road trip: Toronto

Chris Silva walltaps a really neat DIY mini near some train tracks

I packed up and went solo all the way to Toronto to see Prashant, Leland, and Pat at their new place together. I hadn't seen the guys in far too long, and Pat/Lelo were about to embark on a cycling trip across Canada. I rode Gananoque, Napanee, and Trenton parks on the way up and had a great time by myself, which is rare. My Civic passed 375k on the body and then I parked it for thew weekend which was a nice change. Luckily I didn't get ticketed, towed, or robbed since my car no longer locks. These guys live in a super interesting industrialized building that is basically a bunch of studios rented out for living situations to all sorts of weirdos that you come to expect. Mostly hipsters. Prashant did not like how I threw that word around, but it's true. The guys live in an ex-dominatrix porn studio. The place is really neat, the history of it makes sense with some of the styling. You would just have to be there to understand. Toronto was alive and the weather was good. We were able to bike everywhere. I rode a bunch of spots I have never even seen before and really enjoyed myself riding street and cruising around. I actually slept ok and ate relatively well. That is a big change because bmx trips for me are normally less sleep than I want and snacks all day, then lots of pain and more drinking. It helped out because I don't normally ride 3 days in a row anymore, but my body help up ok. Kyle came down solo as well from Sudbury and stayed at his sister's. He made several appearances and shredded as usual. I got a lot of filming done over the course of the weekend and it turns out I am doing a web edit for Embassy of the trip. It's almost done and much, much longer than I anticipated. But it if wasn't drawn out, then it wouldn't be my edit. Come back soon for more.

Best of luck on the trip guys and thanks for the hospitality!

on the road with the go pro on the monopod

the moon was at it's brightest in some quite some time apparently. Made for a cool shot with the neato fence

Pat (Ratrick) was kind enough to make me food late at night after drinking. Not sure how I shot this photo because I woke up shortly after sitting up on the couch with a bowl of pasta in my hands in the pitch black.

Kyle tosses the bars at the pro cycle school made famous for its banks

Prashant warms Leland up for...

...a shot of his neck beard

poorly shot photo of Silva on some crazy hard wall ride. This spot is not even rideable folks. Chris rides for MacNeil bmx, Animal bikes and Ten Pack Distribution

Kyle shot this one of myself at a really fun spot. Fakie foot plant thing

That spot had an ok hip that Kyle shredded a bunch. Lookdown at speed

Lelo shows me his road gear for his cross Canada bike trip

then he threw his grill in and we got creative

his bedroom has some wickedly red walls that gave a cool bounce from the flash

portrait of a bmx nerd. Like it or not, Prashant is one of the most knowledgeable bmx know it alls. He is what we call a Maven of information. Bottom line is he knows his shit and has a hilarious sense of humour about the the world around him (bmx included). That is why he is loved at Ten Pack

Lelo 50/50 on their DIY spot down the street

Pat goes coast to coast

here Prashant shoots a "hipsta-gram" photo

the Rat

another great spot. Tennis ball!

Pat got a great clip there. Here is going fakie not he wall

all these bad boys needed to complete the look were Pearl Jam and Nirvana tees!