Final Leg of the Trans-Canada

4,570 km

The rest of my Trans-Canada adventure took me from Saskatoon to Vancouver via a night in Kelwona. I got a ride back with my team mate Daniel from East Van Bike Polo, and stayed with his family in Kelowna.

It was a beautiful drive through the pacific coastal mountains, winding down to the coast on the Coquihalla hwy. The Coquihalla highway is awesome as it winds around the tops of the mountains offering great views of the valleys and rivers. 

At one point near Merrit, BC I couldn't help the feeling of nostalgia as the scenery and look of the mountains and valley looked distinctly like Jindabyne, Australia(a small ski town I had visited several times as a kid)

All in all it was a superb journey across the country and an amazing way to see my country before I see the world!

Enjoy a few more of the pictures I took along the way.

W

Polo on the Prairie, Saskatoon

3,000 km - Saskatoon was the location of my second bike polo tournament ever and first stop to my journey. I arrived on Wednesday the 12th of June 2013 in Saskatoon and couch surfed at Ashtons place the first night there.

Ashton had an apartment juts north of downtown Saskatoon and was gracious enough to host me on short notice. Another great surfing experience and I left his place to stay with a fellow bike polo'er Daren and his family the next day which was an incredibly kind gesture by them.

Thursday and Friday I tried to see as much as I could but because of monsoon like rain I was penned up for most of the two days. I did meet Bryn and Will and there friends and family at a great Mexican restaurant/music venue just off Broadway Ave on Wednesday evening. The restaurant was called Amigo's Cantina and is at the corner of Dufferin and 10th Street. It is cheap and family friendly till 9pm. They serve a wide mix of meat, vegetarian, and pub fare dishes, and I got a great veggie burger.

On Friday my team mate Daniel arrived and we went an found a great diner on Saskatoon west side. The diner was called Park Cafe Diner, and it had a cheep breakfast special as we some really good eggs benny's. Later in the day we built the polo court for the tournament and after being soaked by a monsoon, the weather broke and the sun came out while we assembled. Afterward we played some great pickup with the folks from Saskatoon and Calgary.

For the third annual Polo On the Prairie tournament teams made it out from Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Vancouver making me the farthest traveled for the tourney. It was a full round of seeding on Saturday and the rain kept coming. Sunday morning we played one more game of seeding and our team(DDT) finished in 2nd place in the seeding round.

On Sunday the weather was overcast and rainy but we made due, and the double elimination rounds started. Because we finished in 2nd place in the seeding we got a bye in the first round of games, and ended up playing the 5th seed instead of the 9th seed. We ended up losing and were into the elimination round. In the elimination round after a few arguable mistakes by the refs we were out of the tournament in second last place.

Tough last day but we had fun, I played the best polo of my life, and it left me wishing I could be back next year. So many great friends were met and the level of polo witnessed was great. I am also happy I was not the only one that hit the bottle after we were knocked out... Mark Leoppky... To bad I didn't win a new frame!

It was an awesome tournament and the sponsors, city of Saskatoon, and Saskatoon Bike Polo, should be so proud!

Here are some photos from the next day's paper in Saskatoon. Photographs by: Liam Richards, The StarPhoenix

W

The Begining Of My World Journey

Welcome! June 10th, 2013 marks the day that I started my journey around the globe. So exciting!

For those of you that don't know me or know my story, I'll fill you in with a quick intro. My name is Wes, I am 23 and from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

When I was 22, I quit my government job due to personal reasons mainly to do with being to young for the 9-5 life, and a strong desire to travel. I packed up with no real plan and no friends on the west coast and moved to Vancouver, British Columbia. After a little thinking and time to clear my head I decided that I have the resources and the will to travel around the globe. About 8 months after living in Vancouver I briefly moved home(Ottawa) to get some stuff in order and spend a bit of time with loved ones.

So here I sit in a Saskatoon coffee shop about 3,000 km from home, and 3 days into my journey of more than 40,000 km.

I write in a journal, and for this post I will be posting what I have written about the last three days prior.

10-June-2013, The Start

"This morning began with a tough goodbye to my Mom and Dad all after a day prior of goodbyes to my brother, aunts, uncles, and lots of friends. It was very hard but I know they are all proud of me and are sending me lots of love. They know I will have them in my thoughts eternally along my journey.

