Here’s the map of my entire journey. I’ve mapped it out from city to city as I travelled along. The total on the map is abut 18,500km, but my odometer takes the official tally at just under 20,000km. For my American friends that’s about 12, 500 miles. My biggest day was definitely Chicago, IL to Rapid City, SD clocking 1470km (915mi) I was really happy travelling that distance in about 12/13 hours. Below is a list of all my stops along the way.
April 22 – May 22
Aberdeen WA,
Lincoln City OR,
Eureka CA,
Santa Cruz CA,
Bakersfield CA,
Las Vegas NV,
Virgin River UT,
Flagstaff AZ,
Tucson AZ,
Roswell NM,
Colorado Lake TX,
Austin TX,
Beaumont TX,
New Orleans LA,
Nashville TN,
Murphy NC,
HIlton Head SC,
Orlando FL,
Miami FL,
June 7 – June 29
Miami FL,
Key West FL,
Daytona Beach FL,
Nashville TN,
Chicago IL,
Rapid City SD,
Boulder CO,
Grand Lake CO,
Salt Lake City UT,
Livingston MT,
Okotokes AB,
Calgary AB,
Chilliwack BC,
Richmond BC,
Victoria BC,
The return home was most definitely a B-line as I was starting to get a little anxious to be back to my home base, here in Victoria.
So I’ve arrived back in my homeland of Victoria BC, Canada. I rode from Calgary to Chilliwack, just outside the city of Vancouver. It was pretty cold again up in the mountains through the pass. I was surprised in the lack of signage in Canada overall. Every town in the US had a sign with the towns name, then the elevation. I rode through Lake Louise, and past Banff without a clue as to how high I was above sea level. Not to mention that those locations are world renowned for skiing. Even as I crossed the border from Alberta to British Columbia, there was no sign that said “Welcome to BC”. There was nothing. The roads were in great shape all throughout, but as a province, we should work on the signage.
I stayed a few days in Vancouver with my brother for a “light painting” Photo shoot with by bike. I’ll post up the pics as soon as he’s done going through the results, and getting some good photos together. I also had the pleasure of catching up with a few friends in the area. Vancouver really is a beautiful city. If you could stand the rain for most of the year, and afford 900 square feet of pad for $800k. I would suggest you live there. I’ve had my taste of big cities for now, and will enjoy my hometown for the next few months.
Yes, this is an anecdote…
I really have to tip my hat to the USA. The country is huge, and full of incredible people. The history is fascinating. I don’t think many Americans are fans, but I enjoyed going to a place where you don’t have to wear your motorcycle helmet, if you don’t want to. And a place where you can carry guns around for no reason at all. I like that there are places you can visit that operate that way. Would I want to live there? I’m not sure yet, I’d have to do it to really know.
Like a few other countries in the world. After the Americans told the English to “FO”, they set up new rules and a new way of life. A life where freelancing is the name of the game. Sure the Americans have their painful bureaucracy like anywhere else. But I don’t see a “title loan” shop on every second corner here in Canada. Nor do I see 110km/h posted on a sign in the rural back roads. That indicates a bit more freedom in my eyes. Even in saying that, crossing most state lines is like a warp into a different country anyways.
The Northwest; WA, OR, and California were like the places that I’m used to. Very safety oriented, that I could observe from the signs everywhere. Interstate emergency “Call Boxes” which was awesome to see every 6-10 miles or so. Lots of signage everywhere about rules and regulations on what is allowed, and what is not allowed.
As I crossed the border from CA into AZ, I didn’t realize I was in for a shock. I found NV, AZ, NM, and Texas were like the wild west. Way higher fines for littering on the highway though. Way less signage and apparent “rules” for the highways. I have to say that Arizona was my favourite state. It has the high alps to the north, and the low desert to the south. The day from Flagstaff to Tucson was one of my favourite. I blew through Phoenix, but had the opportunity to check out Mesa and Scottsdale. I will visiting there again soon.
Well for now I’ve been enjoy my last few weeks off and am more than ready to get back to work. I’m a carpenter by trade and building has it’s therapeutic values to me.
Thanks for following along, I look forward to posting more.
