skidooccio Posted December 30, 2015 Report Share Posted December 30, 2015 For all of us getting ready to ride, your reports are excellent! Keep up the good work and thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iceman Posted December 30, 2015 Report Share Posted December 30, 2015 Hi Don, Just by chance our waitress tonight was Sylvie. I mentioned "Don and Caro says hi". She looked at me unsure. You are correct that she doesn't speak English too good. One of the other waitress' that does understand a little more English explained to her. Sylvie lit up when we mentioned her prior job in Shawinigan. She probably can't put together a connection why two people from the States would know someone here that knows her. It is a little confusing. But we did say hi and I'm she will remember us. Jack & Sandi Thanks guys, she is probaly most cofused for sure. If by chance you see her again just tell her you are snowmobilers and you know Don. She probably was trying to understand how you knew her and she did not know you. lol. My wife will text her to clear it up. Enjoy the rest of your trip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikerider Posted December 30, 2015 Report Share Posted December 30, 2015 Hi Jack and Sandi, Always enjoy reading your reports. Keep them coming. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revct1 Posted December 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2015 For all of us getting ready to ride, your reports are excellent! Keep up the good work and thanks! It is our pleasure. Sharing our rides over QR makes it that much more enjoyable. We're glad so many of you enjoy the posts too. Thanks guys, she is probaly most cofused for sure. If by chance you see her again just tell her you are snowmobilers and you know Don. She probably was trying to understand how you knew her and she did not know you. lol. My wife will text her to clear it up. Enjoy the rest of your trip. Hi Don. Yea you're probably right. I don't think she is making the connection. Hi Jack and Sandi, Always enjoy reading your reports. Keep them coming. Mike Hi Mike. Your turn is coming soon. Have you heard how RDL did with this storm? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikerider Posted December 30, 2015 Report Share Posted December 30, 2015 Haven't really been following RDL as the trails have been closed so far. My guess is probably ten inches this storm, and if they had a couple inch base already, then it won't be long. First trip hopefully around January 15th. Hope we meet again this winter. Take care and have a great week. mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revct1 Posted December 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2015 Today's report. This morning we leave the Sag and head south on 83. There is some fresh snow from overnight but not the 30 cm like Montreal received. Most of the ugly stuff on the trail is covered. Arriving at La Baie, the trail is getting better. Just past the La Baie cutoff we see the groomer coming towards us. This is nice. Continuing south on 83 towards St Felix is like mid season. Nice trail, fresh groomed and not much traffic. A few snowflakes in the air but we notice a little icing on the shields. There wasn't any freezing rain predicted. We are not complaining there is snow. We stay on 83. At the cutoff to Ravage, we lose the groomed trail. The groomer came out of Ravage or had turned around in there. We are staying on 83 south. The trail isn't quite as good but still nice. Plenty of snow cover. A few small drifts here and there. Sandi is leading and I've dropped back a little because of the snow dust. About 10 or 15 miles below the Ravage cutoff, I don't see Sandi because the trail dropped down. I do see a few sleds heading north on the other side of the drop but they have stopped. I slow down and then I see a half a dozen big drifts that blew in from the lake on the right and oh oh. There to the left I see the bottom of Sandi's sled with Sandi on the ground next to it. Her right ski caught the high side of the drift and tossed Sandi and the sled off to the left. I ran down and two of the other sledders came up. Sandi is a little dazed but OK. The other sledders are Quebecers but could speak English. We get Sandi up on her feet and she is OK. We turn our attention to Sandi's "new" sled. It is on its side. We roll it over onto the track and pick up the windshield, wind deflectors and mirrors. The sled starts right up. A quick check and it looks like a few new pieces of plastic will take care of the damage. Thank you very much to the Quebec people that helped us. At that point we decide to U-turn and head back. Enough adventure for now. The sled is handling alright. The mirrors are in our luggage. We go back up 83 and turn left onto 383 towards Ferland. We stop at the relais at that intersection for a little rest. After a 10 minute break we continue up 383. It wasn't too many miles and we come across a few sleds parked on the right side of the trail. I look off to the right side ahead of the sleds and I see the drivers and a Ski Doo down in the gulley. It is time to stop and give them a hand. After a few minutes the sled is back on its track and up on the trail. Everybody brushes off the snow dust and we continue up 383. Not too far before Ferland there is a small bridge that the groomer doesn't cross. After that little bridge the trail is getting poor. Passable but not as nice as what we have been riding on. The little mist that was in the air earlier is now enough where it is freezing on the shield. This isn't as much fun. The heated shields don't melt the freezing rain. We continue up 383 and turn right on 368. Then we turn left onto 83 and head back to the Chicoutimi. Stopping frequently to scratch the ice off the shields. Finally back at the hotel. Tomorrow I'm not sure where we are going to adventure. We will sleep on it. Til then Jack & Sandi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
