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Welcome Relais 22 - Our new Zenwaiter Sponsor
Nov 11 2008 - - LaTuque Quebec: Zen visits newest
sponsor, Relais 22, eighty kms north of a Tuque Quebec. Relais 22, (or
Relay 22 in English), is an outfitter located an hours drive north
of LaTuque Quebec, home of one of the Mauricie's best snowmobile clubs.
LaTuque is home of one of North America's biggest cardboard
manufacturing plants, Smurfit Stone, based in Chicago. The business
is apparently strong, employing about 650 people.
Call
Louise today 819-523-6222
E-Mail
Here
After driving past the heavy industry of LaTuque, I drove north about
ten kilometers to La Croche, then I headed straight north for another
61 kms to Relais 22.
The snow started to fall as I drove through La Croche. This is my first
snow of the season, always an exciting moment for me.
To mark the occasion, I always stop whatever I am doing, and take a
photo. This is a tradition I started nine years ago with Crazy Al at
the Refuge in St-Zenon Quebec.
Click
here for short video clip."Ready to Ride?"
It was dark by the time I arrived. I had a quick visit
with Beaver Bob, the owner, then I was off to my room for a good sleep.
The rooms each have one single bed, one pedestal sink, and one window.
They are very basic, and remind me of the rooms I had in the bunk house
up in Shefferville Quebec back in 1973, when I worked in the mine. The
room was small, about nine by twelve, but clean and big enough for my
gear. The rooms are a no frills proposition, with the washrooms at the
end of the hall.
I got up at six thirty am, and grabbed my comb. Quickly I ran it through
the few hairs I still have on my old head. You can see in this photo,
that the room is diminutive, but clean. The prices here reflect the
room size, so everything is relative. I think it is 59,00 for a dinner,
a sleep, and a breakfast. Basic is the key word here, but the place
also sports a real pool table and a huge tv screen.
In the morning, the ATVers that stayed over, were up early, and hard
at it. We all had bacon and sausages for breakfast, with a good cup
of coffee.
The other guys get ready to roll.
In Quebec, the ATV sport has rocketed to popularity, these guys ride
twelve months of the year and have their own summer and winter trails,
backed by enthusiastic quad clubs in every village.
The fire in the main dining room flares, and the wood head soaks into
my bones. This is the best heat. For some reason it always feels so
good, and adds a hint of wood burning smell to the country air.
Everything here is basic, but clean. Everything we need to have a good
snowmobile holiday, including a secure parking in back, that is free
to guests.
Beaver Bob feeds his Labrador a treat on the front porch.
When Beaver Bob runs out the back door to help a client get some air
in his tires, I lean over the griddle and grab a photo.
The I run into the resident cat. What a beauty. He has 7 toes on each
foot.
I have coffee with Beaver Bob, and our day together begins. Outside
it is cold and snowing.
This poster is attached to the gas pump. Beaver Bob is promoting his
offer.
The three ATV guys get ready to roll.
Beaver Bob's favorite spot is in his rocker, in front of the fire, but
he doesn't get much of a chance to relax. He works all the time. Getting
ready for winter has been a real preoccupation during the past few weeks.
There is a long To Do list.
Meanwhile outside, the boys pose for a photo. They are on their way
to St-Michel-des-Saints. It is a 300 km ride.
Lucie, the gal in the kitchen, checks her inventory. She does it all
right now, cause everything is slow at the moment. It is the calm after
the hunting season, and before the snowmobile season. Lucie lives in
Parent, and works here every other week, then goes home.
Beaver Bob has everything a snowmobiler could ever ask for. Starting
with a full set of tools, his shop has it all, from compressors to tire
changing mechanism to a huge inventory of spare parts to help out his
guests, and anyone else that happens through that needs help. He can
fix anything.
Click for video clip
inside the garage.
Out in the yard, he has a ten wheel dump truck, and a big back hoe.
He does excavation contracts on the side.
Here he shows off his brand new Skidoo. The track is 24 inches wide.
This beast will go anywhere, and still has a top speed of about 120kms
per hour. AND it gets 22 mpg. He need this for working in the bush,
for towing people when their sleds break down, and for hauling the emergency
medical pod when someone gets injured in the trail.
