gkw Posted February 11, 2008 Report Share Posted February 11, 2008 A strange combination of ingredients (especially stupidity) found me 2 miles from the Hotel Universal in RDL at 5PM last Saturday and OUT OF GAS! To make matters worse, I was on a one lane trail that only exists in the fine print on maps so there was no telling when the next sled would come by. But the good news was that I was actually underneath Hwy 20 about 30 feet below road grade so I climbed up the bank to see if I could summon help from a passing motorist. The very first car stopped! A woman about 40 with two boys and a car stuffed with hockey gear returning from a day of hockey and a 40 minute trip ahead of her to get home. She not only offered to drive me to gas, she brought me back to my sled just as it was getting totally dark (about 5:30). I slid back down the embankment with my gallon of essence as she sped off. I fumbled around and poured in the gas. Helmet back on, and turned the key - NOTHING!! While I was gone, a sled had come buy and tried to start my sled to move it and I concluded that they had killed to battery so I was back up the embankment to try to get another ride. Now it is officially dark and my prospects for a ride are not good. So I start walking (with luggage and helmet). But after about 5 cars go by, a VW Beetle flips on the flashers and pulls to a stop about 50 yards down the road. I jog down and this time another woman has stopped! She is alone!! I explain the problem and ask if she could drive me down to the Universal where I will see if there is someone there who can give me a jump. No problem - (this done through her broken English and my very spotty French). Just as we pull into the lot, a (rare) lightbulb goes off in my head that, perhaps, whoever tried to start my sled had hit the killswitch (which I never use because I run a finger throttle and it is under the handlebar) when they left and that would expain the problem. So I ask her to bring me back and she says no problem. I keep my fingers crossed when I slide back down to my sled and, sure enough, the switch was pushed and it fired right up. I made some dumb mistakes that day (but I didn't drive by any gas stations for the last 60 miles). But the point of this post is to thank you Canadians (Quebecers?) for all the help you have given to me and countless Americans who enjoy your beautiful country every winter. The Belle Province, indeed... And next winter, I will be riding a sled that will go more than 132 miles on a tank of gas - even if it has an outboard motor on it!! GW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowmaster2112 Posted February 11, 2008 Report Share Posted February 11, 2008 Thats a GREAT story 'QKW" !!!! Glad everything turned out alright. And if I had a sled that would get 132 mi. on a tank of gas I would be MORE THAN HAPPY!! I kinda thought about 3/4 of the way thru the story (second woman part) that we were going to get a juicy story about how she took you back to her house to warm you up in her Hot Tub or something.......LOL..LOL but I guess the outcome was as good as it could be....considering....LOL Oh well, maybe next time!! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doobraap Posted February 11, 2008 Report Share Posted February 11, 2008 Hey Gary, I am glad you got some quick help in RDL. Sorry we could not meet up in Beauce. I did not get your text until we were back in Jackman. We took the bottom half of 545 around Beauce to save some time anyway.... It was great to ride with you Saturday BEFORE your gas incident.... Can you imagine waiting by RT 95 around here with your thumb out waiting for help.. You would still be there 2 days later!!!! Or worse get a ticket for walking the interstate.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt.Storm Posted February 12, 2008 Report Share Posted February 12, 2008 A strange combination of ingredients (especially stupidity) found me 2 miles from the Hotel Universal in RDL at 5PM last Saturday and OUT OF GAS! To make matters worse, I was on a one lane trail that only exists in the fine print on maps so there was no telling when the next sled would come by.But the good news was that I was actually underneath Hwy 20 about 30 feet below road grade so I climbed up the bank to see if I could summon help from a passing motorist. The very first car stopped! A woman about 40 with two boys and a car stuffed with hockey gear returning from a day of hockey and a 40 minute trip ahead of her to get home. She not only offered to drive me to gas, she brought me back to my sled just as it was getting totally dark (about 5:30). I slid back down the embankment with my gallon of essence as she sped off. I fumbled around and poured in the gas. Helmet back on, and turned the key - NOTHING!! While I was gone, a sled had come buy and tried to start my sled to move it and I concluded that they had killed to battery so I was back up the embankment to try to get another ride. Now it is