Frostbytes Day 9...That A First For Team DarkSide

Picking up where we left off, dinner was excellent last night, steaks and ribs with chicken combos, and french onion soup were predominant.  Lots of great socialization was had as well, in the crowded attached restaurant/bar.  All were tucked in by 11pm.

This morning, the usual breakfast at 8am.  It was around 10 degrees, and a light dusting of snow dropped last night.  By 9, Team Darkside was ready to hit the trail, on our way to Amqui.  We had about 13 miles to go down the trail to fuel sleds.

At the 45 mile marker, around 11:15am, we were at the first on the trail Relaise', Club Mont Arctique.  A cozy Snowmobile and Quad clubhouse, with restrooms, a kitchen and bar available.  Several riders ordered cheeseburgers "all dressed".  I, at first, declined the offer of a cheeseburger.  But after sitting down, surrounded by the delicious aroma of a freshly made cheeseburger, quickly changed my tune, and got my order in.  While there, the cook, Raymond, who spoke very good English, and made a helluva good cheeseburger, told our fearless leaders about a better path to take to our destination.  He said there was a good opportunity to see moose along the trail as well, and to be careful.  The path he directed us down was probably an old logging road.  It was now a local club's trail, that doesn't get the everyday action that Trail 5 gets every day, therefor it was very smooth, and very fast with sweeping curves (TransQeubec 5, the trail that has dominated our journey, is a main trail with many branches that veer off, similar to an interstate highway in the States.)  Thanks Raymond, the burgers were delicious, and the alternate path was a welcome change up!

Raymond told us that this is really a "Tupperware Party"...

At around the 65 mile mark, we stopped for a quick break at a warming hut/Relaise' maintained by Relaise Motoneige Marquis Malauze.   It also had convenient his & hers bathrooms, a  wood burning stove to warm up with on cold days, and plenty of seating for any size group that passes thru.  

Everybody say "I love snowmobiling!"

After our quick break at the Relaise', we crossed a suspension bridge, and continued on in search of fuel.  At the 100 mile mark, we were refueled, and Connecticut Jim gave us an extra long break by adding oil to his 4 stroke Yamaha.

The short cut that Raymond gave us knocked about 15 miles off our day.  For a first time in modern history, Team Darkside actually took the long way into  Amqui, and PURPOSELY added about 30 miles to our ride today!  There is always a first with the Darkside.  We did about 155 miles today, and our total for the trip rolled over 1000 accumulated miles today.

While we were not mountain riding and seeing the spectacular views we got yesterday, there was still some nice scenery to see...

Right now, we are all gathered in the hotel bar, Connecticut Jim is talking to some riders from 1000 Lakes New York, Craig & I are doing the nightly blog, and the rest are readying themselves for dinner at 7pm.

Tune in tomorrow and see how we fare.

Cheers,

Stick

PS. I've been wearing my new socks for the last 3 evenings. I love them.

FrostBytes Day 8... Blue Skies, Smooth Trails & Amazing Scenery

It was an early night on the Darkside last night.  The restaurant/bar closed at 8pm, and most everybody was tucked away by 10pm.  SideShow Ron did entertain a few snowmobilers who have been traveling the same trail and staying at the same places as us the last few nights.  His coin trick has to be witnessed; We can't figure it out, and it's driving the locals bonkers too.

Our trail stalkers

Breakfast was at 8am today, the standard, eggs over easy, bacon, sausage or ham, potato cubes and white or brown (wheat) toast, or oatmeal.  Morning business done, and we were on the trail by 9 bells. 

It was about -9 degrees when we departed. The sun was shining bright, limited clouds, excellent visibility and smooth and freshly groomed trails.  The below 0 temperatures really firmed up the trails, and there were many straight and soft curved miles in front of us. 

We trail climbed thru the Chic Choc Mountain Range, and it gave us some of the most amazing views we have ever seen.  The clear skies provided miles of visibility.  And the recent freezing rain/snow had covered the trees with about an inch thick of snow on every twig and limb.  It was like something you would see in a movie.  Many picture opportunities were granted, and taken.

Action Dan

Team Darkside Photographer Jamie Elfstrom

At about the 63 mile mark, we stopped at a Relaise for fuel.  Basically a 1000 gallon tank on the  top of the ground with a pump.  And around $5.50 per gallon.  That's the cost of fuel when it's your only option.  Connecticut Jim says its a lot cheaper than fueling out of Bar Tab!  We thought we were going to be able to grab some lunch and a restroom break, however the house that used to facilitate those options wasn't open this year.  Top off our tanks and back on the trail.

