An exquisite Quebec-style breakfast at Cosmo’s, inside the Four Points Sheraton Levis, the next morning gave us the ammo we needed to tackle the ride to our destination about 150 miles away in Scott, Quebec.
If all went as planned, we would be arriving at La Cache a Maxime later in the afternoon.
After breakfast Jodi and I packed up limited supplies into our saddle bags and headed downstairs to the heated underground snowmobile parking to get better acquainted with our Ski-Doo GTX 1200.
To be honest, we don’t often do 2-up riding but when we have to, this sled is the Cadillac of 2-up snowmobiles. Heated seats, electronic adjustable air ride suspension, passenger heated grips and a nice big windshield keep you warm and cozy while zipping down those luxurious highways of snow the French call “sentiers”.
Learning a hard lesson on our last saddlebag adventure, we over-secured our saddle bags and rode our GTX out of the garage into the frigid Quebec winter wonderland and directly onto the groomed trails.
You often hear us raving about trail conditions and we wouldn’t lead you astray, however this time the trails were beyond comparison.
In my 15 years with this fine publication, I have never seen conditions quite like we did in Chaudiere Appalaches this day. With my GoPro HD Hero2 camera mounted securely on my helmet I was able to concentrate on the gorgeous scenery while the GoPro videotaped and shot photos automatically.
Louis, our guide, led the way at a pace that was swift but safe. The trails are so wide and smooth here, that covering a lot of territory can be done in no time at all because you can safely ride at slightly higher speeds.
Not once did we feel like we were going too fast and my passenger would have been the first to say something had she not been at ease with the riding tempo. Before we knew it, we were stopping for lunch in a picturesque little town called St. Philemon at Restaurant Chez Charles.
Like so many we’ve seen before, this little Quebec town was bustling with snowmobiles and Restaurant Chez Charles was packed with snowmobilers who had been out for the morning apparently realizing what a special winter lifestyle they have there.
When we arrived early at our final destination for the day, Jodi and I were surprised that 150 miles had gone by so fast and so effortlessly.
La Cache a Maxime is a gorgeous resort featuring their own winery, gourmet restaurant and spa. Best of all though are the accommodations. If you’re bringing an entourage that has 5-star tastes, this is the place for you. The modern, individual chalets are all the same and feature two floors, two-bedrooms, two baths, a gourmet kitchen, gas fireplace and LCD televisions. No expense has been spared in the design, furnishings and construction.
Since it was our goal to make this day absolutely perfect, we thought what better way to wind down before dinner than to visit the spa. Noah Spa is a state of the art Skandic Spa, featuring new-age treatments and an indoor spa pool with stations that concentrate on relaxing specific body parts. Needless to say, it did the trick because Jodi and I ended up falling asleep in the gravity chairs beside the pool.
We’ll be posting the final chapter to this special lover’s edition of snowmobiling in Quebec very shortly.
In the meantime, be sure to visit www.chaudiereappalaches.com or call 1-888-831-4411 to get your more information or order your free WATERPROOF trail map.
+ Click for some GoPro footage