I started the journey via a rideshare with Greg from Fredricton, NB. Day one was good with our drive taking us through Northern Ontario, just past Sault Ste. Marie, to Pancake Bay Provincial Park.The provincial park cost us 20$ each for a campsite and is located on the mighty Lake Superior, the largest lake in the world(by surface area).

This evening I enjoyed a camp meal of Cous Cous with dried veggies, cranberries, sunflower seeds, and some misc spices. Of course the meal was accompanied by a few James Ready 5.5 beers. Tomorrow I will write form near the Ontario/Manitoba border.

Peace"

11-June-2013, Day Two

"Hello World, I will obviously not be writing a blog post everyday but it is the beginning of my journey and I am excited.

Today was a good day of travel with a spectacular drive through the Lake Superior region and ends here, in Manitoba, just past the border. If you ever do this drive across Canada and the weather is nice, it is totally worth the few extra hours to take Highway 17 over the 11. We holed up in a bush clearing about 50 meters off the Trans Canada Hwy.

This was my very first experience 'wild-camping' and it was a little nervy at first as I was not sure what the repercussions are for doing so, but as the saying goes, 'No harm, No Foul'. It actually became more relaxing after the initial nerves where sorted, the thunderous sound of the transport trucks going by was quite soothing after a while.

Anyway, that is all for now. Peace and good night."

So now I find myself in Saskatoon for 5 days for a bike polo tournament. Check in next week for a blog post updating this stop!

W

Out East - Part III, Baltimore Day IV

Sunday and our final full day in Baltimore we began with another more immersive walk through Fells point and along the Baltimore waterfront.

We ended up back at Max's again for some more pints, I wonder why? We met some great locals, befriended some bartenders, and were bought drinks by a host of people at the bar. It was a fantastic experience and was rounded up with some shots of Jamesons Irish Whiskey(Jimmy McNulty style). After getting a nice alcohol glaze on we proceeded to the venue for another night of Maryland metal mayhem.

 

Sunday night was the best night from a social perspective as it seemed everyone to do nothing more than party. The bands Pagan Altar(UK Doom Metal), Sleep(US Doom Metal), and Venom(UK Black Metal) were all great but I feel were shadowed by the performers on Friday night.

Overall it was a great weekend, and now it is time to take a breather from heavy drinking, get ready for my trek out to Saskatchewan and the west coast, and get my life in order. The only negative part was loosing my wallet during Venom but luckily it had no money in it and it was the last band on the very last night... that's what you get when you crowd surf like 20 times during a set.

Venom - Black Metal Live
Sleep - Dragonaut Live
Pagan Altar - Pagan Altar Live

Out East - Part III, Baltimore Day III

Saturday we got an early start at the day and decided to tour down to the historic area of South Baltimore(Federal Hill). South Baltimore, like Fells Point, is a historic and well kept area of Baltimore. With its Greek revival and British Colonial inspired architecture it proved to be well worth the walk.

We found a really great cigar shop called Cross Street Tobacco on Light street. this shop touts itself as the finest selection of cigars in Baltimore. I am not much interested in cigars but they had a selection of over 25 pipe tobacco's and since it is Maryland you can pack your pipe and try out the product right in the store. Great!

Next we found a patio at Regi's American Bistro and enjoyed some more of that great New England Cuisine. Sitting amongst the 18th Century buildings on Light Street I enjoyed a very sessionable Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA, and a great Crab Cake sandwich. It was fantastic and since Regi's boasts a rooftop garden you can even feel good that some of your food is coming from only 40 steps away!

After lunch we strolled up to Federal Hill park where a fort had been erected at one point in the 19th Century. It no longer stands there but the site does offer a great view of downtown Baltimore and the waterfront.

We then proceeded back to our hotel, drank some beers and then walked down to the venue. The night consisted of a few bands that I wanted to see, a lot of socializing, and heavy drinking. The only bands we ended up really checking out were The Melvins(US Doom/Grunge) and Vinterland(SWE Black Metal). Photo below is Vinterland.

The Melvins LIVE at MDFXI

Out East - Part III, Baltimore Day II

We started day two off a little late and rightly so after a ten hour drive and a killer Bolt Thrower set all in the same day. We started off by reparking the car a bit farther away from the hotel and Camden Yards Stadium as it was going to cost us $27 a day.

After we found parking we walked East to the National Historic District of Fells Point. Along the walk we walked past a few places off interest one being the location that the Star Spangled Banner was first created, and the St. Paul De Vincent church.

