End of the Season [and 2-Strokes] (March 7-11, 2010)

This was, by far, the worst season in Quebec since I've been coming here [2004]. After a cold and wet summer, there was a lot of optimism that this might be a great season. The thanksgiving ride was washed out, the xmas ride was cut short due to rain, the season opener had record warm weather, wind and rain. No big rides were planned for February, so the season ender was to begin March 7, and that was probably a week late.

The season was washing away quickly, so we had to decide where to ride. Chicoutimi and that area had nothing, sure you could ride 200 miles of trails on Mont Valin, but that's not worth it. The Gaspe loop we did in January was still manageable, but evaporating quickly, so we decided to do the Chibougamau loop.

Don was wrapping up a ride on the 6th, so it would be the four of us, John, Marty, Don, and myself...but after guiding around St Raymond in the dirt earlier in the week, Don decided to throw in the towel. The Shawinigan area wasn't rideable, so we decided to try LaTuque. Marty was late as usual, so he would meet us there. We stopped in at Don's on the way up to say hi. It was a beautiful and warm sunny day, 47F anyway. All reports were that the Chibougamau loop was great, so Don changed his plans, and was going to ride with Phil starting Monday...so we would keep him posted on our findings...

We've never driven to LaTuque to start a ride, and after getting there, it was apparent we still wouldn't...conditions were poor and who knows how bad a week later, since the forecast was full sun and mid 40's all week. So we decided to continue on to St. Felicien [instead of Relais 22], that would give us the best chance for the return run, a week later. Marty, running late, wouldn't arrive until 2am.

I was riding the 09 Etec, with just under 10k miles, with the 1.25" ripsaw, studded, new hyfax, and an extra set of wheels, for the light/hard snow. John had his 07 SDI also with about 10k miles, and Marty had his 2010 800 Summit with 1.75x146" track, a disaster for these conditions, but it is what is.

Day 1: St-Felicien to Clova
Conditions: +28F/+46F, sunny, hard/flat trails.
Details: 373, LT, TQ83, 303 miles, 15.8 mpg, 41.2 mph [avg], 7:25 trail time.

We stayed at Hotel du Jardin, there we several sleds in the coral, conditions looked marginal. After breakfast, we loaded up and headed out on a beautiful morning...hate the parking lots this time of year...


It didn't take long and Marty was overheating. The 600's were fine. Conditions around the Lac were hard and Icy, even off the trail. Once we got off 373 and onto the local trail to TQ83, conditions loosened up nicely...


The long stretches in and out of Relais 22 were hard on the hyfax, but engine temps were ok, maybe a little warm. The run into Wemo wasn't too bad, but the road was melting fast...and you've got to love the gas stop...

The dirt road out of Wemo wasn't too bad, but vanishing fast. After the intial shock out of Wemo, the trails into Parent were just groomed and perfect. Out of Parent, trails were also great, so we headed for Clova. Our first stop at the Tamarack, nice place, good food and drink, but no internet. All in all, a good day.

Day 2: Clova to Senneterre
Conditions: +28F/+48F, sunny, hard/flat trails
Details: TQ83, 386, 313, TQ93, 242 miles, 15.8 mpg, 41.4 mph [avg], 5:53 trail time

Another perfect start to the day...

and the forest fire is always an intersting site...

and just when you think everything is perfect...

say good bye to the SDI...

Conditions were great for the tow into Lac Fallon. John arranged for a truck to Senneterre, and we would meet up with him at the Bel Villa. TQ83 to Senneterre was great, but 83 was in rough shape to Louvicourt, so we double-back to make a 386-313-93 loop back to the Hotel. All of those trails were great and not a cloud in the sky the whole day. Once back to the Hotel, the SDI needed a complete rebuild, top to bottom, probably $2500 anyway, and the sled wouldn't be ready till the end of Wednesday [today was Monday]. Luckily there was a bowling alley in town [just like Dolbeau] and the Motel had internet.

Day 3: Senneterre
Conditions: +24F/+36F, sunny, hard/flat trails.
Details: TQ93, 307, TQ83, 309, 218 miles, 15.7 mpg, 44.6 mph [avg], 4:55 trail time

Yet another perfect day...all trails were freshly groomed and there was plenty of snow...

