Jul 26 - North Bay, ON

so... days spent getting to know the good side of Sudbury - such an interesting place. after the first night spent grungy and nasty in Canada's scuzziest band room, i ran into Phil & Libby (from the show at NSA in Wawa) and they bought me lunch and connected me with a place to stay at the home of their friend Heather Topp, a wonderful and strong-minded eccentric artist who kept me up happily late debating a world of things over red wine. she is vibrant and lively - full of that creative energy that some artists posess in their personality, making them larger than life.

i picked up a show on tuesday at the laughing buddha, and while i had limited fun playing, i had a wonderful night partying with the staff, getting to know them, and unwinding in a way that is sorely missed on the road - as part of a group.

i've been gluttonous lately, feeling a need to enjoy as many things as i can. living stringent is no longer suiting me. i find myself looking forward to points ahead, when i will rediscover love with friends and family. and, i find myself looking forward to getting on the bicycle again. i will have to get re-acquainted with it before riding out the last three weeks.

Jul 13 - Rossport, ON

I find it appropriate that I am writing this on a solar powered computer on an island across from the town of Rossport. I arrived here yesterday after catching a lift with Bart (a friend of Asta's). Yes, I did say ride. I sent the bicycle to Ottawa when I was in Thunder Bay because it became clear to me during the last week I spent cycling that my compressed nerve was getting worse, causing shooting pains up my wrist to my elbow, and my fingers were number than ever.

On the bright side, my reunion with Asta K (from Vernon) was pleasurable indeed. Nothing like romance to put a smile on a guy's face. I relaxed for 4 days with Asta and Kristin at Kristin's family's place, watching some good movies, drinking chocotinis, and dipping into Thunder Bay proper to check out the Finnish district (since Asta comes from an immigrant Finnish family). We ate at the famous Hoito underneath the Finnish Club, enjoying salt-fish and pancakes. Yum!

The shows in T-Bay were not stupendously attended, but were more enjoyable as they went along, ending up at Jen Metcalfe's beautiful home. We played in her living room to the little group there, imbibed in some fine El Jimador, and ate pizza. Life was good. At the end of the night, I took Asta to McVicar Manor B&B (a stunning Victorian manor right downtown) and romanced her some more. Life continued to be good until morning when we had a fabulous breakfast and some good chats with good people before I had to be off on my car-pool with Bart, leaving myself and Asta sad at the departure.

It's going to be a tough two months without her, and an interesting month coming without a bicycle. This is truly an adventure - so many twists and turns and unexpected happenings.

C'est la vie. Carpe dium.

Today I went out on a boat-ride and hike about Lake Superior and its many interesting islands with Lisa Poushinsky and her father Jim. My hips have been reacting badly to the lack of constant rotation, so it's probably good that I got a solid hike up a steep hill in. Northern Ontario seems to be all about the boat rides (what with the fishing trip in Wabigoon). I don't mind it a bit....

"The green way to tour — cycle across Canada" (Ottawa Citizen, 01 May 2007, Page C8)

The green way to tour — cycle across Canada

LYNN SAXBERG

Winter, spring, summer or fall, you hardly ever see Derek Olive without his bicycle helmet. The 31year- old musician moved to Ottawa from Montreal two years ago, and already has fond memories of biking alongside the Rideau Canal — while others were skating on the ice.

A passionate environmentalist, the singer- songwriter- guitarist commutes by bicycle, year round, to his job as a guitar and banjo instructor at the Ottawa Folklore Centre. Sure enough, his helmet is on the table when we meet for a healthy lunch at the Wild Oat eatery in the Glebe.

Chat with Olive for a few minutes and you’ll hear about his music, as well as his longdistance bicycle adventures in Eastern Europe, Mexico and the Atlantic Provinces. He obviously loves cycling, which he sees as one way to lessen his impact on the planet.

Olive and fellow Ottawa musician Johnny Eden are about to embark on a tour that will put their concern for the environment into action. The pair plans to spend four months cycling between concert dates across the country.

They meet up next week in Powell River, B. C. to start the 6,500- kilometre journey they’re calling Musicycle. Eden is already out west.

What’s driving them? Eden’s website lists a few reasons, including the environment, the Canadian experience, exercise and well- being, and the urge “ for an extraordinary life.” In Olive’s case, a large part of it is environmental guilt.

“ I love playing music and I love the musician’s life,” he says, “ but the environmental aspect is something I’ve been involved in for a long time as well, and really wanted to figure out a way to tour as a musician that I didn’t feel guilty about.

“ That’s really what down to.”

Olive, who records and performs his own acoustic guitarbased jazzy folk music, was contemplating the idea of touring by bicycle when he happened to meet Eden, a singersongwriter- guitarist who roams the country, often by Greyhound bus. He had the same idea; it made sense to join forces.

Olive has plenty of experi-

it came ence in planning bicycle trips, and didn’t mind approaching potential sponsors, while Eden has booked many of his own tours. His wandering spirit has earned him billing as “ the last troubadour.”

Eden did an impressive job assembling the Musicycle itinerary, lining up more than 60 concerts in cafés, pubs, living rooms, art galleries, community halls and other venues across the country. They pedal through 17 stops in B. C., another dozen or so between Black Diamond, Alta., and Winnipeg. A dozen more through Northern Ontario, followed by eight in Eastern Ontario ( and West Quebec). A handful through Quebec, and then a dozen dates in the Maritimes.

The grande finale is scheduled for Petite Riviere, N. S. on Sept. 8.

Olive deserves credit, too, for the sponsors he’s managed to round up. Hull- based bicycle manufacturer Eclipse is supplying the two- wheelers, VIA Rail is comping a train ticket to B. C. ( for Olive, departing Friday), Mountain Equipment CoOp has thrown in some camping gear and John Pearse is supplying guitar strings. Instruments and gear will be transported on Yak trailers towed behind the bikes.