Trans-Labrador Highway in winter

[markbvt]

You guys have got to check this out -- four guys are currently riding the Trans-Labrador Highway.





They'll be the first motorcycles ever to ride the newly-opened Phase III section from Goose Bay to Cartwright Junction (a trip I'm planning to make next September).

http://paulmondor.com/site/forum/index.php?topic=23.0

These guys make me feel like a pansy for only riding short stretches on the studded tires on my Honda.


--mark

[catamount]

HOLY.

SHITE.

[obsolete]

That looks like little to no fun. lol

[The Snowman]

That looks like little to no fun. lol

For once, I think I have to agree here. I'd rather cold than warm weather, but not on a bike.

Besides, you can't ride a cafe in a snow suit. Just not comfortable. No wonder these guys are all on dual-sports.

[markbvt]

That looks like little to no fun. lol

Not for you or me, maybe, but Paul Mondor is obviously enjoying himself if you read the thread. More power to him...

Personally, I'd love to do something like this, but only if I could figure out how to cover my entire body in electric clothing. Like 5 layers of it.

--mark

[obsolete]

Not for you or me, maybe, but Paul Mondor is obviously enjoying himself if you read the thread. More power to him...

Personally, I'd love to do something like this, but only if I could figure out how to cover my entire body in electric clothing. Like 5 layers of it.

--mark

That's what life is all about. Do what/who you love/like/or mildly entertains you. On that same note some people enjoy others pooping on them. lol

[DucDave]

You guys have got to check this out -- four guys are currently riding the Trans-Labrador Highway.





They'll be the first motorcycles ever to ride the newly-opened Phase III section from Goose Bay to Cartwright Junction (a trip I'm planning to make next September).

http://paulmondor.com/site/forum/index.php?topic=23.0

These guys make me feel like a pansy for only riding short stretches on the studded tires on my Honda.


--mark

The Trans Labrador then Ferry to Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, is a trip on my bucket list. Not in Winter though....those guys rock!

[DuncanMoto]

Not for you or me, maybe, but Paul Mondor is obviously enjoying himself if you read the thread. More power to him...

Personally, I'd love to do something like this, but only if I could figure out how to cover my entire body in electric clothing. Like 5 layers of it.

--mark

1 Layer is enough. The funny thing about modern electric clothing is that it is designed to warm your blood in your core and then your warm blood travels to the rest of your body keeping you warm all over. I finally tested my Synergy jacket liner and gloves this past weekend on snowmobiles in -6 degree farenheight weather. I had long underwear, snow pants, a turtleneck, jacket liner and regular LL Bean ski jacket. No sweater. I was very comfortable the whole time while my buddies had to stop because the top of their hands and their thumb kept getting cold. I was a little worried because my feet were cold before we even got on the machines. 10 minutes down the road my feet were warm. ;-)

[markbvt]

The Trans Labrador then Ferry to Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, is a trip on my bucket list.

Do it soon. They're paving Phase I (the stretch from Labrador City to Happy Valley-Goose Bay) incrementally year by year, with plans to be finished in 2015.

It's an absolutely amazing trip. Here's my ride report from when I rode it last September:
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=502224

--mark

[zombie]

Hey Mark
Do you think the trans lab can be done in 7 days to cartwright and back and skip newfoundland sort of an up and back trip??
I'm gonna go the first week of august but I'll only have 9 days to get up and back
thanks mick

[markbvt]

In 9 days you could do the whole loop through Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. Fairly easily, actually. Like this:
Day 1: As far as Baie Comeau.
Day 2: Baie Comeau to Lab City
Day 3: Lab City to HV-GB
Day 4: HV-GB to Blanc Sablon
Ferry to Newfoundland
Day 5: Ferry terminal to Gros Morne National Park
Day 6: Gros Morne to Port aux Basques
Night ferry to Cape Breton
Day 7: Cape Breton to Saint John, New Brunswick
Day 8: Saint John somewhere in northern NH, or just all the way home.

Throw in an extra day and you could ride some of the nicer roads in Cape Breton and northeastern Nova Scotia as well.

If you really want to do an up and back thing, you could manage that in the same time frame, but not really less unless you only go as far as Goose Bay. (For what it's worth, I would recommend Port Hope Simpson as a destination, not Cartwright, if you want to ride Phase III.)

--mark

[Slyder]

This kinda reminds me of an article I read in the local paper, being winter and on motersickles and all. The local paper doesn't have the article online, damn them. I however found said article on another site. 70+ year old Nimbus bikes, these guys are / were recetly in Hartford VT at a fellow Nimbus enthusiasts place, probably tinkering on the bikes and building spare parts in the shop. Pretty good read

http://www.wheels.ca/article/783852

[zombie]

In 9 days you could do the whole loop through Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. Fairly easily

--mark

Thanks Mark
I'm going to the VT triumph bash so hopefully I'll see you there and chat about the route
cheers

[markbvt]

Sounds good. I'm one of the BTB organizers, so just ask around and find me at some point.

--mark

[markbvt]

These guys have safely made it back to Baie-Comeau.

They were the first group to ride the Trans-Lab in winter.

They were the first motorcycles on the new Phase III section.

They were the first motorcycles to ride the Atlantic sea ice in Cartwright.


And they managed to stay safe even when trucks were flipping over.


These guys are my heroes.

--mark

[wingerdor]

You know it's sad when a group of motorcyclists have to stop and help your dumb upside-down truck-drivin self in the winter! (And the truck driver was the "local")

What a neat experience! Doesn't look like winter thought.(Not enough snow) Looks more like September!

This is more like winter snow on the Trans Lab
http://www.stormpost.com/photos/speci15.pl

[markbvt]

This is more like winter snow on the Trans Lab

That's down near Red Bay, on the Atlantic coast. I suspect they get more snow there than they do up around Lab City and Churchill Falls. These guys didn't go that way -- they turned around in Cartwright and headed back up to Goose Bay.

But this has definitely been a low-snow winter here in northern Vermont; maybe it has been in Labrador too.

--mark

[tonyd]

Thats also drifted snow. Look in background of the other pics on link you can see brush/grass peeking through the snow.