zenon photo ride report 25/02/24   
    Good morning Alain,
    Another great report by you and the Mrs.! Glad to see you were able to get out. However, I saw a post from someone yesterday,  that Real had passed. Have not seen anything official, however, if you could confirm this, and possibly post the obituary, that would be great. My condolences go out to Nancy and family, such great people, and such a beautiful spot they have there. It’s always a pleasure to go there, as you say, their food is outstanding, very kind staff, and great accommodations. Real can be very proud of his accomplishment there!
    Thanks,
    Hank
  5. Like
    towing reacted to snowmaster2112 in Berthier/St-Zenon photo ride report 25/02/24   
    Sad news
    he was one tough SOB and a good person 
    RIP Real
  6. Like
    towing got a reaction from PISTON LAKE CRUISER in Berthier/St-Zenon photo ride report 25/02/24   
    We took the risk of leaving directly from the home in St-Thomas and passing through Berthier to go up to St-Zénon and have dinner at Réal Massé

    If I had to quickly summarize the report: don't do like us and stay no further south than St-Gabriel de Brandon and go north. We wanted to take advantage one last time of the privilege we have of leaving directly from the home without touching the trailer and we managed to do so but the southern part of St-Gabriel is too lacking in snow... I gave a good beat to my snowtrackers!
    From St-Thomas we joined trail #3 to go towards Berthier. Surprisingly, apart from the surroundings of the gas station in the village, the fields were still very beautiful. Here along the railway line.  Scratchers mandatory very hard/icy base

    There was a lack of snow in a few inside curves but overall very good

    Things got bad when we arrived at the airfield in St-Cuthbert, there was quite a long way to go on a plowed path now on dirt/gravel and it wasn't nice in the wooded area that followed or near the Valrémi sugar shack
    We gave a try on the #3 towards St-Barthelemy...It was worse too much south and we had to turn around we lost the trail at some points

    We headed towards St-Gabriel de Brandon, the wooded sections are good

    But in the fields the trail path is hard to miss 🙄, it has melted too much. There is quite a long stretch like that

    Past St-Gabriel de Brandon going north was the way to go, the conditions there are fine and keep going better toward north
    We had a checkpoint just north of the village of St-Gabriel, the guys were nice no problem.

    And we went up the #23 north which still has good snow cover

    I was unsure about a short plowed section but it's still very good and was ok

    We got a few bumps from traffic but the snow is still very good in that area

    We had a late start around 9:30 and time was passing quickly so we took the #350 south

    And we had dinner at Réal Massé. It's been a long time since we've been there and their meals are still delicious and the atmosphere really nice. They are open from Thursday noon to Sunday afternoon.

    From there we decided to continue #350 and loop around via #63 towards Ste-Émélie de l'Énergie. Here direction the Glacière


    Past La Glacière on #63 heading south it was still very beautiful with good snow cover


    Here passing by the La Barrière outfitter


    We passed through Domaine Bazinet and continued south

    The big hills near Ste-Émélie de l’Énergie are still in good condition

    Past Ste-Émilie village we headed towards St-Damien where we stopped to refuel while passing through their courtyard.

    Leaving the gas station we climb the mountain and at the very top facing south there is the only mud spot we saw to the north of St-Gabriel on this route very close to the small shack at the #23 junction which joins our morning route. We took a little break there.

    We resumed on the morning path in the opposite direction which was still in the same state, beautiful up to St-Gabriel but then with bare spots going south

    We returned home around 5:00 p.m. with a little over 250km on the cluster, overall happy with the ride that succeed our wish to start from home.
    In summary, there is still some great snowmobiling to be done north of St-Gabriel de Brandon when it is cold like today. This year it's like that, don't be too critical and take what can be done... The upcoming weather forecasts are a bit scary but I still hope they're wrong! we'll see...hoping for the best
    Alain

  7. Like
    towing got a reaction from MrGutz in Berthier/St-Zenon photo ride report 25/02/24   
    We took the risk of leaving directly from the home in St-Thomas and passing through Berthier to go up to St-Zénon and have dinner at Réal Massé

    If I had to quickly summarize the report: don't do like us and stay no further south than St-Gabriel de Brandon and go north. We wanted to take advantage one last time of the privilege we have of leaving directly from the home without touching the trailer and we managed to do so but the southern part of St-Gabriel is too lacking in snow... I gave a good beat to my snowtrackers!
    From St-Thomas we joined trail #3 to go towards Berthier. Surprisingly, apart from the surroundings of the gas station in the village, the fields were still very beautiful. Here along the railway line.  Scratchers mandatory very hard/icy base

    There was a lack of snow in a few inside curves but overall very good

    Things got bad when we arrived at the airfield in St-Cuthbert, there was quite a long way to go on a plowed path now on dirt/gravel and it wasn't nice in the wooded area that followed or near the Valrémi sugar shack
    We gave a try on the #3 towards St-Barthelemy...It was worse too much south and we had to turn around we lost the trail at some points

    We headed towards St-Gabriel de Brandon, the wooded sections are good

    But in the fields the trail path is hard to miss 🙄, it has melted too much. There is quite a long stretch like that

    Past St-Gabriel de Brandon going north was the way to go, the conditions there are fine and keep going better toward north
    We had a checkpoint just north of the village of St-Gabriel, the guys were nice no problem.

    And we went up the #23 north which still has good snow cover

    I was unsure about a short plowed section but it's still very good and was ok

    We got a few bumps from traffic but the snow is still very good in that area

    We had a late start around 9:30 and time was passing quickly so we took the #350 south

    And we had dinner at Réal Massé. It's been a long time since we've been there and their meals are still delicious and the atmosphere really nice. They are open from Thursday noon to Sunday afternoon.

