Creating a Cross Canada Overland Route

[deadly99]

The bail out was set at 3pm. We told folks if you hit 3pm and you arent past this point start to head to the campground. I arrived at 4:30 thinking the place would be packed. It was raining for half the day, the trails were slick...surely many folks called it a quick one and headed to get dry and have a pint. Nope, just me :huh There was Naomi (Beer Goddess) and one other fellow there who didnt have knobby tires and that was it, oh ya and a buddy of mine who drove a van up just to enjoy some brews with the crowd.

Hmmm.....for the next three hours or so I was very nervous. Folks started coming in with stories of drowned bikes. Not bike but drowned bikes. Corey comes in and says it turning into a gong show. he explains the water crossing is too high. He made it across but the next 5? bikes behind him sunk and he spent two hours driaing floats, etc only to see more coming at it like lemmings so he got out while he could and powered in to the campground. Crap! Do I head back (an hour away) and bring beers ? All of a sudden reports started coming in form others who were arriving that all bikes got going again :clap When you put a route together and unleash it you hope for the best as you cannot control certain elements of it, that being said I was wondering if I was going to get lynched that night in my sleep :wink:

Cooked some grub and we sat around some campfires into the wee hours telling stories that kept getting better with each beer we consumed. The bottles of whiskey that started to get passed around perhpas put me over the edge and into a deep sleep :1drink

I bet I didnt feel as bad as this fellow in the morning :rofl

All in all Day One was a good one I think. The campground was alright, everyone seemed stoked and happy, the rain hel off for the evening which made for some quality campfire time :freaky

Notable mention was Nolan. He was with Corey and company and when they turned in he rode on with the intent to finish the route. Showing up well after dark at the campsite and....I'll let him tell his own tale :lurk

 

[deadly99]

A couple of videos from day one.

This is from Richard





Nolan put this one together



[video]http://player.vimeo.com/video/24412525[/video]

 

[deadly99]

Day Two started off with a quyick packup and everyone hit the road at their own pace. The first hour or so fo the route was great. Some fun narrow roads through the forest. There was a washout about midway.

I rode the rest of the road with Boatman and we had a fun pace going for the conditions. Really enjoyed that little section :deal There was pile up at one point behind us, something about a klr hitting the brakes, my buddy Dave on his ktm getting caught in it and gettiong hit from behind by another klr ? klr's :deal


Heading down the paved highway there were about 15 of us, I entered the next dirt road and traveled solo for a while. Here the gps tyrack was incorrect. It showed a trail heading left but there was no trail as its about 2 km's further up the Lingham Hydro line. Not sure how that happened as the track was based ona ride Juames and myself did last summer ????? Ran into OntarioGS out there and we rode the trails into the town of Flinton and beyond to the Hastings Heritage Trail. OntarioGS bailed out and headed home as he lived just around the corner. A small beaver dam was next on the agenda. I walked it and while standing there the rain started. Looking around I thought to heck with this, I'm cold and wet and almost out of gas. Jumped the highway for a bit and found some fuel and headed the short distance to the town of Bancroft. Grabbed a Big Mac meal to go and headed to the campground at Silent Lake. A great day for me :freaky

Just after the washout in the morning

Saturday night I had a blast. Thanks to everyone and their stories and positive vibe. The drinks flowed and the prizes were given away.

Neduro, Max BMW and others through in some swag. Prizes were given to those who finished the route, took the most bails, had an epic, etc

Boatman getting a prize for finishing Friday entire route :thumb

Beers and whiskey flowed and it appeared as if everyone was having a great time. I think it was around 1:30 am when I hit the hay. Notable mention goes to my buddy Dave. When we were at the campsite I asked why he wasnt setting his tent up, he explains all of his gear (clothes, cell, tent, food, etc) was in Johnnies van and he was waiting for him to arrive. Johnny was only doing one night I explain. The REAL adventure begins when you are sitting in cold/wet gear with abslutly nothing. I'll add to it that his bike wouldnt keep running for nmore than a few miles before the carb needed draining. Drift10 (Jim) came to the rescue (THANKS JIM) and gave Dave a 101 on how to remove your carbs and they found some sludge in there that fixed things up. AWESOME job Jim :thumb Folks donated socks, pants, shirts, tents, etc to Dave and he enjoyed a relatively warm night.

 

[deadly99]

The weekend was a great way to test the gps files and terrain. A few bumps and bruises but everyone came away in relatively one piece :smiley_drive:

 

[deadly99]

Saskatchewan

Here is Chris's report from last week. Chris is creating the Alberta and Saskachewan portion of the TCAT.

Well, I finally got out to do some recon on the Saskatchewan and Manitoba sections of the TCAT last week. This is the story of two guys who
managed to get some generous time off from their wives to do some riding, and four other guys (also with generous time off) who were involved in
the riding along the way.
The Players:
Chris: 2003 KLR 650. Chris and I were together almost the entire ride. We split up Sunday night with about 100 km to go to head to our
respective homes.