I wrote about Salt Lake. It’s not as big as I expected it to be. It’s very clean. I think they have a nighttime street racing league. I could hear cars and police ripping around the streets all night. Looking at their congress, they’re much better decorators than Texas. The road in to Salt Lake is another course for Mario Kart.
The Salt Flats were great. The ground is like a wet, sticky salt. I did the 10 mile course starting at about 40mph and working up to 90mph. The strip and oval track are packed down pretty well. Anywhere off the course is very slippery and impossible to navigate. There are cones and markers every quarter mile on the strip to keep you straight. If those weren’t there anyone would be completely lost. Once you’re out there, everything looks the same. You get that mirror image off the ground so it’s hard to make out what’s in the distance.
Idaho is not very exciting. Very similar to Nebraska.
Montana has some incredible scenery all throughout. Tons of wildlife also so use care riding through. Livingston Montana has normal wind speeds of 75mph (according to the super 8 manager on highway 15). It’s incredibly, unbearably windy. I wasn’t a fan of that wind. It cooked my eyes.
Border officers make sour faces at me when I tell them what I’ve done. They don’t like my story and keep asking me who I did business with, and what I’m carrying with me. I tell the truth and they still have a sour face. I don’t know what to make of that.
I think that’s what I can remember from my writing before. I’m upset with the internets right now. And I might take my laptop back to the Grand Canyon for an exterior display of my emotions.
My shortest day by far for my entire journey! I left Boulder this morning, which is another great city. It includes the University of Colorado, but I didn’t see as much banter and paraphernalia around for sports as I did in Austin Texas. I know the sports scene is massive here. Maybe I wasn’t in the right part of town?
The thunderstorm last night coming into Boulder was a good one. It didn’t rain as hard in CO as it did in the south. I figured out that I was right in the middle of the thunderstorm when I could hear thunder behind me. There was a lot of reflection of lightning off the clouds, signs, cars etc. in front of me. There were some big bolts last night, and some were dead ahead!
The day leading up to Boulder was awesome. I slowly worked my way up and up in elevation from South Dakota. It became colder as I rode along. The sun was still great though, frying my nose a little more. I did get some sunscreen, which I’m happy I did. My nose doesn’t look as raw anymore. However, the shades tan on my face is a dead giveaway I’ve had some sun. Everyone likes to tell me I’ve been in the sun. “Yea, I know” I usually reply.
So yesterday I had a bit of an adventure midway on my journey to Boulder. I checked my map to get onto a service road that took me around the I-80, only 20min longer to Boulder but a bit more relaxed. I missed a turn but everything looked ok to turn around, until I saw a gravel/sandy road ahead about 30ft. I was already doing 80km (legally). I was shocked that there wasn’t a sign warning about a change in “surfacing” of the road ahead. In any case I had a challenge to deal with and quickly. The road was like a sand box with large rocks in it. I did my best to shift to the rut on one side but my brakes and extra weight on the back weren’t helping me at all. I skidded either way and the bike started her speed wobble as I cruised through the sandiest road in all of Colorado. I had a good tilt to one side and I said out loud “#$^* it, I’m going down”. It’s almost as if my bike was too stubborn to agree with me. I let go of the brake, let out the clutch and just eased back on the throttle. BAM! She straightened right out and I came to a nice comfortable stop on a hard patch in a rut. Lessoned learned, brakes aren’t your friend in a skid. Brakes are you sworn enemy unless you’re dead straight and able to come to a full stop. Ride Safe Everyone!!
Now as for getting high. It’s not as high as one could get it Colorado, but I was pretty high. The “high” way goes from Boulder all the way through the Rocky Mountains and ends somewhere near Granby CO. It’s highway 34 and it’s a blast to ride. I think this is the best time of year for it as well. I don’t see myself getting too far in 6′ of snow. It was cold up top. At an elevation of 11, 760ft above sea level, that would be 6-7 degrees colder than Boulder. There were a few spots where I was up over 10, 000ft and then back down. The elevations varied about 1000ft for most of the mountain range. I was happy about the moderate winds. I’m sure things could really get whipping up there. There were only a few looky-loos who think it’s ok to drive 10mph down a main highway. I don’t think these people realize how unsafe that can actually be.
