In the beginning

Sometime during this last winter somewhere between the mounds of falling snow and sub degree weather I decided I needed a vacation. Some place warm.

Naturally I thought about going out west. Perhaps visit some friends I haven't seen in awhile. Like my friend John who currently lives in Portland. I've been telling him I would come out there and visit for the past three years. It's about time I follow through.

I figured while I'm out there why not check out San Francisco, I rather enjoyed the city last time I was there.

How do I get from Portland to San Fran?

Well I don't have a car, and I am pretty cheap....Why don't I ride my bike!

And so it began.

After some thought I figured why stop in San Fran. Why not keep going, maybe down to L.A. My friend Richard lives down there, and I haven't seen him in a few years.

Shit. If I'm going to ride all the way from Portland to L.A. mine as well start in Seattle. I've heard great things about the city and I've always wanted to visit. Now would be the time. And so it was set, I'm going to ride from Seattle to L.A. on my bicycle.

This is going to be one hell of a trip!

Some time went by and winter DRAGGED on and all the while I kept this west coast ride in the back of my mind.

Summer arrived as it always does, and Milwaukee awoke from a bitter cold hibernation. And believe me, I took advantage of all she had to offer.

Man I love summer in Milwaukee!

Slowly I started telling friends about my plans to ride. Most of them thought I was crazy, but still all supported me. "As they always do on my crazy adventures"

One especially seemed interested....Enter Simeon

Maybe too interested I thought. "Hmmm, Simeon needs a vacation" I told myself.

Thus began the relentless badgering to convince Simeon that he needed to do this tour with me.

Slowly....and I mean slowly he started to come around. And soon the trip was being planned.

"Why don't we start in Canada." I told him "I heard Vancouver was the shit."

Hell must have froze over that day, because to my astonishment he agreed.

Soon we figured it was a must that we go to Mexico.

So there you have it, Canada to Mexico. Three country's, 2000 miles, on bicycles!

And so, it begins......

Sim's intro

So, my friend Josh gave you the little intro, but I will explain my reasons for accepting this challenge. I had been working as a massage therapist at a spa that was taking a huge chunk of the revenue and I had grown unmotivated in my mixed martial arts training. I was all around frustrated and exhausted by daily stresses.

A lil plug for my training dojos- Check out Neutral Ground BJJ and Duke Roufus MMA Academy in Milwaukee. Both have a myspace and go to neutralground.tv.

When I get back, I hope to start providing sports massage to MMA fighters and athletes of any kind, as well as home visit therapeutic massage until I can rent my own space.

I figured the best way to refocus, fix my mindspace, and repair my spirit would be to remove myself from all of it for a while. This trip seemed perfect. Everything fell into place with me leaving the spa and finding a new apartment- right next to Josh. I have a great girl, Nikki, taking care of my apt and cat while we are gone. She even agreed to look after Josh's cats.

When I get back I will have quit smoking, gottn in shape, and prepared myself to start my own massage company and get my ass back in the dojo so I can get in the ring before i'm too old.

The send off and the first good omen 9/7/08

We started with a test ride around Milwaukee on Sept. 7, on the way to a send off breakfast provided by Tony and Molly. On the way we passed Booth street stairs and there was an older Native American sitting at the top who saw us pass. He hollered and asked where we were headed. We told him Canada to Mexico. The old man said we were going the wrong way- he had ridden Mexico to Canada many years ago. We didn't chat for long, but he raised a fist and wished us safe travels. Josh said it was good luck and it turned out to be the first of many good omens along our journey.

At the breakfast there were a few great friends there to show us off. Tony was there doing a great job of lifting our spirits. Brian, from the bike shop was there to give a last check on our touring bikes. Nikki came along to see Simeon off. Paul and Michelle were there to lend there support. And Molly prepared an amazing spread with waffles, pan fried taters, serbian salad, two kinds of sausages, and fruit salad. What a great send off.

Be sure to check out Bikemilwaukee.org for all your cycling needs. PLUG!! Thanks Brian and Tony, couldn't have done it without you!

Brian and Tony accompanied us on a bike ride to the Amtrak station and Nikki met us there. All three helped us get our bikes into bike boxes and we waited for our departure to Seattle. A two day ride.

