Gadgetman

Buddy and I did the run down from Matagami years ago on our Vectors, no gas caddy, didn't run out. I think we had 2 litres left in the tank, and it was also -24c.

Hi. Welcome. I'm trying to avoid the "honey due list" before heading to Florida tomorrow, so had a look for you. No gas stations, restaurants or posted parking spots. I think one of the Forum members lives around Gravenhurst, may have some suggestions, but based on what I see you will need to trailer. Red X marks your spot I believe. Good luck.

The three things of QC riding that can get ON riders are: 1. Must have Left hand mirror; 2. Exhaust has to be stock; and 3. Sometimes "new" Police officers to the snowmobile patrol, don't accept custom license numbers, even though the FCMQ pretty well every year reminds the SQ that sled registration legality is based on the province of registration. Glad to hear the riding has been good relative to this winter.

We were only doing the North Shore of the Gaspse, week of Feb 22nd and cancelled about 1.5 weeks ago. QC is expensive for hotels, and driving time. The old boys want pristine trails, for the extra cost, so we are back to ON North. We usually trailer to New Liskeard and ride to Hearst and back, just driving to Cochrane, hubbing, then over to Hearst, hub then back to Cochrane. Just so nice not to pack the luggage every morning.

Some points if interested. Where the trail ends behind the either Walmart or CT, across a big parking lot (to gas station) and then cross the roadway to Quality is tough if parking lot is bare. Quality good spot with restaurant right next door. You can do RN to Val-Dor in about half day, so out and back (if you stay on 83 and not go local over the top) (186Km each way)in a day. 83 is a nice trail, with open quick sections. Very nice riding area.

Glad your ok. Take the Cheque., ask for salvage rights, part it out and get another sled. Just drying the seat will take months and it will likely get moldy.

Companion usually has a sledders rate, which includes a discount at the Shell station, and I think Dinner, maybe breakfast. Either way, has offered the sled rate for the 20+ years I've stayed there. I just call them direct, many hotels match any online rate offered, saves them the fee they pay. Day trip to Hornpayne and back is nice ride (Lunch in Hornpayne may be better now that the new motel is open). Hotdogs at the Esso station use to do the trick. The trails north of Hearst are also a great ride. Lastly, Companion will make you a box lunch if you ask. Rooms at the back, listen to Mill or train engine idling, rooms at front, listen to tractor trailers going by all night. Peeler bar close down about 15-20 years ago. Fairly busy night at Companion can have a full garage, first cme first serve.. Motor Home gone, tractor usually outside now.

Wondering if anyone knows the status of the LOP for the A trail north of Matheson through Val Gagne?

Just remember "young fella" :-), as we age, our mind continues to tell us to do things that our body can't back-up. I've also watched some of his new videos, did you see the one where is buddy is at the bottom of a 20ft hole\with cold water and it takes the 3 of them almost all day to get him out.. I'm way too old and broken for that stuff. When i lived in Alberta, a friend would go to the mountains to ride, then one year all 5 of them got down into a bowl, which required a helicopter lift out, at $700\pop (20+ years ago price). I'm good with the boring Ontario north trails, or Gaspse. I'd do New Brunswick again, without the rain this time. Cheers az..

21 Feb - Toronto guys drive to Ottawa. 22 Feb Drive day Ottawa to River Du Loop. 23 Feb do this loop, which is what the 2019 trip was supposed to be until the snow storm and my sled roll basically ended the trip. Trying to keep the days to 250Km except first and last as RDL to Matane segment is open and quick. 6 guys, 6 days of riding. Stops: Matane. Mont Saint Pierre. Auberge Le Caribou. Mont Saint Pierre. Matane. RDL. Need to finish my excel chart for this one with fuel and lunch stops. Then create a Northern Ontario backup trip, just in case.

I've always accepted that it is the most benign roll over, (only our city Mayor falling off a snowmobile and breaking his leg is dumber) and why I didn't just counter it better is beyond me. That surgery caused an upper leg blood clot, which then caused a pulmonary embolism (a piece breaking off and blocking blood to the lungs - about 50% fatal), I was very lucky. Why if I get injured in any way sledding again, she will have the sled sold before I wake up.

More work for me, but a good idea. At least the other 5 guys appreciate the detailed planning i do for our trips. Often, a great Single Malt surprises me at the end of the trip. (Now, here's to hoping no Matane blizzard snow storm, no rolling my sled in that snow storm and severing my quad tendon, on this repeat trip.)

Can you post the source, as it looks based on the map, not sure how that will work, and I have our trip to Gaspe planned, I'd like to start looking at putting that route back in.

Looks interesting. That said, I just stop, pull my phone out, check the map, put it back in my pocket (for what they cost these days) and continue on. Gadget man is trying to cut down how many wires and gadgets I'm dealing with every time I dismount the sled.

Update. Closure of Snowmobile bridge has the merchants concerned. Radio Canada Article: Snowmobile Footbridge Closure Causes Concern in the Estran | Radio-Canada Merchants in the Estran sector fear that the closure of a footbridge that allows snowmobilers to span the Madeleine River will have tangible repercussions on their sales. They are asking Transports Québec to provide an alternative solution. The bridge in question was closed on 11 November following an inspection for safety reasons. Snowmobilers who take the trans-Québec 5 trail on the north side of the Gaspé Peninsula will have to make a detour from Saint-Maxime-du-Mont-Louis and cross south to Murdochville before being able to converge on Gaspé or Percé. If no solution is found by the start of the winter season, entrepreneurs in Grande-Vallée and Petite-Vallée fear losing important economic benefits related to this industry. This is the case for Émilie Leblanc-Laberge, owner of Évasion Nature Petite-Vallée. She runs an inn and rents rooms and estimates that between 75% and 95% of her customers during the winter are attracted to the area by snowmobiling activities. The entrepreneur observes that snowmobilers who choose the Gaspé Peninsula do so largely to make long loops. If that's not possible, people will find an alternative destination, she believes. Concerns are also great at the Motel-Restaurant La Marée Haute in Grande-Vallée. Its owner, Véronique Gélineau, believes that the sustainability of many businesses on the Estran depends on winter tourism. The closure of the footbridge could, according to her, have major repercussions. It could be fatal for some companies, laments the woman who admits to experiencing a certain amount of stress.

