| WE Lac Taureau...

On a passé notre dernier long WE a l'Auberge du Lac Taureau, dans Lanaudière, QC, un endroit de villégiature de luxe, situé près d'un lac magnifique. Martine et Julie de Jumana Boards nous ont invité pour que je fasse des démos de SUP et c'était aussi l'occasion d'étrenner le modèle de production de la Dolphin (fraîchement arrivé de Chine).

Voici une petite vidéo de SUP bomb dropping sur le quai près de la plage, de belles images grâce à Nhu.

#riversup #supwwqc #jumanaboards

| Sherbrooke yeahh...

Last Thursday we went to visit Sherbrooke for the 1st time and it was beautiful, but seriously what a weird post-apocalypticindustrial-zombie town? It feels like it comes directly out of a comic book or videogame, which i can appreciated of course :)

It was raining around Montreal and didn't seem that bad in Estrie so we drove by St-Jean to pick up Nhu's parents and headed down to a discreet urban swamp directly located in central Sherbrooke, the Marais Real-D Carbonneau. Right after a good snack (yummy spring rolls from the in-laws) we went for a walk around this nice humid zone.

I wish we could have seen serpentine turtles or snakes but we only came across a few frogs, lots of different birds and few fishes, notably a good size catfish which was very curious.

This place is only about 5mn away from downtown and we were ready for a coffee break. The old city centre is beautiful and has a lot of history with its museums, old brick factories and many shops.

The view of the raging central Magog river, lush vegetation, electric dam and industrial buildings has a very special "end-of-the-world"vibe, i need to go back there in winter when it's foggy... such an inspiring spot for a photo shoot!

Well, on a Thursday afternoon, it was much quieter than i expected after hearing so much about the reputation of that student town but on our way back, the bars were starting to fill up quickly. We had a great time and we'll be back, especially when their surfing wave will be ready :)

XMAS trip 2015 - Part 03...

Next...

#Taos #NewMexico

| XMAS trip 2015 - Part 02...

 Joyeuses fêtes  from Taos Pueblo, NM.

Denise, Robert and their beautiful family welcomed us in their home, fed us and really took good care of us while preparing for the feast, the multiple ceremonies and the dances. I won't forget those precious days spent in their company, i lost track of time and was just trying to appreciate every second in their presence. Merci, merci!

Despite the cold snowing day the crowd was growing fast and eventually everyone gathered around the numerous piles of wood to enjoy the celebration of this solstice transition, the great spirit and Christmas in this magnificent and sacred environment. After the procession of the Virgin Mary the tribal members finally lit the fires and it was quite a spectacle, the wind created some sort of smoke twisters behind the gigantic bonfires and everyone was simply in awe. There is something very spiritual at Taos even for the hardcore atheist, the weight of history and the respect of those ancestral traditions had honestly quite an impact on me.

It took a long time for the fires to fade away and for the people to leave but we all went back inside the cosy shop for the meal. They had prepared some homemade bison tamales (freshly killed) along with plenty of food and dessert, what a feast! It was an honor to be invited here, thanks to Manny and Denise and i can't be more thankful to have shared those precious hours with you all.

On the 25th we went back to the pueblo to help Denise bring her posole to the shop and attend the ceremony of the Deer/Buffalo Dance. No cameras were allowed on that day, which does make sense; you have to be there to live the moment and appreciate the cultural heritage and the performance of the dancers! There is no words to describe what i've seen and felt there, the music, the costumes, choreography and willpower of this nation is beyond what i imagined. 

I would recommend anyone to go buy their famous tamales if you visit the pueblo. Their locally-grown blue corn is amazing, it is a native plant that Robert farms (amongst other grains) in the reservation with the help of his daughters, undoubtedly the best i ever tasted and it makes for some tasty good popcorn too :)

#TaosPueblo #RobertMirabal

| XMAS trip 2015 - Part 01...

From Montreal to Austin, TX...

What an incredible trip through the badlands of New-Mexico to the plateaus of the northern high deserts. At one point, my driver decided to stop in the little town of Fort Sumner to say hello to the famous outlaw "Billy the Kid", well to his burial garden actually! After Santa Rosa, i didn't expect to see such a mountainous environment, the road via Las Vegas (NM) was very scenic and we even passed Sipapu, a local ski resort. The temperatures dropped down considerably and i could finally enjoyed some snow.

Got a good shot of the sasquatch of Sipapu!

We eventually reached the city of Taos and our hotel (Don Fernando) completely fried after a long road trip (about 12h), kudos to Manny for driving all the way without even sleeping. Little did i know that the adventure was just about to start! Especially after an unfortunate episode of finding bed bugs in our room :((( Part #2 coming up soon...

#Taos #NewMexico

| Family trip in France - Part 02...