Around the 118 mile marker, Team Darkside pulled a major gaffe.  There were 2 Arctic Cats broke down on the side of the trail.  They had placed ticker tape across the trail to warn oncoming riders to slow down.  Our leader, Ole, mistook their hand signals for help as everything was OK, and we traveled on.  However, our tailgunner Dave Goretski, stopped and did a better translation with the stranded riders.  He found out one had a blown chain case and the other a blown belt, with no spare belt.  He took one of the very grateful riders to the local gas station, where they were able to get enough of a cell phone service to contact the local Arctic Cat dealer to come assist them.  Our apologies to the riders and kudos to Dave for doing a better translation than the rest of the numbskulls in our group.

At the 121 mile marker we stopped at another Relaise and had a hot lunch at around 1pm.  The spaghetti with chicken soup seemed to be the big hit of the day, as I saw alot of those dishes on the table.  Of course Action Dan had to maintain his gluten free diet and had the gluten free hot dog (hot dog without the bun!).  I wish I would have had the time to get a dessert, as when I first came in I saw the young lady running the kitchen, and waitressing, delivering to another guest a piece of apple pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top that looked scrumptious. 

Lunch was done around 2:30pm, and we had about 30 miles to go to get to our destination of Hostellerie Baie Blue.  It is located on the body of water called Baie des Chaleurs, and we are directly across the Bay from the city of Dalhousie, New Brunswick, a city that hosted Team Darkside back in 2013.  Some of the Darkside riders have actually stayed here before, some had better experiences than others (if you don't get that reference, you weren't here!), but it is a nice place to be.  

We got in around 4pm today, and are now in the restaurant/bar having happy hour, and writing this blog for my millions of followers.  

Tune in tomorrow and see how we fare.

Cheers,

Stick

FrostBytes Day 7... Near Catastrophe On The Trail Last Night

Well the credit card game concluded last night.  It was a brutal night for Action Dan. We had an excellent dinner, I had the boneless Ribeye with smashed potatoes and a Ceasar Salad as a starter. I saw many other types of steaks on the table as well.  The final bar tab tally for Action Dan was $623.00 + Tip!!! Has to be a new record.  Action Dan laughed all the while, and was ready to re-up the game this morning.  I think the game is done for this season; We shall see.

Breakfast was at 8am.  The usual morning routine, eggs over easy, bacon and your choice of toast.  By 9:15am, we took a small jaunt out to the viewing pier near the Perce' Rock to try and get some group and individual photos with the Rock.  However, the pier was closed this time, so we headed back to the trail head and got some great pictures from up high.  

The morning drama was that the gas station next to our lodging was closed, with garbage bags over each pump.  We had 32 miles to go to the next first gas opportunity.  And, of course, Connecticut Jim was low on fuel, and puckered up that he was going to have to hit Bar Tab again.  Lucky for him, he made it in on fumes.

At the 50 mile marker, we came across a local club's warming hut for a quick break on the trail. Ole tagged the warming hut front door window with one of our Darkside Adventure stickers, and off we went.

The trail report we got the night before was pretty accurate. The trails were predicted to be good until the warming hut, with rough trails for about 10 miles.  Then smooth and fast trails the rest of the way in.  The reason for the small section that was rough was due to a recent incident where the groomer had caught fire on the trail.  It was still there when we passed, with lots of red ribbon tied to sticks surrounding it to warn the oncoming snowmobile traffic of it's presence in the middle of the trail.

We only had to clock about 105 miles today, so we took many breaks on the path in, but yet still arrived around 2:30pm.  We are currently in Murdochville.  A small town surrounded by mountains with wind turbines on top of them.  There's a 2 lane road running down the middle, with 3 single blinking red lights at each of the 3 cross streets.  

VIP Honors goes to Action Dan.  Last night as I was unloading my gear in my room, I was plugging my life support machine in (CPAP machine/sleep breathing machine), the plug wires had frayed due to continual wrapping/unwrapping, and the wires had become bare.  The touching wires arched, and very noticeable spark shot at me, and fear set in.  The next 6 nights were going to be miserable for me.  And my roommate.  Snoring, and poor sleep, was going to make me an angry, miserable person.  But Action Dan prevented a true catastrophe by using his knife to peel back the rubber casing of the cord, and using some electrical tape I had on my sled, and getting my life support machine back on the grid!  A true life saver.

