The ”Why” of my adventure
When you set out on an adventure, it helps to know your “why.” For me, this trip was never about ticking the 🇺🇸 off a list or simply riding across a country for the sake of it. It’s rooted in something deeper—something personal.
✨ This all started with a dream: to reconnect with my birthplace. I was born in Evanston, just north of Chicago, because of my dad’s job. We moved away when I was still a child, but my American identity has always felt just out of reach, a part of me I never fully explored.
Ties to America
That’s why, in 2016, I jumped at the opportunity to study near Boston, MA for a full academic year. Classes weren’t exactly what I expected, but I joined the varsity tennis team and lived out a little slice of the American college experience 🤩
Still, I had no real family in the US—just some childhood friends with whom the bonds have somehow stood the test of time.
2024 : A Year of Change (my reasons)
Many things were not going well at that time:
Love 💔 : I separated from someone I deeply loved. We had beautiful plans, but different ways of reaching them.
Work 💼: My job felt hollow, just another project, another deadline, nothing that lit a spark.
Life ⭕️: After +2 decades in Paris and its suburbs, I felt choked. I needed to breathe. To move. To see what real life is like.
All pushed me to listen to my inner voice—the one calling me back to my roots.
How I chose the route ?
Start : Austin, Texas
My younger brother Oliver had just moved to Austin, Texas in February 2024 —maybe it was a sign. He started a new life there as an engineer, and his courage gave me the push I needed. My mom and I planned a visit for February 2025, and that’s where I began this ride.
End : Vancouver, Canada
Vancouver is the final stop for 2 very meaningful reasons :
My love for whales. They’ve always been more than animals to me—symbols of wisdom, adventure, and deep connection. After watching Planet Ocean when I was 18, my admiration became a calling. I needed to see 🐳 in the wild. And more than that, I wanted this ride to be for them. Vancouver, with its rich ocean life, felt like the place to go.
Family: I also have a Belgian cousin there, with a baby 🐣 I’ve never met. It felt like the perfect opportunity to meet her.
Along the way
I simply followed my desire to explore the National Parks and the wild parts of this country—to see its beauty, its vastness, and the feeling of how big and powerful nature can be.
What’s my philosophy for this trip ?
I’m not just biking to Vancouver. I’m riding to reconnect—with the land, with people and nature, with my past, and with something far bigger than myself.
My approach is simple:
Take my time. Let the road surprise me.
Follow instinct over itinerary.
Say yes to detours, pauses, and quiet moments.
And when I finally see that whale break the surface of the sea, I know it won’t just be beautiful.
It will be the answer I’ve been riding toward all along.
How to support my adventure ?
If this story resonates with you and you’d like to support the ride in a small way, you can always treat me to a hot chocolate for the road.
And if you already have—thank you so much 😍 It warms more than just my hands.
But if you want to go further, I’m also raising funds for the Captain Paul Watson Foundation (http://paulwatsonfoundation.org) to help protect whales and our oceans—every contribution helps make waves. Click here
#BikepackingUSA #RoadToVancouver #ChasingWhales #TwoWheelsOneDream