Sled Dog Posted December 5, 2010 Report Share Posted December 5, 2010 Just like the topic says....What are your guys stories of saddlebagging and riding during a storm? Mine are dull but here goes.... I think it was winter of 2007. A Nor'easter came through. We were planning a saddlebag trip around NY...Leaving from north of Syracuse. First day, 200+ miles. Next day, woke to about 6 inches of snow. Our normal run is about 200+ plus miles but this day all we could manage was 80!!! It snowed hard ALL day. And it was cold. We were the only ones on the trails (it was during the week). It snowed all day and if you went at all off the trail...stuck. We stayed in a rat trap hotel in Rome and then rode home the next day. The road crossings killed us. Some of them were 10 feet high. Can be pretty dangerous. Second story was in the Gaspe. I believe around Matane. It wasn't a storm but I think they get snow like that all the time! Couldn't find the trails, they were single track and blown over when we could find them. We wern't the only ones either. There was 2 groups of us that stayed together. We finally took a road to a small stop...old church??? Trail was right next to it and there was no way we would have made it. Snow must have been 3 feet deep. The trails looked a lot like Groomers pictures before he grooms them! Finally a guy on a Crossfire came through and yelled out Vive la Canada!!! We then followed his tracks...while they lasted! I have since been to the Gaspe 2 more times. That same area looks totally different when the trails are groomed and its not snowing and blowing!!! Tug Hill can give us here in NY some massive lake effect which is always fun to ride in! Any more stories? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vt_bluyamaha54 Posted December 25, 2010 Report Share Posted December 25, 2010 After riding in Quebec for many years, I have come to have a HUGE respect for WIND. The wind can transform a small snow storm (10-15cm / 4-6") into extremely challenging riding. If there is more snow, it can create drifts you would have to see to believe and can make trails impassible until they are broken open by grooming equipment. Most of you that have ridden in Gaspesie can likely relate to this. Two or three years ago, my riding partner and I parked our machines after breaking trail most of the day. The wind was blowing steadily around 30 and gusting to 40+. It was close to dark and we were about 20mi from our destination for the night.We walked to a grove of trees to get out of the wind and started a fire to keep warm. I had only a weak cell signal but called ahead to our destination for the night to say we were going to hunker down here and not to worry about us. I knew where we were and wasn't too worried but I knew that neither of us was in any shape to dig snowmobiles loaded with saddlebags and all our gear out of any more drifts or get them unstuck if we got off the trail! We had a very hard time keeping the fire fed as the wind was like a blacksmith's bellows. It consumed the wood almost as fast as we added it - and this was in an area partially sheltered! After about 4 hours, we saw lights coming toward us. It was the groomer! We left the grove to meet him and waited until he turned around. When we went back to the machines, the wind had carved away all the snow around them and they appeared to be "on pedestals" - about 3.5' above the ground! We got them started and followed in the tracks of the groomer back to a local farm where we left our machines for the night. The groomer operator and his partner gave us a ride to our hotel. All of this was the result of about a foot of snow! BEWARE THE WIND IN QUEBEC!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Live it up Rupp Posted December 26, 2010 Report Share Posted December 26, 2010 Just like the topic says....What are your guys stories of saddlebagging and riding during a storm? Mine are dull but here goes.... I think it was winter of 2007. A Nor'easter came through. We were planning a saddlebag trip around NY...Leaving from north of Syracuse. First day, 200+ miles. Next day, woke to about 6 inches of snow. Our normal run is about 200+ plus miles but this day all we could manage was 80!!! It snowed hard ALL day. And it was cold. We were the only ones on the trails (it was during the week). It snowed all day and if you went at all off the trail...stuck. We stayed in a rat trap hotel in Rome and then rode home the next day. The road crossings killed us. Some of them were 10 feet high. Can be pretty dangerous. Second story was in the Gaspe. I believe around Matane. It wasn't a storm but I think they get snow like that all the time! Couldn't find the trails, they were single track and blown over when we could find them. We wern't the only ones either. There was 2 groups of us that stayed together. We finally took a road to a small stop...old church??? Trail was right next to it and there was no way we would have made it. Snow must have been 3 feet deep. The trails looked a lot like Groomers pictures before he grooms them! Finally a guy on a Crossfire came through and yelled out Vive la Canada!!! We then followed his tracks...while they lasted! I have since been to the Gaspe 2 more times. That same area looks totally different when the trails are groomed and its not snowing and blowing!!! Tug Hill can give us here in NY some massive lake effect which is always fun to ride in! Any more stories? I havent ridden in too many major storms but here in south jersey it's a total white out.It's snowing sideways & like a bitch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil 1 Posted December 26, 2010 Report Share Posted December 26, 2010 That is when it is nice to have a "Rock" sled to ride down main st... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Live it up Rupp Posted December 27, 2010 Report Share Posted December 27, 2010 Yes.My 75 rupp Nitro is at my dads house in Pa.Waiting to build a garage here... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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