So, when the opportunity came up to travel this summer, I knew this was my chance. Hannah and I would strike out for parts unknown. We would have no plan or destination. We would have six weeks to see as much of Canada as we could. The following is an account of our adventures.
(Please note that the blog dates are not accurate because I want to keep the blog in chronological order. The dates in each post are accurate, though.)
July 2 Maple Ridge to Penticton
The challenge today was getting our gear into the car without Buddy (our dog) knowing we were leaving. For the last couple of days, Buddy had sensed something was up. Perhaps it had to do with the duffle bags that only seemed to come out when we abandoned him for days on end. At any rate, Buddy stuck to me like glue. When it was time to leave, Jodi took Buddy for a walk and we snuck out of town.
The trip to Penticton was uneventful. The highway had reopened after the mudslide and we enjoyed a nice leisurely drive to the Okanagan. Once there, we visited with my mom and Jodi’s parents and did some last minute preparations for our trip. It dawned on me at one point that Penticton seemed to be the leaping off point for some of the most significant events in my life. I married Jodi, competed in Iron Man and was now ready to embark on a cross-country odyssey with an eleven-year-old daughter.
July 4 Penticton to Golden B.C.
We had a beautiful drive up the valley and made great time traveling through Kelowna, Vernon and Armstrong. We had the obligatory stop for ice cream at the D Dutchman Dairy in Sicamous.
We joined the TransCanada highway and continued over Roger’s Pass to Golden. We were making such good time that we decided to continue on to Lake Louise. Twenty minutes out of Golden, we came upon a serious accident involving a large rental motor home. Due to a fatality, we were told the highway would be closed for six hours. We turned around and found a nice campsite at the Chancellor Peak campground on the Kicking Horse River where we spent a night listening to trains, a guy chopping wood, and a woman trying in vain to channel Patsy Cline on her guitar.
July 5 Golden to Swift Current Saskatchewan
Awoke to beautiful sunshine and the same woman trying to channel Patsy. Hannah and I packed quickly and drove back to the highway, which had reopened sometime in the night. Hannah slept to Canmore, Alberta, where we stopped for a bite to eat and some ice for the cooler. I listened to Supertramp as the sun caught the peaks of the mountains. Took ¾ of an hour to traverse the city of Calgary. Tourists and vendors were heading into the city. We were happy to see the last of the guy towing the Deep Fried Oreos trailer when he pulled off for the Stampede grounds. Within thirty minutes, the last of the Rockies slipped away from my rearview mirror and the expanse of the prairies began to envelop us.
It was interesting to watch and listen to Hannah as we drove east. “No one lives here!” she said. Which was quickly followed with, “Why would anyone live here?” She couldn’t believe how green things were and how flat the landscape was. Kilometers clicked by. Hannah would look up periodically from the book she was reading and engage in a bit of conversation, which I suspect she felt obligated to do before returning to her book. During the quiet times, I stared out at the fields of green and yellow and old abandoned homesteads and wondered what life must have been like for the early Europeans who came to farm in Canada.
Every once in a while, my attention would return to the road as some guy driving a mini-van with the roof racks loaded to the hilt would come flying up behind me. You can see these guys coming for miles, but they can’t seem to see me. For some reason, they don’t switch into the fast lane until they are two to three car lengths from us. Once past, they immediately swerve back into the slow lane in front of us. Think Chevy Chase. I hold my breath waiting for a sleeping bag or bicycle to come sliding off their roof into our path. I uttered a few words and explained to Hannah that I was practising my French in case we make it to Quebec.
Today I almost had a close encounter with a gopher. 
We were zipping along at the posted speed of 110 when I spotted something on the white line of the shoulder. It turns out it was a gopher standing erect on its hind legs. He’s wondering, “Can I make it?” I’m yelling, “Don’t even try!” At the last moment he sits down. Disaster avoided. I didn’t want to incur yet another layer of organic matter on the front of the car.
We pulled into Swift Current around four and looked for a campsite. There were only two to choose from so we visited both. Hannah made the final decision. I asked the manager what his policy on wood chopping and country music was. He said they had a no noise after ten policy. I slapped down my credit card.