After two days of searching for a trail pass, Marty finally decided to get one from the doo dealer, since they weren't sold out, and it was just a 3-day pass now. Good thing he did, at the first warming hut there was a security check...and they didn't even care we were doing 70 mph.

We continued out past Amos and dipped down toward Val D'Or, that was a mistake, TQ83 was a mess down there, so we popped back up on 309 and returned back on TQ93. Great trails, great sunset, it doesn't get any better...


Day 4,5,6: Senneterre.
Conditions: mid 20's to mid 40's all sun
Details: N/A

Marty and I had a hyfax change scheduled for first thing. Of course mine were down to the line, and the Summit wasn't quite as bad, go figure. Another perfect day, so we headed out TQ83 towards Lovicourt, once at the intersection of 83/93, voila, there were Don and Phil. We knew they were headed this way, but didn't think we'd be this lucky. After a quick hello, the four of us headed to Lovicourt, for 10 miles or so, then the beloved Etec blew up. A quick and interesting tow into our favorite dealer, and it was back to the room for some Jerry Springer. John picked up his sled, ready to go, and mine had no compression and there wasn't anything they could do.

The new plan was for Marty and John to ride back to the truck Thursday, and John would bring the trailer to Senneterre to get me and then head home. They left on sled at 6am, for the 400 mile ride to St. Felicien, via TQ93. The ride smooth and fast, and they were at the trucks at 5pm, even with Marty going off the trail [again]. Then John was to burn it right back to Senneterre, 325 miles by truck. He arrived back at the Hotel at 12:30am. We had to wait till 8:30am for the dealer to open, then we were off. Temps were still high, and skies blue. The trails were dissappearing quickly...

We then had a 12 hour ride home, and the opportunity to discuss the final end to 2-strokes, and most likely skidoo. John needs to get one more year out of his virtually new skidoo [we know they're pretty good for one year], and I'm awaiting the verdict on what happened to the Etec. Two other groups also smoked Etec's during the week, so they're no better than the SDI. I'll need to decide if this is the year for a Yamaha, or next...

I also noticed on this trip that the mileage [ETEC and SDI] was much better, 15+ mpg. These must be the conditions Skidoo uses to determine gas and oil use. Oil was about 150 mpq. To add to the misery, the exchange rate over the season was about $1.05 [CA], about the same for a liter of gas.

ETEC update: New pistons [1 under warranty] and a new crank. I also put in a new chain and swapped the track back to 1.75", so it looks like I'll get another year out of this sled, before a possible change to Yamaha?

The Perfect Storm (January 24-29, 2010)

First, I would like to thank all of the weather men and women in the US and Canada for keeping all of the honest, hard-working, snowmobilers off of the trail. Second, I'd like to thank Meteo-Media and the FCMQ for accurate forecasts and trail conditions. Now on to the details of the trip...

This was the first planned full week trip for the season. With a major warm-up and rain in the forecast for Day 2 of the trip, the question was, where to go? Only two places had enough snow for a 6-day ride, Monts Valin and Bas-St-Laurent. Monts Valin seemed the least risky, but was the sweet spot for rain, and the elavation wouldn't help, plus I've already ridden twice up there this year. Conditions for Quebec city all the way East to the end of Gaspe were all good [except the South side of Gaspe] and the forecast was for less rain the further East you go, so that's what we decided to do. One thing I've learned over the years, was if you cancel a trip due to the forecast, you wouldn't get much riding done. Worst case, we get a 2-3 day ride and go home. We decided to drive up Saturday, January 23, and start from outside Quebec City, at Hotel Bernieres, the shortest drive by truck to good conditions.

I drove up with John, and we met Don there. I had the 2009 Renegade 600-Etec for the trip [8060 miles at the start]. Still with the 1.75" ripsaw track [no studs], new simmons skis, new belt, extra set of wheels, and slightly worn hyfax.

Day 1: St-Nicolas to Rimouski

Conditions: +15/30F, Sunny, hard and flat trails

Details: TQ5, 297 miles, 14.1 mpg, 41.8 mph [avg], 7:11 travel time.

Today was the calm before the storm. So the plan was to head straight East to get ahead of the storm. A nice sunny day, with excellent conditions and little traffic. Here's a pic at every one's favorite van...

Don wasn't feeling well, so he decided to bail. Other than that, the day was uneventful. We decided to try the Hotel Rimouski, a great place, but a little difficult to get to through town.

