Saguenay Bill Posted February 4, 2012 Report Share Posted February 4, 2012 This was a trip that reinforced the fact that you can never take anything for granted. We get so accustomed to wonderfull trails, reliable machines, good signage and decent weather. Its was amazing to listen to everyones thoughts after every days ride. Everyone was thinking the same thing, but at the time, nobody said anything...... HOLY SHIT IM NOT SURE IF WE SHOULD KEEP GOING, MY HEART WAS POUNDING SO FAST IT WAS GOING TO BLOW OUT OF MY CHEST. IT Really reiforced the use of a GPS with Trails (priceless) and fuel caddys. On this trip we were very fortunate everything worked out! BJ BJ In 1991 I had the pleasure of meeting Ken Casey, a real legend, from Maine. I met him in Jonquiere in January that year. Back then he was riding 10,000 miles per year. Trails were not what they are today for sure. Back then he told me it took him 3 days to get from Baie Comeau to Jonquiere. Not much signage, not much grooming in some areas. He didn't have a GPS back then but did carry 1 gallon of gas in his homemade plywood box that he covered with fiberglass and painted red, which also had a winch and a gallon of oil in it along with his clothes. He had an axe bolted to the side of the machine and a pair of snowshoes. Oh yea, he rode those 10,000 miles alone. He had a open face helmet, with no shield and a one piece suit that didn't have much insulation in it. I still carry his business card with me. His Quebec nickname is "Yellow Boots". He wore a pair of work shoes with the yellow rubber boots over them. He was my hero and I thought one day I'd be able to ride like him. No way could anyone be like Ken. He was one rough, tough individual. He told me one year SD wanted his sled to tear down, see what was worn, replace what was worn and have him ride it again the following year, which he did. Guys like him where the real pioneers of saddlebagging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viper2 Posted February 4, 2012 Report Share Posted February 4, 2012 BJ In 1991 I had the pleasure of meeting Ken Casey, a real legend, from Maine. I met him in Jonquiere in January that year. Back then he was riding 10,000 miles per year. Trails were not what they are today for sure. Back then he told me it took him 3 days to get from Baie Comeau to Jonquiere. Not much signage, not much grooming in some areas. He didn't have a GPS back then but did carry 1 gallon of gas in his homemade plywood box that he covered with fiberglass and painted red, which also had a winch and a gallon of oil in it along with his clothes. He had an axe bolted to the side of the machine and a pair of snowshoes. Oh yea, he rode those 10,000 miles alone. He had a open face helmet, with no shield and a one piece suit that didn't have much insulation in it. I still carry his business card with me. His Quebec nickname is "Yellow Boots". He wore a pair of work shoes with the yellow rubber boots over them. He was my hero and I thought one day I'd be able to ride like him. No way could anyone be like Ken. He was one rough, tough individual. He told me one year SD wanted his sled to tear down, see what was worn, replace what was worn and have him ride it again the following year, which he did. Guys like him where the real pioneers of saddlebagging. What ever happend to Yellow Boots, is he still riding? Haven't heard much about him in last few years Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scranton1 Posted February 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2012 BJ In 1991 I had the pleasure of meeting Ken Casey, a real legend, from Maine. I met him in Jonquiere in January that year. Back then he was riding 10,000 miles per year. Trails were not what they are today for sure. Back then he told me it took him 3 days to get from Baie Comeau to Jonquiere. Not much signage, not much grooming in some areas. He didn't have a GPS back then but did carry 1 gallon of gas in his homemade plywood box that he covered with fiberglass and painted red, which also had a winch and a gallon of oil in it along with his clothes. He had an axe bolted to the side of the machine and a pair of snowshoes. Oh yea, he rode those 10,000 miles alone. He had a open face helmet, with no shield and a one piece suit that didn't have much insulation in it. I still carry his business card with me. His Quebec nickname is "Yellow Boots". He wore a pair of work shoes with the yellow rubber boots over them. He was my hero and I thought one day I'd be able to ride like him. No way could anyone be like Ken. He was one rough, tough individual. He told me one year SD wanted his sled to tear down, see what was worn, replace what was worn and have him ride it again the following year, which he did. Guys like him where the real pioneers of saddlebagging. I luv it. Wonder how many night he has spent in the bush during winter........he'll I wonder if anyone on this site has had to spend a night in the bush..this could lead to some great stories! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saguenay Bill Posted February 4, 2012 Report Share Posted February 4, 2012 What ever happend to Yellow Boots, is he still riding? Haven't heard much about him in last few years Maybe mikerider can fill us in as Ken had a camp near Mike's. I did hear from his daughter several years ago. At that time she told me he was still riding but not as many miles as he would have liked to ride. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
f7firecat Posted February 6, 2012 Report Share Posted February 6, 2012 Nice photos!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
towing Posted February 9, 2012 Report Share Posted February 9, 2012 Great report and pics good offtrail shots thanks for sharing Alain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Je me souviens Posted February 10, 2012 Report Share Posted February 10, 2012 WOW, what more can you say? Sweet trip. I had never heard of yellow boots, sounds like my hero too, thanks for the story Bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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