My journey started with a visit with my childhood friend Rachel. She brought me to my first yoga class 10 years ago. I had an opportunity to teach at her brand new yoga studio in Fernwood which had a super cool vibe in a super cool part of the city. Some of you may know her husband Louis Sadava who formerly played in the band Current Swell and now plays in another great band ,
Thanks for making me part of the family. As you can see we danced and celebrated while my legs still worked.
I was walking through Victoria and I heard these guys playing this rhythm at Spring Ridge Community Garden. Thanks Nels and Jordan for the magical experience. Talk about divine timing.
A day of surfing in Tofino got me acquainted with wetness . Big thanks to Dave , Mike, Alaina and Kimme for getting wet with me . It was a great way to start this chapter.
Dave and I stopped by a beach to dip my tire in the Pacific Ocean which is said to be a good tradition although I was a little naive in thinking that I wouldn't get my feet wet.
We cycled about 50km for our first day and made a stop in Ucluelet and dropped in on a fine group of yogis and yoginis to share some acro yoga.
Thanks to Eoin Finn for letting me join in on his Blissology Yoga Teacher Training Program. What a treat.
Plus that gave us an excuse not to have to ride very far our first day.
Here's Dave rethinking his life after climbing some nasty hills for 90km. We did finally arrive in Port Alberni after eating all of the power bars, which I had thought would last me more than one day. We done good Dave.
Port Alberni has about a 10km HUMP that we had to climb out of, but has such a rewarding downhill on the otherside as we rode into the old growth forest.
We did some yoga with some 200 year old trees in Cathedral Grove.
This one is supposedly the biggest. Almost 500 yrs old I think.
Feel free to correct me if you know this tree.
Dave is from the island and so we decided to do a segment called Island Talks w/ Dave.
True Stories? Some would say.
After we arrived in Nanaimo, Dave returned to his big boy job in Edmonton and I took the ferry to Vancouver to visit some friends. And friends of friends of friends. Thanks to Dave for giving me the support I needed to carry on by myself. Love you buddy.
Being the poor planner that I am I found a place to stay in Vancouver just days before arriving. Thanks to Sarah Zandbeek and her welcoming and beautiful Vancouver crew.
Thanks to Amanda for giving me a home in the heart of Downtown with the most amazing view ever.
Roof top yoga, beach yoga , yoga potluck , and I won't forget to mention a Bon Iver concert at Deer Lake Park! I almost didn't leave Vancouver.
I had a kick-ass yoga class with Reno at Semperviva. That dude is F-ing amazing!
And I also randomly met up with some musicians downtown and we had an Alley Yoga Jam.
Thank you to Dan and Brock for playing your hearts out and to Jill Rice and Brittany Rudyk for being a part of this collaboration. And Amanda's camera skillz. Thank you
I departed Vancouver and decided to take it easy on my knee and achilles which were bothering me and only ride for squamish. Thanks to Jana D who hooked me up with her friend Tina. Tina and Kevin were so nice that they let a stranger in spandex sleep in there house, and still treated me to a King's breakfast. Nothing but friendliness. Thanks you two.
I rode the next the next day past whistler and into Pemberton where I was taken into the home of Laura Zgud and her helpful husband Mike. They mentally and physically prepared me for the ridiculous climb to Lillooet which I really had no idea about. Also Mike taught me how to change a tire and a chain which to his disbelief and probably yours I hadn't figured out yet.That's kind of how I operate sometimes, I don't really wait until I'm fully prepared before I move ahead. So far so good. Thanks Mike!!
And then Laura filled my belly with Mila Chia seeds and healthy goodness to send me on my way up death mountain. (that's my name for it).
The chia seeds gave me power for real. Check out what she's talkin about.
I don't recommend the Lillooet way but I can say that having the hardest climb first made all the other mountains in B.C. seem like hills. For reals.
Barely made it but I'm glad I did it.
At one point i thought of jumping off of the mountain and then realized I'm already dead so what's another 70km. And it sure was worth it because this is where I got to lay my head.
Thank you Thank you to Blaire Houghton's mom Patricia Teskey who is a beautiful sweet woman who made me feel at home in her scenic house on the lake. We had great conversations and I felt like I might not leave. Partially because I never wanted to bike ride again and partially because she lives in heaven. Thanks Pat!
The next 2 days I camped in Cache Creek and cycled into Kamloops and that was my first time dealing with a headwind and I experienced riding downhill that was harder than riding uphill. It was pretty frustrating. And I remembered meeting a cyclist near Cache Creek saying to me that its only tough if you're in a hurry to get there. So I used the mantra on the front of my journal and it really did help.
I stayed with my Dad's friend Warren. Who fed me beer and beef until my heart was content, so I decided to take an extra day off here and rest my legs. Thanks Warren.
