Hey there. Tried to send you a PM but the forum won’t let me for some reason. Maybe it’s broken. Maybe I’m broken.
Anyway, I live in Edmonton and you’re passing right through it. Depending on what your schedule is looking like and what time of day you get here, if you guys need a place to crash for a night you’re more than welcome here. Plus there are some pretty epic burger places right nearby….and I am talking EPIC. Lol.
If you guys were heading west I would maybe tag along for a little bit, but that straight shot to Winnepeg looks a bit daunting to me. You may not have ridden the prairies as often as I have. It is something that is actually kinda cool if you’re not exposed to that sort of thing too often. It’s massive and the skies are endless. It is actually kind of relaxing just riding and just sort of being brainless with nothing to distract you. Some people find it exceptionally boring, but I do enjoy it. Hopefully, you will too. But all things being equal I would rather head directly West out of Edmonton if I had a couple days to ride.
Anyway, keep us posted as you guys work your way closer. That is a decent chunk of mileage. My only advice is to be flexible in terms of crunching out the miles. Get in some solid progress to Winnepeg, then back for a little bit, but leave yourself a bunch of time past Montana, and ESPECIALLY into Washington and Oregon. If you can come up with a schedule where crunching out big-mile days is helpful but not necessary, you will enjoy yourselves more.
I learned a lot about that last season. I did a big trip through the west coast and put on similar milage. The “must hit as many destinations as possible” turns the run into an endurance run and it does mean you pass through some amazing places and really, really wish you had more time. Cutting out a couple destinations is a good thing….especially when they are in the prairies. Lol.
Honestly, if I were you planning that trip, I would completely leave out The Dakotas and head directly for Washington after Winnepeg. The way you have it laid out right now, you will not have the time to explore backroads that much, and southern BC, Washington, and Oregon have BRILLIANT roads scattered through them. You will get in ALL the prairie riding you could ever want crossing diagonally to Winnepeg through Alberta. Seriously, haha.
Don’t cheat yourself the nice casual days working through backroads in southern BC and Washington. Especially not to include several days riding the Dakotas….
Anyway, that’s just my feedback. In the end it will be a good trip regardless. Just keep us posted and let me know how Edmonton works as part of your schedule. I’ve got a house with 2 empty rooms so don’t worry about “imposing” on me or anything. You’re more than welcome to them.
Later!
