| Elfe Rex Devon...

Et voila, ca faisait bien longtemps que j'y pensais a reprendre un animal et ca me manquait trop, alors on a maintenant un petit Elfe qui va nous rejoindre tres bientot (apres le sevrage et une visite chez le veto), trop mignon, trop bizarre, j'adore ces Rex Devons!

| Salon Chasse, peche et camping 2014...

Le Salon Expert Chasse, Peche et Camping vient de s'ouvrir à la Place Bonaventure a Montréal, mon van est exposé dans le stand New-West VR (# 860) et je vous invite a le visiter :) Un grand merci a toute l'équipe NW, le nettoyage est parfait, il a l'air tout neuf!

Visite guidée pour Maxime! 

Our awesome "safari" van in display here...

| Grey Area Snowskate Jam 2014...

Sunday we woke up at 5:00 AM to drive towards Gatineau for the 1st Snowskate Jam at Camp Fortune, QC. Despite the looooong trip (thanks Paly), we arrived just on time for the registration at the mini-ramp club house directly on the slopes. The event was nicely organized by Top of the World Skateshop and had many sponsors, notably Harfang Snowskates, our local brand.

Registering for the contest was free and it gave us a 20$ day pass at the resort which was a great deal thanks to the organizers, it was really exciting and 19 riders signed for the cross race, some came from as far as Toronto to meet up and it was a fun bunch!

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Format:
> Snow deck cross - Two timed qualified runs and bracketed elimination rounds for head to head racing with top eight qualifiers on a course with rollers and banks.
> Best trick - Afternoon Jam sessions on three separate features for best trick.

Schedule:
09:00/10:00 - Registration at the club house (you could bring your skateboard to hit the mini ramp).
10:00/01:00 - Snowskate cross race.
01:00/02:00 - Lunch & drinks.
02:00/04:00 - Best trick jam on the mini-parc.

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I honestly don't like racing and going fast is my least favorite thing to do when snowskating, so i was going there without any expectations, surprisingly i qualified for the final heat with the overall 3rd best time :) and later finished on the podium with a Bronze medal (alright just trying to make it sound better in this period of Olympics).

The semi-final was a blast, I enjoyed chasing Henry Siu but couldn't pass him as he was too fast. He finished second only behind the infamous Rookie. I have to say that i'm kind of proud as it was my 1st race against longboarders and it was really close, and at least it put an Harfang skate on the podium!

During the afternoon we all went crazy in the mini-parc, trying to land some stupid tricks and hurting ourselves on the 4 features prepared for us, Steve and Yan killed it as usual and there are lots of cool pics/vids now so enjoy.

I can't wait to go back next year and bring more people with us! what a great day, spread the love...

| 新年快乐...

Bonne Année, Gong Xi Fa Cai it's the Year of the Horse!!! We had a great feast at Nhu's parents. Now time to digest and welcome 2014...

| TRIP # 001: Gaspésie - Part two...

Day #4 Gaspé to Percé

The road to Percé once again was beautiful, though it was getting dark rapidly. It's imperative to make sure your brakes are working properly because there are super steep sections, from 8% to a crazy 17% which is probably the steepest part i drove so far on a regular road.
Once at destination it looked like a ghost town, everything was shut down except for a pub but i badly needed a shower and couldn't care less about it. I can't use the diaper wipes we bought recently because i'm allergic to Paraben and it started to burn my skin a little, yeaaah my mistake for not reading the label! So we left Percé to Grande-Rivière where we would find many open restaurants and motels, as told by a local friendly old dude (i think he's still laughing at us for touring the place in winter).

Indeed there is a more lively vibe as soon as we entered the city but the only place we could find was the Motel du Rivage (~82$/night on WE). Although there are lit-O-rally hundreds of gites, hotels, camping and B&B along the coast they are almost all closed now, and if not, their receptions are shut down after 4:00 pm so you know, we've tried.

Grande-Rivière is a charming city with a nice little harbor, a few restaurants and friendly folks. We checked out around 11:30 am and went looking for a brunch, which is apparently too much to ask for. Then we had no choice than to go back on the road and try to visit the famous Rocher-Percé. It was amazing to drive the same road again because we could finally enjoy the view in daylight, and it's stunning.

There is so much we didn't see the previous night, the rock and the island Bonaventure are beautiful from every angle, at close range or far away in the distance, making it difficult to drive and admire the landscapes all together.

Everything was closed, not even one available boat on the ice-free waters, we were starving and then decided to go back to Gaspé for a lunch. Dominique one of our friend grew up here and she told us to go try the poutine aux crevettes at the Brise-bise restaurant. Hmmm pretty good i have to say!

