Help from Canadian Riders

[robasay]

I am planning a return route from the NE US during the second week of June. Can anyone in Canada advise me of Canada 17 from Montreal to Sault Ste. Marie and about how long to travel between those two cities.

[DarkMeister]

You're looking at 12 hours, dude. Faster if you rush, but it's a beautiful ride after Ottawa. So figure about 2 hours from Montreal (rte 40, becomes 417)to Ottawa, half hour through Ottawa on 417, which turns to (two-lane) 17.
Longer if you eat, drink and go to the bathroom. Some nice places to stop and oggle the countryside.

[Metzen]

Hi Rob,

You've picked a really nice route to travel. As Darkmeister said, it can be as little as 12 hours for the 1,000 kilometer (approx 630 miles) trip, but can and should be dragged out longer.

The countryside is diverse and quite scenic after Ottawa, where there are a lot of museums and the like to visit. The road meanders along the rivers and then proceeds north-west to North Bay, Sudbury and finally Sault Ste. Marie. The farther west you travel, you will be crossing the Canadian Shield which features large stone outcroppings along the road. There are plenty of services on the Trans Canada Highway, which although numbered differently in its' various sections, is always marked as the TCH.

Try the Ontario government's travel website as attached for more detailed information in the province:

http://www.ontariotravel.net/TcisCtrl?language=EN&site=consumers&key1=home

Have a safe trip and I trust that you'll enjoy the warm hospitality. Let us know how it turns out.

Best regards,

[sanjaun2]

I travelled that route west to east last summer and it was a nice ride. There will be some truck traffic but much less than travelling south of the border. Traffic moved real well when there was any and the drivers were great. I would break it into two days if at all possible. You will have no problem finding services.

[Canabarry]

Another worthwhile addition to your trip would be to divert through the 7725 square kilometer Algonquin Park http://www.algonquinpark.on.ca/index.html on Highway 60. You can cut over after leaving Ottawa and then catch up to Highway 17 again at North Bay. These are well paved, curvy, hilly roads in some real wilderness.

Also, half way between Sudbury and Sault Ste Marie, you might want to consider an 18 mile diversion up to Elliot Lake, an ex-uranium mining town first opened up in the mid 1950's and now a popular retirement town nestled in the forests, lakes, and hills of Northern Ontario.

And the Ontario Science Centre in Sudbury is excellent and deserving of several hours.

[robasay]

Thanks for the information. I had sorta decided to stop at North Bay for the first stop as I will be starting in VT. Taking RT60 from Ottawa to North Bay sounds like a good idea I have 7 days to get from VT to AZ while hitting North Mich, Wiscon, Minn, No Dakota, So dakota, Iowa, Neb and Ks. When I hit KS that will be the last state that need to ride in to have been on a MC in every lower US State and DC on a MC. It is a three week trip with about 3-4 days in VT because of family obligations.

[robasay]

What will the weather be in the second week of June? Day and night temps?

[dlbushey]

If you're going to be in that neck of the woods in June, see if you can find time to shoot over to Lake George, NY for the Americaide rally. They say it's the worlds largest touring motorcycle rally, and after having been there many times, I'd have to agree. Here's their website if you want to check it out.

http://www.tourexpo.com/data/

From what everyone here has said, the route that you are taking sounds great. Wish I had the time to take it. Our route back to Detroit is the Buffalo, London, Sarnia way.

Speaking from experience, riding at night in the UP is like riding in a zoo. Watch out for the wildlife.

Hope you have a great ride.

[Geraldh]

What will the weather be in the second week of June? Day and night temps?

Temperature up here varies. The average for the next two weeks is 73F/23C.
Here's a site for weather:

Weather Network (http://www.theweathernetwork.com/weather/caon0507)

[Dick]

Temperature up here varies. The average for the next two weeks is 73F/23C.
Here's a site for weather:

Weather Network (http://www.theweathernetwork.com/weather/caon0507)
Rob wuz in Quitman, GA (near Valdosta) this morning, when I talked with him. He's heading north-ish up thru the Carolinas. Had original plans to run thru Savannah, butt got deluge-slammed on his run east from Biloxi into FL. Forced to take refuge under a bridge for what seemed like forever. Anyway, he's on the road today and planning to hit the Cherahola and the Dragon, while picking up more of the lower 48. By the time he gets back to Phoenix, he will have ridden in all 48.

Thanks for the wx deal, Gerald. Rob doesn't have a computer, butt once situated in DE or VT, he hopes to have access to one and will catch up on the forums, and maybe post a mid-trip thread.