During our stay at my brother's house we had the chance to visit some of the surrounding picturesque villages like Chalencon, we've enjoyed some alternative festivals or roamed the local organic markets. That's when you realise the weight of history/culture and admittedly, i miss it!

On the last day before heading back to my parent's house in Tresserre, we couldn't miss the opportunity to drive through the Ardèche Gorges with the obvious goal to visit their world famous Chauvet cavern.

| Ice Cream Truck...

Yesterday we drove back to Burlington to get my bike. Harris at Old Spokes had just finished working on a few modifications i asked for and it was worth the wait :) The now 1x10 drivetrain has been improved with a sturdy Race Face Turbine crankset and a new single chainring narrow/wide 30T. We added some 45NRTH pedals and the tires are now mounted tubeless. I'm pretty excited about this setup and i'll write a review of the bike soon enough. Thank you guys for the business and outstanding service!

simple is better!

We then parked in downtown for some food and sightseeing, it was humid and cold (reminded me of UK's horrible winter) but it is a pretty little town and we'll certainly come back in summer to visit more of the lake and the surroundings... and of course to get some of the renowned local (and real) ice creams.

Except for a little incident before leaving (hmm yes i may have locked ourselves out of the van, thanks CAA for saving us), it was a fun day and there is a new shiny member in my sport quiver!

#OldSpokes

| Ultimate SUP clinics...

I just came back from an incrediblemazing trip to Ottawa's awesome river. The Canada's first Ultimate SUP Challenge is happening this WE hosted by Owl Rafting with some of the best whitewater stand up paddlers on the planet. I left work around 6:00 pm yesterday and drove straight to the camp (which is amazing btw) hoping to enjoy a good night of sleep before what should be a busy day in the water.

nice fire pit at the camp and the van with the roof extended...

Unfortunately that night was really cold (~12ºC) and i wasn't prepared at all so it was pretty miserable to be honest, at least it was great to stay in the van with an open roof for the 1st time since i bought it. The breakfast was filling enough and the view on the river is absolutely breathtaking.

Although the staff didn't really know what was really happening on the SUP side (they are specialized in rafting) and i apparently missed an email from the organizers with all the useful instructions so i ended up following the instructors on their way to the Pushbutton rapids and arrived on site way early, the class i subscribed to would normally start at 11:00 am but the overall schedule slipped out a bit. There is no way i could miss the two clinics offered today, best excuse for a well deserved day-off :)

behind me is Johno Fosters, Starboard rep, ready to surf...

Jonah, Badfish rep enjoying the class...

Dan Gavere is probably the most recognizable name in white water SUP today and he was giving the Introduction to whitewater class. Arriving early was a good opportunity to see the 1st group jumping in the closest (intimidating) eddy and starting to experience the trouble of navigating through chaotic currents, raging foam, rocks and big waves. It's always impressive to see pros at work (true for all sports and domains) because everything they do seem so easy and natural compare to us, mere mortals!
We've learned the foundations of paddling in a river, and how to make efficient use of bow draw strokes, ferry across the stream and do eddy turns in and out. It was great to try, fall, fall again and eventually manage to play in the current, everything that seem impossible or too scary at first became progressively more accessible.  We all enjoyed the class, Dan gave us plenty of information without excess so we could focus on applying the basic techniques step-by-step, and he doesn't care about the clock, what a great job. In the end we were all smiles but also dead tired.
Now it's all about training and the Lachine rapids will be a good playground where i can repeat those fundamentals and get back into shape.

John from Distressed Mullet...

exhausted crew...

The following clinic was about to start as they were waiting for me to catch my breath. I had 5mn to drink a little, eat a cereal bar and realize that i have to go back in the water without any strength left.
Mike T rides for Badfish, he is an amazing SUP surfer who travel the continent with his dog in a large RV and a trailer full of boards. He gave the Introduction to river surfing class, seriously i was completely toasted at this point, but the excitement took over.
Another great moment of learning and practising new techniques, we've all tried hard to surf the Pushbutton wave but it was too small to stay on it (although Mike and Dan did it). I could use the bow draw efficiently to get on the wave many times which felt good, the girls on our team did really well, they seemed to enjoy the class tremendously.

I wish i had the energy to try the big wave on a River Surfer 8' board but my body just shut down, too tired to survive the crazy wave train behind so i choked. And you know, walking over the aggressive slippery rocks with all your equipment and a wet board is enough to make you think twice about the priorities ^_^

Returning home was very loOong and boring, especially after such a beautiful and exhausting day, this trip was totally worth it and i can't wait to meet these guys again, everyone was so helpful and friendly. It's difficult to explain how much i've learned and appreciated the exchange of information and knowledge with all these people, it's a great community and a fantastic sport!
Thank you Harmony, Dan, the staff and all the volunteers for the organization of this amazing event.

Merci,

T.

| 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.