It's 4:30 here, and we are at the Hotel Copper for the night.  We are all gathered in the dining room/bar area.  There is a snowmobile museum in the basement with, what we interpreted, was about 70 classic snowmobiles of all makes and models.  We will be going on a tour, shortly, once the owner is finished checking a couple guests that just arrived.

Time for another Darkside Rider Profile.

Tonight we introduce you to Ron Nicks. Or, SideShow Ron, as we refer to him on the trail.  Ron has a menagerie of coin tricks, card tricks and slight of hand that he has dazzled us, and others on the trail, with all week.  Ron started riding snowmobiles back in 1975, on a 1973 Bolens.  He got the sled from a good friend of ours Chris Elrod's father, Howard for $300.00!    Ron rode that machine all around his neighborhood with his friends.  Jump forward to 1989, and Ron had progressed to riding a 1988 Yamaha Exciter, and began doing saddlebag trips with his buddies.  In addition to snowmobiling, Ron is an avid motorcycle rider, doing saddlebag trips from Michigan to the East Coast/Maine, and has even gone out West to Wyoming.  His wife Trudy enjoys the motorcycle rides, and often accompanies him on his journeys.  Another interesting fact, in 1976, Ron borrowed a ten speed bicycle, and with a couple friends, BICYCLED from Flint, MI to the Mackinac Bridge and back. Over that 4th Of July weekend, they bicycled over 500 miles on the back roads, avoiding highways.  Ron definitely has a adventurous streak in him, and he is thoroughly enjoying this ride thru Quebec.  Matter of fact, he has already made it clear, he WILL be back next year!

Time for our basement museum tour, tune in tomorrow and see how we do.

Cheers,

Stick

FrostBytes Day 6... We're Like A Well Oiled Machine

Picking up from last night, our Faithful Leader Craig got pulled for the credit card game.  His nights tab came to $325 + tip.  Another successful game played.  We are now down to our last player for this round and the lucky recipient tonight will be Action Dan (4 of the other 5 starting contestants has already been dealt their punishment).  Lets see how much damage we can do for him! Cheers.

Breakfast was at 8am.  We had a nice assortment of choices.  I saw waffles with strawberries, omelettes, and french toast (and yes, it was called "french toast" on the menu Vinnie) spread out around the table.

The pack was ready to roll at 9:15am.  We are all digging this 9:15 start time.  Plenty of time to have fun at night, but yet be up for a reasonable departure time.  We weren't really sure of our mileage today, as the mileage/kilometer markers varied greatly during our ride in last night.  It was estimated to be between 90 and 140 miles.  It wound up being around 130 miles.  So, after our quick fueling stop, we were back on the trail. 

It was a bit overcast for our departure and a comfortable 28 degrees.  The temps have been pretty steady, and in that range, for this trip.  

The first 30 miles were pretty rough.  Washboard conditions and we were only averaging 20 miles an hour.  Not a fun ride. We were glad to get to mile marker 30 on our odometers.  There was a club warming station on the side of the trail, and a local was in stoking the fire, and warming it up for the day. The first thing he said was the trails are going to get better as soon as we leave!  That was welcome news.  We all took a few minutes to stretch, warm up and use their homemade bathroom system (an RV toilet with a foot pedal, a 55 gallon barrel cut in half filled with water, and a pitcher with an open handle hooked on the top edge of the cut barrel to put water in the toilet before/after use. You may find this crude; I found it to be better than a 4 star Hyatt at the time).

At the 50 mile mark, we stopped for a quick fuel top off and lunch.  Lunch was at the Dixie Lee Restaurant. Basically a Canadian version of KFC.  First time I recall us eating at a fast food joint on the trail.  In all honesty, we were attempting to eat at a Relaise on the trail, but we apparently missed it. ( NOTE: A Relaise is usually a club sponsored building on the trail that has a kitchen that makes meals for the trail riders, and a good size banquet room that are used for gathering places for different functions and fund raisers the respective club may promote to fund the Relaise and their club).