    From there we decided to continue #350 and loop around via #63 towards Ste-Émélie de l'Énergie. Here direction the Glacière


    Past La Glacière on #63 heading south it was still very beautiful with good snow cover


    Here passing by the La Barrière outfitter


    We passed through Domaine Bazinet and continued south

    The big hills near Ste-Émélie de l’Énergie are still in good condition

    Past Ste-Émilie village we headed towards St-Damien where we stopped to refuel while passing through their courtyard.

    Leaving the gas station we climb the mountain and at the very top facing south there is the only mud spot we saw to the north of St-Gabriel on this route very close to the small shack at the #23 junction which joins our morning route. We took a little break there.

    We resumed on the morning path in the opposite direction which was still in the same state, beautiful up to St-Gabriel but then with bare spots going south

    We returned home around 5:00 p.m. with a little over 250km on the cluster, overall happy with the ride that succeed our wish to start from home.
    In summary, there is still some great snowmobiling to be done north of St-Gabriel de Brandon when it is cold like today. This year it's like that, don't be too critical and take what can be done... The upcoming weather forecasts are a bit scary but I still hope they're wrong! we'll see...hoping for the best
    Alain

  8. Like
    towing got a reaction from smclelan in Berthier/St-Zenon photo ride report 25/02/24   
    We took the risk of leaving directly from the home in St-Thomas and passing through Berthier to go up to St-Zénon and have dinner at Réal Massé

    If I had to quickly summarize the report: don't do like us and stay no further south than St-Gabriel de Brandon and go north. We wanted to take advantage one last time of the privilege we have of leaving directly from the home without touching the trailer and we managed to do so but the southern part of St-Gabriel is too lacking in snow... I gave a good beat to my snowtrackers!
    From St-Thomas we joined trail #3 to go towards Berthier. Surprisingly, apart from the surroundings of the gas station in the village, the fields were still very beautiful. Here along the railway line.  Scratchers mandatory very hard/icy base

    There was a lack of snow in a few inside curves but overall very good

    Things got bad when we arrived at the airfield in St-Cuthbert, there was quite a long way to go on a plowed path now on dirt/gravel and it wasn't nice in the wooded area that followed or near the Valrémi sugar shack
    We gave a try on the #3 towards St-Barthelemy...It was worse too much south and we had to turn around we lost the trail at some points

    We headed towards St-Gabriel de Brandon, the wooded sections are good

    But in the fields the trail path is hard to miss 🙄, it has melted too much. There is quite a long stretch like that

    Past St-Gabriel de Brandon going north was the way to go, the conditions there are fine and keep going better toward north
    We had a checkpoint just north of the village of St-Gabriel, the guys were nice no problem.

    And we went up the #23 north which still has good snow cover

    I was unsure about a short plowed section but it's still very good and was ok

    We got a few bumps from traffic but the snow is still very good in that area

    We had a late start around 9:30 and time was passing quickly so we took the #350 south

    And we had dinner at Réal Massé. It's been a long time since we've been there and their meals are still delicious and the atmosphere really nice. They are open from Thursday noon to Sunday afternoon.

    From there we decided to continue #350 and loop around via #63 towards Ste-Émélie de l'Énergie. Here direction the Glacière


    Past La Glacière on #63 heading south it was still very beautiful with good snow cover


    Here passing by the La Barrière outfitter


    We passed through Domaine Bazinet and continued south

    The big hills near Ste-Émélie de l’Énergie are still in good condition

    Past Ste-Émilie village we headed towards St-Damien where we stopped to refuel while passing through their courtyard.

    Leaving the gas station we climb the mountain and at the very top facing south there is the only mud spot we saw to the north of St-Gabriel on this route very close to the small shack at the #23 junction which joins our morning route. We took a little break there.

    We resumed on the morning path in the opposite direction which was still in the same state, beautiful up to St-Gabriel but then with bare spots going south

    We returned home around 5:00 p.m. with a little over 250km on the cluster, overall happy with the ride that succeed our wish to start from home.
    In summary, there is still some great snowmobiling to be done north of St-Gabriel de Brandon when it is cold like today. This year it's like that, don't be too critical and take what can be done... The upcoming weather forecasts are a bit scary but I still hope they're wrong! we'll see...hoping for the best
    Alain

  9. Like
    towing reacted to markusvt in Team Vermont traveling again   
  10. Like
    towing reacted to Signfan in Berthier/St-Zenon photo ride report 25/02/24   
    Great report Alain.  We rode a loop around Saint Donat last Wednesday and then a loop from Saint Come up to Pouvoire Coin Lavigne and back on Thursday.  The odd tough stretch, but overall, I'd call 95% of the riding mid-season conditions.  Maybe not as much base as the area is used to, but very good riding still.  Here's hoping the weatherman isn't correct.
  11. Like
    towing got a reaction from jak in Berthier/St-Zenon photo ride report 25/02/24   
    We took the risk of leaving directly from the home in St-Thomas and passing through Berthier to go up to St-Zénon and have dinner at Réal Massé

    If I had to quickly summarize the report: don't do like us and stay no further south than St-Gabriel de Brandon and go north. We wanted to take advantage one last time of the privilege we have of leaving directly from the home without touching the trailer and we managed to do so but the southern part of St-Gabriel is too lacking in snow... I gave a good beat to my snowtrackers!
    From St-Thomas we joined trail #3 to go towards Berthier. Surprisingly, apart from the surroundings of the gas station in the village, the fields were still very beautiful. Here along the railway line.  Scratchers mandatory very hard/icy base

