A New Day
23 WINTER 2022 VOL . 04 / ISSUE 02
Northern Maine
SNOWGOER . COM 24 around sunset and devoured our first meal of the day , and then rode in the dark up to the border down of Madawaska , where we lost the trial for a while but eventually found our residence in the snowmobile-friendly Martin ’ s Motel .
A New Day
Staying at the one-story , nonfranchised Martin ’ s Motel felt like dropping by Grandma Ruby ’ s large house for the night – and we mean that in the very best way . It ’ s folksy , friendly and quiet , and our room felt like a large bedroom in an old house – super clean , with polished wooden floors that creaked when you walked across them and a quilt that seemed sure to have been personally made by a local . Owners Bruce and Jean Ouellette are longtime supporters of snowmobiling , and when Jean inquired in the morning about the level of comfort during our stay , we can tell she honestly cared about the answer .
Well rested , we saddled up under beautiful blue skies . Our ride back toward Shin Pond wouldn ’ t be as circuitous or eventful as our 260-mile first day – no close calls with moose or dramatic crashes – but it was even more scenic .
First , though , we stopped by Daigle ’ s Sports Center in downtown Madawaska to swap sleds ( Derek wanted to ditch the Titan for a Rush ) and to chat with founder / owner Glenn Daigle . Glenn ’ s not just a business owner , he ’ s also a dedicated rider , groomer operator and huge supporter of the sport . Snowmobiling wouldn ’ t be what it is without dedicated folks like him , and we ’ re thankful for their effors .
Leaving town we took some of the local feeder trails and saw some wondrous sights . First we visited a huge , 35-foot-tall cross mounted on a bluff high above the town , complete with a statue of Jesus Christ – we ’ re told it ’ s a local land owner ’ s homage , and a reflection of the heavy catholic
Our host Blaine looks out across the St . John ’ s
River into New Brunswick , Canada .