Yes, it is still there and operational. When my nephew owned the place he would use it to groom a cross country trail around the back of the property, which has about a 3KM trail around it. As he isn't going up there any more, unclear to me if it will be used anymore, as I'm not seeing my niece driving it. Want to buy it?

My niece has a place listed on AirBnB, which shows at Emsdale, but it is just outside of Kearney, with the D trail going by the driveway. Room for trailers and looks to sleep up to 8 (site says 12 - at my age climbing bunk beds isn't something I do anymore), and most definitely wife friendly. Kearney has fuel and some food service offerings. You can hub and spoke out of the place, with the Ice Caves as a must see destination. Cost per night varies, like all AirBnB places. Hopefully the link works (hopefully no issue for posting a link?) https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/1169383301594964373?adults=2&children=0&enable_m3_private_room=true&infants=0&location=Emsdale%2C ON&pets=0&search_mode=regular_search&check_in=2024-11-14&check_out=2024-11-19&source_impression_id=p3_1729029712_P3kDw6DnjrIG-dIW&previous_page_section_name=1001&federated_search_id=c0e9f89a-d4a3-4f7d-b707-ce534e41a25e

My buddy looked up the French news on it from a few years ago, and it was a massive land slide that took out much of the trail. Impression was very low chance of ever opening again. That said, the event was years ago, and maybe the thought has changed.

On our first Gaspe trip, the snow only came early Feb. On our 2nd trip (I ended it badly), we were snowed in at Matane for a day or two and then with my injury aborted. Weather can be a large factor, good and bad in that region.

Thanks for sharing. Only a 7.5 hr drive for me and only doing a QC sled permit next year, so I will add it to my destination list. Mont Apica was an old Early Warning radar base, back in the day. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: Canadian Forces Station Mont Apica (CFS Mont Apica) was a radar station of the Pinetree Line, located in Mont-Apica, Quebec, Canada, during the Cold War. The station opened as RCAF Station Mont Apica in 1952 and had a staff of some 500 persons at its peak. 2452 AC&W squadron, a reserve unit from Quebec City, trained at Mont Apica until the squadron was disbanded in 1960. Political and technological changes made the station redundant and it closed in 1990.[1] No. 12 Radar Squadron, Mont Apica's lodger unit, was transferred to CFB Bagotville. There was also a weather radar used by the military and later by the Meteorological Service of Canada. After the station's closure, it was transferred to the Lac Castor site of the Canadian weather radar network.

I cancelled ON and took the group to Val D'Or last week instead of the "big loop" through Timmins. If no first-hand report from anyone, suggest you try the Timmins club president, as I believe I had some exchange from him (which I can't find (sorry)) regarding that trail and the hotel manager thinking the club would "fix" it. Cheers az

You must be in room 111 or 113, based on your view. This trailer, and I think the one to left of it was there when I was last week 11-14 Feb.

Sorry, my bad, apologize. I was talking about the hotel.

Ok. But that shouldn't then take 1 hr to be put on the table. Sunday was about 2/3rds full, Monday evening was less than half full in the restaurant. Tuesday. we ordered in a Pizza.

All, My group of 6 meet at the Forrestal at Val D'Or Sunday, and we did 3 day trips, total of just over 800KM's, so that the 3 new Sidewinders could get their breakin and first check complete. Trails QC Yellow for the most part, but were ON Green in many sections. Day 1 was 386 Southbound . 1 big washout (may be fixed as trail Green today. South of the community, it becomes a travelled winter road, so we aborted and headed back. That trail was a hard Yellow this past Monday. (Day we did 25KM of the day 2 ride to check it out - Sweet ride!) Day 2 83 - local connector - 83. (300Km round trip) We headed out to Lac Fillion for fuel and lunch (NO MENU - they have what they have when you get there, soup or sandwhich. $2\Litre (I dont know if Prem or not). Long open winding roads, except for the Yellow section which has forestry work, trail beside the road, snow covered but have to watch the trail. Small 1 lane washout. Day 3 - (250KM) We headed West up to AMOS mostly on the 83, then the 307 North,. NOTE: The river in AMOS is open, so you have to cross a long-_ss bridge with traffic to head back East to the Amosphere for lunch. Took 93 and to 313 south. (Route outbound over the top of ValDOr, "Not nice" , maybe the route under VD West bound is nicer. Very nice ride except for Bridge and getting out of VD. PDF of stats attached. Pretty great save for this season. Looks like they got some of this snow, as many trails are Green today 16 Feb. Hotel: Breakfast buffet - $25+tax. Club or Smoked meat sandwhich - $25. Waited 1 hour for meal both Sunday and Monday night. If you check Expedia, get the rate, call the hotel should\may match rate. Sunday to Tue was $187\night\room + TAXES. Wed $214\night + taxes. Cheers Andy SLD2024 GPS Data OC.pdf