    There was a lack of snow in a few inside curves but overall very good

    Things got bad when we arrived at the airfield in St-Cuthbert, there was quite a long way to go on a plowed path now on dirt/gravel and it wasn't nice in the wooded area that followed or near the Valrémi sugar shack
    We gave a try on the #3 towards St-Barthelemy...It was worse too much south and we had to turn around we lost the trail at some points

    We headed towards St-Gabriel de Brandon, the wooded sections are good

    But in the fields the trail path is hard to miss 🙄, it has melted too much. There is quite a long stretch like that

    Past St-Gabriel de Brandon going north was the way to go, the conditions there are fine and keep going better toward north
    We had a checkpoint just north of the village of St-Gabriel, the guys were nice no problem.

    And we went up the #23 north which still has good snow cover

    I was unsure about a short plowed section but it's still very good and was ok

    We got a few bumps from traffic but the snow is still very good in that area

    We had a late start around 9:30 and time was passing quickly so we took the #350 south

    And we had dinner at Réal Massé. It's been a long time since we've been there and their meals are still delicious and the atmosphere really nice. They are open from Thursday noon to Sunday afternoon.

    From there we decided to continue #350 and loop around via #63 towards Ste-Émélie de l'Énergie. Here direction the Glacière


    Past La Glacière on #63 heading south it was still very beautiful with good snow cover


    Here passing by the La Barrière outfitter


    We passed through Domaine Bazinet and continued south

    The big hills near Ste-Émélie de l’Énergie are still in good condition

    Past Ste-Émilie village we headed towards St-Damien where we stopped to refuel while passing through their courtyard.

    Leaving the gas station we climb the mountain and at the very top facing south there is the only mud spot we saw to the north of St-Gabriel on this route very close to the small shack at the #23 junction which joins our morning route. We took a little break there.

    We resumed on the morning path in the opposite direction which was still in the same state, beautiful up to St-Gabriel but then with bare spots going south

    We returned home around 5:00 p.m. with a little over 250km on the cluster, overall happy with the ride that succeed our wish to start from home.
    In summary, there is still some great snowmobiling to be done north of St-Gabriel de Brandon when it is cold like today. This year it's like that, don't be too critical and take what can be done... The upcoming weather forecasts are a bit scary but I still hope they're wrong! we'll see...hoping for the best
    Alain

  12. Like
    towing got a reaction from P Hardy in Berthier/St-Zenon photo ride report 25/02/24   
    We took the risk of leaving directly from the home in St-Thomas and passing through Berthier to go up to St-Zénon and have dinner at Réal Massé

    If I had to quickly summarize the report: don't do like us and stay no further south than St-Gabriel de Brandon and go north. We wanted to take advantage one last time of the privilege we have of leaving directly from the home without touching the trailer and we managed to do so but the southern part of St-Gabriel is too lacking in snow... I gave a good beat to my snowtrackers!
    From St-Thomas we joined trail #3 to go towards Berthier. Surprisingly, apart from the surroundings of the gas station in the village, the fields were still very beautiful. Here along the railway line.  Scratchers mandatory very hard/icy base

    There was a lack of snow in a few inside curves but overall very good

    Things got bad when we arrived at the airfield in St-Cuthbert, there was quite a long way to go on a plowed path now on dirt/gravel and it wasn't nice in the wooded area that followed or near the Valrémi sugar shack
    We gave a try on the #3 towards St-Barthelemy...It was worse too much south and we had to turn around we lost the trail at some points

    We headed towards St-Gabriel de Brandon, the wooded sections are good

    But in the fields the trail path is hard to miss 🙄, it has melted too much. There is quite a long stretch like that

    Past St-Gabriel de Brandon going north was the way to go, the conditions there are fine and keep going better toward north
    We had a checkpoint just north of the village of St-Gabriel, the guys were nice no problem.

    And we went up the #23 north which still has good snow cover

    I was unsure about a short plowed section but it's still very good and was ok

    We got a few bumps from traffic but the snow is still very good in that area

    We had a late start around 9:30 and time was passing quickly so we took the #350 south

    And we had dinner at Réal Massé. It's been a long time since we've been there and their meals are still delicious and the atmosphere really nice. They are open from Thursday noon to Sunday afternoon.

    From there we decided to continue #350 and loop around via #63 towards Ste-Émélie de l'Énergie. Here direction the Glacière


    Past La Glacière on #63 heading south it was still very beautiful with good snow cover


    Here passing by the La Barrière outfitter


    We passed through Domaine Bazinet and continued south

    The big hills near Ste-Émélie de l’Énergie are still in good condition

    Past Ste-Émilie village we headed towards St-Damien where we stopped to refuel while passing through their courtyard.

    Leaving the gas station we climb the mountain and at the very top facing south there is the only mud spot we saw to the north of St-Gabriel on this route very close to the small shack at the #23 junction which joins our morning route. We took a little break there.

