GSX800

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. 

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

Staged out of Hotel L'Empress a few years back.  We have an in line four place trailer and had no problem with parking.  Gas station right next door. Tim Hortons across the street if you want a quick coffee and something to eat for breakfast. LaCage sports bar/restaurant in the hotel.  Trail right out the back of the parking lot to take you out of town. 

What will it be like in 2 weeks?
asking for a friend

Nice catch on the gender bender.
But are we still allowed to say erect?
That reminds me, and kinda still on topic of deeeelish groomed trails... A favorite quote from one of the 50+ buddies I've dragged up to become at least part-time Québec sledheads over the past 24 years:
"DUDE! IF I KNEW IT WAS GONNA BE THIS GOOD, I WOULD'VE WORN A CONDOM!"
 
 

We’ll be riding through the area on the 7th and 7th.  I guess if we don’t see anyone we’ll just pass. If someone is there checking we’ just hand the guy $100 for the six of us and hope that that is acceptable. Not looking for trouble or arguments.

If you open the trail conditions on the iMotoneige app in the area of the ZEC, most if not all of the conditions are listed as acceptable. Click on the trail in that area and there is a note about having to resister with the ZEC.

I just went through creating an account with the ZEC.  Website is a bit clunky, but doable.  Then I registered for the day that our group of six will travel through the ZEC.  It was not expensive for one day, one sled.  For a little over $10 USD it wasn’t worth the potential hassle if we were pulled over.  Do I agree? - by no means. Do I wonder/worry if other ZECs will follow suit? - absolutely.  I think about fellow riders that spend their winters riding in that area. That somewhat insignificant $10/day fee starts to add up.  Business starts a downturn as riders avoid the ZEC and their fees.  Hopefully businesses, the FCMQ and the government can work together with the ZEC for an agreeable solution and avoid the possibility of other ZECs doing the same.

She may get away with it this year but it will catch up with her. I certainly won't be recommending it any more unless things change.
Our F---ing Canadian federal government have given away so much money since Covid started, to pretty much anyone who applied that now people are "entitled" to not have to work. Not a good spot for us to be in. Rant over!

Staged out of Hotel L'Empress a few years back.  We have an in line four place trailer and had no problem with parking.  Gas station right next door. Tim Hortons across the street if you want a quick coffee and something to eat for breakfast. LaCage sports bar/restaurant in the hotel.  Trail right out the back of the parking lot to take you out of town. 

Like a private sportsmans club

After 4 decades we know what works… it’s a unique opportunity with a decent off season brook trout fishing operation with customers, and not a lot of money to buy it… with the right group… completely doable 

Very interesting idea..  that location has an enormous potential… and that would really be an incredible idea

Lets get a collective together and create a private Quebec Rider lodge here. 

 

here the ride we did Sunday January 29 under a temperature of -12C with snow

Left St-Thomas near Joliette around 9:00 AM to go have a lunch at the Lac Blanc outfitter near St-Alexis des Monts.
Despite the snow, the visibility in the distance was correct, we could easily see the stakes, but it was difficult to see the relief of the trail. Luckily,all trails had been freshly groomed and with the deep cold night the conditions were perfect.

As usual in these snow conditions, visibility was almost perfect in the woods

Since the snow had just started, we chose to do the most fields section in the morning before there were too many snow blades. Here on #3 in St-Cuthbert.

This weather reminded me of when I was a kid and the school closed due to snowstorm and i was spending the day at playing in the storm.

It ride extremely well, perfect trail. We went through the #63 and then took the #350 in the St-Paulin sector.

To note in this sector, the gas station in the village of St-Paulin is closed on Sundays.

The trail was nice and beautiful snowy scenery


We arrived early around 11:15 for lunch at the Auberge du Lac-Blanc

It was wise to arrive early, the service was fast and impeccable and it was more busy when we left an hour later.

Although we had to come back home early for a family dinner, since it was still early we were able to stretch the ride a bit by going north on the trail à Gaston (#350 northwest).

Again, very cold temperature helping, the trail was mint and the beautiful 3" layer of snow that gave a smooth ride in powder

The little 900 ace is a lot of fun to ride in these mint wooded trail conditions.

The snow cover is getting impressive in Lanaudière/Mauricie, in the good ones that we have had for several years

We quickly pass by  Koubec 

And went back down south via trail #345 which was perfect.

We went through the Mandeville sector

I was tempted to take the marked trail on Lake Maskinongé but with the snow and the wind my sweetheart was not very comfortable with my plan so we kept on the land trail

The trails were a bit more rough in  St-Gabriel sector but I was not surprised because I had read they had a major breakage on one of their 2 dozers at the end of the week and they only have one left to groom their entire territory.
We went back down to the St-Cuthbert sector where we resumed the morning trail path to return home. There were more snow blades in the fields but it was still riding well

We were quickly back home around 3:40 p.m. with 232kms of happiness on the meter
The season is now with outstanding conditions and we finally have some real cold to freeze the trails and make them more solid. I expect the few rivers that were not safe yet to be ok by the end of the week with the weather forecast ahead.
Gentlemen, start your engines and go!