800steve Posted December 30, 2015 Report Share Posted December 30, 2015 Sorry to hear of your mishap, but if everyone is OK it will make a great story in the future. Just some plastic damage is good news, I guess you have to expect a few things early season riding. Overall conditions sound pretty good. Be safe and have a good time for the next days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Posted December 30, 2015 Report Share Posted December 30, 2015 Jack, Glad Sandi is ok! Good news. Do you think it's worth us coming up next week? Thanks so much Jack! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revct1 Posted December 31, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2015 Sorry to hear of your mishap, but if everyone is OK it will make a great story in the future. Just some plastic damage is good news, I guess you have to expect a few things early season riding. Overall conditions sound pretty good. Be safe and have a good time for the next days. Thanks Steve. As long as Sandi is OK the parts can be replaced. Sometimes parts wear out and sometimes parts break. We have a couple that broke. Jack, Glad Sandi is ok! Good news. Do you think it's worth us coming up next week? Thanks so much Jack! Hi Shane. Right now around town is so so. It is still thin. There is a very light mist in the air. Maybe the mist will keep the drifts down. Sandi will like that. Up in elevation the trails are better. We are going to head over to Mont Valin later this week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revct1 Posted December 31, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2015 I almost forgot. Hi Bill. Sandi says thanks for recommending the Tek vests. We don't know how much it helped but she isn't broken like the parts are. Jack & Sandi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saguenay Bill Posted December 31, 2015 Report Share Posted December 31, 2015 Glad she is OK. Tek vest is a good investment. You got one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil 1 Posted December 31, 2015 Report Share Posted December 31, 2015 Jack Glad Sandy is OK, I never ride without a Tek vest and I've also needed a few new plastic parts from time to time. It does make for good stories as time passes. Tested the Tek vest a few times also... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Posted December 31, 2015 Report Share Posted December 31, 2015 Thank you Jack. Looking forward to more reports. So glad Sandi is ok! I too never ride without a tek vest and neither do my wife and son! Great piece of safety equipt!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichiganRev Posted December 31, 2015 Report Share Posted December 31, 2015 Also glad to here Sandi is ok. We've all been there. I will never ride without my Tekvest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnomoGary Posted December 31, 2015 Report Share Posted December 31, 2015 Hi Jack glad to hear Sandi is ok, I too have a Tekvest which I've tested a couple of times . I've tried to get Pat to wear one , now she's having a rethink .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scorpionbowl Posted December 31, 2015 Report Share Posted December 31, 2015 Not sure if this is old news, but the nice food/gas stop in st Felix is no more, for sale. There is gas still. A credit card kiosk next to the pump runs them, never seen this, still the old style pump. A local helped us out. I used a chip & sign card and it worked, can't say if an old style card will work, no cash. Fortunately, the SAQ is still there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindasledgirl Posted December 31, 2015 Report Share Posted December 31, 2015 Hi Jack and Sandy, So glad you are enjoying a ride in Quebec, thanks for the update. I am so happy to hear Sandy is ok! Happy New Years!! All the best, Linda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
182ray Posted December 31, 2015 Report Share Posted December 31, 2015 Happy to hear Sandy is fine...but U better "test drive" it for her to make sure all the new parts are installed correctly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vt_bluyamaha54 Posted December 31, 2015 Report Share Posted December 31, 2015 Good to hear Sandi was not injured. I'm sure the incident damaged her pride - and maybe her confidence - more than the cosmetic damage to the machine. Hope the rest of your trip is uneventful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revct1 Posted December 31, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2015 (edited) Glad she is OK. Tek vest is a good investment. You got one? Hi Bill. When we bought the new suits a few years ago we both got the vests. Peace of mind for the protection but also another layer of warmth. Edited December 31, 2015 by revct1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Florida Snowman Posted December 31, 2015 Report Share Posted December 31, 2015 Hi Jack & Sandi, Glad you were not hurt Sandi. Drifts can be very unpredictable for sure. I've been wearing a Tek Vest since my accident 7 years ago this coming March 9th. I wouldn't ride without it. Great comfort & additional warmth indeed. Thanks for all of your posts Jack! Always love living the sled dream from my sofa or bed thru others that post real time details. Enjoy the rest of your trip! Happy New Year! Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revct1 Posted December 31, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2015 Thanks everyone for your comments and concerns. Other than a little sore, Sandi is fine. A few more centimeters of snow last night. This morning I went over to the SkiDoo dealer and bought the plastic that we needed for the repair. Popped the windshield back on and we're ready to go. Late start this morning so we head to Shipshaw to see how the bridges are. This side of the bridges on 367 the trail is pretty good. It had been groomed maybe a day or two ago. The bridges are in good shape. After the second bridge, do we stay on 367 thru St Ambroise or take the local 134 to the right? I know 367 usually isn't a good choice but I was concerned that local 134 may be drifted in. After thinking about yesterday's fight with the snow drift, we pick 367. Well, 367 hasn't lost any of its moguls since last year. I think they freeze them over the summer and save the bumps for us early riders. I don't think the groomer has even come close to St Ambroise. Maybe it is too swampy or something else is the cause of lack of grooming. 367 is rough. Just north of St Amborise it looks like 93 has been rerouted again. This time it is turning onto the VTT trail just after the original 93 and just before the irrigation fields. We stay on 367 even though the VTT trail was groomed. We should have went VTT. 328 to our left to Begin isn't hardly broke never mind groomed. We continue on 367 to where 328 goes to our right toward St David. Again this doesn't look great but it can't be any worse. We turn right on 328. The first couple of fields are pretty good. Powder on the trail but pretty smooth underneath. A few miles later the trail turns into just one sled wide and bump, bump, bump. Oh this isn't good. There really isn't even a good spot to turn around in. We go just a little further and see the steel arched bridge. I know 134 isn't too much further. We press on. We finally get to 134. Not groomed, not even broke. Everybody has been running down the adjacent road. We do the same. Not too bad. When the road turns to our left and the trail continues straight, it runs in conjunction with the VTT trail. The VTT trail is the same one that is out of St Ambroise and it had been groomed not too long ago. We are now VTTs. The rest of 134 to Shipshaw was pretty good. A lot of the 134 snowmobile trail didn't even have a sled track on it. The VTT trail was the one to use. After Shipshaw we came back in 367 to the hotel. A short day but the second half was much better than the first half. Not much traffic out. We saw a few sleds but overall pretty quiet. We haven't decided about tomorrow yet. We wanted to hit Mount Valin today but didn't. Maybe tomorrow. Do we trailer over to Valinuet or try 134 to 93? Hmm. Have a good night and Happy New Year to everyone. See you on the trails soon. Jack & Sandi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scorpionbowl Posted December 31, 2015 Report Share Posted December 31, 2015 Not sure if this appropriate, but I can stand in with today's update, since I'm two doors down from Jack and Sandi... As usual, breakfast when it opens, 6:30a. I had eggs with sausage, Marty had eggs Benedict. Time to load the sleds to head to the mountain. Looks like most sleds and trailers have headed home for New Years, by the look in the parking lot. Almost 3" of fresh snow 15F, we load up for the 1 hour drive to valinouet. Parking lot fairly empty at valinouet, we hit the trail around 9a toward chapelle. Trails are groomed but a little thin till the bridge. At the 264 intersection we notice it's groomed with no tracks, so we take it to the 262 back up to 93 for top off at chapelle, everything freshly groomed. After gas, it's off to the Pelchat. 93 to the 251 to 252 are all freshly groomed to perfection. At this point I start to think all of the groomers were out last night since tonight is New Years. Once at the Pelchat, it's nicely groomed almost double wide the entire way, if groomer could see it, I think he would tear-up, like when he sees Linda for the first time each year, lol. The Pelchat trail is a little different this year, bypassing the school bus, so for reference, the mileage from chapelle to the coronet is 108, direct. As always, most of 3 between Pelchat and 93 was poor. We gas up and grab a pepperoni lunch at the coronet when we see the NH leg of team Maine pull in behind us, minus RoadRunner. We then head up the 93 to finish the loop. The C-900 leg of 93 is a real ripper as always. Once at the 252 intersection, 93 is an ok trail until KM31 when it turns into 20 miles of death. If there was helicopter service from valinouet to KM31, I would have used it. Gas up, load up, 230 miles in the books, back to the room at 5pm, 18F and flurries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scorpionbowl Posted December 31, 2015 Report Share Posted December 31, 2015 Oops I guess they did update while I was typing... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil 1 Posted December 31, 2015 Report Share Posted December 31, 2015 Two updates can't be beat; Happy New Years guys keep the reports coming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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