Trip to Canada...

[Gino]

Planning on a trip into Vancouver and Calgary (and possibly up to Edmonton) via CAGE (:eek: wife and infant son will be with me) sometime late in September. Will be coming through Portland and Seattle then to Vancouver and beyond.

Any "must see" attractions along the way? What can I expect the weather to be like (when does winter start in Canada - does it ever end... :D ?)...? Any recommended routes?

Thanks all!

[GregK100rs]

Get an education.

[sanjaun2]

Get an education.
I have had plenty of education especially about Canada. My favorite way to learn about Canada is by exploring your beautiful country and meeting all the nice people that live there. Maybe you should step up to the plate and help Gino out if you know anything about Canada.

[Yiet]

Gino,

It should be a great trip for you and your family and you will not find many folks with Greg's attitude. Having lived in both provinces for some years I can tell you that the list of ideas would be very long indeed. I am not sure what would most appeal to your family but both BC and Alberta offer a variety of good web-sites to help you out. That time of year will see quite a variety of weather. You could well have snow as you cross the Rockies and it tends to rain more frequently but the good news is that you will have some beautiful fall colors to enjoy. Vancouver is always worth a stop - one of the most beautiful cities in the world (on a sunny day - expect some rain). If you can, head up to Whistler for a day. the Minter Gardens near Harrison Hot Springs are almost as nice as Buchart over on the island and would be convenient to your route. The Okanagan Valley will be in the midst of the fall harvest and touring the vineyards makes for a fun day.

From Kamloops you will have the choice of heading through Roger's Pass on the Trans-Canada Hwy through Banff to Calgary or taking the Yellowhead through Jasper to Edmonton. If you really want to take the road less travelled you could take the #3 (a good motorcycle route) to Pincher Creek and then turn north on #22 (the Cowboy Trail to Kananaskis and then to Calgary. In Calgary, they have a fine zoo, fly fishing the Bow right in the City, and many folks enjoy a trip to Spruce Meadows, a world renowned privately owned horse jumping facility just south of Calgary. When I lived in Calgary it snowed every month of the year at least once very much like Denver in that regard.

Edmonton is a great place to live and the industrial blue-collar base for the Alberta oil industry. It has great cultural facilities but may not be quite as appealing for family activities that time of year. There is nothing like a trip to an Edmonton Eskimos or Edmonton Oilers game to get the local flavour.

On your way home I would highly recommend planning your route through Waterton and Glacier National Parks. I guarantee you will want to return on your bike.

Feel free to PM me if there are any specific questions.

Yiet

[GregK100rs]

Hey Gino. Sorry man, that wasn't my best post. You will love Canada, and all of us who live here. With the exception of the crimial element which is part of any society. I blame it on Rap music :o

The best thing about Canada is that there is no single aspect of our Country that makes it so great. This is the home of Wayne Gretzky, Shania Twain and me. Gotta love that.

If you get to ride or drive into our National Parks you will not believe the landscapes. A buddy of mine had his Harley tore apart because he had a few candy bars in the saddle bags. A grizzly sniffed them out and made a terrible mess of his bike.

Keep your food away from the bike and family, either in a tree or down wind of where you are camping. Just last week another guy was attacked by a black bear and he lived to tell the tale.

[Gino]

Thanks to most of you for your constructive replies.

I'll investigate those suggestions and hope to have a great time exploring!