With a few spare days between finishing work and starting a masters program at UBC I was keen to experience some adventure before going back to school. Since moving to Vancouver 1 year ago, I had been imagining some of the cycle touring trips I may do. BC's West coast holds so many potential options.
During my first year of university my friend Cory and I began to plan a cycling trip across Canada. I don’t exactly remember where the idea came from, but it quickly developed from a dream to something that could actually happen. We decided to raise money for the B.C. Cancer Foundation, as both of our families have been effected by cancer. We raised over $15,000 from friends, families, and local businesses. The experiences of fundraising, and the completion of the actual cycling trip have been two of the most rewarding experiences of my life.
While studying abroad in Istanbul I took my semester break to travel to Portugal and cycle from Lisbon to Faro. The goal of the trip was to really enjoy the nature. I wanted it to be slow paced and relaxing. I wanted to take many stops, and enjoy all the sights and sounds. When I cycled across Canada there was no stopping to smell the roses. We were really determined to get across the country in 50 days, so we missed a lot of cool sights along the way for the sake of time.
After 4 years of school at Queen's University I was at last done. I wrote my final exam, packed my things, and the next morning departed on a bike ride from Kingston to Toronto with my friend Sam I have known since our first year together at Queen's. The trip was more or less a spur of the moment adventure. We planned the idea several weeks before leaving, and only came up with a rough estimate of where we would be each day.