Oh, almost forgot, if you like White Water rafting or Kayaking, there is some great stuff on the Ottawa River. Just a thought!

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Gary
CANADA
www.myspace.com/intrepid_cdn

Hi Gary,

Thank you for the comprehensive reply.

I looked at the flights and shipping between Toronto, Montreal, and Halifax. Not much to choose between them. Halifax while not the cheapest would have been the best place to start but getting a flight in when we needed to at a good price proved impossible. Shipping the 2 bikes to Montreal is going to be around CD1200 all in. I am not concerned about the distances infact the opposite; it is a road trip after all.
Thanks for the heads up on the May weather, we will head out of Montreal on the 12th and we have plenty of time so if the weather is bad we can stay put for a day or so.

We are making a list of things to do and see, you have given us lots to think about. Algonquin is near the top of the list and I have checked it out on the web, all the cabins and things to do and see in the park are listed. We have a stack of guides and a couple of the milepost books and your suggestions are great. We can't see and do it all; we need to leave something for next time.

With the miles planned tyres will be an issue but we will have to sort them out as we go along. One thing I dislike the most is carrying spare tyres, so I will buy them when we need to.

Steve

Steve,

I rode to Alaska from Alberta, then across Canada west to east last spring/summer. My blog is at Backroad Explorers.ca Perhaps my notes could help with your planning.

Cheers,
Bill

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Bill Atchison
Red Deer, Alberta Canada
www.backroadexplorers.ca

Cool, ill check it out.

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Gary
CANADA
www.myspace.com/intrepid_cdn

Hey Gary, your post was incredibly informative! Cheers! I have some quite specific questions, and hopefully it will be acceptable to all users to post them on the thread rather than PM you. :confused1: Apologies if not - just thought someone else might be able to use the info

Okay, so I am meeting a friend of mine in Alaska, around the beginning of August (next year - planning, dont y'know), with my bike (he is shipping his from Russia). The original plan was to ride across Alaska, and Canada, spending as much or as little time as we wanted in Canada - months infinitum.

We are a little concerned about weather and what limitations it will put on us. I really dont like the cold, and I absolutely hate riding in the cold (rain is not so bad so long as you have a hot shower to get in afterwards). By what time will it be impossible or not very comfortable to be riding.

To save money we were hoping to camp most, if not all the time, and again what would your opinions be on that during this time of the year. Both with regard to availability, and to weather conditions.

The thought we are going with now is that we ride until its not very nice and then bed down for 6 months over the winter, find jobs and a community to become part of. Then in the spring get back on the bikes and head to the Canada we havent seen, and south into the US.

What time will it become bearable in Canada to ride again?

Do you have any general pointers on finding temp jobs in Canada? Would I be right in assuming that most tourists find jobs in the skiing world at that time of the year?

On the other hand if you know of anyone that might be looking for a lawyer or an engineer/mechanic as a temp (or in fact any kind of job!) next year please let me know!


Thanks for any info!

Char

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Don't be scared your life may end,
Be scared that it may never begin.......

Hey Gary, am flying into NY on June 9th (hoefully picking up my bike on the 10th) I am riding up to Niagara then along north of Lake Ontario in order to hit Detroit and visit the Henry Ford museum at Deaborn, should think I will be in area around 13th June or thereabouts. I will have camping gear with me but cheap bed in area would not go amiss if you could suggest somewhere.

I will then be riding across to Seattle before turning back East and will cross back into Canada at Sault Ste. Marie before getting to Ottawa and Montreal before cutting down to Boston. Any suggestions of things to see, places to stop etc along route 17 would be appreciated.

Regards

Nick

hey Nick.

I live like 5 minutes from Detroit. I live in Canada though. Thats how close you are gonna be. Infact I was just riding yesterday in HELL michigan and vermontville Michigan with the Detroit Sport Bikers group for an annual ride. There must have been 500 bikes I am guessing of all kinds from harelys to sport, DS to adv you name it. We have some camping in this area. We are hoping to move by then to a house, and if so, I can hold ya up a couple days.

Hmm I would say you should hit BC as a whole, and Banff Alberta. from BC to Alberta , you will ride the most amazing routes. I would suggest north to Yukon NWT or Alaska if you have the time fi not Bc to Alberta, then zip over to Ontario, and check out Algonquin Park, you can camp there and use Yurts ( Permantnet tents on concrete pads, with bunk beds table and chairs, lights and heater. and are avail year round ) I would also say, on your way down to algonquin, toke the Lake Superior shoreline. if you have never been there, you will be amazed. it is am INLAND OCEAN, or so it seams. Summertime, Id definitely hit WASAGA BEACH, which is 20 mins from Barrie Ontario, off the 400 hwy. Id travel south ton 400 ( if you like amusment parks then Canada's Wonderland is visible from the 400, and you can spend a day of fun there.) and then into Toronto. id normally say go to Niagra but you were there, so head East to Ottawa from there.