After researching trail and weather updates, we decided to continue straight East, hopefully, ahead of the storm. The forecast was for much less rain toward the end of Gaspe.

Day 2: Rimouski to Mont St-Pierre

Conditions: +20/40F, cloudy, freezing rain, rain, loose and flat trails.

Details: TQ5, 261 miles, 16.0 mpg, 37.2 mph [avg], 7:06 travel time.

At 6am, it was still dry...so far so good, so let's try for Mont St-Pierre. At 7am, the freezing rain started, and was accumulating by the time we left...

Things were looking bleak for a while...
but that's what Gortex is for. Then we finally got out ahead of the storm, and things were dry all the way to Mont St-Pierre...

We got to see all of the scenic stops, and made the run up the Mountain to the sky-dive point, talk about wind, wow.

After researching that evening, it looked like any rain would luckily come overnight. However, we weren't expecting the 40-100 mph winds in the forecast, worse the farther East you go. The plan for the next day would be to loop out to Murdochville and end up around Matane.

Day3: Mont St-Pierre to Rimouski.

Conditions: +40/45F, Cloudy, mashed potato trails, very sticky.

Details: TQ5, 235 miles, 13.3 mpg, 36.0 mph [avg], 6:36 travel time.

Once again, the forecast was right on. During the middle of the night it sounded like a hurricane was coming through. I couldn't hear any rain, but the wind was incredible. Some time during the night we lost power, good thing it was +45 F when we got up. Since no electricity equals no gas, and there were probably a lot of trees down, we decided to head back West, and skip Murdochville. It was warm...and with no electricity, we skipped breakfast and hit the trails to see the damage. It didn't take long to find trees down...

Still a beautiful view...
all of the wind swept out all of the ice on the water. After turning out of the lookout, it became very clear how sticky the trails really were...

good to see there was still plenty of snow, and good to see the sun again...

These were unique trail conditions, for sure...

It's hard to remember how many trees we ran into, maybe a dozen or so. We thought this one would be a problem, but it wasn't...
and good trail conditions were still everywhere... Even with all of the trail work, we still made it to Rimouski at a reasonable hour. Very wet snow was coming down at a good pace. This time we decided to try Hotel L'Empress since it was easier to get to. It was starting to cool down quickly. Research showed some more cool down and flurries overnight and the freeze up at Mont Valin was big, and with no backside snow, led to cooling and hyfax problems...something we were worried about, especially with the 1.75" track. However, the forecast here was still no deep freeze in sight till Friday, and some snow every day.

Day 4: Rimouski to Amqui

Conditions: +15/30 F, sunny then cloudy, perfect trails, 2-4" new snow.

Details: TQ5/587, 262 miles, 13.3 mpg, 39.5 mph [avg], 6:43 travel time.

A beautiful, chilly morning, with perfect riding conditions...

50 miles in, still no sleds in sight, and perfect...Ater gassing up, we stopped off at Groomer's club to drop off a package. Still no sleds in sight, so we decided to take the 587 loop toward Pointe-a-la-Croix and then TQ5 North, and stay at Amqui. The 587 was awesome...
Under the snow was still an unfrozen base from the rain, so we weren't able to run flat out in the corners, so we did have to use the brake. After the 85 miles or so alone on the 587, we intersected TQ5, near PLC, still no traffic...
Almost to hard to believe, so it was time for bumper-cam...
Still no traffic when we entered Groomer's territory...

Ater a great day on the trails we ended up at the Ambassador for the night. They lied, and don't have Internet access there, so we had dinner at the Selectotel to use the wireless there. The forecast looked good and trail conditions looked good, except for near the truck, so we decided to head back West in case the rain had really done a number on things. It was 400 miles or so back to the truck, which we could split up into two days if things were really bad.

Day 5: Amqui to Montmagny

Conditions: +25/32F, cloudy. Hard, flat trails, with 2-4" fresh snow.

Details: 587/579/TQ5/548/569/TQ85/544/TQ35/551/TQ5, 371 miles, 17.1 mpg, 39.5 mph [avg], 9:21 travel time.

