Trans Labrador Highway and Canada

[lurcher]

Flew the bikes ( 1200 GS and 1150 GS) over to Canada to try and ride across it. Trouble is that although you know Canada is big its not untill you try and ride across it using minor roads that you realise how far you don`t get in a day. Been here just over four weeks and done four thousand miles and are still on the eastern part. You could spend a whole lot of time exploring Nova Scotia and the rest of the east but we had to press on. We did the the trans labrador highway , what a great road. We were lucky it was hot and dry and dusty, I would imagine it would be horrible to in the rain. We went from Blanc Sablon north to Cartright Junction, then to Goose bay, then to Labradoor city and then down to Baie Comeau. Some American riders doing the route from west to east said the road they had travelled was terrible ........ it was in fact by far the best bit of the road were you could get up to very high speds on the dirt and even faster speeeds once it turned to tarmac. It was well surfaced on the the last 150 miles or so down to Baie Comeau with lots of fast bends blind summits and fantastic scenery. Heaven help the Americans if they thought that was the bad bit. The rest of the route Blanc Sablon to Labrador city is either still being built or under constant repair. The road surveyors said it would be all tarmac in 3 years so if you want to do hundreds of miles off road get here quick before they surface it. The scenery is pretty much the same with one fantasticly picturesque set of islands in another stunning lake all set in yet another fantastic vista for miles and mile and mile and miles etc etc etc.
Must go now as weve got a few thousand more miles to go.

 

[Wilburt]

Nice start, get some pics on here soon please....good luck with the trip

 

[Rocky Mountaineer]

Flew the bikes ( 1200 GS and 1150 GS) over to Canada to try and ride across it. Trouble is that although you know Canada is big its not untill you try and ride across it using minor roads that you realise how far you don`t get in a day. Been here just over four weeks and done four thousand miles and are still on the eastern part.

You are covering some miles. I covered the whole east - west route in 2009 in the same mileage (4000). Although Nova Scotia is stunning, you're right, it's horrible in the wet. It rained all the way from Halifax, through New Brunswick, all the way to the Quebec border. Saskatchewan rainstorms are pretty impressive too, particularly when you realise there are very few bridges to hide under.

Twighlight runs through the Rocky Mountains, from Calgary to Revelstoke, are highly recommended.

 

[lurcher]

Hi yes evenings are impressive especially as the days are hitting 35 degrees, but we have been warned not to ride at night as hitting moose is highly likely. We have been constantly warned about the moose but not seen a single one although we have seen lots of animals incuding wolves , bears, stoat, chipmunks, cyotee, beaver, deer, porcupine (dead), skunk(dead), racoon(dead) and Ontario traffic policemen.

I will try and upload pictures but am not very good at that sort of stuff. There is a blog on travelblog.org under the bloggers name of mark and sally.

The roads in this part of the world are generally well surfaced but dont have many bends the police like you to stick to abot 50 mph but the roads are so empty and so straight that you could do twice that and still not have to lean the bike over to go round the bends. They dont like you doing over a hundred even if you are only doing it for safety reasons ie to stay awake. We are now riding west finally and hoping to get to the rockys before the weather gets to bad.

 

[lurcher]

OK not had much luck finding public computers that will download photos. The roads in the land in the middle of Canada a bit of a boar as far as riding twisties are concerned . On the map there looks to be long distance off road stuff but it finishes in the middle of nowhere and you would have to retrace your steps as they dont connect up with other tracks.
We have reached British Colombia now and had to have a new tyre fitted , the guys in the bike shop said the roads arround here are awsome and good off road stuff and on road stuff. If we stop for more than an evening I will try and find a computer for pics the Landscape is stunning even if the roads are boring.

 

[Wilburt]

BC is awesome, fond memories of numerous trips to Vancouver and up as far as The Northern Territories. Hope you'll post some pics soon, following your trip on Travelblog too.
Where are you staying/camping now, and where are you heading for?

Safe trip!

 

[lurcher]

In Nelson at the moment really like the place and the area. Heading up to prince rupert on an unmade road then a ferry down to Vancouver island. then after that over to whistler running out of time here and too many places to look at. Bought some spot lights as the GS headlights are usless, but need a workshop to fabricate some brackets or I will put them on in the UK. In a library at the mo so will see if the computer will accept photos. Canada is awsome and I need more time here. Just had ice on the tent and people are fettling their snowmobiles so probably reaching the end of the riding season around here.

 

[Wilburt]

Nice round there, we went off to Radium Hot Springs for an afternoon dip, relaxing in one of the pools until the wife spotted a woman peeling the skin off of her feet and eating it!
Did the Inside Passage Ferry - watch those eagles soaring above the ferry terminal, there were 30-40 easy. Awesome scenery and plenty of wildlife including Orca close to the ferry (Our last trip was about three weeks after the last BC ferry sinking)
If you're going North of Prince Rupert there's Salmon Glacier at Stewart/Hyder and a great bear watch station, mainly grizzly/black and plenty of them. Definitely saw more moose, elk, wolves etc further North we went.

 

[brassmonkey001]

Come on Mark, sort it out!

 

[lurcher]

Yes wildlife aplenty saw a fish eagle around the lake at Nelson with a trout in its talons and we has a Grizzley scare in town when a mother ans three cubs turned up. The wolves we saw on the trans lab highway were being fed by the roads builders, Trying to get pictures onto this site seems over complicated we have put a few on the travel blog which seems easier from public access computers. Just put a new tyre on the gs nearly fainted at the price but bought some led spots from a car parts place which were well cheap.

 

[brassmonkey001]

Linky to blog.

 

[lurcher]

Thanks Al
Blog should be finished soon as we are now back. Canada is vast and amazing. Its expensive but its worth the price. Quite like this travelling thingy . South America anyone?