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2018 Riviere du Loup Trail Conditions/Gossip/Tidbits


mikerider
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For those of you wondering if the trails are holding up, the answer is mostly no! The farther you are inland, the trails still have tons of snow. However, anything near the river is toast! Water is deep in a lot of fields, and we know this first-hand! Not a good situation, taxi cab ride planned for morning back to RDL to retrieve truck and trailer, them back to matane to get sleds.

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Jack, Terry and I started out from the hotel in blizzard conditions a short time ago. Snowing hard and extremely strong winds. I would say at least 8-10 inches of new snow in the woods . When the wind can reach the trail there are either big drifts or blown bare. After a few miles we came to one water hole that was't too bad but I saw it as a sign to turn around. Visibility was nil at times. Jack and Terry continued on.

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4 hours ago, neksledr said:

We had a taxi lined up to get us back to RDL, but he bailed! Got to hotel to pick us up and said roads are treacherous. New plan is to get us at 6am. Looks like a day for beer, massage, and football!

Hi Terry,

Its doable out there but it isn't easy.  A small loop is OK but committing to a full day is a little tougher.  Wise to sit tight.  Drink up and we will see you tomorrow.

Jack & Sandi

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Yes we rode today and there is snow out there and even some water.  From Universal to Les Adventuriers it is blown in and some water spots in the low areas.  At the clubhouse intersection of 85 and 5, the sleds ahead of us turned on 5, Terry and I decided to stay on 85.  Being the rail bed, I figured it would be drier.  No one ahead of us and 10-12" of snow.  Get that front end up and drive her like a boat.  Yipee!  No drifts here with all the trees around.  Just some nice boating.

We get to 526 to the right and no one has been there either.  Lets stay on 85.  Cruising along, snow dust flying.  We get to the junction with 544 and someone had come up 85 and turned here.  Good.  Lets take 544 and see if we can get to Les Exploratuers.  Its good and bad with tracks down ahead of you.  Its easier to see the trail but it tosses you around a little more.  We get to the local 40 that cuts back over to 526 and that is the way the other guys went so here we go.  We only go a short distance and come around the corner where the radio / cell tower is.  About 1 mile after that I see wet trail.  They went thru it we can.  Throttle up.  We go around a corner and it is still all water.  Oh the tracks from the other sleds are throwing me around.  I go around the next corner and oh no, they are stopped in the trail.  I let off a little and one guy sees us coming.  He jumps on his sled and moves it out of the way just enough so I can squeak by.  I go a little bit and get up on dry trail.  I turn around and here comes Terry fighting it all the way.  He just gets to the end of the water and the back end of his sled falls into the drainage ditch.  Stuck!

The other guys turned out to be from Maine.  They give us a hand getting Terry out.  Then we put our attention to their one sled that is stuck.  He is in a little deeper.  A little rocking and rolling we get it out of the hole and up on the trail.  A little more throttle and tugging and its out.  We all get back on the sleds and head down to the Les Exploratuers clubhouse.  They are open and its noontime.  A well deserved break here to warm up and have something to eat.

The guys from Maine take off down trial 35 toward Tourville.  We decide that we don't want to go swimming again so we cross the road and get on 561 north.  This has been broke so its not to bad.  Quite a bit of snow on it though.  We plow our way up to 5 and turn right.  We don't need to make this a huge day.  Just a few miles and have some fun.

A few miles along on 5 and we get to where the groomer turns around.  He was here earlier today.  Nice.  We still have 5-6" of snow on the trail but it was groomed.  I'm surprised he made a pass.  We have a few small water holes but nothing to worry about.  Its a good ride back to Les Adventuriers.  A quick chit chat and we will go back to the Universal.  We drop down to the bottom of their driveway and there are a couple of cars parked in the road.  We look to our left and there are two big wreckers pulling a snow plow truck out of the ditch.  He is having a bad day.

Back in the flat lands and we have a few more water holes and some drifting.  We get back to the Universal safe and sound.

Here is a pic from today.  A little more snow cover on the ground and a lot of snow pack in the suspension.  I was wondering why it was riding so hard!

                                                                                         5a5a7982cd6bf_Universalwithsnowpackinthesuspension.JPG.18df1638c4a7f76e48ac0eeb5ec75a3a.JPG

Tomorrow is forecast to be nice.  

Jack & Sandi

Edited by revct1
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Great pics and story of your adventure today.  Each ride sure does take its own personality!  Keep us posted! The next few days should be really good! Enjoy!

RR

 

Meanwhile back here in Maine, a foot of snow was not the issue, but trees and water made  our discussion todayC2435F74-2A42-442D-B931-E49E911C7411.thumb.jpeg.72ea64d8e625106658af9c26ae135668.jpegEBA12462-4550-4294-8EF0-6D954DF58A1A.thumb.jpeg.b4840a485f423cfd9414b2b6d3dc083e.jpeg3996857A-1C7E-4467-900D-19DD4B4C97CC.thumb.jpeg.4235e2b313b5772524f6d94364a140b9.jpeg today.  First time with the new Mikita chain saw, works really nice!

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To anyone that stays at the Universal I suggest they be sure to mention they heard about them here on Quebec Rider. And as you travel through the Bas St-Laurent region mention at any relais or other business you patronize you learned about them here.

It would be very beneficial to this website to have the Universal & the Bas St-Laurent region as paid sponsors.

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