The forecast was great and fcmq upgraded the trails near the truck, so we thought maybe stay at Pohenegamook. Another perfect day, with perfect trails...

till we got past Squatec. The 548 to Cabano was closed. It looked like there was a reroute, freshly groomed and signed, till we met the guys installing the signs. They verified the Cabano trail was closed since xmas, and we were on a new trail, 3-days old, that loops over the lake to TQ85. We followed it for a while, but lost the trail at two logging roads. We decided not to risk it, since there was active logging and no signs. We went back to Squatec and took the 569 under the lake. TQ85 was ice with loose snow. The 548 and TQ35 were fine to Pohenegamook. Since we were there by 2pm, we decided to go straight for Montmagny and have a half day ride for Friday.

Lac Pohenegamook was closed, so we found the alternate route around it. Then it was almost a hundred miles of rail bed [where's the cruise control]...
After a total of 370 miles, it was into the Hotel at 6pm, another new stop, L'Oiseliere. Everything looked good for the short trip back to the truck.

Day 6: Montmagny to St. Nicolas

Conditions: 0/+5F, cloudy, windy, light snow.

Details: TQ5/551/TQ35/TQ75, 120 miles, 13.9 mpg, 36.6 mph [avg], 3:13 travel time.

A cold and very windy day, with some snow. Drifting all over, a few big-ones. Everything was still good, back at the railroad bed...Everything was fine on TQ35, then it was down-hill after that...

Trails were very hard, and bumps were frozen in. There were some good patches on the last stretch of TQ75 towards the end. At 11:30am, we were at the truck and packing up for home, still very cold and windy.

Overall, a great trip, especially given the circumstances. This is a great time of year to ride, since trails will be packed in February. The sled held up well, and it's good to see that the extra set of wheels really helped the hyfax wear, especially in these conditions. Statistics for the trip were...1538 miles, 14.6 mpg, 171 mpq [of oil], gas was about $1.12 [ca] per liter [mostly super], $1.07 [ca] exchange rate, fuel cost was $445 [us], using 105 gallons of gas, and 9 quarts of oil

2009 Spring Ride, Gaspe

As I've mentioned before, I'll never try to run the Gaspe in February again. Last year we skipped it all together, and this year we were able to get in a perfect January ride. Since Gaspe conditions were excellent for late March, I struggled to get something together to run the Gaspe again. After going back and forth, I was lucky enough to meet and ride with lonriderss [Bob] and smclelan [Steven]. This was my first time riding with them, and my theory of if you ride more than 2500 miles in a year, you're probably a good rider, held true. Since Bob and I are in Southern NH, we decided to take his trailer and drive up through Maine and start from Pointe-a-la-Croix, a 9-hour drive for us and 4-hour drive for Steven. Since this was only going to be a ~3 day ride, we couldn't start from the North shore. After a ~9 hour drive Friday, we arrived at the Selectotel at about 11:30pm, just as the front desk was closing. Steven was up earlier in the day and did a few miles to run up to see Groomer. I was running the Etec, with the stock 1.25" track and 96 studs, newly installed. Of course, new hyfax also. Bob had an '07 500ss, newly rebuilt again, and Steven had his '09 Artic Cat Turbo 144".

Day 1: Pointe-a-la-Croix to Mont-St-Pierre

Conditions: +14/30F, Sunny. Very hard, flat trails. Plenty of snow, except Parking lots.

Trails: 5, 595, 5. 302 miles, 15.4 mpg, 40.6 mph [avg]. 7:30am-5:30pm.

A beautiful start to the trip, perfect weather...

and perfect trails...

After the hyfax problems with the 1.75" ripsaw in late February, it was refreshing to have new hyfax, with the 1.25" ripsaw, for these conditions. Till we hit 595, the trails were freshly groomed, flat, and very hard. 595 had some loose snow on top and was excellent. This time though, there were very few deer on the 595 New Richmond reroute, that was a surprise. After gas at LaCache, it was my first run up the North side of 595. What a great stretch, wide, flat, scenic, and two regions of extremely high moose traffic. Once at the relais at the top [which was packed], I decided to take a quick look at the hyfax...what a surprise, the section under the front wheels was down probably 3/4. Loose snow was a little scarce to start, but were fine after LaCache. I'll have to keep and eye on them again. The ride to Mont-St-Pierre was excellent again...

It was another beautifull day, with a great stop at Motel MSP. We were the only ones there on a Saturday night.

