| REVIEW: Bike storage Endo...

Today I have decided to finish installing the vertical bike storage we received a few months ago, our little living room is a mess and it needed serious decluttering. I have ordered the Cycloc Endo after researching online for a while about the most minimalist and efficient bike rack solutions, and ended up choosing this one; it's a simple yet very smart Award-winning design.

The installation is pretty straight forward and does not require too many tools, there are only 4 screws/anchors and you can use the packaging as a drilling template, which is very practical. Drill, screw and tadaaa it's done. I really like the discreet hollow hinge in which you could slide your bike lock, clever! There is also a rear pad included that you can stick to the wall.

It works really well and we are happy with the result, the blue color contrasts nicely with our orange wall and having the bikes stored vertically definitely helps declutter our entrance.

• CONS:

- Not a lot of problems so far, it's a great product but it comes at a nice price too, there is a weight limit of 13kg to hang your bikes freely and a maximum payload limit of 20kg. You can certainly find other solutions at a lower price depending on what you are looking for and your storage space.

• PROS:

- 7 different bright colors to choose from. Stylish, convenient and smart design with a solid and light composite construction. It works great for us!

| M-7 snowskates...

Okay now i'm excited about winter again! Today I've just received a package from Kurt Zapata of Minus Seven Snowskates and guess what was in the box? The brand new 2016 Parkore snubnose 38" blades with the improved tip & tail skate flex. I already had some Parkore subs before but they were warped unfortunately (see review here) and he wanted to replace them, so i suppose that's why the box contained two models :)

Thank you so much Kurt, until today i was still into paddle-boarding mode but now you have activated the snowskate switch, damn!!! Those blades do look great, can't wait to test them, the shape of the tips is very intriguing and the flex seems so much better than my prototype. My cat Dim Sum doesn't seem to be impressed but i am, love the colors and raw punk style. #minus7snowskates 

| Family trip in France - Part 02...

During our stay at my brother's house we had the chance to visit some of the surrounding picturesque villages like Chalencon, we've enjoyed some alternative festivals or roamed the local organic markets. That's when you realise the weight of history/culture and admittedly, i miss it!

On the last day before heading back to my parent's house in Tresserre, we couldn't miss the opportunity to drive through the Ardèche Gorges with the obvious goal to visit their world famous Chauvet cavern.

| Family trip in France - Part 01...

SoOo i've only left Montreal for a few days and already lived so many incredible moments, it made me forget how painful the decision to go on vacation in France was when i bought my tickets. My only motivation back then was to go see my family & friends and come back as fast as possible... yes really! Fortunately things don't always go the way you've imagined and this time around, i realized that visiting my family is extremely important and playing with my two marvelous nieces was just too precious, it needs to happen more often!

I landed in CDG, Paris on September 3rd after a sleepless night on the plane (the Gravol didn't work that well), at least the food wasn't too bad with the Porto and red wine! Baron Regis was waiting for me and it was great seeing him. We drove back to his apartment on the 18th arrondissement for a nice lunch with his partner and their cute little daughter.

We spent the whole day talking and walking in the steep streets of Montmartre like we used to do when we were roommates 20+ years ago, not everything changes and i enjoyed that day immensely, merci mon Rageoune for the great time and the happy dinner with the old Barons :)

The next morning i took a TGV to Valence where my dad and brother were waiting for me. It's been 5 long years since the last time we saw each others. It took another hour to reach a charming little village named St-Michel de Chabrillanoux.

My brother's family moved here a few years ago in search of a better, more eco-friendly environment and they found this quiet little land in Ardeche where they built their own straw bale house, it's not finished yet but what an impressive life project! The house is really cosy and extremely well insulated, i finally had the chance to spend some time with my two lovely nieces Nais & Lea who are growing up so fast.

They have a terrific view on the valley below! For once i didn't miss Nais' birthday and it felt good being with the whole family again.

Once upon a time au pays des chataignes...

After a few days at their house relaxing and partying, we drove to the Ardeche River Gorges, one of the most remarkable natural sites in France... coming soon!

| Random news...

Pas grand chose de nouveau recemment, ca travaille fort au bureau ou on s'approche rapidement de la fin du jeu et ca devrait etre une belle surprise (sortie cet ete). La semaine derniere j'ai vu Yao et j'ai reussi a l'emmener dans un resto vegetarien, oui oui tout est possible! Ca fait tellement du bien de revoir ses vieux potes, d'ailleurs on passe un gros bonjour a toute la marmaille de France et d'ailleurs.

en costume chez Vego...