We followed the campground manager to our site. Hannah commented that at least we know it will be flat, because we are in Saskatchewan! The site was sloping and in open sun, but we were assured it would catch the shade of a nearby tree by 7:30. There was a slight breeze with a hint of septic field that helped cool us slightly. There were just enough mosquitoes to keep us active after a long drive.
July 6 Swift Current, Saskatchewan to Kenora, Ontario
A couple of things – First, managers who tell you their campground has a no-noise policy are liars. Hannah and I climbed into our tent around seven to escape mosquitoes and to read a little. From seven to ten, a Briggs & Stratton engine cycled on and off. Think pressure washer outside your bedroom window.
Second, if still alive, I would seek out Ralph Teetor and kiss him on the lips. Who is this Ralph you ask? He was a prolific (and blind) inventor who invented cruise control. I can’t imagine driving the distances we did today without it. We actually drove for hours without touching either the break or gas pedals. Contemplated having Hannah take a turn at the wheel but she was too engrossed in her book. Every summer reading program should involve a cross-Canada road trip. Hannah has read over eleven hundred pages just in the last two days!
Today started early. We were awoken by a cacophony of train whistles, engine retarder brakes, and birdcalls. We began our day with a search for fuel. Swift Current apparently doesn’t cater to customers requiring gas before 6 am. Tried to get into Tim Hortons, but the line up was out the door and the drive through line of Ford Super Duty trucks extended down the street. Every guy was ordering a coffee and having his work thermos filled. Finally found a gas station that opened at 6:30 and ate some cereal out of the back of the car before heading down the highway into a brilliant Saskatchewan sun.
Scenery remained much the same past Regina and into Brandon, Manitoba. After Brandon there appeared to be more fields lying fallow and more farm buildings. It has been a wet spring in Manitoba, so maybe some crops never made it into the ground. We crossed the Souris River and witnessed the flooding first hand. Water was lapping against the bottom of the bridge. Can’t imagine what the bugs will be like in a few weeks. Speaking of bugs, we drove through a squadron of dragonflies, just outside of Winnipeg, for about thirty minutes. The bugs and windshield wiper fluid produced an opaque substance much like mayonnaise, which made driving into the sun all the more difficult. Saw another gopher standing on the white line today. Hannah and I think they stand on the white painted line because it is cooler than standing on the black asphalt. These are the things we chat about.
We approached the eastern outskirts of Winnipeg just as a massive thunderstorm arrived from the north. We decided to skip the city and its rush hour traffic and continue traveling east towards Kenora. Sixty minutes to the east brought us into a mixed forest, hills and rocky outcrops. We caught glimpses of lakes through the trees and were amazed at how many cottages (houses) there were. Pulled into the quaint town of Kenora and decided to get a room for the night rather in the hopes of getting some sleep. I didn’t bother asking the manager to put us on the quiet side of the motel.
July 7 Kenora to Thunder Bay
Late start today – 8:30 am. Left Kenora under a beautiful blue sky. Drove for about 400 km through what seemed like a tunnel lined with trees and rock cuts. Caught the odd glimpse of lakes along the way. Felt like we were crawling along at 90 km/h after ripping across the prairies. Ontario spends a lot of money enforcing the speed limits. From Calgary to the Ontario border we saw one police car. Since crossing into Ontario, we were literally seeing one every hour or so. The fines for exceeding the speed limit are extreme. That being said, two young people were killed in separate accidents on the same highway last night just outside of Kenora. Speed and alcohol were both factors.
This stretch of highway seems to attract people supporting causes or on a quest. We saw people cycling, backpacking, and walking with all manner of carts and wagons. All were festooned with brightly coloured t-shirts promoting their cause. One guy, in particular, was pulling a cart with a large cross. Hanging off the cart was a sign warning us that the world would soon come to an end. Hannah laughed and said, “Good! We can turn around and head back home.” A ProLife group was also walking. They wore t-shirts emblazoned with the words CHOOSE LIFE! I wondered, given their position, why they were walking two and three abreast along the shoulder of a winding two lane highway?
