Canada to Mexico - Off-Road Excerpts

3,265 Miles Down and Dirty

If you're up for it, this rugged, cross-country adventure could be the trip of a lifetime. Roaming from spectacular valleys where antelope caper to high plateaus where wild horses still run, we crossed river rapids and deserts and the undisturbed wilds of the western ranges. We stirred up the dust in ghost towns and slept each night beneath the stars.

After years of research and riding, American off-road enthusiasts Jerry Counts and Dave Hutchings have completed an extraordinary task. Linking a network of dirt roads and old wagon trails, they've created a continuous off-road connection and their own tour company, Mex2Can, which leads groups from the Mexican town of Tecate up to the Canadian border. The route wanders ever-changing extremes of terrain and climate, and a great diversity of landscapes, and the thought of riding it excited me. I was also thrilled to learn how much of the trip traces a number of trails blazed by Pony Express riders, the Lewis and Clark Expedition and other pioneers.

However, our team [see the Touratech sidebar] decided to make some modifications. Using the GPS coordinates Jerry gave us, we would ride the trail without a guide from the opposite direction, including side trips, and start out from Vancouver Island in Canada.

Southbound
This region is known for having the mildest climate in Canada, but as our four-week adventure begins at the end of October, a cold, steady wind blowing along the Pacific coastline gives us the shivers. The stray shafts of sunlight breaking through the deep gray cloud cover cast eerie lights on the turbulent sea. Seagulls whirl in the air near a white and red lighthouse on a rocky outpost amid the offshore waves. We board the ferry to Seattle, and a few hours later, the city's lit silhouette, beginning with the Space Needle, seems to emerge from the dark waters....

For the complete touring article, including facts & information and the map(s), click on the "Buy Article" button below.