23 January
Long story short I finally got to take a local ride. Sometimes breakdowns are good things. Shout out to Danfoss hydraulic pumps for making it impossible to get before Monday maybe Tuesday.
Left home 2pm was cold -14c sunny.
Out of the driveway road has been groomed by the municipality and is always good.
Short ride past neighbors to TQ3. Westbound.
Not as frozen as I expected, trails loose with hard ice under. I expected more hardpack trail, never saw it yesterday. Was great riding, but just not what i expected after all this recent weather conditions.
Few sleds out on a Friday afternoon.
Run down to cross the St Maurice River at La Gabelle. Onward and up the hill to St Etienne.
Past the new Performance NC and I continue on to TQ3/63 all great trail with some icey corners. Hey, If your legal don’t be afraid of ICE.
Through St Thomas to St Barnabe then direction Charette. All nice riding here. Club Armony is the real deal (side note I saw recently that Club Armony has the youngest operator of any Club 16 years old. Father been grooming for years now his son too.) there is hope for the future.
Just before Charette I take Local Orange trail to St Elie De Caxton. This is a tighter twisty one been a few years since i rode this, it used to be a shared trail for a long distance with VTT never great. Now not the same, still tight with only VTT crossings for the most part.
Through St Elie and I continue up to join 349. Rode up through Lac a l’eau Claire (Florida Snowman long gone) so far all sleds headed opposite direction. I catch no one and see no one going my way. Just before arriving at 349 junction trail is groomed here. Just ahead is the groomer we are arriving at intersection its here he lets me pass. I continue now on 349 heading for the TQ23 to run back to Shawinigan. Not far up 349 at a pull off big group of tourists. I thank my lucky stars they are parked,
Not much further… I look down my GPS it’s blank dark. Temps have fallen and I guess it froze literally. Second time in all my time using this Montana 700i. Don’t need it anyway but my tracking was on and now it just stopped oh well, again it is what it is.
Further evidence I need a Tread next year with inreach.
East on 23 and toward St Mathieu all good some spots icey still on corners
Groomer 2 this one headed West he has groomed me a sweet trail all the way to Vallee du Parc ski station.
Darker now getting colder still time to get this over with. Here four sleds are stopped near ski hill. They wave me by them. Awesomeness. Burn on in the TQ23 to Grand Mere
take the gas just off TQ23.
Down and onto the Riviere St Maurice. Right turn and down under 2 bridges and local trail back to TQ3, home stretch now. In Shawingan now is groomer 3. Headed west toward home. I pass him and this trail needs his attention for sure but we can see the barn almost from here time to bang it out.
Pulled back into home at 5:30
Quick afternoon delight of 175km
By
iceman ·
