Great Lakes-Saskatchewan to Windsor Ontario
 

I am contemplating a motorcycle trip July 2008 from Saskatchewan to Windsor Ontario to visit relatives. What is the best route? I will not be in a huge hurry and wish to see the sights as I travel around the Great Lakes. I have heard second-hand reports that truck traffic on the Canadian side through Thunderbay to Sault Ste. Marie is intense and makes for an unpleasant ride. Does anyone have any experience with this route? It appears that there is only one route along the north shore of Lake Superior. Can I find more pleasant routes on the US side in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan? I could take my Concours and blast along the black-top, or take my KLR650 and not be confined to pavement. Any ideas from people who live in the area or have travelled around the Great Lakes? Thanks.

SASK to ONT
 

All depends where in Sask you start from of course, Weyburn or Prince Albert makes a bit of differnce, but then you already know that.
Nothing really wrong with the Transcan, once you get east of the Peg even the bit where it is the ONLY road connection between E and W Canada from Nipigon to Thunder Bay.Trucks there are but well spaced out, no truckjams to hold you up. For alternatives inside Canada you could take 17 down from Kenora and along the Rainy River, Quetico Park and to Kakabeka Fals and Thunder Bay. Nice Ontario poplar prairie and rocks and lakes.
No need for the KLR really , but could get you more comfortable exploring some of the gravel logging roads if intersted. However this could get you to be riding all summer and never get to Windsor
Once at Nipigon you get to choose the North route of the Transcan thru Hearst , Cochrane and a little detour to Timmins, then the Clay Belt and New Liskeard etc. and down to Sudbury, North Bay and around lake Huron into Southern Ont. Nice ride. There are a couple of nice paved roads running south to connect to the soutern loop if you change your mind or if a cold front with rain makes you want to head south fast as possible
Or, from Nipigon you could stay the course and follow the southern Transcan route folowing the lake at a large distance to Sault Ste Marie Lots of bush, rocks and scrawny farms..You just got to love the scent of all that Ontario poplar,, balsam fir and bog and you can smell when you get back into maple forest zone too.
If you want to avoid the drive around Georgian Bay think about turning south onto Highway 6 thru Espanola then to Manitoulin Island and take the ferry to Tobermory.This will cut a few hundred km of your trip, lets you drive casually down the Bruce Peninsula and thru the farmlands of Southern Ont where you will have all kinds of roads to pick from, depending on your haste.
As for US alternative routes how about from Fort Frances Ont into Minn, then to Superior/Duluth, across Wis and the UP of Michigan, the Mackinac Straits Bridge and down to Detroit/Windsor , you pick whatever road you want. Got your passport ready ? They keep changing the rules ya know, better be safe , or stick to Canadian roads.
If you are in a real rush then head south e.g. from the Peg and you can pick up the interstates down to Chicago and be in Windsor in two days , but that was not your stated intent.
Ah , summertime.....cant be anything wrong with that ....

Thanks for the info!