Blogs from Kitsilano, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, North America - page 2

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

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

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

All packed and ready to go! Just have to hop on the new Canada Line and it will take me right to the airport. I'm really excited about flying on the Qantas Airbus 380 as it is the largest and most technically advanced aircraft ever built. It is more fuel efficient and has less carbon emmissions that other aircraft. There are 14 suites in First Class, 72 skybed seats in Business Class, 32 Premium Economy seats and 332 seats in Economy. Qantas Airlines have been around for a long time. Their first aircraft was an Arro 504K which was delivered to them in January 1921. It could carry 2 passengers in an open cockpit behind the pilot. I'm so glad it is 2011! Did you know that Qantas is actually an acronym for: Queensland and Northern ... read more

"You're going where?" a neighbour asked. I told her Guatemala, then added, "on a surgical trip." Further explanation could have followed, and should have, but I was tired of talking. I wasn't in the mood. With one week to go, my mind was on other things, like packing, and I felt I owed it to myself to give the minimum response. Also niggling at me was the sense that people do not necessarily care about my life-changing experiences, even if this time I have been given the opportunity to do a job that is meaningful, attached to hard work and risk, and disconnected to things. To be honest, I don't blame them. Why should we get all excited about someone else's adventures, really? I'm as guilty of this as anyone else. Recently, I was handed a ... read more