A group of five of us went up for a short Gaspesie Tour last week.

Friday March 7. The trails as usual were very good and it was sunny and about 1*c. We started from Pointe a la Croix and headed west on the TQ 5 till we came to the 587 and followed it to Albertville. The trails were perfect with very little traffic. However travelling this way we didn't travel on any of Groomers trails. We did however meet him at his clubhouse for lunch. From there we continued on the 587 up through Redemption up to Mont Joli where we got on the TQ 5 and onto Matane where we stayed at the Quality Inn. There were three of us in one room so we asked for the corner suite. This is a great room for three with two large double beds and a fold out couch. It also has a large table comfy chairs and a propane fireplace.

Saturday March 8. We traveled the TQ 5 along the north shore, trails again were very good. One of the riders in the group was on his first trip to the Gaspesie, he was looking forward to the sites. This was not the day to see any scenery, it snowed hard all day making visibility very limited. On this day we traveled to a fishing outfitter on the TQ 5 just past the top of the 597. Camp Haute Madeleine was by far the nicest spot I have stayed at in the Gaspesie. The log cabins were very nice and would sleep up to 7 people. We landed mid afternoon and went for a ride locally, when we agot back they waited about 10 minutes, long enough for us to get our suits off and landed with two big trays of brushetta, and said that should hold us to supper.The food was very very good and plentiful. You didn't leave the table hungry there. The hosts Joanne and Gill were quite accomadating. Joanne was a little better with english than Gill, both were limited, we however had no problem getting what we needed. They prepared your meals for what ever time you request. The cabins are located on a lake 1km off the TQ 5. I would strongly recommend this place and will return myself for sure.

Sunday March 9. It snowed very hard all morning, this is the same day Montreal got 50 cm. We pulled out and traveled down the 597 to Murdochville. We got to the gas station, gassed up, paid for the gas, and all went to the bathroom. This may have taken 10 minutes, when we went back out you could not see the tracks where we rode in. Now thats snowing! We struck off from there to go cross country to La Cache. This trail usually takes 1hr 15min to 1hr 20min, we were over 3 hours getting through. In most places there was no evidence of the trail, you had to travel by looking ahead to the next maker which was very hard with the limited visibility. Things cleared out by the time we hit La Cache, and from there down to the ski hill we busted the first track through 16" of fresh snow all the way. The SDI took a little more gas in New Richmond that time. From New Richmond to the truck the trails were a little rough from drifting. Where the storm just ended the groomers hadn't got out yet.

Total distance for the trip was 720 mile. It is great to have such a great snowmobile area only 4 hrs drive from your door. This was my third trip to QC this season, I am not ruling out another run. Here are a couple of the pics I took along the way.

A beautiful day on the 587
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Outside Matane
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The famous Sainte Anne Des Monts bus
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One of the most highly photographed signs in the Gaspe
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Camp Haute Madeleine (I give this place 2 thumbs up)
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A snow on a camp on the same lake as Camp Haute Madeleine
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The 288 foot cable suspension bridge
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MACDAV stepped off his sled on the 595. He didn't think he was hitting bottom yet.
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Wow looking deep

Nice trip and photos. 4 hours! Its 15 for me.

happy to met you again + the rest of the group !!!

thanks for stopping at the clubhouse !!!


looks like you have nt checked the air pressure of that school bus tires again this year ?????? ha !! ha !! ha !!!



groomer !!!

How is the 587 to Albertville? we will be coming through there next week. Don't know if we should take the 587 or Groomers section on tq5. 587 looks much longer.

i ll try not to forget and ask the br guy when he ll groom trail 587 .

fyi : albertville to matapedia is roughly 60 miles , by trail 587.

groomer !!!

The 587 was great, tons of snow and very little traffic! The trail from Albertville through to the TQ 5 is around 90-100 miles. I would recommend trying it if you haven't done it before. However with that said Groomers trails are in my opinion the best maintained in the Gaspesie if not all of Quebec. I believe that comes from the pride he puts into his work.

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thank you very much for the nice comments smclelan .well , i dont know what to say , ha !! ha !!.i wish my english could better to post a better reply.at least when i groom the '' effort '' is there . i don t like to '' ride '' tq 5 only. i rather take 1 or 2 extra hrs and do it right depending of the conditions on the trail.

thanks again !!!


groomer !!!