 

Fells Point has historically been a ship building area and became very popular for the construction of top sailed scooners. In the 18th and 19th centuries the area grew wealthy on tobacco, flour, and coffee trades and today still holds the wonderful historic aesthetic with its well kept and restored buildings.

 

Upon our wandering we came across a pub called Max's Taphouse in Fells Point. Andrew had scoped it out prior to coming to Baltimore and we decided to pop in and grab some pints as well as some great New England Cuisine. I feasted on a Chesepeke Dog which was a sausage on a roll smothered in a sort of crab sauce(or chowder) and with a hefty side of potato salad.

It turned out that Max's Taphouse is ranked amongst the top 20 pubs in the world and this was not hard to believe as it boasts 140 rotating draft taps and 5 cask beers. The taps range from a few popular international favorites like Steigl, Delirium Tremens, and Guinness Stout to the very best of American craft beer. As well every day it has a rotating house draft beer for $3.50 and the two they had during our visits were the Savant and Backhanded Compliament IPA's by Elysian Brewing.

Its bottle menu was absolutely massive, with over 200 beers to choose from, I was afraid to even think about choosing something off of it. But they have everything in that bottle menu, Belgian, English, American, and even a few of my favorite Quebec breweries(Unibroue and Dieu De Ciel).

Beers of note on my visits to Max's included "Sweet Baby Jesus" Peanut butter chocolate stout by DuClaw Brewing Company, "Saison De Lis" by Perrenial Artisan Ales, and ''Triple Karmeliet" by Brouwerij Bosteels. Overall, it was the best pub I have every been to without a doubt.

After the pre-drinking in Fells Point we strolled down to the venue for the MDFXI Friday night festivities. friday night included some downright amazing preformances by Benediction(UK Death Metal), Hellshock(US Crust Punk), Carcass(UK Death Grind), Pelican(US Post-Metal), and then finished up with another memorable show by Tragedy(US Hardcore Punk). If you ever have a chance to see Tragedy live and Metal/Punk is your thing, Do IT!!!

Afterward we headed back to the hotel after a late night crispy chicken sandwich to get some rest for day three!

Benediction - Subconscious Terror Live
Carcass - Buried Dreams Live
Carcass Better Quality
Pelican - Dead Between the Walls Live

Out East - Part III, Baltimore Day I

Preface.
I have written a considerable amount about my trip to Baltimore that includes interesting stuff(I hope) for people from all walks of life, whether your a traveller, foodie, beer snob, or metal head. So I have decided to split the trips blog post into four posts on the four days we were there. I still have not got my camera back up and running so all the images are Instagram photos from my feed.

I am not going to flood my blog with videos of the bands from the festival, but I will include links at the bottom to the some YouTube videos. Check them out if you please.


Enjoy!

Day One.
On the 23rd of May my friend Andrew, my brother, and I drove down to Baltimore Maryland for the biggest heavy metal party of the year, Maryland Death Fest XI(MDFXI)


We got our tickets for the four day festival half a year in advance and booked a hotel at the Marriott Inner Harbor near Camden Yards through a deals site. The hotel was extremely nice for what we paid and it was in not a terrible location.

The drive down from Ottawa took about 10 hours with stops, a little bit of construction, and driving through Baltimore during rush hour trying to find the hotel. The drive itself was quite scenic with the highway through most of New York and Pennsylvania being high up in the mountains looking down into valleys. The drive through southern Pennsylvania and Maryland was really nice with old farms and British colonial architecture and forests thick with oak and vine. 
 

Only trouble with the drive was that I was very hungover, and as soon as I saw the water of the St. Lawrence below us on the Ambassador Bridge I could not keep the contents of my stomach down, but it we all laughed, I felt better and it gave us a great story to take home. 

 

Thursday night was the first night of the festival and we saw Pallbearer and Bolt Thrower play. the festival took place at the Former Sonar Compound which essentially is a massive night club that they shut down two adjacent streets for three outdoor stages.

Its a very unique atmosphere as most festivals I have been too are in large expansive fields, but this was on the streets, downtown, amongst old industrial warehouses full of character. The entrance was perhaps the most unique, a parking lot, under an overpass with plenty of tailgating and homeless people selling dollar beers.
 

This was second time I have seen Bolt Thrower and it was quite amazing again. They had some sound problems and had to cut the set short. But it was still really rad.

Overall it was relatively tame night and we headed back to our hotel.

Bolt Thrower - Killchain Live