Back on the trail around 1pm, and around the 80 mile marker we stopped at another club warming building on the trail.  We met another group of riders that had stayed at the same place last night, and they also were on their way to Perce', where we are tonight.  This warming station had running water, and a real functioning bathroom. Two actually.  They came in handy, also.

When we got back on the trail, light fluffy snow flakes were falling, as if we were in a snow globe, shake me up.  It was a pretty ride, and the terrain was still mountainous and curvy. It was pretty ride.

We got into Perce around 4:45pm.  Talk about a gorgeous and memorable sight when we came out of the woods, and could look down on the town, and see the Perce' Rock in the background.  It was dusk, but still a majestic sight.

We are now gathered for happy hour at the Auberge La Table a Roland.  Running up Action Dan's tab. Brace yourself Action, we're going to try and make this hurt.

Since we have time today, it's time to introduce you to one of the three new Darkside Riders/Victims that have joined us this year.

Let's introduce you to Chip Lawler. Chip originates from Grand Rapids, Minnesota. He resides now in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Chip grew up on a 20 acre hobby farm in MN, and rode snowmobiles, as most kids do, around the yard.  Chip got more into recreational snowmobiling after he bought a cottage in upstate New York, in Watkins Glen, about 10 years ago, as a place to take his 2 boys, Jake & Owen, on weekends and holidays. While there, they take advantage of all the seasons. Jet skiing during the summer months, snowmobiling during the winter.  In between, there is a great social network where they gather with the local community for bar-b-ques and pit roasts at the major holidays.  Unfortunately, the local winter weather conditions have not been conducive to snowmobiling for Chip & his boys, only logging 400 miles on his 2005 Yamaha Vector in the last 2 years.  He began stalking the Darkside Adventures 2 years ago when he found out about us by googling saddlebag snowmobile trips.  After following our GPS Tracking and Frostbytes Blog for the last two years, he finally decided to pull the trigger and contact Craig to see how he could sign up for the next ride.  Chip has been a welcome addition to the group, and his easy going manner and willingness to take verbal abuse has helped as well!  Welcome aboard Chip.

It's time to run up Actions Dan's tab now, so tune in tomorrow to see how this well oiled machine performs.

Cheers,

Stick.

FrostBytes Day 5... This Saddle Bagging Thing Is Easy Peazy

I wish it had been a clear morning today.  The view from my fold out couch bed was thru the front room window, with the Chic Choc Mountains just on the other side.  Would have made a great picture, if opportunity allowed. Take my word for it.

After breakfast at 8am, our departure time was 9:15.  No snow overnight, and it was a comfortable 28 degrees (F).  The trails were groomed and in excellent condition.  We had topped off our fuel tanks the day before, just before lunch at the Relais,  and had only put about 30 miles on our sleds before we were in for the night.  We didn't inquire if fuel was available at Rejean's place when we left this morning, but, hey, we've got this trip planned out. Fuel is on the trail.

It was a beautiful ride today.  Mountain riding up one side, coming down the other side, riding thru the valley, riding up the mountain, down the other side, and repeat.  Awesome views. It's very cool to be able to experience the things we see while on the trail, and the pictures are good, but they never do justice to what we really see. 

Riding up mountains really uses more fuel than going down mountains, or for that fact riding thru the valleys. Apparently ALOT more fuel.  We put about 80 miles down today on top of the 30 miles we put on after our last fuel stop, and a couple riders, especially the notoriously short on fuel Connecticut Jim, had their sled low fuel lights flashing at one of our scenic overlook stops.  Our trusty Leaders Craig and Ole calmed the low on fuel riders with their old addage of "It's only another 10 miles to fuel" story, and on we marched.  

For about 2 miles. Then Connecticut Jim ran out of fuel in front of me on our next mountain incline.  Finally...Bar Tab (my spare 2.5 gallon tank of fuel I carry on my sled, that I affectionately refer to as Bar Tab, cus if you hit that tank you're picking up my bar tab tonight) got put into action.  Fortunately for Connecticut, he prepaid for his tank of gas the night before with his $207 dinner wine tab, so we re-fueled him on the side of the trail and went 12 more miles to the gas station.  Don't anybody get impressed and think, "wow that Craig & Ole were right, just another 10 miles", as they didn't have a clue.  It's just a calming phrase they use on the trail when sh*t is about to go south, but they don't want to rile the troops.

