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5831 Chemin Brassard
St-Zenon Quebec Canada
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Zenwaiter

5831 Chemin Brassard
St-Zenon Quebec Canada
J0K 3N0


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Canada has some of the best snowmobile trails in the world. In Quebec Canada, we have thousands of miles of beautiful snowmobiling available to American, Ontario, New Brunswick and Nova Scotian snowmobilers.

American snowmobilers arrive daily from New Hampshipe, Ne York, Pennsylvania, Maine, Massachusetts Vermont, Connecticut, and even Indianna! Snowmibling in Canada is the best!

On Zenwaiter, you'll discover trail reports, weather reports, snowmobile trail conditions, snowmobile guide, used snowmobiles for sale, and snowmobile rental dealers.

Our snowmobile sponsors have atvs, quads, used sleds, snowmobile clothing, snowmobile accessories, snowmobile gifts, snowmobile motels, snowmobile hotel rooms, and snowmobile restaurants.

On this site, you'll find everything you need to organize your snowmobile holidays, snowmobile vacation, or snowmobiling trip in Quebec Canada.

Enjoy snowmobiling in Quebec!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Canada has some of the best snowmobile trails in the world. In Quebec Canada, we have thousands of miles of beautiful snowmobiling available to American, Ontario, New Brunswick and Nova Scotian snowmobilers.

American snowmobilers arrive daily from New Hampshipe, Ne York, Pennsylvania, Maine, Massachusetts Vermont, Connecticut, and even Indianna! Snowmibling in Canada is the best!

On Zenwaiter, you'll discover trail reports, weather reports, snowmobile trail conditions, snowmobile guide, used snowmobiles for sale, and snowmobile rental dealers.

Our snowmobile sponsors have atvs, quads, used sleds, snowmobile clothing, snowmobile accessories, snowmobile gifts, snowmobile motels, snowmobile hotel rooms, and snowmobile restaurants.

On this site, you'll find everything you need to organize your snowmobile holidays, snowmobile vacation, or snowmobiling trip in Quebec Canada.

Enjoy snowmobiling in Quebec!

 

Need some music in your life??

American currency exchanger.

Sponsor of the Day

Shark Cycle
Used sleds in CT!

Need more new sponsors

Thank You!

----------------------------
Personal Sponsor
of the day...


Al Verkest

Thanks a Ton !

 

Write for more info.

 

south warren new york

 

 

 

Send us your logo & link today!

 



CLICK HERE


Meet a great poster artist.

Canada has some of the best snowmobile trails in the world. In Quebec Canada, we have thousands of miles of beautiful snowmobiling available to American, Ontario, New Brunswick and Nova Scotian snowmobilers.

American snowmobilers arrive daily from New Hampshipe, Ne York, Pennsylvania, Maine, Massachusetts Vermont, Connecticut, and even Indianna! Snowmibling in Canada is the best!

On Zenwaiter, you'll discover trail reports, weather reports, snowmobile trail conditions, snowmobile guide, used snowmobiles for sale, and snowmobile rental dealers.

Our snowmobile sponsors have atvs, quads, used sleds, snowmobile clothing, snowmobile accessories, snowmobile gifts, snowmobile motels, snowmobile hotel rooms, and snowmobile restaurants.

On this site, you'll find everything you need to organize your snowmobile holidays, snowmobile vacation, or snowmobiling trip in Quebec Canada.

Enjoy snowmobiling in Quebec!

 

 


CLICK HERE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Canada has some of the best snowmobile trails in the world. In Quebec Canada, we have thousands of miles of beautiful snowmobiling available to American, Ontario, New Brunswick and Nova Scotian snowmobilers.

American snowmobilers arrive daily from New Hampshipe, Ne York, Pennsylvania, Maine, Massachusetts Vermont, Connecticut, and even Indianna! Snowmibling in Canada is the best!

On Zenwaiter, you'll discover trail reports, weather reports, snowmobile trail conditions, snowmobile guide, used snowmobiles for sale, and snowmobile rental dealers.

Our snowmobile sponsors have atvs, quads, used sleds, snowmobile clothing, snowmobile accessories, snowmobile gifts, snowmobile motels, snowmobile hotel rooms, and snowmobile restaurants.

On this site, you'll find everything you need to organize your snowmobile holidays, snowmobile vacation, or snowmobiling trip in Quebec Canada.

Enjoy snowmobiling in Quebec!

 

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All New Comments are now on

ZEN'S PAY SITE

 

Oct 29 2004 Happy Halloween !

While I am on the road next week, I will try to get on a computer in the Internet cafe somewhere and BLOG you.

I will also try to upload some photos in this photo album.

Hope it doesn't snow while I drive across the country. I am putting my snow tires on the car today. If it snows bad in the mountain passes, they will not let me pass unless I have chains on the tires, which I don't have. (no big deal). At worst, they make you get a motel for the night, and plow it all out quickly.

Please say prayer for me, that I'll get across safe, and you can help by sending me some gas money if you feel like it. My little Nissan is great! It will take about 1.5 tanks of gas a day x 5, = 7.5 tanks of gas, x $45. cnd = 337.50. I will also be paying for 4 nights in a motel, and I will be packing fruit and trail mix! I will also bring some food for my co-pilot Rocky.

Why not buy a tank of gas today, to help Zen get back to Quebec in time for the snow!

Pay me securely with your Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express card through PayPal!

Click the logo to donate.

Yes, I am coming back to do Zenwaiter, because I love it. I am keeping my apartment here in Vernon, so I have a safe cozy place to come home to in the spring. All I am bringing with me is my 2 computers and my helmet. I will be taking photos on the trail by sitting on the back of volunteers' sleds. This way I can take better movies and photos than when I drive with one hand.

I believe I am getting a sponsored sled from Polaris again. I really appreciate these guys, but I don't like to push. If they have a sled for me it will be excellent, though will be so busy posting your trail reports and photos, that it will be hard to find the time. Also, my body has been still struggling with back pain.

To raise money this winter, I will also be taking your photos, and selling you a print. I will probably charge 20 bucks, then send you an 8 x 10 in the mail. We'll see how this idea turns out. I am always looking for ways to cover expenses through the winter.

That's it for now! I am excited about my trip. Hope my Ermine is still living under the Zen Shack! Can't wait to see if the trees I planted last year grew a little. Also, miss that fattening poutine, the clean air, the blue blue sky, the northern lights, and the incredible sunsets at 48 below! CRISPY!

zen

October 28 2004

Crazy Al has reported some snow here and there over the past few weeks, but none on the ground yet. We need the ground and waterways to freeze up first, and then we need snow.

I will be back in Quebec soon to get the stories and the photos.

Wanna rent the Zen Shack? 3500 USD for the winter. Need to know very soon, or else I will live in it myself. Would rather rent it, need the money. I can always sleep in the living room at the Refuge with Fred the dog!

More soon. Getting packed to come back to Quebec.

Zen


 

 

Fri Oct 15 2004

Other ways to support this Web site
and ensure that it will continue in 04/05.

Other ways to help...

1-tell your friends about this web site...

2- send out an e-mail to everyone on your address book

3- put a link and a logo on your own web site

4-buy a hat or a shirt if and when we have them

5-support our sponsors... stay at their hotels, drink their beer...

6 -When you are in Quebec, talk about the site to anyone who will listen! As you hold your open wallet in your palm, pause before handing over any cash, and say... "One of the reasons I am here today spending cash in Quebec, is ZENWAITER!" This has a strong impact.

7 -send in your photos (keep em small and limit to 4 max) with a text so I can use your trip story on the site. I will probably place it on our mail page.

8 - Save the zenwaiter site in your favs

9 -get your business to become a Zen Sponsor

10 -stick this code on your web site... it is our Google Ads,
and it will earn us 2 or 3 bucks a month. (Cut and Paste it). Imagine if I had these ads on 100 web sites.. wow. It's easy to place this ad on your web site, and it will support us big time.

<script type="text/javascript"><!--
google_ad_client = "pub-4452281057001464";
google_alternate_color = "000000";
google_ad_width = 120;
google_ad_height = 600;
google_ad_format = "120x600_as";
google_ad_channel ="";
google_ad_type = "text";
google_color_border = "000000";
google_color_bg = "F0F0F0";
google_color_link = "0000FF";
google_color_url = "008000";
google_color_text = "000000";
//--></script> <script type="text/javascript"
src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js">
</script>

11-When you run into Zen on the trail, offer to pay for his gas, feed him, and give him a hug! (Okay okay.. if you're from NY, you just need to high five. I know you ain't the 'sensitive types- like the guys from Jersey!! Yeah Right..

12. Rent the Zen Shack for the entire winter, only 3500. us. Dec 26 to March 26. Click here for more details.

13 - Write letters to all the Quebec Tourism boards and orgs, and tell them what you like about Zen's web site.

14 - If I help you to communicate by translating with the Police, (when you have been robbed, or in a crash), tell the authorities that they are lucky to have Zen there in Quebec!

15 - If you meet your love on the trails in Quebec, because I told you we just had two feet of new snow which made you come up, name your first born after me.

16 - Send a cash donation, here.

17 - This winter, when I meet you in a bar or on the trail, I am going to offer you a photo of you on your sled. It will cost you a twenty, 20 bucks, paid on the spot. I will get your mailing address, print it on my computer, then send it to you in the mail. If I can shoot one or two of you guys, or groups a day, it will help alot. Remember, in the winter, I do this full time and no other money comes it! I have to figure a way to make it cover expenses!.

18 - I need someone to get some four inch oval stickers made up with my logo on it, need about 1,000 of these. Find the logo here... then give it to your printer, the send them to me. I will mail them to everyone, and then you can stick them on the bathroom mirror in every motel and bar in Quebec, AND on your sleds!
That's what I'm TALKIN' about BAY-BEE!

19 - Keep your sleds CHAINED up at all times, and do not get your truck and trailer robbed. This will make me very happy. This winter, be smarter than the thieves for a change. Let's run them out of business by being super vigilant. Remember that they are not shy, and will surprise you with boldness. At high noon in a busy place... BANG, your ride is gone.

20- -Participate often in our Bulletin Board, tell others about your experiences in Quebec, especially your latest honest trail conditions, and your most fun motels and bars. Why not share this info with others?

21 - -That's all I can think of for now.. oh yes, one more thing... Bring me a huge PIZZA, real PIZZA, (Pepperoni, salami, mushrooms, onions... whatever! Toss it into the back of your sled trailer so it will freeze, and drop it off at the Zen shack on the way up. . The pizza here in St-Zenon, is, well... ahem... lets just call it different. It is yummie in it's own way, but it is simply not Pizza as the world understands Pizza.

22 - Also, I need real New Jersey bagels, your wife's real spaghetti sauce, and or, your favorite Italian sausage from NY or Jersey.

23 - Oh yes.. Also, if you are in the clothing business, I need Zen hats, T-shirts, etc. to give away or sell.. (I almost always give these away, nobody ever asks to buy them. )

24 - Also need a good helmet for this winter and a new snowmobile suit. (Yes, my old Lazer helmet bit the dust Nick , and I cannot find replacement parts, they went out of business.) Also need new riding mittens and new boots (or used.) I am size 10.5 foot, and extra large jacket, 38 waist size.

25 - Also need all your GPS information to give away on our GPs page.

26 - Also need you to ride SOBER and stay safe. Also try keeping your speed down, and stay on the right side of the trail ... (asshole!!) Last comment was meant for the three guys who almost killed me last year on the way to the dam.

27. In the off season, hire me to build your web site.

That's it for now! Thanks for everything guys and gals... see you in Quebec this winter eh??

I am seriously planning a pay section of the site, for my comments and my Mpegs. Otherwise there won't be any money for the server. I have threatened this for years now, but this year it is going to become a reality. This web site costs money to run.

If you see me in a bar or resto, it is because I am collecting trail information for the site... I update the site almost every day. If you have never given a donation, but love the site, fork over the cash on the spot! It is muchly appreciated.

That's it. End of sermon.

 

Some advice.

 

Lock it up, tarp it over, and chain the f*&^@#r up tight, if you wanna take it home with you.

Do not take your sled out to the bar if you wanna get loaded and hang out all night. Leave it in you secure motel.

CHAIN her up with real chains, and chain it to something that can't be cut with one of those rechargeable cutters. Remember, our Quebec theivin' bastards, are almost as talented as your thieves in NY, NJ, etc etc... Thieves nowadays are high tech everywhere.

Watch your sled closely, and watch your truck and trailer too, especially on the road up to Canada. Last year American and Canadian thieves made of with the entire rig several times.

When you go in to eat, someone stays in the truck. Simple. When you are in a bar, someone stays outside on the steps to get fresh air and keeps an eye on the sleds. You take turns watching the perimeter, like you did in Nam.

Also, always keep your registrations in your wallet in case something goes missing.

Being a little paranoid is simple a habit you can get into. Don't let it ruin your fun, but just see it as a responsibility that you have. It's a fact of life anywhere you go.

If you have the opportunity to talk to our Police, don't cop an attitude. Be polite, and try to talk French even if you can't. They will see it as a sign of curtesy, and they will go much easier on you. Come off as a maucho American coyboy, and you may end up with a fine. Don't forget, police are to be respected anywhere. The wild wild west days in Quebec are long past. Don't drink and ride, and respect the speed limits. Do not leave your key in the ignition, it will cost you 130. bucks!

 

Cheers...

 

 

Zen...

250-558-1418 till Dec 1st.

Who the heck Are We??

 

 

August 28th

I got a note from Tom Bump (cabinet maker from NYC) last week, and a phone call from Dr. C in Elizabeth NJ. Both these friends gave me 'what for' because I have not been active on this page, or on the Blog. I apologize. I have been trying to earn a living! You know of course, that the meager Zenwaiter income from donations, stops cold at the end of march.

And speaking of 'cold', Crazy Al reports from St-Zenon that it has been a cold summer. Yesterday it was 1C at 7 am on his lake. Does this mean our snowmobile season in Quebec will start early this year?? Hope so.

Remember last winter? We had excellent trails in early December, it was amazing. The entire season was excellent, with several good snow storms, and cold temps.

For more news, this winter, go see our Blog. (The link is on the front page.) I can place a message up on the blog from anywhere I happen to be, whereas the web site requires my lap top.

Also important to note, Your input will be very important on ZW this year. Our bulletin boards will be the main focus of our efforts. You can write about security issues, weather reports, and of course trail conditions for any region of Quebec. Other important topics such as crossing the border, are also addressed.

I realize that most of my readers are lazy.. they just want to be spoon fed the information. This winter, these people will be disappointed. They will find that to get the good info, they will have to visit the discussion boards. I hope they will not only grab the helpful info that others have shared, but that they will spend five minutes to give us their info too!

Learning to 'post' on my boards is easy, but it will take you five minutes to figure it out. Just do it. It will mean BETTER trail condition info for other readers.

Sponsorship. To get your company logo on the front page, go see details on our sponsorship page here.

