Canadaka's "A Mari usque ad Mare" Canada Road Trip

A Mari usque ad Mare

Wow, I can't believe its already getting close to May; this year has being going by so fast! Summer is just around the corner so I need to start planning my big road trip! I had planned on doing this last year, but my girlfriend wasn't able to get time off from her co-op job, and I was unable to find anyone else with the time to go.

But this year my GF is finishing her Mechanical Engineering degree at UBC in May, so all system are GO!

I feel rather embarrassed at how little I have seen of my own country, I have been all over the US, Caribbean, Mexico, Europe, Australasia, Caribbean, México. But haven’t been any farther west than Calgary in Canada! Well its high time I fix that! I have been wanting and planning on doing this road trip for years, but this year its going to happen.

I have no set time constraints, only money. So we plan on taking 1-2 months hopefully. I like to travel cheap and learnt how to travel on a small budget in Europe, but I do have $5000 USD I have been saving for awhile now for this trip.

I plan on doing most of the trip on the fly, I kinda like it that way, and with my handy laptop and Microsoft Streets & Trips I never get lost. All I know is I’m going all the way and time pending will probably dip into the northern states on the way back. I have good friends in Halifax to stay with, and my GF's dad is currently living in Montreal (LaFarge moved his job there), so we have a place to stay there. But I’m sure we will find more places to stay, many people offered a year ago. It’s also going to be summer, so I’m sure we will get some camping in, I have all my new camping gear ready!

If anyone has suggestions of where to go, my ears are open. I think i'm most looking forward to Ottawa, the parliament and the museums there, especially the Canadian war museum. Second to that I think im looking forward to Quebec city.

And of course if anyone is gracious enough to offer any sort of accommodations or even personal tours of there local area, that would be awesome. I know many people offered last year.
When we traveled Europe we used a website called "globalfreeloaders" and it was awesome, we stayed with a bunch of people in London, Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, and it was a great experience, never mind the money saved. The people were all super nice and took us out and showed us around. I think its a great way to travel, even if your not trying to save money.

We are planning on leaving at the start of June, and driving both ways. I had looked at the costs of flying to Halifax and renting a car and driving one way, when time was more of a constraint. But I don't think its really much cheaper. Unless your super lucky and can find someone in Halifax that is moving to Vancouver and needs there vehicle relocated

And unlike Europe, you really need a car to travel Canada.
OH GOD GAS IS GOING TO SUCK!

I am so looking forward to this and i'm sure I will love the rest of Canada. But I do have my ulterior motive of being able to say with even more confidence, "BC is the Best place on earth"

.. Oh yah and Canada the best country!!!

Drive north on 97 and hit Alberta at Grand Prairie. Dip back down to the Yellowhead and follow it into Manitoba. I'd recommend doing it on your way out. By the time your heading back you'll start to get a little restless to be home and the TCH is the ticket then. I've had some friends talking about the mineral springs in Watrous, Sask. Take a side trip into Cold Lake. Nice country in there. The edge of the parkland is nice.

Well, even thought it will be a little out of your way, if you decide to Hit Toronto and need a place to crash that is relativly close, I am always up for house guests. I live in Brampton.

Cheers

Stop by my house for a beer on your way through.

If you dip into the northern states on your way back you can hit Niagara Falls on this leg of your trip, cut across Southern Ontario and hit my place before crossing into Michigan at Sarnia ON on you way to Chicago.

You can pitch your tent in the backyard if you wish to stop over the night on the cheap. We are 15 mins north of hwy. 402 on Lake Huron.

Yes you can hit the beach and go swimming if you wish.

I'm starting to prepare for me trip, we are leaving next week. So I'm trying to lay down a little more concrete plan.

In Alberta I want to do something related to the dinosaur's, but drumheller is a ways off the trans-Canada. Is it worth going up to Drumheller? or is the Dinosaur Provincial Park better?

Drumheller is definitely worth it. The badlands are spectacular, and the Tyrell is a great museum to spend a hot afternoon in.

If you do take the Hwy 97 route, you can also stop in at Tumbler Ridge. Not near as amazing as Drumheller, but it's not bad.

(Not sure if you saw it, but there was a documentary done about the T.R. dinosaur find a couple years ago).

I would suggest you get to Fortress Louisbourg in Cape Breton. The restoration is just incredible. Go via the Cabot Trail though, not the direct route. I lived in NS my whole life (with time in BC and NF) and I was in my 30's before I actually went around the trail. It won't dissapoint! The Alexander Graham Bell museum is at the Baddeck end of the Cabot Trail as well. Fasinating man!

Cool, thanks for the suggestion. I really like doing history related things, so I will definatly try and make it there.

In that case I'd also recommend a trip to Fort Edmonton. A cool interactive trip through time.
Right from the fur trading fort to present. All in all a nice day.

You start on a steam train to the Fort, when your done you walk around a corner of the wall and zip! you're in the 1870's, turn another corner and you're in 1890, walk down the street, turn another corner you're in 1920. Complete buildings, furnished, decorated, and all wide open.

Very cool.

I actualy have been to fort edmonton, thanks. I'm not planning on going to edmonton on this trip though.

Bootlegga hit on some pretty good sites for you Trev. No doubt your GF will want to take in W.E.M. for some shopping. A neat place for about 4 hours!! After that it gets boring.White Ave is where the 'night-life' is. If your heading east on the Yellowhead, when you get to Lloydminster,Ab/Sask. head north for an hour or so. All through that area, Frog Lake -Meadow Lake, puts you right in the 'Riel Rebellion' Territory. A lot of history up that way too.Otherwise, not a whole lot to see in the rest of Sask or Manitoba. There is SOME nice scenery though once you get throu Sask.