GSX800

Weather so far has been awesome! Blue sky everyday!!! 😍

2 room presidential suite at Copper tonight
 
 

'Petunia' and 'Lover'.......oh boy, this is gonna be a great story!

Day 1 Friday Feb 24

Went to teach my only two periods that morning, how lucky was I that this day ended up being the Friday before spring break, an early start for me. 

Don and I had discussed a lot about where to go during my spring break but ... I have a little something in my heart for Gaspesie. 
So we left home with the trailer around 1:30 pm to get to Matane by 7:00 pm. 

Day 2 Sat Feb 25
We left Matane to go to Redemption and all around. Actually, the real goal was to get to see the mummies, which I finally did. Yeah! See pictures. It was beautiful and colder at the top up there. Lover took the time to replace his stickers that discolored over the years. 
Yes I'm riding, but I'm also sightseeing. There is so much to admire in nature. My tour was organized to take our time so I get to enjoy it and relax as well. I'm not into the 300-400 km a day kind of thing. It's not fun for me. I can do it but I'm not interested. 
But here is the real info you're looking for, we left on the 5 from Matane, then we took an orange local trail to join 587. That's where the mummies were! Then we left 587 to 591 to get to 5 back to Matane for the night. Trails were beautiful everywhere we went. 

Day 3 Sun Feb 26
This morning we had quite a pleasant surprise, we met Jim & Gemma at breakfast. It was so nice to meet you! Enjoy your ride! Hope we'll meet again.
We left Matane and headed to Mont St-Pierre on the 5 all day. There was rough bumpy trail near Cap Chat all the way near La Martre. 

Lots of ups and downs (remember I dislike that) and twisty trails, more work for me. But when I hear; ''good job Petunia'' I know I'm doing all right. Also we upgraded my training, because I was in front a lot for the last two days. It's totally different, I'm the one calling out the things on the trails, the first one meeting another sled, etc. 
 

Two OLD dudes (I'm 57 toda)
At Albertville 

Woah, wait a minute!! Chris, are you conceding that you may have in fact been 'the nut on the doo'? If so, this thread is ramping up big time,  and we need more input from you! On a side note, give our best to loverboy and Petunia!

Great Thanks
just had beer come out my nose from laughing while reading this
nut doo aka snowmaster and the gang just left 
Chris we forgot to get a picture oh well. Awesone gang with snowmaster
as always we could bullshit until morning and then some

As I remember we called that run the “moose ass 1300”
1300 for the miles and because we spent so much time that afternoon, evening, AND night staring at ....well...moose ass
was just looking at those pics the other night Ken. You NEED to rent a sled next year if you don’t have one and WE NEED to do another trip together 
here today out on the 597 south of Murdochville 
dosnt get any sweeter
meeting Ice & wife in a little bit for a cocktail 

Well time for my yearly post on the trips I took with my father this year.  Again we stayed in and around St. MIchel-des-saints.  We were trying for a full two weeks again but that didn’t happen, which will get explained in a little.
 
Trip 1 - Jan 28-Feb 4 (Actually to Feb 2)
Overall this trip was going to be great!! Super cold weather, and I mean cold.  Got up and didn’t ride Saturday just wanted to relax and take in the nice snow since PA hasn’t gotten anything at all.  Our sleds had the Polaris recalls done before we went up so everything was gonna be great until Wednesday.
 
Jan 29th:
Trip Summary - overtop dam, then towards Real Masse.  Trip to stop for a snack but they were already closed by the time we arrived. Trip Length - 190 miles Trails - 345, 360, 23, 33, 350, local trails Trail Conditions 8.5 out of 10  
Jan 30th:
Trip Summary - Repos then to Riviere-Mattwain  Trip Length - 250 miles Trails - 33, 345, 360 Trail Conditions 8.5 out of 10 (part of 360 had some massive rollers)  
Fed 1st:
Trip Summary - Riviere-Rogue Trip Length - Can’t remember Trails - 63, 33 Trail Conditions 8.5 out of 10, little annoying with the logging but trails still in great shape  
Fed 2nd:
Trip Summary - South Saint-Cuthbert, Saint-Paulin Trip Length - Trails - 63, 23, 3, 350 Trail Conditions 8.5 out of 10  
This day got interesting, rode with a friend we met last year.  Trails were smooth all the way down to St Paulin.  Got stopped by the cops again, but they just wanted to see trail passes and make sure we were speeding.  Passed them throughout the day but very nice and friendly.  Stopped for some food then went back out.  Headed down a long straight and my sled just shuts off with a check engine light.  No idea, started right back and and hit the gas and died again.  Couldn’t figure out how to use the 7s display at the moment.  Checked everything, new plugs, oil line and etc.  So I can keep it under 25 without giving it much throttle.  95 miles back to our place at 25mph and the sled shutting off roughly 30 times was rough.  Left the next morning to go home and take it the dealer.  Dealer calls right back and speak with the tech and he takes full blame.  The one exhaust sensor backed out and it was the one thing I didn’t notice while on the trail. Stuff happens but a great trip overall did roughly 800 miles in 4 days.




