Growing up, snowmobiling to me was jumping on the old beat up Safari (circa 1987) and doing circles around the back 40. Some of my fellow high school friends would snowmobile to school in the winter via the trails in our area, but that was about the extent of my knowledge regarding where you can go and what you can do on a sled. That all changed when I started dating Scott. Scott is a hardcore snowmobiler. How do I know? The answer is simple – he has a sled with heated handlebars and running boards (where was that on the old safari when you needed it?).
Scott’s heated handle bars and headed running boards VS. the SAFARI (non-heated anything)!
On one of our first dates Scott actually took me on a 3 day snowmobiling trip around St.-Michel-des-Saints, Quebec. We spent two full days on the trails and I soon came to realize why he likes it so much. Snowmobiling is like its own “secret” community. The trails are like super highways for snowmobilers on the move. You can be out in the middle of nowhere and suddenly up pops a mini snowmobiling town complete with really cheap motel rooms, good food, and of course, a gas station. It is quite a funny sight at the gas stations actually – no cars, just snowmobiles lined up to take their turn.
Quebec Trails = Super Highways!
We never took very long breaks in these towns – only long enough to thaw our fingers and toes, eat some delicious soup, and fill up the gas tank. After that, we would be on our way to the next trail and the next site to see. This nicely brings me to the second reason I realized Scott likes snowmobiling so much. You get to see so many amazing views and sites unseen by the normal “car” tourist. While most roads wind around the base of high hills and cliffs, snowmobile trails are usually on top. At that point, Scott had already learned that I am a picture-fanatic, so he made regular stops when he thought a picture would be required. One of my favourite stops on this trip was by a large dam. Unfortunately I do not remember the name, however I do know that the top of the dam was just wide enough for snowmobiles to cross so of course the trail went right over top. Let’s see you try that in your car!
The Dam!
While I am talking about our trip, I just have to tell you about this amazing place we randomly stumbled upon. It was getting close to the end of the second day. We were both pretty cold and tired, so Scott pull off the main trail and headed down a non-groomed, curvy path. I had no idea where he was going (and I am convinced he didn’t either), but within minutes we came up to this beautiful log cabin, literally in the middle of nowhere. There were a few sleds parked outside, so we went in to get a hot chocolate and to warm up. We found out that this “couples resort” was called Le Zenon. They invited us back for dinner later that night, so we took them up on their offer. What a delicious dinner they had, and for an almost first date, I was pretty impressed. The thing that made my night that evening was our waiter who, after we finished our main course, asked us “are you married?” No… “Ohhh are you fiancés?” Ummm No….”OHHHHHH You are coochy coochy”!! If only he knew we had just started dating! After dinner they played some piano and guitar, and then we headed back to our less than luxurious motel. We will be back to Le Zenon some day!
Mmmmm Wine!
So why am I writing about snowmobiling, you ask? Because yesterday I officially became a snowmobiling widow for the 2012 season. The snow finally started flying at home, and Scott had an itching to get out on the sled so he packed his truck and hit the road for Quebec… And yes, he left me behind to tend to the fire!!
