Quebec snowmobile Journey 2010 Day-2

Start of Day-2

Most areas were far more wooded, this area
was an exception.

Next time pack..

Less: clothes
More: bungie cords and duct tape
Just right: water, trail mix, electronic crap

The snowmobile is a 2005 Yamaha RS Venture with a 1000cc-class 4-stroke engine. Very quiet with low emissions, great gas mileage and among the best in technology. Designed as a plush, long-distance touring sled. Still a current production model with few, if any, changes.

Can easily do 90 mph with more to go... but why?

Not the fastest racer or meanest bad-boy on the trails but often considered as the best anywhere for fit, finish and reliability. Many think of it as the Honda of snowmobiles. Rick agrees.

Very worthy competitors:

Arctic Cat TZ1 touring 1200 4-stroke
Ski-Doo GTX Grand Touring 1200 4-stroke
(superb ride and handling... worth checking out!)

Note the Garmin GPS-60 behind the windshield.

More than just "very handy" !

Don't ask...

Trail passes are $175 for one week or $285 for the entire season. Considering the enormous infrastructure costs for signage, bridge construction and first class trail maintenance, this is a BARGAIN!

This is big business in Quebec...

Few roads, even fewer humans. We ate at a remote logging camp... somewhere.

Note the luggage on the back of most sleds.

...meaning, just a relay station, not a destination.

This "relais" facility was built from two pre-fab metal trailers bolted together.

In general throughout Quebec, the waitresses spoke only French but they made ordering food as part of a fun game. They were great!

Gas was $5 per gallon when at extremely remote locations

Trails went on for 22,000 miles in Quebec alone.

(not a typo)

One day we had a serious moose encounter.

We were on a very clear, open trail much like the picture above.

Four sleds far in front of us startled a large adult moose who was using the same trail and walking towards them. The four sleds then passed the moose but the adult animal started to run in the direction of Stan's sled far to the rear. When right next to Stan, the animal's right hoof slipped off the trail into the soft snow. The moose fell onto both knees while his left knee and snout slammed into the hard trail snow. Stan wisely sped off.

Rick was by far, the last in the group of six. When the moose stood up, Rick was the only person left on the trail. At this point Bullwinkle was startled, angry and dazed. Maybe even really pissed-off !

The moose then went into a full gallop directly towards Rick who had three options:

Get the camera out to take a picture (very unwise)
Come to a stop to show the galloping moose that Rick meant no harm.
Nail the throttle and get the heck out of there but at an angle to the charging moose. But play chicken with
a galloping moose?

Option-3 won.

Since we had several witnesses, the event was obvious bar conversation that night...

Only one of many Franconia Notch-type scenes.

Approaching dusk, we still had many miles to travel to locate a very remote hunting lodge, at night, in a foreign country where we did not speak the language. Press on...

The next stop was the absolute highlight of the trip.

This is the Auberge du Ravage which is about 80 trail miles south of the nearest city of Jonquière. So extremely remote, they must make their own electricity. Communications are via satellite phone. The nearest hamlet with a post office is 30-miles away. Mail is picked up weekly. They had twelve feet of snow this season, six to eight feet remained while we were there.

Due to the remote location, winter access is exclusively by snowmobile.

The pictures will speak for themselves. Absolutely five star accommodations. Snowmobiler special: $160 ppdo with a gourmet five course dinner and breakfast. Summer/fall rates are no surprise at $575.

Who says that snowmobilers have missing front teeth, grease under their fingernails after another breakdown and smell like two-stroke fuel? <g> This is a true deluxe hotel that anyone can afford in the winter.

At the special entrance room, the owner's family meets you with a warm smile. They ask you to remove all of your snowmobile gear especially boots. You are given special slippers to wear, available for later purchase at $10.

If it looks real, it is !

Fit and finish are extraordinarily first class.
Most lodge furniture is overstuffed leather.

Bell ExpressVu carries Canadian and a few US TV stations via satellite. We watched the Boston news which was one of Rick's last projects before leaving channel-5.

Very strange to see in such a remote location...

The encounter with Bullwinkle was a topic of bar conversation. But most of the other patrons only spoke French. Keep trying...

Placing both thumbs in our temples while extending our fingers upward did the trick. Everyone seemed to understand, smiled and took another draw on their of beers.

(American gringos...)

Part-4 of the five course gourmet meal. Appetizer was extremely tender deer. No gamey taste whatsoever.

Go to Day-3