BRN Travels
| Winter 2010 | |
| My Second National Capital | Drummondville, Trois-Rivieres, Victoriaville, Quebec. Plattsburgh, New York. Kingston & Ottawa, Ontario. Gatineau, Quebec. |
| I had business in Ottawa, but a free weekend beforehand. So I rented a car & drove around Southern Quebec checking out foreign territory & QMJHL hockey games. I walked on Lake Champlain to see a lighthouse, I ate Coney's in Plattsburgh, I watched the Olympiques in Gatineau & I finally saw Canada's National Capital, about 2 years after I saw America's National Capital. | |
| Hockey in January in Buffalo | Burford, Ontario. Buffalo, New York |
| The Bruins were playing the Sabres on New Year's Day, so Roachie & I went to Buffalo to see them. Buffalo was properly explored & we even happened to see Team Canada while we were there. | |
| Fall 2010 | |
| 1st Annual Golf Trip | Prince Edward Island |
| The title says it all. With Muggah, Nick & Geordie. | |
| Summer 2010 | |
| Labour Day in Colorado (Part1, Part2, Part3, Part4) |
Gilman, Left Hand Canyon & Mt Elbert, Colorado. Buford & Evanston, Wyoming. Salt Lake City, Utah |
| Camping in a mining town, underground silos, desolate Wyoming, random Salt Lake'dness, the hardest hike I've ever done (by a long shot). A ridiculously amazing trip which made me feel privileged. | |
| Driving to Minneapolis for Roachie | Saint John, New Brunswick. Haverhill, Massachusetts. Scranton, New Jersey. Detroit, Michigan. Chicago, Illinois. Minneapolis, Minnesota. Niagara Falls & Albany, New York |
| Roachie thought I'd have more fun coming to his Bachelor Party than his wedding. I drove the 25 hours & sailed the 7 hours each way to get down to Detroit, to accompany him on a 12-hour bus drive to Minneapolis. Fantastic times. | |
| Route 66 | Route 66. Michigan City, Indiana. Mt. Magazine, Arkansas. Picher & Tulsa, Oklahoma. Big Sur, California. Casper, Wyoming. Harney Peak & Mt. Rushmore, South Dakota. Hawkeye Point, Iowa. Target Field, Minnesota. Timms Hill, Wisconsin. Lights of the UP & Lake Huron, Michigan |
| 17 days. Drove the authentic path of Route 66. Touristy jazz. Lights. Highpoints. 3 baseball games. Sidetrip to Arkansas. Lick Observatory. Camping in the Nevada desert. | |
| Central Nova Scotia | Great Village, Bass River, Five Islands, Parrsboro, Diligent River, Spencer's Island, Cape d'Or, Nova Scotia. |
| A ton of lighthouses, with some exploration of a part of Nova Scotia which I hadn't heard much about. | |
| Spring 2010 | |
| Arntz's Housewarming | Boston, Newburyport, Fitchburg, Billerica, Baldwinville & Quincy, Massachusetts. Lights along the Trans-Canada & Cape George, Nova Scotia. |
| I drove down to Boston for Arntz's housewarming. I knew that it would mean a good party, along with good people and good buildings. The fact that Nailhed was coming from Michigan helped. Well worth the 13 hours of driving and $220 in ferry fees. | |
| Winter 2009 | |
| That Nola Clap | New Orleans & Algiers , Louisiana. Gulfport & Biloxi, Mississippi. Charlotte, North Carolina. |
| Breweries, go-cups, eating alligator, touristy business, my first NBA game, cemeteries, world's longest bridge, lighthouses, typical gulf scenes, Tulane baseball, Mississippi hockey, 6 Flags, Charlotte stopover. Everything but Charlotte & the 6 Flags was with Geordie. | |
| The Igloo | Morgantown, West Virginia, Pittsburgh & Erie, Pennsylvania |
| I wanted to see a game at The Igloo before the oldest arena in the NHL was abandoned. I rented a car so I could also see Erie and West Virginia. | |
| Fall 2009 | |
| Back Home With the Good Ole' Boys (Part1, Part2, Part3, Part4, Part5) |
Detroit, Michigan |
| University Club, zoo, Gran Torino, Packard Motel, Leland Hotel, Dexter Ferry School, 4-Star Hotels for $50, Engine 43, Lothrop Branch. | |
| 5 Days Out East (Day1, Day2, Day3, Day4, Day5) |
Philadelphia, Maryland, Delaware, Campbell Hill, Ohio |