The Train Ride and Seattle 9/7-9/11/08

Our bikes got loaded up and we boarded the train to Seattle for a two day ride. The seats had much more leg room than expected and they have a nice footrest. Still found it hard to sleep well though. It didn't help that they blasted the a/c the entire trip- even during the night. Amtrak does offer a $15 "souvenir" blanket, but we avoided that scam and I chose to shiver in my cargo shorts and t-shirt instead.





















On the train we met two well traveled guys, each on their own journeys. Chad is a glass blower from Wisconsin who had bought a 30 day rail pass and was making his way to L.A. and then Flagstaff before continuing wherever he wanted to go.



Michael is an Irish man who is passionate about politics, to say the least, and an author to boot. He had decided to traverse the earth on its surface between walking, trains, and whatever other mode of transport was available. Michael shared many stories of his travels and even sang us an Irish folk song while exploring Seattle.

We found a travelers bond between the four of us and decided after the grueling train ride we would all chip in on a hotel to have a hot shower, a bed, and hopefully a jacuzzi.

When we arrived at Seattle we found that Amtrak had lost Simeon's bag with all of his camping gear and first aid kits. There was no time to stress about that, however, we had arrived in a new place with new friends to help us explore and enjoy Seattle. Josh and Simeon decided to leave the bikes with amtrak and traverse Seattle on foot with their new companions.

The Quality Inn that we stayed at exceeded expectations by offering us a slightly larger room, a sauna,pool, jacuzzi, and a huge free breakfast to show us off. The trip only allowed us a day and a half to explore but we found the city to have a wonderfully relaxed vibe with an abundance of friendly and helpful locals. Pike st. market was interesting, with the fish market; where the fish are ordered and then thrown thru the air to a worker who caught and wrapped it up for the waiting customer.




After only a day of wandering as a group of four Josh and Simeon had to bid farewell to the two travelers that joined them. Chad and Michael were off to continue their journeys and we had to catch a train the following morning to take us to Vancouver, B.C. After wandering around a rather depressing Chinatown area we found the Freemont troll which was a site to see as well. Made of concrete and sand, the sculpture sits beneath a bridge with a real VW beetle clutched in its grasp. The Freemont area was a hotspot for the artistic and interesting young people of the area. It reminded us a lot of the Riverwest neighborhood in Milwaukee, possibly minus the scattered crime. Thai restaurants seemed to dominate the streets but we didn't stop at any while we wandered.































































































































After exploring Freemont we started making our way back to the train station where we figured we could spend the night inside while we waited for our departure. Upon arriving at the station at around midnight, we found out that the station closed sometime around 10pm. By that time the "street zombies" were abundant and Josh and Simeon were trying to decide where to spend the remainder of the night. After scanning the immediate area around the station they happened upon a young man by the name of Alexander who had been backpacking and had taken a train to Seattle looking for work after he was laid off from his welding job in California. When we found him he looked a little bewildered as to where he was going to spend the night as well.

While we talked and got to know each other we were approached by 2-3 zombies and luckily avoided losing our brains. The three of us decided to find some cardboard to insulate the concrete and bunker down behind a concrete construction barrier that should keep us out of site and shielded from the chilly wind. As we constructed our hobo spot there were a couple rat sitings which unnerved all of us but Josh. Alexander let us use his late father's U.S.A. Vietnam war issue blanket to shield us from the cold. That blanket was a life saver because our clothes bags were still checked with Amtrak.

The construction barrier did the job in concealing us all from the zombies for the rest of the night, but Simeon stayed awake most of the night on rat watch, although none approached closer than a few feet. At one point it sounded like there was a rat fight, possibly over which one would get to feed off us first. Alexander awoke with abruptly shouting a choice word and said one of the rats just walked across his shoulders. So, Sim with pocket knife in hand, sat up a little taller watching the shadows around the shelter just in case we were discovered by zombies or killer rats.














When the station finally opened, Alexander went on his way into Seattle and Josh and Simeon found their way to the next train to take them to Canada.
































"A traveler with a tongue does not lose his way"
- Kenyan proverb-

Vancouver, B.C. 9/11-9/15/08

Vancouver, oh Vancouver... We never thought we'd say this... but we wish we were Canadian.
The Bikes built and fully loaded, ready to ride!















The $15 rack that Josh bought from a bike shop in Seattle and two bags he got for $30 from the army surplus store. Ghetto rigged in order to move some weight to the front of the bike and alleviate some of the shake.