We re-fueled, and rode a total of about 140 miles today.  We arrived at Grand Vallee at the Hotel Grande Vallee des Monts around 4:30! Before dark, only 1 out of fuel experience, and once again no time for lunch on the trail. But it's all good, we are now at dinner, I'm ordering my first bowl of Onion Soup (as Vinnie the Truck Driver reminds me, it's not "French" Onion Soup when your in a French Providence), we are enjoying happy hour, and their is a festive mood in the wood floored cozy former home that is now a hotel and restaurant, that it appears the locals also frequent.  Should be another great dining experience.

I should mention that our current accommodations are just a 100 feet from the beating waves of the St Lawrence Seaway, and while it is very soothing and peaceful listening to the waves crash against the boulder retaining wall, it still ain't sand nor Ft Myers Beach. Soon, very soon.

Tomorrow we will be on our way to Perce, Quebec. This is where the natural wonder The Perce Rock is, and we are hoping for a clear day so we can get a great picture of our group near it.

Tune in tomorrow and see how we do.

Cheers,

Stick

FrostBytes Day 4... WOW, On Time & TWO Lunches Today!

Today, our scheduled departure time from Matane to Village Grande Nature Chic Choc in Cap Chat was 10am.  We had all gathered for the complimentary breakfast, which was the same as 2 mornings ago, scrambled eggs, sausage links, potatoes, beans (a small monkey bowl of baked beans is a regular thing at breakfast here in Quebec) and a few other assorted items., at around 8am.  It was quickly hashed out that since we were all up & ready plenty early lets move the departure time to 9:15am; Gawd knows we need all the extra float time we can get with our track record.  The breakfast time did have some excitement.  An Ontarian, who appeared to be on some sort of construction crew, was quite hostile and spewing negative commentary to/about the French Canadians in general.  Made for a tense few minutes in the common breakfast room, until the less than desirable individual and his partner left after a quick meal. Good riddance was our collective consensus. 

9:15am and we were back on Trail 5, headed east and north.  Our travels on this trip are mainly going along the St Lawrence Seaway.  It is providing some excellent observation and picture taking opportunities.  Our new Club Photographer, Jamie Elfstrom, has really stepped up his game in the last few days!  

We only had about 100 miles to click off today, so it afforded us the opportunity to stop at the local snowmobile club house of Halte Des Montagnes after about 30 miles for some hot chocolate, hot vegetable soup, or soft drink (theoretically Lunch #1).  While there, we tagged the refrigerator with one of DarkSide Adventures.Com stickers, took a picture with the local young lady that could decipher our English to French translation.  While there, Ole regaled the young lady (you would think somebody would have gotten her name?) with a story of the last time he stopped there, somewhere between 2005-2008, memories fade at this point, and there had been a sole woman working that day, and she was knitting socks.  He was just trying to rehash an old story to her about the socks, and the interpretation came out that he wanted socks.  Next thing you know, the ladies hosting us began burning up the phone lines getting hold of the Sock Lady so Ole could get more socks!  This is all happening as we are getting our gear on to head back out on the trail! So we had to wait 15 minutes for the young lady to drive down the road and come back with 3 pairs of really nice knitted socks.  I even bought a pair from Ole!

After we packed our new socks in Craig's saddlebag, we traveled about 40 miles to another local snowmobile club house, Relais du Vieux Moulin.  Now we got lunch #2!  Yes. an actual lunch.  Cheeseburgers all dressed (local terminology for ketchup, mustard, lettuce, onions, pickles, and of course cheese), and club sandwiches were the big hits of the stop.  

After our hour long lunch break on the trail, we had about 12 miles to go to get to the beautiful and cozy Village Grande Nature Chic Choc.  There is a main lodge, with a few chambres for overnight stays, with an attached sitting room with a warm fireplace, a bar area for socialization, and then a formal dining room.  Our lodging was in the dozen or so individual cabins about 100 yards away from the main lodge.  Our group of 9 had 3 of the cabins, so we bunked off in groups of 3. Each cabin had a wood burning fire place, 2 double beds and a couch in the main room/kitchenette area with that folded out.  

We arrived around 4pm and after we settled in, cleaned up, socialized for a few, we all hopped on our sleds and rode up to the main lodge for happy hour. Dinner was at 7pm. The starters were vegetable/carrot soup, shrimp salad, and a choice of chicken pasta or salmon.  It was a delicious gourmet meal that we all enjoyed.  