Day 2: Mont-St-Pierre to Murdochville

Conditions: +28/30F, Sunny with isolated flurries. Trails were hard and flat.

Trails: 5, 597, 5, 597. 300 miles, 16.7 mpg, 40.9 mph [avg], 7:30am-6:00pm.

Another beautifull start to the day. We started with a run past Riviere-la-Madeliene to see a waterfall Steven had found. It wasn't that exciting at this time of year. However, we were reminded of some of the other benefits of riding the Gaspe...

We took a detour to Haute Madeleine. No one was there, but it looks like a great stop. We then continued through Murdochville South, on a relatively rough stretch of trail. We then turned off to the local trail towards Douglastown. That trail is always excellent, so much so, Bob tried to make his decision on buying a new sled for next year, a little easier. We then continued on to Perce...

The ride up to the top was easy this time of year and conditions cleared/warmed up...

The ride up piston alley was perfect, and for some reason, my 2000+ mile belt didn't go. The isolated flurries started to add up around here, 3-4". We stayed at the Motel Copper, the first time for me.

Day 3: Murdochville to Amqui

Conditions: +24/30F. Cloudy to partly cloudy. 0"-10" of fresh powder over hard, flat trails.

Trails: 597, LT, 595, 5, 591, LT, 5. 263 miles, 15.4 mpg, 39.6 mph [avg]. 7:00am-6:30pm.

Not much new snow in the morning, but nice and cloudy. The 4" of snow to start, varied from 0-6" on the Chic-Choc trail to LaCache. An early morning fill up at LaCache, and it was back on 595 North. We saw 2 moose in the first stretch, then 3 on the second stretch, but one wouldn't get out of the way. Much like the 100-lacs experience, we keep following him for a few miles, but this guy was in better shape and didn't get tired. This went on for 3 miles or so, till the trail opened up and we were able to pass off-trail. He was flying on that trail, and it was down hill, who knew a moose could run that fast. A short ride, then we were the only ones at relais Saint-Paulin this time. On the North shore, it was still snowing, and we had maybe 10" of snow in some regions...

While heading to the gas stop in Matane, I hooked something with my carbide in a parking lot. I was riding near the snow bank, since the lot was dry pavement, then bang...I didn't see or find what I hit, but it hit good...

I removed it, and since it was on the outside, I didn't worry about it. The lower A-arm was bent back an inch or so, but seemed to have little effect. I've never liked how the carbides mate to the ski on the Simmons. I usually hammer the ends, but now I'll take more care.

After gas and lunch, we took some of the local trails around Amqui to get to Albertville to meet up with groomer. As always, the trails in that region were excellent, and snow totals were as high as any in the province. After meeting Groomer, we were off to Amqui for the night. The day ended seeing 5 moose on the trail, a few deer, a van with balloon tires/tracks, a pickup with tracks, and no sleds.

Day 4: Amqui to Pointe-a-la-Croix

Conditions: +26/32F, Sunny. Hard and flat trails.

Trails: TQ5. 70 miles, 15.5 mpg, 44.5 mph [avg]. 7:00am-9:00am

This was just a quick run back to the trucks, for the long drive home. Another beautifull start to the morning...

then up to another look out at PLC, much like we started the trip, and a great way to end the trip and season...

Another great late season ride. The Gaspe is a great place to end the season, and PLC is also a good starting place for a short ride. Hyfax on the XP appear to be a big problem in thinner snow. The snow conditions on this trip were better than the season ender where my 1.75" ripsaw was the blame for the hyfax. However, after ~950 miles, with one hard/icey half day, and a 1.25" studded ripsaw, they ended up being completely shot. Since they wore so fast, half way through the trip, I made an adjustment to the center shock and coupling blocks. Handling and the ride were much better, we'll have to see how it effects the hyfax. With early season conditions, and a 1.75" ripsaw, the hyfax made it to 3800 miles. In any lower snow conditions, they don't hold up, especially when compared to the SC-4 suspension. In all cases, I never had any heating issues, and could always see plenty of snow dust in the mirrors. Statistics for the trip were...935 miles, 15.8 mpg, 187 mpq [of oil], gas was $1.00 [CA] per liter mostly super, $1.24 exchange rate, fuel cost of $174 [US], using 59 gallons of gas, and 5 quarts of oil.

