The Happy Canuck

Archives

I’m sitting here in my quiet office cleaning out ancient inboxes from long-forgotten email addresses. I came across a notice about an old post from an old blog. I’d completely forgotten about “Born Filter Free” so I was excited to re-read some very old stories. I never did spend much time on that old blog, but this story had me laughing out loud a couple of times so I’m pasting below. I… Read More

Do you remember that time I said I was going to ride across Canada….and then I did? It took leaving the world of work for a couple of months, but taking care of myself means I’ll be a better leader upon my return. I’ve been home a week now and I’ve just finished writing all my stories in my leather bound journal. I’m not sure when this one will hit my blog;… Read More

I woke up about 3:00 am in Moosomin, Saskatchewan. A day earlier, my son’s girlfriend asked him if I’d make it for his birthday dinner. He told her it was unlikely as I was still in Ontario. That stretch of my adventure was a bit of a feather in my cap. Although it had only been 816 kilometers, this was the first time I could boast biking through three Canadian provinces in… Read More

I was raring to go when I left Ignace, Ontario! I had my sights set on Saskatchewan. I was now only 1 sleep away from my son’s birthday, and I’d told him the night before I’d be there. I promised to do all I could to make it back to give him a birthday hug. I’d missed a hug before, and I wasn’t about to let that happen this year. I followed… Read More

It was 5:30 am as I stood outside my room at the Wawa Motor Inn watching the rain bounce off the ground under the street light. The anxiety in my belly rose in direct proportion to the steam rising from my lousy cup of hotel-Keurig brown water. Sip. Sigh. “Fuck” was all I could muster from my stressed out brain. Thinking once again back to the torrential time in Terrebonne wasn’t easing… Read More

In 2025 I rode my bike, Jules, a 2016 f700GS BMW adventure bike from my Alberta home to Prince Edward Island and back. You’ll find stories about this epic solo adventure in my xCanada Trip 2025 category of this personal blog. Scroll to the bottom of the featured images and you’ll see the categories as shown below. Or, click on the archive link for July 2025 to start at the beginning of… Read More

Once I was geared up and warm again leaving Quebec, my next ‘hurdle’ was getting through Ottawa. When I was headed east, I got turned around and mixed up in Ottawa. I wasn’t nervous about going back through, but I wasn’t exactly putting a lot of faith in Petunia, either. When I look back on this day, I’m struck by what a different ride it was! Mind set has a massive impact… Read More

Do the hard stuff first. This is what I keep telling myself. What I forgot on the morning I left Deux Montagnes, is that I don’t have to choose to make already hard stuff even harder. When I prepared to leave I figured the morning chill would burn off within an hour. I am really not a fan of riding in the cold. All my time in the saddle in Quebec, however,… Read More

Spending time with Tanya at Le Baluchon Eco Village was yet another cup-filling, soul-softening time on this cross-Canada motorcycle adventure. Sure I had taken time to stop and smell the flowers here and there, but it has been mostly eat-sleep-ride-repeat. I mean don’t get me wrong, I live for that, but after 5 weeks, stopping to engage in a little bit of self-care was a welcome rest. Tanya booked us in for… Read More