Stopped in Thunder Bay. Drove down to the lake and saw the huge grain terminals. Did some shopping before stopping at the Information/Tourist Center. Decided to camp for the night at Sleeping Giant Provincial Park. On the way out of Thunder Bay, we stopped at the Terry Fox Memorial. The site is located just a few kilometers from where Terry was forced to stop running. The memorial is located above the highway overlooking Lake Superior. It was quite emotional viewing the actual statue of Terry and reading about his journey.
Sleeping Giant Provincial Park is located about 35 km off the main highway. It offers beautiful views of Lake Superior via some hiking trails. The province of Ontario requested $45 for the privilege of camping in their park. I think I looked a little shocked because the young woman working behind the desk asked if I still wanted to camp.
The campsite was situated right on Mary Louise Lake. Across the lake lay the sleeping giant, which in reality is a series of forested hills. We pitched the tent and set out a couple of chairs to relax, upon when we spotted the first thundercloud building. Lightning and thunder soon began and were followed by gusts of wind blowing rain horizontally off the lake. We sat out the storm in the safety of the car and prayed our tent would still be there after the storm passed. Hannah read and I had time to do some route planning for the next day. Dinner was supposed to be pasta and salad. Dinner was salad and a salami sandwich. The storm began to pass and we were formally introduced to Ontario’s infamous humidity. Through our steamed up windshield we were able to watch several large three point deer grazing in our campsite. Pretty idyllic.
July 8 Thunder Bay to Blind River
Today we traveled down the east coast of Lake Superior. The drive reminded both us of the Sea to Sky Highway along Howe Sound.
Hannah could not believe she was looking at a lake and not part of an ocean.
The trees along the coast were windblown. Behind the trees, pockets of rocky coastline gave way to large crescent-shaped sandy beaches. The most surprising thing for me was the colour of the water. It was turquoise and not grey as I had expected. Soon we were back in the green forest tunnel. There were few opportunities or places to stop and admire a view.
Hannah and I have fallen into a bit of a daily routine involving Tim Hortons. We stop for coffee and hot chocolate each morning. Today’s stop was in Wa Wa, Ontario. Wa Wa is a town of 1000 people and home to some of the largest Canadian geese statues in the world and one extremely busy Tim’s.
Road signs become something to look forward to. Most often the signs name the small lakes that you pass. The lakes are named after all manner of things (e.g. Clear Lake, Deep Lake, Dog Tooth Lake, etc.) We came across Dad’s Lake and them Mom’s Lake. A few kilometers down the highway, we came across Orphan Lake. We surmised that Mom and Dad couldn’t swim.
As we travelled, we were able to see bits of Lake Huron. We came across several farms where Hutterites or Mennonites were busy harvesting hay. They were wearing traditional dress, using scythes, and loading the cut hay onto horse-drawn wagons. It was quite something to see after witnessing the huge machinery used on the farms across the prairies.
Reached Sault St. Marie early in the afternoon. Took a quick look around and decided to head out of town and find a campsite. We stopped for the night one hour east of Sault St. Marie at Blind River.
Spoke to the manager of the campground about the road ahead to Ottawa. He was in his early forties and had taken over the family-run business. I asked him about the travelling time to Ottawa. He was unsure because he had never had the need to make the drive. Everything he needed was in Blind River. Blind River is a town of less than 1000 people. It does not have a Tim Hortons.
Our site was located next to the river. Pulled everything out of the car and reorganized. Both of us are missing having Jodi around to organize our lives. We now have a system in place and know where everything is. Large Walleye were feeding on the bugs that eventually drove us into our tent after a delicious dinner of pasta and salad.
July 9 Blind River to Ottawa
Broke camp in about 5 minutes. Threw everything into the back of the car and got away from swarms of mosquitoes. Our system of organization lasted less than twelve hours. Today’s drive took us through Sudbury, North Bay, Chalk River, and Petawawa. We stopped in North Bay for a coffee and hot chocolate. Counted 25 employees in a standard sized Tim's store!
