Interesting Places Part 1 - Seven Wonders of Canada

To be honest, I haven't thought a lot about the trip in the last two weeks - work has been busy, I've been traveling because of it. But last Friday, a conversation with Colin got me engaged again. For reasons only an eight year old can explain, he's developed a fascination with the Seven Wonders of the World without actually knowing what they are. This leads to conversations where he asks about them, I google them and he seems less interested in them after all. But this time he asked me a follow on question: "What are the seven wonders of Canada?"


Seven wonders of Canada? Does such as thing exist? Back to Google, and lo and behold, they do: http://www.cbc.ca/sevenwonders/.  It turns out that in 2007 CBC polled viewers/listeners for their recommendations for the seven wonders of Canada, then used online polling and a panel of judges to reduce the list. The Seven Wonders as chosen by Canadians were the Sleeping Giant, Niagara Falls, the Bay of Fundy, Nahanni National Park Reserve, the Northern Lights, the Rockies, and the Cabot Trail. Interestingly, the panel of judges had a slightly different list: the Canoe, the Igloo, Niagara Falls, Old Quebec City, Pier 21 Halifax, Prairie Skies and the Rockies.

Kananaskis, 2015

The two undisputed champions - the Rockies and Niagara Falls (as they appear on both lists) are both places that are checked off our list. There is a valid argument that a trip across Canada would not be complete without including Rockies. Their beauty and majesty are undeniable, but more over they are firmly implanted in the psyche of those of us that live in the West.

Unfortunately, they fall to the west of us, and our movement will be exclusively east. This is where a few day trips will allow us to capture the areas close to home.

Niagara Falls, 2014

 Niagara Falls, despite its flagrant commercialization, is also stunning and worthy of the seven wonders title. Much to my children's chagrin (they love the falls, not for their natural beauty, but for all the touristy kitsch) - we're not likely to stop there. A decision based not on worthiness, but on the fact that we've been there several times, and are likely to return.

Despite these two big exclusions, many things on both lists are must do's on our itinerary. Prairie skies are of course a given since we're driving through Alberta and Saskatchewan. Being a Prairie girl (yes, I actually like the prairies better than the mountains), this is actually part of the trip I am quite excited about.

Prairie skies at Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park, 2015

Going to Old Quebec City has been a bucket list item for me since I was a child, and given its historical significance, we will definitely be dedicating several days to explore it. The Maritimes will also factor predominantly in this trip, and without a doubt the Bay of Fundy, Pier 21 and Cabot Trail will all be highlights.

I am ashamed to admit that I hadn't heard of Sleeping Giant until I started researching this trip. The more I learned about it, the more intrigued I've become. I am seriously contemplating extending our time in the Thunder Bay area because of all there is to see.

I sincerely hope we are lucky enough to see the Northern Lights, but of course, that is completely out of our control. Having been fortunate enough to have seen a number of magical displays, I couldn't concur enough that they absolutely belong on the Seven Wonders of Canada list.

I am sure Nahanni National Park Reserve has also earned its place. Unfortunately, we've ruled out the possibility of going north, which also diminishes our chances of seeing an igloo. As for the canoe... being an integral part of Canada's history as well as a common pastime, there is no doubt it will factor in somewhere in the trip. Exactly where will be a surprise.

Planning Part 2 - National Parks

Our free 2017 National Parks Pass is in the mail!

Photo from: Parks Canada Website

What's a birthday without gifts? So in honour of Canada's 150th, Parks Canada is offering free admission to all national parks, national historic sites, and national marine conservation areas it operates. That's 228 locations across the country!

Technically it wasn't entirely necessary to order a pass in advance, as I believe they are also available at park gates. But somehow, knowing one is on its way suddenly makes the trip tangible.Hopefully it gets here in time for our first weekend outing!

As Calgarians, we are extremely fortunate to have National Parks right in our back yard. Banff National Park is our playground - whether its a day of hiking or skiing, a weekend of camping or a romantic get away, most of us make it Banff at least once or twice a year. Many more than that. I'm hoping we get at least one day trip to Banff this year to add to the log of Canadian adventures.

Lower Bankhead Loop, Banff National Park, 2014

Jasper, Yoho, Kootenay, and Waterton Lakes National Parks are all also within a short drive of Calgary. Its been some time since I've been to the first three - in the case of Yoho and Kootenay, more than some time. Perfect candidates for a mini-getaway. Yoho, in particular Emerald Lake, has been on my mind for a while.

Of the mountain parks, Waterton Lakes is my favourite. Encompassing an ecosystem known as the Eastern Slopes, it's where the mountains rise out of the prairies. The result is a blending of two worlds, teeming with diversity.  We've spent time there the past two summers, so a it's not likely that we'll make a return trip this year, but I highly recommend it (yes, over Banff) to anyone coming through this part of the country.

Cameron Lake, Waterton Lakes National Park, 2015

Our trip, of course, will give us the opportunity to explore many new parks. The ones that will fit within our itinerary (as it stands) include Fundy , Prince Edward Island, Cape Breton Highlands, and Point Pelee. All but Point Pelee will be new to us. Pukaskwa, Kejimkujik, and Riding Mountain remain on the maybe list as we refine our plans.  The rest, unfortunately, take us too far off our prescribed path.

