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3 day loop, March 6-7-8 Martins, Gouin, 100 Lacs


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Friday, March 6, 2015

The forecast was for a toasty -6F, and we woke up it was -26F! This is the winter that won't warm up. After a bit of regrouping for the cold we were ready. 4 of us headed out of St Michael De Saints at 9:00AM headed due north to the promised land. We decided to take the reservoir right out of town, ( we had not done that before) as the first part of 33 is never very good. It was really fun but fairly treacherous with the ice heaved every which way.

The side trail off the ice ended right at Auberge Du Lac Taureau‎ on the 33.

We continued on the 33 to Repos but with only 62 miles on the tank we continued to Kantawata for gas. We were first tracks on most of the 33 which never happens. Lots of snow and perfect groomed. We took the lake to over the trail to for the last 6 miles. We arrived with 92 miles on the tank at 11:20. We decided to eat an early lunch and avoid food in Parent. She makes a really nice lunch here and we were making good time.

After we ate we hit the trail heading for Casey. This section of trail is one of the finest you will ever find. It is groomed awesome and so very fast and fun. Through Casey we went onto the 83, then west. At another 93 miles we arrived in Parent for gas. As others have said the old gas is closed, (we were told bankruptcy), but no worries as the new gas is on the trail too. They seem to have a similar collection of goodies like the other station. The next 7 miles is the all new trail to keep you off the lakes and rivers. We slid into Clova with 65 miles on the tank and gassed them up.

We headed off to La Pourvoirie Martin on the side trail to reservoir Gouin. The side trail was in great shape. We arrived at 4:50 with 281 miles on for the day. We would have got here sooner but we stopped 2 different times to help pull folks out of the woods.

Line was happy to see us as we had not been this year.We had an awesome dinner of shrimp and chicken shish kabobs and homemade coffee cake for desert, she can really cook! Checked a few e-mails and called it a night.

Edited by markusvt
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Saturday, March 7, 2015

We woke up to bright sun and a balmy 7F above zero. We had a great breakfast and hit the trails at 8:30. We did not gas up as we only had 30 miles on the tank. We headed onto the Gouin reservoir aiming for Obedjiwan. The ice had lots of snow and was really smooth this trip. 35 miles later we were getting gas. We then headed off to Pourvoirie Du Barrage Gouin. The sun was out and the ride across the Gouin was really, really nice. We arrived at 10:50 and another 50 miles on the tank. Dave had not done this trip before and was really enjoying the adventure and the scenery.

Our plan was to go in for a soda and leave but we ended up staying for lunch and visiting for a while. Real bummer we did not have plans to stay the night and for dinner because walleye was on the menu. They said it was a slow winter due to the extreme cold. They also never opened the west trail due to not enough snow to fill the washouts and the traffic was fine on the east trail only. With Johnny’s new groomer the trails is as good as the main 83, maybe better.

We also got the details on a new place on the Gouin for lunch, Nimotekan, (N48° 48.343' W74° 34.411'). They are 40km from Obedjiwan, and maybe 40mi from Pourvoirie Du Barrage Gouin via the reservoir. They serve local walleye and moose meat. Martins also said the place was awesome. We have it on our radar for a future trip.

We left for Parent at 12:30ish we arrived there 65 miles later, gassed up and then checked out the cabins in Parent everyone talks about. They looked like a nice option if you needed it. The trail down to 100 lacs was in great shape, and very little traffic. We arrived with 255 on the day.

We never stayed here, (only lunch) but this is a very nice place. Great WIFI, and 4 course dinner with a choice of steak or fish. They treat you like you are at a fine restaurant with no time limit so keep that in mind. We had nowhere to go so it was all good.

We met up with a few other Vermonters, (Todd and Richard), and traded snowmobile stories over dinner. Nice to finally align with these guys on the trail! They were there for a 3 day stay on their BRP FreeRides exploring the outback. Most of the areas had plenty of snow for this.

Edited by markusvt
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Glad to hear you are having a nice trip. Especially glad to hear about 100 Lacs still having the four course meals that are so good, as we are heading there Friday night. They have always treated their guest nicely, taking time to ensure you have a great experience

We also went to Barrage Gouin last Friday night. Had heard so much about how great that place was. We had booked rooms in the lodge, but when we got there they put us in a cabin. They said on their website the rooms were 4 star, but I'd say this cabin wasn't much more than 1 star. Walleye was on the menu, but it was breaded and a little greasy. And their homemade chips were not too crunchy. On the bright side the staff were very friendly and helpful, and the trails getting there were 10/10. A great ride from St Damien about 251 miles. We took a few shortcuts on the way back, and and trail 33 back so it was a bit shorter to get back to St Damien, about 220 miles.

All in all it was a great weekend with mostly great trails.

Like I said next weekend 100Lacs. Will let you all know how it goes.

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Sunday, March 8, 2015

We got to breakfast early as there were 40 guests and we wanted to get in and out. We arrived at 7:00 AM and poured some OJ. They leave it out, as much as you want. They start breakfast with your starter of assorted fruits and a few crepes. Next onto eggs, potatoes, more fruit and assorted meats. It takes awhile and it was almost 9:30 before we got on the trail. No big deal it was not a high mileage day for us.

We compared notes with the Vermont FreeRide team and decided to go play on the power-lines before we hit the trail. We held our own with the 1200's, but they are not FreeRides that's for sure!

Those sleds and guys were amazing. They have a season of deep snow under their belts and it shows. Unlimited time and money I would love to have one also.

The 13 to the 53 was really nice. Some 65 miles later we were at MeeKoos. They say they will remain open for 2 more week-ends for sure. The trails out of there were nice but not a ton of base.

30 miles out of MeeKoos we stopped at a local relay for bite to eat as it was 11:30 already and not many options after this. They were very busy so we were there way longer than we wanted but no big deal. We took the 53 to the 319 to the 321 and joined the 63 at the airport in La Macazza. You can get gas there, (we had 55 miles on), but we marched on to the cafeteria. The first 20 miles of the 63 were a bit thin but after that you are on the old park road all the way in! Wow, really nice and fast. It did not add any miles but it was an awesome trail and it had a lot of snow.

We got to the cafeteria, (you have to backtrack 1/3 of a mile now) with 105 miles on the tank. Everyone took a splash to safely go the remaining 20 miles into St Michael De Saints.

We got to the truck at 3:45 and 200 miles on. The power-lines and the long lunch added time but we were happy and we caught some really nice trails.

It was a nice surprise when we caught the other Vermont team passing through the hotel in St Michael on the way back to Cabanon. They took the 13 to the 33 and down including the reservoir. They got to play in the power-lines along the way.

We found really nice conditions everywhere. Get it while you can. With less snow this year and no mid season warm-up to settle the snow the base won't take a lot of warm like last year. The roads, crossings and south facing hills will go very fast.

Edited by markusvt
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Mark, it was nice to finally meet up with you guys after talking about it for so many years. You guys are hardcore and always so well prepared. Enjoyed the evening and all the stories. Was fun seeing those 1200's out of there element and places they shouldn't be. Gave the freeride a good workout keeping up with Jay when we got back on trail. Excitement didn't end in the truck either. Richard missed corner on cabanon road and out came the shovel again ended up unloading sleds and driving road to get a truck to pull us out. Trips are always an adventure.

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