sledjunk Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 Well, I got back from my first ever trip to Quebec for sledding and we did a six day tour of Gaspesie. We started out by driving to Rimouski as our jumping off point. We split the drive into two days, stopping in Drummondville for the first night and finishing the drive the next day. As it was, we started out in wet snow on Sunday morning but the day cleared for most of the drive. The next day, we weren't as lucky! We drove through heavy snow and high winds that made travel slow and stressful. We started riding on Tuesday, March 1 and headed from Rimouski to St. Octave de l'Avenir. The trails were quite good, considering the amount of snow and drifting that had occurred in the previous 24 hours. The winds were still pretty brisk so there were sections where the drifts were quite deep. The scenery was beautiful, but, paled in comparison to what was to come. Wednesday morning was overcast but the skies cleared as the day progressed and the day was nothing short of AWESOME!! We rode through the Chic-Choc Mountains and the scenery was incredible. We would be riding along a narrow trail that climbed the mountains with a number of switchbacks. As we arrived at the peaks, the view would suddenly open to reveal some of the most breathtaking scenery imaginable. This truly is rugged and majestic country. We then descended to about sea level for lunch in Mont-St.-Pierre. The rest of the day was the same idea of climbing the mountain to a great vista and then descending back to almost sea level. We ended the day at a relatively small hotel in Grand-Vallee. The accommodations were clean but were fairly tight. (The shower was not even 2 x 2!!! and the soap was about the size of a looney!) However, this was one of the best restaurants on our tour. Not very much snow Thursday dawned clear and cold. After a hearty breakfast, we headed off toward Percé. The day riding this day was very similar in terrain and trail construction to Central Ontario riding. However, when we reached Percé, the view was spectacular. We stayed at the only hotel that promises a view of the famous Percé Rock. View from the Hotel window Friday was a beautiful day for riding. The temperatures were just below freezing and the sun was shining. In addition, we rode freshly groomed trails most of the day. We started off from Percé and headed to Chandler, where we wanted to meet the folks from Info Motoneigiste. This is similar to one of our district organizations but they are extremely helpful to sledding tourists. They helped with everything from offering advice, arranging permits, arranging our reservations and even to helping to arrange a rescue for sledders stranded on the trails! (Not us, thank God) After a lunch at the Info Motoneigiste clubhouse, we headed off toward Murdochville through the interior mountain trails. Once again the scenery was breathtaking! View of the windmills just outside of Murdochville. Saturday was to be our longest day and it dawned gray and cloudy. Snow was obviously in the forecast. We headed out from Murdochville toward Matane. I did not get many pictures as the visibility was limited but it was obvious that, on a clear day, the scenery would be breathtaking here as well. The trails were quite busy because of the weekend and this was even more noticeable because we had met very few sleds the rest of the trip. Of note for Maple and Giddy Up, as we arrived in Matane, we noticed a number of red / blue flashing lights down the road aways. As we arrived at the hotel, there was an area cordoned off. We were not expecting this kind of reception and were quite disappointed to realize that the special treatment was not for us. Instead, this was the finish for the Quebec version of the Kelly Shires Ride. Unfortunately, for us, the hotel had not seen fit to staff appropriately, and as a result, there was limited ice for us and we had to wait over 2 hours for our dinner after making a reservation! After complaining, we did receive a significant discount, but it still put a damper on our moods. To top it off, the snow had gotten heavier and the weather reports were calling for rain in the morning. We were not sure whether we would ride the final day, or arrange other transportation to the trucks and trailer home. As it happened, we awoke to about 6 inches of wet heavy snow in the morning, and it was still snowing. We decided to ride the remaining half day back to the trucks. The ride was slow and difficult as we were ploughing through all the way. We arrived back in Rimouski soaking wet. After changing and lunch, we decided to head out and see how far we would get in the conditions. As it turned out, shortly after we got on the highway, conditions improved. We decided that we would push on to try to get through Montreal on Sunday rather than fight rush hour traffic Monday morning. We pushed on to Cornwall for our final night, arriving around quite late. When we heard the weather forecasts, we were pleased with our decision as Montreal and east was to get upwards of 50 CM of snow Monday morning. As it was, we awoke to about six inches of fresh heavy snow on the trucks! It was not snowing when we arrived. Shortly after leaving Cornwall, the sun came out, the highways dried up and we had a good drive home. All in all, it was my best sledding experience to date! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
white dragon Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 that is a long ride...nice scenery & trails...great pics too...lookin forward to that trip one day... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wenailem1 Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 wow all i can say is wow. wow. dave wow, not one spelling error wow. thanks for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reved Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 Thanks SJ looks like a nice trip. Great pictures also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoodaDave Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 Thanks for sharing Sledjunk. I was there also. I'm looking forward when I go again. The Quebec gps trail map that I downloaded from the OntarioConditions link came in real handy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbakernbay Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 Did that trip about 5 years ago. Great food and scenery but I was very disappointed in their grooming. We didn't see many well groomed trails which was disappointing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 Very glad that the trip was everything you hoped it would be, and more. report. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faceman Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 Super report, thanks. Gotta luv honest reporting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cehyoopers Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 awesome and welcome home,,,, ,me,I am pounding the snow in Mi,,,, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blakesnowcrest Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 Absolutely Awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polaris1 Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 Out of curiosity,do you speak French?We've been considering a similar trip but the language barrier has me nervous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sledjunk Posted March 11, 2011 Author Share Posted March 11, 2011 Out of curiosity,do you speak French?We've been considering a similar trip but the language barrier has me nervous. I can understand a few words and speak even less. There were a couple in the group who were able to manage better than I could but it really wasn't an issue. Even the people who said they couldn't speak English tried and between us we managed to communicate. The people were very friendly and tried to be helpful. Most were certainly more bilingual than I am. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sledjunk Posted March 11, 2011 Author Share Posted March 11, 2011 Thanks for sharing Sledjunk. I was there also. I'm looking forward when I go again. The Quebec gps trail map that I downloaded from the OntarioConditions link came in real handy. Welcome to the forum, Dave. I agree, the downloaded trail map worked out very well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
