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Please
be patient, this page is full of great photos but may
take a moment to download!Welcome
to a very special Plac
I
finally had a good sit down with Mr. Real Masse.
What a guy! Did you know that Real held the Canadian light
weight boxing championship in Canada in 1963?
Born
and raised in Mont St-Gregoire in St-Jean D'Iberville,
Real loved all sports, from baseball to hockey, and the
walls of his dining room are covered in his trophies.
Did
you know that Real Masse was a friend of Felipe Alou,
the former coach of the Montreal Expos? When you stay with Real,
he is the one that personally closes the restaurant every night,
and so you can talk sports with him anytime! Plus, Real's English
is as good as mine! After a day on the trails, enjoy a beer
with Real and talk sports. Sounds good eh??
This
is the happy sign that greets you on the highway, about 2 hours north
east of Montreal on the 131 just before you get to LaGlaciere. From
here you
have about 7 kilometers on a gravel road through an amazing landscape
that
stunned even me as I drove it today November 29th 2002.
You feel like you're in Alices' Wonderland.
All
along your path into the pourvoirie, the telephone poles sport a cartoon
image
of Real doing something, fishing, boxing, hunting, whatever, and you
get the feeling
of anticipation. One thing is for sure, you know you're on the right
road! This territory
was originally laid out in 1926 as the Pourvoirie Bellrose as an American
fishing destination.
I
got out of the car and took photos of every one of these, until I realized
I'd probably
never get to the lodge until midnight if I didn't just move on. Did
you know that Real Masse's
territory extends ten miles square? He has ten lakes, 80 fishing boats,
sixty motors, and
thirty golf carts to get you to your assigned fishing lake in the summer!
In the spring, he adds
over 100,000 one pound trouts into each lake. When you go fishing, you
can catch your quata
before noon. Then he has special people who clean your catch for you,
and pack it in ice!
I
was greeted at first by these cottages on a terraced hill, all red and
white.
The snow storm was building as I arrived, and I was thinking I had better
not stay too long.
These cabins are rented with everything you need inside, kitchenette,
a fridge for your cold
beers, and all the linenes. Here at Real's place, you are spoiled rotten
from start to finish.
My
host Gilles showed me around the place and the snow whipped around our
heads.
You can see the lake is well frozen and the storm is raging. Soon there
will be a dozen
sleds snowmobiling on the lake. The trails all meet here at Masse, and
they are
groomed seven days a week, to perfection. You can do a one hundred mile
loop before
lunch, and another before dinner, and ohhh what a dinner!
This
is the main building seen from up above. The place is huge.
Again,
this is Gilles Huet, son in law of Mr. Masse, my official tour guide
for the visit,
and heir to the job of running this big place with his wife, Nancy Masse.
What a beauty!
Nancy's eyes have so much fire in them, and her handshake such an energetic
grip,
that I just had to make this picture bigger! I didn't get a chance to
meet their daughter
Stephanie who is nine years old, I assume she was in school. In a few
years, this couple
will allow Mr. Masse to retire. Yeah right! Probably in 20 years!
Meanwhile,
the storm rages on, but what a view from the top floor.
They have put plastic up along the balconies to cut the blistering wind.
Outside
you can see their sleds in the parking lot, along with a ton of
heavy equipment for keeping the roads open, and for building trails.
Here
is one of the rooms I saw in a suite. The place is very clean, and all
the
bedding was like new. This Masse family is well known for running a
tight ship.
In three years of talking to you snowmobilers, I have never once heard
a mplaint against Real or his crew. That says alot.
Back
out in the cold Quebec air, Gilles showed me his little cottages.
These have wood burning stoves, and kitchenettes equipped with sink,
and fridge.
You'll want to eat the home cooking in the dining room with the pretty
waitresses of course,
but in the cottages, you have everything you need to crack a beer and
tell lies around the fire.
And
on the walls, you'll find some neat stuff, here you see a bear's paw,
reaching down for a fish..
And
of course, I had the opportunity to have a coffee with Mr. Real Masse.
We discussed the snowmobile industry, past, present and future. Amongst
other things, Real shared with me that me has totally rebuilt the snowmobile
trail which goes from his place, down to St.Damien. He says it is much
straighter now, and wide enough for two way traffic, "just like
a highway".
I cannot over emphasize the feeling of hospitality I experienced at
Real Masse's
place. I hope to drop in several times over the winter to see how they're
doing.
The
kitchen here is excellent too, featuring great food and excellent service.
I guarantee it, you simply cannot beat the meals served up here. The
sign of any
good eating establishment is consistency, and at Real Masse, it is good
every
time you go back. I have this on good authority... Bob and his wife
from Pennsylvania..
( won hot chevy!) They have been staying with Real's family for years.
Also,
If you do stay at the Real Masse Lodge, or if you drop in for lunch,
please tell them you read about him here on ZW. Thanks!
If
you want to learn more about this snowmobile haven, go visit the
WEB SITE HERE. The site is in French, but Google can translate it.
OSimply
CALL now - (450) 884-5502
Nancy is sweet and speaks very good
English, what a doll.
(Ask for the special winter 2004-5 package deals:
You get four nights for the price of three!)
Tell them that you read about it on Zenwaiter.com.
Thanks.It
is Zen's favorite restaurant in the region. That is why he is
so slim and in top shape! Steak in good for me
Photo Pages of Real Masse'
Place.
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