While at dinner, we made friends with a group of gentleman that were representing different portions of tourism for Quebec.  Each was a President of their individual territory that promotes hiking, fishing, hunting, snowmobiling, and anything that relates to enjoying the beautiful and abundant amenities that Quebec offers.  Benjamin Lowallee ( I hope I got that spelling correct, Benjamin, as I am trying my best to read the handwriting), Jean-Claude D'Amours, Gaetam Hamel, Denys Gilbert, and Jean Beranger it was a pleasure meeting you all, we love our annual snowmobiling saddlebag trip to Quebec, and we look forward to the opportunity when our trails cross again! Cheers.  You can follow their group on FaceBook @ Reseau zec, or their website @ www.reseauzec.com.

We also got to meet Rejean Blowin and his wife and super duper staff ( Rejean, I hope I spelled your last name correct, this time the handwriting is my own).  Rejean, as he told us, just purchased his beautiful lodge and resort at the base of the Chic Choc Mountain range 23 days ago!  Congratulations to you sir, and we wish you great success, as we thoroughly enjoyed our stay with you and your hospitality!

HIgh Honers to Connecticut Jim. We had 4 bottles of Cabernet at dinner and I am sure it was a hefty tab that he picked up! Salute to you Connecticut.

Day 5 to follow, as I didn't have adequate wifi access last night, so stay tuned...

Cheers,

Stick

PS Truck Driver Vinnie, I still haven't had a bowl of "french" onion soup, but stay tuned, the opportunity has to arise!

FrostBytes Day 3... The Only Time We Are On Schedule Is When We Are On The Ferry

We are back in Matane tonight.  Sound familiar? Sound off schedule? 

Yesterday we took the 8am ferry from Matane to Baie Comeau.  We crossed the St Lawrence Seaway in about 2 hours.  The Ferry carries passenger cars, tractor trailers and our group of 9 snowmobiles were loaded last. We were on time and on schedule. The only 2 hours of the last 3 days we have been on schedule.  Because it was out of our control for those 2 hours.  We debarked around 10:30am, proceeded to the first gas station about 3 miles away. After fueling, we spent about 45 minutes attempting to find the correct path back to the trail.  After some friendly assistance from a local on his way ice fishing for pike, we were on our way!

We are in the Gaspe' region of Quebec. This region is very mountainous and very beautiful.  It also gets ALOT of snow.  The last time we were, I believe in 2013, we received 18" of snow one overnight.  This time is no different.  The trails have FEET of snow. And we are traveling the trails between grooming days.  It's alot of fun, but it also slows the pack down dramatically breaking the trail.

We were scheduled for about a 180 mile day after the ferry trip.  When we reached the town of Godbout, around 3pm and after approximately 60 miles, there was no way we were going to make our original destination of Port Cartier within a reasonable and safe time frame.  We searched the  1 restaurant town, which also has another port for the ferry back across the St. Lawrence, for a fueling station. There wasn't one.  There was not much for lodging either.  After a brief conversation with a few more locals, the restaurant owner opened their facility just for our group, for dinner.  They also happened to have 2 attached rooms, each with a double and single bed.  That's all good. But there are 9 in our group. Four have lodging.  Further conversation ensues.  There is a Bed & Breakfast 3 doors down with 2 more rooms.  Now we are making progress.  The group split up for their chosen accomodations.  

My Wing Man for this trip, Jamie Elfstrom, and I took Chamber #1 right outside the front door of the restaurant.  Perfect. Our leaders, Craig & Ole took the B&B. Since we had a double bed in our room, and new guy Ron Nicks was looking like a lost puppy with no where to go, I invited him to stay with us.  We got the double bed. It was cozy.  The room was just big enough to walk around as long as nobody else was standing up.  Needless to say that is where everybody congregated to after dinner at 5pm.  (Also, our place was the hangout because the proprietors of the B&B were not interested in 9 guys hanging out in their front room drinking beer and busting each other up. Plus the guys staying in the B&B had a 9PM CURFEW! Doors lock at 9, your late, your out!)

The restaurant didn't have a liquor license, so the proprietor arranged for a local to make the 15 mile round trip run to the nearest beer store for 2 cases of Budweiser. Much appreciated sir.