14 snow Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 Great post and some of your pictures make up for the areas we didn't get to. We found our best trail condition days were Thursday and Friday after all the fresh snow was groomed. We made it to Cornwall on our return drive as well, then completed the balance on Saturday. Our trip was great too. Definitely an area that should be on everyone's snowmobile trip bucket list. Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ragdoll Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 Fantastic pictures and narrative. I was hoping to get one last big ride in but doesn't look like it now. Lucky you!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sledjunk Posted March 11, 2011 Author Share Posted March 11, 2011 Fantastic pictures and narrative. I was hoping to get one last big ride in but doesn't look like it now. Lucky you!!!! Hopefully, we'll still have a couple more weekends up North. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sledjunk Posted March 11, 2011 Author Share Posted March 11, 2011 Great post and some of your pictures make up for the areas we didn't get to. We found our best trail condition days were Thursday and Friday after all the fresh snow was groomed. We made it to Cornwall on our return drive as well, then completed the balance on Saturday. Our trip was great too. Definitely an area that should be on everyone's snowmobile trip bucket list. Kevin So? Where's your pics and report????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildbill Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 Nice report and pics Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArcticCrusher Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 I can understand a few words and speak even less. There were a couple in the group who were able to manage better than I could but it really wasn't an issue. Even the people who said they couldn't speak English tried and between us we managed to communicate. The people were very friendly and tried to be helpful. Most were certainly more bilingual than I am. They can speak English, they just choose not too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sledjunk Posted March 11, 2011 Author Share Posted March 11, 2011 They can speak English, they just choose not too. While there may be some like that, I do not believe that the people in the hospitality industry in the areas that we traveled had that attitude. Everyone we met was helpful and courteous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giddy UP Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 Great report Dave! Awesome Pics! I was wondering about you guys when I heard the weather forecast for that area and thought you might get stuck out there! Glad you had an awesome time and have arrived home again safe and sound! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irREVerent Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 I can understand a few words and speak even less. There were a couple in the group who were able to manage better than I could but it really wasn't an issue. Even the people who said they couldn't speak English tried and between us we managed to communicate. The people were very friendly and tried to be helpful. Most were certainly more bilingual than I am. Thanks for the trip report and pics, SJ...nice summary of our whole experience (you beat me to it) And I'll emphatically second your comments about the language question...language was absolutely not an issue that should keep anyone away from the magic of Gaspe (or anywhere else in Quebec, for that matter), and if you don't go because of that, it's truly your loss. Sure there are the occasional challenges, but anyone can manage the situation with even only a few words of French, combined with the Quebecois' willingness to try a bit of English, or if they know no English, to find someone who could speak enough to help us. Virtually everyone we met who could not converse in English was very patient with our rusty high-school French, and we managed to communicate just fine, always with a smile and a "merci beaucoup", which goes a long way. All-in-all, this trip was a wonderful experience...not only the riding, but also the first-hand exposure to Quebec culture and language. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irREVerent Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 They can speak English, they just choose not too. Sounds like you're the one who needs the attitude adjustment...for the vast majority of people we met, French is their first language, so why expect them to automatically speak English? My first question on our trip was always "Parlez-vous Anglais?" If the answer was "non", we would then try and work through in very basic French only, or they would get help from someone in the store, or gas station (or wherever we were needing service or help) who did speak enough English to be able to assist us. All part of the Quebec riding experience which helps to make it novel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArcticCrusher Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 Sounds like you're the one who needs the attitude adjustment...for the vast majority of people we met, French is their first language, so why expect them to automatically speak English? My first question on our trip was always "Parlez-vous Anglais?" If the answer was "non", we would then try and work through in very basic French only, or they would get help from someone in the store, or gas station (or wherever we were needing service or help) who did speak enough English to be able to assist us. All part of the Quebec riding experience which helps to make it novel. The first 3 years of my career, I spent almost half of it in Quebec. I travelled throughout various parts of Quebec. Their limited English was always better than my attempt at French. They always said they could not speak any English, however some always seemed to come out and it was enough to get by. The people were always friendly and very polite. Quebec does a much better job of English than Ontario does with French. Now China, is a different story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sledjunk Posted March 11, 2011 Author Share Posted March 11, 2011 (you beat me to it) Feel free to add any comments / pics as you see fit. I only reported from my perspective and my photos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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