Days 2 & 3: The Journey Continues...

Good Evening World! Two more days of travel have passed and here I sit in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, all relaxed after enjoying a hot tub soak and a brewski. Roughly 3000km driven already and more to come.
Yesterday we woke up in Wawa, Ontario, and in the daylight of morning, we had to check out some of the giant statues. The name Wawa comes from the Ojibwa Natives word for "wild goose". Needless to say there are many statues throughout the town.

Time to head farther North!

After a long drive, we stopped for food and a break from the car in Thunder Bay. WOW! Talk about a dead city... It was a Saturday, in the middle of the afternoon, and NOTHING was open. We drove around, walked around the downtown, and finally had to ask the clerk at a convenience store if there was anywhere to eat and grab a drink. Basically the only option was a place called On Deck. We weren't sure what to think of the place, but the beer was cold and the food was good, so that's what matters.

Northern Ontario has some beautiful scenery,
but it all starts to look the same.

The plan was to get to Winnipeg, Manitoba to crash for the night... not a chance. Good thing we weren't in any rush.

Well, except to make it to Kenora before The Beer Store or LCBO closed. So a thoroughly urgent pace was taken to arrive in Kenora before 9pm. Did my driving get us there? Hells yes! 8:55pm we rolled into the parking lot. Unfortunately, everything closed at 6pm... on a Saturday? Even in a town of over 15,000 people? Again.... WOW! The only way we would've made it was if it was a Friday.

So we got settled in at the Travelodge in town, rocked the hot tub, and then went to hit up the Boston Pizza in town, which for some reason is open until 3am... talk about a strange place. I wasn't feeling too hot after 2000 km driven and only 4 hours of sleep the night before the trip started, so I was just ready to crash, but Mat was ready to go out. So we did.

After two long days, we decided to start a little bit later this morning, and didn't leave Kenora until about 11am. Definitely a good choice to get a little extra sleep!

We crossed the border into Manitoba and cruised into Winnipeg. It's really nice to see the Jets back in town, since the last time I was there.

Instead of the usual route to Calgary, through Regina, we decided on going farther North to Saskatoon and Edmonton, since Mat and I haven't been to either. So that means an extra day of driving. No worries, all we have is time, since I don't fly out of Calgary until May 3rd.

After driving through Northern Ontario, for what felt like forever, Manitoba and Saskatchewan was such a breath of fresh air, because we still haven't seen a single cop on the road. Two provinces and NOT ONE... In Northern Ontario? We had to deal with 20-25, easy, in the span of a few hours. Talk about a difference in Provincial revenue sources. Clearly the OPP is being put to good use...

Unfortunately, once you get past Winnipeg, there really isn't much to look at. The Prairies officially begin, and entertainment becomes the key to staying focused. For me as the driver, music is essential! Lots and lots of music. Good thing I have almost 4 days worth on my Ipod. As for Mat, he has a few more options for entertainment, such as reading, laptop, and streaming movies through Netflix with his Iphone. Here is the Blanket Monster himself watching a classic movie quite suitable for the trip, "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles". Before you wonder why, it was the only way to avoid the Sun's glare.

As for wildlife, we haven't seen much. I forgot to mention the two moose standing side-by-side that we saw on the first day. Other than those two beauties, there have been the occasional deer, a super fast Peregrine Falcon, a pretty fox, and a lone muskrat chewing on a fence. However, when it comes to roadkill, now that's been interesting! There have been a few exploded deer, fox and miscellaneous other animals, but coolest was a cougar. Yes, unfortunately we saw a rare cougar dead in Manitoba. So sad!

Well its getting late, and I need to be rested for tomorrow.
So until next time...
C.Stemp.Run

Day 1: Smooth Sailing...

Hello World! No idea what happened in News today, but it appears the Earth is still spinning, whether I kept track of it or not, so that's always good. As for my day? It was awesome!
Mat and I took off from Hamilton by 9:30am, with a car so packed that it felt like we were driving a very large version of my backpack, and headed for Toronto. The biggest shock? Almost no traffic... all day... anywhere! We hit highway 400, started North, and then proceeded to take a wrong turn towards Bracebridge, instead of Parry Sound...

Me: "Hey Mat, should I just grab the next exit and turn around?"
Mat: "No worries, just keep going, I got us a good lunch spot."

So we continued on with our 'slight' detour to Bracebridge. Upon our arrival, we stopped at The Old Station for a nice quick lunch, where we were luckily served by one of Mat's old friends, Angie. Travelling is always such a great excuse to stop by and see people.

