The Making of a Cross Canada Route

Funny it travels through my back yard too lol.

Maybe we could write somewhere that "you are near ADVrider's member "name here" home" so that they could reach us for help or drinks .

just an idea.. My regular work is pretty boring you know

I'd suggest you put up a Paypal tip button on your website, and ask for tips anytime someone wants to download any of the GPS tracks. Bet you'd make enough to pay the web hosting.

+1

Even if the tracks/guide are just to dream over.

Which other rally?

+1 on the Tips thing. Call it tips, not donations.

I've been down the government grant thing at work, for energy efficiency improvements. A big program the government advertised the hell out of. I think they spent more on the advertising than they did on the grants (kind of like the Economic Action Plan), because we never got any of it. It took more time and cost more money than they were giving.

for me this is the coolest idea i have heard in a longtime keep the great work up

I crossed Canada by bike in the eighties long before internet or gps were known , and I could imagine either the wealth that you all are discovering and the work behind necessary.

Surely will find a way to come back.

Real good work, keep going

I think MM has a good idea. If you put together a basic advertising template, (what the buyer gets for how much money) and shared it here, folks across the country could pitch it to town councils, tourism boards, and / or businesses in their local area for you.

I would be pleased to assist in my area.

thanks Ted for your excellent view of the subject, fits right in with my own

You are a gentleman and a scholar Deadly. Don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise. Cheers to your vision and keeping it a hobby.

hey MM are you in Fort Mac?

Nope, Grande Prairie. Not Newfie West.

After a week of nice spring weather {up to 15C} the snow has receded a bit on the North Island and allowed us to make tracks....

A few teasers from the North central Island...


Rail cars full of logs for China...

River Karst area...


Campsite right on the route
Some interesting peaks





Snow slides off the mountain form this Glacier

The snow isn't completely gone down low... We took advantage of these wheel ruts to make way until we found the source of them slid off the road... I could make out the drivers tracks as he continued on foot to get help... With no more wheel ruts to follow we were forced to turnaround...

We now have run about 25% of the proposed Island routes...

That's some very nice scenery you folks have out on the island

Any idea on the mileage of the route for Vanisle ?

Two more weeks until my riding season starts, feels like I'm watching a pot of water and waiting for it to boil.

I'd give a ballpark figure of 550-600 KM from the Nanaimo ferry to the top end but that could change depending on which southern routes we use... I'll be down that way tomorrow so I'll try running a few of the options...

NB section will be starting as soon as the F&%$%^ snow melts...

http://nbdsc.ca/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=4858

Looking forward to that.. NB is right in my back yard! Trying to get up there for a few days this summer even..

Pat in NH

I see these samples and talk of a book but I really wonder if it is the best thing to be doing. Don't get me wrong I am a big fan of print material despite my tablet it is nice to have something on the coffee table and does not involve a computer and it looks like you have put quite a lot of effort into it. However, books have some very distinct drawbacks 1. It would be obsolete before it is even printed. 2. It is a big pain to create. 3. It would really only be useful to armchair riders.
Invariably trails change over time the route could move (or it would be wise to move it if a book did not already say it goes there) people are going to discover new things as more people start to use the trail. Hotels, bars, restaurants close, move, open etc. It is a lot of work to create a book and hard to share the burden of getting it done printed distributed etc. Because it is outdated instantly and the only reason to put out a book is it goes nicely on the coffee table since you have said you are not doing it to make money it will really not be a useful resource for people on the trail so it really is only designed for people not riding but sitting, on the couch next to the coffee table.


With all the issues surrounding books why not do something different?
Are you familiar with Wikipedia style databases? They create the opportunity for different permissible users to edit content so it solves the obsolescence issue as well as spreading the burden of creating the document. Because it is real time editable it is very useful to users imagine a rider updating trail conditions and changes on there smart phone in the next town and riders following on the trail being able to pick up those changes. It can be linked to files with GPS tracks photos can still be put there etc. If you want something that goes nice on the coffee table get a nice looking laptop : )
I think the fundamental choice is who is this all for? If you are creating a way for arm chair enthusiasts to enjoy the trail and want to help offset some costs a book is a great option. But, if you are as it seems trying to create a resource we can all enjoy and contribute to then an editable, living document on the web is the best way to get that done.

Hasn't been above zero here in 2 weeks. We still have a lot of snow. I'm guessing it'll be almost a month before the trails are clear enough to explore, maybe longer. WINTER SUCKS!!! (Especially when it stays until April!).

Once I'm done the TCAT stuff I'm going to move to Arizona or New Mexico and ride the TCAT in summers as a tourist!

Hmmm.......

Not sure how to reply without sounding stubborn or negative but here goes, we certainly appreciate everyone's input but in the end we have to make the decisions.

The book is a print on demand, and will only be distributed from our site. If needs be a second revision could be done down the road if things change. Given the nature of the route and the non access issues we've come across I sincerely don't foresee changes being needed and if they do it certainly wouldn't be often.

For every person who thinks digital is the way to go there is someone who would prefer to carry a book along as opposed to a computer. I'm one of those people I work on a computer all day at work and when I go on a bike trip I find it's nice to leave that behind. The feedback I got indicated a book would be useful for folks and also allows us to control it's distribution. I'm not convinced one way is better than the other, but we've made a choice and there's no turning back now

Thanks for the opinion, without them this project wouldn't be what it is

+1 Book

I'll always have the gps on the bike with the tracks loaded up. But I still want the book as both a backup, and for pre-planning and armchair rides.