28 January 
Not too many early risers at Chez Ice, this AM. All good no stress, going out for a shakedown run for Snohorse he is taking the Freeride on his Freeride 850 as the Backcountry is at the doo. 
 
We had played with syncing these Sena radios last night but we are all ready to go and we got zero coms. After using radios now I find it to be like riding with my GPS, do i need it? No, once you get used to something that improves your gameplay then it’s hard to go without. Nice to communicate while rolling. 
 
just could not get all 4 together. Finally we went with 2 radios myself and mrs ice. It’s Saturday and we take no chances. . We will straighten this out tonight. 
 
Geared up we bust on out. For Saturday we were expecting a little bit of everything. And exactly what we got. 
3 west near home like a Ukranian Highway after being shelled. We bailed on that after no long at all to hit the local orange trail headed for St Louis de France then on to Cap de Madeline. Not too shabby. Lets keep rolling these local trails so at Junction of 351 alongside autoroute 40 we go back up the local orange trail through St Maurice and join back with TQ3 in St Narcisse. Lots of fluff but smooth run really impressed with trails here. Some traffic but not crazy. TQ3 through St Narcisse here is best some but not terrible either. I seriously consider taking another orange local back through St Luc Vincennes to join up with 351 however we will probably return that way later so onward to the juction with local trail near St Stanislas that runs up to Relais Station in St Prosper. Been alot of traffic here. Real beat up we continue on we cross river in St Stanislas. Rough down here too but onward. Big detour as trail is rerouted to avoid completely the old Rogers Cabin. We ride on and continue down to join 351 and we go east toward St Anne de Perade. Here we pull it in to Ferme du Taurieu Microbrewery for lunch. 
 
Great lunch, my first time here we shall surely return. We bail out and hammer down for home 351 it is. Mrs Ice says she thinks she is tired of following me so i tell her have at it, I will follow you. I know she loves this run and run she does. This is goid trail here and we make time back to Cap de Madeline then on up to homebase. 
80 mile ride.
Got situated at home then the boys and I headed for Shawinigan Sud to eat at Shawinigan Smoked Meat. It did not disappoint. 
 
Back home and we settle in. 
Tomorrow we ride again local Mrs Ice has other commitments and will join us for dinner. 

 

29 January Sunday 
We get our 3 radios straightened out. We get out of the house not so early again. But off we go snowing lightly. TQ3 it is East this time direction Shawinigan. Trails are surprisingly very nice. Not many sleds at all so far. We cruise on up into Shawi then through Turtle Lac and try to run the local trail in St George next to the CN yard but are snookered as they are building a freight train putting the cars in order and have the crossing very blocked. Oh well, back on a near perfect trail it’s snowing for real now and we are loving every minute. I decide its 351 through Relais Station and onward to St Tite. We join with TQ23 here and so far so good light traffic and great trails. 23 to 351 and we are happy. Rolling along nicely here. Lots of evidence of all the trees they had to cut. Crazy. We love this run and today it does not disappoint. What disappoints is the condition of 355 from the 351 junction to St Joseph de Mekinac it is another Ukrainian battlefield. But gotta take the good with the bad. Barely made it to gas pump in St Joseph she sputtered on me coming into town shortcut up road to gas station did not feel like having to dump in my gas from the roto pax. I made it. Greta would love me that run just 171 km and took 36 liters. Not stellar but lots of cream cheese on trails not hatd frozen trail,
St Joseph 360 back to TQ23 has held up real well. And 23 is sweet. We catch 3 sleds near Rivere Des Envies where they had all the trouble because of it not freezing early on. They let us pass. On we roll, great run back to St Georges in shawi and this time no train blocking the track we cross and return through Turtle Lac and down through Shawi Sud. Trail very good for a Sunday headed home. New snow cushions the ride. All in with around 150 miles. 
 
Time for nice dinner at home with great friends. 
 
Tomorrow we say chow bye to Mrs Ice and the kids and head of somewhere to continue this adventure.
sorry no pics on this snowy day 
Mrs Ice is the master of photography for sure we missed her today. In more ways than one. 
 
Stay Tuned

There was a coffee pot…thankfully a previous guest left coffee.  The four coffee drinkers in our group certainly appreciated it. I’m sure you will enjoy.  Have a great ride.

I just went through creating an account with the ZEC.  Website is a bit clunky, but doable.  Then I registered for the day that our group of six will travel through the ZEC.  It was not expensive for one day, one sled.  For a little over $10 USD it wasn’t worth the potential hassle if we were pulled over.  Do I agree? - by no means. Do I wonder/worry if other ZECs will follow suit? - absolutely.  I think about fellow riders that spend their winters riding in that area. That somewhat insignificant $10/day fee starts to add up.  Business starts a downturn as riders avoid the ZEC and their fees.  Hopefully businesses, the FCMQ and the government can work together with the ZEC for an agreeable solution and avoid the possibility of other ZECs doing the same.