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Al
V's new Ride:
Dec 28 & 29 2004
DAY
2: Coin Lavign, St-Michel, St-Zenon.... Steak dinner!
Once again we begin our journey in the yard of the Zen Shack. It's
cold, and we have another few inches of snow.
We head towards Coin Lavign. Al knows the way.
After an hour, we arrive at this sign.
Such beauty. This photo doesn't begin to show the beauty of this place.
The trail gets crazy and fun. The sun plays through the forest, and
speckles the pristine trail with beams of light.
Al scratches his head, then figures it out. Coin Lavign for breakfast,
lets go.
A river appears beside the trail, and I stop. The sunlight pierces
the clouds and falls on the rushing water. I turn off the engine,
and hear my boots squeak on the hardness of the trail. I hear the
rapids gurgle. I can't seem to capture the scene with my camera. This
is the most amazing thing I have seen since I have lived in St-Zenon.
I walk over the the river and stare and listen. Al is far ahead probably
waiting for me, wondering if I have driven the sled off the trail.
Wow.
We arrive at Coin Lavign for breakfast. It's a plain cafeteria inside,
strictly business. I get a frightened look from the gal behind the
counter, because she hears me talking English with Al. I order from
her in French. She breathes a sigh of relief.
We eat our self serve cafeteria bacon and eggs in a rather sterile
atmosphere designed to expedite rather than to please, and I meet
this very nice Quebec fellow who is eating alone. I invite him to
join us. He is retired, and rides over 6,000 miles every winter. He
knows every trail, and every map. He is an old pal of Bob Petit, our
founding father of the snowmobiling sport in Quebec. He makes the
stop worthwhile.
Outside he shows us his Ski-doo four stroke, which we have been discussing
for half an hour inside. He is a very knowledgeable guy, and a pleasure
to meet. I apologize. I lost my notes. No doubt I had scratched his
name on a napkin, then used it to clean my visor.. or something. He
is a pioneer of the sport, and deserves to have his name here, so
if you know him, write me! (Je m'excuse!!)
We head back in the direction of St-Michel through the "Park".
The trail has too much loose powder, which keeps us rolling at around
50 mph. This is probably a good thing, cause Al now has over 200 miles
on his sled, and wants to run 70 or 80..mph! I of course, never went
over the speed limit of 70 kpr. ahem.
Then we get to the cafeteria in the Park, that people call the government
cafeteria, or Salt and Pepper. It has been renovated, and we went
in for a hot coffee.. Al was outside on the pay phone most of the
time, talking to his love interest. I think he had had enough of me.
Two full days is enough to drive anyone nuts.
Finally, after many tries and lighting conditions, I manage to capture
the beauty of the paint on Al's Yamaha. In the bright light, this
candy apple red comes alive.
On the way back to St-Michel, we had a great chat with these two guys
from Buffalo. Of course, I lost their names. They wanted to be on
the front page. I told them that that privilege was reserved for pretty
women in tights. Having said that, I think I will break my own rules,
and give them the front page just for the hell of it. They ride Quebec
every year at this time, and in February, they opt for Ontario. Really
nice people all the way! (I hope you two see this and send me your
names!)
After
this photo, my card was full, so I had to stop.
The
End... Almost!
I
still have to post the movies for you to spoil you even more... man,
do you know how much work this is..? Good thing I am not one to whine
about the hours eh? Yeah right.
Movie
Clips
movie
1:
Don't miss this!
movie
2:
If this ain't perfect...
movie
3:
Beautiful Lake
movie
4:
550 fan cooled Ski-doo
movie
5:
Two fly past near cafeteria
movie
6:
Snot nosed reporter
There.
I'm finally done.
The
End.
(If you love me more now,
please click on one or two of our ads before you go .)
Thanks,
zw
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