This was another highway like the ones I’ve experienced before. A “No room for error” highway like the #1 of California. Again I wasn’t going to try and be the hero on this mountain road. It was a long way down, like 500+ feet in most places. On my way back down the west side of the Rockies, it was a warm drop back down 2500ft into Grand Lake Colorado.
It really is tough to breathe for me way up here. I couldn’t imagine having to run from a bear, moose etc. out in the woods. I’d make it 30ft, collapse, and be eaten (slash) dealt with via mother nature. Not saying the thin air is the only reason I’d collapse. These Americans know how to eat. I can see why many olympians train here. I chatted with a local who was working down at a boat rental place. (Way too windy to be out in a boat today). He said “I’m done with the wind man, it makes me so mad”. I couldn’t agree more. So we complained together. He mentioned how he had been to Whistler to ride the bike trails. Coming from someone who lives in these incredible mountains, he said “Whistler was the best biking I have ever done in my life”. Yea! Go Canada.
I’m up pretty early getting ready for the weather to change for my jaunt through the Black hills and down into Denver, Colorado. I talked with a few locals last night. Well, they kind of shouted. They were super pumped to hear about my trip. Their father suggested to me that I take highway 16 and 16A called “Needles highway”. It goes through the black hills and you can see Rushmore as well. I’m very stoked about them pointing this out to me. One thing they were adamant about “do not pay to see Rushmore”. Don’t worry fellas, I won’t. “It used to be free” said Mike. “They charge people now and it’s crap”.
Chicago was an amazing place to visit. The city is massive. I think it’s #3 in the USA, just ahead of Houston Texas, and behind Los Angeles, California. I didn’t hear as much of the eastern accent as I though I would. It could be because I’ve gotten used to a progressive culture change as I’ve moved throughout the country. I grew up with the eastern accent as well. Maybe that’s why it doesn’t stand out as much.
Being in such a huge, historic city, really made me appreciate the work of architects and engineers. We would be so screwed without the micro and macro thinkers of this world. Where does all this water go when it rains? How does it get from the lake to the hospital ER, clean enough for a nurse to wash her hands? VERY underrated masterpieces of this world. A small portion of the city is actually landfill. Household garbage, as well as debris from the Fires in the 1800’s. Hats off to the Engineers and Architects of the world!
South Dakota is a much different kind of prairie than in Canada, or even Illinois. Lots of rolling hills with a few cliffs and ledges here and there. Nothing too huge though. I logged a good amount of km’s today. My personal best. For my US followers, that’s 914mi.
I was surprised how I lasted for such a long ride. I think the weather plays a huge part as it was moderate in temperature and overcast. I still fried my nose and face as per usual. I used a small set of shaded goggles I picked up from the HD in Bakersfield. They work ok. If there’s any hint of wind apart from the obvious travel speed, the goggles foam liners create a nice pinhole breezeway. Similar to a pneumatic air hose, blowing the tiniest stream of hot air into my eyeballs. I never noticed it at first, but after a few hours my eyes became dangerously dry and red, almost burnt. Whoops. A few eye drops here and there and I think I’ll put on some different shades.
One thing I really am learning about being (kind of) on my own travelling in the world. If you ever intend to take on any kind of challenge. NEVER cheap out on crappy hardware! Don’t do things in life to “Save Money”. Spend the money on the right gear! The stuff that has been tried and tested (Not my goggles….curses HD) I was incredibly impressed with my camping gear while on the IOM for 10 days of rain. I didn’t feel a drop of water because I spent the money on a tent and tarp “designed” for exactly that. I’d leave that Wal-Mart tent at home and get the real camping hardware. If you buy a multi-tool, buy the leatherman! The last place you want to be is holding two broken plier handles in the middle of the woods because you wanted to save $60.
My backpack, waterproof compression sacs etc. These things are not cheap. But you can’t pay enough for a set of dry clothes after 8 hours of getting soaked on a motorcycle. Or walking through the woods and oh heavens, the strap on my Canadian Tire backpack just snapped. Maybe I can make a new strap by gluing together the $100 I saved to make a new one. Highly unlikely. Buying the good gear from companies that have been designing it for decades is my suggestion in any case. If you’ve been watching my videos, you’ll see the monsoon raining down on me and/or my bike. Everything inside my bag is BONE DRY. It’s worth the cost I’m TELLING YOU! With expensive, brand name gear there is another huge advantage to lower quality no-name stuff, and that’s resale value. Good gear holds it’s value. Even if you do find less-expensive or lower quality stuff, make sure you try it out, cause there definitely are some gems out there.
