Charley and Ewan - Canada question

Finally ordered the DVD's of The Long Way Around and watched the first four episodes in the last two days. This DVD coupled with the France, Belgium, Holland post and the Irish gent's posting who traveled from the U.S. to South America has me planning for this next summer. The seven states I haven't been to are AK, and HI and NH, RI, VT, MA, and DE.

So, I'm not yet ambitious enough to head through South America but I'm thinking for riding from Iowa to the NE and tour those five states and then head up through Canada to AK. I've not ventured far into Canada. For those in the know, would the snow be melted on the roads in May or would it be better to wait until June? I'm looking at the google satellite map and some of the mountains on the west could be bad.

Also, what are some of the must visits in Canada?

If there are any people from HI on here, you could look at it as I'm saving the best for last.

Regards,


Randy Kasal

Ask Paul B.

Cabot Trail Salty Fog Scallops and lobster

rkasal said:

Also, what are some of the must visits in Canada?

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Based on the very little that I've seen so far, and I live here...

Newfoundland, Labrador and the Trans Labrador Highway if you are planning to do some remote riding in the future. Note: a total of 660 miles of gravel on the TLH.

A ride up the James Bay Road to Radisson and then over to James Bay.

Make sure that you have at least 236 miles of fuel range with some reserve on top of that if you head up there.

Kind of hard to answer your question about snow. It seems that you are talking about riding from the north east states to Alaska. If that is the case you are traveling 5000 miles each way across the continent and over a 1000 miles in a straight line south-north, which is basically the same distance as Dallas to Minneapolis. Things are very different from point to point and day to day. The further north you go, if the snow is gone then the mud will not.

You would be far better off the plan a route and then use the internet to research historical weather readings than to ask a blanket question about snow.

The mountains in the west are similar to the mountains in Colorado, Washington, Oregon, heck, half the western states. They are paved in many areas and are subject to unusual weather at anytime of the year.

It may surprise you that Canada is a lot more like your home than you would think, except for better scenery, cleaner air and, beyond the wildest stretch of the imagination, better beer.

Let me start you on your research - http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/canada_e.html

Floppp said:

Kind of hard to answer your question about snow. It seems that you are talking about riding from the north east states to Alaska. If that is the case you are traveling 5000 miles each way across the continent and over a 1000 miles in a straight line south-north, which is basically the same distance as Dallas to Minneapolis. Things are very different from point to point and day to day. The further north you go, if the snow is gone then the mud will not.

You would be far better off the plan a route and then use the internet to research historical weather readings than to ask a blanket question about snow.

The mountains in the west are similar to the mountains in Colorado, Washington, Oregon, heck, half the western states. They are paved in many areas and are subject to unusual weather at anytime of the year.

It may surprise you that Canada is a lot more like your home than you would think, except for better scenery, cleaner air and, beyond the wildest stretch of the imagination, better beer.

Let me start you on your research - http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/canada_e.html

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Thanks, all! And yes, I realize we have horrible beer here. The other thing that gets me is beer is supposed to have a head on it when properly poured. Yet, try to put beer in a glass with a head and people thenk they're being ripped off. Think I'm gonna like Canada a lot.

Regards,


Randy Kasal

The long way Down

Last week I was in Dublin and bought the book of their latest adventure, The Long Way Down. This time they went from the tip of Scotland to Capetown. Excellent reading. I haven't seen the DVD anywhere. I loved the Long Way Round video. Because of seeing that, I went to that Church of Bones near Prague. Bizarre!!!

Beer Me

Go to REI and get yourself two clear ceramic pilsner glasses so you can see the beauty of each and every road brew!!! The bottom screws off so you can nest them together and you need two so that you won't be snob if you meet another thirsty traveller

GlobalRider said:

Based on the very little that I've seen so far, and I live here...

Newfoundland, Labrador and the Trans Labrador Highway if you are planning to do some remote riding in the future. Note: a total of 660 miles of gravel on the TLH.

A ride up the James Bay Road to Radisson and then over to James Bay.

Make sure that you have at least 236 miles of fuel range with some reserve on top of that if you head up there.

