Arie Hoogerbrugge

Safari Arie

Arie Hoogerbrugge

I hate biographies. This blog is meant to keep in touch with immediate family (so my mom can sleep at night knowing where I am). And the very very small hand full of people that would be considered friends. Either you know me or you don't. So I don't feel any reason to say anything about myself. That being said if there is something you want to know, ask and maybe I will tell.


Total Distance: 0 miles / 0 kmMouse: 0,0

Proposed Walk About Route




North America » Canada » British Columbia » Vancouver » Kitsilano October 5th 2011

My thoughts riding into Vancouver? Mmm, good question. Am I relieved to be done? Not exactly; if I had the financial resources I would have been more than happy to head south until there was no more road to ride. If winter was not upon us in Canada I would have been happy to start riding east. But Vancouver seems as good as an ending destination then anywhere so I am content with this chapter of my life simply coming to end. I am kind of excited to see what life in B.C. has to offer over the next few months. This has easily been the most physical challenge of my life and am pleased to have accomplished this at 38 years old. It makes me think I have a few good years left in me. ... read more

North America » Canada » British Columbia » Vancouver » Kitsilano October 5th 2011

Dedication Of My Story And Bike Trip It never occurred to me to dedicate something to anyone before because I had never written anything publicly. But at some point I wondered if this was something to do in a blog. What are the ground rules for dedicating a book to someone and are those same rules transferable to a blog? I guess it is safe to say that I don’t know the rules and if I have broken any just tell me how much the fine is and where to pay it. One person has been in my thoughts, close to my heart and always in my prayers this whole time. If truth be told the main reason for this blog was my way of letting him know how and what I was doing. Hoping that ... read more

North America » Canada » British Columbia » Vancouver » Kitsilano October 5th 2011

A few words about equipment. At Christmas time I did a bit of research on biking and found blogs that talked about the equipment that they used or brought on their trip very helpful. So if my experience can be helpful to others I think it is worth sharing. I am not going to get specific with model numbers etc. Everyone buys what they buy from different places and for different reasons. I am not going to mention the obvious equipment unless I learned anything useful or helpful. Camping Equipment Camping Equipment was all purchased at MEC (Mountain Co-op Equipment) Tent - I made the mistake of not buying a free standing tent (I had to make sure my tent pegs were in firm ground). I got lucky and never ran into serious problems. Just make ... read more

North America » Canada » British Columbia » Vancouver » Kitsilano October 5th 2011

Stats & Fun Facts Total Kilometers Ridden – 6,530 km’s To help put that into perspective; Canada is about 5,500 km’s long. Total kilometers Ridden On Gravel Roads – 715 km’s Total Number Of Ferry’s Taken – 13 (10 in BC, 2 NWT, 1 AB) Flat Tires - 1 Since Leaving Hamilton Ontario Nights slept in a tent – 74 Nights slept at a hostel/friends – 27 (including a laundry room) Nights slept on a ferry or bus - 4 Biggest Surprise – Enjoying this bike ride way more than I ever expected. Biggest Disappointment - Not seeing any Grizzly Bears and not having the crap scared out me by an angry bear Biggest Climbs – Rennell Sound (Queen Charlotte Island), Ice Fields (Banff to Jasper) and Tetsa River (Alaskan Highway) Boring Sections – Mackenzie ... read more

North America » Canada » British Columbia » Vancouver » Kitsilano October 5th 2011

Some Random Acts Of Kindness That I Experienced (in chronological order) Some people just simply showed kindness, some saved me a few dollars, some saved me a little grief and some saved me a lot of grief and some a little of all of the above. Either way in recognition they deserve a page on my blog. Hitch Hiking – All the people that drove me a little further then their stop Tobermory – The cyclists that approached me and showed me a camping spot; saving me a long night at a picnic table Northern Ontario – The native that gave me shelter in his trailer so I could get out of the rain Sault Ste. Marie – The older couple that gave me a lift back to the Grey Hound Bus stop Grande Prairie – ... read more

North America » Canada » British Columbia » Vancouver » Kitsilano October 3rd 2011

Sunday October 2, 2011 Cleaning Lady With Attitude This morning started pleasant enough. I was having a conversation with guy from London England. He was a cop. His job was working with architects in London to help reduce damage to buildings, property and people in the event of a terrorist attack for the Olympics that are being held in London in 2012. I think that’s what he said; the Olympics in London in 2012 or maybe 2013. I knew nothing about London getting the Olympics; I guess I am a little disconnected with the world events. Anyways it sounded interesting and he mentioned being in the military and training in Belize; which I also naturally found interesting. At around 11 am the cleaning lady came in and things got a little interesting. I am not really ... read more

North America » Canada » British Columbia » Nanaimo October 1st 2011

Wednesday September 28, 2011 Sunny Skies I woke up to sunny skies so I guess it is a no brainer what my next move would be. Continue the ride to Port Renfrew and the Pacific Coast. Why end a ride when the sun is out? I hit the road in good time with no camp to break down. I stopped at a Tim Horton’s for quick breakfast. I did something I don’t usually do I ordered a coffee and grabbed a table. Five minutes later 2 bike riders from Taiwan showed up. They were brothers and the one spoke very little English. I think he said that they started in Toronto but they did not ride all the way here. Something about one brother having to go home and they had only ridden about 2000 km’s ... read more
Heavy Logging On The Way To Pt. Renfrew
Standard View Heading To Pt. Refrew
Harris Spruce

North America » Canada » British Columbia » Nanaimo September 27th 2011

Saturday September 24, 2011 A Miracle I Got Out Dry It rained most of the night and the weather forecast is calling for rain all the way till Tuesday. Today the forecast was for “light rain” and they are even calling for 90 km per hour winds tonight in Tofino. When I woke up things were very overcast. I wasted no time this morning in getting packed up and ready to get out of Ucluelet this morning. I thought for sure I would be getting wet and rained on for most of the day. This would not be the case at all. I made it all the way to Port Alberni with no rain. In fact 40 km’s south of Port Alberni I got sun. I am completely shocked how I got so lucky and it ... read more
Blind Curves
Many many Km of Dangerous Highway
18% Grade

North America » Canada » British Columbia » Vancouver Island » Ucluelet September 23rd 2011

Wednesday September 21, 2011 Ucluelet As I packed my bike this morning it started to rain. I didn’t think much of it as I have ridden through rain all summer long. I should have given it a lot of thought and stayed put in Port Alberni. It rained the entire day, all 100 km’s to Ucluelet. I have never ridden a full day through straight rain. There were a few short moments that the rain would lighten up but it never stopped. Every time I get wet on this trip I think it is the wettest that I can get. Today I and my gear are officially wetter than they have ever been. Everything is wet. The road from Port Alberni to Ucluelet is very very hilly and winding. There are a few areas where there ... read more
Long Beach
Long Beach
Long Beach

North America » Canada » British Columbia » Nanaimo September 20th 2011

Monday September 19, 2011 Ferrying Back to Vancouver Island I was packed up and on the road at 11 am. It was good to be back on the road; but thank you to the Dynes for their wonderful hospitality. I almost forgot I was on a bike trip. I rode 50 km’s to the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal to catch a ferry to Nanaimo. The first half of the ride was largely uneventful and along the shore line so the ride was nice enough. The last half of the ride was along the (very fast) highway. I am not a big fan of riding along busy highways. I got into a bit of a jam half way into my highway part of the trip. There was a tunnel that did not allow bicycles or any vehicle that ... read more
Cathedral Grove
Cathedral Grove
Cathedral Grove




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