Took another trip up this past week, here is what I can remember.
Sun 3/9 - Drive up - Left NJ in the morning to St Raymond / Roquemont. Got up there and soon found out that one of the sleds had a bad bearing on the secondar clutch shaft. Had dinner. Waited at Champlaign border crossing for about 30 minutes. The local roads to St. Raymond from Hwy 40 were referred to as a 'Goat Trail', which was accurate. Barely a lane width plowed, and the heaps on the side of the road were 5 feet over my Suburban in places.
Mon 3/10 - St. Raymond - Quebec City - Clermont - Tadoussac (3) - We had to go to Dion Moto first thing to get the sled fixed. Ended up driving 100 miles round trip to get parts. Finally on sleds by 2pm, found OK trails. Lots and lots of snow, the people in St. Raymond said that they had just had the biggest storm of the season the night before. Lots of snow on the trails, marginal grooming.
Tue 3/11 - Tadossac - Fermont - Baie Comeau (3 - Local - 3) - Trails again ranged from really good to really bad. There is a club between Forrestville and Baie Comeau that is simply just not grooming. Came across a groomer who was chaning a dead moose to the cutting blade, that was weird.
Wed 3/12 - Baie Comeau - Forrestville - Sacre Couer - KM31 (3 - Local - 3- 93) - Same problem as day before, but 93 was, as usual, very good. First time I stayed at KM31, nice place. We were the only ones there.
Thu - 3/13 - KM31 - Onatchiway - Jonquiere (93 - Local - 328 - 367 - 383) - All of these trails were really good. Got to HI, Bill had left that morning for home.
Fri - 3/14 - Jonquiere - Mont Apica - St Raymond (383 - 83 - 23) - Again, these trails were good. 23 especially was well groomed.
This is likely my last trip for the season, I did about 4200 miles this year. Less than I would have liked, but fine, nonetheless.
There is no shortage of snow at this time. There is definitely a shortage of riders, which in turn brought revenue down and grooming is less than normal. Even the girls at JR's in Jonquiere were complaining that the snowmobiling crowd was much less this year.
Is it because of the weak dollar? Or, good conditions in NY, VT, NH and ME?
Full Version: Trip Report, 3/8 to 3/14
QUOTE(arubenstein @ Mar 16 2008, 07:59 PM) 
Took another trip up this past week, here is what I can remember.
Sun 3/9 - Drive up - Left NJ in the morning to St Raymond / Roquemont. Got up there and soon found out that one of the sleds had a bad bearing on the secondar clutch shaft. Had dinner. Waited at Champlaign border crossing for about 30 minutes. The local roads to St. Raymond from Hwy 40 were referred to as a 'Goat Trail', which was accurate. Barely a lane width plowed, and the heaps on the side of the road were 5 feet over my Suburban in places.
Mon 3/10 - St. Raymond - Quebec City - Clermont - Tadoussac (3) - We had to go to Dion Moto first thing to get the sled fixed. Ended up driving 100 miles round trip to get parts. Finally on sleds by 2pm, found OK trails. Lots and lots of snow, the people in St. Raymond said that they had just had the biggest storm of the season the night before. Lots of snow on the trails, marginal grooming.
Tue 3/11 - Tadossac - Fermont - Baie Comeau (3 - Local - 3) - Trails again ranged from really good to really bad. There is a club between Forrestville and Baie Comeau that is simply just not grooming. Came across a groomer who was chaning a dead moose to the cutting blade, that was weird.
Wed 3/12 - Baie Comeau - Forrestville - Sacre Couer - KM31 (3 - Local - 3- 93) - Same problem as day before, but 93 was, as usual, very good. First time I stayed at KM31, nice place. We were the only ones there.
Thu - 3/13 - KM31 - Onatchiway - Jonquiere (93 - Local - 328 - 367 - 383) - All of these trails were really good. Got to HI, Bill had left that morning for home.
Fri - 3/14 - Jonquiere - Mont Apica - St Raymond (383 - 83 - 23) - Again, these trails were good. 23 especially was well groomed.
This is likely my last trip for the season, I did about 4200 miles this year. Less than I would have liked, but fine, nonetheless.
There is no shortage of snow at this time. There is definitely a shortage of riders, which in turn brought revenue down and grooming is less than normal. Even the girls at JR's in Jonquiere were complaining that the snowmobiling crowd was much less this year.
Is it because of the weak dollar? Or, good conditions in NY, VT, NH and ME?
Sun 3/9 - Drive up - Left NJ in the morning to St Raymond / Roquemont. Got up there and soon found out that one of the sleds had a bad bearing on the secondar clutch shaft. Had dinner. Waited at Champlaign border crossing for about 30 minutes. The local roads to St. Raymond from Hwy 40 were referred to as a 'Goat Trail', which was accurate. Barely a lane width plowed, and the heaps on the side of the road were 5 feet over my Suburban in places.
Mon 3/10 - St. Raymond - Quebec City - Clermont - Tadoussac (3) - We had to go to Dion Moto first thing to get the sled fixed. Ended up driving 100 miles round trip to get parts. Finally on sleds by 2pm, found OK trails. Lots and lots of snow, the people in St. Raymond said that they had just had the biggest storm of the season the night before. Lots of snow on the trails, marginal grooming.
Tue 3/11 - Tadossac - Fermont - Baie Comeau (3 - Local - 3) - Trails again ranged from really good to really bad. There is a club between Forrestville and Baie Comeau that is simply just not grooming. Came across a groomer who was chaning a dead moose to the cutting blade, that was weird.
Wed 3/12 - Baie Comeau - Forrestville - Sacre Couer - KM31 (3 - Local - 3- 93) - Same problem as day before, but 93 was, as usual, very good. First time I stayed at KM31, nice place. We were the only ones there.
Thu - 3/13 - KM31 - Onatchiway - Jonquiere (93 - Local - 328 - 367 - 383) - All of these trails were really good. Got to HI, Bill had left that morning for home.
Fri - 3/14 - Jonquiere - Mont Apica - St Raymond (383 - 83 - 23) - Again, these trails were good. 23 especially was well groomed.
This is likely my last trip for the season, I did about 4200 miles this year. Less than I would have liked, but fine, nonetheless.
There is no shortage of snow at this time. There is definitely a shortage of riders, which in turn brought revenue down and grooming is less than normal. Even the girls at JR's in Jonquiere were complaining that the snowmobiling crowd was much less this year.
Is it because of the weak dollar? Or, good conditions in NY, VT, NH and ME?
I'm going to lean more towards the weak dollar.
I had 2 guys from our group not go due to that and now some of them are suggesting maybe try Maine next year?
QUOTE(mcstar @ Mar 17 2008, 07:28 AM)
I'm going to lean more towards the weak dollar.
I had 2 guys from our group not go due to that and now some of them are suggesting maybe try Maine next year?
I had 2 guys from our group not go due to that and now some of them are suggesting maybe try Maine next year?
You must be kidding me! Last year it was17 cents on the dollar, so this year it cost me $250 more for 3500 miles ouch!
Must be the GREAT conditions in maine!
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