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I second the fuel range suggestions if you're going to head up the JBR - and make sure your bike is in good tune. The JBR is paved, but fairly rough in places. It would be a good time to go up there soon, before they divert the Rupert River for hydroelectric power. If you REALLY want to get remote, you can also ride the Trans-Taiga road; 666km of gravel; after driving up the JBR. VERY, VERY remote. Take fuel with you for that one, and hope that one of the hunting lodges is open to sell you fuel.

I personally have not ridden the TTR, but now that I have a GSPD I'm tempted to go back...

Canada question

Randy:

With regard to the west part of the trip, do an advanced search here in trips under "Rockies" and you'll pick up some good routes. If I have time (I'm packing to go to New Orleans for a week) I'll try to find them for you.


Rinty

Canadian Maritimes....

Go east from Iowa and do your N-England then head north to N-Scotia, cross to Newfounland, head through Labroador down toward Quebec, all as a prequisite for the later AK trip. Or do the Gaspesie Peninsula(absolutely gorgeous) cross(Ferry) at Matane and head up the James Bay Road for another refresher course for Ak. June/July is a good month to do the Maritimes although a bit wet on occassion and not too cold. May is to early this far north. IF you want to do the southern states do them in May, June, not too hot. June, July, August are cooler far up north.

It seems like carrying extra fuel would be a great idea. I'd be taking the K75. What do you all use to carry fuel and how do you mount the extra fuel tank? I picture the red plastic fuel containers but there has to be something better. I'm not keen about potentially being a modern-day Ford Pinto if I'm in an accident.

Thanks a lot!

Regards,


Randy Kasal

rkasal said:

It seems like carrying extra fuel would be a great idea. I'd be taking the K75. What do you all use to carry fuel and how do you mount the extra fuel tank? I picture the red plastic fuel containers but there has to be something better. I'm not keen about potentially being a modern-day Ford Pinto if I'm in an accident.

Thanks a lot!

Regards,


Randy Kasal

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Actually, I DID use one of those red plastic fuel containers. The original plan was to get it the day I headed into the remote section, and then leave it at a gas station (with permission) after I left. I ended up keeping the gas can, though. It worked out pretty well. I DID have an issue with some spillage; I wasn't familiar with it, and didn't extend the neck all the way when pouring. Aside from that, I didn't even notice it on the bike, and it didn't leak or anything. BTW: IF you head up the James Bay Road, prepare yourself for all weather. I was there 3 days after the MOA rally (July) and it was unseasonable cold (even for up there). I got hailed on, and also rained on. One day it rained and was 39 degrees around noon. Rather shocking, to say the least. I packed plenty of gear, so it worked out. Riding for a few hours in that weather without having proper gear would have been deadly.

Photo of bike with gas can:

Tires/wheels and other equipment

GlobalRider said:

Based on the very little that I've seen so far, and I live here...

Newfoundland, Labrador and the Trans Labrador Highway if you are planning to do some remote riding in the future. Note: a total of 660 miles of gravel on the TLH.

A ride up the James Bay Road to Radisson and then over to James Bay.

Make sure that you have at least 236 miles of fuel range with some reserve on top of that if you head up there.

Click to expand...

I like that James Bay Road web site and the Trans Labrador highway sounds interesting. I think it a good idea to carry along a spare front and rear tire and it now seems knobbies are imperative due to the gravel. My question is, should I just have a spare set of wheels mounted to the spare knobby tires? That would be simpler particularly if there is bad weather, bad people, or bad bears to quickly get back on the road.

While on the subject of bad bears and bad people. I assume a reasonable length knife, say six to seven inches and bear spray is ok to carry? And a hatchet?

Besides carrying water, fuel, water purifying tablets and equipment as a back-up, camping equipment, food, tools, tire inflator, etc., what am I missing that I should carry?

Yeah, I know it's a long ways off but planning makes the trip smoother. There will be enough suprises anyway.

Thanks a lot everyone!