One thing I must say before I continue on...it doesn't matter how small the town or the restaurant, the food is always made from scratch and is very good. Nothing off a truck or out of a can here in Quebec.  I had a delicious baked spaghetti with melted cheese on top.

Due to the massive amounts of snow, Craig & Ole decided last night to alter our travel plans for today, Friday.  We were supposed to catch the ferry out of Godbout on Saturday.  Instead, we took it today, back to Matane.  We are now back at the Quality Inn that we were at 2 nights ago.

But lets not get ahead of ourselves.

This morning we boarded the 11am ferry back to Matane.  On time and on schedule again.  Only because it was out of our control.  We debarked around 1:15, checked into the nearby Quality Inn, dropped off our gear, and took off for a little local loop ride.  About 65 miles in total.   But it was a very eventful 65 miles, however.

As I have said, they are hogging the snow here in the Gaspe' region.  Feet of snow.  Along some roads, the snow is above my head as I ride in some places. (no short jokes, its above everybody's head)

Ron Nicks, as you will see in the attached pics, had a good ravine ride along the trail, coming out of a turn.  I was pretty impressed he made it as far as he did before he finally buried it.  Other than that, it was mostly everybody having fun playing in the fresh deep snow.

It's Friday night, and apparently the Quality Inn bar, where we are having dinner, is the locals hotspot.  It's loaded with a diverse age group having dinner and drinks, and it looks like a few tables are going to be moved shortly for the dance floor.  If our photographer hangs out late enough we will get you some pics of our atmosphere.

Tomorrow's scheduled departure time is 10am with a destination of Cap Chat, at the base of the Chic Choc Mountain Range.  It should be a very scenic ride, up and down mountains and such.  Tune in tomorrow to see if the schedule comes to fruition. 

Before signing off, we would like to send a special acknowledgement and Thank You to the Savard couple. They are the proprietors of the Chambres A' Louer Bed & Breakfast that hosted, and tolerated, half our group.  It's always been a pleasure in Quebec when adversity sets in, and the locals come to our rescue.

Cheers,

Stick

Midday Report... We Made The Ferry!

Frostbytes Jan 25, 2017...This Trip Must Be On A Budget?

The Darkside got a late start on the sunny side this morning.  We had to send our Leader Craig to the bank when they opened at 10am this morning (talk about bankers hours), to convert our American dollars into Canadian money.  We actually had a plan to do this on Monday. After crossing the border, we were to stop at the Casino to do the conversion.  However, our "leaders" kept missing the exit for the 2 casinos that were on our way to Kingston!  So, after he returned at around 10:30am, we were on the trail by 10:45.

Strange weather conditions were in effect.  It was around 25 degrees (F) and a misty rain.  I could have used a window wiper for my helmet's shield!  Other than that, the trails had LOTS of snow.  If I got off the trail, the snow was up to my hip. I know this for a fact, as I had to get about 40 yards off the trail when our newest Darkside Member, Chip from Pennsylvania, dodged an oncoming sled going into a turn, and shot out into the field bordering the trail and a small stream.  I rode out to assist him, while Jamie walked out to assist, and we were back on the trail in no time.

I didn't see it, but apparently there was another incident before that.  I hear another new Darkside Rider, Ron Nicks, was crossing a street, took his left hand of the handlebars to wipe the constantly gathering moisture from his helmet shield, and as he came off the elevated slope from the trail to road, he just rolled right over.  Wish I would have seen it. Wish our Trail Photographer would have got the picture.

We clicked off about 180 miles today, or about 300 kilometers.  Do to our late start, we didn't stop for lunch.  We were HANGRY when we got in too! (Hangry= Hungery Anger/Angry Hunger? whichever).  I didn't know we were on a weight loss program , nor budget on this trip. I didn't get the memo.

We arrived around 7pm at the Quality Inn, in Matane.  Things should be pretty tame tonight. We have an 8am reservation for the ferry out of Matane, going to Port Cartier.  Yes. I said 8 AM. I don;t know who the Travel Planner was that decided an 8am departure, which means we must be at the Ferry station at 7...AM, let me let that sink in a minute...

Anybody that has followed our adventures before, know that Ferries seem to  be our Achilles Heal.  The last time we were supposed to catch this ferry, we missed it by 10 minutes.  We had to find alternative lodging, and the next morning,  have a flatbed carry our sleds to the next ferry station, and have a school bus carry us!  Hopefully things go better tomorrow.  We shall see.

