On Sunday August 28th I departed from Abbotsford in the wee hours, and caught a ferry with my girlfriend Deana to Victoria. A group of smart car owners gathered at ‘Mile 0′ in Victoria, BC for the official beginning of the 100 MPG Challenge. My mother Val and her husband Ken were there as well.

Also happening that afternoon was the grand opening of the new smart retail showroom at Three Point Motors. About 20 smart cars arrived for this event, with owners travelling from the north of the island, and even the Lower Mainland. I was presented with a book, a map of Canada, and a compass by two of the fellow smart enthusiasts (’deezle’ and ‘For2′). The book, ‘The All-Red Route’ by John Nicol, recounts a journey from Halifax to Victoria in a 1912 Reo.

My odometer read 26,300 kms at Mile 0, and afterwards, Club smart car moderator Mike T showed off his fine re-fueling skills at a local Shell station, before a smaller group of us went north to Duncan to see these new smart car parking spaces.

Afterwards, Deana and I rested the evening at Mike’s house in Ladysmith. Mike was generous enough to supply some technical support for the car by adding stone guard film to the foglights.

(Note: As with many of these daily logs, pictures will be uploaded ASAP, although the log may initially just contain text. I expect to update with daily reports and photos wherever possible.)