    We resumed on the morning path in the opposite direction which was still in the same state, beautiful up to St-Gabriel but then with bare spots going south

    We returned home around 5:00 p.m. with a little over 250km on the cluster, overall happy with the ride that succeed our wish to start from home.
    In summary, there is still some great snowmobiling to be done north of St-Gabriel de Brandon when it is cold like today. This year it's like that, don't be too critical and take what can be done... The upcoming weather forecasts are a bit scary but I still hope they're wrong! we'll see...hoping for the best
    Alain

  13. Like
    towing got a reaction from markusvt in Berthier/St-Zenon photo ride report 25/02/24   
    We took the risk of leaving directly from the home in St-Thomas and passing through Berthier to go up to St-Zénon and have dinner at Réal Massé

    If I had to quickly summarize the report: don't do like us and stay no further south than St-Gabriel de Brandon and go north. We wanted to take advantage one last time of the privilege we have of leaving directly from the home without touching the trailer and we managed to do so but the southern part of St-Gabriel is too lacking in snow... I gave a good beat to my snowtrackers!
    From St-Thomas we joined trail #3 to go towards Berthier. Surprisingly, apart from the surroundings of the gas station in the village, the fields were still very beautiful. Here along the railway line.  Scratchers mandatory very hard/icy base

    There was a lack of snow in a few inside curves but overall very good

    Things got bad when we arrived at the airfield in St-Cuthbert, there was quite a long way to go on a plowed path now on dirt/gravel and it wasn't nice in the wooded area that followed or near the Valrémi sugar shack
    We gave a try on the #3 towards St-Barthelemy...It was worse too much south and we had to turn around we lost the trail at some points

    We headed towards St-Gabriel de Brandon, the wooded sections are good

    But in the fields the trail path is hard to miss 🙄, it has melted too much. There is quite a long stretch like that

    Past St-Gabriel de Brandon going north was the way to go, the conditions there are fine and keep going better toward north
    We had a checkpoint just north of the village of St-Gabriel, the guys were nice no problem.

    And we went up the #23 north which still has good snow cover

    I was unsure about a short plowed section but it's still very good and was ok

    We got a few bumps from traffic but the snow is still very good in that area

    We had a late start around 9:30 and time was passing quickly so we took the #350 south

    And we had dinner at Réal Massé. It's been a long time since we've been there and their meals are still delicious and the atmosphere really nice. They are open from Thursday noon to Sunday afternoon.

    From there we decided to continue #350 and loop around via #63 towards Ste-Émélie de l'Énergie. Here direction the Glacière


    Past La Glacière on #63 heading south it was still very beautiful with good snow cover


    Here passing by the La Barrière outfitter


    We passed through Domaine Bazinet and continued south

    The big hills near Ste-Émélie de l’Énergie are still in good condition

    Past Ste-Émilie village we headed towards St-Damien where we stopped to refuel while passing through their courtyard.

    Leaving the gas station we climb the mountain and at the very top facing south there is the only mud spot we saw to the north of St-Gabriel on this route very close to the small shack at the #23 junction which joins our morning route. We took a little break there.

    We resumed on the morning path in the opposite direction which was still in the same state, beautiful up to St-Gabriel but then with bare spots going south

    We returned home around 5:00 p.m. with a little over 250km on the cluster, overall happy with the ride that succeed our wish to start from home.
    In summary, there is still some great snowmobiling to be done north of St-Gabriel de Brandon when it is cold like today. This year it's like that, don't be too critical and take what can be done... The upcoming weather forecasts are a bit scary but I still hope they're wrong! we'll see...hoping for the best
    Alain

  14. Like
    towing got a reaction from zeusand in Berthier/St-Zenon photo ride report 25/02/24   
    We took the risk of leaving directly from the home in St-Thomas and passing through Berthier to go up to St-Zénon and have dinner at Réal Massé

    If I had to quickly summarize the report: don't do like us and stay no further south than St-Gabriel de Brandon and go north. We wanted to take advantage one last time of the privilege we have of leaving directly from the home without touching the trailer and we managed to do so but the southern part of St-Gabriel is too lacking in snow... I gave a good beat to my snowtrackers!
    From St-Thomas we joined trail #3 to go towards Berthier. Surprisingly, apart from the surroundings of the gas station in the village, the fields were still very beautiful. Here along the railway line.  Scratchers mandatory very hard/icy base

    There was a lack of snow in a few inside curves but overall very good

    Things got bad when we arrived at the airfield in St-Cuthbert, there was quite a long way to go on a plowed path now on dirt/gravel and it wasn't nice in the wooded area that followed or near the Valrémi sugar shack
    We gave a try on the #3 towards St-Barthelemy...It was worse too much south and we had to turn around we lost the trail at some points

    We headed towards St-Gabriel de Brandon, the wooded sections are good

    But in the fields the trail path is hard to miss 🙄, it has melted too much. There is quite a long stretch like that

    Past St-Gabriel de Brandon going north was the way to go, the conditions there are fine and keep going better toward north
    We had a checkpoint just north of the village of St-Gabriel, the guys were nice no problem.

    And we went up the #23 north which still has good snow cover

    I was unsure about a short plowed section but it's still very good and was ok

    We got a few bumps from traffic but the snow is still very good in that area

    We had a late start around 9:30 and time was passing quickly so we took the #350 south

    And we had dinner at Réal Massé. It's been a long time since we've been there and their meals are still delicious and the atmosphere really nice. They are open from Thursday noon to Sunday afternoon.

    From there we decided to continue #350 and loop around via #63 towards Ste-Émélie de l'Énergie. Here direction the Glacière


    Past La Glacière on #63 heading south it was still very beautiful with good snow cover


    Here passing by the La Barrière outfitter


    We passed through Domaine Bazinet and continued south

    The big hills near Ste-Émélie de l’Énergie are still in good condition

    Past Ste-Émilie village we headed towards St-Damien where we stopped to refuel while passing through their courtyard.

    Leaving the gas station we climb the mountain and at the very top facing south there is the only mud spot we saw to the north of St-Gabriel on this route very close to the small shack at the #23 junction which joins our morning route. We took a little break there.

