kgallis Posted March 18, 2009 Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 Friday March 6th We began the trip by parking at Auberge Bealeau in St Joseph de Mekinac. We left Scranton about 5:00 pm and arrived at Jean's place at ~ 2:00 am and got a few hours sleep. March 7th- Lac Mekinac to Roberval We began the trip by leaving at ~ 10:00 am and heading to La Tuque and then 355 to Lac Eduoard. We had lunch at the place on the lake and were watching people ice fishing. They said the ice was 48" thick and watching a gasoline powered auger nearly bottom out before it reached the water confirmed the ice was thick as hell. We continued on 355 and made it to Roberval well before dark. I believe we finished the day with around 195 miles. 355 right around Lac Eduoard were really narrow with a lot of turns, but after a few miles everything was great again. The trails were very good. March 8th- Roberval to Chibougamau We got on the trails around 9:00 am and headed out on 93. We topped the sleds off in La Dore and then headed out. The trails were great and there was a ton of snow as we got 30 or so miles outside of LaDorre. This was the first time we made the trip to Chibougamau and it was a fair distance between LaDorre and the little relias outside of town. Our buddies firecat ran out of gas about 15 miles south of the relias, but we carry extra fuel on the doo's so it was not a problem. After a few fully dressed pizzas and some fuel, we rode the final 30 or so miles to the Nordic. We forked out the extra few bucks to keep the sleds in the heated garage for the night. A great day of riding, somewhere around 220 miles for the day. March 9th- Chibougamau to Sennitarre We started the day early, since we were in bed by 8:00 pm the night berfore. It was -30C at 5:30 am when we pulled the sleds out of the garage. Our buddy on the firecat was having a problem with hitting speeds over 70, so we did a little bit of wrenching before the ride on the driven clutch. Even though his sled was not running perfect, he insisted on taking it on the trip (instead of our spare rev) b/c of the new Garmin Zumo GPS that he had installed on the sled. The GPS was really cool with the trail maps overlayed on the screen, but he couldn't find his way out of a paper bag with that thing. Anyway, this was our first time on "piston alley" and it was great. There was three or four inches of fresh snow on the trail and we made really good time cruising at speeds of 60 to 80 mph, until the firecat took its first dump. About 30 miles outside of Qinnalin (the town that starts with a Q before Sennitarre) I smelled burning plastic. I had recently had replaced my 121" track with a 136" and tunnel/rail extensions from tracks USA. I checked my hifax, wheels, etc and everything was fine. My bro's "09 TNT was also good to go. A few miles ahead we caught up with the firecat and sure enough, the burning plastic smell. The bearings were spun out of the rear wheels in the suspension and the wheels were basically disintegrated. BJ and I headed into Quinnalin (I really wish I had a map infront of me for the proper spellings of these places) to look for parts. After some running around, we found a fellow that worked at the local lumber yard named Michel Lords- he had a sled shop in addition to his day job and we were able score two wheels/bearings from him and headed back to the sled. It was a quick fix, but resulted our buddy being stranded on the sled for about 6 hours. We got the sled fixed and gassed up and decided to make the rest of the run to Sennitarre. We arrived just as it was getting dark and finished one of the best riding days we ever had. I had to make three round trips (60 each) getting the sled parts, etc. and finished the day with 384.9 miles on the odo. BJ finished with 340 miles and Johnny GPS on the f-cat with about 240. They were busting my balls to get the last 15 miles I needed for 400 by riding around the lake behind the hotel, but I didn't want to get it that way. There will be plenty of more times to cross the 400 mile mark. Still, it was a personal best for me. March 10- Sennitarre to Clova This was another really great day. We got on the trail around 11:00 am b/c of some more wrenching on the dam firecat. The trails on 83E were great. It was a warm, bright sunny day. We took our time riding, taking pictures, just enjoying a beautiful day. It was really great. Interestingly enough, the firecat would only go 60 mph today (more on this in tomorrow's section), but it ran well enough not to slow down our pace. We arrived in Clova before dark and got the dinner/room package. Clova was great. The food was excellent and the basement of the hotel (old school) was a very comfortable place to hang out and watch some TV. We finished the day with ~ 175 miles. March 11- Clova to St Anne du Lac This was an iteresting day. It was warm, windy and raining. We wanted to head toward Mt Laurier, so could get ourselves back into a one days ride of the truck. We gassed up and hit the trail by 9:00 am. The f-cat started really