A Map and Some Numbers: 15,200 Miles Around the US & Canada on a Bike

 

My route in its entirety.  I have GPS data for every ride, except for one in the Yukon/BC where my GPS failed for some unknown reason. Click on the map to open in Google Maps and explore.  Figuring out how to make this map was a pain in the ass, so please click on it, zoom in/out/around!  If anyone ever needs to merge and filter a large number of GPX files, I can help.

Sault Ste Marie, Ontario to Connecticut (Home)

The Velorution bike shop in Sault Ste Marie has a wall sized map of bike routes heading east. I was advised to stay off 17, the trans Canada highway, as much as possible.  Unfortunately, the roads in Ontario are quite bad for riding as shoulders are a rarity.  Most of route 17 is a two lane, no shoulder, very high traffic road.  I decided to try the road less traveled (above) out of The Soo, which was hillier, dirtier and slower, but scenic and no traffic.  

Minneapolis, MN to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

After a few days of planning, blog updating, resting, eating, and bike fixing at Rich's place in the Roseville suburb of Minneapolis, the time arrived to hit the road for the ~1,600 mile homestretch.  There were a few route options through the Great Lakes, but I long (since Wyoming?) had it in my head to go through the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and Manitoulin Island, Ontario,  places I heard are beautiful and both looked interesting on a map.  The route turned out not to have the best roads for riding, but I discovered some beautiful places indeed.

My last night in Minneapolis Rich invited me to join him at a friend's annual block party, somewhere on the south end of the city.  The live band,  dancing in the streets and happy people left me with the impression Minneapolis is a good place to live.

Moran, WY to Minneapolis, MN

I didn't have high expectations for good riding once out of the Tetons.  My impression of WY away from the Tetons was based on driving across the southern part of the state on I-80, which is a barren and boring landscape.  So I am still surprised that central and northern WY turned out to be awesome riding, and made WY one of my favorite states.  Nearly every road I was on had huge shoulders and low traffic (WY is the least populated US state).  People were extraordinarily friendly and I discovered previously unknown mountain ranges in my final two big mountain crossings.  

From Moran I rode southeast on route 26 toward Dubois for my actual final crossing of the Continental Divide, via Togwotee Pass (the W is silent) through the Absaroka Mts. They are part of the Rockies. I had never heard of them, but I think they were higher than any other mountain crossing I have done. I did a few thousand feet of climbing over 20 miles.  The climb seemed to drag on as it would flatten out and then go up again.  

Looking back at the Tetons in the clouds on the way up Togwotee Pass.  

The National Parks- Jasper to Tetons

Some of the most beautiful places on the planet deserve a lot of pictures, and so there are a lot of pictures in this post. A much needed change after the Ft Nelson to Grande Cache stretch of riding.   

I made a stop in Jasper for food and WiFi and left quickly.  After a couple days of long remote rides and a mediocre night's sleep the tourist crowds seemed overwhelming.  I felt both tired and excited as I pedaled down the Icefields Parkway, one of the most scenic roads in the world.  Just outside of town a black wolf ran across the road ahead of me.  Awesome.
   

Darren and Darren, the Professors.