NOTE: Its faster for you to cross the border at Niagra Falls into Canada and take the 427 to the 401 and head West till Windsor, My city, then follow that right over the bridge or through the tunnel to Detroit. You will see most people from NY and Michigan using th at route to save a few hours ride, and our highways are a little nicer, no tolls, and lots of places to stop.

East coast, You MUST do the Cabot Trail in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Also hit Montral goto Veu Montreal or old montreal. and hit Quebec City. beatuiful places.

Hope that helps.

gary

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Gary
CANADA
www.myspace.com/intrepid_cdn

Hey Nick, I never did hear how your trip went. I just bought a house in August. its a shame that you werent coming up around then, Id have had a place for you to crash and such. If you are back this way, consider it a done deal. A place for you ro crash and rest up, and a garage to store the bike safely and do any work needed. If you are still around the area in Sept/Oct. hit me back at gdunne70@hotmail.com

Sorry I wasnt able to extend that offer when you were down, h owever I was in a 2 bedroom apt. with a Wife and son, so there was no possibility.
My apologies!
Gary

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Gary
CANADA
www.myspace.com/intrepid_cdn

hello Char!
Well, lets start withthe important stuff. EMployment here will require you to have a working visa I believe. Lawyer, well, that wont happen probably as you must pass the bar exam for Canada. So, if you are willing to right the exam, then you might be able to. You may however beable to work as a paralegal or legal researcher. Just some thoughts.

Most ski hills hire Canadians, and a few Americans. If you speak other languages, you may have a chance. As there is always a desire to have international employees, and an additional language will greatly improve those chances. You should apply FAR in advance. Like August! Whistler and Banff would be the top 2 places Id say. The hire alot of people. The mechanic may have more options as well, as he can work in maintenace or ski related fields.

Okay onto the real stuff now.

Canada is a fairly cold country in the winter, so you will probably not like the winter. I would suggest become involved in winter sports and you will be amazed at how the cold becomes less of an issue. Different areas of Canada get winter ate differnt times. Typically it will start in BC /Alberta, and 3-4 weeks later be in Ontario, and 2-3 weeks later be in the east coast.
Now, the weather has acted up kinda wierd the last few years, so nothing is exact anymore. However, in most cases, Winter starts in Late Sept in the Mountains, Early Oct in BC/Alberta Nov in Ontario ( northern Ontario sometimes gets it in Oct and where I live doesnt see snow till Dec or January normally in the south. Windsor Ontario is the warmest and most southern city in Canada)
Therefore, My advise would be roll out of Alaska and if you wish, head over the the Yukon and NWT and Nunavit ( if you wanna see those areas, and I definitely suggest atleast Yukon and NWT, and the Auroroa Borealis will blow you socks off). Then roll down into BC before winter starts in the mountains, see BC and move to Alberta. You will need to do this before the winter hits the mountains as they can be trecherous and storms come up very fast. Its doable, but if you dont like the cold, then Id be sure to be in Alberta by July. This will allow you July and August to see the rest of Canada in warm weather. Be warned, our summers get very hot in southern areas. They can hit 40C before the Humidex in the south on heat waves.

Ride across the prairies at your leisure as July and August are full of festivals and things to see and do. If time isnt too bad, Id ride through to the East coast and see Newfoundland and Nova Scotia ( You MUST ride the Cabot Trail in Cape Breton in Nova Scotia ) then return to Ontario before november if you want to work. There are tons of smaller ski hills here that hire tourists. Blue Mountain Ski and Golf Resort is a good one. They are owned by Intrawest - the same company that owns Banff and Mont Tremblant. I worked there as a ski Patrol for a year. You can also break your trip up if you stay longer and stop in ontario and Quebec area until after the winter before moving on to the east coast. Our Autumn is mazain g in the Muskoka areas. Google Algonquin Park. You really should go there. Camping and back country camping, they have an outfitters and Yurts. Yurts are nice as they are like Permanent tents ona concrete pad, with bunk beds table chairs lights and a heater. so you can camp all winter long if you wanted. You can see or hear wolves, bear,moose, lynx, loons, deer, etc etc and northern Lights if you are lucky.

If time wasnt an issue, Id do Alaska, Yukon, NWT, down to BC, spend a while in BC and go to the Island to see the Ghost Bears. WHITE, black bears. Yeah, white! then enjoy some summer months in the mountains and alberta. Goto Banff National Park for sure. Then Id roll acrossed the prairies, not alot there, but some interesting places along the way. Id hit northern Ontario and roll around a bit and move into the near north area such as the Haliburton and muskoka areas, then travel south to Toronto. This is an AMAZING place, and you can easily find employment there, maybe even without the proper paper work. Id try to do this before the winter hit, and locate a place to work and stay. If you want to get the most bang for your buck, come to my city, as we get snow here about 2-3 weeks after everyone else, and get rid of it 2-3 weeks before everyone else. Allowing you to use the bike in more comfort longer. We are also 5 minutes from Detroit Michigan, so you can cross over and do a few local trips into Michigan while you await winters approach and its departure. Some good dirt to if ya like to play in the dirt.

