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Icemans Season Ender part 1


iceman
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Gonna start this post here then continue in the Saguenay LSJ forum tmmrw when we get up there. 

Its the beginning of the end and as all good things must come to an end, this season is no different. I've got 3 rides set up back to back to finish out my season. 

The first started this morning from Shawinigan and Chez Ice. This is a week i have bee waiting for as we got two QC rookies with myself and Playhard. We are 4 strong. My brother in law Al and our mutual friend Andy are with us for a 5 day ride. Both have minor sled experience but have experience on quads and streetbikes. They get it. Today was set up as a orientation day and easy 100 miles just to St Raymond. 

Cold as hell, did I mention that? Wind is wicked and these new guys gonna be baptized by fire and learn what January feels like usually even though its March. Was 5F with a biting wind most of the day. 

Dressed and sleds loaded. We left my house at 11:45. Guys got in late last night as My brother in law flew up from Florida to NY yesterday landed at 1:15pm then they had a stop in Mass to grab gear and up to Auberge Drakkar at 12:00am. 9am they are at my house and we go to pick up the toy box at Moto Thibault. No hurry we got all day. Grab trailer and kick some tires in the Showroom. We are back in truck northbound back to my house. We unload sleds and head inside the guys need to pack their saddlebags. This is done now we gear up and load sleds. Mrs Ice gets home just in time to say farewell as we cruise out the driveway and onto TQ3. Frozen just as suspected but no scratchers needed enough dust to keep things cool. 

Some corners are rubbed off and it is slippery without the iceripper or studs it's borderline dangerous. 

Playhard will set the pace for the new guys i will run tail gunner. Better this way. He is much more patient than me and has a way of teaching the basics. It's perfect. We are moving great these guys are quick studies. TQ3 to m-something to 23 then 351. All same rock frozen hard. With some loose dust on it. Some places glare ice, road sides hurting, gas stations, resto's, and motels bare pavement. So far. 

351 thru St Tite to 302. Cold but we are plugging along. 302 to St Adelphe. River is frozen but just bare ice. We cross and up through town on some bare sides of the road. 

302 and back to TQ23 we run this up to 353. We go to St Ubalde for lunch. Much needed warm up break its 2pm. Halfway to St Raymond. Out of lunch at 3pm. Ready for the sprint up to Roquemont. 353 to 73 nice trail. Everything flat some corners icy and wiped clean but its Saturday and we are seein more traffic closer we get to St Raymond. Down Railbed TQ73 its real nice. Not far out of St Raymond the guys see their first groomer. He is heading up. He pulls over and i watch as the guys squeeze on through. We sail on into Roquemont gassed up the guys with wheels (all of them) not me. Wheel on into the sled Corral i grind my way in as its bare in the lot and the Corral. Packed with trucks and trailers here. Unbelievable how many. 

Nice dinner and some micro brews and we will call it day one. We lose that hour tonight and we have 7am breakfast. 

TQ23 to L'Etape then up to Chicoutimi for Tmmrw.

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6 hours ago, actionjack said:

Like the equipment consistency.

Ice looks like you have someone fit up your saddlebags with the same retaining system.  We have a lot of Apexes in our group I am going to demand this for next years big ride.

Team Iceman (Team Yamaha).

Go Team Go!

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9 hours ago, actionjack said:

Like the equipment consistency.

Ice looks like you have someone fit up your saddlebags with the same retaining system.  We have a lot of Apexes in our group I am going to demand this for next years big ride.

IMG_20170311_160718_edit.thumb.jpg.6ee560edbfb7f57853ff3586f7b4aba4.jpgIMG_20170311_123243_edit.jpg.60a70e90982575f0c7edda1ff3b427b0.jpgIMG_20170214_133545_edit.jpg.3a07c815c64071ef70e3c07fed5388ce.jpg

We've gotta give those props to NH Mouse for the set up consult! Pinch-straps & belt-loops & running-board eye-hooks!

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Day 2 Sunday

Breakfast at Roquemont and out to load up and head out. Still cold this am but not as bad as yesterday. Scrspe out the parking lot and north on 23. Flat and fast certainly more ice closer to St Raymond. Once out the 12-15 miles from town back to full on winter trail conditions. Big snowdust today as the cold is just right for it. It kinda hangs there as the sleds pass. 

As expected not too many southbound until we get near L'Etape. Then its 11:00am and it stsrts, one after another. Headed down. Well it's Sunday and the end of school vacation week. Lots of action headed the opposite way. Most are all well behaved some really flying but on their sides. Trail is big . Into L'Etape too early for lunch here. Gas and a break to warm up. Trails have been super. Out and back to 23 north. Now its rush hour seriously saw more sleds pass me going opposite way then i have seen all season. Crazy. Playhard is ahead and gets to Mount Apica and runs in to order lunch so I had to stop. Too funny. He knew i would take one look at the madness just to try and park and want to ride on by. Glad we did stop as i had never been here (inside) and it was missing a sticker. Warm up and eat. A guy is there doing a survey for tourism and asks us questions about our trip and riding habits. Glad to help out. Leave there and most everyone is going south still had no one behind us all day going north. 

Another bonus ride, I just love riding with Playhard cause he takes me all the places i always ride right by. Next up the lookout up there by Mount Apica. Pretty sweet view even on a not so blue sky day. Wind wicked up there. But got the sticker on it. Down out of there and back to 23. Now the gremlins start. 

I ride with my highbeams on all day, now i notice i got no indicator light for high beams on my dash pod? Huh? Stop to check and sure enough got no headlights hi or low. I got hid lights. I have had bulbs fail(lose one light) lost a balast too same thing one light out. Never have lost both. Stop at intersection of 368 and check fuses......yup fuse is toast. Change fuse and it lasts maybe 5 miles then lights out. Screw it I aint playing with it here, too windy and cold and is running fine. Just pisses me off. I will look it over in the morning but not gonna spend too much time on this. 368 is just great and up thru Laterierre and on to 83 all in great shape. Up and into Chicoutimi just over 200 miles in at 4:30. 

Tomorrow is another day. Our newbies are quick learners and doing just great. 

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