sunnycuts said:
I am wondering if anybody on here has done this. i plan on doing something like this summer 2005.
I found this site but they fly to vancouver and bike to halifax.
http://members.rogers.com/amedcalf/index.html
Any tips? I have never been to b.c and will be finished university in toronto(read have no money;P) in may. Apparentaly from west to east you have the wind at your back which is a plus but being in toronto should cut my total time compare4d to riding all of canada and I d like to spend time in bc when I get there.
My wife and I have biked from Vancouver to London, Ontario a couple of times, and from London to Nova Scotia as well. We have never done the whole Trans Canada Section in any one year.
From Vancouver, we have taken the Fraser Canyon at Hope BC and the "Yellowhead" from Kamloops to just west of Winnipeg. I preferred that route over the "Hope-Princton" route, which we have also taken, and hooks up to the Trans Canada Hwy. and Lake Louise. The later is likely more spectacular, but we found it much more difficult riding.
Across the Prairies, both routes are equally beautiful, and the local people very friendly and accepting. However, don't expect "tailwinds" every day. It just doesn't work that way, and from our experience, I would say it is about 50/50. If, and when you get your tailwind, don't "waste" it, as it can turn around very quickly.
We never have taken the route on the north shore of Lake Superior but have always headed for Duluth, Minn. and the south shore of the Lake to Sault Ste. Marie. Then south to Sarnia-Port Huron and home. However, I was talking to a lot of cycle/tourists this past summer, and I am lead to believe that the "North Shore Route" over Lake Superior is much safer than it used to be, and that it may even have a paved shoulder now. Check that out before you attempt that stretch, as the Truck Traffic in that area is brutal.
Speaking of "Paved Shoulders", you can expect paved shoulders on all the major roads from Vancouver right through to Kenora, and if you go the Duluth/Sault route, right to London. It sure takes the stress of traffic out of a trip like that.
On our trips to the Maritimes, we have always biked Hwy #3 to Niagara, and picked up the "Adventure Cycling Maps" (<www.adventurecycling.ca>) and came out at Bar Harbour, Maine. From there, you can take a ferry to Yarmouth NS and beyond.
If you feel that I could be of any help in your planning, feel free to ask.
A trip like that is not near as big a deal as you might be led to think, almost anybody can do it. You will be suprised at variations of bicycles and people you will meet out there.
Good luck..........byfred
).