After lunch it was time to make our way back to the main highway, and head to Sudbury, instead of North Bay.  We bypassed Sudbury and stopped for gas and a quick break just outside Espanola. Next stop was going to be my parents place, just outside of Iron Bridge, even though I knew they weren't going to be there. After all, they had just left for a 2 week trip to Ireland on Monday, but I just wanted to stop by and see the place. I took a few pictures, Mat topped off the oil, and we got to appreciate the place for a few minutes before we hit the road again. The North really does feel like my home.



The next stop was my birthplace, Sault Ste Marie. We ate some subs, grabbed a 6-pack for when we finally stopped at a motel, and headed out of town on the wrong road. Again, no big deal, and this time we were back on track in minutes. These kind of things happen when you don't have a schedule, maps, and are just enjoying the trip.



The long day ended with us driving off into the sunset, literally, along the shores of Lake Superior, towards our end goal for the day, Wawa. We rolled into town and drove around looking for the best place to sleep for the night. After asking a few gentleman standing outside of the Wawa Rotary building, we decided on The Wawa Motor Inn, since we were told it was one of the nicest motels and had wireless internet.

Success! We had arrived! After Mat checked us in we found ourselves with a very nice room, and great internet connection in the room, at no charge. I would definitely be back, and would recommend it to anyone making their way through Wawa.

Day 1 done, with no issues. Awesome. Enjoying a beer, a great hot shower, and watching some playoff hockey. Even better.

Time for bed, so that we can get up and going early tomorrow.
Tomorrow's goal? Winnipeg, Manitoba here we come!
C.Stemp.Run... Run Stemp! Run.... across Canada.

Taking Flight!

Good Morning Sweet World!! Today is the day that I leave my home of brick and stone, and turn home into where I roam. Current destination: Calgary.

I will be up nice and early, so as to get a good start on the day of driving. My travel buddy Mat is making a big move like myself, and has everything he owns packed into our chariot. This is the reason for our journey, and an epic one it shall be! Our chariot of choice of course is Mat's Subaru Impreza 2.5RS, which is gutted, roll-caged, WRX engine swapped, and basically a gorgeous rally car. Should be a fun drive!! Did I mention it's loaded like my backpack? Ya... packed...

The best part? No plans. We're just kinda going with it, and honestly there is no better way to travel!

As for all of my belongings, well it turns out I constantly over-estimated how much I could fit into a 75L backpack. It really made me have to analyse what to keep and what I really needed. Not what I wanted. I realised though that before I started this whole process, I could've easily gone 3 months without doing laundry if I just wore through everything I owned... Ya a LOT of clothes. That's what happens when you stop growing at 14, and still have stuff from then.

So now I have a packed 75L backpack, and there isn't even room in the car for me to bring it to Calgary. Luckily, I can leave it at my best friend James's place since he's the one picking me up from the Hamilton Airport in a week, when I return from Calgary. So I will be living out of just my carry-on and laptop bag for the next week, no big deal.

Not sure when my next post will be, it depends on a lot of variables. But I gotta go...
C.Stemp.Run... well technically driving... safely.

The Final Countdown!!

"We're leaving together,
But still it's farewell
And maybe we'll come back
To earth, who can tell?
I guess there is no one to blame
We're leaving ground
Will things ever be the same again?

It's the final countdown!!!"

Thank you Europe for that delightful opening number, and Good Evening World!

Today marks 10 days left until I move out of my house and move into my backpack. So much still to do and final decisions need to be made. Unfortunately, I have been sick as a dog since my last post and have not had the mental state-of-mind needed to type thoughts coherently. That is now over thankfully and I'm back at it.

The end of last week was a busy one, making sure all of my trips and flights were booked for May. In the end I was successful, while dying from the flu no less.

So my Nomad life kicks off on April 27th when I head off on a road trip to Calgary, with my friend and former coworker Mat. He's moving out to Calgary for work, fun, and frankly anything is better than Hamilton. (Haha why do you think I'm getting out of the Hammer? I'm tired of being a nail.) The trip looks like it will be a blast with nice weather, an AWESOME car to drive in, and one hell of a travel buddy! We'll see what happens...

I will fly back to Hamilton late on Thursday, May 3rd and have about 24-30 hours to spend with my best friend James, before I head to Toronto to catch a flight South.