Saturday was a rainy and cold day so i decided to join Igor at Habitat 67, he's a great local surfer and SUP instructor from KSF. It was my 1st time riding this famous standing wave and i was both excited and terribly scared, with almost no line-up yet, nor any spectators there were no excuses to choke! 

Igor surfing his Badfish 6'11"...

I went 3 times and that's it, enough to be completely toasted and frozen (especially my hands as i forgot to take some gloves, idiot), it's TOUGH, just to hit the wave (backward) at the right spot without being flushed out is a challenge... and then you have to swim, paddle back to shore against the rapids, climb up a steep/muddy hill with your board between the trees and loose rocks, return to the starting point, wait for your turn in the eddy and close the loop, it's a full workout. Igor helped me a lot, he showed me the entrance/exit points and made everything look easy, unfortunately i didn't manage to surf that day -too much of a noob- but at least i know the place and i'll be back soon.

view of this amazing spot in summer...

Yesterday we went to Chinatown for some yummy Dim Sum and my partner bought a cool bike (2nd hand), apparently this is the end of our folding-bike period. Bises.

Vintage style...

| Rouleaux de Printemps...

Les parents de Nhu ont prepare un magnifique repas traditionnel du sud du Vietnam, quel regal vraiment. On a meme experimente en ajoutant des feuilles d'algues dans les rouleaux! Trop bon, Merci les cuistots :)

bouffe sante et delicieuse!

| Snow cat...

Que se passerait-il si on laisse Banh Mi aller dehors? nous avons donc décidé de tenter l'expérience. Elle est encore un peu effrayée mais tout de meme tres curieuse, Dim Sum pour sa part déteste ça car il gèle instantanément ahaha la face qu'il faisait :)

Banh Mi en pleine découverte...

| Expedition to Excursion...

I have recently decided to change my van for another model, the New-West Excursion. After a year of driving around and numerous memorable camping trips i now have a good understanding of my needs and travel habits, as well as the advantages/issues of the current vehicle, at least for my personal use. Here is a rapid summary of the differences between the 2 models:

- Expedition > Chevrolet Express 1500, V8 5.3L. All-wheel drive. Silver ice metallic paint. Special edition overland with bull bar, lights and roof lights, the last one of its kind because Chevy stops producing the 1500 series as of this year (no more all-wheel drive ever). I have only added a side awning and the trailer hitch, check some pics HERE and HERE. for sale now!

- Excursion > Same platform with a very different interior layout, less storage and furnitures but a modular philosophy. V6 4.3L. Standard white paint. Modern package, it was used as a demo for a TV show and was proposed at 66400$ (initial value was 71480$). I'm adding the center console table option which looks very practical.

Pros & cons (WIP):
Ok on paper, the exchange does not make much sense as the Expedition has more bells and whistles, it is certainly more powerful and can handle the bad conditions better (especially ice and snow). It does look great with its unique exterior features and is a definite head turner. The interior has more storage, plenty of lighting and a comfy dinette so why?
- The main reason is a need for more space inside when i go play on the outdoors and the Excursion can be stripped down to offer lots of cargo space. When going snowskating, paddling or biking, we usually are 2 or 3 people with quite a lot of gears and equipment which can get muddy/dirty/wet and the van's posh fittings don't seem to be made for those rough conditions. I always need to be careful and it could be annoying. The simpler yet more modular couch system on rails is definitely more appropriate, we also like the colors better which are a good reminder of the origins of the brand > New-West"falia", indeed those vehicles were designed as an homage to the German iconic camper van but built on a North-American reliable platform with a solid well tested engine.
- Stealth is important for boondocking and the Expedition is not discreet. Everywhere we go people are quite impressed and curious about it, on another hand, the current one looks like your typical delivery truck and won't attract any attention, i like that! it fits my current lifestyle better and we'll upgrade it later (small bull bar, stencil paint, roof vent).
- I own a newer vehicle with almost the exact same mileage (~ 17000 km), means it gets one more year of guarantee :) the good thing is i don't spend any money on this transaction (this model is already cheaper and had a price cut) although because we had to renew the loan with Desjardins the new fixed rate is slightly lower, about 20$ less per month which is not bad, thanks to the crisis. I guess i'll save a little bit on insurance too. This is a sweet deal for both parties.
- Even if the engine is less powerful and i will miss the AWD, there will be some savings on gas, the environment and registration taxes. The vehicle is lighter and more nimble too, i can feel the difference when braking and starting.