Fact: Tim Horton’s in Ontario are better than those in B.C. Their egg muffins are actually cooked on site, not reheated like the ones back home. Coffee tastes better too!
Numerous smoke stacks dominated the skyline as we drove through Sudbury. During the remainder of the drive, the landscape consisted of gently rolling farmland. Lots of dairy farms and strawberry fields. The highway is north of Lake Huron, but you rarely get a chance to see the lake.
Arrived in Ottawa in the early afternoon thanks to our GPS. They’re magical little devices that take the stress out of trying to drive and navigate through an unfamiliar city. Came off the highway, drove along the Rideau Canal right to the Parliament Buildings. We found our hotel and then headed out on foot to explore the city. 
We missed the last tour of the Common Block so we headed down to the locks on the canal and walked to the National Gallery. 
We spent 
some time walking though a cool market/restaurant/bar area of the city called Byward Market before heading to Chapters. Hannah had run out of reading material. After the book store, we went to Dunn’s Delicatessen for a smoked meat sandwich. When we entered the deli, we noticed a group of scantily clad young women who were laughing and eating their meals. We thought it odd when all three got up at different times and walked out. We had just witnessed a dine and dash. I am sure the waiter could have chased them down if he was a little fitter as they wearing heels and boob tubes and probably couldn’t have run very fast. Hannah and I had a lot to talk about while we ate our delicious meal.
At ten, we walked back up Rideau Street to the Parliament buildings to watch a laser show called Mosaika. Hannah had her eyes opened as she saw a darker side of Ottawa. We walked past hookers, drug addicts, aggressive panhandlers, pub-crawlers and Liberal-appointed senators. The show itself was amazing. Beautiful images of Canada and Canadians set to music and narration outlined the achievements of our nation. Following the show, we walked briskly back to the hotel. Hopefully the imprint of Hannah’s nails will fade from my hand quickly.
Here is a Youtube link to the show that I found.
July 10 Ottawa (Day 2)
Woke up at 8:30 and retraced our steps from last night to get tickets for a tour of the Parliament Buildings. Stopped at the first Starbucks since Canmore. The cash register wasn’t working so we got everything gratis. It was going to be a great day! Promptly spilled my free coffee down my shirt and shorts. I now looked like one of the people we walked past the night before.
The tour was very interesting. The interior architecture reminded me of churches Jodi and I walked through in Europe. Lots of arches and flying buttresses. The intricate limestone was amazing and spoke to the skill of the stone cutters. Our tour guide was excellent; however, another group from Vancouver, including their extended family from China, insisted on chatting throughout the tour. I wanted to tell them to shut up, but I remembered I was a Canadian and therefore too polite to do so. Thankfully, an American from New York did it for me. Got to see the House of Commons, the staircase P.E.T slid down, the library and the Senate Chamber. Lots of grumbling from the Canadians in the group while the tour leader spoke of the virtues of having an appointed Senate. My new American friend was shocked to hear our Senators had little accountability. Apparently, no one had ever lost a Senate seat, except to death. Got to the top of the Peace Tower and witnessed amazing views of Ottawa, Gatineau and the Ottawa River.
Upon leaving the Common Block, we had just missed the Changing of the Guard ceremony. We were able to get a picture of a Hannah and a guard, which was pretty cool. 
Walked back to the Byward Market area for some breakfast. Interesting enough, we witnessed our second Dine and Dash in two days! Who knows, maybe we’ll give it a shot before leaving Ottawa. Seems pretty easy.
Walked across the Alexander Bridge to the Canadian Museum of Civilization where we spent three hours walking through the exhibits. We were both very surprised with the amount of B.C. content. My favourite display was about the building of the transcontinental railway. It was narrated by Pierre Burton and reminded me of the documentary from years ago entitled the “National Dream”. After the museum, we headed back to our room to do a little laundry and to plan our departure to Montreal on Monday. Will go out one more time tonight to listen to a little music in the market area.
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