running like crap today. It would only reach 50 mph in the morning, but we had no choice but to continue on. We took 83 toward Parent and then headed south on 13. Around lunch time, we arrived at a place to gas and get out of the rain for a while. After a few sandwiches, the rain stopped and we continued on. I had a feeling something bad was going to happen b/c the firecat was going slower and slower and when I would ride close behind, my eyes would water with the heavy smell of unburned fuel. About 30 minutes later, we had to stop to look things over. There was some metal on one of the plugs (probably burned a piston before the trip when he overheated the sled on a lake back in PA), but we had no choice to keep going. About 10 miles later the sled would not go uphill, but we kept pushing on. 5 minutes later it seized. We had to tow the sled to Hotel Tourista at St Anne du Lac, about 40 miles away. It took a about 2 hours, but we took our time and made it ok. We had about 190 miles for the day. No pic's for today b/c of the rain. March 12- St Anne du Lac to Lac Mekinac We left Johnny GPS and his blowed up firecat at the hotel and headed toward the truck. We weaved our way toward rt 63 and the Mt Tremblant park. It was slow going, b/c it got cold and the trails were very icy. My sled was actually running hot and it was sometimes difficult to ride off the side of the trail to lubricate the slides and cool the sled. After a few hours, we hit Mt. Tremblant park and there was enough snow for lubrication and cooling. The trails were flat and fast with very little resistance. We flew through the park and stopped at St Michael de Saints for lunch. All the trails around st. Michael de Saints sucked. They were not groomed and I felt like I was riding in Tug Hill again. We fueled up and after 155 miles, my rev took 31 L and my bro's TNT took 29 L, in a little over 3.5 hrs of riding. That fuel mileage is fantastic. We drove past La Cabenon and picked up trail 360 toward the Mattawin reservoir and then over to Lac Mekinac. It was a great day of riding, 274 miles for the day with no issues with any sleds, just pure enjoyment. We finished up the trip with about 1400 miles for the trip. It was one of the best ones that we have taken to date. The trails up north are absolutely great. I also reached 9000 miles on the sled. Unlike some of the guys on here, it took me 5 seasons to do it, but not too bad for a guy that lives in MD. We loaded up the truck and started driving on the 12th at 6:30 pm. At 12:30 pm, we arrived at St Anne du Lac. We loaded up the blowed up sled and headed for home. With the 9 hr sled recovery detail, we arrived back in Scranton PA on the morning of the 13 at 10:30. It was a great trip and we are looking forward to doing it again next year. Happy Trails!! Karl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smclelan Posted March 18, 2009 Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 What a great report. Good pictures, excellent detail. I have never stayed in Clova before, but I have heard lots of really good things about the Auberge this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil 1 Posted March 18, 2009 Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 Kgallis...Fish & I did that loop the other way last season. It is a great ride, thanks for the pix & inspiration. Can't wait till next year. smclelan...Clova "schoolhouse" is a great stop. Dinner / Room package is good...Breakfast back at the same spot gas also...LOL Can U say one horse town... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scranton1 Posted March 18, 2009 Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 Nice Stuff..............Let see more pics please Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyman Posted March 18, 2009 Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 Excellent report. I had to laugh as we were experiencing the same type of weather challenges. Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikerider Posted March 18, 2009 Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 Wow, what a trip! Gotta love that Rail bed out of Chibougamou. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mid Range Posted March 18, 2009 Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 thanks for sharing......the town north of Senneterre you are referring to is Lebel-sur-Quévillon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viper2 Posted March 19, 2009 Report Share Posted March 19, 2009 Great report,next time you leave Ladore for Chibougamau stop for gas at the big lumber mill "Scicerie 54" i think it is Abitibi Consolidated then no one will run out and you really won't need to stop at that above ground tank.Also if ever you are riding with a 2 stroke that is showing signs of seizing,burning a piston, or just lean in general dump some oil right in the gas tank.I have seen this done with sucess on many occasions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S pump Posted March 19, 2009 Report Share Posted March 19, 2009 Friday March 6thWe began the trip by parking at Auberge Bealeau in St Joseph de Mekinac. We left Scranton about 5:00 pm and arrived at Jean's place at ~ 2:00 am and got a few hours sleep. March 7th- Lac Mekinac to Roberval We began the trip by leaving at ~ 10:00 am and heading to La Tuque and then 355 to Lac Eduoard. We had lunch at the place on the lake and were watching people ice fishing. They said the ice was 48" thick and watching a gasoline powered auger nearly bottom out before it reached the water confirmed the ice was thick as hell. We continued on 355 and made it to Roberval well before dark. I believe we finished the day with around 195 miles. 