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Joliette/St-Côme Ice sculpture festival 3february2018


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A short relax ride this last weekend, a classic for us: go to see the ice sculptures in St-Côme. The 3 weeks festival is running  and will continue until February 11th. We went there by St-Jean de Matha trail and returned by St-Alphonse. Here is the trail path of the day for around 120 miles


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The snow conditions were good everywhere and the night had been very cold at -30C giving us very beautiful trails. Here on # 43 near home in St-Thomas de Joliette

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.Here on the Black River in St-jean de Matha close to BRP dealer Géro

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The junction for trail #349 to Ste-Béatrix/St-Côme is located about3/4 mile further north than in past years

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here a part of the new path that join the old route a bit farther

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Here in the fields near Ste-Beatrix


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In the mountains towards St-Côme

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Having made a very late start around 10:30, we had took our lunch when we arrived at St-Côme at La Marguerite restaurant. The service and food were excellent 

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So after dinner, we took a good walk along the main street to admire this year's masterpieces. Here a beautiful old style pickup .

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Even the dog carved in ice in the back.

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Insects in St-Côme are huge, in summer and winter!

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A lot of work to build this full size locomotive

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but it is going strong...

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Here a scene with a mother bear and her 2 little kids (we see just one)

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the details...

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The Ice Bar!

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A herd of horses

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The sculptors at work. Here to do the fur finish ..


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and carve the antlers

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The result is simply amazing

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There are more that  you may have the pleasure of discovering if you go there for a ride 

For our part, going to St-Côme = pit stop at the village bakery to buy a sugar pie and cinnamon buns. Always as good as in our childhood.


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We then took the trail again, the #343 direction Notre-Dame de la Merci

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Here the Val St-Côme ski resort

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We then came back by #43 trail, pretty tigh wood trail up to Ste-Marceline and than openup in fields of St-Ambroise up to home

We finally got back home for supper . A nice relax ride with beautiful scupltures to admire and as a bonus we had buns and sugar pie for supper dessert!

For those who would like to go to St-Côme, the festival continues throughout the week and the next weekend until February 11th.

Snow conditions are at their best, we had an other 5 inches of new stuff on sunday, we are really in the best of the season.

Bye!

Alain

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Very nice Alain, thanks for sharing.  Those ice sculptures are amazing.

Next time get TWO sugar pies and invite me to dinner! It is my favorite.  Interestingly, the hotel I stay at took sugar pies off the menu a couple years ago as did Au Cage la Sports Restaurant. That has to be a crime in Quebec, right?

mike

 

 

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Carvings are incredible Alain. Thanks for the pictures. We spend last Thursday to Saturday in Saint Michel des Saints. 

Didn't realize this event was on. On Friday we went south down to Coin Lavigne then headed east for a loop. Could have easily went to St Come if knew festival was on.

Spend the next 2 days riding to the north on perfect trails. Loved the 345 south from Repos down to the 360

 

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On 06/02/2018 at 5:21 AM, mikerider said:

Very nice Alain, thanks for sharing.  Those ice sculptures are amazing.

Next time get TWO sugar pies and invite me to dinner! It is my favorite.  Interestingly, the hotel I stay at took sugar pies off the menu a couple years ago as did Au Cage la Sports Restaurant. That has to be a crime in Quebec, right?

mike

 

 

Thanks Mike! Yes a crime, don't touch the sugar pies!!!

I used to be a sugar beast when younger. We had a sugar shack at our farm and it was normal thing to eat a bowl of maple sugar with a spoon or drinking a glass of maple syrup. If I would tried that now I would  fall in diabetic coma right away! The St-Côme bakery is part of the history for Kristine and me, I remember the first time we got there together by sled in 1986 with an indy400 single seat we had skeeze a sugar pie in the rear trunk... was not looking like a sugar pie when back home but still delicious!!! 

 

On 06/02/2018 at 8:04 PM, Fuse6 said:

Carvings are incredible Alain. Thanks for the pictures. We spend last Thursday to Saturday in Saint Michel des Saints. 

Didn't realize this event was on. On Friday we went south down to Coin Lavigne then headed east for a loop. Could have easily went to St Come if knew festival was on.

Spend the next 2 days riding to the north on perfect trails. Loved the 345 south from Repos down to the 360

 

Sorry you missed your chance to see them in real. The sculpture festival is always around the end of January, it was 2 weekend with the week in between years ago but they have since few years streched at 3 weekend which is a good thing. We usually go around the middle to see more completed pieces but they continue to build new one up to the end. There was this one at beginning on saturday when we pass:

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That had turned into this yesterday

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Will be finished just in time for the week end I guess

 

Alain

 

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