Wow! You’re biking from Argentina to Canada?! That’s amazing!
If you’re leaving in December, when do you think you’ll make it to Canada? It’s pretty cold here until about April. Most bikers store their motorcycles for the winter and only start riding again in late March/early April.
In terms of bike gear, I’d suggest layering your clothing. I used a Joe Rocket riding suit (pants and jacket) on the trip to Vancouver this past summer. It went down to a mesh layer with armour, which worked well on hot July days. And you can zip in a vest, rain/wind layer, and warmer layer, which was handy in the mountains and would definitely help if you arrive in Canada in the Spring (April-May).
A dry bag would also be useful to keep your gear dry. I had two days of rain in the 3 weeks I was on the road, but you’d probably run into more rain than that, especially in the Spring.
You should check out Greg’s blog. He rode from Alaska to Argentina last year and gave me a ton of good tips when we met randomly in a small town a few months before my bike trip last summer.
Let me know if you end up visiting Toronto. I’d love to hear about your adventure.
Ride safe!
Tough questions. I don’t know what I expected from the trip. See some cool scenery. Check. Meet some interesting Canadians and find out what life’s like for them. Check. Do a little bit of soul-searching. Check, but not as much as I expected. I was too busy being blown away by what I was experiencing.
I didn’t expect the depth of kindness and generosity I received on the trip. I didn’t expect the numerous times people have left me choked up and without anything to say. It’s like Canada took me up on the challenge to find good people in the world and firmly shut the door on any arguments to the contrary. I knew it. And now I have proof.
Like a mosh pit, you’ve gotta throw yourself out and trust that you’ll be caught and buoyed by the crowd. I jumped into this adventure with some serious apprehension, and was amazed by the countless Canadian hands that caught me and kept me afloat along the way. How was I changed by the trip? It’s restored my faith in people. And my confidence in myself. Thank you Canada!
Made it! (that’s right you doubting thomas - you know who you are!). And yes, that horizon is as crooked as I feel. Three weeks on a bike does a number on your body. But both the bike and my body arrived safely, so I can’t complain. Touching the water in the English bay was definitely satisfying. Wish I’d had the energy to go for a swim, although it was pretty cold. 22,249 km on the odometer. What does that make it, a 7000 km trip? Give or take a few hundred km? Google maps said it was about 4500 km. Not the way I ride! 2500 km of side trips up logging roads to see waterfalls, down twisty roads because a local biker recommended them, and generally out following my nose. It may not have been the most direct route, but definitely an adventure!
A perfect end to an incredible trip. A friend booked me into a beautiful hotel overlooking the English Bay. A walk in Stanley park, watching the sunset on a log on the beach, followed by an okanagan viognier with wild salmon chowder and beef carpaccio. Can’t think of a better last night on this tour of western Canada. Thank you Michael!
Manitoulin Island
There’s one element I totally missed on this trip. Interaction with First Nations folks. I really should have taken Paul Ts advice and rode up through Manitoulin Island instead of the 400 to Sudbury.
I met some chiefs/elders at the super 8 in Winnipeg and had a good chat with them. Other than that, I’ve unfortunately missed any other opportunity to learn more about this group of Canadians.
So… Anyone up for a ride to Manutoulin Island this September? I think there’s a pow wow one of the weekends. If it doesn’t conflict with softball finals, I’m thinking of taking a few days to ride up and check it out.
Tips for Travelers (from Edmonton, Alberta)
If someone invites you to a party, make sure you ask them what kind of party it is. Apparently castrating and branding parties are all the rage in Alberta. And even though the horse trough is filled with ice and beer, it’ll take quite a few to get past the smell. And you might get asked to help…
So I guess it’s time to tell you about the BOG Standards group from Edmonton. They’re the ones who picked me up at that gas station in lake Louise and adopted me for a few days. I’ve been too busy riding with them or partying with them, and haven’t had the time to write about it.