Can't wait.

zw

Help Zen: Send This Page To a Friend

zw

Check out ZENWAITERWEST.COM

 

 

July 9th

I am here this morning cause i don't feel like working on my other projects any more. It's just one of those mornings where I feel total laziness and sloth. If you are here for the same reason, why not catch up on your Zen-history, and go read the MAIL page! There's some pretty juicy bits on this page, in case you've been missing it all these years.

MAIL PAGE HERE

Also, I have a call in to the good guy that donated the little Casio digital camera to ZW, (which was stolen in NYC last month). I am asking him if he had insurance through his charge card on that purchase. If he did, he may be able to replace the camera for me. It's a long shot. That little cam gave us all the photos and the videos from last winter. I miss it big.

More news: The Buddy Ford site is now up for Quebec racing freaks, and also, the St-Michel Quad Club web site has been improved. Just two of the web sites I have been chipping away at.

Oh.. Also, I spoke to Crazy Al at the Refuge, things have been quiet for the past month with the onslaught of insects, but now the bugs have abated, and the sun is shining on the lake. Al also tells me that there is a me dirt track in St-Zenon, and they are having their first Buddy Ford organized racing even at the venue in August? Click this banner.

Dirt Track racing in St-Zenon Quebec!

No news from musician/guitarman Steve Solo in Rawdon of late, though I see from his web site that he has been playing his music alot this summer. Musicians are all the same... they are friendly until they hit the big time, then all the cash goes to their head, and you get no news from them at all until they are down again..just like that song from Eric Clapton... "Nobody likes you when you're down and out". PLUS.. Steve's web site work is looking fantastic.. so he must have his head up his ass (like me) too.

Go see...

Rawdon rawdon rawdon

This is a Rawdon directory that is a blast.
there's tons of cool stuff.
Try downloading Steve's music, you'll love it.

 

zw

 

 

July 8 2004

Finally we are having some cooler temps here after weeks of 90F plus weather.

live web cam where zen has coffee every
morning between 8am & 10am outside
with Rocky



June 21 2004

Greetings dear readers! I am just recovering from my New York trip where I attended the Americade show in Lake George again this year. Unfortunately my camera was stolen, and with it, the story and the color.

I am very tired still from the trip and here in Penticton it is 100 F today and sunny... but not humid at all like Montreal or Ottawa, which would be a living hell.

I have found some summer web work on various projects, so I will be able to pay the rent. Without the camera, we'll have to wait for photos for a while. There are thieves in New York State! Same as in Quebec! Hahaha... that's the proof of it.

I sincerely hope you are all working hard and saving your cash for this winter, when I will see you again in Quebec. You could even come up before the fall, and get some excellent fishing in.

How about some e-mail from you readers?

ZW

 


May 15th

Zen needs a guide to tour Ground Zero June 4th!



I've been busy reinstalling all my stuff into the new hard drive. Weather here is excellent, got some rain this week, they need that to prevent forest fires. They are announcing a bad dry season this year for the entire Okanagan.

Spending some time here is most excellent. I look fwd to spending the winter in Quebec. I have the best of both worlds. In the fall I will be down in Quebec and traveling to all the snowmobile shows to promote the Zenwaiter sponsors.

In June, I will be at the Americade show in Lake George working for sexy Ron selling leather. I do this every year.

Just before the show, I will arrive in Newark NJ and spend a few days with Dr C. I hope to visit ground Zero. Anyone out there want to spend the day with me and tour me through NYC? Dr C is too busy, and i will need a guide Friday June 4th.

E-mail me HERE, if you can be there!
NYC is not a place I want to see on my own.

Have a good one.

zw

 



May 4th.
Living here has been a real blessing. Flowers, people, no smokers in the pubic places, theatre, movie houses, cafes, parks, Walmart, KFC, and people! I missed all of those things for the past 6 years.

I am planning my trip to Lake George to work for Sexy Ron, selling leather in his tent.
I hope to visit many of you when I am there. If I am lucky, I will visit Al V and Russ L in Rochester on the same trip. I look fwd to staying with Sext Ron's family again, I miss them.

Americade is always such a blast. See you there eh?? June 7 to 12th.


SEE AMERICADE HERE

 

zw

May 1st 2004
In eleven short days, will be 49 yrs young. wow... whew... whoa.. That sounds too much like 50 yrs old to me!

In my life I have moved all over Canada, living in over 20 cities, in N.S., NB, Quebec, Ontario, Sask, BC, and Alberta. I guess I'm a true Canadian gypsie. I love this great land, and I've lived all over it. But now, I am back in my beautiful BC, and I think I'm going to settle here for a good long while.

Do not worry, I will be back in Quebec in the fall to attend the snowmobile shows with my own booth, and then back in the area to shoot some good pics and write some new stories. Updated trail conditions will come mainly from the readers, who report on the bulletin boards.

The snowmobiling experience here is going to be totally different than that of Quebec. I look forward to trying it out, and bring you back the photos.

I have started a new web site for the west.. It has just started...

http://www.zenwaiterwest.com


At the top of Silver Star mountain in Vernon, Rocky
has a party! No grizzly bears in site, whew!

I will be dividing my efforts between the two web sites. With your help, and the help of the writers I know like Bob Petit, I know we'll do well.

I finally rec'd my new t-shirts, and they'll be up on the Zen Wear Page soon. Why not support the site by purchasing one. Thanks.

Also, wanted to apologize for not changing up the site much, but with the recent hacking, plus my hard drive failed, it's been a mess. All this whilst I try to settle into my new home here in Penticton BC.

Slowly I am getting set up, and caught up. Today I drove up to the snowmobile staging area at the top of Silver Star Mountain. Photos soon. They still have a ton of snow up there.

Please drop me a line, I miss you all. zw

NEWEST STORY HERE

 

 

March & April 2004 Archives HERE

 

Friday Jan 31, 2003

Dinner at the Saw Mill again in ST-Michel, good as always.

David and Karen just got back from Roberval yesterday afternoon, and I saw all their photos. They did 1,200 miles in four or five days. You can see on the photos that there hasn't been a lot of snow this year, but the groomers have done an excellent job in creating good trail, just like they do around here.

Dave said things were better on the way up on Monday morning: it's great when you can follow the groomers, but almost impossible to predict with accuracy exactly when they will pass. There are so many factors which determine their actions... temperature, snow fall, money, men's schedules, break downs, traffic, etc etc. It is not an exact science.

I think the way we ride can determine how long the trails stay good, (if the weather stays cold that is... and it has this year). What do you say we all go a little easier in the curves, and preserve the trails for the next guy.

Another topic that came up was is the warming huts, or the lack of them. David says..

"Around St-Zenon and St-Michel, there used to be warming huts every 25 to 50 miles that were maintained, now they're all trashed, and some of them are gone altogether. The club doesn't maintain them anymore. But up near Roberval, they have them all over.


"It is a safety thing. If you break down, or if your are freezing to death, you can at least hold up in a safe place. This week my wife was freezing, and we used many huts up there to warm up. We'd like to thank those clubs for their efforts, and encourage the others to get back on track with their warming huts."

It's been busy here at the Zen Shack. I have so many photos to work on, and I am sort of burning out. Yesterday I took my old 1990 Lincoln to the dealer, and they have to replace the leaking head gasket, and timing chain gasket (something like that). I am looking at a bill of $1,800. to fix it, and I have no choice. The car is very good despite it's age, and I told them to go ahead.

So lets review shall we? Add that to my list of the perfect woman... one who can do auto repairs!

Let's see now... under 400 lbs, two legs, some teeth, under 80 years of age, computer savvy, likes to ride, likes house pets, non smoker, had a good bit of personal therapy, and... mechanical ability with full set of tools. PERFECT.

Speak English and French would also be an asset.

If you are a sponsor that has not paid up, this would be a great time to pay your bill. If you are one of the forty or so people that have told me this winter that you were going to mail or PAYPAL a donation to Zenwaiter, why not send it today.It would be a big help.

I appreciate both of you that made a donation this past week. Thank You!

Thanks dear Reader! Have a good day. Yes I know, Pray for Snow.

Hey, Don't forget the One Cylinder event on Lake St-Louis in St-Zenon on Sat Feb 8th. Should be a good time. You can access the lake on snowmobile, fro behind the Bistro!

zw

BISTRO ST-ZENON STEAK HOUSE

MENU

Wed January 29th, 2003

St-Zenon at noon: - 11C.

I don't have time to chat this morning, sorry. Super swamped, the phone, the door, the e-mail etc etc.Will be a perfect weekend! Have a good one. zw

MENU

Tuesday January 28th, 2003

St-Zenon: -34C or -30 F.

St-Zenon: Whew, is it cold today! I am supposed to ride over to the Refuge to eat breakfast with the four guys we met in the Bistro last night, to show them the new room and the jet bath, and to talk Zen stuff.

I just went outside and tried to start the four stroke... no way. It turned over but that's it. Luckily I noticed a block heater under the hood the other day, where you plug it in at night to keep it warm. I think it may start in half an hour. That's great if you are parked ten feet from the Zen Shack, but what if you are in the woods somewhere, you're obviously screwed.

Peewee the plumber (husband of the beautiful Blue Eyes, daughter of the famous Rosey) came over yesterday and got the pump going again, so now I have water.

I have to use it very sparingly, as there is hardly any water in the well. I think it's good for about ten gallons a day and no more. That means one flush a day, a little dish water, and a sixty second shower. These three items must be spread out through the day, and of course, we pee outside with Rocky.

Back to diner at the Bistro. It was terrific. When I walked in and sat down, two of the four young bucks from the table sitting next to us, got very excited and wanted to shake my hand. Then someone at the bar, paid for a round of drinks was sent over from the bar.

We got talking, and discovered these six year St-Zenon veterans loved my web site. The one guy said he's been reading my site since before I had a site... back in the days when I just mailed out e-mail four years ago! Now that's a fan! I should be writing novels, I could afford to buy a snowmobile then eh?

They always consult the site before coming up, to see how the weather is, and to find out what's happening. Very nice boys, thank you.

Speaking of new stuff, Don't miss the One Cylinder rally on Lake St-Louis February the 8th. It should be a gas! That is 2 Saturdays from now.

Also, there is a week long festival of winter events going at the annual Shawinigan Grand Prix.

February 1 through 9, there will be Stock car action, and Oval racing to name just a few. If you like the Shawinigan snowmobile trails, go to their web site and get all the details. If you need a room, call Bernard, he'll help get you organized.

PS: Just went out to start to sled, it started perfect! I just had to plug it in! The Polaris Frontier, perfect sled for the old Zenman, won't go over 50 mph, and no good for far away in the bush, just good for around town! 10,000 bucks to run around the village? Hmmm... NOT! I'd rather have something old and beat up, but that will do 70 mph when needed, and will start anywhere... right?

But regardless, I appreciate having something to run around town in to meet you guys and gals. Lest you think I am an unappreciative swine, I would like to thank Moto Ducharme for lending it to me for a few days. It was cool. Moto Ducharme sells Polaris products in Joliette, be sure to stop in when you come up. They have jackets and helmets and all the toys too.

Four Stroke, the future of snowmobiling!
zw

Shawinigan Grande Prix
Caisse Populaire
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January 27 2003

No water in the Zen Shack again this morning. That's it, I have to get a guy in here to drill a real artesian well. Thirteen bucks a foot is the cost these days around here. The old surface well is toast.

Many homes have run out of water this winter, due to the combination of drought in August and September, and the severe cold that we had so early this year before the snow came, which caused the frost to go down deep into the ground.

The old timers say, "If you have water in your well this winter, you will always have water in your well!"

By the way, the old timers were wrong about this winter... remember what they said in November? "This early cold and snow means that it will be mild with rain in January."

Yesterday was interesting, riding around on that 2002 Polaris four stroke. I could have written ten stories just from the people I met on the trail. I have to get a sled donated or sponsored for the entire winter, there's just too much good stories out there, and I am stuck in here. I also need a full time assistant. Any takers?

Surprised that I don't have my own sled? Don't be. I'm a writer photographer, not a sportsman. This is no secret to my regular readers. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to write about rocket science.

Having said that, I must add that I do love to ride, and I live in the best ride zone in Canada!

Writing about St-Zenon every day with no budget to ride, is like working in a chocolate factory on a no-chocolate diet.

One day we'll have a sled to ride the local trails. That's a goal. In the meanwhile, we'll just do what we can with what we have and be thankful!

Have a good Monday...EH?
zw

YESTERDAY'S Photos HERE

Menu HERE

Sunday night Jan 26

St-Zenon; - 15C the past two days, and received 4 inches of snow. It is currently snowing.

Spent the past two days riding the local trails on a four stroke Polaris 800 Frontier. Unfortunately, the dealer Ducharme had no other sled to offer me, and it is not in good running order. Constant backfires, and top speed is 50 mph.

Being the end of the weekend, our local trails are tired from the weekend warriors.

The local trails are indeed thin in many spots, but still ridable. I am talking about the local trails, the other 95 % of the trails on our big day loops arenear perfect.

Many Americans and Ontarian and Quebecers in the region enjoying wonderful conditions, plus it is no longer as cold as it was. The deep cold spell is passed us.

The sun was warm today while riding, and the landscape fantastic. The rural Quebec countryside all pristine pure white wilderness, and the mountains as a backdrop. The air revitalized me, and now I have to sleep!

zen

Friday Jan 24 2003

St-Zenon: -23 C. This super cold spell that has attacked most of Canada was kinda cool at first, (no pun intended), but after a while, it ain't so hot. The heater won't work properly in the car, the water pump froze twice, the well is basically dry, and no one comes to call. They stay at home, and so do I. I may be suffering from a mild case of cabin fever.

But for snowmobilers, cold temps mean table top surfaces around here.

The riders I have spoken to are raving about our trail system this winter, apart from the occasional rock on the busy local trails on weekends when traffic is at its' peak.

Some people from south of the border have been bragging to me about all there snow down there, but let's not forget that most of the trails are bumpety-bump. Our trails are smooth, but admittedly would be better with a few more inches of snow, which we are supposed to receive presently. Up here it's a different kind of riding.

When you ride this week, be sure to adjust your helmet vents properly; the risk of frost bite is real. Also, don't ride alone, and make sure your sled is tip top before attempting a long loop. Extra gas is always nice on those trips too.

Why not answer our daily Zen Poll ? (top left).

Have a good weekend.

zw

Send me mail here.

Trails

Thursday Jan 23

St-Zenon: -23C this morning, with two inches of fresh snow.
Gusty with medium high winds all day yesterday and last night, created snow drifts, and probably dumped 3 or 4 inches of existing snow into the trails, which are being groomed up to perfection for the weekend warriors. More snow and cold coming. It's a good year! zw

Text Forecast from Environment Canada
Parc du Mont-Tremblant - Saint-Michel-des-Saints: Issued 05:00 AM est Thursday 23 January 2003
Today..Cloudy. Chance of some snow. Clearing this evening. High near minus 15.
Tonight..Cloudy periods. Low near minus 26.
Friday..Sunny with cloudy periods. High near minus 15.
Saturday..Scattered snow showers. Low near minus 25. High near minus 15. Probability of precipitation 40 percent.
Sunday..Scattered snow showers. Low near minus 22. High near minus 13. Probability of precipitation 40 percent.
Monday..Sunny. Low near minus 23. High near minus 15.
Normals for the period..Low minus 19. High minus 8.

