The Coast

When I was growing up on the Lower North Shore, the best time of the year was when there were carnivals and hockey tournaments in the winter. Of all of the Carnivals, the one that you had to go to was the Saint Augustine Carnival. It always seemed to be the most lively, and the most fun.

This year when I was on vacation, I found out that the Saint Augustine Carnival was taking place during the first week-end that we were visiting. I called my friend Lloyd up, and he offered to allow us to stay at his place while we were in Saint Augustine, and then we were off on Ski-Doo.

The ride down was great. There was a light snow, but it was a relatively warm day. The trails along the Route Blanche are groomed, and very nice to ride on. I rode on my mother’s new Ski-Doo, which has hand and thumb warmers which makes it even more comfortable. We took our time, and stopped at several of the survival cabins for refreshments. We even stopped to talk with Alexandra and Karl, who are walking along the Coast.

The trail is also great, especially since a large portion of it runs along a river, which is ideal for snowmobiling. As you can see in the photo below, it is just a nice long flat winding trail.

The warm spring weather, and longer days has got me thinking about our recent vacation to the Lower North Shore. I think that this spring will be perfect for snowmobiling, since there is so much snow, it should last much longer than normal. I remember snowmobiling in the spring in the late 80s when I did not even need a jacket since it was so warm. The amount of snow this year reminds me of that period.

I also went snowmobiling on the Coast last year, but there was not very much snow then. This year I noticed there were many more snowmobile tracks on the hills, and places where it is normally difficult to get to. Many of the rocks, and trees and cliffs are covered with snow. As you can see in the photo below, I ventured up on some of the hills near La Tabatiere myself.

All of the portages on the Route Blanche snowmobile trail are groomed and usually in excellent condition, but even the portages in the villages are in great shape this year. The photo below was taken in a portage near Tabatiere.

I took the photos below in Chevery, Quebec while we were waiting for our plane to arrive.

You can see all of the vaction photos under the photo section of the Lower North Shore Community We Site.

Since I enjoy winter and snowmobiling, we decided to go back to the Lower North Shore for a vacation this year. We had a great time snowmobiling on the Route Blanche Snowmobile trail, went to the Saint Augustine Carnival, and got to watch a hockey game.

The conditions were great since there is so much snow this year. I also think that the season will last much longer than normal, since it will take some time to melt. If it does turn out this way, there will be some excellent spring snowmobiling on the Coast this year.

I will be adding more details on our winter adventure soon, and I have also uploaded some of our photos on the Lower North Shore Web Site too.

On my recent vacation to the Lower North Shore, I met Alexandra and Karl who are walking the entire length of the Route Blanche, from Kegaska to Blanc Sablon. They are from the Quebec City and Lac Saint Jean regions, and I am not quite sure what made them to decide to undertake this adventure, but they seem to be having a great time.

We met them between La Tabatiere and Saint Augustine, and it had been four months since they left Natasquan. Once they reach Blanc Sablon, they plan to take the Relais Nordik, which is the local ferry, back to Sept Iles, or Rimouski. They were making good progress, but still had a few weeks to go until they would reach Old Fort Bay.

I really like their approach, since they were trying to keep everything as traditional as possible. Karl actually made their Komatics himself, and much of their clothes and gear was also traditional or hand made. They did not take a radio or satellite phone with them, and they got their weather forecast and news from people stopping to talk to them on the trail. They spend most of their nights in a small tent that was heated with a wood stove.

They will definitley be in good shape once they reach their final destination, and I am sure that they will have some interesting stories. i am looking forward to hearing from them again, once they get back to “civilization”.

The latest issue of the Lower North Shore news has been added to the Local news section of the Lower North Shore Web Site. You can find the complete article under the Local News Section.

Here is a summary of what is in the latest issue:

Inside This Issue

REGIONAL NEWS

• Community Snapshots p.3
• Chevery News Update p.3
• Fond Memories of Home p.4
• LNS Language Celebrating Coast… p.4
• Congrès annuelle de l’ARCQ p.4
• $2 Million invested on Cote Nord p.5
• Annual meeting of ARCQ p.5
• Sur la route de la Grande Séduction! p.6
• Raid International on the LNS p.7
• Raid International en BCN p.8
• Coasters Association AGM p.9
• Road Works—Route 138 p.10
• New Social Development Animator p.10
• National Park Project p.11
• New LNS Community Radio Website p.12
• New association takes to the airwaves p. 13
• Carrefour Jeunesse Emploi Duplessis p.16
• LNS Winter Events p.18
• Projet de Complexe la rivière Romaine p.19
• Update on Fishing Season p.19
• CoastFest 2008 update p.20
• LNS hits national headlines p.20
• YOUTH ZONE JEUNESSE p.24

MUNICIPAL NEWS

de la Côte Nord du Golfe St Laurent

• 127 618 $ pour Tête-à-la-Baleine p.28
• Chevery Scrappers Crop for a Cause p.29
• Kegaska Community Forum p.30
• Reverend Eric’s Supper & Last Service p. 31
• pARTnerships, the Art of working together p.32
• Netagamiou CLC progress highlights p.33

Gros Mecatina

• Blossoming Partnership With Coasters Association p.35
• PACE Preschool Program Enters Mecatina School p.36
• Adult Education… preparing for the future p.36
• CDLS donation to Mecatina School p.36

Saint Augustine

• Saint Augustine Senior’s Party p.37
• Progress on St. Augustine River Bridge p.37

Bonne Esperance

• Local Craft Group p.38
• New CLC in St. Paul’s River p.38

Blanc Sablon

• Extension of the Jacques Cartier Trail p.40

CLASSIFIEDS

Job postings, for sale, volunteers needed… p.41