CCgirl83

Is anyone else going cross Canada this year?

seely

I'm not sure why, but the title/body made me laugh.

And, no. But I wish I was.

CCgirl83

laughter is always good.

Freakin'Chickin

Not going across Canada, but I'm planning something like a St-Lawrence Gulf tour, with a ride on the Nordik Express boat in the lower North Coast (Basse-Côte-Nord) cities, and lots of ferries involved to join Labrador - NFLD - Nova Scotia then back to Qc. I was planning on going in Ireland/Scotland then down in France and Portugal, but I fear the budget will be too tight for that kind of trip!

clasher

I was thinking about it but will probably put it off another year or two in favour of shorter, cheaper trips.

spinnaker

Just Nova Scotia June / July.

No time for a trans CA or AM. I'm not sure if I would want to. I like my creature comforts.

CCgirl83

I've put it off for as long as I could but with things working the way they are its like everythibg is falling in place for me to go.

Was looking for someone to join, but not the end all be all.

have a great time.

Machka 

Have you contected cycletouring clubs in the provinces you'll be going through?

Just to get you started ...

Cross-Canada Cycle Tour Society (CCCTS): https://www.cccts.org/iWeb_CCCTS/Welcome.html
Vancouver Bicycle Club: https://vbc.bc.ca/
Elbow Valley Cycle Club (in Calgary): https://www.elbowvalleycc.org/
Edmonton Bicycle and Touring Club: https://www.bikeclub.ca/


They might have tours or other rides on when you're in the area ... or they might have members who would be interested in riding with you for a day or two.

LuckySailor

Not sure if you we're looking for only female responses but I'll add mine anyhow. I've been kicking around the last year or two going across Canada. I have checked into going with tour du Canada as they have been doing it now for 25 years. So, for my 50th that's what I am doing. I'm committed mentally and too many people know what I want to do so I will have to follow thru. Big birthday bash at the end to celebrate! Going with this company at least your supported all the way across. If you do it alone you're braver than me! LOL

CCgirl83

I'm glad your going. I looked into the group as well but found it to structured for my tastes. I plan on taking a different route than them but I hope to see you on the road sometime. Will you be keeping a journal for you trip? I will be doing one of mine on crazyguyonabike.com.

LuckySailor

I've never done a bike ride of this magnitude so the structure and support is fine for me. It's a bit longer than I would like to take but it makes it more achievable this way. It'll be like being in boot camp all over again! I will keep a journal. When will you leave? I'd like to watch your progress? good luck and safe travels!

CCgirl83

I am thinking of either going to BC beginning of April or mid April to visit family then start out at the start of May.

When does yours start?

redbike72

Don't forget to pack your woolies. May is not quite summer .... depending on the elevation.

nebuer16

I may be going across part of Canada this summer, but haven't solidified any plans yet. If I do I'll be going East to West, from Quebec to around Sault Ste Marie and come down through the midwest US...

But I definitely want to tour through western Canada at some point. Please share your ride journal once you get it started! I'd love to see a route and photos.

cosmic_cowboy

I'm going from BC to Newfoundland this year but I haven't worked out the dates or route yet. Departure date will be sometime in May or June but I'm leaning towards June for warmer temperatures to start. I haven't even decided if I'll start from Vancouver or just start from my home in Kamloops.

If you could post a link to your journal it would be a helpful resource for me since you plan on leaving earlier. Last summer I rode from Kamloops BC to the Mexican border and I used the ACA maps and Bicycling the Pacific Coast book so it will be different this time in terms of route planning. Do you plan on camping most of the way? Down the coast I stayed at state campsites each night but since then I've done some wild camping around BC and plan to do this most of the way across. I'm also looking into using warmshowers for some nights but I haven't tried that yet.

Do you have your route planned out? I'm thinking the Trans Canada Highway for much of the way but I have yet to look into alternatives. I'll likely improvise as I go along, I think.

Good luck on your journey! I look forward to hearing about your travels.

CCgirl83

I'm glad to hear I am not the only one going this year. I do plan to keep a journal and will link it when I am ready to go. I do plan to camp for most of it because I love the outdoors though I will try warm showers a bit when going through major cities.

I am going to try to do the transCan but I don't have anything set in stone. I want to see some sights as I go.

jrickards

In the late 70s, when I was in my late teens, a friend and I dreamed and planned a cross Canada cycling trip (unsupported) but it never happened, probably a good thing because we weren't really prepared or even preparing properly. However, for the last 5 or so years, I've been dreaming about doing it, but supported. However, with a mortgage and family, I'll have to wait until the boys finish post-secondary school and work to support themselves and our finances change. I'm bouyed up by the fact that the tour companies state that some of their tourers have been as much as mid-seventies so there is hope for me. I'll be doing some smaller tours over the next few years—from a couple of days to several days long—working up to the Vancouver to Inuvik tour and then the cross Canada tour.

If anyone does do a cross Canada tour this summer, I'm in Sudbury, Ontario, right on Hwy 17 (actually, I'm in the city but the highway goes through the city) and wishes to stop by for a shower, overnight stay, good hot meal, whatever, PM me.

sth

I was going to pm you to get your CGOAB site address but I think I found it. "All the Way Across Canada"? I went across in '09 ( https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/left2right ) and despite some challenging times it was soooo worth it. by the middle of the prairies you will be at a low point. Once you get into Ont it will get better. I wouldn't worry to much about risks, granted this is from a male's perspective but we have a pretty safe country. I found traffic to be very friendly. Most people, especially truckers, moved way over. RV's were a little annoying. Leaving in April may be a bit early. BC is having a pretty good snow year and are s'posed to have a cool spring. I left May 15 or there abouts and it was great. Looking at your equipment list i would suggest: don't bring jeans(too heavy and bulky), don't bring maps for every prov. I took a basic small scale map book (make sure it has a single map of Canada so you can trace your progress) and you can get a map of most of the provinces at or near each border (except Man which, besides having the worst roads, doesnt seem to distribute tourist info), think twice about stoves etc, i took one and never used it. Others have said that too. Get a cheap bug net. I will be following your trip on CG. Feel free to ask any questions. PM me if you want. Oh and one other thing: as much as you will find keeping the CG journal up to date a challenge, it is very much worth it. 3 years on I still read it.

CCgirl83

Hi sth,

Yes "All The Way Across Canada" Is mine. I'm a little nervous about leaving Jeans behind with how early I am starting out, I use them to add in layers for those cold days. Also I may start out later it depends on how long I want to visit family and bike about the island. I do plan on cooking most of my own food so I will need the stove.

But there is always the Great Mail Back I read about in other journals.

Oh and I think I have read yours already, but going to reread it again. Once I am finished Grampies on the Go.

Machka 

Are you packing leg warmers, tights, or other lightweight, comfortable long pants?

You can hit wet snow or very cold rain in the Rockies in late May (and June too for that matter) ... you may find you want something that keeps you warm, and dries quickly.

Leg warmers are great because they pack small and can be added or removed very easily. They are also not constricting over the knees. A good pair of warm water resistant (yet breathable) tights, with articulated knees (again, not constricting over the knees) are another good choice.

Same goes for the tops ... choose something light that dries quickly, something that is not cotton. It might be all right to have one cotton T-shirt in the collection to wear off the bicycle, but wearing cotton while riding in cold, and especially cold and wet, conditions is very uncomfortable and potentially dangerous.