Well now let's get accustomed with my new shelter-on-wheels and i'll give you a thorough feedback later.

Adieu my loyal van and thank you NW for the smooth transfer and usual outstanding service :-)

#newwestvr #vanadventures #vanlife

| Marde blanche...

Et c'est reparti... ca fait 2 jours qu'il neige non-stop et ce n'est pas fini. Ca nous a pris une heure pour deneiger le camion hier soir, juste pour changer de trottoir! je ne suis pas du tout dans le trip hiver encore et c'est plutot rare a cette periode de l'annee ou mon esprit est souvent omnibule par le snowskate. J'ai hate d'aller chercher mon fat-bike ce WE et de partir au soleil pour Noel.

Les chats s'amusent bien et grandissent super vite, Banh Mi connait ses 1eres chaleurs et de fait se frotte partout, on attend que ca passe et apres hop c'est l'operation! Quant a sa Majeste Dim Sum le petit Prince, il commence a avoir (enfin) un peu plus de poils sur le dos et parle tout le temps. Bon, au moins il vient se blottir contre nous a la moindre occasion et reste tres calin, c'est cute!

le Prince Relou!

| Tikit au revoir!..

I finally decided to sell the Tikit to a colleague, it was sad to let it go but i wasn't using it since the arrival of the Silk. Sebastien is now the happy owner of this remarkable Bike Friday and i wish him the best. Have fun my friend :)

A tall guy with a large smile on a small bike...

| SUP rack...

Finally i found some time this afternoon to install a pair of Seattle Sports storage cradles that I bought a few weeks ago at MEC. They will be very useful to keep the inflatable out of reach from the cats, they were starting to enjoy scratching the foam too much. The main advantage is that i could now keep the boards inflated until they absolutely need to be rolled in for a trip. The good thing is that hey are not too expensive, feel solid and are pretty straightforward to install (the cradles come in a box with a simple assembly instruction form and some hardware.

bye bye cat claws!!!

In the meantime, i have put my beloved Sub Vector up for sale. That said, 3 boards are too much in such a small apartment and we only want to keep the inflatable ones. It has a lot of minor scratches due to life on a river but overall it is in really good shape. (update SOLD!)

thanks for the great time Sub Vector!

| Cat luv...

Yesterday i went to Maude's cattery to pick up our second cat Dim Sum, it's always sad to take a kitten away from its family and he didn't seem to like the ride in a cage. What a beautiful yet strange creature, he's super calm and despite being slightly older than Banh Mi, he looks so clumsy and tiny, she is is definitely larger and tougher. 

Who's that thing?

We were quite anxious about the introduction in his new home with such an energetic resident already in place. But it went surprisingly well... she was super excited/nervous and wanted to play while he was exploring this entire new territory, so we had to separate them in multiple occasions :-)

funny hair patches behind the ears!

the wrinkled explorer  <3

It took a day for her to get used to having a new friend that look like a tasty dumpling, she was obviously a tad jealous but now they're getting along really nicely! SooOo cute together!

| DIY litter box...

Now that we have the 1st cat home, i've decided to build a top entry litter box because it looks like a good solution after checking out the other alternatives out there. The advantage is that it keeps most of the litter inside (and also the odors) while giving some privacy to the occupant. There are a few brands making that sort of box but they are quite expensive when you can find a lot of DIY projects online.

I bought a cheap clear Rubbermaid storage box and a small rug at Rona, Nhu already had a heat gun so it was very easy to make. BTW, we are very happy with the all-natural World's best cat litter, it's amazing!

Now let's see how it works and if Banh Mi likes it :)

| Kitten Adventures...

Nhu has recently found a beautiful kitten to adopt,  she/he (we don't know yet) is now busily exploring her/his new territory since last night. We instantly fell in love with this cute half-masked panther. We'll pick up our other kitten, Dim Sum (the Rex Devon) at the end of the month. Bienvenue a la maison Banh Mi! <3

| Elfe Rex Devon...

Et voila, ca faisait bien longtemps que j'y pensais a reprendre un animal et ca me manquait trop, alors on a maintenant un petit Elfe qui va nous rejoindre tres bientot (apres le sevrage et une visite chez le veto), trop mignon, trop bizarre, j'adore ces Rex Devons!