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Route Planning Where to go, when, what are the interesting places to see
Photo by Marc Gibaud, Clouds on Tres Cerros and Mount Fitzroy, Argentinian Patagonia

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Photo by Marc Gibaud,
Clouds on Tres Cerros and
Mount Fitzroy, Argentinian Patagonia



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  #1  
Old 7 Oct 2011
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PanEuropean View Post
I don't think that a cross-Canada trip could be done in February with any amount of preparation.
Strictly speaking (and if planning to stay on the inhabited regions), I´d have to disagree.

Check out for example this (ok, its not Canada, but still very cold, down to -30C):
ICE BUTT 2011 - DUSTY WOBBLS "ICE BUTT SS 1000"

...and those guys were riding against the clock, 1000 miles in 24 hours, so normally you can just take your time, and don´t have to ride through the night. (...on the other hand, the days are very short near the Arctic circle in the winter, so you´d need to maximize your distance during daylight hours.)

But it´s important to also be aware, that those guys are very experienced winter riders. I would DEFINITELY NOT recommend anyone to start off with their winter riding by making an Ironbutt ride in minus 30 temps.... or a Trans-Canada trip for that matter!!

And also worth noting, that doing something like this on your own would be a lot more risky, than doing it on a group – I don´t know if the OP planned to do this alone or not.

I once went to Lapland (north Finland) with my bike in the winter. I had studded tyres, heated gear, etc. It was a nice experience, but I guess I was lucky with the weather, as it only was around -10 or -15C daytime, and hadn´t been snowing for a few days. Road conditions were very wintry most of the time, though.
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Old 7 Oct 2011
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Dave,

I used to live in the Pacific Northwest and travel down to Death Valley California and back in winter for some warm riding and camping in the desert. The Cascade passes are snowed in at that time and chains are often required on I-5 over the Siskiyous so usually rode down the coast route. So that part of your route is doable heading up from California to Vancouver for Christmas. It can be quite cold and stormy on the coast of Oregon and Washington in the middle of winter and you will likely be the only motorcycle on the road. Some motorcyclists get caught out if the weather turns icy, so it is touch and go on a motorcycle. But you can always rent a U-haul van to get you and the bike where you're going if the weather turns bad.

Another idea would be to ride the southern states in the US and fly up to BC for some Christmas skiing. Fly back down and continue to Patagonia.

Just a thought.

P.S. I have been caught out in sub-freezing temps and even with heated clothing it was miserable. It would be irresponsible of me to suggest you should attempt a 3000 mile cross Canada leg of your trip in February. Maybe with a support vehicle. Nah. Just say no to trans-Canada in Feb.
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Old 8 Oct 2011
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Must agree wholreheartedly with all the preceding posts which strongly advise against trying to ride across Canada and the northern USA anywhere in the winter timeframe you envision..
There is a reason why birds migrate south fleeing the region, why small and big furry animals hibernate up here..That reason is COLD snow COLDslush COLDice COLD airCOLD
That is also the reason why snesible motorcyclists either leave their bike in the garage until a mild day pops up and they might take a short ride.If they have the option they head south for the winter to ride inFlorida or Mexico
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