    We resumed on the morning path in the opposite direction which was still in the same state, beautiful up to St-Gabriel but then with bare spots going south

    We returned home around 5:00 p.m. with a little over 250km on the cluster, overall happy with the ride that succeed our wish to start from home.
    In summary, there is still some great snowmobiling to be done north of St-Gabriel de Brandon when it is cold like today. This year it's like that, don't be too critical and take what can be done... The upcoming weather forecasts are a bit scary but I still hope they're wrong! we'll see...hoping for the best
    Alain

  15. Like
    towing got a reaction from zrtkat in Berthier/St-Zenon photo ride report 25/02/24   
    We took the risk of leaving directly from the home in St-Thomas and passing through Berthier to go up to St-Zénon and have dinner at Réal Massé

    If I had to quickly summarize the report: don't do like us and stay no further south than St-Gabriel de Brandon and go north. We wanted to take advantage one last time of the privilege we have of leaving directly from the home without touching the trailer and we managed to do so but the southern part of St-Gabriel is too lacking in snow... I gave a good beat to my snowtrackers!
    From St-Thomas we joined trail #3 to go towards Berthier. Surprisingly, apart from the surroundings of the gas station in the village, the fields were still very beautiful. Here along the railway line.  Scratchers mandatory very hard/icy base

    There was a lack of snow in a few inside curves but overall very good

    Things got bad when we arrived at the airfield in St-Cuthbert, there was quite a long way to go on a plowed path now on dirt/gravel and it wasn't nice in the wooded area that followed or near the Valrémi sugar shack
    We gave a try on the #3 towards St-Barthelemy...It was worse too much south and we had to turn around we lost the trail at some points

    We headed towards St-Gabriel de Brandon, the wooded sections are good

    But in the fields the trail path is hard to miss 🙄, it has melted too much. There is quite a long stretch like that

    Past St-Gabriel de Brandon going north was the way to go, the conditions there are fine and keep going better toward north
    We had a checkpoint just north of the village of St-Gabriel, the guys were nice no problem.

    And we went up the #23 north which still has good snow cover

    I was unsure about a short plowed section but it's still very good and was ok

    We got a few bumps from traffic but the snow is still very good in that area

    We had a late start around 9:30 and time was passing quickly so we took the #350 south

    And we had dinner at Réal Massé. It's been a long time since we've been there and their meals are still delicious and the atmosphere really nice. They are open from Thursday noon to Sunday afternoon.

    From there we decided to continue #350 and loop around via #63 towards Ste-Émélie de l'Énergie. Here direction the Glacière


    Past La Glacière on #63 heading south it was still very beautiful with good snow cover


    Here passing by the La Barrière outfitter


    We passed through Domaine Bazinet and continued south

    The big hills near Ste-Émélie de l’Énergie are still in good condition

    Past Ste-Émilie village we headed towards St-Damien where we stopped to refuel while passing through their courtyard.

    Leaving the gas station we climb the mountain and at the very top facing south there is the only mud spot we saw to the north of St-Gabriel on this route very close to the small shack at the #23 junction which joins our morning route. We took a little break there.

    We resumed on the morning path in the opposite direction which was still in the same state, beautiful up to St-Gabriel but then with bare spots going south

    We returned home around 5:00 p.m. with a little over 250km on the cluster, overall happy with the ride that succeed our wish to start from home.
    In summary, there is still some great snowmobiling to be done north of St-Gabriel de Brandon when it is cold like today. This year it's like that, don't be too critical and take what can be done... The upcoming weather forecasts are a bit scary but I still hope they're wrong! we'll see...hoping for the best
    Alain

  16. Like
    towing got a reaction from NSHM in Berthier/St-Zenon photo ride report 25/02/24   
    We took the risk of leaving directly from the home in St-Thomas and passing through Berthier to go up to St-Zénon and have dinner at Réal Massé

    If I had to quickly summarize the report: don't do like us and stay no further south than St-Gabriel de Brandon and go north. We wanted to take advantage one last time of the privilege we have of leaving directly from the home without touching the trailer and we managed to do so but the southern part of St-Gabriel is too lacking in snow... I gave a good beat to my snowtrackers!
    From St-Thomas we joined trail #3 to go towards Berthier. Surprisingly, apart from the surroundings of the gas station in the village, the fields were still very beautiful. Here along the railway line.  Scratchers mandatory very hard/icy base

    There was a lack of snow in a few inside curves but overall very good

    Things got bad when we arrived at the airfield in St-Cuthbert, there was quite a long way to go on a plowed path now on dirt/gravel and it wasn't nice in the wooded area that followed or near the Valrémi sugar shack
    We gave a try on the #3 towards St-Barthelemy...It was worse too much south and we had to turn around we lost the trail at some points

    We headed towards St-Gabriel de Brandon, the wooded sections are good

    But in the fields the trail path is hard to miss 🙄, it has melted too much. There is quite a long stretch like that

    Past St-Gabriel de Brandon going north was the way to go, the conditions there are fine and keep going better toward north
    We had a checkpoint just north of the village of St-Gabriel, the guys were nice no problem.

    And we went up the #23 north which still has good snow cover

    I was unsure about a short plowed section but it's still very good and was ok

    We got a few bumps from traffic but the snow is still very good in that area

    We had a late start around 9:30 and time was passing quickly so we took the #350 south

    And we had dinner at Réal Massé. It's been a long time since we've been there and their meals are still delicious and the atmosphere really nice. They are open from Thursday noon to Sunday afternoon.

