My last day in Vancouver couldn't have been better. It was supposed to rain but it mostly remained grey with no rain. I got a call from a lady called Ana Karina from ILAC Languages School that they have found out about my trip so they wanted to interview me. I made an appointment with them for 2;30PM. On my way to Stanley Park I met with another old friend Barbara and we went for coffee and chat, after catching up I was off to the institute where I was greeted by Elton, a really cool journalist from Brazil who took pictures and videos while asking me about my trip. 

Then at 3:30PM I was off to Stanley Park with Dante fully loaded for a last practice ride. I don't really know how to describe the effect this place has on me. I have visited it everytime I have come to Vancouver (3 times) and it always relaxes me and makes me feel great.
The sensation of riding along the ocean away from the noise of the city and so many people jogging and biking just brings certain inner peace in me. It's just one of my favourites places to be. I saw geese (and their babies), squirrels and a fearless raccoon (who thought I'd feed him). I ended my trip around the park at the beach where I rolled Dante along the shore of  the Pacific Ocean waters as a symbolic act, also washed the stones my friend Carolenys gave me for good luck on my journey since I had instructions to wash them in salt water.

After that I rushed myself to meet my friend Luis after work and ride together back to his place. We got there, dropped the bikes and went out for one last walk around Vancouver.
I mailed some stuff back to Toronto and we had dinner at this great retro-joint called "Lucy's". I have always been a fan of 50's dinners but this one was the best I have ever been to. It even had bike handlebars mounted on the walls like hunting trophies...so cool! $11 gave me a burger, fries and vanilla milkshake.
What a great way to say goodbye to Vancouver. 10:30PM and off to bed. Heading to Mission, BC tomorrow.

So the adventure really begins today. Woke up at 6AM and got Dante ready, not fully loaded but I re-packed the small front panniers and used them as rear panniers with enough clothes for one night out and some other stuff like book, maps, and snacks for the road.
I left at 6:45 aiming to arrive and catch the 9AM Ferry so I could be in Swartz Bay (Vancouver Island) at 10:30AM. Oh boy how wrong I was..
I managed to reach Richmond but after that I got lost. I also got rained on 30 minutes after leaving Luis's house (bummer) I pulled out the rain gear and kept on going, better get it our of the system since probably there will be more of those rainy days in my future. I think it was just "undude" to have rain on my first day.
As I start asking for directions I realized something, Vancouver people don't know how to give them. I keep on stopping and asking people how to get to Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal, they look at me and ask me back "On your bike?"
There are 3 bridges to cross and 2 of them become highways, not for bikes, when a guy kept on directing me to take that route and I asked "Is it meant for bicycles?" he just grinned and said "Errr yeah, just ride very closeto the right".
Nah! Don't wanna have a heart attack on my first day of riding so I decided to turn on my GPS on my phone and take the further bridge (the one for pedestrians and bikes) and well add another 20Km to what it should be an easy 30Km ride.
Finally made it to the Tsawwassen Ferry terminal at 10ish and ended taking the 11 o' clock Ferry that would drop me in Swartz Bay at 12:35.

On the Ferry I met my first fellow cyclist on my journey and her name was Pam.  It was her first time riding the ferry on a bike, I asked her if she was riding to Victoria and she said yes, then I showed her my google map I printed the night before and she said it was confusing and suggested I should ride with her along the Lochside Trail all the way to Victoria. 33Km of paved and gravel road but takes you from the city through the country and then back to the city. We rode at an average of 25Km/h while she was giving me the quick tour for first-timers in Vancouver Island, then once she got to her destination she was kind enough to draw me a map in order for me to get to mine and meet my two friends waiting for me in Victoria. I am a firm believer things happen for a reason, although I missed the 10AM ferry I met Pam and took me on the right path, otherwise I'd have had taken me longer to figure it out. Thanks Pam, Kudos to you!

