My Trans Canada Bike Journey

  Finlayson Arm from Malahat Drive October 16, 2013 Refreshed from a restful night of sleep, day 2 of the journey is a beautiful, colorful fall day. Today would prove to an interesting day, as I would cross the first mountain on the Trans Canada Trail, named the Malahat Summit. Flying down the other side, I quickly achieved the Shawnigan Lake area, and eventually,  The Cowichan Valley Trail. But first I need to tell you about the Butchart Gardens, an absolute must-see for any tourist in the Victoria vicinity,   In 1904, Robert and Jennie Butchart  moved to Vancouver Island in order to build a cement plant on a rich limestone deposit.  In 1912, after the cement production had been exhausted, Jennie began plans for a magnificent garden in the quarry.  That garden eventually became the Sunken Garden. Jennie’s grandson Ian Ross took over management of the gardens on his 21st birthday in 1939.  Under his leadership the gardens were transformed to the amazin...

  Symbolic start: back wheel starts the journey made wet from the  salt water of the Pacific Ocean October 15, 2013 A thousand mile journey begins with a single step, or in this case, with one revolution of the bike’s wheels. A completed journey ties the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean.  After taking a tour of Victoria by bus, it was around 2:30 and time to actually start the bike journey, if indeed I was going to do this. Actually it was a pain to roll/carry the bike down to the water. There was a steep embankment, and this was just a symbolic tradition, and pointless unless the ride spans the entire nation. That would be a far more ambitious goal, possibly in the future. The current goal was more Forrest Gumpian: I would ride until I got tired of riding. Then I would stop. Just a tiny start would be all that could be accomplished in 2013.  6 days later I would be attending an actuarial conference in San Diego. For now this was a one year commitment.  If I enjoye...

My Trans Canada Bike Journey! The date is October 15, 2013 and I am enjoying the scenery that  surrounds this marker at mile zero of the Trans Canada Trail (TCT), now also known as The Great Trail. I don’t like the name change. Trans Canada is much more descriptive,  as this park is situated on the coast of the Pacific Ocean.   While this is the beginning of the trail, it is not the beginning of the story. For that, we have to set the clock back a few months during the summer of 2013. I had planned a long weekend from the desk at work to visit Brantford, Ontario. My curling team was planning to play in a bonspiel during the Fall of 2013 and I wanted to check things out. Brantford is the hometown of the Great One - Wayne Gretzky - and he has been generous in giving back to the community.  I had brought the bike along, and I was looking forward to riding in some new territory. Turned out to be an interesting ride. I had selected a local bike trail and a short time into...