MENU

Wednesday Jan 22

St-Zenon: - 32C and snowing.

Single Cylinder Racing in St-Zenon?

On February 8th there will be one cylinder sled racing on the Lake St-Louis in St-Zenon. Crazy Al has already been working on the oval to get it ready. The site is at the south entrance of the village across from the St-Louis Bar/Motel. This should be a good time. See you there.

Thanks!

Just a word of thanks to the few who have sent in donations. And also a word of thanks for the letters and the photos. Watch for them on the front page. Also, thanks for participating on the two bulletin boards. It helps out everyone that wants to ride in Quebec.

Zenwaiter a Beggar? NOT!

It has been suggested of late, that asking for donations is begging. I have thought this over, and have come to the conclusion that this premise is indeed false. Zenwaiter provides an important service that has value.

To build that value, takes equipment, phone lines, servers, office expenses and one crazy full time MF to take the photos and do the work. All of this has value, and those that benefit from it donate to the effort because they want to see it continue.

In fact, ZW is also very unique! Show me, if you can, one other web site that is updated daily with current snowmobile information on Quebec, with real photos, comments, and bulletin boards. There ain't none dear reader, not a one.


Not Zenwaiter...yet :)

REAL BEGGARS
There are however, some web masters, (people that make web sites) who are actually real live beggars. It's hilarious... and it's also sad.

I heard about this on TV. They build a web site, offer nothing but a sad tale and pathetic photo of themselves begging with a can of pencils on the street corner or whatever. Now THAT is a beggar. Zenwaiter is not a beggar.


Surprise yourself today... send me a photo of your last weekend ride with a brief description, and you may become a Zen Star on the Front Page! Better yet, send me a photo of a friend in a compromising position, and embarrass the hell out of him/her.

zw

Trail Conditions Here

General Blah Blah Here

Learn to beg on the internet HERE

E-mail your snowmobile photo now! HERE

Buy A Used Sled? Zen's Free Classified Ads


Tuesday Jan 21 2003

St-Zenon: -34 this morning at 7 AM, now - 25C. Bright and sunny day. Weatherman says remaining cold and sunny with a few flurries on Wednesday.

Talk around town this week is of the eight morons from New Jersey who basically terrorized the area Thursday Friday and Saturday, culminating in the ring leader going to jail in hand cuffs.

These... people with limited mental capacity, did burn outs, and continuos 360's at Peewee's Depanneur, blasting a stream of ice and gravel on peoples vehicles and property, , smashed a beer bottle over someone's head, ( A friend of mine), and destroyed property on someone's farm land near the village, doing jumps over piles of wood.

They had some rental sleds which they damaged to the tune of over 3,000 bucks.

Drinking and riding? They must have been drunk, because they acted like total imbeciles during their entire visit, causing trouble at all the gas stations, bars, hotels and restaurants.

They are fortunate they didn't kill themselves or someone else on the trail, and the guy who got injured from the bottle incident, apparently has a damaged eye.

The farmer where you did your jumping wants the club to close the trail that runs through his land. After ten years of working to get people to allow trails, YOU loosers come up and ruin it all.

The worst part is that you really frightened a whole lot of people here, women and children and the like, but I don't suppose that bothers your conscience.

We have some of the best trails in the world here, and you come up to get drunk, threaten the locals, cause damage to property every where you go, and damage our club's reputation. Unbelievable.

I still can't believe it. You give New Jersey a bad name.

Your ring leader ended up in jail, and I hope he is still in there for a month.

Daddy's credit cards might have bailed you out this time, but with your level of ignorance and disregard for other people, you will surely reap a whirlwind of misery that no amount of cash will help you escape.

What goes around, comes around, if you live long enough you'll find that out. But do us all a favour, don't come back,
you're no longer welcome.

zw

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Monday January 20, 2003


St-Zenon: -20C, or -2 F this morning. Two inches of new snow overnight.

I just spoke to Yanick at Kanawata, north of the Repos, and he just got in from a ride on their 100 or so miles of trails. He reports that the trails are excellent, and they just got 6 new inches of snow over the past few days. You can call Yanick, he does speaka da English a little. He will be glad to answer any qns you may have. Kanawata Inn 450-819-666-2007.

I read in the "Journal de Montreal", that the Laval Police are out in full force on the trails with the hidden radar guns.

This was their first campaign of the year, and they had helicopter support.

" We do about 4 or 5 of these operations a year", explains Martin Legare, a safety officer with the Laval Police. "We want to ensure that snowmobilers are respecting the speed limit, and also, we offer safety advice. At least once a year, we will set up a surprise trail block to check for alcohol as well."

There will be twelve volounteers sent out by the Laval club who will patrol the trails and issue tickets for infractions. "Last year, explained the officer", the club handed out one ticket to a snowmobiler, and 35 tickets to quad riders who were riding on the designated snowmobile trails."

"The new local quad club is a nuisance", said Alain Roberge, "they use our trails, and they can ride even when there is no snow."

Last year the quad club had over 1,000 members in Laval, this year the number is down to 450.

"Our grooming costs are the same as last year, said Roberge, but we have only half the budget to get the job done."

Translated by ZW


Interesting stuff
for your reading pleasure.

"Snowmobile buzz echoes in White House
Traditionally, the Washington's Birthday weekend is the busiest stretch of snowmobile-riding in Yellowstone, but this year it has taken on special meaning as politicians, environmentalists, and tourism-industry officials battle over the fate of a snowmobile ban scheduled to go into effect here and in Grand Teton National Park within two years." By Todd Wilkinson

Click Here for Full Story


Sat Jan 18 2003 8 AM

COLD -30 C but it feels like -50.

39,892 people logged onto Zenwaiter.com over the past 30 days, and we have recieved about $ 300.us in donations and sponsorship. That averages out to $00.0075203 per reader this month.

Let's assume that half of the 39,892 visits were made by people that read the site every day. We'll take 19,946 visits and divide it by 30 days. That gives us 664 actual people.

Now lets assume the others only come once a month, that gives us 19,946 people.

Add the two together, and we can safely assume that we had 20,610 people who actual read the web site, over the past month.

Lets cut that in half just to be sure... giving us 10,305 actual snowmobilers that read Zenwaiter in the past month. (and on average they do stay in the site about 30 minutes, requesting about 10 pages each).

If only 10 % of those had contribute 10 bucks, (which is the price of a snowmobile magazine), the Zenwaiter office would have received $10,000. usd.

If only 1 % had sent in 10 bucks, we would have received 1,000.usd.

That would have been nice now wouldn't it?

T-shirts don't work, we can't get the local bars to stick out donation jars, Pay Pal seems a waste of time, and nothing is coming in the mail.

Zenwaiter works 12 hours a day for 300. a month, then has to go out and pay all the expenses with that.

Guess what. It just don't add up. It seems to me that it could be working extremely well. What do you think?

Tha car won't start today, I should have plugged it in.

:)


Have a good Saturday. zw

Friday Jan 17

St-Zenon: - 30C at 7 am. OUCH! that's -20 F. These are the temperatures you love to see because they maintain the snow that we have. We got a dusting yesterday.

Remaining cold with new snow coming Sunday and Monday.
More weather HERE.

Yesterday we saw dozens of enclosed trailers streaming up during the day in long parades. Should be a busy weekend.


PS: 'Yummie' my calico cat, has finally earned her keep after three years! She caught a mouse in the kitchen, killed it, then tossed it into the Rocky's water dish. Good kitty! :)

So, any single women out there wanna come live with the Zenman and the Zenmice in the Zenshack? I'm single! LOL (yes, and now we know why.)

Hey, at least they're not rats!


Trail info HERE

Write Zen Now?

Thursday Jan 16

Good morning. St. Zenon is -30 this morning, and the sun is brilliant. The trails are fabulous. What more could a snowmobiler ask for?

David and Steve had breakfast with me, loaded up their sleds, and have headed back for NH. They left us with some amazing images of the trails north of the dam heading to Kanawata.

The discussion around the breakfast table at the Casse Croute des Parkes, was on the "idiots that ride in circles around the Cabanon." said David.

"The trails get wrecked every day by these idiot throttle jockeys that ride in circles around on the local trails that go from the Cabanon to the Bistro to the St-Louis, and to the Glaciere, then back again. They drive like maniacs, totally out of control, and on the knolls, they stay right in the middle of the trail as if there was no one else on the trails. They hit the brakes into the corners and go sideways, then gun the throttle on the way out, trashing the trails beneath them. After just one day, the trails are a series on lumps like Tug Hill. When we ride, we respect the trail, and the hard work and expense that goes into making them."

"The Police should give tickets to people that ride through curves out of control and do not stay to the right. Instead, they stick a radar on the straighaway, and hand out tickets for speed, which is not dangerous." I reminded Dave that the Police enforce the speed limit. He understands that, but says "they should wait after a curve, and ticket people for dangerous and reckless riding instead."

Personally I think we should have one course for the guys that want to hog the trail to themselves. It should be 100 miles of one way. The trouble is, that as soon as they trash this course, they will run onto the regular trails and terrify the normal folk.

In any event, half the people that come to this area have high performance machines with a million studs, and are interested in riding as fast as they can. The other half do the bigger loops to enjoy the pristine trails that lie to the north.

Last week there were two snowmobilers that were killed in a head on accident, neither was on the right side of the trail. I think this occurred in the US somewhere, though it easily could have happened right here.

The Police should set up a sting somewhere to nail people that do not stay on the right in corners, as this is the most dangerous action a snowmobiler can do. It is a miracle we don't have more accidents.

Anyways, Dave and Steve are gone, and they will be missed. They did 800 miles in three days of exceptional riding. They went out at 6 AM every day, and took advantage of perfect grooming done by the local club. They enjoyed near perfection every day, and are returning here again next week to do a long treck to Parent, Clova, Seneterre Casey, all the way to Val D'Or. They will again take photos for us!

Have a good one, and stay to the right!

zw

Trail Conditions Discussion
Trail Condition Links
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Last Minute Room for this Weekend?

Wed Jan 15 2003

St-Zenon: -20C today and grey skies. It was - 30C last night. Some light snow this week then Sat and Sun heavier snow here, but no, they never tell you how much you'll get. Also, -30C again tonight, remaining clod all week. The trails will remain optimal.

No news at all from the local club about trails or about anything. It's up to you to give reports when you get back home to your computer.

TRAIL CONDITIONS DISCUSSION BOARD


PLEASE "REFRESH"

I keep meeting people who don't realize that we change the Index page almost every day, (that is the page you first come to with the photos on it) as well as this page. You mean we do all this updating work for nothing? ALWAYS click on refresh when you land on this page and on the Index page, or else you are reading yesterdays news.

Another thing they don't get, is that every photo on the Index page has ten or more photos behind it. You just click on the picture!

Hardly any mail this year from you folks, and about half the donations of last year, yet the site is three times as big, has 50% more traffic, and the info is more current. I just may have lock this page up with a code, and charge 25. usd for the key. I don't want to go in the hole.

And yet.... the info here seems to be important and valuable to folks. At dinner the other night in the Bistro, a lady from South New Jersey, explained to me how this web site saved one of her family vacations last year, and how thankful they were; it saved them a bundle of cash too. But no donation was forth coming, (she may have mailed one in last year, hard to tell). Very nice gal.

I didn't remember the phone call, because there were so many last year, in all that rain. I took a lot of heat for those weather reports last year, and I am happy to report all the good news this year.

On a brighter note, we have a fan in the IT business who'll be here Thursday. Jim says he may have some solutions for us on the server side to make our thing more cost effective. It may also eliminate our hacker friend who crashes the site every time we talk about rain or theft.

Nick A. from NY is still here at the Glaciere with a gang of New Yorkers, and has been having a ball on the trails, as is Sexy Ron, NH Dave with buddy Steve, and hundreds more.

Dave says he rode to St-Come yesterday, and it was a ten, but on the return trip, it was a 4. He almost got killed by a bunch of idiot throttle jockeys who were riding in the middle of the trail, almost out of control. "I can't believe there aren't more deaths up here." he said.

If you can't stay on your side of the trail kids, please ride go back to Tug Hill, don't come to St-Zenon. Unfortunately, I realize that we are preaching to the choir here! Most of you folks are super responsible. You folks can read! hahaha!

Don't forget to go to the Trail Board to find out what is happening. Don't just read it, POST ON IT! It's very easy, and no, it is not dangerous. 500 to 1000 people a day read it, and hardly any posts!

Okay, that's it, I'm going for a limp around the block. Wait, there is no block. Guess I'll just pace back and forth! Got any Valium? :)
zw

MENU

Tuesday Jan 14 2003

St-Zenon: -20F or -30C this morning. Five inches of snow yesterday. Trails outstanding. Photos of yesterdays trails to Repos below..

Breakfast with Nick and the boys yesterday morning at the Glaciere. Nice gang he has this year from New York.

Probably this will be the best riding in past few years. Not much traffic during the week. Ate at the Bistro last night with Sexy Ron, NH Dave, Crazy Al, and a flock of desperadoes from South New Jersey! Nice folks that. Bistro was full.

New Trail Photos Here

New Race Photos HERE

Menu

Trail Reports HERE

Monday Jan 13 2003

St-Zenon C: -12 C and snowing, with one inch so far. Finally some snow. Lets hope we get the foot we need.

The weekend was busy here, but not as busy as the week before. We are getting Quebecers from all over, folks from Ontario, where there is no snow in many places, and of course our Americans.

Last night I ate at the Saw Mill in St-Michel again, because David from New Hampshire is back, and that is his favorite place. The food is good, and has been for 38 years.

My right knee is sore, and worse this morning, because I went out on the lake yesterday to take photos of the racing sleds. At over 100 miles per hour on a short track, it is wild. Nothing official about it at all, but the guys do it anyway.

I will try to get the pictures up on the Index page for tomorrow.

Have a good one. Snowing! zw

Trail Conditions

General Talk

Weather

Sunday Morning January 12th, 2003

- 12 C this morning, and all is quiet. I'll bet a few bar tenders worked hard last night, as there were sleds everywhere in the area.

The trails are running good to excellent, depending on where you ride. We could use more snow for sure, but the cold and the good base, and the excellent grooming has well maintained the 1,000 km of trails.

The weatherman says snow and continuing cold for the next three or four days, so lets expect more of the white stuff!

Three experienced riders last night from Vermont, rated our trails 8.5 out of 10. They have been riding here 15 yrs, and their opinion does stand for something. (even if they are from Vermont! ) hahaha :) Just kidding!

zen!

PS: Sexy Ron and NH Dave are both heading up tonight, that means good trail pictures soon. You had better mail me your photos too though right?? eh?? Thanks

PS: A lot of you have told me on the phone and in e-mails that you will bring me a donation here, but that is not working. Only a few donations came that way so far this winter. You guys come up to ride, then you leave, and we pass like two ship in the night.


