I have this twitch in my right thumb that I just get to stop. The doctor has ordered another week of therapy & I am happy to follow the doctors orders by exercising it with the loud handle of my 850.
Ginger & I have been talking about returning to Jackman Maine since it's been a while. We arrive around lunch time Thursday. We check into to Bishop's Motel unload the sleds & we are off to Quebec. This was my first taste of Quebec trails back in '84 and it holds a special place in my heart. The trail hasn't changed much & it's fun to think about all the times I have rode this trail. We go as far as the St Come relais & turn back. We make a small loop using a local trail to a regional trail then back to the 75. The St. Theophile relais is open & we go in for dinner. Wow more memories. Be sure to ask Ginger about the time she had onions on her hot dogs here! Oh and the trails were mint, yes there was some black top & dirt but really I could care less. They are making new carbides & slides as I type this.
Friday we head out to Pittston Farm & then on onto North East Carry. We are happy to see Ed & Shirley & enjoy lunch there. They don't seem to have changed a bit. From there we start back to Jackman. The trails are mint again today. We stop in at Jackman Power Sports to see Dave & Doreen and catch up. We are there at a good time to talk (we're the only ones there) I started buying sleds from Dave the year he took over from the previous owner. He was very service oriented right from day one. He understood people come to ride & would do whatever it took to get you back out on the trail. Once I commented on his vast inventory his was reply was you can't sell it if you don't have it. That evening I text our good friend Tom Swift & sure enough he's on the way. We make plans to meet at Mama Bears for breakfast. Tom introduced Ginger & me to off trail riding & the idea of treading lightly so everyone can enjoy the off trail experience. Today's off trail wannabees could learn a thing or two from Tom.
After breakfast we go south. The trail is different from the last time I rode this area & it's fantastic. We do a little exploring around the Parlin Pond area & decide to go to the top of Coburn Mountain. Ginger hasn't been up before & it's going to be a little challenging towards the top. We reach the summit no problem & enjoy the views. From there we go towards Rockwood then over Long Pond & back to Jackman. We make dinner plans & Ginger & I go back the motel & load up the sleds.
We meet up at the 4 Seasons with Tom & at the next table is Dave & Doreen from JPS. After dinner we join them for some drinks & more reminiscing about old times. We even make plans to meet up with them in Florida next month as they are near were we are in Sarasota.
We all say our goodbyes. We have two more stops on our list, Jackman Hotel & The Northland. We go in to The Hotel first for a drink & conversation with the locals. Then over to the Northland. Here we run into a couple from the last place. A few more drinks & we're having a good time. They are doing Jaeger bombs & want to buy us one but we regretfully decline. We stumble back to room and pass out.
Ok I'm sure by now the purists of this site are thinking hey 182 this is Quebec Rider not Maine Rider...lol. Today we trailer to Universal in RDL. This is Ginger's first time to RDL. We unload here & repack to start our saddlebag trip through BSL and the Gaspesie. The conditions look favorable so we're going to go for it. I'll update as we go.
I have this twitch in my right thumb that I just get to stop. The doctor has ordered another week of therapy & I am happy to follow the doctors orders by exercising it with the loud handle of my 850.
Ginger & I have been talking about returning to Jackman Maine since it's been a while. We arrive around lunch time Thursday. We check into to Bishop's Motel unload the sleds & we are off to Quebec. This was my first taste of Quebec trails back in '84 and it holds a special place in my heart. The trail hasn't changed much & it's fun to think about all the times I have rode this trail. We go as far as the St Come relais & turn back. We make a small loop using a local trail to a regional trail then back to the 75. The St. Theophile relais is open & we go in for dinner. Wow more memories. Be sure to ask Ginger about the time she had onions on her hot dogs here! Oh and the trails were mint, yes there was some black top & dirt but really I could care less. They are making new carbides & slides as I type this.
Friday we head out to Pittston Farm & then on onto North East Carry. We are happy to see Ed & Shirley & enjoy lunch there. They don't seem to have changed a bit. From there we start back to Jackman. The trails are mint again today. We stop in at Jackman Power Sports to see Dave & Doreen and catch up. We are there at a good time to talk (we're the only ones there) I started buying sleds from Dave the year he took over from the previous owner. He was very service oriented right from day one. He understood people come to ride & would do whatever it took to get you back out on the trail. Once I commented on his vast inventory his was reply was you can't sell it if you don't have it. That evening I text our good friend Tom Swift & sure enough he's on the way. We make plans to meet at Mama Bears for breakfast. Tom introduced Ginger & me to off trail riding & the idea of treading lightly so everyone can enjoy the off trail experience. Today's off trail wannabees could learn a thing or two from Tom.
After breakfast we go south. The trail is different from the last time I rode this area & it's fantastic. We do a little exploring around the Parlin Pond area & decide to go to the top of Coburn Mountain. Ginger hasn't been up before & it's going to be a little challenging towards the top. We reach the summit no problem & enjoy the views. From there we go towards Rockwood then over Long Pond & back to Jackman. We make dinner plans & Ginger & I go back the motel & load up the sleds.
We meet up at the 4 Seasons with Tom & at the next table is Dave & Doreen from JPS. After dinner we join them for some drinks & more reminiscing about old times. We even make plans to meet up with them in Florida next month as they are near were we are in Sarasota.
We all say our goodbyes. We have two more stops on our list, Jackman Hotel & The Northland. We go in to The Hotel first for a drink & conversation with the locals. Then over to the Northland. Here we run into a couple from the last place. A few more drinks & we're having a good time. They are doing Jaeger bombs & want to buy us one but we regretfully decline. We stumble back to room and pass out.
Ok I'm sure by now the purists of this site are thinking hey 182 this is Quebec Rider not Maine Rider...lol. Today we trailer to Universal in RDL. This is Ginger's first time to RDL. We unload here & repack to start our saddlebag trip through BSL and the Gaspesie. The conditions look favorable so we're going to go for it. I'll update as we go.