Regards,


Randy Kasal

jdmetzger said:

Actually, I DID use one of those red plastic fuel containers. The original plan was to get it the day I headed into the remote section, and then leave it at a gas station (with permission) after I left. I ended up keeping the gas can, though. It worked out pretty well. I DID have an issue with some spillage; I wasn't familiar with it, and didn't extend the neck all the way when pouring. Aside from that, I didn't even notice it on the bike, and it didn't leak or anything. BTW: IF you head up the James Bay Road, prepare yourself for all weather. I was there 3 days after the MOA rally (July) and it was unseasonable cold (even for up there). I got hailed on, and also rained on. One day it rained and was 39 degrees around noon. Rather shocking, to say the least. I packed plenty of gear, so it worked out. Riding for a few hours in that weather without having proper gear would have been deadly.

Photo of bike with gas can:

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Josh,

Is that snow or hail? Thanks for steering me back to the plastic fuel container. It'll be ok and lighter weight.

Regards,


Randy Kasal

Oil changes, maintenance

Several other thoughts occur. Google maps for a route from Des Moines, Iowa to Quebec to Anchorage, AK back to Des Moines, Iowa is about 9,308 miles. That's three oil changes at 3,000 miles each.

Yes, I can change the oil but I do like the idea of having the bike in a shop so that there is another set of eyes on the bike for any potential issues that I don't see. I would probably plan on carrying enough filters for the trip and two liters of oil.

What else should I be thinking of (taking the K75 - it needs some miles) while on the road for such a trip? Clutch/brake levers and cables routed alongside the original cables are one thought.

Any other ideas for all you long distance milers would be great.

Thanks in advance!

Regards,


Randy Kasal

rkasal said:

Josh,

Is that snow or hail? Thanks for steering me back to the plastic fuel container. It'll be ok and lighter weight.

Regards,


Randy Kasal

Click to expand...

Randy,

That's hail in the photo. It was a mix of pea and marble sized, so I was just waiting for it to melt so I could ride away - it's like riding on marbles. I needed the break anyhow; hail while riding in the middle of nowhere it quite a shocking experience. Thankfully, after about a minute some French Canadian miners pulled up (and off to the side) and let me hop into their truck until it stopped a few minutes later.

Bear spray is totally acceptable in Canada, as long as it's labeled as such, and you are going into an area with bears. I purchased mine from Cabelas; it's "Alaska Guard" brand, which is also one of the strongest I could find. It comes in a large can (you can't bring keychain sized ones into Canada, and it wouldn't help with a bear, anyhow), and it has a picture of a bear on the can. When I crossed into Canada (Grand Portage, MN), the girl asked me if I had any pepper spray, asked me where I was heading to (Northern Quebec), asked if it was labeled for bears, and then sent me on my way. I didn't even have to show it. I also didn't have to use it, but it was nice sleeping with it next to me. I also hiked on a 1.2km "nature trail" off the James Bay road all by myself. It was a little scary (the trail was hardly a trail and had fallen trees across it), but I felt mostly OK making noise (don't sneak up on a bear) and holding the spray in my hand. I DID see two black bears on my trip, but never camping. I kept food to a minimum.

I carried extra cables with me, but I kept them coiled in the bottom of my tank bag. I don't like the idea of running them next to the current ones; I feel it looks messy, and it exposes a perfectly good cable to the elements. Of course, on my naked Airhead they aren't that hard to change - might be different on different bikes. I also carried the "beadbrakr" from BestRest products; a tire bead breaker and tire irons. I also had a tube patch kit and spare tube. The bike I took has tires with tubes. If yours don't you might be good with a tire plugging kit. Just make sure to carry and air pump and not those CO2 cartridges. Unless the pump breaks you have an unlimited supply of air. Not so with the CO2. I also carried some spare bike parts - alternator rotor, light bulbs, a multitester, a length of wire, duct tape, JB Weld, fuses and of all things which came in extra handy, some of those single-use hand warmers. I almost didn't bring them, but they didn't take up any space. After the hail storm I realized I lost one of my nice insulated gloves in the truck of those French Canadians. The next day it was raining and 39 degrees and I had to ride with a mesh glove on my right hand. Two hand warmers (palm and back of hand) and my silk glove liners made it... somewhat more comfortable.