Trip 2 - Feb 18th - Feb 25th
Well this trip was a little nerve racking for me since I really had no idea about my sled.  But took it easy the first day to make sure everything was in good shape and nothing was wrong at all.  Little warm a couple of the days but trails were amazing.  Also met some other Quebec rider members who were actually staying next to us.  I completely forgot to get here names but it was great to meet them and pass them on the trail all week.
 
Feb 19th:
Trip Summary - Smaller loop towards Koubec then overtop the dam Trip Length - 150 miles Trails - 345, 360, 23, 33, 350 Trail Conditions 8.5 out of 10  
Feb 20th:
Trip Summary - Riviere-Mattwain  Trip Length - 215 miles Trails - 33, 360 Trail Conditions 8.5 out of 10 (part of 360 had some massive rollers)  
Feb 1st:
Trip Summary - Lac Blanc, Saint-Paulin, small local trails instead of going through Saint-Alexis-des-Monts Trip Length - 192 Trails - 345, 350, 63, 3 Trail Conditions 8.5 out of 10  
Feb 2nd:
Trip Summary - Saint Donat - Black Mountain Trip Length - 230 miles Trails - 63, 33 Trail Conditions 9.5 out of 10 - new trail going towards Coin-lavigne was amazing  
Feb 3rd:
Trip Summary - Riviere-Mattwain (My favorite run, can go at a great pace and just a great ride.) Trip Length - 200 miles Trails - 33, 360, 345 Trail Conditions 8.5 out of 10  
Feb 4th:
Trip Summary - overtop dam, then towards Real Masse for a bite to eat and see some old friends Trip Length - 190 miles Trails - 345, 360, 23, 33, 350, local trails Trail Conditions 8.5 out of 10




Yes I really wish I could still be riding right now, but only have so much vacation time ride.  I look forward to next year and riding again but another great season with 1970 on in 10 days.
Hope you all have a great season, looks like you will be riding for some time still. 

Videos of our last day will be posted eventually.

Kyle & Mike

Dropped at Select Inn Mont Laurier Sun the 19th. Off to Auberge Lac Taureau for Mon night. 63 was absolute dog shite the whole way. Was looking forward to a good start as have ridden it many times but it was trash. Anyway, straight to the bistro on arrival as beverages were deserved and a snack was needed.....smoked meat and ceaser(s) were tres bonne. Biere blanche was good too. Now being partially recovered from the days beating off to the room we went with travelers in hand to get showered up for dinner. Bottle of Vin rouge ordered minestrone soup arrives which was very good. Off to the buffet next.....sadly not good. Bland lamb chops same for the pasta primavera and chicken pas bon! Deserts...fudge, creme brule, eclairs top shelf but would not recommend meal package as food in bistro was much better but kitchen there closes at 4 so load up if you take that route. Breakfast buffet next day was good.  
Off to Lac a L Eau Claire after the buffett. Groomed right from the door to Cabanon so were there lickety split. Decide to goof around on some locals as its still early and Eau Claire isn't far and find ourselves at the Glacier for fuel. Pull up to the pump, fuel up and our 22 xrs decides its had enough for the day and electric start does work....just clicks like a dead battery. Well that was the 1st tabarnac of the trip. Staff is super helpful with booster battery etc but sleds having none of it. Alrighty then off with the cover and old school the primary with rope and she lights right up. No more pissing around ...straight to Claire. Pull up to big garage and attendant asks if we want to put the sled inside and we banish the bad one to the garage and thinking its a battery issue arrange to get a new one which one of the staff picked up that night. 
Into the hotel we go for you guessed it.....adult beverages. Great spot all round, food was super, lovely rooms and staff was great. Up early, head to garage. Sled fires right up.....monszeeee! Change the battery anyway, stick the old one in the saddle bag and off too Windigo we go. 
Get about 1/2 hour down the trail and time for coffee purge, son shuts sled off and ..... yep NO GO again. Well tabarnac NO WAY we head to Windigo with his sled acting up so off to Brp dealer is St Michel Des Saints off we go after roping the primary again. Trails are great but beaucoup traffic, fuel at Cabanon with sled running then straight to Haute Matawine Brp. Get there around 1pm, place is slammed. Stroll up to service counter and explain to the fellas the my francais nes't pas tres bonne, they say pas probleme as their english sucks...perfect. Guys says what happens when you press starter Button....I make click click noise he says je comprende click click click. Grabs tester and out he goes to ck sled...pas bonne. Forklift appears and into the shop she goes. Back out front and running in less than an hour. Loose ground on engine. Parfait...give the boys a healthy tip for looking after us and scoot over to Hotel Central for the night. Been a while since I've stayed there and was happy to see the rooms (at least #47) had been nicely updated. Day of goofing around cost us Windigo so off the Fer a Le Cheval we go early next morning. 63 is pancake flat and tight....flipper is pinned. Make it to 33 junction in a blink. Stop for a minute and son says.....doesn't sound right DAD and he's right. Sounds like belt, clutch issue. Off with the panels  and belt cover.....nut is backed off and spacer loose on clutch TABARNAC rollers are fried. U turn and nurse it back to dealer....bonjour mes neuveau ami's ces't nous encore 🙂
Place is really slammed today....nous somme au plain. I say all good anything you can do for us would be appreciated...owner is standing right there I tell him how good his team is and how they treated us yesterday and he's beaming. Machine disappears from front of shop about 10 mins later and re-appears less that an hour later ready to rock. That shop is great.
Saddle up at noon......pull into cheval at 5pm. Trails were good... 33 is a ripper especially across the top after Repos. Was drooling all the way along that stretch thinking of a couple of all dressed chen chauds at LU-NIC but arrive only to find out that kitchen is shutdown for good. Fuel, grab a drink and punch out the last 80k or so to Cheval. Pull in ...have a couple of ceasers while we register and freshen up for sup which was great as per usuual. Nice touch with the new valet service. Breakfast spot on as usual also. Mount up and head back to Laurier
Ripper out of cheval and good all the way to St Anne du Lac. Tight in spots on lower portion of the ride to St Anne as most would know and clowns still not staying right but we are always super cautious especially just outside of St Anne du Lac so we made it unscathed. Stayed on 13 below St Anne which was stupid as its tight and almost always whipped and the 322 is much better. Anway decent run despite the issues with the 22 which will be down the road as soon as I get a 24 ordered. 
Ride safe and excuse my butchering of french as mon francais nes't pas tres fort 🙂
Cheers
Gowser