    From there we decided to continue #350 and loop around via #63 towards Ste-Émélie de l'Énergie. Here direction the Glacière


    Past La Glacière on #63 heading south it was still very beautiful with good snow cover


    Here passing by the La Barrière outfitter


    We passed through Domaine Bazinet and continued south

    The big hills near Ste-Émélie de l’Énergie are still in good condition

    Past Ste-Émilie village we headed towards St-Damien where we stopped to refuel while passing through their courtyard.

    Leaving the gas station we climb the mountain and at the very top facing south there is the only mud spot we saw to the north of St-Gabriel on this route very close to the small shack at the #23 junction which joins our morning route. We took a little break there.

    We resumed on the morning path in the opposite direction which was still in the same state, beautiful up to St-Gabriel but then with bare spots going south

    We returned home around 5:00 p.m. with a little over 250km on the cluster, overall happy with the ride that succeed our wish to start from home.
    In summary, there is still some great snowmobiling to be done north of St-Gabriel de Brandon when it is cold like today. This year it's like that, don't be too critical and take what can be done... The upcoming weather forecasts are a bit scary but I still hope they're wrong! we'll see...hoping for the best
    Alain

  17. Like
    towing got a reaction from doo4adoo in Berthier/St-Zenon photo ride report 25/02/24   
    We took the risk of leaving directly from the home in St-Thomas and passing through Berthier to go up to St-Zénon and have dinner at Réal Massé

    If I had to quickly summarize the report: don't do like us and stay no further south than St-Gabriel de Brandon and go north. We wanted to take advantage one last time of the privilege we have of leaving directly from the home without touching the trailer and we managed to do so but the southern part of St-Gabriel is too lacking in snow... I gave a good beat to my snowtrackers!
    From St-Thomas we joined trail #3 to go towards Berthier. Surprisingly, apart from the surroundings of the gas station in the village, the fields were still very beautiful. Here along the railway line.  Scratchers mandatory very hard/icy base

    There was a lack of snow in a few inside curves but overall very good

    Things got bad when we arrived at the airfield in St-Cuthbert, there was quite a long way to go on a plowed path now on dirt/gravel and it wasn't nice in the wooded area that followed or near the Valrémi sugar shack
    We gave a try on the #3 towards St-Barthelemy...It was worse too much south and we had to turn around we lost the trail at some points

    We headed towards St-Gabriel de Brandon, the wooded sections are good

    But in the fields the trail path is hard to miss 🙄, it has melted too much. There is quite a long stretch like that

    Past St-Gabriel de Brandon going north was the way to go, the conditions there are fine and keep going better toward north
    We had a checkpoint just north of the village of St-Gabriel, the guys were nice no problem.

    And we went up the #23 north which still has good snow cover

    I was unsure about a short plowed section but it's still very good and was ok

    We got a few bumps from traffic but the snow is still very good in that area

    We had a late start around 9:30 and time was passing quickly so we took the #350 south

    And we had dinner at Réal Massé. It's been a long time since we've been there and their meals are still delicious and the atmosphere really nice. They are open from Thursday noon to Sunday afternoon.

    From there we decided to continue #350 and loop around via #63 towards Ste-Émélie de l'Énergie. Here direction the Glacière


    Past La Glacière on #63 heading south it was still very beautiful with good snow cover


    Here passing by the La Barrière outfitter


    We passed through Domaine Bazinet and continued south

    The big hills near Ste-Émélie de l’Énergie are still in good condition

    Past Ste-Émilie village we headed towards St-Damien where we stopped to refuel while passing through their courtyard.

    Leaving the gas station we climb the mountain and at the very top facing south there is the only mud spot we saw to the north of St-Gabriel on this route very close to the small shack at the #23 junction which joins our morning route. We took a little break there.

    We resumed on the morning path in the opposite direction which was still in the same state, beautiful up to St-Gabriel but then with bare spots going south

    We returned home around 5:00 p.m. with a little over 250km on the cluster, overall happy with the ride that succeed our wish to start from home.
    In summary, there is still some great snowmobiling to be done north of St-Gabriel de Brandon when it is cold like today. This year it's like that, don't be too critical and take what can be done... The upcoming weather forecasts are a bit scary but I still hope they're wrong! we'll see...hoping for the best
    Alain

  18. Like
    towing got a reaction from wng-2 in Berthier/St-Zenon photo ride report 25/02/24   
    We took the risk of leaving directly from the home in St-Thomas and passing through Berthier to go up to St-Zénon and have dinner at Réal Massé

    If I had to quickly summarize the report: don't do like us and stay no further south than St-Gabriel de Brandon and go north. We wanted to take advantage one last time of the privilege we have of leaving directly from the home without touching the trailer and we managed to do so but the southern part of St-Gabriel is too lacking in snow... I gave a good beat to my snowtrackers!
    From St-Thomas we joined trail #3 to go towards Berthier. Surprisingly, apart from the surroundings of the gas station in the village, the fields were still very beautiful. Here along the railway line.  Scratchers mandatory very hard/icy base

    There was a lack of snow in a few inside curves but overall very good

    Things got bad when we arrived at the airfield in St-Cuthbert, there was quite a long way to go on a plowed path now on dirt/gravel and it wasn't nice in the wooded area that followed or near the Valrémi sugar shack
    We gave a try on the #3 towards St-Barthelemy...It was worse too much south and we had to turn around we lost the trail at some points

    We headed towards St-Gabriel de Brandon, the wooded sections are good

    But in the fields the trail path is hard to miss 🙄, it has melted too much. There is quite a long stretch like that

    Past St-Gabriel de Brandon going north was the way to go, the conditions there are fine and keep going better toward north
    We had a checkpoint just north of the village of St-Gabriel, the guys were nice no problem.