I'm too long winded, I think.

rkasal said:

I think it a good idea to carry along a spare front and rear tire and it now seems knobbies are imperative due to the gravel. My question is, should I just have a spare set of wheels mounted to the spare knobby tires? That would be simpler particularly if there is bad weather, bad people, or bad bears to quickly get back on the road.

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Although it probably is a good idea to carry a spare set of tires, I chose to install a set of high quality heavy duty MX/Enduro tubes. The OEM tubes I removed were brought along as spares. I brought a tube patch kit, a set of tire irons and a manual tire pump with me. None of the two other motorcycles I saw along the Trans Labrador Highway carried any spare tires.

Knobby tires are only of use if the ground is hard packed. The TLH was loose gravel and more so where the grader just went by; I passed a few of them and it was like riding on marbles till I got by.

The best traction was in the tire tracks of cars; where there was no loose gravel. But my suspension worked hard due to that part of the road being rough due to shallow pot holes, which is why I came across graders.

My speed along the TLH was 50 MPH with the very odd stint at 65 MPH where the road got better, and 30 MPH where the road was like riding on marbles. You don't let ego dictate your speed on a road where you see the odd car every half hour.

rkasal said:

While on the subject of bad bears and bad people. I assume a reasonable length knife, say six to seven inches and bear spray is ok to carry? And a hatchet?

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I never saw any, but then I didn't camp either. From the night I spent on the Sir Robert Bond (ferry), I drove straight through to a B&B in Labrador City, some 540 kms (335 miles) of gravel road later, only stopping in Churchill Falls for gas. I was short on time and had to get back. I'd suggest talking your time through there and enjoying it. Stop off at the huge Churchill Falls hydro generating plant for a tour.

rkasal said:

Besides carrying water, fuel, water purifying tablets and equipment as a back-up, camping equipment, food, tools, tire inflator, etc., what am I missing that I should carry?

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You might bring some water if you want (I didn't). There is fresh water all around you. I brought a mosquito net hat in case I needed to fix a tire...I hardly saw any bugs in August.

You bring tools that fit your bike (if you don't have a 14 mm nut on it, you don't bring a 14 mm wrench).

Don't bring the kitchen sink like Ewan and Charlie did...99% of travellers over-pack.

GlobalRider said:

Knobby tires are only of use if the ground is hard packed. The TLH was loose gravel and more so where the grader just went by; I passed a few of them and it was like riding on marbles till I got by.
.

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I'm puzzled, then. When I take either bike to the lake, the street tires tend to float on the gravel road at the lake. This last summer when they put in new gravel on one of the roads and there were no car tire ruts to ride on, the bikes really floated. I mean 10mph was too fast. It wouldn't be much fun to be 100 miles into a gravel road and have the gravel get too thick and then decide whether to continue or turn around.

I've not been on knobby tires and a gravel road since I was a kid. If a knobby tire isn't a good idea for gravel, what do you suggest?

Thanks a lot.

Regards,


Randy Kasal

rkasal said:

I've not been on knobby tires and a gravel road since I was a kid. If a knobby tire isn't a good idea for gravel, what do you suggest?

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Knobbies are only of use if they "dig" into something like soft soil. Sort of like having sprockets for tires and a chain for a road. If you have nothing but loose gravel, your tires have nothing to grab onto....so its like riding on marbles.

I had Michelin Anakees on my KLR 650; a 90% street, 10% off road tire...like the Metzeler Tourance, etc. A rider on a GS Adventure I came across had knobbies. He couldn't go any faster.

Just settle for a lower speed and enjoy the ride and do it in stages. Its only 660 miles of gravel in total. I have the breakdown of gravel and pavement in my travel log if you're interested.

Its not as bad as you think...


The car's tire tracks are clearly visable...

... see our referral to thebigbiketrip.com and send note to Robyn. They are currently in Mexico but they left Halifax and went through Nfld and Lab and then down through Quebec about 1.5 years ago. Robyn very good at commun. so email if interested. -Bob