officially dark and my prospects for a ride are not good. So I start walking (with luggage and helmet). But after about 5 cars go by, a VW Beetle flips on the flashers and pulls to a stop about 50 yards down the road. I jog down and this time another woman has stopped! She is alone!! I explain the problem and ask if she could drive me down to the Universal where I will see if there is someone there who can give me a jump. No problem - (this done through her broken English and my very spotty French). Just as we pull into the lot, a (rare) lightbulb goes off in my head that, perhaps, whoever tried to start my sled had hit the killswitch (which I never use because I run a finger throttle and it is under the handlebar) when they left and that would expain the problem. So I ask her to bring me back and she says no problem. I keep my fingers crossed when I slide back down to my sled and, sure enough, the switch was pushed and it fired right up. I made some dumb mistakes that day (but I didn't drive by any gas stations for the last 60 miles). But the point of this post is to thank you Canadians (Quebecers?) for all the help you have given to me and countless Americans who enjoy your beautiful country every winter. The Belle Province, indeed... And next winter, I will be riding a sled that will go more than 132 miles on a tank of gas - even if it has an outboard motor on it!! GW What kind of sled do you have that wont turn over if the kill is on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plain-rev Posted February 12, 2008 Report Share Posted February 12, 2008 Good story gkw. Here in Connecticut the first car would have run you over, the second car would have picked your pockets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikerider Posted February 12, 2008 Report Share Posted February 12, 2008 Gary, Here in Maine we would have given you a ride....to the SkiDoo dealer! (so you could get better gas mileage). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gkw Posted February 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2008 Gary,Here in Maine we would have given you a ride....to the SkiDoo dealer! (so you could get better gas mileage). Thanks, Mike.... But running out of Oil would be worse!! :D . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rfm Posted February 12, 2008 Report Share Posted February 12, 2008 Great story, That and many more reasons is why I travel 20 hours to ride up there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greasemonkey Posted February 12, 2008 Report Share Posted February 12, 2008 Great story, by the way, my Yamaha gets close to 150 miles out of a tank. Any way, I might have that one beat, and Sag. Bill was there when we got to the HI. I had just done the Cote Nord area and my last stay was at Hotelier Pelchat in Les Escoumins. While we were there, we made friends with Martin, the owners son. We told him where we were headed the next day as he drove us to the Ski Doo dealer to get oil for one of our guys and to see the new 600. Anyway, the next day we leave and head over to Monts Valin to head to HI. We stopped at Relais Chapelle, I think I spelled it right. While we were there, the phone rings, the lady comes up to our table and asks if anybody here was named Leon! Now let me tell you, that's a real scary feeling to be in the middle of the woods in Canada, 750 miles from your home and the phone is for you. Well, apparently, I left my pouch with my Passport, license, American money and snowmobile registration in my room and they were trying to find me! After some different scenarios, they decided they would ship it by bus to the Chicoutimi bus station. Well it was raining so hard by then that the rest of the group wanted to stay at HI. When I got to my room, I called the bus station, nobody knew anything about it, oh boy. I called Martin in Les Escoumins and explained my problem. He called the bus station, found out it was there and made arrangements to have it shipped to Jonquiere for me. I had the package in my hands by 8:30 p.m.! Can anybody say that that would happen in the States? I don't know what I would have done if I didn't receive that call at Chapelle's. I never knew I left it behind. Well, goes to show how they do go out of their way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plain-rev Posted February 13, 2008 Report Share Posted February 13, 2008 These stories are much more telling of the kind of people you can meet in Quebec. Many people only hear about things being stolen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
actionjack Posted February 13, 2008 Report Share Posted February 13, 2008 Thats a pisser about the kill switch. Something I would have done since I Never use it. Haven't heard much about theft this year. We took zero precautions but we rented a very private chalet, then had underground parking, then stayed at L'Esterel - Rambo was on the watch with fiber optics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.