    And we went up the #23 north which still has good snow cover

    I was unsure about a short plowed section but it's still very good and was ok

    We got a few bumps from traffic but the snow is still very good in that area

    We had a late start around 9:30 and time was passing quickly so we took the #350 south

    And we had dinner at Réal Massé. It's been a long time since we've been there and their meals are still delicious and the atmosphere really nice. They are open from Thursday noon to Sunday afternoon.

    From there we decided to continue #350 and loop around via #63 towards Ste-Émélie de l'Énergie. Here direction the Glacière


    Past La Glacière on #63 heading south it was still very beautiful with good snow cover


    Here passing by the La Barrière outfitter


    We passed through Domaine Bazinet and continued south

    The big hills near Ste-Émélie de l’Énergie are still in good condition

    Past Ste-Émilie village we headed towards St-Damien where we stopped to refuel while passing through their courtyard.

    Leaving the gas station we climb the mountain and at the very top facing south there is the only mud spot we saw to the north of St-Gabriel on this route very close to the small shack at the #23 junction which joins our morning route. We took a little break there.

    We resumed on the morning path in the opposite direction which was still in the same state, beautiful up to St-Gabriel but then with bare spots going south

    We returned home around 5:00 p.m. with a little over 250km on the cluster, overall happy with the ride that succeed our wish to start from home.
    In summary, there is still some great snowmobiling to be done north of St-Gabriel de Brandon when it is cold like today. This year it's like that, don't be too critical and take what can be done... The upcoming weather forecasts are a bit scary but I still hope they're wrong! we'll see...hoping for the best
    Alain

  19. Like
    towing got a reaction from MrsGTRider in Berthier/St-Zenon photo ride report 25/02/24   
    We took the risk of leaving directly from the home in St-Thomas and passing through Berthier to go up to St-Zénon and have dinner at Réal Massé

    If I had to quickly summarize the report: don't do like us and stay no further south than St-Gabriel de Brandon and go north. We wanted to take advantage one last time of the privilege we have of leaving directly from the home without touching the trailer and we managed to do so but the southern part of St-Gabriel is too lacking in snow... I gave a good beat to my snowtrackers!
    From St-Thomas we joined trail #3 to go towards Berthier. Surprisingly, apart from the surroundings of the gas station in the village, the fields were still very beautiful. Here along the railway line.  Scratchers mandatory very hard/icy base

    There was a lack of snow in a few inside curves but overall very good

    Things got bad when we arrived at the airfield in St-Cuthbert, there was quite a long way to go on a plowed path now on dirt/gravel and it wasn't nice in the wooded area that followed or near the Valrémi sugar shack
    We gave a try on the #3 towards St-Barthelemy...It was worse too much south and we had to turn around we lost the trail at some points

    We headed towards St-Gabriel de Brandon, the wooded sections are good

    But in the fields the trail path is hard to miss 🙄, it has melted too much. There is quite a long stretch like that

    Past St-Gabriel de Brandon going north was the way to go, the conditions there are fine and keep going better toward north
    We had a checkpoint just north of the village of St-Gabriel, the guys were nice no problem.

    And we went up the #23 north which still has good snow cover

    I was unsure about a short plowed section but it's still very good and was ok

    We got a few bumps from traffic but the snow is still very good in that area

    We had a late start around 9:30 and time was passing quickly so we took the #350 south

    And we had dinner at Réal Massé. It's been a long time since we've been there and their meals are still delicious and the atmosphere really nice. They are open from Thursday noon to Sunday afternoon.

    From there we decided to continue #350 and loop around via #63 towards Ste-Émélie de l'Énergie. Here direction the Glacière


    Past La Glacière on #63 heading south it was still very beautiful with good snow cover


    Here passing by the La Barrière outfitter


    We passed through Domaine Bazinet and continued south

    The big hills near Ste-Émélie de l’Énergie are still in good condition

    Past Ste-Émilie village we headed towards St-Damien where we stopped to refuel while passing through their courtyard.

    Leaving the gas station we climb the mountain and at the very top facing south there is the only mud spot we saw to the north of St-Gabriel on this route very close to the small shack at the #23 junction which joins our morning route. We took a little break there.

    We resumed on the morning path in the opposite direction which was still in the same state, beautiful up to St-Gabriel but then with bare spots going south

    We returned home around 5:00 p.m. with a little over 250km on the cluster, overall happy with the ride that succeed our wish to start from home.
    In summary, there is still some great snowmobiling to be done north of St-Gabriel de Brandon when it is cold like today. This year it's like that, don't be too critical and take what can be done... The upcoming weather forecasts are a bit scary but I still hope they're wrong! we'll see...hoping for the best
    Alain

  20. Like
    towing got a reaction from dooright in Berthier/St-Zenon photo ride report 25/02/24   
    We took the risk of leaving directly from the home in St-Thomas and passing through Berthier to go up to St-Zénon and have dinner at Réal Massé

    If I had to quickly summarize the report: don't do like us and stay no further south than St-Gabriel de Brandon and go north. We wanted to take advantage one last time of the privilege we have of leaving directly from the home without touching the trailer and we managed to do so but the southern part of St-Gabriel is too lacking in snow... I gave a good beat to my snowtrackers!
    From St-Thomas we joined trail #3 to go towards Berthier. Surprisingly, apart from the surroundings of the gas station in the village, the fields were still very beautiful. Here along the railway line.  Scratchers mandatory very hard/icy base