Once I got to Victoria my dear friend Laura (from Toronto) was waiting patiently for me (and worried) since noon. We went out for a walk and to meet my other friend Katherine (from Montreal) in the way she took me along the shore, to the famous Mile 0 for some symbolic pictures and to the Terry Fox monument for some inspiration/encouragement. An hour later we met with Katherine at the dock in downtown where I had fish n'chips from this funky looking place called blue fish-red-fish but it was great. Right after we went for a beer all together and 3 hours later I was off on my way back to Sidney to meet with some other folks I'd be having dinner with and spending the night. It is so great to see old faces in new places once they have moved. Thank you Laura and Katherine for making that day a great way to start my journey. I'll keep in touch I promise (you do the same)

I rode 33Km at a steady pace of 25Km/h until the very end when I took it slowly to take pics and find my way to Harvey's place. (A couple friend's of a friend in Toronto) who offered food and board for my first night in Vancouver Island. Harvey and Carol, a great couple were waiting for me with Lasagna, beer and salad (which felt great after 33Km) and Geoff and Ruth, another couple on their 90's but very young at heart who have travelled all over the world and enjoyed life like no one else have. We had a nice conversation while having dinner full of questions about my trip, anecdotes and travel stories of their own. Harvey was nice enough to give me pointers about the places that I'll be visiting. At 10PM we agreed it had been a long day for everyone and got off to bed, I had my own room and a really comfortable bed which pampered me on my first night, I'll surely be missing it when the camping time comes. Thanks Harvey, Carol, Geoff & Ruth.

The next morning I woke up and since Harvey was going to Vancouver I decided to take a ride with him to the Ferry Terminal so we could enjoy some more conversation. He's a really interesting and funny guy with an exquisit music taste (70's rock) so all the bands I like were his favourites and made me think of some tunes I haven't listen in a while and I have forgotten about. Once after the ferry ride he took me past a bridge/speedway (the one I didnt wanted to cross the day before) and I dismounted, I put Dante together and said goodbye (not before Harvey gave it a test ride) and off I went to Vancouver and to run some errands. Happy about my first day although quick but very fulfilling. I made it to Mile 0 and back. I went to get some bicycle stuff and the famous "bear spray" that I'll be taking with me in case of an encounter.

Once in Vancouver I wasn't that tired so I dropped Dante at home and took a shower and went out with my friend Luis for a celebration beer and a live music, he took his bass (he's a very talented musician) and we found a place where they were hosting an open jam. We both took turns on the stage and it felt so weird to play with starngers and especially after 3 months of not grabbing the bass but we played 4 songs, blues progressions mostly and it felt great. I am looking for more open jams along my trip where I can drain some of the stress from the road and do one of the things I love. To play music! Then we got back home around midnight and off to bed. The next day will be rainy and grey so no riding, just chores and laundry to be done as well as updating the website....

So it was an amazing first day on my adventure and I really hope the next ones to come are as good as this one, thanks again Pam, Laura, Katherine, Carol, Geoff, Ruth and Harvey.......this one goes to you buddy!

Sunday I woke at 5AM but forced myself to sleep some more until about 8AM. It was weird to wake up at a diferent place and that's the way it is gonna be for the next 3 months. Once my friend Luis and his daughter Paola woke up we arranged for a homemade breakfast I cooked (French Toast) with Bananas. Then I gave Dante some TLC by putting him back together in one-piece and get him ready for his first 150Km to Vancouver Island on Monday and then back to Vancouver on Tuesday. We took a walk around Vancouver and went to a park, had ice cream and into a pet store where I saw the friendliest bunny I have ever seen in my life (and I worked at a Pet Store and SPCA) as soon as I got close to the cage he got up on the rear legs and started sniffing my hand. The as soon as I got the camera out he started posing for a nice close-up. The clerk came by and said his name was "Toast" and that he was indeed a friendly fearless bunny.
I took that as a welcome greeting from a BC resident...thank you Toast. I'll be seeing your relatives on the road for sure.