| Chad & UJ wanted to go east again. I bought a plane ticket & obliged. A game at Camden Yard, good Philly buildings, roof letters, Delaware and Ohio's difficulty 1 highpoint & my first national capitol. | |
| Southern Labrador | Red Bay & Cartwright, Labrador. Blanc Sablon, Quebec |
| New Ferolle Light, aban. convenience store, driving the most north you could on the Trans-Lab Highway that you could at this time, aban. airstrips & the Intrepid, 2nd tallest light in Canada, finally a small town aban. arena. | |
| Summer 2008 | |
| 2 Days in Ohio | Southington, Cleveland & Youngstown, Ohio |
| I was only home for 3 nights before Chad & UJ wanted to head to Ohio for something special. | |
| The Rochester Subway | Rochester, New York |
| I fight against time as we head into New York State in search of Coney Dogs, Genesee and old subways. | |
| Doing What 20somethings Do |
Montreal, Quebec |
| Quebec was the 9th province I visited and I loved it so much that I had to get back. This time for some grain silos, Black Label 10% 40's and strange birds with giant feet, who don't come to the call of Navi. | |
| I'm Not Coming Back to Canada on my Own Accord |
Centralia, Philadelphia & Spring Cïty, Pennsylvania. Camden, Paterson, Cedâr Grove and rural New Jersey. Delaware. Kings Pârk, New York. Norwïch, Connecticut. Tâunton, Massachusetts. Jerimoth Hill, Rhode Island |
| A going-into-buildings road trip which I was initially skeptical of due to East Coast security. It proved to be an incredible time, involving entering buildings between humid days, McDonald's breakfast meals and busy thoroughfares. | |
| Of Reds & Indians | Cleveland & Cincinnati, Ohio |
| I'm back in Ontario and it goes without saying that I'm going on a baseball road trip with Roachie. | |
| Fall 2007 | |
| Coming Home for the Holidays | Fredericton & Edmunston, New Brunswick. Thetford Mines & Montreal & Hudson, Quebec. Dansville, New York. |
| First time in Quebec and I even had a tour guide (Ashley). Greasy French cuisine, historical houses, Olympic Stadium and cold weather. Bonus New York State sanitarium on the way home. | |
| NEOPEX 07 | Fitchburg, Massachusetts |
| Down to the Bay State for some urban networking with Arntz & GrayFox. | |
| Mt. Katahdin | The Highlands, Maine |
| I laboured and fought my way up to Maine's highest point. I was shocked to later learn that it was only a 5/10 on the highpoint difficulty scale. | |
| Big Tancook Island |
Big Tancook Island, Nova Scotia |
| Having beautiful weather for a day on an island in the Atlantic, seeing my first bald eagle and also my first lifted Z28 Camaro. | |
| Prince Edward Island |
Charlottetown, Tignish & Summerside, Prince Edward Island |
| Lighthouses & red sand. | |
| McNabb's Island | McNabb's Island, Nova Scotia |
| A great day spent on an island in the Halifax harbour wandering about some historical ruins. | |
| Summer 2007 | |
| Epic 21 Day Road Trip Out West |
Manistique, Marquette, Fayette & Houghton Michigan. Fargo & Minot North Dakota. Orkney Saskatchewan. Edmonton, Calgary, Dorothy, Rowley, Jasper Alberta. Kamloops, Squamish & Whistler, British Columbia. Seattle, Ellensburg & Spokane Washington. Couer d'Alene, Idaho. Bozeman, Montana. Perham, Minnesota |
| Boats, orphanages and iron towns in Northern Michigan; Fargo skatepark, endless plains of Montana & North Dakota, ghost towns, time in Edmonton with Kayla, stunning Jasper, stunning Southcentral British Columbia, fjords, Whistler, Squamish skatepark with Dylan, seeing the Mariners at Safeco and cruising around Spokane. | |
| The Home of the Penguins | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania & Youngstown, Ohio |
| The sub-par riding spots, but beautiful cityscape of Pittsburgh, drinking Yuengling for the first time, going to West Virginia for the first time, checking out Youngstown and a building that has since been demo 'ed, drinking Evil Eyes all the way back to Canada. | |