I asked a few people in Dublin, as they argued over a 30Eu bill at a restaurant. “Are you travelling to save money?” I mean lets not get ridiculous or careless, but really. You don’t travel around the world to argue over a bill, you can do that at home for the rest of your life if you want. The last thing I would find myself worried about on an adventure is spending too much money. Think about what you want to do, and do it. Money comes and goes very easily. It’s easier to earn money, than wave bye bye to a tour, an adventure, or a friend.
I had another big day, running up 1140km from Daytona Beach to Nashville. The second time I’ve arrived in Nashville, while breaking my personal best distance in a day. I was used to most of the scenery and recognized a few spots here and there. The mountain pass was a little more entertaining this time. We had a good group of tenacious drivers. There was about 15 of us vs infinity semi trucks and trailers. It reminded me of Mario Kart for N64 on rainbow road. No body went off the edge, but the set back was getting stuck in one of the three lanes behind a semi. It seemed to be right out of a movie where everyone is always shifting up for the entire scene. I could only hear engines revving around me as I worked through the traffic. I would pass the same cars, and they would pass me again as I cursed a semi slowing down on the uphill. I was just waiting anxiously for a banana peel to come flying out of someone’s window.
Nashville again was a great time. This time I landed on a Friday night which was a lot more eventful than the Monday on my previous visit. Again I hardly had any sleep but was back on the road at a decent hour towards, originally, Kansas City Missouri. Half way there a friend I met in the Nash told me I may as well check out Chicago since I was at least closer than I’ve ever been. I changed my route and headed straight north towards one of the greatest cities in the USA.
As I come north the parries really call out. Little black flies and no-see-ems everywhere. Stuck in my helmet/headwear, gloves, jacket etc. My allergies kick in again the further north I get. The landscape is quite pretty though. Lots of corn fields and lush wetlands. A few wind turbines here and there as well which is nice to see. They are just small compared to the mills from the large wind farms throughout the states. They stand at about 60′ to the top of the pole.
Now that I’ve been getting some real distances in, I don’t feel like a 500km will do it anymore for me. I’m thinking my next destinations will be through the Dakotas, Nebraska, Colorado, and Utah. Crossing back into Canada through Montana. I may stay a day or so in Denver as I hear it’s a cool place to check out. I’m really glad I took my time on the way down to use the back roads and really experience some cool riding. Also meeting the real people of America. I find people in large cities are mostly from other places. But the guy selling fruit on the side of a back road has been there is whole life. That gives me a much better picture of where I really am.
I haven’s been the best at keeping up on my categories. But it is week seven since I left home on April 22nd. Week eight begins on Monday.
I had an early start today. It was nice to get on my way without any traffic, not to mention the sun beating down on me from the get go. I cursed myself by thinking that this morning. I’m happy I made it back to Daytona Beach by 4pm. The rain got me good today. I made it to the North of Dade county and I could see the black clouds and lightning in the distance. I pondered stopping and waiting out to “see what happens”. I tend to be stubborn until I run short of fuel, so I kept on going. Sure enough, it came down. Lightning and patches of heavy rain, and light rain. Enough to have me pull up to two different rest stops. I was lucky enough to only have rain for the last 200km of my 700km journey for the day. The worst is when I can dump my boots out. It’s still warm though!
I’ve stopped my habits re: Tobacco, as of this morning. When things go perfectly in my life I’ll let you know. I think I’m missing out on a lot. I find smoking and chewing snuff takes away focus from everyday life. Instead of enjoying the scenery or wondering what the next town is like. I’m just waiting for another dose. I started up on my trip around Las Vegas (no surprise). I sure do love smoking though. If only it were a little easier on the body. I can’t smoke too long before really feeling the effects on my breathing. It only takes a few days to kick the congestion. People figure the “e-cigs” are the way to go. I tried one for a night and my throat was so toasted and dry the next day I could hardly swallow. Good old tobacco wasn’t that bad. The future of smoking, I guess it’ll only take another 40 years before we see the issues with those contraptions. “It’s only vapour!” We’ll see.
