The best I can do is to tell you I'm in Nanaimo right now... Do you know of any kind of web thingy like gmaps pedometer that I can update whenever I get the chance to show my route and where I happen to be at the time?

I haven't fought any cabbies, and drivers in BC seem to be very courteous... riding through downtown vancouver fully loaded not knowing where the hell I am going is way easier than doing any kind of riding in Toronto! They don't have much in the way of bike paths here, but they have a ton of 'bike avenues' which are basically small streets that parellel major streets where there is a bucnh of traffic calming stuff and bikes have right of way and can take the lane. Apparently enforcement is strict and drivers respect bikes. I did have to get in a cab to get to a hostel I was staying at while I had some last minute bike work done, and the guy was a freaking maniac. He broke so many laws I was considering telling him to stop so I could get out, but my bag was really heavy so I just put up with it. They have a bunch of hybrid cabs in vancouver which is cool.

I also spent a day riding with the vancouver BFSSFG crew, namely Lyledriver who is an incredibly cool guy and told me all the best spots and took me on a tour of the city.

And yes, as somnambulent said, I'm doing this for the pure fun of it, because I didn't like my job and I need to spend some time figuring out what to do with my life, so this is a great opportunity. I'm making my way down to LA, or San Diego or whatever, basically just picking and choosing my route along the way.

The weather here is light rain all weekend, but thats a far sight better than what you guys are in store for. Jeez, it must be like a sauna!