I was perched on a concrete wall at the gas station, feeling out of sorts and trying to decide where I was going next, when Mike pulls up on this hot blue and orange Bonnie. That got my attention. He’s the guy on the right in the group photo. Poetry in motion on the road - he rides like his bike is an extension of his body. A thing of beauty to watch. The rest of the gang, most of them on triumphs, appeared shortly after and surrounded my bike. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many triumphs in one place outside the dealership. I said something to that effect and Mike replied “wait til we get to Nelson” and invited me along to the triumph rally (basically a group of triumph riders who get together for a few days of riding and partying, for all of you non-riders out there).
Liane (front and center) made a few phone calls and within minutes of meeting the group, I had rooms in Radium and Nelson with them and registration at the rally. That’s what Liane does - she takes care of people. She is constantly going out of her way to make sure everyone is included, (buying bakery cookies for the group and anklets for the girls my first night with them - I’m still wearing mine!) and taken care of (she sorted out my bike shipping situation and hung back on the coolest twisty road so that those of us new to the road wouldn’t take the tough parts too quickly). Liane rides a silver Speedmaster, and man does she look good on it!
After the first ten minutes with the group, I had to wonder what I’d gotten into. They took an amazing curvy road and were bombing down it (I was hard pressed to keep up) when Jen (back row, beautiful smile) skidded out on some gravel. She quickly became my hero. Not only did she take on a forest and walk away from it, her unshakable cheerfulness in a crappy situation was amazing. She must have been hurting pretty badly, but you wouldn’t have known it to talk to her. That’s Jen’s army green Bonnie in the minivan. Carted to the rally and still able to line up and win her the Triumph Rat bike award (I think the duct tape holding it together helped).
Mike went into a ditch a few minutes after that, fist pumping while crossing the alberta-bc border can be distracting. Thankfully, he kept the shiny side up and was able to win the best triumph award. I was worried that this was a frequent occurrence for the group, but we managed to escape without further incident. Except for Brian, who had a tree fall on him while riding. For real. What are the chances?!
The other Mike looks great in my cowboy hat. And tough - glad he’s on my side! But underneath that Marlborough exterior is a seriously awesome sense of humour. Mike, Mike, and Chris kept me in stitches with their quick wit. Mike’s scrambler picked up another award in the rally, (best scrambler?).
And then there are the chrisses. The first Kris is a girl. Front row in the group photo for the same reason that she now rides a Harley - height. Triumphs are notoriously tall. But boy can she ride that Harley! I ate her dust most of the trip. And a total sweetheart! Finding me laundry service so that I had clean clothes to wear (instead of the more direct approach of commenting on my riding scent). The other Chris rides a totally hot scrambler. He kept me company at the rear of the pack, holding back on his speed until I showed him that even though I’m a newbie, I’ve got a taste for flying through curves like the rest of them. Except for that 30 km/h hairpin when I had to throw on my brakes.
Last in the photo is Robby the Cowboy, who I introduced earlier. Rod, James, and his dad (whose name I’m drawing a blank on… Mike?) had to leave earlier, but rounded out the pack with a motoguzzi and a couple of triumph tigers.
A total honour to ride with these amazing people. Makes me want to move to Edmonton and make my membership official. I’m missing them terribly already (on the flight home). Thanks for taking me in, treating me as one of you, and showing me what it’s like to ride in a (fairly tame) biker gang. It’s been awesome!
So my hand in the poker run didn’t turn out too shabby after all. Three 8s and another 7 joined that initial seven of spades for a full house, putting me in second place for a cool $31.25. Managed to pick up a cool triumph t-shirt as a door prize too. And I won the longest ride award, stealing it from the usual winners from Saskatchewan.
My only regret is that I’m terrible at impromptu public speaking. Completely went blank when they handed me the mike. And instead of repeating the cool story I’ve been telling everyone about how the Edmonton BOG Standards group picked me up at a gas station and pretty much adopted me for a few days, I mumbled something about the kilometers I’d ridden to get there. Bonehead. Sorry guys!
Finally met a real cowboy!!! I’ve been asking everyone. They usually laugh and reply that they’re a real estate agent, accountant, etc. despite their cowboy hat. I finally meet one and he isn’t wearing a hat!
Robby is the real deal though, and told me all about gentling a wild mustang. Mustang Sally, he calls her, and it took two years of patience to win her over. Amazing! (and Erin, the stories of joinup on heartland are realistic!)
Chris is NOT a cowboy.
