The route for the trip is relatively flexible but I have plotted a rough, tentative plan based on a combination of common routes by previous cyclists and places I wish to visit. On a trip like this you inevitably find so much more to do and see than can possibly be crammed into one summer.

I start in Tofino, BC on Vancouver Island so I can truly begin on the Pacific Ocean and hope to end in St John’s, NL on the Atlantic. I pedal from sea to sea, a mari usque ad mare as the national motto goes, and coincidentally from island to island, with a few more literal and metaphorical islands in between. The geographer R. Cole Harris described the different peoples of Canada as “an island archipelago spread over 4000 east-west miles.” My primary interest lies in seeing some of these smaller places with their distinct flavours and histories. I also hold a weakness for local oddities like the merman of Banff, the Star Trek paraphernalia of Vulcan, AB, or the various “World’s Largest” small towns are so replete with. If you have any suggestions for places, sights, or people I should visit, let me know in the comments.

I will be checking in periodically as I move along so you can follow my progress below. There will be times when I won’t have cell coverage so if I miss a day, no need to panic; I’m pedaling to the next coffee shop or library with free wifi.


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2 comments

  1. Rob Campbell says:

    Good idea and thank you for keeping a blog about it. Are you going to take back roads all the way? that would be a cool. Congrats on having the idea, and following through. And doing something so bold. You’re living your your life!

    • jbquiring says:

      I’ll taking the TransCanada highway for good parts of the journey. It’s a little quicker and gives me some leeway for side trips or other stops of interest.

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