| Off to Chicagoland! | Chicago Illinois, Milwaukee Wisconsin & Gary Indiana |
| Roachie passing out at Wrigley while Pinella is tossed, tail-gating at Miller Park, seeing Milwaukee & Gary. With Clarkson. | |
| Winter 2007 | |
| Warriner Says Goodbye in T-Dot | Toronto, Ontario |
| There's not multiple highlights, there was a single, great highlight: going to a dive strip club and having some Israeli-Russian stripper approach us and have us question if she was challenged. | |
| Chi-Town for Playoff Football | Chicago, Illinois |
| 5 o'clock vodka, one of our friends has a rough night at Barleycorn's and we have to deposit him at the hotel before we can get $1 all-night Coney Dogs. With Roachie, Clarkson, Ion & Warriner. | |
| Summer 2006 | |
| Kayla & I head to Indiana for her birthday | Indianapolis & Hoosier Hill, Indiana |
| We walk around Indianapolis looking at the beautiful architecture, visit the war memorial museum and get our first state highpoints. | |
| To Colorado! | Ankeny Iowa. Omaha, North Platte & Ogallala Nebraska. Keota, Denver & Estes Park Colorado. Bosler & Cheyenne Wyoming. Shawnee Kansas & St.Louis Missouri |
| Driving through Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas & Missouri for the first time, falling in love with Wyoming, seeing the Mets versus the Rockies at Coors Field, shopping at a grocery store in small town western Nebraska, rocking a leather vest in a western wear store, garbage Iowa skateparks and a rad Kansas one. Oh yeah, AND GOING TO THE LOU! | |
| Nine Day Filming Trip | Milton, Penetanguishene & Kitchener, Ontario |
| I fall off a pool house on the first day of the trip and then only get about 11 clips in a total of nine days. At least the Penetanguishene park was cool. With Evan, Dylan, Kevin Jones & Bart. | |
| Spring 2006 | |
| Metro Jam '06 | Toronto, Ontario |
| The first Metro Jam in the van. The boys get plenty drunk and feisty to the 3 6 mafia; we harass Dave Mirra, Steve gets a ticket on Yonge street when 3 of us have open 40's, we drink at the Metro Jam itself. With Don, Steve, Dylan & Jason. | |
| Winter 2006 | |
| The Start of our Chicago Bears Playoff Weekend Trips | Chicago, Illinois |
| Clarkson & Roachie finishing a 24 of High Life before Michigan ended; Hardee's, 5 drunks singing Good News for People Who Like Bad News, Clarkson being mistaken for a vagrant, Monaghan impersonating Mystikal, drinking High Lifes in a van on the DePaul campus while listening to the Colts game. Russell thinking we were going to a Zeppelin concert. | |
| Going, Going, Back, Back, to Cincy, Cincy | Cincinnati, Ohio |
| After falling in love with Cincy on the road trip to Kentucky, Kayla treats me to a road trip there for my birthday. | |
| Fall 2005 | |
| Squeezing in One More Road Trip | Chicago, Illinois |
| A day trip to Chicago since Don hadn't been there yet. We hit some ledges, the seawall and didn't end up leaving Chicago until 1a.m.. | |
| Spur of the Moment Trip to Kentucky | Louisville, Kentucky |
| Riding the Louisville skatepark until 4a.m. and then getting up the next day to ride street. We also got a kick out of the southern drawl. With Jason, Donnie & Seth. | |
| Summer 2005 | |
| Biking in Barrie | Barrie, Orillia & Collingwood, Ontario |
| Biking and drinking in the Barrie area with Bartek. | |
| 2nd Time in Alberta | St.Paul Minnesota. Fargo North Dakota. Montana. Chauvin & Vermillion Alberta. Saskatchewan. Manitoba. & Madison, Wisconsin. |
| Riding the Fargo Skatepark, homesteads in middle of nowhere Alberta, hitting deer in Saskatchewan, the world's largest softball & buffalo; as well as shrink wrapped pickles. | |
| Spring 2005 | |
| Metro Jam '05 | Toronto, Ontario |
| Dylan being smashed in Ridgetown, Navi throwing up in Milton, Club Toronto gay steam baths, Zipper's, Pat Sajak is in the cock mob. Also with Evan & Don. | |