Wouldn't you know that I've spent the last 2 days wrenching away on my motorcyle and fixing of all things ... a leaky gas tank. After the initial overhaul and tune up, the bike appeared ready for the road. In my haste I failed to fill the gas tank up to the full mark, opting to fill a few dollars here and there to get me by. It's been hot in Vancouver, low 30's (celsius) and the afternoons have been sticky. I was riding to a friends place when I noticed the smell of gas. Gas that was pouring all over a hot engine, ready to combust and consume the motorcycle that I just bought a few days earlier.

I found myself at a very busy intersection covered in gas, running around with a leaky gas tank in hand. The heat was warming the tank and the fuel was being propelled out the pinhole leak. I was dumbfounded. Here I was, two weeks from my trip to visit the Relocalization Groups, and I was covered in gasoline. Believe me, the irony was not lost on me, as a matter of fact, it was greatly amplified. In the heat, my mind starts to wander  with the fumes from my motorcycle, and in the back of my mind, I imagined riding into  ...

...Eugene Oregon or Big Sur to visit the Relocalization Group. I arrive and extend a hand to greet the members and I see the welcoming faces change quickly to sadness when they smell the gasoline leaking from my tank......

Call it more like a nightmare. I quickly gather my thoughts, fix the leaky tank and ride home to get out of my clothes.

The fact that I will be travelling on a motorcycle for my trip is something I've given a great deal of thought to. I've been free from a vehicle for almost two years and I'm pleased to say that Vancouver has an excellent bike route network which I use almost daily. Public transit in the city is also to be commended with the majority of the downtown routes being electric. So on a trip to document the effects of Peak Oil, why am I riding a motorcycle and not riding a bicycle? I guess I'm not quite there yet, but I will be and that is a committment I've made to myself.  Change does not happen over night, but it's important to realize that it does happen and we are all a part of it. This is what I hope to document in my travels.

With images and stories, I hope to show that all around us, even outside of these Groups are people making a difference, and that difference needs to be communicated. This transition will affect each and every one of us regardless of socio-economic status, race, ethnicity and education and I feel that this is where the strength of this movement lies. If the struggle is felt by all, then we all are motivated to make a change. 

What an amazing time this is. We have the opportunity to see change right before our eyes and it starts by simply opening our doors and welcoming it. Our resources are all around us. Growing gardens, sharing meals, encouraging dialogue and helping others. By including your community in the rebuilding process of transitioning from our reliancy on oil, you empower your neighbour  and strengthen your  neighbourhood. What a great place to start this transition.

David