    There was a lack of snow in a few inside curves but overall very good

    Things got bad when we arrived at the airfield in St-Cuthbert, there was quite a long way to go on a plowed path now on dirt/gravel and it wasn't nice in the wooded area that followed or near the Valrémi sugar shack
    We gave a try on the #3 towards St-Barthelemy...It was worse too much south and we had to turn around we lost the trail at some points

    We headed towards St-Gabriel de Brandon, the wooded sections are good

    But in the fields the trail path is hard to miss 🙄, it has melted too much. There is quite a long stretch like that

    Past St-Gabriel de Brandon going north was the way to go, the conditions there are fine and keep going better toward north
    We had a checkpoint just north of the village of St-Gabriel, the guys were nice no problem.

    And we went up the #23 north which still has good snow cover

    I was unsure about a short plowed section but it's still very good and was ok

    We got a few bumps from traffic but the snow is still very good in that area

    We had a late start around 9:30 and time was passing quickly so we took the #350 south

    And we had dinner at Réal Massé. It's been a long time since we've been there and their meals are still delicious and the atmosphere really nice. They are open from Thursday noon to Sunday afternoon.

    From there we decided to continue #350 and loop around via #63 towards Ste-Émélie de l'Énergie. Here direction the Glacière


    Past La Glacière on #63 heading south it was still very beautiful with good snow cover


    Here passing by the La Barrière outfitter


    We passed through Domaine Bazinet and continued south

    The big hills near Ste-Émélie de l’Énergie are still in good condition

    Past Ste-Émilie village we headed towards St-Damien where we stopped to refuel while passing through their courtyard.

    Leaving the gas station we climb the mountain and at the very top facing south there is the only mud spot we saw to the north of St-Gabriel on this route very close to the small shack at the #23 junction which joins our morning route. We took a little break there.

    We resumed on the morning path in the opposite direction which was still in the same state, beautiful up to St-Gabriel but then with bare spots going south

    We returned home around 5:00 p.m. with a little over 250km on the cluster, overall happy with the ride that succeed our wish to start from home.
    In summary, there is still some great snowmobiling to be done north of St-Gabriel de Brandon when it is cold like today. This year it's like that, don't be too critical and take what can be done... The upcoming weather forecasts are a bit scary but I still hope they're wrong! we'll see...hoping for the best
    Alain

  21. Like
    towing reacted to viper2 in RDL here we come!   
    Day 6, last day left Valga and doubled back south to 5. When we get to 35 we take that, some of the trails around Rimouski are showing red again and since we took 5 on the way out we will try and stay more inland. Stay on 35 to the 546 cutoff and take that, it’s in really nice shape. Local traffic is starting to pick up now but everyone is acting nicely. We take the 571 when we hit it then the 544 into St. Cyprien and have a good lunch at the St. Cyp. Continue on the 544 to the Orange local, think it is 44 but not positive and take that to 85. 85 still in good shape and covered well but icy. After the Adventiers clubhouse things get pretty bad. Mostly dirt and gravel with a little snow here and there to the 526. The 526 is no better and pretty much no snow the last 2 or 3 miles into the Universal. We had a great trip, the clubs are all out doing their best and trails are mostly good. All towns are bone dry getting in and out, even Murdochville is dry blacktop at the gas station. Many areas WILL NOT survive the warm up and rain this week. It will take a good dump of snow after Wednesday to open it all back up. 142 miles for the day 1050 for the week







  22. Like
    towing reacted to viper2 in RDL here we come!   
    Day 5: gonna end the trip with 2 short days instead of 1 big one. Today we rode from PALC to Valga. Took 5 all the way to Albertville. Trails pretty thin near the towns. Should have took the orange trail to avoid Causapscal. Also really thin around St. Marguerite and Albertville. Continued on 5 to 587 to St. Irene, much better here. Had lunch at the Ski Hill then went up and checked out the lookout tower up near the Radar. Looks like winter up there but not like a normal one. Continued through the mountains on 587 to 579 and into Valga for the night. Early day, a little too early really 😂😂 150 miles for the day.





  23. Like
    towing reacted to viper2 in RDL here we come!   
    Day 4, Left Pabos, took 5 West and trails are still pretty nice. Not great snow depth but the clubs have done a great job with what they have. Trails were all in pretty good shape until New Richmond. Really thin there and some bare corners but not terrible. Same for Carleton, mostly smooth but thin. The thinnest sections and most bare spots were around Nouvelle. Definitely spring conditions there. The snow started getting better and less bare spots and snirt as we headed West. In PALC tonight.







  24. Like
    towing reacted to viper2 in RDL here we come!   
    Day 3, left Grand Vallee and backtracked on 5 to 597 down to Murdochville. Trails in really nice shape! This part of the Gaspe wins for the most snow award. Lunch in Murdochville then continue down 597 and Piston Alley, all groomed up nicely to 5 again.





  25. Like
    towing reacted to viper2 in RDL here we come!   
    Day 2: Left Riotel FYI don’t have to go up the big hill. Go closer to the road around the back of the little brown building and it will take you right up to the road. Everything dry pavement in town, got up to the trail and took 5 East. Mix of good to fair with a few great sections mixed in. The most snow is in the elevations, all the towns are scratchy like late March. First 30 miles from Matane is pretty thin. Staying in Grand Vallee tonight. The deepest snow of the trip is out here, probably from Mont Louis to here. Calling for a warm up Thursday-Friday, we will see






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