Daytona Beach is another great spot. “The most famous beach in the world” they say. There’s tons to do here as well. I will return for the NASCAR experience here at the track 5 miles from my hotel. I will also return for bike week in March next year. There are more Motorcycle shops than there are fast food restaurants in this city. I walk into the shops and the people there barely say hello. I’d be the same. “hurry up and buy something so I can get back to working on my bike”.
I went to a barber shop and they were good guys. Chewing the fat with the local regulars. After they’re finished they do a head and back massage with some handheld massagers, and of course they’re sold in the shop. If I lived here I’d be leaned up against one right now instead of this pillow. I’ve been to a few $40 salons at home and maybe it’s just my luck, but this barber here in DB FL knew exactly how to cut my hair. It’s what I’ve been picturing for a year, and yet seemed impossible for me to explain, or a professional stylist to perform back home. I don’t mean to rip on the art, but he charged me $12.50. That includes the massage. My next haircut will cost me $1000 to fly back down here where people understand my manly needs.
Check out my video as I laugh at people screaming and running away from the beach during a thunderstorm.
From the Beach Boys cassette my gym instructor played all the way from kindergarten to grade 6, I always though Key Largo was one word. There are a lot of key islands down here. All roughly about the same in climate and activities. Fishing. Every bridge I came across there were rods over the sides. Even the bridges with “No Fishing from bridge” sign at each end, I’m sure there were a few rods down under there. One of the keys has a population of “key deer”. I didn’t see any, but the speed limits came way down, and the highway fences were much higher in that area. No doubt to preserve the delicate existence of these rare animals. There was also a “Long key”. All across the world there seems to be some place named Long etc. Funny enough though, Long Key was the smallest of the keys. Standing at 5’6″, I found that rather entertaining.
The ride was alright. The bridges were quite short considering how large everything looks on a map. It was pretty much two lanes from Dade County right into Key West, the most southern tip of the Continental United States. There’s lots of shops and hotels called “The most southern _____ of the USA” etc. I strolled around for an afternoon when I arrived and found Duval street. It was packed with touring families and scooters, scooters everywhere. A great way to get around down here in your shorts and flip flops.
The sun isn’t so bad until about 2pm. The humidity kicks up and there you have a good recipe for a heat stroke, and it’s not even summer. My north coast body isn’t quite used to being soaked with my own sweat for entire days at a time. The streets seem to die down around 3pm as the heat is on full bore. The crowd returns around 9pm for the evening festivities around sunset pier, and the numerous bars and pubs that get rocking.
I took my bike for a cruise up and down the main roads last night. There were a few bikes here and there but not too many. I did see a group of six, and two of the bikes were impressive. I’m not a fan of chrome, but these guys sure placed the right amount of money into their rides. They have a bike week here in late september when the heat backs off for the winter. I could image these small streets lined with the prestigious projects of one of the most impressive bike building places in the world, Miami. I parked my bike mid street and walked past it a few times in my wanderings to see a couple people standing around it each time. I thought about going over for a chat, but thought it best to let them figure it out on their own. People seem to like my custom made wooden sissy bar I created merely out of necessity. Maybe it’s an option for the future, a few wooden parts here and there. Seems to attract some attention.
I spoke with a few locals here and there. A “melting pot” of drifters, legit foreigners, barely legal foreigners, and wed-in citizens seems to be the makeup of this area of Key West. “A lot of people have multiple relationships” a tattoo artist was explaining to me. “Most times they keep a marriage in one life, and who they actually want to be with in another. I seem to see a lot of that. They do an evaluation with immigration once a year to prove that they are actually married, but it’s usually a deal between the two participants until the foreigner gets their citizenship, then it’s over”. As weird as it sounds, that’s a pretty legit way of doing it. I know that’s the case in Canada. If the system works, do it. “I came down from Anchorage Alaska for a weeks vacation five years ago” She said. Fair enough, it is a beautiful place.
48 Express 