Cross country skiing is excellent cross training for cycling in the winter. So every Sunday, I treat myself to a trip "back home" to the Parc National de la Mauricie, just north of Shawinigan Qc.
Jean Chrétien is from Shawinigan. Thanks to him, the Parc was established in 1970. THANK YOU JEAN! I knew there was a reason I liked that guy so much as a 3rd and 4th grader. I would cut out and save his picture every time I saw it in the paper. My friends made fun of me for it.
This year for the first time in the history of the Parc, the Panoramic trail (which is the ROAD that is groomed for skiing...gaaah) is occasionally groomed a full 24.4km to the Belvedère: the lookout point at the top of the hill after Lac Wapizagonke (it makes for a 58.8km round trip).
It was groomed all of the way yesterday. So I skied there and back today. The sun was bright. The sky was blue, the snow was fast. It was a little cold, but my orange E-Load works just as good in the winter as it does in the sweltering heat. What a day.
Thanks M. Chrétien. Thanks Parc. Thanks skis. Thanks pistons. Thanks sun. Thanks big ol' Concorde. Thanks to all of my skiing partners this year. It was a blast.
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