Kix Marshall has travelled to the southern tip of South America by motorbike, and spent his honeymoon biking around Africa with his wife for six months.
The Central Alberta adventurer and businessman also explored Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, the U.K. and much of Europe while working from his computer on the road.
It only recently occurred to Marshall that he didn't know very much about his own country.
To rectify this omission, Marshall loaded up a camp stove and pup tent in saddlebags on his tiny Honda CRF 250L. From March to October 2023, he biked 34,000 km straight across Canada twice — first from B.C.'s Haida Gwaii islands to Newfoundland and then back the other way, right up to Yellowknife, N.W.T. and Yukon.
Why ride on a tiny dirt bike that was dwarfed by passing traffic? "I wanted to prove to people you don't need a big bike or expensive equipment," said Marshall. "You could use just a small inexpensive bike to cross the country. It can be done."
For his cross-country trip he decided to pursue his passion for food as well as travel by seeking out people who lived off the land or sea and cooked up regional delicacies — such as a game-meat tourtiére in Quebec, a traditional Hutterite meal in Saskachewan, and "oyster feast" in Prince Edward Island.
Marshall is in the process of creating a travel-recipe book called Cooked in Canada that he expects to self-publish before Christmas. Besides having 30-or-so recipes, it will also contain anecdotes about his travels — such as the time his motorcycle got mired down in the swampy spring muskeg near Behchoko, south of Yellowknife, and he was rescued by Donovan Boucher.
The local Dene man took him back to his teepee for an "unbelievable meal" — a Boreal forest feast of caribou ribs, muskrat tail and spruce grouse. Marshall admitted he didn't care for the gristly muskrat tail, but the idea of it was actually more disagreeable than the taste.
Much of the unusual food he tried was surprisingly delicious, said Marshall — including the sea lion ribs he tried in the Nass Valley in B.C. He noted they didn't have the fishy taste he expected, but were more like bison meat.
His Alberta meal included some Saskatoon berry pie made by his mom in Red Deer and some rainbow trout, caught by his dad.
Marshall, who now lives between Red Deer and Spring Lake, near Stony Plain, said his father's hunting exposed him to different kinds of food than were available at grocery stores. His mother grew her own vegetables.
His biggest takeaway from his Canadian travel experience — which went better than expected, though he was chased a short distance by a bear and passed by looming semi-tractor trailers on snowy mountain highways — was how diverse and friendly this country is.
Marshall said many strangers, who heard about his mission though Facebook or through friends, or a radio interview he did with the CBC, showed him wonderful hospitality, opening their homes and kitchens.
"It was amazing, just unbelievable."