We will leave Mont Valin to Zec Martin and the back country sleds.  There are many trails we can ride without paying additional fees.  The back country sleds are the ones using the open land of the Zec.  We will step back and let them use it.
Jack & Sandi

Hmm.... I don't recall anything about the walk back!

http://quebecrider.com/forums/uploads/monthly_2023_02/image.thumb.png.6548d01dcaf97845078c8f0d2b92beba.png

Signed.  
Since we had our itinerary and reservations set for our group of six, we were good boys, followed their rules and paid the fee to pass through the ZEC.  Since we were just passing through for one day, it didn’t break the bank.  If I had known before we had established our itinerary, perhaps I would have rerouted?

Signed.  
Since we had our itinerary and reservations set for our group of six, we were good boys, followed their rules and paid the fee to pass through the ZEC.  Since we were just passing through for one day, it didn’t break the bank.  If I had known before we had established our itinerary, perhaps I would have rerouted?

That's fair.  I cam tell you with the Oxygen you can crack the shield and it will stay clear unplugged.  With the shield design this doesn't create a terrible draft that freezes your face off.   Just enough to keep it clean (in a pinch).  Would I buy it with plans to never run plugged in.  Definitely not.  But I don't foresee a scenario where I struggle to get home due to a power issue.

I made a post asking about feed back on the new Exome helemet before i bought one and didn't really get much feedback on the helmet. Well i did buy one and used it on my Gaspe loop. We encountered cold, warm, snow, and rain on the trip. Here is my feedback on the helmet. Note that I chose to wear the helmet without plugging it in.
The very cold day (-25C windchill) that we had, a quarter of the visor did fog up.
The warm and little rain we got, the visor did not freeze up but it was still a bit foggy.
The warm day (-5C), condensation built up between the 2 lenses and had a light coating of fog on it.
Everytime I wore the helmet, condensation built up and froze solid ice on the release mechanism to lift the face of the helmet making it very hard to open the helmet. I feared that the release cable would break.
Nothing about the helmet impressed me.
Despite being warned that I wouldn't get refunded if I wasnt satisfied with the helmet, Eastern Powersport in Cornwall gave me a full refund.  Satisfaction guaranteed for the customer was more important. The purchase was only 1 week before using it

Moose Valley is a  fantastic day trip from Riviere du Loup.
In a nutshell,  #85 south,   left   on 44 and follow signs to St. Cyprien, then signs to Squatec. At Squatec get on 35 east for about 15 miles and take a right which is well marked for Moose Valley.  About 25 miles down you will come to an intersection.  #135 is marked for Moose valley, but #150 also goes there. Both end up at Moose Valley driveway and you can see the cabins. Big nice restaurant, great service, but can be very busy. We go counter clockwise, 135, return 150.
Gas both ways at Squatec. Any thirsty sleds should also gas at Moose Valley. (Padragon's 850 Doo need some from his can returning to Squatec, but we were running  really hard and fast the last 50 miles into and out of Moose Valley.
mike
 

Sounds like our potus..............

Completely not right to single out snowmobiles
the agreement with Federation Quad Quebec. should be extended to FCMQ
as long as this remains I will not be partaking in any visits here. 
 
its not about the $$$ its the principle 
 
 

I think is a good lesson here in economics. You spent quite a bit of money for nothing. I could never understand why someone in our sport would not buy the season pass before the December deadline. The price is $145 Canadian more than a 7 day pass and $25 less than buying a 7 day and then a 3day. You are good for the year then, get the sticker in the mail long before you go and can come and go as you please. With all the money we spend in this sport it seems crazy to me to try and pinch pennies here  

Meanwhile in Daytona Sunday……
 
 

We did 500 miles this weekend, LOTS of smiles.😀

Gotta love the finger countdown. You stay right, I stay right. No problem.