Please mail your donations, because it is almost impossible to track you down when you get up here, and I don't have the time to try.

This is serious guys! If you like the site, mail a donation by PAY PAL , just click the button up top, or make your check to Zenwaiter, mail to

Zenwaiter
5831 Chemin Brassard,
St-Zenon QC,
Canada, J0K 3N0.

No joke, this site does cost money to produce and maintain, and there's none coming in! I don't want to be forced to switch over to a pay site format. If it does, it will be 25 usd for the year. Let's keep it free. zw

zenwaiter@canada.com

Trail Board Here

General Board Here

MENU

Saturday Morning January 11th

-30C this morning and sunny. That's -20F!

Getting more phone calls from Ontario, Cornwall called to say they have no snow, and that they will be heading our way. St-Zenon could be a very busy place if this continues! But it is nice to actually have good trails and cold weather here, real nice.

A few of you have mailed in photos and letters, go see them on the Mail page! Thanks a lot. I hope more of you will take the time to write in and send your trip pictures. Everyone appreciates you for doing this. Scan them, and e-mail them to me..

zenwaiter@canada.com

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Trail Talk

General Talk

PS: We have gone over 100,000 visitors since March 20th 2002! That was our total last year from March to March. This means that out hit counter should reach 150,000 before March 20 2003! 50% more people than last year! Not bad for an amateur site eh? Thanks to you people out there. zw

Friday afternoon/evening.

It was a beautiful cold and sunny day with snow that goes crunch under foot.

A stream of enclosed snowmobile trailers are parading past the Zen Den in anxious anticipation of good riding, and no one will be disappointed this weekend, except those who just bar hop back and forth over the local trails...but even those trials are in good shape at this moment.

Just had a chat with David Mc. from beautiful downtown Ottawa.

David, I gotta say, it feels good to talk to a fellow Anglo Canadian; a rare treat for me up here. Thanks for calling and I am glad we could find you the room you need. And yes, I will gladly get a few pictures of you having a good time, and no, that doesn't require a donation. Better yet, you bring you own digital camera, and shoot TRAIL pictures, which is what I really want, I will post them.

Now after that nice English chat, I feel really lonely. Ahhhh... poor Zenman!

Perhaps I'll stroll up the road one kilometer, and drop in for a Coke at the Lac St-Louis Bar/motel... for a little ahhh, exotic entertainment. Perhaps they will feel sorry for me eh? Nah... not gonna happen... I don't feel up for it.... not gonna happen...

I know, I'l'l just take a little nap and wait for the phone to ring. I'm sure I will be called out to take a picture somewhere, and meet some new friends!

The sound of modified pipes are in the air all around my cabin.. This should be a huge weekend up here.

zen

Friday Jan 10 2003

St-Zenon; -15C , sunny. We're set for a great weekend. Remember, try to venture out on the loops that take you to the edge of our territory. You'll meet less traffic, and the trails will be better.

Lots of complaints about people using up the entire trail again this year. Please, stay to the right, or you'll hurt someone. You are never alone on these trails, and you must share the them with others.

Have a great weekend! zw.

Trail Condition Discussion Board

Thursday Jan 9th, 8 AM

Moscow: - 50C.

St-Zenon: - 26C or -12F
Two inches of new snow yesterday morning. Looks like this weekend is one you won't wanna miss up here! The trails are running from good to excellent, and there is more snow on the way, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.

We had a nice steak last night at the Bistro St-Zenon Steak House. The New Hampshire gang left early this morning. Go see their trail pictures from yesterday HERE.

Giidy-up!

zw

Trail Conditions Discussion Board

Menu

Need Help? Call Zen 450-884-1818

Wed morning Jan 8th, 8 am

St-Zenon: We got two fat inches last night of granular snow, now this stuff is good as gold for the trail. Inch by inch works, we'll take it! Currently -10 C. no wind.... AND SNOWING HEAVY! Yeah baybee! It just started a few minutes ago, but it looks like it means business. With no wind, does that mean the snow cloud will just sit over our head all day? I hope so. How exciting!

Yesterday David forgot to take pictures of the 345 up to the Repos, but he assured me it was 8/10. I know him well, and if he says 8/10, it means perfect to you! He has ridden here for 20 years and is fussy as hell.

You should be here, that's all there is to it! 1,000 kilometers of trails, and very good conditions. With global warming, it appears that good conditions are becoming increasingly rare, unless of course the hole in the ozone is a pile of horse puckie!

One way or the other, they are calling for more snow Friday and Saturday, with temps remaining steadily cold at - 15 to -17C.

David also said the trail was frozen up nice and hard. David is strictly honest on this, you can take his work, he's the real deal on a sled.

(Gosh I love to give out the good news, feels good!)


{I just saw a semi trailer go past the front window, through the snowy highway, with two full rows of new Polaris snowmobiles in the cases stacked two high. What a site!}

zen

Please write your trail conditions HERE!

Need A last minute ROOM?
Call the Zen Man Now! 450-884-1818

Tuesday Morning Jan 7 2003
St-Zenon: Sunny and still this morning, and another inch of snow! One inch at a time, we have accumulated about four new inches, which helps the groomers.

Please participate in our Trail Conditions Discussion Board, for reports on the St-Zenon area, and on any other area in Quebec as well. It's up to you to make this a valuable resource of honest trail reports.

Weatherman calling for light snow over the next few days, 3 cm here 5cm there. We'll take it! It adds up!

Trail Report Discussion HERE

Have a good day. zw

Monday night
The New Hampshire delegation just bought me dinner at the Saw Mill, Dave is on that Atkins No Carb diet, and has lost
30 pounds. I want to loose some weight too.

He says the trails beyond the dam are nice. Around town, he says he's seen much better days. He says we need snow. He also said today was a 9 out of ten for someone who just had to ride! He says it's a little tough on your carbides. He's riding out again tomorrow.

(He loves to complain 'cause he's used to our trails, and has been spoiled here for years.) He admits that anyone new to these trails would still love them.

Just spoke to Dr. C about my bad knee, he says I probably blew my cartilage while doing those deep knee bends in front of the pool table last week at the Motel Sportif. He told me to use warm compresses and prescribed some gentle movements that will help it along. I am in pain. (whine)

Our health care system here in Canada is free, yes, this is true, but you can die while you're waiting to get results from your tests. I had a knee x-ray last week and they told me it'll be 10 days before the Doctor calls me. But if I don't harass him, he'll never call.

So do not feel bad America, when you pay for private health care. We pay too, big time taxes, and at least you guys get good service.

That's my bitch for the day. On the bright side, it DID snow flurries all day, which can't hurt. Perhaps another inch.

Good night America and Ontario, and all the people here in Quebec that also read my gibberish! zw

PS: Almost 2,000 visitors again today. Last week we hit a new record of 2,600 readers in one day! Woooohooo! Now if everyone just mailed in one buck, I'd be rich! hahahaha. All kidding aside, it does take money to run this thing, and we haven't had hardly any donations in weeks. "cough cough...choke... sputter sputter..."

Why not just mail the old Zenwaiter a New Years Gift??

Make Check Payable to
Zenwaiter

mail it to

Zenwaiter
5831 Ch Brassard
St-Zenon Quebec, Canada
J0K 3N0

Thanks for your support.
PPS: PLEASE send in some stories and some photos of your Quebec or US or Ontario snowmobile riding, and I will stick you on the front page! You can be a Zen Star! You and your motely crew of no goods on the Front Page???

Just think of it! You can tell all your friends that you are famous! Just do it! You guys are getting lazy this year! Send your photos (2 at most please) to zenwaiter@canada.com


Send in an embarassing photo of a friend, and I'll run it on FRONT!

Plus, over 1,000 people a day have been reading our new Trail conditions board page, but only 1 or 2 write on it. What's up with that? Is it too hard to use? I think not!

TrailConditions Board HERE!

General Discussion Board HERE!

Pitter Patter, you best get at 'er!

your pal zen

Memories from last year.


Me and BobPetit on air live, last winter.

I got booted off that show for good, as soon as "they"
found out I tell the truth about the weather! Ooops! We can't have THAT now can we? If CNN and CBC, and ABC, and CBS can talk about the weather, so can I. (Not Bob's fault, he loves me!)

zw; still feisty as ever, and proud of it. Fortunately for me, the trails have been good around here this year, otherwise, I would have been strung up to dry long ago! Yiha! followed by nervous laughter!

Monday Jan 6 2003
7:40 AM, -10C snowing. We got an inch overnight, making a total of three inches of snow in the past few days. I realize that doesn't sound like much. New Hampshire got another 20 inches this week. However, remember, that we have the steady cold temperatures, and any snow we get, we hang on to, and we groom it into our trails.

Our trail base is rock solid. This measly three inches will help alot. We are still looking for a good storm to boost the base, or a continuous few inches here and there, to maintain what we have.

To learn more, consult the boards.

Trail conditions
General Comments
Book a Room?
Select a Restaurant?
Rent a Sled?

Sunday morning Jan 5th

St-Zenon: We got another inch last night. Temp - 10C.

Need a last minute room? Call my buddies!

REAL MASSE
(450) 884-5502

THE REFUGE INN
(450)884-5050 French)
(450)884-1818 English)

WEATHER

Sat 10:30 pm

Looks like New York Snowmobile Clubs have a major problem with their Insurance! GO SEE HERE

We got one inch of snow today, more tonite I hope.

Saturday Jan 4

St. Zenon: -8 C Snowing. Got no snow Friday.

(UPDATE!)10AM: Just got a call from Karine, she is in St-Donat unloading her sleds with Bruce, and says the parking lot is jammed with sleds everywhere! Looks like St-Donat is happening! Also it is snowing there too! Praise be! zw

Text Forecast from Environment Canada
Parc du Mont-Tremblant - Saint-Michel-des-Saints: Issued 05:00 AM est Saturday 4 January 2003

Today..Cloudy. Chance of very light flurries. High near minus 7.
Tonight..Variable cloudiness. Low near minus 14.
Sunday..Variable cloudiness. High near minus 4.
Monday..Snow showers. Low near minus 10. High near minus 8. Probability of precipitation 60 percent.
Tuesday..Intermittent snow. Low near minus 16. High near minus 7.
Wednesday..Snow. Low near minus 9. High near minus 7. Normals for the period..Low minus 18. High minus 8.

Last night I dropped by the bar at the St-Louis Hotel for ten minutes, and took a few photos of owner Nancy, waitress Jennifer, and Meo the security gaurd.

There were a few boys there from N.Y. having a good time. "We are staying in St-Donat. The trail over to St-Zenon was smooth and passable, with a few rocks here and there, but you guys need more snow."

I agreed, but reminded him that many of our loops to the north are still very nice, as they have had less traffic. Plus, the forecast says we'll get some snow soon.

Do the snow dance. zw

New Photos

Trail Conditions

PS: Enjoying this web site today? Find Yourself reading it daily? Why not send us a mini donation of $5.00 usd. It would really help. Just click on the Pay Pal button here! Why Not? It will help Zen pay for the server, the computer, the soft ware etc etc.... :) Thanks.

Text Forecast from Environment Canada
Parc du Mont-Tremblant - Saint-Michel-des-Saints: Issued 05:00 AM est Saturday 4 January 2003
Today..Cloudy. Chance of very light flurries. High near minus 7.
Tonight..Variable cloudiness. Low near minus 14.
Sunday..Variable cloudiness. High near minus 4.
Monday..Snow showers. Low near minus 10. High near minus 8. Probability of precipitation 60 percent.
Tuesday..Intermittent snow. Low near minus 16. High near minus 7.
Wednesday..Snow. Low near minus 9. High near minus 7. Normals for the period..Low minus 18. High minus 8.

Friday Jan34th

St. Zenon: -10C of +15 F. Some flurries today. In the region the snow forecast has changed...

Text Forecast from Environment Canada
Parc du Mont-Tremblant - Saint-Michel-des-Saints: Issued 05:00 AM est Friday 3 January 2003
Today..Cloudy. Chance of very light flurries. High near minus 7.
Tonight..A few flurries. Low near minus 13.
Saturday..Very light flurries. High near minus 7.
Sunday..Clear periods. Low near minus 13. High near minus 5.
Monday..Snow. Low near minus 8. High near minus 6.
Tuesday..Sunny. Low near minus 16. High near minus 11. Normals for the period..Low minus 18. High minus 8.

What is a Perfect Trail...?

I have been getting e-mails that say

" I am waiting for the perfect trails Zen... are the trails perfect yet?"

But... "perfect trails" are not the same for everyone, it is a relative term.

For a novice, who lives in Delaware, "perfect trails" will mean one thing, and for a veteran snowmobiler who lives in Indian Lake N.Y., it will mean something totally different. For the guys who prefer grass drags... etc.

So when you ask me if the trails are perfect, and that you will not come up until they are perfect, well, I can't really answer you.

The state of "Perfect Trails" is one which resides in the mind of the sledder. And besides, the weather worn snowmobile veteran knows, that God only gives you that "perfect trail" on special occasions, that's what makes those days so excellent.

Most of the time, you go through the motions; investigate the weather, talk to trusted friends about conditions, consult the maps, pack the trailer, take time off work, negotiate with the family, hit the cash machine at the bank, drive for hours, and then finally... ride.

Snowmobiling is not for the frightened little guy or gal who needs perfect trails. It is a sport for the gutsy, ballsy, adventurous spirits, who abound with optimism, energy, and courage.

Having said all that... allow me to invite you to visit our region.

We have an excellent base due to the skills of our local club's groomer, (nine of them), and due to their trail making skills in the summer months. Over 1,000 kms of trails that roll through small villages, parks, and vast expanses of logging country.

We do need more snow, and they have promised it. Near the villages, St-Come, St-Emily, St-Damien, St-Zenon, St-Donat, St-Michel etc, you may see a few icy spots, and the occasional potatoe, but out their on the loops, you will find some excellent riding, and by that I mean, well groomed trails. 150 to 200 miles a day, is easily done.

So, Like St-Donat Sarah always says, Start Prayin' and do the Snow Dance, and maybe one day, you'll get your Perfect Trails.

Cheers.
A long winded zw.

PS: I enjoyed a wonderful sea food tortiere last night in the family dining room at Real Masse. The feeling of hospitality I got there touched me deeply, and I want to extend my sincerest thanks to Mr Masse and his family.

I have tons of photos for you, and a police report, but I have to go to the hospital today for x-rays, I have been having trouble walking. (ouch)?????? Old age creeping eh? Something is wrong with my right knee. zw

PPS: Over 2,500 unique visitors to ZW yesterday, that's a record. Thank you!

Index
Menu
Photos
RealMasse

New Bulletin Board on Trail Conditions!

Jan 2 2003
St.:Zenon : 8 AM. I just got a call from the Refuge, everyone is having breakfast and being served on hand and foot! They are loving it. They were all riding on the lake last night.

Cold here this morning-20C or -3 F. Sky looks clear. Shd be another good day. Chance of flurries Friday, then snow Sat, Sun, and Mon. Pray this comes true!

