Victoria Archives - Iron Roamer

It is Sunday, September 11, 2016, and it is the first Sunday of the new NFL season. My goal was to find a good bar I could watch it at.

Tally Ho

Normally, back home in Victoria, I would be up early and walking to the Tally Ho Sports Bar to be first in. They always had a cheap breakfast buffet where I would load up on bacon and eggs. The feature game was always the Seahawks. If they weren’t playing at the time, the winner of the last draw got the couch in front of the big screen and got to choose the game. The featured game sound was always turned up.

I had my regular seat and Jessica always served me. She always greeted me by name when I walked in. By 4 or 5 pm I would leave to watch the night game at home. Those were my happy days.

Where would I go now? No one would know my name.

The Tavern

I did some research and chose The Tavern to go to. It was suppose to have lots of TVs. There was free parking for my motorcycle. The food menu looked good and cheap 🙂 And there was a history to it.

According to their website, in 1916, just four short years before the Prohibition era began, R. Niles Graham hired first generation Austin resident Hug Kuehne to design a grocery – a fabulous one of a kind space to provide food, dry goods and sundries to the 30, 000 people living in Austin at the time. Kuehne, who went on to design many other iconic Austin establishments, brought the building plans from his native Germany and modeled the store after the public house popular throughout Europe. The Enfield Grocery Store operated until 1929 before moving next door and making room for the steakhouse that would one day become The Tavern. Legend has it that a popular yet secretive speakeasy & brothel operated on the second story of the building and that a former employee still haunts the second floor!

In 1933, after that terrible Prohibition, The Tavern was officially born and has been serving up good times ever since! Few other Austin gathering places have been home to so many students, soldiers, legislators, presidents, and our town’s general citizenry as The Tavern. Current management has given this old beauty a face lift with high definition displays, facility upgrades and an attention to detail that continues the tradition of this Austin Landmark as a defining part of our unique cultural identity.

Sunday Football and Writing

I spent the day at The Tavern watching football, eating nachos and drinking beer, and writing my daily journals. It was no Tally Ho but it was good. The Texas teams were featured and not the Seahawks. No big screen TV. The Tally Ho has 2! But it was a good day.

Starbucks

After a while I migrated to Starbucks only to be kicked out shortly thereafter at 6 pm! I couldn’t believe a Starbucks would close at 6. That wouldn’t happen on the west coast 🙂

Home

It was time to head “home.” Yes, my Airbnb was feeling like home.

My Location for September 11, 2016

Mile 0

The Mile 0 marker is the start of the over 8,000 km Trans-Canada Highway that spans the entire length of Canada. But it is also symbolic of the the start of my round the world motorcycle adventure. Behind the marker is a statue of Terry Fox. Terry Fox is a true Canadian hero. And as it happens, it is also Canada Day, July 1, 2016.

Terry Fox lost his right leg to cancer when he was 18 years old. He started a cross-Canada run to raise money for cancer research, beginning in Newfoundland on the East coast of Canada, and was to end at the Mile 0 marker in Victoria. Unfortunately, Fox’s journey ended tragically near the halfway mark when he fell ill and passed away from cancer. Since then, hundreds of millions of dollars has been raised in his name for cancer research. He has also inspired millions to achieve their dreams.

Send Off

I was up at 5 am to get to the Mile 0. The day before one of my classmates from Camosun College said she would be there at Mile 0 at 5:45 am to send me off. I really didn’t believe her. I got to Mile 0 at 6 am and to my surprise two of my classmates were there to send me off. Thanks Leila and Michelle! Very special to have the support and encouragement.

Emotions

As I stood at Mile 0, and contemplated the words of Terry Fox, I started to feel the emotions of what I was about to start. I felt relief that it was finally here after a year of planning, struggle and sacrifice to make it happen. There was excitement about the adventure and the places I will see and the people I will meet. And there was also some fear about venturing into the unknown and the risk involved in attempting to achieve my dream and the goal I set for myself. There is no accomplishment without risk.

First Day

The first travel Day was simple – Victoria to Abbotsford to meet with my son and drop off belongings I wasn’t going to take but wanted to keep. Hence the weird suitcase on the back of my bike.

Getting there involves taking a ferry from Sydney to Tsawwassen where I was born and raised. The ferry ride is amazing, but unfortunately I have become accustomed to it having taken it numerous times in the past.

A short day was capped off with my son Nick taking me out for dinner to the Cactus Club. And thanks Cactus Club for providing a free appetizer!!

First Sunday of the NFL Season in Austin Texas