It's now 8:41 and I've got this blog done for the day.  Jamie, Ron, and I are awaiting our Lasagna dinner. The rest of the Team just got to the table.  It's time to rest, rehash the day, and get ready for tomorrow.

Cheers,

Stick

PS Tom Cat I know you are watching us, I cant answer my phone when I'm typing this blog because I use my hotspot for Wifi. I will contact you tomorrow from the ferry station.

FrostBytes January 24, 2017...What Kind of Idiot Drives 860 Miles to go Snowmobiling?!?

We are back!  Live from Riviere du Loop at the Best Western Hotel restaurant Hotel Levesque Salle a Manger. And enjoying our FIRST bottle of Cabernet.  Can't wait to find out who's credit card gets pulled for this night of festivies, as mine got pulled for dinner & drinks last night in Kingston at the Boston Pizza! (some genius started this really smart game of running one bill all night for dinner & drinks, and everybody throws their credit card in the middle, let the waitress choose which one to run up, and BOOM, you bought the night.  However, once your card gets pulled, your out until every card has been hit once.)

We left our home base in MIchigan around 9am yesterday, and crossed into Ontario via the Blue Water bridge around 11;30am.  No real hiccups at the border, other than Oli not having his passport.  But he has never had a bad day, matter of fact yesterday was his birthday, so he won't worry bout his passport until he returns to the US on February 6!

We over-nighted, as usual, in Kingston ON at the Courtyard by Marriott and dinner and festivities at the Boston Pizza next door. Nothing too exciting, just the normal routine. But wait for it, it always arises.

This morning, we awoke to a 1/4 inch of ice covering our vehicles, and many slip and falls accross the parking lot to load our overnight gear back into our rigs.  We had 460 miles to go, so without haste we proceeded to nearby eastbound 401 and began our fun filled day of driving 10.5 hours in treacherous road conditions.

The roads were wet, slushy and just a blast.  I now see why Truck Driver Vinnie cussed us out so bad the last time he drove us thru Montreal, in even worse conditions, when we wouldn't stop pestering him about his lousy driving (i.e. he was actually driving cautiously and with safety in mind, but it was to slow for our liking at the time).

Other than the lousy road conditions that were slowing our travels, things were pretty smooth. We stopped for lunch at the Chester Chicken shack at the Flying J around 2pm.  Around 4:30 I looked in my rear view mirror and noticed my trailer running lights were not on.  No big deal I thought, just pull over, the plug must've gotten loose, and we will be all set!  It's never that easy tho.  We pulled over on an exit ramp, messed with the plug... and nothing.  Ok, check the fuses. Yep, burned fuse. No problem. Changed the fuse, the trailer running lights came on, we were back in business.  For all of 18 seconds.  Blew that fuse too.  Ok now we have issues.  

We still had brake lights and blinker lights on the trailer.  Let her eat, we gotta go.  Just turn the 4 way hazards on.  It's never that easy.  About 10 miles up the road, Ron Nicks, who was now following me as a blocker due to our issues, called and said now we don't have brake lights or blinker lights!

We pulled over at a gas station, messed with the plug, changed the fuses again, took out a rear trailer lamp that Ron thought may be causing the problem, still nothing.  Action Dan, Craig & Ole cruised around town to see if they could find lodging somewhere, as it was now getting dusk.  No lodging for 30 miles.  Cool.  Ok, put Ron behind him and lets hit it, Stay tight.  As I was pulling out of the parking lot, Ron ran up to my drivers side window, knocked so hard I about sharted, and told me the brake lights were again working. Turn on the 4 ways and lets go.  

We had about 100 miles to go for our overnight stay. The winds were gusting 30-40mph, snow squalls were squalling, and we were moving Northeast again.  

We arrived at 8pm, was greeted by Connecticut Jim, and we quickly unloaded our gear, checked our rooms, and made our 8:30 dinner resies.

I'm having the Surf N Turf filet with shrimp and enjoying a nice Cabernet that I won't be on the hook for tonight!  

Waitress bring us another bottle of wine!

We have a couple new riders with us this year, that I will introduce you to in a later edition.  I need to get busy on my Ceaser Salad, as dinner is coming, and thy're drinking all the wine.

Cheers, 

Stick.