The Bistro Steak House was packed last night, and I took the Indiana folks over there for a good feed. Anne works there now and she was very sweet as usual. It was nice. Have a good one.

zw

Main Menu
Trail Conditions Board
DIscussion Board
Weather

Jan 1 2003

St. Donat. Hi, Sarah has a new report, go see it now.
SARAH HERE

Jan 1 2003
Good Morning
St-Zenon New Years day 1:15 PM
Sunny, - 10 C, some light flurries earlier. Snow is being predicted for Friday Saturday, and Sunday.

I had breakfast at the old Saw Mill in St-Michel-des-Saints, with three big guys from Connecticut.

"We spent two nights at Real Masse and two nights here at the Saw Mill Motel. Both places were excellent, good beds, clean rooms, and excellent food.

"Real Masse is really a class act. That guy has class!" said John V. from Glastonbury CT. He has been coming up here since 1984 and rides about 2,500 miles a year. "Apart from the occasional potatoe and a few icy spots, the trails are really good, and there are no bear patches."

"We rode 140, 150 miles a day so far, and now we have to go back to work this morning!"


They say the 33 is really closed, but they got around it anyways, but got off the trail to do it. They did several other big loops successfully. Their group also included Mike W. and Lloyd F., both from South Windor.

Kent at the Refuge says he is very happy riding with his wife and two kids, there is no traffic, everyone else went home. They ride every day, and are racking up the miles.

I assume the club is grooming steady, sure would be nice if they would call me once in a while to give me an update, but they do not. Good thing all you riders tell me what is happening out there.

And speaking of that, all of you that just went home... Please go onto the new bulletin board and write your comments so others can hear about your riding in Quebec! CLICK HERE NOW.

PS: Like this web site? Tell a friend. When you come to Quebec, be sure to tell the motels and restaurants that serve you, that you think ZW is a good thing. Who knows, we may even convince a few in the new year!

Menu Here

Yesterdays photos here.

Real Masse HERE

zw


zenwaiter@canada.com

Dec 2002 Archived Comments HERE

 

FEB.28, 2003
-26C and sunny today.

NH David called in yesterday afternoon. They rode about 200 miles all around the back of Lake ST-Jean, trails excellent, but sled running like crap with the second hand track that has no studs. More from NH David soon.


Last night PA's insatiable King Kat and his crew raised a little hell at Real Masse's dining room! Here, we see Real trying to restrain Mike's enthusiasm. More Here.

I just translated Bob Petit's new comments below. zw

Read Bob Petit latest Comments here


Julie is selling her own house on the Lake across the road from the St-Louis Hotel on the lake. She has always been a huge zen supporter, so I told her I'd let you all know that this is a good house for an American snowmobiler, and a good deal. Julie has re-done just about everything, heat, wiring, landscaping, you name it. If you want to see the house when you come up, contact Zen 450-884-1818.

Thursday FEB. 27th

More Ottawa Riders at the Refuge

Had the distinct pleasure of talking to another English Canadian, this time from North Gower near Ottawa. English Canadians are very rare indeed up here at the Zen Shack!

David Mc is his name, ring leader on the notorious Gower Gang, that includes Jim and Richard, who are here, and the two that backed out at the last minute, Ian and Frank (weak minded loosers apparently).

Guys that Back Out...
And speaking of loosers, don't you just hate that when your buddies back out at the very last minute? We should do a contest for the most lame excuse. "I have to work, my wife says "whatever", my dog need his shots... etc.

In fact, David Mc tells me that one of the Radio stations in Ottawa is actually holding a contest for the best excuse to give your wife when you wanna go out with the boys... (I think that's what he said)... The prize for the contest is, you get to go to the best girlie bar in Ottawa, then off to an Ottawa Senators game, then back to the girlie bar! Sounds like a plan!

But seeing as how our Zen surveys reveal that almost 50% of our readers are women, we here at ZW must disagree with this contest whole heartedly. How could any radio station give away a prize that includes a trip to the girlie bar??? DISGUSTING!

Anyways, we pity the two that didn't come. The others started their day at Lac Simon, and enjoyed 199 miles of heavy powder on flat trails, with hardly any traffic yesterday. Our trails here now are as perfect as they can get.

No news from David this morning. If you missed his adventures yesterday click here.

Karine's Gaspe Adventure HERE


Wed FEB. 26 2003 7AM
Good morning Zen readers! - 32C today and sunny. Saturday and Sunday will be sunny too, and - 17 C. Perfect weather, not too cold. Trails amazing. Smooth and hard. Make this your weekend to remember. Bring the camera, and when you get home, be sure to go on our bulletin board, and share your experience with the world. See you in St-Zenon this weekend!


Spoke to David in Lake St-Jean. His continuing treck HERE.


Letter of the Day...

Got this letter today from Tim Renfrette of PA, who just got back from St-Zenon. He had a blast up to the Repos from the Glaciere, he says...


"Zen, We had terrific time. We averaged over 200 miles a day what blast. Met some real nice people. The thing I like the best was the scenery. The cost was not as much as I estimated. I'LL BE BACK!!!!! Tim

zw

Nude Snowmobilers Here


Tuesday Night...
Just got this letter from Karine, she says the Gaspe was a total blast!

"Hey u!
I came back from a week of snowmobiling in Gaspe.... Lots of snow pretty much everywhere... Around Bonaventure not much snow but trails still great. We did a total of 1800 miles and I would give almost 10 out of 10 to the whole trip!! Say just let say a good 9.5/10 on trail conditions. I'm sending you some pictures!!! I went there with Bruce and Glenn from Vermont. The pictures with the big snow banks is on trail 595..... wow!! Great trail!!! You take care my dear and hope to see you soon.
Bye!
Karine

GO SEE KARINE'S Photos! click here


zw

FEB.25 2003, 7 AM


The day after the storm

The Zen Shack. This was taken yesterday.

-23C in St-Zenon. Winter blue sky.

NH David called from Chapais
(rode 325 miles today)
just outside of Chibougamau last night.Stayed at the MOTEL CASSI, great deal. For 2 guys, it cost 55.cnd total, and that included a free beer, and breakfast! WHAT??? That is a helluva deal! Call them to book at 418-745-3663.

The trail was good, because they did not receive that huge dump up there, and they already had lots of snow that was well groomed, the riding excellent, the trails were wide. NH David and Muscleman Al rescued two surveyors, under contract from Hydro Quebec, workers who had run out of gas and were building a shelter to spend the night in the bush (one hour before dark). They were 30 miles from their truck, and they were 50 miles from gas. We siphoned gas into their sled, and struggled to get their sled. (They were towing a utility trailer, and had no gas in it) "They had no business being out there so far, and so unprepared." said Dave.

"There's a big snow cross event in Chibougamau this weekend, Blair Morgan, and Tucker Hibert, and lots of other important riders, all the top riders will be there".

Dave and Al are heading up to Lac St-Jean, and then are going to ride around the lake. More reports tomorrow.

Remember friends, you too can be a Zen Star like NH Dave!

Just call in your report to Zenwaiter, please give your daily mileage, and a trail rating, out of a perfect ten. Call anytime 450-884-1818. This way, your other friends out there can benefit from your experience.

If you have been waiting for the perfect time to come up friends, this is it. The trails are 10/10, even that one that runs from St-Zenon to St-Michel, photo below.


Photo taken Monday. GET UP HERE MAN!

In Other news.
As the end of the month approaches, Zen notices that the cash flow is low in the Zen Shack. I have no time to drop in to the bars and restaurants, if I did, I know that many of you would be shaking my hand and giving me a twenty buck donation. (Consider it to be a snowmobile magazine subscription fee).

You guys are amazing.... BUT... it is so much easier for me if you mail your donation to my house (see address to the left in blue bar), or if you send it by PayPal (top of blue bar). Have had nothing come in for two weeks. Thanks so much.

Nicole from the BISTRO ST ZENON STEAK HOUSE has offered me her sled for one day to go out and take photos tomorrow. I am doing it, even though my knee is screwed. The trails are just too perfect right now. Today I have to go visit my Momma Zen, cause I only have one of those!

Be good dear reader, more good stuff on the way from your pal in St-Zenon.

A short note of THANKS to the CAISSE POPULAIRE ( our local bank) for their support, good will, and commitment to ZW, In particular, Sophie! Remember, you can always exchange your US cash at a respectable rate in the Caisse Pop right here in St-Zenon.

CHEERS!


Best Surf and Turf in Town!

zw

FEB. 24 2003 8 AM

David Lavoie from NH called last night and told me they rode 445 miles yesterday (yes I said miles) through the snowstorm, all the way to Senneterre to Balbuzzard Inn. 445 miles!

They ran out of gas a few times and had to double back, inspite of their "Tour Buddy" extra gas tanks. Trails were unbelievable with 18 inches of deep fresh snow thorough Parent Clova and up to Senneterre. They left St-Zenon at 5:30 Am, and arrived there at 8 PM. More on this treck tomorrow.

Sunny here and -20C. We got a foot of snow in all, and the trails will be insane all week!

zw

Maps of Senneterre etc here

Trail Conditions here

Donate to Zen here


FEB 23 6 PM
Been snowing for 24 hours now, and we have 10 inches so far. This audio track is from the lake last night at the Refuge drag strip, where NH Dave tried out his new engine that can do 146 mph on ashfalt!


FEB 23rd 2003
St-Zenon: Crazy Al's gonna need his snowblower this morning. I guess that's all he had to do, was threaten to sell it, and the snow God's responded! I am stunned and proud to announce that we have seven inches of fresh, granular snow, the best trail snow you could possibly order up.

It is - 10C and still snowing steadily. The groomers are all out working the 1,000 kilometers of trails in the St-Zenon area. The trails are going to stay awesome till April.

zw

Trail Conditions Here

Accommodations Here


TAMCO SNOWBLOWER FOR SALE
Crazy Al is selling his Tamco snowblower, has only 75 hours, just spent 1,500. on tune up. 3 cylinder, 63 hp Detroit Deisel engine runs the hydrolics. 8 feet wide. Paid 20,000 cnd, selling for 13,000 cnd. Call 450-884-5050 ask for Carole (speaks English). or e-mail HERE. Or call Zen 450-884-1818. I can translate for him. They do not make these anymore. This will sell quick, as we have about 50 readers who do snow removal. Call now!

FEB 22, 2003

Only a dusting of snow so far this week. So much for the weatherman's accuracy. Yesterday they said we'll have 25cm of new snow in Montreal, today they say it will be 15 cm. They say we will get less snow than Montreal, and that the snow will come this afternoon and tonight. Yeah. We'll see. 15cm means 6 inches. Less up here means 4 inches? We shall see.

The weather station says we just haven't had the snow dumps this year. No storms at all, just an inch or two here and there. Meanwhile, in the US you get one foot per week.

The difference is, of course, that we take those few inches and groom them into amazing trails, and the steady cold preserves them. Still we need more snow if we want our trails to last till April.

Have you tried out the polls? There are about six different ones in all.

zw


Friday FEB. 21,2003

8AM: St-Zenon is - 7C and snowing lightly. Snow coming Saturday and Sunday, as much as 25 cm (10") in Montreal, a little bit less up here.

Temperatures are comfortable at -10C on average, and trails are groomed. This is a good time to bring up the wife who doesn't like - 30 and -40C. Will be an excellent weekend on the trails.

We have been watching the stream of weekend warriors drive past the Zen Shack.

New Hampshire Dave and Glenn are heading back up for another week long attempt at conquering the upper country treck. More updates from this team starting Sunday.

Thanks to Jim Duddy for a generous gift, and better yet, some good fund raising strategy. He's heading up soon, and we will be batting around some ideas, and enjoying a hearty meal at the Bistro or at Real's.

Have a great day folks! zw

Good Food Here
Visit Our Sponsors Here
Quebec Snowmobile Laws Here


Thursday Night. FEB 20, 2003

We got gypped on the snow, total of 1 or 2 inches. supposed to snow over the next few days, I will believe it when I see it, but lets pray. Trails still great all the way to Laval south, and Parent to the north!

Spent the day with Mom in Montreal, setting her up on e-mail! WOW is she excited! She gets to read Zenwaiter now! She's a pretty bright cookie, so she'll learn quick, starting from scratch. Mom is an artist and writes poetry and has even written three books over the years... Philosophy, Science, and Psychology is her bag. I started calling her Momma Zen!

You gotta love your Mom, you only have one, and when she's gone, well, then it's too late.

Got a ton of mail today, the best letter of the day is here on the Mail Page... worth having a look. Night all. zw

PS: Why are you guys afraid to click a radio button on the Zen Poll? Believe me, they can't get you for that! It is 100% safe. Remember, you have to get INTO the INTERNET mind set...

It is not like television where you just stare at a box... no no no... It's about inter-activity. It about sharing your thoughts and opinions with others who have a similar interst.. so, get with it! Use the Poll thing, it's neat! See how your opinion stacks up to the other readers. zen

MAIL PAGE

Wed FEB. 19 2003
-9C this morning with an inch of fresh heavy snow, a good start. More snow coming today and cooling to - 15C, then no change till Friday, when it will snow again. Saturday and Sunday sunny and - 17C.


John and his son John from Long Island, spend several days
at the Motel M with Bruno. "We would never stay
anywhere else! Been coming up for 5 years."

NEW POLLS
On the left is a reader poll. Please vote on this poll so that I can direct this web site more accurately towards your needs. It costs nothing, and you do not have to give any info at all, and no one will get your information. All it does is give me an indication of what you are feeling about our web site! Thanks alot. zw

'KING CAT' IS BACK

Just got a call from Allen at King Cat Motor Sports in PA, he will be bringing up his wife and friends in a few days, and I finally get to meet him over one of Real Masse's juicy steaks!

Allen has stayed with Real and his family for about ten years and wouldn't think about staying anywhere else. Allen has been a supporter of Zenwaiter for three years now, and we appreciate his generosity.

If you need an Arctic Cat snowmobile, please call Allen at 814-364-3704 for prices and availability. If it's an Arctic Cat, Allen can help you find the model you need, at the best price.

'POP UPS' GONE

Great news, I removed all the pesky ads and pop ups from the 2 bulletin boards and from the Zen's Free Classified ads!. It cost a few bucks, but it is well worth it.


A GREAT YEAR

We are experiencing an excellent winter tourist season in Canada. In Ontario and Quebec alone, this segment of tourism business means 140 million in business. Last winter, the impact of the warm winter was devastating for hundreds of motels, restaurants and tour operators, but this year we are back on track with a great traditional Canadian winter.

St-Gabriel Racing March 8 & 9

The sanctioned St-Gabriel Super Snow Cross in happening again this year on the March 8 and 9. Call Gaetan Gravel for more info, 450-835-7471. It will be two days of all amateur racing, and you are invited to participate!

Classes of events include everything from Pro stock 0 to 500 CC to Children 120 CC and Women (Dames) Stock 0 - 600 CC. Bring the family and race. St. Gabriel is a short ride from St-Zenon.

Click this banner for more info (In French).

