Julia on a bike

I really discovered John when he hosted me for almost ten days in September at his home in the heart of Nanaimo. Yet I have vivid memories of our first meeting. It was the middle of July, in a parking lot just beyond the J.C. Van Horne Bridge. Van Horne bridge over the Restigouche River between Campbellton, New Brunswick, and Pointe-à-la-Croix, Quebec. On his red BMW GS 700, he’s almost at the end of the first leg of his journey across Canada, which began on Vancouver Island. He also seems almost at the end of his rope. He braved the storm that hit Montreal, then had some bad luck, being chased by a thunderstorm all the way across the Gaspé Peninsula. A storm I was watching from afar and knew I’d soon encounter. We’re getting lost.

John travels the old-fashioned way. He doesn’t trust the GPS on his smartphone, so he’s bought himself a map of the country, as he’s always done, on foot, by car and then by motorcycle. Unfolding it from my eyes to show me the rest of his route to Nova Scotia, I see that he’s highlighted the roads he’s taken in black pen. « Look, there’s this bit up north that I couldn’t do. I’ve tried it for three years, and I just can’t do it, he grumbles, still smiling. The first time was the year of covid-19. The second, in 2021, the border between British Columbia and the Yukon was finally closed when I got there. The third year, torrential rain poured down on the last stretch, past Inuvik. After 30 kilometers, heading towards Tuktoyaktuk, the road was simply covered by a metre of water. » This story echoes Kelly’s.

But what makes John atypical in the biker community is his background and how he came to join this world. After more than thirty years taming horses, from Manitoba to British Columbia, via his native Ireland, it was in a doctor’s waiting room that he made his decision. He picked up a leaflet aimed at retirees, of which he was now one. What activities should he take up? How could he give a rhythm to his daily life? They suggested learning to play ukulele, joining a board game or reading club, and even learn ballroom dance. For this traveler at heart, who has wandered around Europe and North America, it was hard to envisage any of these occupations. His gaze then fell on another pamphlet. That of a motorcycle school. The die was cast. He signed up, and after a few hours of lessons, earned the precious sesame. John quickly bought a Royal Enfield Himalayan, chosen for its lightness, its ability to cope with all types of road and its ability to tackle arduous trails. And so begins John’s new life as a biker. He took his Himalayan on the roads of British Columbia, from Vancouver to Prince Rupert, via the unspoilt island of Haida Gwaii. And it was with his Royal Enfield that he made those three unsuccessful attempts to reach the shores of the Arctic Ocean.

In 2022, he bought a second motorcycle: a BMW F 700 GS Aventure. The model is ideal for longer journeys. It is indeed more powerful and more versatile than the Himalayan, particularly in terms of highway comfort and off-road capability. By the summer of 2023, the sixty-four years old man had covered more than 20,000 kilometers on it, in a loop of Canada envied by many. However, he confides: « Because of the unfortunate weather, I wasn’t able to visit the whole island of Newfoundland, stopping at L’Anse-au-Meadow, or go to Labrador. This was my first visit to Eastern Canada, even though I’ve lived in Canada for several decades. I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the island. » John now faces a major dilemma: Arctic Ocean or Eastern Provinces for 2024, before preparing for a full crossing of the continent and completing the famous Pan Americana route. In the meantime, it’s Vancouver Island that he’ll be taking the time to discover throughout the winter. For, as his mechanic pointed out, John is one of those people who will be riding all the time, no matter the weather forecast he barely has a look at.