Beaver Bob has a brand new sled for this winter!
Video
clip of new Skidoo here!
And here it is, the medical evac sled. Five thousand bucks worth of
safety pod, used to transport seriously injured snowmobilers to safety.
The sled is owned by the LaTuque snowmobile Club, but is sponsored by
many local businesses.
Then he shows me his pride and joy- A 1991 Yamaha Phazer.
Beaver Bob has his own saw mill too. Here he shows off some nice logs,
with his best friend. Manouk, a four year old Lab..
This is his electric generator. The thing is a monster, and costs him
over a thousand bucks a week in diesel fuel. One day Hydro Quebec might
offer him power, but in the meantime... he is self sufficient, and proud
of it.
See video
clip of generator
Beaver Bob wears a beaver hat, and every year he disposes of pesky beavers
that damn up everything all around his outfitter. (That is unofficial
of course.) Once you ride up here, you're gonna wanna come back and
go hunting and trapping. He's got it all, oh, and fishing too of course.
A cool friend to know.
Here's a fat guy that showed up. This guy is not self sufficient, and
would be screwed in any crisis situation, but he would take lots of
pictures, and tell the world about it on the Internet.
Today Beaver Bob and a buddy, volounteered to go out and do another
temporary repair on a trail bridge, before everything freezes over.
View
vdieo clip here!
Volounteers fix snowmobile bridge on Trail.
On the way back, about forty miles, we stopped several times to clear
off fallen trees on the trail, and move some big rocks that popped up
after the grader guy went through last month. Without volounteers like
Beaver Bobby, there would be no trails.
Clip
of volounteers clearing trail with chain saw.
Finally we get home, and the fire in the wood stove is smokin hot. I
am happy. I eat a really good hot meal, take off my shoes, and work
by the fire on the computer for four hours. There. I'm done.
Relais 22
Click
here to book your Snowmobile Holiday Now!
Call
Louise today 819-523-6222
E-Mail
Here
The
Perfect Gifts for a Sledder
Good last minute gift ideas for the snowmobiler in
your life.
1. A new snow suit click here (save 20%)
2. A sexy snowmobile calendar click
here
3. A one year pass to watch Snow Trails TV
here
4. A room from a Zen Star snomobile resort here
5. A used snowmobile or rental snowmobile
here
6. A million in custom wire here
7. Give Zen a gift here
8. A classy used motorcycle here
9. A Choko Design jacket or helmet here
10. Drop off some food at the local food bank.
More
Contents Here
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Welcome to our snowmobile
web site, for real snowmobilers! We try to give you the real story
on all the topics that matter to you and your family. When it comes
to snowmobiling info on the Net, we work our butts off to try to
make it real. If you have any questions, please contact
us.
Snowmobiling in Quebec
with your friends and family is an awesome way to enjoy a Canadian
winter holiday. You are gonna need trail maps, weather conditions,
and a whole lot of friends. On ZW we try our best to help you find
what you need.
Jack from Milford Michigan
Zens
fan in Novi MI..
I had the honour of meeting Jack, on Saturday afternoon
at the Novi Michigan snowmobile show. Jack has been snowmobiling
for 146 years, and has loved every minute of it.
When
he explained that he has followed our web site since the very beginning,
I really felt special. Hard to believe a guy could read my crap
for nine years without throwing up. I recorded our conversation
for Zen
Talk - so be sure to listen to the show sometime soon. Thanks
Jack for your support. Your loyalty to this site is appreciated
dude! XOXOX zw
When it comes to snowmobile
destinations, we pride ourselves in being in the know. It's the one
place that we shine. Have an inquiry about a certain sled joint? Get
hold of us. Need a rental sled? We can help you find one.
Thanks to all our snowmobile
sponsoring businesses, we help you stay in the loop. We hops to talk
to you soon, or see you on the trails this winter in Quebec! zw
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Internet Inovators Spread Sled Info; Quebec Snowmobilers Use Internet
4 Good
Montreal QC - - October 22, 2008: That's
me on the left - In the centre is Marc Thibeault from www.motoneiges.ca
, and on the right is Bob Petit, Quebec author, broadcaster, and snowmobile
pioneer in Quebec. In English check out www.sledmagazine.com
All three of us are using the Internet
to promote truth, safety, sobriety, and sanity on Quebec Trails. We
also write about the new technology, trail conditions, destinations,
and more. We have all but abandoned the printed page, owned by the
man, for the freedom and power of the Internet.