The day finally came when I grab the bike box and 2 duffel bags and said good bye to Toronto and headed to the Airport to catch my 7pm flight.
My brother came with his friend Phil and we had one last lunch in Kensington Market before packing my stuff in his truck, I think I might still have been in shock since it only felt like I was going away for a weekend or a week. Once we got to the airport I checked in my baggage and we had a beer to wish me a good adventure. When the time came for hugs then it hit me I wouldn't see my brother again for the next three months, or my girlfriend, or my friends but I will meet some new people along the road (hopefully nice people) and see new places I have never seen and that if it wasn't this way, I might never seen while keep on living and working in Canada. 6:30PM and they called to board the plane. I got a window seat and I tried to relax by watching a movie, then looking at the window I saw some amazing view of the Rockies and I couldn't help thinking "I'll be seeing you again in 10 days or so"
The flight was on time in Vancouver, good weather not too hot not too cold (not rainy thank God) and I took a taxi to my friend's house. Once I got there I dropped all the stuff and went out for a beer and catch-up conversation, many things have occurred in these past 2 years and some are the reason for me taking off in this adventure..around midnight (more like 3AM Toronto time) I called it quits and went to bed..

Well, this is it. The day has come when I fly out to Vancouver to do the preparation for my trip and get the stuff in order. I will be riding to Victoria, BC to start my trip on the Pacific Ocean and then back in Vancouver for a couple more days. On June 1st I will be meeting with the other riders to start my journey towards the east to finally arrive to Saint john's in Newfoundland. Lots of riding and tons of experiences and people to meet await for me for the next 3 months. Looking forward to it!
Thanks to everyone who took the time to meet with me before leaving and showing their support I will be missing you but also looking forward seeing you back soon. I will update my "thanks" page once I am in Vancouver and start blogging away my stories on the road.
Hugs to all of you, I wouldn't have done any of this if it wasn't because all your support and friendship
While leaving to the airport, I'll leave you all with this tune so you can think of your friend and his trip...
Sincerely,
The Midnight Rider - A.K.A. "Seb"

I went last night to my brother's to spend the night at his place and then ride together one last time before I pack the bike and wait one more week before I get on the plane that'll take me to Vancouver and the start of my journey.
We woke up at 7am and we started doing the ride that he calls "Hamburger Hill" (didn't see any burgers) but it was nice to have that one last long ride with him and we took it easy, rode together and catched up on family talk. The on the way back we stopped for some breakfast and we headed home for what would be a well deserved Spa Day for Dante. Even when I have taken good care of Dante since I got it almost 2 months ago the time had come to do some TLC on it.
We brought it downstairs and my brother did an excellent job servicing my bike and getting it ready for the journey.
He gave his approval (which I trust) and added some other parts we were due to install on the bike. He's a very good and patient bicycle mechanic in case you are in need of one and the best part is that he will go to your home or workplace andfix the bike there if you are located in the GTA. Please go to his website and show some support.
www.bikeproservice.com
We spent the rest of the afternoon doing some other stuff and catching up and then I took Dante on the Go-Train back to Toronto were I arrived home around 9:30pm and staright to bed after a full day of activities including 50Km.

Countdown tot he Trip = 12 Days Left (and getting nervous)

