Monkeys on a Railway

August 6 – 11, 2023

125cc Mini Motos on a Rail Trail

That is a dumb idea!  Want to join us?

Join us for a fantastic 5 day adventure ride around the Great Canadian Railway Trail.  This ride will include sections from the Kettle Valley Rail Trail, Trans Canada Trail, Columbia and Western Rail Trail, The Great Northern Rail Trail and The Slocan Valley Rail Trail.  This ride will be done all on small 125cc bikes.  The ride package includes a support van to haul your daily gear and riders will be eating in restaurants along the way and spending each evening in a motel along the route. The ride starts and ends in Christina Lake, BC

About Rail Trails: 

Rail Trails are old railways from railroad companies that have gone out of business.  The land has often sat for many years and the locals have decided to convert them into hiking trails or here in Canada, there are many multi use trails including for hikers, bicyclists, horses, ATVs and motorcycles.  Different areas have different rules.   Rail trails are kind of magical places; in some places they wind through the mountains in the most remote areas and use tunnels to cut through the mountains and have spectacular bridges or trestles cutting across gorges.  They do all this without much of a grade.  That is because trains cannot go up steep hills.  The train tracks have all been removed and the locals have maintained the newly groomed trails.  I wondered why the trails seem to have gotten the best paths through the mountains, but I have come to understand that the railways were built long before the highways and roads were built.  So, between all this is some kind of magical experience that can only be discovered on the Rail Trails

Ride Signup info: 

The cost to join this 5 day ride is $995.  This covers your lodging for the 5 nights during the ride and the cost of the support truck and driver.  Hotel rooms are double occupancy. This also covers your ride packets which include custom Garmin GPS maps on a micro SD card and printed ride maps and descriptions.

Now taking signups: You can now reserve your spot on this ride by leaving a $400 Deposit  (Ride limit is 24 riders)

After your signup riders will receive an email from me with further ride information and instructions.

Note: Riders must make full payment by June 11th, 2023

Riders will receive ride packets in the mail one week before the ride.

Refund Policy

Do not sign up for this ride unless you are serious about coming.  I take your signup very seriously and start planning for you the minute you sign up.  If you need to cancel  you will lose your money unless I can find a replacement rider. If I find a replacement rider I will give you a full refund but I will keep $100 to cover the planning work. Sorry but I make non refundable commitments myself so it gets hard for me. "I hate this world of non refundable deals myself." 

Ride Yodas

More About:  

I first rode these trails in 2013 and sadly they started closing sections shortly after that, but I recently returned to this area on my last adventure bike ride and have discovered that they have opened up lots of the rail trails again that I thought were closed.  So after much study, I returned at the end of summer 2022 to pre-ride the routes and discover what great trails Canada has to offer.  One thing for sure, these are multi use trails, so that means we will share these trails with others including hikers and horses.  That means we will need to ride with great consideration for others and respect their adventures too.  Even though we will mostly be alone on these trails, this is not the place for a race attitude or loud bikes.  gpsKevin

How does the ride navigation work?

This is a self-led GPS ride; all riding is on your own.  You are responsible for your own riding.  You will be given a GPS map file and instructions on how to use your Garmin GPS unit.  People will hook up in small groups of less than 6 riders and tend to ride together.  You are not encouraged to ride alone.  You are responsible for your own riding and yourself. 

 (see my ride Navigation Video)

Are you right for this ride?

When something goes wrong on a ride, would your riding friends say that you are more likely to need help or more likely to give help?  You should be in the more likely to offer help camp.  This ride is filled with riders that are more likely to give help, so most of the time the riders never need help.  Additionally there is all the normal stuff, come prepared to maintain your bike, fix your bike on the trail, repair flat tires, deal with bad weather and rain and make a joke or two.

How do I make the GPS stuff so easy?

I develop very high quality ride maps custom for our ride. They come from much of what I and others have ridden.  I take the best from all my rides and make new ones. 

(See my Custom Ride Maps Video)

Note from me, gpsKevin

My goal for this ride is simple,  great riding, so you can count on great routes and places to ride.

But in addition: the ride is about  discovering new places, meeting new friends, seeing new parts of the Southwest.

Thanks

gpsKevin

FAQ's

Q:What if I would like to ride a different bike than the 4 allowed?

A: If you would like to choose another bike you must convince me that it has equivalent performance. The goal here is we are all on the same performance bikes.

Q:How do I contact the other riders?

A: After signup and a few months before the ride I will create and share a ride contact list with all the riders.

Q:Do I need a Garmin GPS for the ride?

A: Yes, all bikes will be required to have a Garmin GPS. While cell phones can work great, there will be several areas where they will not work.  If you do not have a Garmin GPS, you will need to buy one. 

Q:How long is the ride?

A: The 5 day ride is 700 miles.  The longest day is 160 miles, the average day is 140 miles and the shortest day is 106 miles.