After winter breaks, Id roll up the 401 to Ottawa, then into Quebec. Quebec is a nice province, and there are more remote areas worth visiting, such as Gaspe region. Then Id go to Newbrunswick and to NWFLD NS PEI etc.... When you are done with that, take the ferry in Nova Scotia, to Maine USA and roll south into the USA. I STRONGLY suggest that you ride the Tail of the Dragon,aka Deal's Gap. Its like 11 miles of road and 386 turns or something. turns of fun for all bike types. NU is a must, as is Florida, Virginia Beach, Clarksdale Mississippi for the Blues music, then New Orleans etc. You can do alot in the USA.

Hope this helps. Realistically if you are in say my city, your down time is minimum. I ride a Honda CBR600RR supersport. I rode it until Dec 2nd and started riding again in February, with a few weeks of off and on riding. I didnt ride in snow and stopped if salt was on the ground as I have alluminum frame. In my city, we dont get very much snow at all, and it melts alot as we dotn stay in the freezing temps all winter. so most DS bikes and adv bikes rider year round. We are like the California of Canada. And are on the same latitiude as Northern California, as we are the part of ontario that shoots deep into the USA.

Thnk I answered all your questions. Let me know if I missed any please.

Gary

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Gary
CANADA
www.myspace.com/intrepid_cdn

Hello Char, how long do you plan to stay in Alaska, if you are arriving in August that leaves you about 3 months of bike season in Alaska if you are lucky, then the snow starts and it does not melt until May. If you do not like cold- get the h*ll out of Alaska and the Canadian north before winter.

Victoria Island and Vancouver allow year round riding although it does rain alot in the winter months(coastal area), there may also be various employment options for you and your friend.

If you could provide a bit more route info, I could give more info. Not all of Canada is a frozen wasteland in the winter, in Calgary we ride most of the year as well, some days it is cold but doable.

here is a link to the weather network. If you click on Statistics on the left side it will lead you to city info regarding average temp/rainfall/hours of sunshine/snowfall. etc. All kinds of useless trivia.
The Weather Network - Your Source for Weather Forecasts and Current Conditions

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Take Care
Stew and Brenda

when is the best time for no mosquitos?? or least"" Thinking about doing BANFF, JASPER, WATERTON??, etc - hows the bug problem around there??

Would do hiking/camping for a few weeks around the Above areas.. I am a long dist. hiker!

Maybe start east coast and work my way towards Alaska, Vanc. area! camping as much as possible!

Steve, if you like, you can leave a set of tires here at my house. Im basically where Detroit is but on the Canadian side. So to montreal is liek 12 hours fmo here, so east coast, maybe 2500kms. 1 way. So, you could pick them up on the return trip through. Or, Im sure one of the Canadian riders farer to the west might be able to do the same, say in Calgary or Vancouver.

There are tons to do. Most of the times alot of the best things seem not to make brochures. But ask locals, as Im sure you already know this anyways. Any questions, Im more then happy to answer if I know about it. Like I said previoulsy. I have been all over the country but my knowledge is best in Ontario, with a bit in Quebec and Nova Scotia.

Definitley remember 1 thing.... May 24 weekend, Victoria Day is a GREAT time in Ontario, long weekend, and really, the kickoff to Camping season. It typically Rains like a mother that weekend, but we all go out anyways. So, if you plan to camp, that weekend is hard to get sites anywhere. plan ahead. Also Canada Day. The BEST place to be for that is Windsor, Ontario, Where I live. We have the Largest Fire Works show in North America. As the USA celebrate theirs on the 4th of July.. So the 2 cities, Windsor and Detroit got together and pooled funds and set barges out on the river and fire off fire works from there. I think about 3-04 barges loaded up. Milliopns of dollars worth. Plus, the Freedom Festival is going on at the same time, as is Carosel of nations and Blues Festival. So, you can eat and ear music and see clothing and dance from all the nations of the world. Like Polish will have a site in the city some place and have all polish stuff and food, etc... Italian, vietnameese etc etc. These are all GREAT and if you are down this way, I think you would enjoy it. We get people from all over Canada and USA coming up for this. If it fits into your scheduele, its worth considering. The fire works usually happen on Wednesday the last wed before July 1st. AS that way both sides celebrate on that day and no one gets it on their day.

but just be prepared for accomdations all over ontario to be hard to get on May24 weekend. Quee Victoria Bday is a popular weekend here.

Keep us posted on how it goes eh! Any questions or if I can help at all, let me know.

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Gary
CANADA
www.myspace.com/intrepid_cdn