For our one year anniversary present my girlfriend Claire got us a wine tasting tour in Niagara-on-the-Lake. We were all excited about biking for a part of the trip (although they announced showers) We got the bikes on the Go Train at 8:30 via Burlington and then we transferred to a bus all the way to Niagara Falls. We got there at 10:30am very hungry for skipping breakfast and COFFEE but right outside the train station there was Dad's dinner where we made our first stop for breakfast (2 eggs, potatoes, bacon and toast put a smile back in our faces) and we got enough energy to ride about 11Km to the Winery..I got some directions written down the night before and lucily we took a wrong turn somewhere and we stopped to get directions on the GPS when all of the sudden a taxi driver pulled aside, he asked where we wanted to go and saw my home-made-map, then he pulled a real map and suggested we take a bike path instead that would add another 4K to our ride but the scenery was much better, boywas he right! Thanks Al 9the bike-friendly taxi driver from Niagara) thanks to him we rode by a golf course, lots of spring flowers and tulip fields of all colors (Claire was in Tulip heaven), one of the Niagara Dams, the flower clock and the Brock monument.
After all this we rode through a long flat York Rd until we reached the winery and manage to beat the rain by seconds. Once we got there started raining but we were safe and under a roof about to get our wine knowledge bumped a notch (or to pop the cherry in my case). Once we got there a quebecois guy called Louis(who could be Sam Elliot's twin brother) greeted us saying "Are you the folks who came on bikes?", great way to make an impression...
The tour started and we were given so much information about wine making as well as a very detailed tour on the process of wine making from harvest to bottle it. Red, white and iced wine.
At the end of the tour we sampled 4 different wines with Cheese and chocolate, fabulous way to end a tour, we ended getting an iced wine bottle (for the road) and off we went. Rain was playing mind tricks with us because it'd rain and stop, rain and stop. We decided to make an effort on the pedaling and try to catch the 5:30PM bus back to Burlington to then catch the train back to Toronto and not arrive too late since we both worked the next morning.
We got at the station by 4:50pm (good job Claire) it was a great way to spend a Monday and for anyone looking for a good wine tasting tour Chateau del Charmes is the place to go, highly recommended and please ask for Louise.
Thank you Claire forsuch a wonderful and new experience and for riding with me.

Countdown to the Trip = 20 Days Left

It was a nice sunny Sunday morning and me and Dante were out again looking for adventures. This time I hooked up with a couple of friends Nathalie and Hugo for a bike ride from Captain John's all the way to Edward Gardens Park (an easy 35K there and back) we started around 10am and took the bike lane all the way to the park while enjoying nature and a kayak/canoe rally that was happening on the river. About halfway there I noticed that I was riding with a flaton my rear tire and I stopped to see what was it. Ironic enough 2 minutes before I was praising on the couple Schwalbe MarathonPlus "punture-free" tires I got for the trip...so much for that! We walked to a path next to the river where we had some of the sandwiches we had brought for lunch, once I was fed and felt the river sounds calming me down hehe I proceeded to get down and dirty with my flat tire (did I mentioned because I left home in a rush I didn't bring spare tubes??) my bad...but luckily I had my patch kit so it was just gonna take a bit longer than usual. I pulled the tube, inflated and walked down to the river to see where the flat was depending on where it bubbles after I sank the tube. Once I found the tinny hole, then I dried the tube, scrapped it a bit and glued a patch onto it. Back on the tire and tire back on the wheel, fully inflated and I was ready to roll again...I felt proud and I think I am getting better at fix/repairs on the side of the road. Then on the way back we were feeling hungry again and we decided to stop for a much deserved cold beer (to recover electrolytes you know...cough,cough) and BBQ meat at a friends place.  Thanks Nathalie & Hugo for such a wonderful ride and company (and you get extra points for the egg salad sandwiches)

Countdown to the Trip = 21 Days Left

Today it was the turn for Presqu'ile Point Park. My first time riding with Will (who contacted me via MEC website so we could ride together along ben and Scott) Ben picked me up at 7am and we drove until Cobourg, ON (about one hour and forty five minutes away from Toronto) there we met with Will and we spoke about security and safety issues before starting a 100Km ride for about 6 hours (breaks and lunch included) We averaged 20Km/Hour (which is good for bikes fully loaded) and I liked this ride much more than Lake Simcoe or it could be that all this training is paying off now. Although I fell behind on the way back I managed to keep their pace for most of the ride. It was a bit cold in the morning but then it warmed up and it was the perfect temperature for a ride. Took lots of pictures and we talked about the trip (riding techniques, hosteling, camping, sights, etc)
Good guys to have as companions, we'll just have to see if after that third day (one of the toughest ones) from Hope to Merritt I am able to continue with them or I'll be needing a rest day. Hopefully I won't fall behind by then.
No deers this time but I saw a pig farm with the cutest pig looking up to me while taking a picture...