One other question, did you ever take the local orange trail above Carleton? It's like a big oval and there looks to be a warming hut at the end, we have a little time to explore that day and was wondering what it's like. Thanks for any input, your right groomers section was mint last time through there but I never took the 587, tuff call!

I have gone all the way through the section north of Carleton (orange trail). Early in February Andyman and I attempted it only to find t was closed this winter. We made it as far as the warming shack shown on the map. The rest was plowed for the installation of windmills. They told us at the club it should be open next winter.

Thanks for the info!

jackstraw !!!


fyi , went to the clubhouse for breakfast and asked the br guy about trail 587 .normally he should start grooming around 1 pm or maybe earlier in the morning if necessary.

at this time of the season traffic is very , very low ,so he told me he won t groom if it s not rough .they usually send a guy with a sled to check the condition of the trail when they re not sure if it s rough or not .


groomer !!!

Thanks Groomer!
We'll be leaving at 5am and hope to be at RDL by 3pm. Looks like we'll be passing your area on Thur or Fri, we'll be on the look out for Ya! There will be 6 of us 2 yami's and 4 doo's. Still hoping to get that pic of a moose!

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you might be lucky to see mooses , but still early a bit .few fleurries here this morning , but looks like it s going to be a sunny day !!!

groomer !!!

jackstraw !!

if you read this :a guy on the french forum saw last week end (march 14 ) on the news that the club in r d l aren t grooming anymore .their budget $$$$$$$$ for grooming is '' kapooooooout ''.

here s the phone number for the motel universel in rdl if you want more info : 1 800 265 0072

president of the club : 1 418 862 0155 ................ fax :1 418 862 5467


groomer !!!

groomer,
We are at rdl now, did a quick 50 mile loop this evening. everything is looking good flat as can be we,ll see what happens 4 days from now! Heading to matane in the morning

have a nice trip !!!

groomer !!!

update


just checked back on the french forum and it looks like somebody put his '' nose '' at the wrong place and those info are false .

no problems for grooming in r d l for the next 2 weeks .


groomer !!!

Thank's Groomer for all your hard work and information you provide.
You are a big help for all of us, eveyone appreciate's it.......... even though you tease us with those photos!!

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hi mcstar !!!

thank you very much !!! i don t mind helping others .it s in my nature i guess.just too bad , took only a few pics this morning , i don t have ''new ones '' left .just woke up from a '' big '' napt . ha !! ha !! ha !!

i still have 1.5 hrs to groom and ill start around 5 pm.greaaaaaaat day here at home to ride .looks like we might get '' buried '' again by the week end .not sure yet .

thanks again for the comments !!!


groomer !!!

You are welcome......................keep rubbing it in !!!

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like this ?????

snow was hard to '' scrape '' today .


groomer !!!

Hope Jackstraw is not lost in the storm!
Can't wait to hear the story!
I am home on the mend from surgery.
Ride safe

right !!! very bad day to ride !!! awesome storm !!!


groomer !!!

Groomer

Just wondering about coming up next weekend. Would the trails be groomed next week and weekend ?
I have noticed that possibly in some places that the clubs are shutting down.

Here is what I am thinking; Leave from Edmunston to Biencourt to Albertville and have a cold one with you. Stay in Amqui. Head west for a day or two and then back to Edmunston.

Do you see any issues with this plan ? Maybe Biencourt to Albertville ?

Cheers !

hi whaler !!

no problems at least for our club .i don t know at all about our grooming budget ,but normally we groom til the end of march if weather permit .also amqui should nt no problems too. i ll check on french forum if i can find info about other clubs.

hope to see you !!!


groomer !!!

Groomer

As always, Thanks.
Look forward to getting back up there !

around 6 pm i ll groom around town then go back home .there s tons of snow ,probably around 18- 20 '' i guess.was windy a lot here this afternoon .i think it will be slow to groom .

if weather permit i ll be on tq 5 early tomorrow morning !!!! my brother in law talked with 10 guys from nova scotia this morning !! looks like they were all smile to see that snow .ha !! ha !!!


groomer !!!