Sled Dog Posted February 2, 2013 Report Share Posted February 2, 2013 Left from Maniwaki. Finally got to meet Midrange (Jack) and have a beer with him! He's been helping us plan our trips and give us conditions updates for years and its super appreciated! From all of us Syracuse, NY boys, great to meet you Jack! 4 veterans of Quebec trips and 1 Newbie on this trip. Our plan was to head East from Maniwaki and be near Chibougamau on Wednesday when the rain and warm weather hit. This way we'd be the furthest North we could get. But it was not to be.... Day 1: 240 miles. Left Maniwaki on 63. Trails were choppy a bit on the way out, but always seem to be. No biggie. We went through Devils Mountain area at the suggestion of Jack and he was spot on. 225 and 228 I believe and they were great. Had lunch at Mekoos and stayed at Repos. We fueled up in Manawan...kinda scary. Lot of road riding to get to gas and the pumps are behind locked gates! Did not feel welcome. Oh well. Repos was great as usual. Day 2: 240 miles. Got interesting here. A Yamaha with 14,000 miles did not want to start. Wasn't that cold out and it would cough but not start. Finally did and away we went. Took 345 to 83. Plan was to get gas at Wemotaci. Well, about 10 miles from Wemotaci we stopped for a pee break and to check gas. The Yamaha that started hard would not start. Ran perfect all morning but once it was stopped, nothing. No cough, just the starter turning the motor over. Crap. My Ski Doo towed the Yamaha to the gas station in Wemotaci. One of the guys on our trip has been coming to Quebec for over 20 years and this was the first time he has had a Yamaha towed. Says a lot about the reliability. The people at the gas station in Wemotaci were great. We rounded up a truck to take the sled to the nearest Yamaha dealer.....in La Tuque!!! South!!!! We rode there, took 83 to Windago, crossed Reservoir Blanc and took 73 to La Toque. Reservoir was not marked but good directions from Windigo helped us out. Day 3: 107 miles. Woke to pouring rain. Pouring! And warm! Yamaha was getting fixed at dealer and would be ready at 11:00. Turns out the stator was bad. Dealer mechanic drove to another dealer 2.5 hours away to get need part. All in all it cost Brian $1200.00 to get sled fixed....OUCH. But no choice. Sled is very well maintained but no way can you prevent that part from failing. Around 11:30 we set out, with me wearing a orange garbage bag and looking like a orange tootsie roll! Took 73 back to 83 where we staying at Windigo. Trails were great! But it was pouring and warm. I was soaked through. Could wring water from my shirt when I was done. Day 4: 270 miles. At Windigo we got drunk. DRUNK. Great place, dried all our stuff and were super accomadating. I'd stay there again. Woke to pouring rain. Got going on sleds around 10:30 and at this point we just want to get back to truck. The Yamaha rider had a very severe case of the brown bottle flu. A couple stops were needed to get rid of the poison....!!!!! He'll never hear the end of it! We arrived in Mekoos at 7:00. It got colder and snowed a little, trails were good. 83-345-33-53 to Mekoos. 10-15 long stretches of open water, a little harrowing but doable. Day 5: 76 miles. Trails out of Mekoos were very, very hard, but had a little snow so that was ok. Yamaha rider tipped his sled and cracked some cowling. It comes in threes Brian! Your done! We made it to Mont-Laurier and then decided to get a cab to truck in Manawaki and come back for sleds. They were all overheating. There was a slight dusting of fresh snow on trails but not enough. $112.00 for cab but was the right decision. A good trip, not as many miles as we normally do but with everything that happened I think we did well. Brian had 3 mishaps, stator, hangover and rollover but was a good sport about it all! Happens to everyone! A good time with a great bunch of people. Isn't that what's it all about??!! Not very good pics but there wasn't a lot of good opportunities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pipeman Posted February 2, 2013 Report Share Posted February 2, 2013 Yep........It's all about the adventure! Nobody was hurt so the rest is just another trip to remember.....Esp the brown bottle flu! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snobeeler Posted February 2, 2013 Report Share Posted February 2, 2013 Nice Report, Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizz Posted February 3, 2013 Report Share Posted February 3, 2013 yep, good with the bad. Thanks for the report. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
600IQHO Posted February 3, 2013 Report Share Posted February 3, 2013 Nice report, and yes Windigo is a nice place to stay. If all goes well I will be back there real soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trailblazer Posted February 3, 2013 Report Share Posted February 3, 2013 Nice report Sleddog and happy to hear everyone was a good sport and in good spirits given the weather. You just had to throw in that pic of the Yamaha being towed by a BRP eh!!! Lol it's all good guys. Snowmobiling is always an adventure Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Florida Snowman Posted February 3, 2013 Report Share Posted February 3, 2013 That's a very rare sighting JG so Sled Dog had to document it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mid Range Posted February 4, 2013 Report Share Posted February 4, 2013 Thanks for your report Rich. It was a pleasure to meet you all. Beer was good specially with 215 miles under the buckle. We lost a lot of snow from the rain last week. Planning a trip this winter is pure gambling as you don't know what kind of weather you're gonna get. We cancelled our trip towards lac st-jean,saguenay,charlevoix etc. First time in many years we have to cancel. Leaving for Abitibi next friday. Btw the garbage bag can be useful at times lol..... I know what I'm talking about. Say Hi!! to the guys!! and will see you soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyman Posted February 4, 2013 Report Share Posted February 4, 2013 (edited) Midrange we may meet on the trail next week. Andy Edited February 4, 2013 by Andyman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mid Range Posted February 4, 2013 Report Share Posted February 4, 2013 Midrange we may meet on the trail next week. Andy It would be nice to meet you guys. Like snowfarmer said on another post. No plan , no reservations , we are flying by the seat of our pants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Florida Snowman Posted February 4, 2013 Report Share Posted February 4, 2013 It would be nice to meet you guys. Like snowfarmer said on another post. No plan , no reservations , we are flying by the seat of our pants. That's the best way to fly Mid Range! I'm the same way. Always have my satellite phone & lots of phone numbers available when I decide where I'm sleeping that night. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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