On April 1, 2005 I set off across Canada on my bicycle. Or at least I'd planned to cross Canada. These pages are an account of that trip, as told through travelogs I sent to friends. I hope you enjoy the ride!

Hey Folks,
Just want you all to know I'm all set and ready to go. Blu and BoB and I have been happily reunited, survived a few short day trips around the pulsing city of Victoria, and are now awaiting the expiration of the long weekend, and its incumbent traffic, before heading out.

Should also let you know I've managed to perform my first public reading in a few years. Read for three whole minutes and sold seven chapbooks on the strength of it. Now, if only I could maintain that level of success on a regular basis, that's over $10 a minute! If I were paid that sum for every minute I worked on my art I'd be phat like Cohen.

Enjoying Victoria, with its blossoms, blustery but balmy weather, and vibrant scene. I've even had some fun with the people here, including a dinner with a trio of lovely spicy young women who forced me to cook for them, read for them, and clean up after them. They were very sweet actually.

For the time being I've been hold up in Victoria's only low rent hostel. It's a Bukowski type place that's quite rundown and edgy, but has some nice folks running it and a few good clients. All in all it's a little like hanging out in a bohemian tenament and is giving me good poetic inspirants.

I was staying, for three days, in a more upscale joint. Unfortunately there was a fellow there, an American, who seemed to think it was his place to tell all the other tenants how to live and eat. He flew into a rage when an older woman had the audacity to cook herself some good Canuck beef. It was quite tense. I finally got ticked at the fellow, who by word was anti-war, but by action was very Bush-like. I told him: "You remind me of someone!"

He asked, "Who?"

I said, "George W. Bush!"

He was shocked and started explaining to me how much he reviled Bush and all he stood for.

I then asked him if that included the Bush practice of telling other people how they should live.

To his credit I saw a light come on! It was too late though, for him anyway.

The hostel managers finally found a good reason to hoof him, and did. As much as I would have liked to stay there, and despite my successful book sales, I found it necessary to opt for cheaper digs and did, but it was interesting living up scale while it lasted.

Have had some fun riding the Galloping Goose and wandering around Beacon Hill. Right now, in the park, the Blue Herons are teaching their young to fly. There are literally hundreds of the lanky uglies flying about, circling, diving, swooping, squawking. It's quite amazing really.

Anyway kids, I don't really have much to report, but felt I should let you all know I'm okay and the trip is about to begin in earnest. I don't really want to tell you all want my plan is in case, like last year, it leads to disappointment, but I do have something special planned, and if I can pull it off you will all hear about it.

Well, that's all for now. I hope those of you who have agreed to buy books will soon put your seven bucks in the mail and let me know, so I can start sending books out and thus lighten BoB's load a bit. And for those of you who already have, thanks. The books are on their way and the dough is being well spent.