In the end, between day trips, weekend get-aways and the big trip we should make it to 5-10 National Parks out of a potential of 48. I think we'll be able to say we've put our free pass to good use.

Planning Part 1 – Can we do this?

My ideal cross-Canada trip – if time and money were no object – would involve not just visiting all provinces and territories, but meandering through them, and experiencing all each region had to offer. I’d visit each national park, every major centre, all the landmarks… taking time to explore each, lingering where I wanted. But alas, Freedom 45 is not in the foreseeable future, and thus our adventure will be constrained by the realities of life – a mortgage to pay, house to take care of, jobs to get back to, kids that are bound to get cranky sitting in the car for eight hours every day. A month is really all we can offer up to this endeavor. As a result, before we could even consider this further, the first question we had to answer was “Is it even possible to drive across Canada in 30 days?”

The answer is “Yes… sort of”. Randy Olson, a computer science PhD candidate at Michigan State University, used a computer algorithm to calculate the best route to visit all provinces and territories (except Nunavut, which has no roads) for the Huffington Post Canada. His journey, based on 6 hours of travel a day, would take 32 days. That’s one way of continuous travel – no additional days in any location, no deviating from the path, no stopping to see friends and family, no return trip.

The biggest mistake foreign travelers make when coming to Canada is underestimating its size. Check out this link to a map of Canada superimposed over Europe – our country spans an entire continent. You could drive all the way from Portugal to Greece and still not be as far as Vancouver to Ontario. A born and bred Canadian, I am familiar with the vastness of our country. Even so, it’s hard to fathom just how big it is until you start planning a trip like this. The thirty days I initially thought would be more than enough, is going to be tight – we won’t be able to see it all, do it all. But with the right choices, we can do it.

Someone once told me that they key to doing anything (or getting through anything) is understanding that no matter how enormous the challenge seems to be, it is just a series of individual decisions. You make one then move on to then next until you are done. And so, our series of decisions began:

·        Car travel only or train/bus/plane too? Car travel only

·        Return trip or one way and fly home? Return trip

·        Our vehicle, buy a camper van, rent a vehicle? Our vehicle

·        Camping or hoteling? Hoteling

·        Go into the US or exclusively travel in Canada? US, a little on the way home

We had the basic parameters, now it was time to start mapping out a route. The Yukon and Northwest Territories were scratched off the list immediately (Nunavut was never an option as it is not accessible via car), and soon after British Columbia was too. The North remains a bucket list item, but is far too remote – it’s just not feasible given our constraints. BC was a tougher call. On one hand, it is a unique and integral part of this country. On the other, it is relatively close to home, and an area we travel to frequently. Adding days to get out to the West Coast, then to double-back and drive past home to continue with the rest of the trip felt incongruous.

So Calgary east it was. We began mapping out a few itinerary options, and in doing so, realized Newfoundland also needed to be cut from the plan. This was a tough blow as there was so much I wanted to see and do in Newfoundland. My heart still aches when I see pictures and articles of Gros Morne, L'Anse aux Meadows or Quidi Vidi, but including Newfoundland would take 6-10 of our thirty days. There is simply not enough time.

We also had to make a few compromises related to how long we would stay or how much we would see in some areas. If it was close to home (a.k.a. Saskatchewan or Manitoba) or an area we visit frequently (a.k.a. Southern Ontario), we’ve constrained our time there on the presumption there will be plenty of opportunities to make a return visit in the future. We also decided to shorten the trip home by cutting through the US for a few days. This way we will be able to maximize our time in the places we’ve never been and are difficult to reach.

Like life, the trip is not perfect – there are constraints, cuts and compromises. But in the end, I think we’ve come up with something pretty darn good. The details still need to be worked out, dates and locations confirmed, but here is rough draft of our trip itinerary:

Fun Stuff - Part 1

I'm working on my next post. In the meantime, here's a great video to inspire you to get out and explore this great country:

How it all began

In June of 2013, I had the privilege of listening to Lieutenant-General Roméo Antonius Dallaire give a keynote address at a conference. In it, he challenged the audience to think about 2017 – the year Canada turns 150 and the 100^th anniversary of the battle of Vimy Ridge (the event in which Canada first stepped on the world stage as an independent nation) – and to find an opportunity to honour our country and those that have fought for it.

The idea of traveling across the country resided in the back of mind, filed under nice to do one day, maybe… but in that moment it came to the forefront. In the summer of 2017, my kids would be nine and twelve – the perfect ages to embark on this type of adventure. Four years was also plenty of time to get my husband on side, and make necessary plans and arrangements. And so it was, I returned from the conference with the seed of a plan.

Over the next few years, the seed grew… we would leave on Canada Day, drive east from Calgary to the Atlantic coast. Along the way we would see as many national parks, major cities, landscapes, landmarks, and most importantly, historic sites as we could. Our goal will be to learn as much about this country – its cultural and geographic diversity, its history, and its quirks –as we can…for my children to have a strong sense of what it means to be Canadian.