Stan: 1997 BMW Funduro 650. Stan was with us most of the way. We met him in Preeceville the first morning and he left us at MacDonnell Road on
the last day.

Ken: KTM 990 Adventure. Ken and the gang met us at Narrow Hills for some camping and riding.

Glyn: KLR 650. One of the founding members of the SDSC, Glyn is always enthusiastic about an off-road ride.

Brad: KLR 650. Brad is famous in the SDSC for discovering that the irrigation canals south of Saskatoon are full of very deep silt that can't be
ridden through.

Here's GPS data showing the route I (we) travelled:

...and slabbed it 315 km to Preeceville SK, where we stayed in this little motel.

The next morning we met Stan and headed out to pick up the planned TCAT route south of Swan River MB. On the way we had to stop in Sturgis, SK.
Even though it's not THE Sturgis, it's still worth a stop and a pic if you ride!

 

[deadly99]

From there it was on to Kamsack, where surprisingly there is a custom motorcycle builder! We needed a break anyway, so we stopped to check out
the bikes.

After a bunch more slab and some nice gravel, we finally reached the intersection of Manitoba roads 367 and 366, where we picked up the planned
TCAT route.

After some fast gravel riding...

...and stunning views...

...we found our first stream crossing of the trip on a rural road just outside Duck Mountain Provincial Park

There was a second minor creek crossing, but after a few minor adventures we got to Swan River.

We gassed up in Swan River and had lunch. Then we headed west until we were back in Saskatchewan. Three miles west of the border we picked up
this gravel road heading north...

...which also had some nice views!

After a left turn on a smaller road, which had some of my favourite signs...

...and a few more miles of rippin'...

...we made it to Hudson Bay, where we got supper and a room at the Waldorf (Ha!).

 

[deadly99]

The next morning (Friday May 27th) we headed out of Hudson Bay on Hwy 9. Only in Saskatchewan would you find a single-digit-numbered highway
that looks like this:

But it also looks like this:

There was a rest stop that offered TV, but we couldn't get the darn thing to work, even with Chris's expert electronic repair skills!

We headed west toward Nipawin. Stan headed straight to town to get fuel, but our KLRs had lots left and we were exploring possible TCAT routes,
so we got on this little canal road.

It looks nice in the pic, but it was actually a living hell! It was so potholed and rutted up that the best we could do is about 40 kph. We
were often down in first gear trying not to fall in the huge ruts that covered some stretches of the trail for kilometers at a time. Finally we
came out at a good gravel road, and found some fun dirt.

Then it was a minor paved road ride into Nipawin, where we hooked up with Stan again for lunch and fuel.
Just at the edge of Nipawin the TCAT will cross this old rail/road bridge, which Stan has posted pictures of before.

There's a little pavement after the bridge...

but eventually you get to this trail, which cuts across to the Harding Road.

Unlike most places, the trails in this area are very sandy, which means that if you go in here in wet weather your ride will likely actually be
easier than it is when it's dry!
We reached the start of the Harding Road...

 

[deadly99]

...and enjoyed it thoroughly...

...until we popped out south of Lower Fishing Lake.

The "Road Closed" signs are just to deter people with regular passenger cars from taking this road, as it is unmaintained and quite rough in
places.
When we got to Lower Fishing Lake, we stumbled across the other guys (Ken, Glyn, and Brad) who had set up camp at a small primitive campground
about 11 km north of there.

It was the perfect spot to base our weekend riding from.
Saturday was cloudier and a bit cooler, and we rode the trails like this...

...in from our campground to the Caribou Creek Lodge, where we had breakfast.

 

[deadly99]

Caribou Creek is not big or fancy, but the service is first rate, the food is good, and the people are very friendly and helpful. Glyn was low
on oil, and there was no synthetic to be found for at least 75 km in any direction. The folks at Caribou Creek gave him a bucket to drain his
oil, and he changed his oil to mineral oil right there in the parking lot.
After breakfast it was off to the Esker Road...

...which is known for it's scenic viewpoints.

Continuing on past the warm-up shack at the end of the road, the trail gets extremely sandy. KLRs were falling left and right, and some damage
was incurred.

After a supper at Caribou Creek, four of the guys headed off to ride some other trails, while Chris and I tended the "hot coals" (there was a
fire ban on, so we just had briquettes).
The next morning it was cool and there were showers in the area. We packed up camp to get ready for the ride home.

While packing up, Chris noticed his KLR had a small problem.

So we got to work on it.

We had it fixed pretty quick, and after a final breakfast at Caribou Creek we were exploring the TCAT. We found this nice little road that was
perfect. It did have a few minor stream crossings...

...but nothing we figured a loaded R1200GS couldn't handle.
After that there were a few mechanical (or more precisely, electrical) problems, one of which prompted and impromptu battery hydration procedure
on the trail.