Visit Bob's website here.. http://www.bobpetit.ca/
Bob uses hundreds of photos and videos to chronicle the history of
ATV and snowmobile activity in Quebec, and much much more. Bob has
a unique perspective, because he was organizing snowmobilers back
when it all began in the 1960's, and he has been recognized by everyone,
and every level of government and ngo's for over 40 yrs of volunteerism.
He has won every snowmobile tourism honour and award there is, and
a few that were created just for him. He still writes weekly articles
for local newspapers and appears on snowmobile tv shows regularly.
He is Mr Snowmobile in Quebec, and deserves our recognition and our
respect. He has built a small museum on his property, that documents
the truth of Quebec's snowmobile development history. Get ahold of
me, and I can set you up a personal tour. He is in St-Jean-de-Matha.
http://www.zenwaiter.com/ has been "on
the air" (Internet air that is) for nine years. I found it exhilarating
to have the power to spread good helpful information to the snowmobile
community, and I found it cool to be part of the snowmobile family.
When I go to a show, I get hugs and appreciation from my readers.
I feel I have helped many people to create family memories with their
favorite sport, by helping them to organize holidays and avoid some
pitfalls. This winter I am still pushing ahead with three Radio Podcasts
a week, where I interview everyone and anyone about sledding. I am
also experimenting with my web cast on
Blog TV. This is where I broadcast live and record at the same
time, then store the video on http://www.blogtv.com/ Search for Zenwaiter.
I also have a regional photo album, a YOUTUBE
station with over a hundred video clips, a discussion board and way
more, too much to mention.
Marc in the centre, heads up a popular
French language snowmobile magazine that is growing online. There
was a huge buzz around his booth at the Quebec City Sled Show. He
told me in an interview on Zen Talk, that he hopes to provide snowmobile
trail conditions, provide an events calendar, and has a special long
trial period evaluation program, where five of his gang get a free
sled to drive around all winter. I guess they write detailed reports
for the readers on their impressions of the machines. (I wish I had
thought of that idea - I still have to pay for my own sled after nine
years! hahah). Good for you Marc! I hope your web site will live long
and prosper. You sure have people excited about it, that's for sure.
Most of the articles I found on his site are press releases from the
manufacturers, which is handy. If I have time this winter, I'll send
you a few of my own to re-print on your English side. http://www.sledmagazine.com/
This beautiful young woman, known among sledheads as Belle des Neiges,
is a well known Internet blogger and a snowmobile activist. She goes
beyond the screen work on her web site, to the real world. Her organization
strives to represent the rights and will of the real snowmobiler,
by organizing and mobilizing large groups of snowmobilers when necessary.
This woman rides over 7,000 kilometers
per year on some of Quebecs best trails, somewhere midway between
Quebec City and Lac St Jean, the inland sea. She is no Internet pretender
- she's the real article. A special ed school teacher by day, and
a sledder every weekend. Visit her web site for more http://www.admdq.org/
This will be winter number nine for
me online, talking about sledding. Did I make any money yet? Nope.
I got a free jacket from a snowmobile apparel sponsor, and I get complimentary
rooms now and again, but I feel I have earned all of that. I have
paid my dues. I think this Podcast Radio thing on I-Tunes that I have
going, just may one day pay off! Imagine if I-Tunes one day, allows
me to charge one buck for every download of my show. Then I could
pay my rent!
Thanks everyone for reading this story.
I hope to hear from you this winter. Come be a guest on my Zen Talk
snowmobile radio show. Send me photos of your trip for my albums.
Make comments on my disscussion boards about the trail conditions.
Send in a cash donation if you win the state lottery! hahaha. (no
really) or become a sponsor through your business.
Stay safe out there, and feel free to
email me if you have any qns about sledding in Quebec this winter.
I'm connected! I'd love to help out if I can.
zen@zenwaiter.com
Cheers!
zw
http://www.zenwaiter.com/
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