Okay now what about the 31st? because i originally envisioned something more exciting that what is going on here we decided to drive back near Québec city and to check the mood there. On the way back we stopped again at Saint-Jean-Port-Joli but went to visit the city this time, it was a pleasant surprise with its very artsy and odd vibe, there are plenty of cool boutiques, boulangeries and gourmet restaurants to enjoy.

We are now back home in Montréal and the return was exhausting, we will be celebrating here so we wish y'all a Happy New Year, enjoy your last day of 2013 and see you guys in 2014!

| TRIP # 001: Gaspésie - Part one...

Hoo shit what an old fart!!! now i still remember the big party in Madagascar that my parents threw for my dad's 40th birthday, i was just a kid back then and now it's my turn, how weird? Anyway we are finally in Gaspésie after our very first long road trip and this is how it started...

Day #1: Départ Saint-Jean-Sur-Richelieu

Gifts, food and joy are the key elements for a stereotyped good Xmas' night isn't it? And it worked out pretty much like this for once, I have to admit that I usually don't like this period of the year as it is an awful reminder of a cultural paradox and an outrageous Ode to consumption (what crisis?). My family is in France and I couldn't go visit them this year (je vous aime <3) and we started our quest to finding useful gifts for Nhu's family.

We decided to sleep in their driveway despite the cold and tried to plug the van for the 1st time using our brand new 30 Amp locking powercord, it worked like a charm and it comes with a light indicator to let you know if things are running well or not.

It's only late in the afternoon that we left St-Jean-sur-Richelieu after a lovely family meal. Our first idea was to go celebrate New Year's Eve in St-John, New-Brunswick, but they have been badly hit by an ice storm yesterday and it seems like the aftermath party is not so fun,

The city is still recovering and many houses don't have electricity yet. On top of that they are announcing a snow storm for tomorrow so forget it, let's find another goal and Gaspésie it will be. Anyway we drove past Québec city and i decided to keep driving until it was time to refill the tank as well as our stomachs. We don't want to drive too much during one day because there is no hurry right!

When I was too tired we stopped at the Normandin truck stop near Saint-Jean-Port-Joli, there are a few restaurants and a gas station, but above all some showers (even a spa) hOoo yes! Now I have to change my Garmin GPS for a truck/RV version because these stops are life savers, especially in winter.

Day #2: Saint-Jean-Port-Joli to Matane

It was a good night and the van was pretty warm in the morning, We packed our stuff, took a shower and then hit the highway. The shower cost was high at 5$ (+5$ deposit) but it was comfortable, spacious and not limited in time like in the National Parks, let's say it was worth it :)
We arrived at Rimouski at night for a short stop, it seems to be a vibrant and exciting city with a beautiful promenade along the river, As you can see in the photos below, the St-Laurent is frozen and it looks like a large white field with messy ice blocks all over.

Our first overnight stay at a Walmart parking yey, now we are officially stamped "American RVers" i guess. The RV area is located in the Eastern part of the parking lot, right near the Tim Hortons (open 24/7). You have the choice between TH and WM's Wifi hotspots there so it's pretty convenient.
Matane is a really small town and in winter there isn't much things to do to be honest except maybe if you are in the wind turbine business, We woke up, got a breakfast at TH and went shopping at WM for the Boxing day, we needed a blender and found one at a great price and now we are all set :)
Now it's time to leave this quiet port and keep rolling.

- Note: It's easy to find internet at local cofee shops or chains like Mc Do and Tim Hortons along the way but concerning cellular's coverage it is a dead zone for me, as of December 2013 Fido does not cover the Gaspesian peninsula at all, I lost contact past Rimouski, dude it sucks! So if you guys want to join me, please use emails or I'll read your messages later.
 
Day #3: Matane to Gaspé

The road 132 from Matane to l'Anse-Pleureuse is following the coast and it is breathtaking, honestly the landscapes are amazing with steep cliffs plunging in an ocean of ice and snow, frozen waterfalls and charming villages, it is a no-brainer and you have to see it for yourself. It's beautiful and this must be also true for all seasons.

Moving forward we saw a dramatic scene in the horizon with a giant dramatic cloud pissing over the mountains and 30mn later we drove right under it just to discover it was actually a snow storm which covered the road in no time and it became dangerously slippery, The locals apparently not bothered by the event keep driving really fast and, as most Quebecois, don't understand the use of blinkers (f****ing annoying to say the least), guys this is not an option!

Ok here we are *target achieved* and i'm writing this from my Surface tablet at the Café des Artistes in Gaspé. A cosy, artsy café with nice people, we thought it was probably the only place we would hang out if we were students here, the town seems so small though.

| Merry Xmas et Joyeux Noel!..

Have fun everyone, hope you'll enjoy the holidays! On our side we are heading towards the Maritimes after the anticipated epic meal tomorrow at Nhu's parents. Love y'all!