But we got everyone rolling again. From there it was a gravel ride to the point where we split up. Stan, Glyn, Brad, and Ken headed off home,
while Chris and I continued to explore potential TCAT routing on MacDonnell Road.

The road was a bit greasy at first due to the showers in the area, but quickly got better and was a very enjoyable ride.

I came around a corner at one point and there was a mama black bear and two cubs at the edge of the road a ways up. I managed to stop about 100
yards before reaching them, and as I was going for my camera they darted off into the bush. Wish I could have gotten that picture!
We hit highway 2 just southwest of Montreal Lake. The gates may occasionally present a problem for the TCAT, but there's an easy route around if
you're willing to ride an extra 12 km or so of slab.

From here it was pavement for most of the next 100 km or so, but it was nice pavement with a neat little gravel cutoff just inside Prince Albert
National Park.

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u133/kiffernathan/Narrow Hills - May 2011/P5270276.jpg



But we got everyone rolling again. From there it was a gravel ride to the point where we split up. Stan, Glyn, Brad, and Ken headed off home,
while Chris and I continued to explore potential TCAT routing on MacDonnell Road.


The road was a bit greasy at first due to the showers in the area, but quickly got better and was a very enjoyable ride.

I came around a corner at one point and there was a mama black bear and two cubs at the edge of the road a ways up. I managed to stop about 100
yards before reaching them, and as I was going for my camera they darted off into the bush. Wish I could have gotten that picture!
We hit highway 2 just southwest of Montreal Lake. The gates may occasionally present a problem for the TCAT, but there's an easy route around if
you're willing to ride an extra 12 km or so of slab.

From here it was pavement for most of the next 100 km or so, but it was nice pavement with a neat little gravel cutoff just inside Prince Albert
National Park.



Chris said later that this road was just twisty enough to be fun.
Near the south end of the park we went our separate ways. Chris wanted to get home, and I wanted to connect the route to the point in the Nisbet
Forest where I'd left it off last fall. As I approached Prince Albert there were some nice backroads, but many were just the straight grid roads
that cover much of Saskatchewan. I may rework some of this area, although it wasn't a bad ride.

Finally I got to Prince Albert, crossed the river, and headed west to Nisbet. The trail looks like this through part of the Nisbet Forest...

...and closer to the south end it looks like this.

Unfortunately this beautiful section is only accessible after riding some gnarly beach sand whoops and rough tight trail, so I think this will
have to be part of a technical section. An R1200GS would get through, but the rider might be swearing at me by that time, and I don't think a
truck would go across the little bridge you get to in one spot.
After all that, I slabbed it home the final 80 km or so from the St. Laurent Ferry.

Total km for the trip were 1913, with about 1400 (give or take) being TCAT km. It was an awesome trip, with awesome riding buddies, and while
I'm still recovering from the $450 KLR plastic bill and the monkey butt, I already can't wait for the next adventure!

 

[deadly99]

Rough look at the TCAT

 

[Scott Brady]

Fantastic report - I am ready!

 

[ben2go]

Awesome report!Can we get measurements or the narrower bridges and weight limits, if available?

 

[deadly99]

One more year until completion

All bridges will be doable by a loaded truck (rover, jeep, etc). Due top the width of some of the trails and roads I'd be hesitant to say a full size truck could make it, but who knows :smiley_drive: I also expect that full size trucks wont be interested in a 15, 000 km route due to gas prices these days?


So here's a report from David from last week who is making the route across Vancouver Island in the province of BC.




We spent the last three days checking the south Island routes under perfect weather conditions...
Started out running the routes South of the Gold River HWY...

 

[deadly99]

The first trail we ran was great until we hit the river crossing..

Where we want to be on the other bank and a 5' deep river telling us no...

Turnaround time.

This view is from above Port Alberni... We spent a lot time trying to find a way down, the GPS sent us to a road that no longer was passable so we ended up finding a fairly steep powerline trail which took us to the valley floor...
From Alberni we headed to the Western beaches near Bamfield and found this Gem of a camping spot...

Sat AM we continued on Towards Nit Nat and on the way rest stopped at this campsite on a lake

Nitnat Lake and a camera war...

Fantastic camping area

To Cowichan

Saturdays nights camp

Working on connector routes

After this I parted company with Islandswede and decided to try one of the passes on my homeward jaunt...

This is Victoria PK third highest on the Island in elevation but it is the highest if you measure from valley floor to peak..

 

[deadly99]

The pass I want to go over is on the back side of this mountain and is only 2400' high...

Rounding a bend I saw something black take off from the road so I screeched to a halt... The bear started up a tree and then slid down and charged toward me... He hopped up on a stump and showed that he was agitated...

Hackles are raised

After a bit he settled down when I presented no threat...

I made it to 1500' and could go no further, June 5th and snow still at 1500' who would of thunk...

I'll have to try this one again in a couple weeks + one more which is over 3000'...