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.