Saturday, May 5th at 4:00pm I will be in my seat, and about to fly to beautiful Cayo Coco, Cuba. I'm spending 14 days, Han style, at the resort Club Cojimar on Cayo Guillermo, Cayo Coco with 24hr all-inclusive food and drink for $845... TOTAL. That includes all flights, taxes, and fees, which works out to $60.35/day. However, if I imagine the flights are $100 each way (which is ridiculously cheap) then the trip breaks down to $45/day to be fed, watered, and do anything I want at a resort on one of the most gorgeous beaches in the Caribbean. Its gonna be hard... especially considering its a topless beach. No Pun intended...

How far does your $45 get you?
Mine sends me "heading for Venus", since Cuba's where the women can be found after all!

The same package that I booked is already up to $915, and it was $930 two weeks before I booked. In most cases there is an ideal time to book vacation packages, and I have found that time to be between 3-4.5 weeks before the date of your trip. Any sooner and prices haven't dropped, any later and prices start going back up. This strategy obviously doesn't work for a lot of people who need to book time off work, or that have obligations, like pets and kids. For those people, I have no advice, because their lives 'boggle' me...

So two weeks of rest and relaxation in Cuba, with the occassional crazy adventure, and then my return to Canada very late May 19th/early 20th. This is followed by a bus trip to Huntsville and my 1st day of work May 21st. Many people will see this kind of constant travel as awful, I see it as FUN!

Let the fun begin...
"Its the Final Countdown!! YEAAA!!"

C.Stemp.Run... in 10 days.

Toronto Wanderings

Good Evening World!! This summer weather is gorgeous! Yesterday, I spent the day in downtown Toronto with my housemate Brady, and it was AWESOME! Let me tell you about it...

Started the day off by taking the GO Bus into Toronto, and walking down King Street West to Mountain Equipment Co-op. What a great place this is! If you enjoy the outdoors and have never been there to check out their selections, then you should. My purpose was to acquire my new backpack, that I will live out of for the foreseeable future. Talk about a stressful big decision. Trying to figure out which pack would make the best 'home' for me, for the next few years is not easy.



After I looked through the whole store, talked with a salesperson, and asked a ton of questions, I had made my choice: a Mountain Equipment Co-op brand Supercontinent 75L standard-long backpack.

I had 2 choices, blue or green, and felt that the green would be more noticeable in airports and baggage claim. It was only $179 compared to most equivalent bags ranging from $250-300, which is great since I was expecting to have to pay more. It comes with a detachable carry-on bag, and all straps can be tucked away and transformed into a massive suitcase.

Unfortunately, now that I have it, I have very defined limits of what I can and can't keep. Time to get rid of more... and hope that once I finally get it all packed, it doesn't weigh more than me!

Once I had my new purchase, Brady and I wandered around the downtown and underground PATH. It was Brady's first time walking around Toronto, and needless-to-say there is a lot to look at. Checked out TheScore studios to see what they were filming, did some window shopping and of course had some street-meat, absolutely a necessity during any trip to T.O.

I also managed to win this!

When 3:30pm rolled around we had to head to the CBC building to watch the 2 hour live taping of Strombo Tonight. The guests were Dr. Sanjay Gupta and comedian Ken Finkleman, and they did NOT disappoint. Ken Finkleman was hilarious and he had some great social insight. Sanjay Gupta was extremely entertaining, informative, and inspiring to watch. Overall, I would recommend seeing the live taping to anybody, and since tickets are free, there's no reason not to.
(P.S. Watch for the May 14th show, I am the person that George mentions because I went "AWWW" when he talked about when Seinfeld got cancelled. I made myself known atleast 4 times during the show!)

After the Strombo Show, Brady and I made our way over to the ACC for the Phildephia 76ers vs Toronto Raptors basketball game. I managed to get these tickets for free as well, so it was a very inexpensive day. The game was entertaining, and even though the Raptors lost 93-75, it was still a good time. (I almost managed to win a Raptors t-shirt too, but the guy behind me got it.)

Overall, an awesome time with a good friend, new experiences and good memories.
That's what life is all about.
All for now,
C.Stemp.Run

To work or not to work? That is the question...

Hello World! Its been a gorgeous start to the week, with nothing but sun and warmth.
Definitely no "case of the Mundays" here.
I get a lot of questions from people about how I manage to support myself so that I can create and lead this lifestyle. I like to use the answer "I'm just Neo, the one, and I've figured out the system." Obviously, that is just a ridiculous answer, but there is some truth to it.