What a beautiful city! Immediately upon embarking on our bikes we encountered a local who told us where to see and where to avoid. East Hastings was a disgrace said the man, so stay the hell out of there. West Hastings, however, was a wonderful street to say the least.

Our first night in Canada, we decided on stealth camping in lovely Stanley Park. A ginormous park along the coast which was used abundantly by the locals. Bikes, walkers, runners, and rollerblades galore.
As we made camp, we decided to start cooking dinner just after dark. Simeon shined his flashlight around the perimeter of camp with a red lens covering the flashlight. About 7 pair of 'demon eyes' glimmered in a half circle not 15 feet away. We had been surrounded by ravenous raccoons. These little scamps must have heard our tarp crinkling like a dinner bell. Plus, a cup of soup had spilled all over inside Sim's food bag giving everything a tasty soup smell.

These coons were like nothing we had ever seen. Unwaivered by flashlights and only mildly scared of being charged and yelled at. We even tried chucking rocks at them,

"Our cooking pan full of ammo!"

but this only made them retreat about 5 feet before circling back around. After about 30min of attempting to scatter them, we decided to just hang the food from a tree and be done with it for the night. Aside from awaking once with a raccoon 2 feet from his face, Sim slept well enough in the Canadian woods. Josh, however, was bothered for the first of many nights by Simeon's snoring.

-The morning after the attack-

The second night we chose to bed down in the Cambie house hostel just off of West Hastings. Wandering around the downtown area was great and we visited Stanley park a couple more times before departing. There was a slight worry as Josh misplaced a 2GB memory card that held our pics from Seattle when we were shooting pictures of the sunset by the beach in Stanley Park. Immediately upon noticing the missing card we bolted on foot down to the areas we biked past the previous night. Amazingly, eventhough it must have been passed by hundreds of people, there the memory card was- glimmering like a treasure exactly where we dropped it in the grass.

The Xtacycle showing off her "down low glow" Thanks Tony!

We wandered a few blocks down East Hastings half by accident and half by curiosity only to find more street zombies than we ever encountered in Seattle. The homeless and drug addicted were everywhere amongst the stench of human waste in the streets. We hastily walked our way back to a more friendly area without incident.



We frequented the New Amsterdam Cafe and a couple similar 'cafes' in the area. Right next to the cafe we stumbled on a museum of herbal medicine which contained a decent amount of literature and trinkets describing how various herbs and narcotics have been used as medicine by cultures around the world.



















When in Rome....

We found Vancouver to have an even more laid back attitude than Seattle and again, abundantly helpful to strangers. It was at this point that Josh said it was almost unnerving how helpful everyone had been to us. It seemed whenever we were lost, unsure, or without something- someone or something appeared to help us on our way. It seemed we were meant to make this journey at every turn.



Our last night in Canada, we stayed right on Jericho beach on the South side of Vancouver. While finding our squat spot, we ran into another bicycle tourer that biked to Vancouver 27yrs previous and decided to stay. He proclaimed that he was staying under the no camping sign inside the park. We however decided to go right next to the water and set up in the sand.
While we relaxed and enjoyed the night view of Vancouver in the distance we enjoyed some of B.C.'s finest- "when in Rome they say". A few minutes into our 'relaxation' time we were passed by two policemen on four wheelers who didn't shed but a passing glance in our direction. It was so strange not to be hassled in that situation- camping on the beach and enjoying a luxury we don't get in the states. They passed us up a couple times that night but didn't bother us once.


In the morning we rode over to a ferry that would take us to Vancouver island. Once we arrived there, we rode through a town named Sydney and encountered a couple elderly British women who were hilariously delightful. One of them said she just loves Americans and they don't see many there. As we filled our water bottles she yelled-- I didn't know you two were dogs.. apparently the faucet was for refilling dog dishes in the park. She also told us that we couldn't camp in this park because it was patrolled but wished us well on our journey.

We biked on along a bike path and found a historical park where we jumped the fence and stealth camped- getting out before the gates were opened the next morning. Then we jumped a bus to take us through a tunnel and on to another ferry which would take us to Port Angeles and back to the States.


A few more pics from Vancouver follow:



















Some Stanley park art. Oh, and the vicious coons we had to fend off!




So fresh and so clean clean

Earthdance, a nice little hippie fest. It was a great way to leave Vancouver!