PS: Peewee the plumber got the pump going again, he had to thaw the line out. I checked in the well, still very little water in it. I couldn't keep the water running to avoid freezing, because there wasn't enough water, a catch 22. The temperatures are back to normal now, so we should be okay for a spell. zw

REAL MASSE'S WORLD

ZEN'S FREE CLASSIFIEDS

CURRENT TRAIL CONDITIONS


Tuesday FEB 18, 2003

Temps reached -2 C this afternoon, currently - 12 at 9 PM Tuesday.

For those of you that have not ever gone to read the great trail reports on the Trail Conditions Discussion Board, here is a sample of great writing!

BY BURT

"Just came back Saturday. Rode from Tuesday 2/11 to Friday 2/14. Trails were the best I have seen in 15 years of riding in Quebec.

We rode from Ste. Agathe to St. Come through St. Marguerite and back through Notre Dame. Great. Wednesday we rode from Ste. Agathe and stayed in Auberge du Lac Toreau. Trails great and the hotel was excellent. The food superb and the prices very reasonable by U S standards.

We traveled thru St. Michel, thru the park and Macaza to Mont Laurier . Trails couldn't have been better. We stayed at the Senateur in Mont Laurier, hospitality was top notch.

Back to Ste. Agathe via Devils Mountain, perfect trails, and Windigo Falls. Lunch in Ferme Nueve and we didn't see another sled all the way to the Linear Park on newly groomed trails.

The ride the rest of the way to Ste Agathe on the track was fast and smooth all the way. Coldest I ever rode in -38 F to -10 F. The only day above 0 was Wednesday. Riding during the week is great, no traffic and the trails are the best. Burt "

Thank you Burt for sharing this excellent report with all our readers. zen.

Trail Conditions Bulletin Board


Monday Morning FEB. 17, 2003

It is -30C again. Sky is clear and sunny at7:30AM. Trails are very good to excellent in the region.

Two weeks left in this month, then four in March equals only 6 weeks left in this snowmobile season. We've had a steady flow of Americans and Ontarians, but also plenty of Quebecers this year coming up on day trips, and one nighters.

The web site is finally in pretty good shape, so I am going to back off a little 'cause I am tired. Like any seasonal work, the fatigue can set in and getcha. I'm sure the waitresses, chambermaids, barmaids, and hotel staff are feeling it too.

I haven't had any water in my house for four days. As soon as it warms up. I'll have Peewee the Plumber come over and see if he can jump start the pump. I went to Dentist David's place on Saturday to do some laundry and have a shower, but his water was dead too.

Many people with a surface well in our district have no water now, in the dead of winter. It must be a nightmare for those with children. What a drag. Next summer, I will drill a proper artesian well at the Zen Shack.

I dropped into the Bistro St-Zenon Steak House on Saturday night and the place was just a hummin'. Things are going very well for Lee and Nicky. They have found the recipie for success; their steak house was packed to the rafters and I was glad to see it that way.

Lee has brought a touch of American style eats to St-Zenon, that offers a refreshing contrast to the surrounding Quebecois "cuisine". Don't get me wrong, I can eat cheese covered fries slathered in brown canned gravy with two steaming all dress hot dogs all day long, but once in a while, I need a real meal.

:)

(Please, no mail from the fast food operators! We love you guys too. )

zw

Sunday night


WOW! I got a ton of mail about the audio, thanks guys (and gals). Here is a small sample of the love I recieved this afternoon ! Is it any wonder I keep on with this crazy web site eh???

"Hi Jerry I just got back from snowmobiling in Pa I know you don't want to hear that. don't worry pa does not have the trails you do. It is odd right now it is snowing and the expected accumulations are 8 to 12" and more if you get close to the pa maryland border. My neighbor is out running his snow blower ha ha . the storm is not expected to end until tomorrow. some people have a lot of time to waste. Your audio works good it takes a long time to load (scared the shit out of me because I did not expect it as I had something else on the screen and your site was loading in the background. ) I would say more but wife is whining I don't spend time with her he he thanks for a
great site. Alden PS Tell Al and carol I said hello.

Great Letter Alden! THANKS! I hope you bought the wife something nice for Valentines Day !

Another letter...

"Hey Zen,

Went to Zen comments today and think your audio wave file is great. It is nice to hear all your information. Keep up the great work you do for your area. In fact I just returned from a week up at Le Cabanon and all the trails were great."

Thanks Craig...


Another...

"Hi Zen,
Ten of us are coming up for the first time. We are leaving Mid-night tonight (Feb.16) and staying at one of La Glaciere cabins for 5 days. We are from PA. Thanks for such a fun and informative web site. If I see you up there I'll buy you a beer!
Got to finish packing.
Thanks again,
Tim"

Thanks Tim!

Another letter...

"Hi Zen
My name Steve Yaniak from New Jersey. Your audio file came through nice and clear talk to you soon Planning a trip up there March 1st and will be staying about a week. I check your site daily and think it's great take care and keep warm." \

Thanks Steve!

See, this is just a smattering of the love I get every day from you people! I am adicted to this kind of good vibe man!

I got 20 letters today alone! Thanks soooo much, see you all up here soon. Call me from the Bistro and I can walk up the hill for a coffee while you enjoy a juicy steak!"

In a state of gratitude,

Zen.


Sunday February 16 2003 10 AM

-38F this morning at 7 AM, but it has warmed up to - 32 now. Here is something new. Let's try this. I have embedded an audio file below. See if you can hear my little recording! E-mail me and let me know if it works, and if you think it's a good idea!

Be patient, and allow it to load. zw

(sound controls now at top of this column)


Saturday FEB. 15, 2003

St-Zenon: - 38 this morning and sunny. Dr. C is heading back to New Jersey today after a week of enjoyable riding and relaxing. Talk has gone from the stressful city life, to the sport. He says he has three wives now, his St-Zenon companions. He is the Dr.. He looks after everyone.

Crazy Al strained hi back muscles yesterday and the Dr. (of Chiropractic) is helping him.

The Peter Javick team is back in town. They stayed at the Cabanon, but paid Crazy Al to keep their sleds in his heated garage at the Refuge; they know the tripple won't start in this cold. I would never buy a tripple.

Last night I went to give Bob Petit some company at the radio station while he does his Friday night show. I suggested perhaps that I could do a weekly segment in English, say 4 minutes.

This, I argue, would be a quick shot of information for the American tourists in their trucks, coming up on Friday nights. Bob doesn't think you guys would listen to it, since there are still some English language radio stations up till St-Emily. Beyond that point, there is almost no radio, at least on my car radio, I get only one French language station.. the CBC.

I have an idea for an Internet based Shout Cast Radio program. One which you will be able to access on line only.

Anyways, house bound today with this cold. Will catch up on e-mails. Have a good one. zw

PS: Just spoke with Gary Graus on the phone, he's heading home today. He has been riding the entire St-Zenon area since Monday, 800 miles in all. Seventy miles the first day, then 200 miles a day. His experience was an 8.5 out of ten.

He has been riding our area for years. He went to Manawan, Repo, the village loop, St-Come, the Park (which he said was very nice), and St-Michel. The only trail that was less than very good was the 318 to the Cabanon from St-michel, and that was poor only in spots, but what else is new. One hour of rough trail out of a week aint bad. zw

Bob Petit, a Quebec trail Pioneer.

Trail Conditions

General Discussion

Friday Feb 14, 2003

St-Zenon: -35C this morning, some flurries today, temps slowly warming towards the start of next week, into the -20's C, the high on Tuesday of - 3!

Sexy Ron called from St-Hypolite, said the Park was a little rough past the cafeteria two days ago, and snow was thin through St-Come and south. Dr "C" has been riding for four days and he says the trail is smooth everywhere. We still do need more snow of course, so keep praying.

A good winter so far, for everyone. Theft is down in the area, we don't hear as many stories as last year. Both the riders and the motels have taken more care, and the Police have been active.

When I interviewed them in December, they told me that they had identified one active group, and had shut them down by watching them closely, and the thieves knew that the cops were watching them.

Almost all of our motels have made special efforts this year to reduce theft and it seems to be working.

We still encourage you to be vigilant. Take out the key when you stop for gas or for a quick lunch or the Police will give you a $100. fine! That's right. If they find your key in the ignition, you pay 100. cnd bucks.

Same fine applies for riding without a helmet of course. Why not go and read all the snowmobile laws on this web site? And have a good one.

Snowmobile Laws here

Trail Conditions here

General discussion here

zw

Thursday February 13, 2003


COLD! This morning it is - 40C or - 40 F. Sunny skies, and continuing cold over the next few days. We recieved a dusting of snow yesterday.

TRAILS HERE ARE VERY GOOD...

"I made a post on the "Trail Conditions Bulletin Board"
about the St. Donat, St. Zenon, St. Come, St. Micheal,
St. Agatha areas. In short trails are 10, i don't think they can get any better. Was there Feb. 2 thru Feb. 8.
Everything is Smooth they had 6" to 8" of fresh snow last tuesday with another 1 1/2" later in the week. "


More Trail Conditions here


Wednesday FEB 12 2003 7 AM

Good morning. It is - 20C in St-Zenon. I am off to surprise my Mom with a birthday gift and some flowers for Valentines Day. I have been so busy that I haven't had the chance to drive to Montreal at all for about six weeks, plus the car was broken for a while.

I hope you look after your Mom better than I do.

Have a great day. zw

PS: Do you click on the REFRESH button on your browser every day when you come to read Zenwaiter's comments and the front Index pages? The REFRESH button is located at the top of this screen, above the actual page, and it is represented by two tiny green arrows next to a red X. By clicking it, you will get to view the latest changes. These pages change almost every day for your reading pleasure!


The Zen Den

Lest We Forget

I was thinking about all the men and women out there in the field who cannot be on our snowmobile trails this winter because they are out there defending us from Sadam and Bin Laden.

If you are in the military and are reading this, e-mail me today with a photo if you can, or just a simple e-mail will do. Tell me where you are, and what you are doing (if you are aloud to), and I will do something special for you, to say thanks. It will be a surprise. Click below to send me mail! And... THANK YOU!

Tuesday Night: -25 C... old

Had a good meal at the Sawmill in St-Michel tonight and went un recognized through my entire meal, but when I got up to pay, several tables had readers that wanted to meet me and thank me for my web site.

I met the Klem Clan from Richfield Springs NY. They have been coming up for 16 years and have always stayed at the P'tit Gibier in St-Michel, which they love.

Jessica Klem has been coming up here since she was a year old. She will be three in the spring, and she wanted to touch my big fur hat! What a sweet little kid. She made me flash back the the words of Jesus, (not that I am a good Christian, in fact, I consider myself a more - less backslidden Southern Baptist:) "Unless Ye become like a child, you shall not enter the Kingdom of Heaven" .

Well enough preaching. Here are the pictures from dinner at the Saw Mill.


The riff-raff.


"Old Daddy Klem Bob" with the rest.
Says trails are 9/10 this week.


Waitress Collette with Jessica and Dad.

The I also met Sylvain from the Domaine Lucay in Lachute. He has a snowmobile relay there where you can eat.


I had a good day, and everyone told me the trails are excellent.
Who could ask for more.

zw.

Restauraunts here
Accommodations here

Tuesday Feb 12, 2003

Good afternoon. It was - 34C this morning, and now at 5 pm, it is -20C. Yesterday evening we had violent snow squalls that made driving tough for an hour or so, depositing two inches of dense high quality snow. It was frightening, but faded after a few hours.

Today was cold but beautiful, with lots of sunshine. Sleds are everywhere. Reports have it that the trails are excellent everywhere in our area. At -35C our daily groomed trails are like pool table slate.

I enjoyed a good home made lasagna special for lunch at the Bistro today with Crazy Al, Sweet Nicky, and New Jersey Lee.

We talked about the future of St-Zenon as a continuing hot spot for Snowmobiling in Canada, and Lee shared his plans of building several rooms, each with their own individual heated & locking sled garages.

The support Lee is getting from Bistro Steak House customers on his plan is phenomenal, and we agree. Go for it Lee, we'll back you 100%!

We also talked about future oval racing, and drag racing in St-Zenon. YES! See you all this weekend, the trails are excellent this winter.

Another word of Thanks to Bernard in Shawinigan for his kindness.

See Racing on the Lake Here

See Bernard story in Shawinigan Here


JEEP WORLD DOT COM

zw

Monday Morning February 11, 2003

St-Zenon: - 10C, cloudy bright day.

I had breakfast at the Refuge at 7:30 this morning with DR C and his two buddies who just got in for a week of fun. We booked in the massage therapist for a few visits, to help these tough guys relax.

Life in New Jersey if stressful for professionals. Conversations ran from Watergate, to the coming war in the middle east. By the end of the week, these guys will be talking about sled gas mileage, the excellent trails, and the new sled they wanna get for next year.

Just got a package by UPS from our new friends at Jeep World and they were kind enough to send some promotional stuff, quality stuff. A key chain , a couple of hats, and a great T-shirt. Thanks guys. Unfortunately, you included an invoice, and the custom department of Canada charged me $46. bucks to receive the package. In two weeks I'll probably get a bill from a customs broker in Vancouver for $ 28. bucks for the processing of the package; that happened last time someone sent me a gift.

In future, if any of you out there decide to mail me a gift, please write GIFT on it, and in the slot where they ask you the value, write $2.00. Otherwise I have to pay big on this end. In my economy of scale, 46 bucks is huge. That's a tank of gas! I know that may be hard for some of my readers to fathom, but it's the way I live up here in the bush...as cheaply as possible!

But it's the thought that counts, so thanks Jeep World. If I had the time I'd dress up jeep style, or better yet dress up a local hottie, take her picture, and stick it on the front page! ( I may yet do that; just the thought of is turning me on. I must have cabin fever.)

As things stand now, I am behind big time, dead tired, and have piles of mail to reply to. Ahh, the life of a super star eh?? :) If I promised you a photo and you don't see it, that's why.

Tonight I am going to meet a bunch of guys at Real Masse, and I suppose I will be forced to eat another one of his steaks.

About yesterday...

Yesterday I had the pleasure of touring Bernard's World in Shawinigan South. You know Bernard right? "Bernard is my game, sledding is my game".

Well, true to his monacher, this guy walks the walk, let me tell you. The Motel Safari is designed around the needs of sledders. The main trail is across the highway from his parking lot, he has a big secure locking corral, he has a hot tub to soothe your sore back, and he has a mini car wash to clean your truck, trailer and sleds with a steam washer. In a word, I was impressed.


Did I mention the hot tub foot massage service?
It's free if you're a pretty girl!

Motel Safari has been one of our biggest boosters, and we recommend Bernard as an honest snow reporter. He knows everything snowmobile in his region, and he can be trusted. His wife is a real sweetie too, and helps to make everything work. Oh, to have a partner like that here at the Zen Shack!

Motel Safari photos will appear soon, when I get a minute. If only people would stop calling and coming to the door. I need a helper.

Thanks to everyone of you for reading this today, I hope you get the chance to come up and take in some of our fresh country air and French hospitality. Here is a photo I took this morning of Dr. C from New Jersey. (He's our second biggest contributer of jokes and histerical political comment. He's a riot a minute!)


