Thanks for the pics There's just something about BC, something more than the scenery and the great roads....I think maybe the pioneer feel the interior has. When I lived in the east Kootenays a few years back I owned a small cafe, this old timer used to come in and complain of how the valley "just isn't the same since they put the road in and brought electricity". He used to take a month every spring to get into the valley via horseback to hunt and trap for the season before spending another month getting back to "civilization". At the end of every season this crusty old dude would pay me with "furs" for his tab he'd rack up for his morning coffee and toast. Felt like I was living in some old cowboy movie or something. Anyways, sorry for the trip down memory lane. Can't wait to see more of what you have in store for us Manxman
Gidday Dave, you'll have to make some time and join us when we come out west to pre ride some of this stuff. Always nice to put a face to a name
Wow, love the scenery in BC. Being born in Trail I get homesick every time I see pics of the mountains. Absolutely can't wait to ride out there in the clean mountain air.
Is it possible to be homesick without being from BC? I can't wait to ride out there!!! Anyone think this cross Canada route would be overwhelming or too demanding for a new rider?
By the looks of it, everything west of Ontario should be very doable if you have solid gravel experience. Some of the Ontario and East stuff looks like it could be a little tough depending on the weather. In the end I suppose it comes down to how "new" a rider you are and how determined you are.
So, figure what, about two weeks if starting from Quebec and then an additional two weeks for BC? I am keeping a close eye on this one. I am going to ride it as soon as it is finished. Looks bloody awesome!
ok Ross, I think we've had quite enough of your shenanigans for a little while, some of might not get to ride those sections for awhile and until then I don't need the extra stress!:fyyff
What an incredible posting! Thanks for all of your hard work to develop this route. I hope some day I have the chance to ride on it. Thanks for taking us along for the adventure! As Mike, aka "Gold Member" who joined us from Canada to ride Big Bend in Texas would say:
As we have had alot of interest in this project (many pm's on this forum and emails, etc) I thought it was about time to answer some of the popular questions that folks seem to have. The time frame for the TCAT is beginning to take shape and looks to be as follows: NFLD 2-3 days Labarador 3-4 days Quebec 4-6 days Ontario 8-9 days Manitoba 1-2 days Saskatchewan 2-3 days Alberta 3-4 days BC 6-7 days Total of 29 to 38 days Note: please keep in mind these are pretty rough estimates so far as there are still a few "gaps" in the route at this point. Travel time for each day is approximately 700 km's (435 miles) or approximately 9 hours on the bike. Total route looks to be somewhere around 17, 000 km's (10, 500 miles). The majority of the route is gravel roads. There are approximately 8 or 9 days that have a long (200-400 km) stretch of pavement. There are about 7-9 optional technical sections, most of which have been featured in this ride report but a few that are still to come. In a few area's of the route, an optional side diversion is provided (because it offers exceptional scenery, history or technical riding). The route will be a mix of roadbooks and gps routes. Many of the days will be in very remote area's. The main route is designed to be doable by large, well prepared, self sufficient dual sport bikes as well as by well prepared four wheeled overland style vechicles (Landrovers, Jeeps, etc). Some of the technical sections are more suited to bikes due to the terrain (width, etc). The route will be distributed for free from www.advcanada.com, a collection of roadbook files, gps files, word documents, etc An optional package will be for sale which will include printed maps, printed roll charts, decals, etc. The proceeds will be used to keep our web site alive The route should be completed next season and available for download/purchase in the fall of 2012 or soon after. I'm sure I am missing some but that should answer the majority of questions folks seem to be asking. We greatly appreciate everyone's interest in this project, we hope when it's completed that people will enjoy riding it and that they will get to see a side of Canada that many never get to see, including many Canadians.
Touchy subject and I am hesitant to even answer it... Would 30 long days back to back on a bike be too much for someone new to motorcycling ? YES Would 14, 00 km's of gravel (and mud, freshly graded roads, sand and rocks) be too much for a new rider ? YES Is your bike going to need repairs, tire changes, preperations, etc for a ride of this distance ? Yes. Would a someone new to motorcycling have the know how? Probably not. Is it "doable" ? Hmmm.......
I've been following this thread for quite a while and am really impressed with the progress. Even with substantial outside input 10,500 miles of back country route is a mammoth task. A couple of comments from my experience. 29 days 365 mi/day would be more than most riders of nearly any riding ability level would find enjoyable. Also, experience from the TAT says much over 35 mi/hr moving average on back country gravel is hauling butt. 9 hours a day is quite doable, but with fuel and food stops 9 hours will only get 200 to 250 miles and unless your DS bike is a lot more comfortable than mine, that's plenty. So 40-50 days plus maintainence and rest days. If I were to attempt the route, I think breaking it into 5 to 10 day sections and doing multiple trips. Looking forward seeing this completed. What a way to see Canada!
lol... I've been shown what Deadly means by gravel roads, so I'm with Juames on this one I'm a new rider, and plan on doing it alone... cuz nobody likes me .
Thanks for the input Deadly!! After the first half I wouldn't be "NEW" anymore, so the second half should be way easier. I'm hoping to learn lots of things from you guys, take shorter trips to start and work up to the big one. Hopefully I'll be able to give myself plenty of time... and most likely I would only be going from Ontario to BC for the first big adventure.
Agree and disagree The timeframe I quoted does not have days for maintenance (oil changes, tire swaps, etc) it also does not factor is getting lost, getting stopped (fallen tree's, etc) and many many many other factors that are sure to happen. In my opinion it will be a 45 day trip. The schedule I typed earlier is for travel time (from my experience) and folks travel speeds will vary considerably based on experience and comfort. Smelling the roses along the way varies greatly from one person to another as well. Given we havent yet ridden all of the route yet those figures are pretty "loose" but are given just to give people an idea of the length of the route By the time it gets published I should have ridden the entire route and should be able to have a better idea on an overall timeframe folks can expect. The route is being designed on a day by day breakdown, with each day ending in a town or campground. Of course staying on schedule would be near impossible for a trip of this length, we understand that given all of the outside variables, but we felt it was best to have some sort of a day by day breakdown. Some, heck most of these roads are relatively remote and can be travelled at a fair pace, from experience I think 600-700 km's a day seems like a "doable" pace for the route.EDIT: some days will be significantly less based on terrain. Time will tell I suppose Please keep in mind that the majority of this route is going to be gravel roads. Seems like it's the more challenging parts where the camera always seems to come out and in turn this thread seems to make the route look harder than it is. ALOT of it is just cruising down "gravel highways" where an experienced person can make good mileage......
The typical gravel road Ted's talking about makes it pretty easy to cruise at 100 km/h. Another factor not mentioned is that there might be speed limits on some of these roads and some people will not be comfortable going too far beyond them. For example: all of the dirt on the trans Labrador is 70 km/h, I got pulled over doing 111 in said 70 zone and that would translate to about $300 and 4 demerit points on my license. Thankfully they didn't prosecute mine but it also means I'll only go so fast in my own province. Just sayin'