2009 Season Ender

Due to the other shortened rides this year, we decided to try to make this season ender an 8-day ride. This is usually the best trip of the year, since days are longer, we now turn the clocks back early, and trails aren't nearly as crowded as February. Since we had Marty [aka Mary] with us, we had to break-up the trip at the mid-point, since he can't handle a real ride. We started in Shawinigan with four of us, John, Marty, Tom, and I. The initial plan was to head out West, and cross back to drop off Marty, and loop around over Lac St-Jean. There was plenty of snow, with a snow/rain mix for day one, then colder temperatures till day 6, with more rain, then a deep freeze. I had my '09 Etec, with 1.75" track, new hyfax, and all exhaust bolts. Starting mileage was 3672.

Day 1: Shawinigan to St-Felicien
Conditions: +30F, Snow changing to rain. 10" of fresh powder to start.
Trails: 318, 73, 83, 373. 289 miles, 13.0 mpg, 36 mph [avg]. 7:30am-5:30pm.

The site everyone likes to see in the morning...

much more snow than the forecast. Past LaTuque, it turned to rain, which everyone hates...

In case anyone ever wondered if the railroad bridge on the powerline [355] was still active, here's the answer...

We broke trail most of the way to LaTuque. The run from Relais 22 to Roberval was excellent. We ended the first day at Hotel du Jardin, usually an excellent stop, but the food has gone downhill over the years. Unfortunately, Friday was also the Chinese buffet, don't try Chinese in Canada.

Day 2: St-Felicien to Matagami
Conditions: +28/42F, overcast. Flat trails, with new snow, later wet snow mush.
Trails: 373, 93, 396. 404 miles, 10.5 mpg, 48.2 mph [avg]. 6:30am-7:00pm.

We never like to plan on a 400 mile day, but today we did, so we skipped breakfast and hit the trails at 6:30am. LaDore to the Sawmill was 59 miles, so there's no need to get gas at LaDore when leaving from du-Jardin. Marty had more electrical problems, then Tom did a snow depth test, followed by Marty, it was something like 4'. On the way to relais du Nord, my right ski slid off the shoulder and I was sucked into the powder. While shifting over to the left side, trying to stand, my gauntlet hit the kill switch, and it was game over...

a little shoveling, then leveling the sled, and off I went...no help of course. Some people don't like shovels, I think they're priceless, especially when Marty is around. After gas in Chapais, it was time for the 80 miles of railroad bed, at least it was warm this time...it was about -20F a few years ago. Like then, I also blew a belt at 4181 total miles, about right, since the first blown belt was on piston alley at ~1900 miles. I kept the throttle at about 80mph for the entire run. I was out of gas at 73 miles. Within 3 miles, the SDI and 800 were also out, while the Yamaha was already at the gas stop. We didn't run out a few years ago, so the warm conditions and mashed snow must have had a lot to do with it. We stayed at the Motel Matagami, a great stop, everything you need in one place, and breakfast at 5am if you want it.

Day 3: Matagami to Senneterre

Conditions: -10/+16F, mostly sunny. Hard, flat, some icy trails.
Trails: 396, 93, 83. 318 miles, 13.2 mpg, 45.7 mph [avg]. 7:30am-5:00pm.

After a good freeze overnight, the trails were solid, and flat. We took 396 out West, and took the opportunity for a 10 mile detour to Ontario...

of course, it's at this point, the farthest from the trucks, that Marty cries he wants to go home. Oh well, no choice now, we're already planning a direct route back of over 500 miles. Soon out of Ontario, trails on 83 turned to near ice, with enough powder for cooling, but little for traction and hyfax on my 1.75" ripsaw. After easing my sled into Senneterre, the new hyfax at the start of the trip were gone. John who had the 1.5" ripsaw, had no hyfax wear. We stayed at the Motel Senabi, essentially a room only. You need to take a cab for dinner, and can ride a few blocks to a good breakfast stop.

Day 4: Senneterre to Kanawata
Conditions: -2/+28F, mostly cloudy to clear. Icy trails to hard pack with snow.
Trails: 83, local 369. 321 miles, 15.6 mpg, 39.8 mph [avg]. 3:30am-7:00pm.