It's a beautiful day in St-Zenon!

Cheers. zw

Visit Motel Safari in Shawinigan

Reader Mail

Sunday Feb 9th.


The races yesterday were excellent and we had several hundred come out for a fun day.

Today I drove out to the Safari Motel to visit Bernard. I am exhausted, must sleep. I will tell you the story tomorrow. Trails out there are very good, and the motel is super.

zw

Sarurday Morning February 8 2003

St-Zenon: - 16 C. Got down to - 30 last night. Off to help Crazy Al with the races today. Sexy Ron is here taking it easy today. Tomorrow he's teaming up with Wild Bill the errant tour guide, and they're heading off into the great white north. Ron says they're heading out to Monts Vallin and then the Gaspe! Five feet of snow up there. Start here, go everywhere good.

zw

Friday Night Feb. 7th. 11 PM.

St-Zenon: - 20C tonight. Just got back from the St-Zenon Bistro where Sexy Ron discussed carbides and safety with me and Donnie Mallet, of the famous, (or infamous) Ritt Ritt Rock and Roll Team. Lots of sleds outside, and people riding around on our rehabilitated local trails. That snow on Tuesday really helped.

Dave and Glenn rode back from Seneterre, 380 miles? in one day. They will try their long track again sometime soon. Once they got everything going well, the trails in the end, made them come back. They said there was too much snow up there for their kind of riding. "One foot on new snow on a three foot base, but snow that needed to be packed and groomed. By Sunday the trails up in Parent, Clova Altapache etc will be perfect!"

Crazy Al has got the oval track brushed up to the bare ice, and they flooded it for tomorrow's one cylinder races. Eighty machines in all will participate; 40 sleds, 20 quads, and 20 speedway bikes.

If you are up, be sure to stop in at the Bistro St-Zenon Steak House to warm up afterwards, and enjoy the best Surf and Turf in town! I'll be there for sure.

The famous Dr. C. will be up from Elizabeth New Jersey with another MD and a Judge to boot. They'll be spending their first night in a cabin at the Refuge on the lake. The one who snores will quickly be moved out onto the deck in his sleep.

Other than that, a very special thanks to those who have sent in donations to help run this thing. Your timing has been uncanny. You PA people especially.... Thank you.

Also, thanks to all the people who mail in letters and to those that participate in some pretty good debates on the bulletin boards. zw

PS: A special hello to Jenny, wife of the famous Mark Aube. Jenny is working on making the next generation of St-Zenon snowmobilers as we speak. Keep up the good work Jen!

Trail Conditions Board HERE

General talk board HERE

MAIL ROOM HERE

Thursday Morning.

Clear blue skies and - 30C, -20F in St-Zenon. The cat and the dog spent about 30 seconds out there, then wanted back in. The car won't start. I should have plugged it in. Bet you could play marbles on the trails this morning! zw


Wednesday Night Feb. 5 2003

Good evening dear reader! I spent most of the day getting myself to the car dealer and back, and oh what a joy to pay the bill! Why is it that we never learn? Automobiles cost a fortune. That's it, I'm getting a horse, or a donkey, or a camel, or something other than a car one day. Anyways the car is fixed, and I am broke. If it hadn't been the car, it would have been something else.

It got cold tonight... - 22 C right now ( 10 pm) in St-Zenon. This is one of those nights where it feels like -40C. The sky is jet black and full of stars. There is no cloud cover to protect us from the cold.

My driveway has five foot high snow walls all around it tonight, after that snow storm we had. The snow crunches underfoot, and I imagine the trails will be like table tops this weekend.

Dave and Glen are sleeping at "La Belle Villa Motel" tonight in Seneterre. They only managed 150 miles today because Dave's fancy after market suspension lost one of the two bolts that hold it together. They found a shop this evening where they managed to use a blow torch and fix the thing.

Yesterday they rode sixty miles on the road between Parent and Clova to avoid the blinding blizzard. In the process they burnt off their carbides totally, and they were brand new. They also have "Starting Line" brand runners, so they had to get new sliders from the Skidoo dealer, and put them on their Polaris sleds.

"Up here there is a three foot base, and one foot of brand new snow, perfectly groomed. The trails are mint!" This coming from David who is a very hard judge of trails.

Tomorrow morning early, they are heading for Chibougamau, about 300 odd kilometers. We will have another phone report when they arrive... if they arrive. Seems they are having bad luck with the sleds, and yet, I have never seen anyone so fussy on preparation of equipment.

"We also saw a burnt up sled on the side of the one way trail from the Cabanon. When we came up yesterday morning, we saw about fifteen sets of tracks going the wrong way up the one way for about ten miles, then they turned back. There are no signs along the way, there should be a one way arrow every few hundred feet. Somebody is gonna get killed here for sure!"

The ambulance driver told me there were two ambulances sent up to get the injured after the head on crash, but he didn't know how serious it was.

Some people say the One Way is an accident looking for a place to happen; but others love it.

"People should always assume that there may be someone heading the wrong way on that thing, and so they should always stay to the far right on hills and corners just in case." says Dave.

Good advice, and here's some more. Where there is lots of traffic, say like on the weekend, slow down. Wait till you get out a ways before you open her up and hit that top speed of 70 kms!

Cold tonight. Groomers all working, or so I hear. And with all this new snow, we won't be hearing many complaints about the trails this year.

Get up here this weekend, or you'll miss out big time. We have one cylinder racing on Lake St-Louis on Saturday, and the Ice Sculpture Festival close by in St-Come. This may just be the best weekend of the winter!

zw


Tuesday Night

It snowed all day here in St-Zenon and it is still snowing. Six inches so far. Dave and Glenn took off again at 6 AM after rebuilding the tripple last night. Dave just called me from the Tamarack Hotel in Clova. He says that he rode 280 miles today through a snow blizzard. The trails were great.

I called Joyce-Lynn in Parent tonight to see how things are going. They have a foot of new snow and it hasn't quit yet. They are always as cold as us or colder. Joyce says to say HI to everyone, and to tell you that there is a new gas and food pit stop called Kambium on the way into Casey. It is clean, and they have food and gas.


Crazy Al with Joyce-Lynn and her husband Raoul
last winter in beautiful downtown Parent!


Find Joyce-Lynn's number HERE.


This weekend the trails here will be perfect, we are getting the snow we needed. It should all be groomed up nice for the weekend here in St-Zenon. Thank God. See you soon. zw

Tuesday February 4th, 2003


St-Zenon: Snowing and - 7C today, two inches so far. Looks like a real storm has begun. David and Glenn blew a cylinder up at Lac Chateuvert near Repos. They said local trails were rough, but once over the dam, the freshly groomed trail was excellent. They were the only ones on it. More soon.

Monday February 3, 2003

St-Zenon: - 16 C today with brilliant blue sky and sunshine. We didn't get any snow yet, but they say 15 cm is on the way with temps around -15 C all week. Dave and Glenn have left for a two thousand mile treck, photos in eight days.


SATURDAY: BISTRO ST-ZENON: FULL UP FOR LUNCH

What a weekend; sleds everywhere. At one point on Saturday afternoon, there must have been 60 sleds in the parking lot at the Bistro. Every gas station had half a dozen sleds gassing up.

The whole area is buzzing. We must be doing something right here eh? Or is it just that lady luck that has given us a good winter?

All the riders I spoke to on the street were very happy and having a good time. "We're havin' a ball in St-Zenon."


SUNDAY: Marc from MASS with friends get the
VIP treatment from the ever lovely Anne at the BISTRO.

These three pals, rode up from St-Donat to spent the night at the Repos, survived a bear attack in the cabin, and met me on Sunday in St-Zenon on their way home. Marc has a vivid imagination. He mistook the Repo's big dog for a bear. After, he had to change into a clean pair of boxers. His brave friends slept through the whole thing.

Friday night, the Real Masse parking lot was jammed . Bob Petit, Crazy Al, Gilles Huet, Real Masse, and Zenwaiter recorded another edition of Bon Weekend LaNaudiere, live on location in the restaurant. We had a ball.


FRIDAY: Gilles Huet, Manager of Real Masse,
tells the audience about everything new at
Real Masse's winter paradise on Bob's Show.

Bob has been a sports celebrity in Quebec for twenty years, and hosts a weekly radio shows in French which highlights all the snowmobile activities in the Lanaudiere region.

A special thanks to Bob Petit for his consistent support of ZW.

On a personal note, the water is flowing again in the Zen Shack thanks to PeeWee the plumber. Things are looking up. The car will be fixed by Tuesday.

Behind every groomer, there is a silver trail. eh?

zw

INDEX

MENU

Sunday Feb 2

St-Zenon: -8C this morning with blues skies and some cirrus clouds. Colder temps on the way. Calling for snow today and Monday. Let's keep praying for snow.

Next Saturday morning at 11 AM the Oval racing will begin on Lake St-Louis, next to the municipal property on the south end of the lake where the big welcome to St-Zenon sign stands. It should be a fun time.

Let's all participate to encourage Motor Man Martin. This may be the first of many events. He says he is expecting 1,000 to 1,500 spectators. Let's not disappoint him.

There will be 20 speedway bikes racing on the ice, followed by twenty four wheel racers, and then forty one cylinder sleds. Have you seen these things? I was expecting old 1960 style Skidoos... but I was way off!


This is Motor Man Martin, owner of Petit Moteur Martin,
showing off his one cylinder entry for Saturday in St-Zenon.


MENU

INDEX

Servers of the Week!

Saturday Feb 1

St-Zenon: Had a great steak dinner at Real Masse, then did the radio show live with Bob Petit, Real, and Crazy AL. It was excellent, but I am so tired I must sleep.

Tired, falling behind on e-mail.

Trails great. Season very good. Get up here.

zw

January 2003 Archives Here.

 

 

DEC 31 7:28 PM


As I sit here alone, dog on my right cat to my left, I have to ask myself one simple question...

Why am I sitting here thinking of you and your family, out there in New York, or in PA, or in MASS or CT. or PA, or NJ. , with your shiney new sled in the garage, dying to find a great snowmobile trail where you can ride?

Reflecting on the year that just passed us by, I realize that I must really love this work, else wise, I would not be here on New Year's Eve in front of my computer... working in this sometimes hostile territory, and that speaks a foreign tongue; a place where some of the local magi would like to make me disappear altogether.

Well, it may be because of the little things, like the smiles I saw this morning on the faces of that Indiana family who drove 20 hours to ride our trails, especially those of the children.

And it could be because of those seven long distance calls I got today from Ohio, New York, Connecticut, Chicago Illinois and beyond to thank me for "a great web site".

That naive hope that there is possibly a bit less injustice in the snowmobile world because of my work, is yet another.

The recognition I get from sleders all across eastern Canada and the US in so many forms such as cards, gifts, e-mail's, and the generous cash donations, are another reason I do this.

The opportunity to meet so many dynamic and successful sports-minded individuals is another.

But most of all, I do this work, because you make me feel appreciated in an often unappreciative world, and for that, I thank you, and look forward to another year of Zenwaiter.com.

To the many who have shared resources and contributed to my work, I extend my sincerest gratitude. This will be our fourth winter working the trails together, and you have reason to be proud.

"May God Richly Bless You"


Happy New Year to You All

Your Canadian Friend in the big snowy north country,

zw

DEC 31 6 PM
St-Zenon: Ice pellets fell for three hours this morning, and then some corn snow. Currently - 2C and colder tomorrow with snow coming Friday.

: Meet the Indiana Guy that just drove 20 hours to get here with his family... .TODAY'S PHOTOS

I spoke with four or five Americans on the phone today, and encouraged them to come up.


NEW
We have built a trail condition bgulletin board, and I hope you will all use it to your benefit.

Dec 31 2002 8AM
St-Zenon; Good morning. It is -7C and misty. Ice pellets falling very lightly. These dense ice bits are heavy are very good for the trail. Weatherman calling for snow Friday Saturday and Sunday! Should be a good weekend.

Hey, good news! Check out our new Trail Conditions Board!
HERE

Dec 30 10 pm

St. Zenon; The weatherman has decided that we will be getting snow in the morning, and the rain will be down around Montreal. I think he may be right on this, more in the morning.

Tom B from Mass and Brian J from N.J. tried to ride up the 33 to the Manawan town, they told me it was closed for some logging until Jan 5th??

They found another less traveled route and had a great lunch at the Repos. They say they are having the time of their lives.

They are not fast riders like many are, CAUSE THEY"RE OLD LIKE ME! They like to stop and soak in the white vistas, take photos, and they say they enjoy seeing all the white rabbits running around.

They stopped at the cafeteria in the park and had slow fast food. I told them it is now government run! They are probably just getting the hang of things, they just opened.

But yes, they are enjoying the trails, and even did some off trail riding in places on some logging roads. They have mountain sleds.

They say they will be back to our area again, they are very satisfied.

Currently - 15 C. 10 pm

DEC 30, 2002

St-Zenon: Good morning! Another lovely day, bright sunshine, and -25C or -12 F. It is cold and bright.

Weatherman is calling for some freezing rain Tuesday morning, followed by a drop in temperature in the afternoon, and light snow off and on through the end of the week with temps around -10C. Trails should hold up through this mild morning with no problems, if, in fact, it actually does get mild.

Yesterday was a very busy day for me, ending in a delicious dinner invitation at one of the condos in the Motel M in St-Michel. The twenty or so folks from Delaware fed me a home made pot roast dinner, complete with pumpkin pie for desert!

There are 86 snowmobiles registered in the state of Delaware, which means that a third of them were here this week! They are staying through new years and are having quite a fun time. PHOTOS HERE.

Please send me your photos of snowmobiling through the holidays, wherever you went. I'd love to share them with everyone. My family photos are HERE.

I want to wish you all a Happy New Year.

Need Help?
Bulletin Board
Main Menu
Accommodations

Need a room? Call me. 450-884-1818

DEC 29, 2 PM
Cold today and snowing which is excellent. I drove around and spoke to many of you sleders this morning, and you should go see this page to view the photos.

Everyone is telling me that the trails are very good to excellent in St-Zenon, almost all of the 1,000 kms of groomed trail.

The towns are full of activity, and there are sleds everywhere I look in the vicinity. Trailers, sleds, snowmobilers, it's just like in a dream, and on top of all that, we are getting snow.

This job of mine just got a lot easier. Send your donations anyway, I need the money! :)

All jokes aside, if you appreciate this web site, tell someone else about it, and be sure to tell the Motels and Restaurants where you stay, that they should become a sponsor. Thanks.
zw

today
yesterday
friday


DEC 28 9 AM
Still - 8C this morning. Getting tougher to find a room, but there are still rooms around. Call me if you need help finding one. 450-884-1818.

Quebec weather in general, Sunday and Monday getting a bit colder, then milder Tuesday and Wed with 5 to 10 cm of snow, and or some rain in some areas. Check out the forecast here.

Looking good for new years riding.