355 right around Lac Eduoard were really narrow with a lot of turns, but after a few miles everything was great again. The trails were very good. March 8th- Roberval to Chibougamau We got on the trails around 9:00 am and headed out on 93. We topped the sleds off in La Dore and then headed out. The trails were great and there was a ton of snow as we got 30 or so miles outside of LaDorre. This was the first time we made the trip to Chibougamau and it was a fair distance between LaDorre and the little relias outside of town. Our buddies firecat ran out of gas about 15 miles south of the relias, but we carry extra fuel on the doo's so it was not a problem. After a few fully dressed pizzas and some fuel, we rode the final 30 or so miles to the Nordic. We forked out the extra few bucks to keep the sleds in the heated garage for the night. A great day of riding, somewhere around 220 miles for the day. March 9th- Chibougamau to Sennitarre We started the day early, since we were in bed by 8:00 pm the night berfore. It was -30C at 5:30 am when we pulled the sleds out of the garage. Our buddy on the firecat was having a problem with hitting speeds over 70, so we did a little bit of wrenching before the ride on the driven clutch. Even though his sled was not running perfect, he insisted on taking it on the trip (instead of our spare rev) b/c of the new Garmin Zumo GPS that he had installed on the sled. The GPS was really cool with the trail maps overlayed on the screen, but he couldn't find his way out of a paper bag with that thing. Anyway, this was our first time on "piston alley" and it was great. There was three or four inches of fresh snow on the trail and we made really good time cruising at speeds of 60 to 80 mph, until the firecat took its first dump. About 30 miles outside of Qinnalin (the town that starts with a Q before Sennitarre) I smelled burning plastic. I had recently had replaced my 121" track with a 136" and tunnel/rail extensions from tracks USA. I checked my hifax, wheels, etc and everything was fine. My bro's "09 TNT was also good to go. A few miles ahead we caught up with the firecat and sure enough, the burning plastic smell. The bearings were spun out of the rear wheels in the suspension and the wheels were basically disintegrated. BJ and I headed into Quinnalin (I really wish I had a map infront of me for the proper spellings of these places) to look for parts. After some running around, we found a fellow that worked at the local lumber yard named Michel Lords- he had a sled shop in addition to his day job and we were able score two wheels/bearings from him and headed back to the sled. It was a quick fix, but resulted our buddy being stranded on the sled for about 6 hours. We got the sled fixed and gassed up and decided to make the rest of the run to Sennitarre. We arrived just as it was getting dark and finished one of the best riding days we ever had. I had to make three round trips (60 each) getting the sled parts, etc. and finished the day with 384.9 miles on the odo. BJ finished with 340 miles and Johnny GPS on the f-cat with about 240. They were busting my balls to get the last 15 miles I needed for 400 by riding around the lake behind the hotel, but I didn't want to get it that way. There will be plenty of more times to cross the 400 mile mark. Still, it was a personal best for me. March 10- Sennitarre to Clova This was another really great day. We got on the trail around 11:00 am b/c of some more wrenching on the dam firecat. The trails on 83E were great. It was a warm, bright sunny day. We took our time riding, taking pictures, just enjoying a beautiful day. It was really great. Interestingly enough, the firecat would only go 60 mph today (more on this in tomorrow's section), but it ran well enough not to slow down our pace. We arrived in Clova before dark and got the dinner/room package. Clova was great. The food was excellent and the basement of the hotel (old school) was a very comfortable place to hang out and watch some TV. We finished the day with ~ 175 miles. March 11- Clova to St Anne du Lac This was an iteresting day. It was warm, windy and raining. We wanted to head toward Mt Laurier, so could get ourselves back into a one days ride of the truck. We gassed up and hit the trail by 9:00 am. The f-cat started really running like crap today. It would only reach 50 mph in the morning, but we had no choice but to