The day started with a hyfax change, more oil, and a replacement trail pass that fell off. This was my first run on this part of 83. The ice trails ate into the new hyfax again, till the trails loosened up later. Evidence of the fire was obvious, as was this dead groomer...

After gas a Balbuzzard, more bad trails and fire damage. It's amazing how they made it through the fire. Across the lake, was all fire damaged and on their side, it was untouched... A few miles later, the trails opened up and were good. The major reroute before Clova was good, and the gas stop at Monet was informative. Apparently, this reroute may become permanent. The rest of 83 was great, and the burned groomer from the last trip was still there. The local trail to Kanawata was freshly groomed all the way. We got a minor tongue-lashing at Kanawata for not making reservations. They also informed Tom not to start his sled before 7:15am. There were about a dozen or so people there on Summits. They had come from Beauregard using only about 15 miles of trail, that was an interesting conversation.

Day 5: Kanawata to Roberval

Conditions: -2/+29F, mostly sunny. Hard pack with snow, some excellent.

Trails: local 369, 83. 222 miles, 16.4 mpg, 40.0 mph [avg]. 8:00am-2:30pm.

The newly groomed trails from last night were frozen solid and continued to eat at the hyfax. Marty headed South, to go home. The run to Wemo was better than the February trip. The road out of Wemo had plenty of snow, and the trail to relais 22 was excellent. Out of relais 22, we planned a stop in Roberval for hyfax and exhaust bolts. After a quick hyfax change [they were about half gone], John noticed a busted suspension on Tom's yamaha, so he was off to Chambord while they fixed John's exhaust bolts, brakes, and chain problem. Given the problems, we decided to stay at Chateau Roberval. The new restaurant was excellent, much better than du-Jardin. All sleds were fixed and we were in the rooms by 5:30pm.

Day 6: Roberval to Jonquiere
Conditions: +30/40F, Cloudy, with light snow changing to light rain. Perfect trails.
Trails: local 373, 93, 367, 267. 337 miles, 13.5 mpg, 42.0 mph [avg]. 6:30am-4:30pm.

With a short day yesterday, we decided to get an early start and head to Monts Valin. Trails were perfect till Tom had a problem with a road crossing near 367. If it's not the yamaha, it's the driver. After regrouping, we headed to Jonquiere to get Tom into the shop. After checking in to the hotel, John and I headed to Chappelle for lunch. Once past 328, all the trails were perfect, including the run to bras-louis...

on the way back we tried 328, but it was junk, so we took 93 back to the rooms. Later, we had a chance to say hi to Bill and saw our friends from Maryland again. After the warm temps, it was back to a deep freeze again.

Day 7: Jonquiere to Shawinigan

Conditions: -2/+18F, Sunny. Hard packed, Ice trails.

Trails: 83, 355, 318. 294 miles, 17.1 mpg, 37.2 mph [avg]. 6:30am-5:30pm.

More hard packed and icy trails to start...

Then we passed this kayak course, that we've seen for years... but earlier in the trip, we saw people running the course this winter on TV, crazy stuff. Trails near Lac St-Jean were ice with little snow, causing some heating issues. Once to 355, it was freshly groomed all the way to Lac Edouard. The problem was, the trails were ice near the sides, and chopped up ice balls in the center, making for a very interesting and mostly rough ride. In addition, the trail was rerouted, adding about another 20 miles of junk. After Lac Edouard, trails were hard and good till after the pipeline. Then the lack of snow and warmer temps did a number on the trails, especially the roads. The 2-miles of dirt/mud on a logging road is just another problem to deal with this time of year...

Overall, a good trip, that actually lasted 7-days for some of us. Another two big warm ups that were unfortunate. The big lesson learned here was the track. After great luck with the 1.5" ripsaw last year, I tried the 1.75" ripsaw this year. After a great start to the year and 3700 miles with the first set of hyfax, I went through 3 sets during this 2180 mile trip, while John's sled with a 1.5" ripsaw barely wore the hyfax. As a result, I will be using the 1.75" track till February, then I'll swap to the stock 1.25" ripsaw, with a few studs. Statistics for the trip were...2179 miles, 13.5 mpg [avg], 155 miles per quart of oil, gas was $1.06 [ca] per litre for a mix of super/regular, $1.27 exchange rate, and total fuel cost was about $500 [us], using about 3.5 gallons of oil.