First off, Employment Insurance is a wonderful thing, IF you ever qualify for it. I finally did, and it's great! I have more money not working than I ever did killing myself putting in 40+ hours per week. How? Think about how much money you spend on a daily basis getting to and from work, buying meals, snacks, drinks after work with co-workers. Add that all up and the average person spends at least 25-30% of their income, just so that they can work. Makes you reconsider those Tim Horton's coffee's and gas station stops everyday, Huh?

Obviously, EI is not a permanent solution, however it allows the flexibility and time needed for me to drastically redesign a lifestyle all my own. After all, I've been paying into the system for years, why not cash in temporarily until I start my next job?

Wearing the Sensor Net wasn't bad at all!

Another way of getting by is using my brain. Literally. From time to time I take part in research studies that pay cash and take little time or effort. These studies can be anything from Ad/Market research, to anxiety studies, to measuring my brainwaves. They are taking place everywhere all of the time, (McMaster, St. Joseph's, U of T, etc.) and you just need to know where to look for them. They never require actual 'work', pay better than minimum wage, and are usually even fun!

The last study I did was a week ago down at the McMaster Psychology building. All it entailed was sitting completely still in a room, surrounded by speakers, with a brainwave sensor net on my head, while I watched TV on mute with subtitles. They were testing how my brainwaves react to 'blips' and 'beeps' from the speakers, while I was focusing on the TV. I could watch anything and chose Seinfeld, because I would've been sitting at home watching it on the Comedy Channel anyways. Except this way I was getting paid! Not a bad way to spend an afternoon.

Finally, selling off 90% of your things can make you a surprising amount of money. You would be amazed at how much STUFF you have spent and/or wasted money on. Kijiji is the best for this kind of thing. You can list and sell anything! Whatever I can't sell to friends or online, goes to the pawnshop, because if I don't need it, it's worth more as money in my pocket than sitting in a box.

This week is going to be a fun one. Wednesday I'm going to Toronto with my friend/housemate Brady for the day. I got free tickets to see a live taping of The Strombo Show with George Stroumboulopoulos at the CBC building. The special guests are Dr Sanjay Gupta and Ken Finkleman, which will be awesome and inspiring to see. After that we will head to the ACC to see the Philadelphia 76ers vs the Toronto Raptors, which I also have free tickets for. Should be an awesome day!

Catch you on the flipside,
C.Stemp.Run

Life on a whim means constant changes...

Good Evening World! Happy Easter weekend to everyone out there. Its been over a week since my last post, sorry about that. Life is busy, crazy and constantly changing when you flip it upside down and start to redesign it.

On a daily basis I am sorting, selling, and donating 90% of my belongings, which needless to say takes a lot of time, effort, and thought.

"Do I really need 12 pairs of pants?"
"No, I really don't! 6 or 7 will do just fine." (Especially when I don't plan on experiencing winter anymore.)

This mindset is being applied to everything I own. Don't get me wrong, I like having things. Nice things. Shopping is always awesome and everyone likes getting something new, but what do I NEED? The epic battle of Need Vs Want...

For instance, I love nice pairs of shoes/boots/sandals, HOWEVER there is no way in HELL that I am going to carry 10 pairs around the world in my backpack. Time to trim the fat! After all, when I get right down to it which do I REALLY WANT?

To have lots of things, be stuck in one spot, and have to work all year round to support me.

OR only have to work 4-5 months of the year (in gorgeous Algonquin Park nonetheless) and then travel and live in tropical locales, like Cuba, Jamaica, Mexico, Brazil, and Costa Rica, the rest of the year.

Hmmmm... that's a tough decision... I think I'll take Door #2 Bob.
I like the idea of having 3 weeks of vacation for every 2 weeks that I work in a year.

My plans for May have also changed drastically from a week ago. No longer am I going to Romania. There were just too many issues with flights, visas, and arrangements with friends. Oh well. New plan. Instead, I will be going to Cuba for 2 weeks, for half the cost of 1 week in Romania. This trip allows me to start work a week sooner, which is always good for my account balance. As well, a friend is moving to Calgary for May 1st and he wanted a travel buddy. So now I will be moving out of my student house on April 29th or 30th, and then road-trippin' to Calgary. After a few days in Calgary, I will hop a flight back to Toronto and then head south to Cuba.

Its a tough life, but someones gotta do it!
Guess that someone is me,

C.Stemp.Run

Panorama shot of me in my room, with all of my 'stuff'. Liquidation Time!