continue on. We took 83 toward Parent and then headed south on 13. Around lunch time, we arrived at a place to gas and get out of the rain for a while. After a few sandwiches, the rain stopped and we continued on. I had a feeling something bad was going to happen b/c the firecat was going slower and slower and when I would ride close behind, my eyes would water with the heavy smell of unburned fuel. About 30 minutes later, we had to stop to look things over. There was some metal on one of the plugs (probably burned a piston before the trip when he overheated the sled on a lake back in PA), but we had no choice to keep going. About 10 miles later the sled would not go uphill, but we kept pushing on. 5 minutes later it seized. We had to tow the sled to Hotel Tourista at St Anne du Lac, about 40 miles away. It took a about 2 hours, but we took our time and made it ok. We had about 190 miles for the day. No pic's for today b/c of the rain. March 12- St Anne du Lac to Lac Mekinac We left Johnny GPS and his blowed up firecat at the hotel and headed toward the truck. We weaved our way toward rt 63 and the Mt Tremblant park. It was slow going, b/c it got cold and the trails were very icy. My sled was actually running hot and it was sometimes difficult to ride off the side of the trail to lubricate the slides and cool the sled. After a few hours, we hit Mt. Tremblant park and there was enough snow for lubrication and cooling. The trails were flat and fast with very little resistance. We flew through the park and stopped at St Michael de Saints for lunch. All the trails around st. Michael de Saints sucked. They were not groomed and I felt like I was riding in Tug Hill again. We fueled up and after 155 miles, my rev took 31 L and my bro's TNT took 29 L, in a little over 3.5 hrs of riding. That fuel mileage is fantastic. We drove past La Cabenon and picked up trail 360 toward the Mattawin reservoir and then over to Lac Mekinac. It was a great day of riding, 274 miles for the day with no issues with any sleds, just pure enjoyment. We finished up the trip with about 1400 miles for the trip. It was one of the best ones that we have taken to date. The trails up north are absolutely great. I also reached 9000 miles on the sled. Unlike some of the guys on here, it took me 5 seasons to do it, but not too bad for a guy that lives in MD. We loaded up the truck and started driving on the 12th at 6:30 pm. At 12:30 pm, we arrived at St Anne du Lac. We loaded up the blowed up sled and headed for home. With the 9 hr sled recovery detail, we arrived back in Scranton PA on the morning of the 13 at 10:30. It was a great trip and we are looking forward to doing it again next year. Happy Trails!! Karl Sounds like a great trip...........I'm so friggin jealous. Couple note to oneselves, Get rid of the FCat, they're for Tug Hill, have your buddy learn the GPS in his living room not on the trail, have your buddy buy the beers all next season for all of his indiscretions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doobraap Posted March 19, 2009 Report Share Posted March 19, 2009 Great report Karl! It's the trips like that one you always remember. That route is on my list for next year. BTW I finished the year with 12,200 miles on my sled and it was still running strong!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rfm Posted March 19, 2009 Report Share Posted March 19, 2009 Karl, Great report and pictures. BTW I'm here in Fairfax VA but keep my sleds in NY (My Dad keeps them warmed up for me ha ha) Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kgallis Posted March 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2009 Sounds like a great trip...........I'm so friggin jealous. Couple note to oneselves, Get rid of the FCat, they're for Tug Hill, have your buddy learn the GPS in his living room not on the trail, have your buddy buy the beers all next season for all of his indiscretions. Agreed- we gave our buddy a hard time the entire trip- called him "Johnny GPS". We told him if the F-cat popped up north where it would take days to retrieve, it was staying there!! He's going to try to get an XP for next year. Chris- Have you touched the engine on your sled? Renegade 600 SDI if I remembered correctly? What are the plans for next year? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kgallis Posted March 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2009 Here is a shot of "Johnny GPS" waiting for us to come back with wheels/bearings. It took us 6 hrs to find the parts. I think he fell asleep for a few hours and got a bad sun burn!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S pump Posted March 19, 2009 Report Share Posted March 19, 2009 By the looks of things that Cat is long in the tooth already.................it's got to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Live it up Rupp Posted March 20, 2009 Report Share Posted March 20, 2009 Nice post & pix! Keep it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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