Austalians American Tour

[jeffrey]

My wife and I and our 2011 super tenere will be arriving in Portland from Austalia on July 8th, we are planning a trip up to Fairbanks via the Sea to Sky Highway then to the Yellowhead highway to cassiar highway then onto Alaska highway to Fairbanks. We then plan to cross Canada and do a loop of Lake Michigan to visit family in Wisconsin. We are hoping to have a 10 day break in Wis. then head back west to Portland via the northern states to send the bike back by 16th Sept. This is giving us about 10 weeks. Are we asking to much? Any suggestions? We are planning on carrying some light camping gear for when motels are not available. We would appreciate any feedback and advise and maybe catch up with fellow riders along the way.
Thanks, Jeffrey

 

[GrahamD]

Only feedback I can offer is....

Way to go Jeffrey ::012::

 

[rem]

Welcome on, jeffrey from Australia. I missed you the first time back in November. Sounds like an awesome trip. I would have to agree with GrahamD. Please consider stopping by my place in Whitehorse, Yukon, on your way to Anchorage. I am a little ways out of town and have plenty of room for a tent, ect. You'd be most welcome. By the way, please post under Member Intros. That way more members will recognize you as a new member to the Forum. Best of luck with your trip. PM me if you think you'd like to stop by. All the best ::004:: R. ::022::

 

[Checkswrecks]

Sounds wonderful and 10 weeks would do it. The Sea To Sky parkway is great - just watch for the radar speed traps on the Indian reservations.

Oops.

Make SURE to ride Canada's Icefields Parkway south from Jasper to Banf and stay in each of those towns a day or two.

As you come south, you could try to go through Glacier National Park and then Yellowstone.


Actually and with no offense to the folks in the mid-West meant, we generally regard the distance from Denver to at least Wisconsin to be so flat and boring that we just try to burn through it. You can easily get your Iron Butt plate here. A lot of folks will fly their spouse ahead, so the wife gets a day or two off the bike. The midwest has GREAT people and good food, but there is just not much to see and it's common to get beat up by the cross winds.


If you do ride it together and have the time, look for the nuggets of "Americana" and pre-historic stuff, such as the marker at the geographic center of the North America in Rugby, ND. Not a lot to write home about, but it breaks up the day.

 

[jonkertb]

I might add that you should consider going over the top of Lake Superior and then cross the International Bridge and a visit to the Soo Locks and then down to cross the"Might Mac" Makinaw Bridge w/a view.

can I ask about the round trip costs of shipping your bike here?? I'm wanting to take mine to AU! I have a friend in Sydney who wants to put me up and see me off to circumnavigate your island.
tom

 

[greg the pole]

good day,

sounds like a great trip.
Here's a suggestion for the pacific NW, and west coast canada,
If you want to avoid the busy cities, get on hwy 101 (coast hwy), get yourself over to
Port Angeles, take the sea ferry across to victoria Canada, head up to Sydney BC, or alternately Nanaimo, and take the ferry over. This will add some time to your trip, but it's a scenic way round.

I cannot say enough about vancouver island, if you have time, explore it, Port Renfrew is out of the way, but a nice little town, Ucluelet, and Tofino are nice out of the way places to visit (stop in for a photo op on the tofino dock), also consider driving up to the tip of vancouver island to take the overnight ferry from Port Hardy to Bella Coola, pretty neat sailing they will let you set up your tent on the deck, and sleep there) from there, a steep climb greets you to take you east to Williams Lake, hook up to the hwy 97 heading north. I could go on.

Banff is a ok, bit touristy, but worth a stop in.

All the best, might be in BC around that time anyways, post often, maybe you will run into forum members.
If you're near calgary and need anything, don't hesitate,

Greg

 

[RED CAT]

Another option is to come up from Portland through central BC and north through the Okanagan, a very cool place if you've never been. Great scenery. From there you can head staight north or head east then north on the Jasper Park Highway up through the Columbia Icefields and end up in Jasper. Be sure to stop in at Lake Louise. I'd skip Banff though, too touristy. As for riding east across Canada, gets pretty boring till you get to Ontario. Be advised, Canada is a huge country, larger than Australia and distances are far. Motels won't be a problem. Pretty well everywhere but sparcer in the northern areas. Enjoy. ::001::

 

[RCDantzscher]

Going around Lake Superior...

Welcome to North America; your trip will be fantastic. When you get to Lake Superior, there are three places that are a must stop/see/do on your list. First, consider staying at the Gunflint Motel, in Grand Marais, MN. A charming little motel thats clean and affordable, hasn't changed much over the years. Run by a the most decent of people. Contact them for info/res at info@gunflintmotel.com, the owner's name is Deb. They are located about an hour south of the Canadian Border.

Second, stop in at Aerostitch, in Duluth, MN. They are one of the best kept secrets, have a fun little store, filled with things most people don't know about and it makes a good place to stretch your legs. Here's there website: http://www.aerostich.com/

Third, you really should consider riding the Alphabet roads along the Mississippi River, from Prescott, WI all the way down to Winona, MN. These roads will rival anything you see from Oregon to Alaska to Ontario. There are some great campgrounds I can refer you to, or even some cool little B&B's.

Midwestern states have some great treasures; I've been around Superior myself several times. Let me know if you want more info.

Finally, I don't know what your sitting on, but I've knocked out 27K miles this year on my Super T...A Russel Day Long seat for you and your wife will keep you BOTH happy, ready to dance in the evening or climb a mountain at the end of a long day. The single best investment of your fantastic trip. Check them out.

Good luck!
-Christopher/Seattle WA

 

[HoebSTer]

If we know the dates, all of us here in the Pacific NW in Seattle can throw a BBQ and say hello swapping stories and anything else. I can ask the wife if you could stay at my house for a night or so if that will help you out. I will see. If not that, I at least have wonderful area to throw up a tent.

 

[autoteach]

Hey Wisconsin! Where you going to be at? I am in Wisconsin just north of Milwaukee