Reminder: If you have pledged a donation to this web site, pls click on the pay pal logo above, where you can easily set up an account and send a donation.

Our e-mail is zenwaiter@canada.com . Our mailing address is 5831 Chemin Brassard, St-Zenon, QC, CANADA, J0K 3N0. Please Make checks out to" Zenwaiter."

If you want to become a sponsor, click here. Thanks. zw

Check out these ZW Sponsors for available snowmobile rooms.

Real Masse
The New Refuge
Motel "M"
Motel Sportif

Go HERE for more accommodations.


DEC 27th 9 PM

St-Zenon; Last night - 25 C. Currently - 8C.

Every where I went today, I saw sleds fueling up and snowmobile trailers rolling past. The Bistro is packed tonight, and the St-Louis is a rockin'.

So the party is on no doubt, in many Quebec communities where there is good snow, but let's not forget to take it easy out there.

It's the start of the season, and accidents can happen to anyone. Respect the speed limit, and be aware that early season trails, though smooth, can have the occasional rock.

Also remember that you are not alone on the trails, and stay right.

I spent the day on the Lake in front of the Refuge. Go have a look, then, get up here for great trails! HERE

DEC 26th 10 PM

Just got back from Belleville and Tillsonberg Ontario. It snowed 3 inches xmas day. Here in St-Zenon we got bout 5 inches over the past few days, and reports say the trails are good to very good. They tell me the groomers are out every day.

It has been cold here, currently - 14C. The Glaciere has plenty of trailers and trucks parked out front. The Bistro Steak house and the St-Louis Hotel/Motel have about 20 sleds parked out front of each. Looks like the season is well under way and people are having a blast in St-Zenon and St-Michel!

Go see Sarah's newest report HERE.

zen

Saturday DEC 21st, 2002

St-Zenon: Half an inch of snow this morning and -2C. We did get some rain yesterday, and often, a little rain actually improves the trail base. They are calling for more snow today and through Christmas day. That sets up some good riding for us here between Christmas and New Years.

More weather here.

I want to wish you all a good Christmas and a happy new year. Thanks for all the support you have shown me over the past year, both for the donations, and for those businesses that have become sponsors.

This is the fourth winter that ZW has brought you helpful information. Time flies when you're havin' fun eh?

I have to look after Mom a little over the next few days, so I may not have time to write much in this spot. I am going to make sure that she gets the opportunity to see some of her grandchildren, especially her three year old grand daughter that she has never met. I guess that is what Christmas is all about.

I won't see my two boys this Christmas, although the thought of going to Santa Barbara is tempting sometimes! I'd have to win the lottery first. :)

Over Christmas, do me a favour? Try to use our Bulletin Board, if you haven't already. It can be fun and informing. I know that there are pop up ads that appear on the screen after you close the window and it's a pain, but hey, it's a free board! So, have a good one my friends!

PS: If you are desperate to find a last minute room during Xmas, why not call Christelle at the SPORTIF, they have 16 rooms, and because they are fairly new here, they are not yet booked up. 450-833-5896. Or go see our Accommodations page HERE.

Main Menu HERE

God Bless
zw

Friday 4 pm

"Text Forecast from Environment Canada

Parc du Mont-Tremblant - Saint-Michel-des-Saints: Issued 03:45 PM est Friday 20 December 2002

Tonight..Rain ending this evening. Cloudy later on with 70% probability of flurries. Low near minus 3. Winds southwesterly 15 to 30 km/h.

Saturday..Intermittent snow. Accumulation near 5 cm. High near minus 1. Winds southwesterly 20 to 40 km/h.

Sunday..Snow. Low near minus 5. High near minus 2.

Monday..Snow. Low near minus 7. High near minus 4.

Tuesday..Snow. Low near minus 12. High near minus 8.

Normals for the period..Low minus 17. High minus 7. "


Friday 8:30 am

St-Zenon weather: Forecast says some freezing rain today, chance of flurries Sat and Sunday, snow for Monday through Wednesday! Currently -1C and overcast.

I had a visit from Bernard from Shawinigan yesterday. He will be e-mailing us trail conditions from time to time from his region. If you would like to send in your club's trail conditions, feel free!
Or simply go and place your trail reports on our Bulletin Board. HERE.

Crazy Al's new chalet at the Refuge is a few days from completion. It is very nice. See New Photos HERE.


Thursday 4 pm

In St-Zenon: The temp has risen to -1C. The weatherman says we will have rain or snow in this area tomorrow. We'll take the snow thank you very much! Saturday they are calling for some snow. Colder again on Sunday.

Every year, many of our hotels and motels renovate to keep you comfortable in the winter months. Go see the renovations which are 99% complete in the Glaciere Motel. HERE.
zw.

Wed Night
Thank you for all the visits to the web site!! We have over 1,400 for the day, which means we will break the record of 1384 of last week.

Today I saw the trails first hand. WOW. Nice local trails, and many riders told me they got excellent conditions everywhere thanks to the grooming of the local three clubs, now called "The Snowmobile Kingdom". Unbelievable for this time of year.


Remember I spoke about the Colorado low a few days ago? Well it has hit hard in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. They got 30 to 40 cm of snow. The system is heading our way. Looks like a crap shoot to me. Freezing rain tonight for NE Ontario and NW Quebec turning into rain tomorrow.

They are not clear about our region, but looking at the entire picture, I estimate Thursday will get a little milder, and then Friday, I predict 1 feet of snow for St-Zenon! Why not. The weather man says it could be rain, snow or freezing rain. Saturday they call for a little snow. Sunday colder and sunny.

Currently - 18C. Sky is clear.

Those that rode today got spoiled big time. GO SEE

Have a great evening. If you like our Web site, why not send it to just one person tonight in an e-mail. That will help ZW alot! And pray for snow! Thanks friends. zw.

PS: Cudos to the local club, hell of a job on the grooming boys!
(and no... I'm not just saying that, I mean it.)


Wednesday DEC 18th
Good morning loyal reader. I am going for a walk up to the Casse Croute at the top of the hill. I need exercise, I have been working too much again! It is -25 C or -12F, and the sun is up. Another true winter day. Outside you can hear the odd sled whining in the woods, off in the distance. zw


Tuesday Night, in St. Zenon
I just got a trail report from Eric who called in from the Refuge.


" We rode 115 miles today and the trails were awesome. We hit it just right I guess, everywhere we went the trails were groomed perfectly. We rode from the Refuge to Koubeks, it was excellent. Park Mastigouche was excellent. No rocks, and smooth. We rode 55 to 60 mph everywhere. There is 2 and a half feet of snow in Park Mastigouche. I am a Quebecor, and have been riding this area for 12 years..."

Today was very very cold, so no doubt the freshly groomed trails were hard as a rock. A perfect example of someone who took the chance, came up, and was rewarded with a great ride.

Disclaimer

Please remember, that the trail report above, is only the opinion of one rider, and not the opinion of ZW. ZW has no opinion whatsoever on the trails of St-Zenon, or on any other trails. We just report what we can from riders that call in or e-mail in. We do our best to provide a balanced view of the reports we get. For raw data, go see what people are saying on the Bulletin Board. As for the weather, we call it is we see it here in St-Zenon, and listen to the French media to stay informed.
HERE

Tuesday Dec. 17

In St-Zenon:
Ccccold this morning, at 7 at, it was -25C or -12F. Ouch. I could hear my foundation cracking from time to time during the night. The St-Zenon Bistro and Steak House has added their listing on the RESTAURANT page, in support of this web site. Thank you Lee and Nicole. See Photo HERE.

Shawinigan & Lac St-Jean:
Bernard from the Motel Safari says the trails are pretty good this morning in Shawinigan. He called this morning to recommend a friend of his in Lac St-Jean. A quaint Motel in the woods at the end of a private trail with nine rooms and his own groomer. This is what is known as a jewel in the hay stack! I am mixing metaphors again. Go see this rustic Inn HERE. This fellow has worked very hard to build nine rooms and a restaurant. No doubt some of you have already stayed there on some cold snowy night. It is a 260 mile ride straight north of Shawinigan.

Have some news to share about your club or motel? Write us today at zenwaiter@canada.com Don't be shy!

Monday Dec 16 2002

SNOWING and cold this morning in St-Zenon Quebec! After a few mild days on the weekend, we are back to cold weather. We have one inch of new snow so far, and if it keeps up, it will be very very good. Find the forecasts on our Weather Page.

But we are not the only area with snow in Canada. One foot in Newfoundland, and 43 cm in the Gaspe. Moncton New Brunswick got 54 cm (20 inches!) For more trail conditions go HERE.

Some areas do not know what to do with all this snow! When St-Zenon gets a few inches, our groomers can do miracles. Much of the reason for this is, that we have built the trails smooth to begin with, and with a good hard base, you don't need as much snow. When we get more snow, things just get amazing.

Bernard called from the Safari Motel in Shawinigan, and he tells me it is snowing like crazy there this morning as well. He says the groomers have been out a couple of times on 400 miles of groomed trails. Give him a call for the details. He was born in Ontario (so he speaks good English) and is a good buddy of New England Bob, the snowmobile Tour guide.

I spoke with Gaetan Gravel, President of the St-Gabriel-de-Brandon snowmobile club. His comments are HERE.

zw

Dec 15th 2002
PHOTOS HERE

Sunday morning in St.Zenon Quebec, and the cold weather has returned after a mild Saturday. Currently - 5C and should be colder tomorrow.

Bathurst New Brunswick got 32 cm of new snow yesterday and today... so far, the storm still continues. We did not get any snow from this system yet.

Ther weatherman says there is a Colorado low is starting, which can bring up to 30cm to Quebec next week. Let's hope so! That would be perfect. for Xmas riding.

Two days ago the groomer went all the way up to the Repos for the first time. The first trip is always alot of work, stopping to remove branches and rocks. It will harden up now into a fabulous base, and then soon, we will be getting a good dump of a foot or so (right?), and then, the groomers will sculpt another perfect St-Zenon trail.

Yesterday I had the chance to visit with Lulu and his lovely wife at Glenn's place for coffee. The famous ex-owners of Lulu Steak House (Now known as the Bistro) was in tip top form! Retirement seems to agree with the well known area couple.

In the afternoon, New Hampshire Dave and Glenn accompanied me to the Refuge, where we witnessed all the work being done at the Refuge. The ceramic tile, the hot tub, the new wood stove, the kitchen, everything looked fabulous. They will be done the main work in about a week. I will take photos then to show you.

As evening descended, the boys treated me to a very nice meal at the Sawmill in St-Michel-des-Saints. Waitress Maryse took good care of us, in spite our twisted sense of humour.

The boys went out riding this morning to the dam. They say that trails are good for early season. Hopefully we'll get some snow this week to welcome all of you who will be coming up next week! Look fwd to seeing you all!

PHOTOS HERE

zw

Sat DEC 14th 2002

Good morning! -3C today at 8:30 am in St-Zenon Quebec. We got an inch of the white stuff last night.

I dropped in for coffee at the St-Zenon Bistro Steak House last night and had a good long chat with Lee and Nicky. The restaurant is doing very well, and they still have the same great chef, Rejean to make the surf and turf just right.

They have built onto the back to make the kitchen even bigger, and Lee's collection of antique snowmobiles has increased to about a dozen. The old sleds are parked all around the restaurant, and some of the smaller ones are actually hanging on the walls!

Big David is up from Peterborough New Hampshire with his buddy Glenn. They have been coming up here for 25 years, and this is their second trip already. They tell me the riding is great for this time of year.

At midnight, I could hear the whine of sleds all around my house. The season has begun.

Weatherman is calling for a snowstorm starting in the afternoon, with 15 to 15 cm of new snow in the Gaspe, Perce, and Baie des Chaleurs. also, 25 cm expected in Rimouski. In general, temps will remain -2 to -5 all over Quebec.

See you this weekend in Quebec eh?
Visit our Bulletin Board HERE.

zw

DEC 13th

Talked to Bob Petit last night, he rode 176 kms yesterday (about 100 miles). Go read his new report. HERE.

This morning in St-Zenon it is - 3C, and the weather man says -2C for Saturday with some wind, colder by Monday with a cold air mass dropping from the arctic. 5 - 10 cm of snow here and there. Comfortable for early season riding.

In the Nymph Valley Restaurant on main street of St. Zenon, I spoke with four Americans who own a house in the village and have been coming here for 25 years.

Don B. of Williston Vermont told me they have been doing a lot of riding,.. "We followed the groomer yesterday up to the REPOS and it was great! For this time of year, it is very very good Zen."

I would have taken a photo of the rat pack, but didn't have my camera. The 'hamburger steak' was excellent, and Michel the chef was quite busy. "We always eat here when we come up" added Don. Where to eat in St. Zenon? HERE.

DEC 12

1273 people came to read our web site yesterday! Thank you to each and every one of you that contributes! Why not go to our bulletin board to find out who's saying what! HERE.

Got a question? Here.

Search for something in particular? Here.

A big thank you today to King Kat for his $200. pledge to Zenwaiter's web site. If you live in State College, be sure to thank him. Next July I may be back there to help out as a volounteer in the PA 4th Fest again! What a show that was.

Cold here in St. Zenon this morning, and the riding is good for early season riding. Still no update from the local club.

Trails are open in Monts Valin, Chapais, St. Donat, and other places, go see.. HERE.

Again today, we had two more requests for information from Ontario riders who have never riden in Quebec, but would like to! I was born in Markham Ontario, and raised in Thornhill. I spent every summer of my youth at the cottage in Muskoka.

Why not tell one friend about our web site today. Or, why not sign up for the free newsletter (which has not been issued for months, I know I know!) HERE

Thanks, zw.

-------------------------------------

Wed Dec 11 2002

As you can see, the front page of the web site exploded. No sweat. Now you're simply going to have to go to the menu page more often.

This web site is really tough to keep running smooth because of the sheer amount of information and pages. If I didn't add to it every day there would be no problem.

Don't forget to 'reload' your browser every time you view a page, because they change daily.

The local club has not provided any local information to us for the St-Zenon, St-Michel des Saints, Glaciere territory trails yet. The new combined club is now called "Snowmobile Country".
It's a great name and an incredible combined area of over 1,000 groomed trails. I guess they are still getting organized on their pr committee.

Dave from New Hampshire says he rode here Sunday and Monday. He says you can ride to St. Donat on pretty good trails through the park, and the one way to the dam is excellent.
The trail out to Matawin has a six mile bare patch where there is logging. Sunday, Quebecers were riding alot, but on Monday, there was virtually no traffic at all.

We are getting news from other clubs and we will pass it on to you as the season progresses.

Sarah in St. Donat says the trails are groomed up there, and are good for early season conditions.

Bernard of the Safari Motel says there are good trails in Shawinigan. Call him anytime for local info.

Monts Valin is open and groomed, about 100 miles of trails around the base of the mountains.

If you have been riding, please be sure to go and post your trail conditions and news on our bulletin board.

If you are a snowmobile club member (anywhere) and would like to write a column for our web site like Sarah in St-Donat, simply e-mail us below, and tell us all about it!

Thanks for your kind support!

zw

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