And we're off...

Twas the night before Canada Day... and after much scurrying about, we're ready to hit the road first thing in the morning. Bags are packed, routes are picked, housesitters in place...

Test drive of packing the back car... room to spare!

The priority, of course, will be to enjoy ourselves, but I'll blog when I can. And check out my instagram feed: @franssenscatherine #ourxcanadaadventure.

Planning Part 20 - Days Twenty Five through Thirty Southern Ontario to Home

Days 25 - 27

Days 25 and 27 will be spent in Southern Ontario, and will be primarily reserved to visit with family and friends. We'll split our time between Windsor and Sarnia. If we do some excursions, the following are on the radar:

• Point Pelee National Park 
• Jack Miners Bird Sanctuary
• Colasanti'sTropical Gardens

 From there, it's the long trek home. Since we're leaving from Sarnia, we'll cut through the US to shave a day off the trip. On day 29 we'll come up to Manitoba and continue home along the TransCanada. The pace will be fairly grueling, but there will be some allowance for stops. At this point, we'll allow for more spontaneity as it will really depend on our appetite to get home or conversely get out of the car. 

 

 

 

 

Days 28 - 30

Day 31 - we're home and hopefully reveling in the epic adventure behind us!

Planning Part 19 - Days Twenty Three through Four Montreal to Toronto and Canada's Wonderland

After a breakfast of bagels, we'll leave Montreal and follow the St. Lawrence River to Lake Ontario, ultimately landing in Toronto. Just outside Montreal are a couple of Historic Sites to potentially check out:

• Lachine National Historic Site preserves an1803 stone warehouse and commemorates the area's history as the hub of the fur trade
• Coteau-du-Lac National Historic Site features Canada’s first lock canal and the remains of a fort, and celebrates the site's 7000 years of history as a portage, encampment, military fortification and canal
  

Day 23

As we cross into Ontario, the journey becomes more nostalgic. A number of years ago Jason and I made the trip from Ottawa to Toronto, stopping in Kingston for an afternoon. While the specifics are a bit foggy, I have strong memories of really enjoying the day, and am looking forward to recreating it. This will involve exploring the Kingston Waterfront, as well as some of the nearby Historic Sites:

• Bellevue House, former home of Sir John A. MacDonald
• Kingston Fortifications including Fort Henry, English defenses built in the 19th century

A brief stop at the Big Apple, in Colborne to satisfy our need for kitschy photographs and really good apple pie, and we head into Toronto. 

As I mentioned in our first planning post, Can We Do This?, we'll be constraining our time in Toronto and Southern Ontario as we travel here frequently to visit friends and family. However, the kids' sole request for this trip was to go to Canada's Wonderland, and given the hours in the car and historic sites they'll have endured up to this point, we'll all be ready for a little fun. So day 24 is allocated for a little roller coaster therapy.

Planning Part 18 - Days Twenty One through Three Montreal

As we're nearing the end of the trip planning, I find myself longing for more time (time for the trip that is, not the planning). It seems like we're leaving so much undone, and that even an extra day in each place would give us so much more opportunity. And while I appreciate the reality of our situation and the conscious decisions that have been made in that regard, I can't help feel this time crunch profoundly when it comes to Montreal. We'll likely arrive late on the evening of the 21st day, and will need to leave by noon on the 23rd. As such, we'll only have one full day to truly explore the city. There's a lot to see here, so decisions will need to be made wisely.



Day 22

It's been twenty years since I last travelled Montreal, but I still recollect being disappointed I didn't have time to visit Botanical Gardens. As I've researched the sites and attractions of Montreal, images of the unique topiaries and stunning landscaping have only served to heighten my interest. So hopefully I can get the family on side to spend half a day at Space for Life, which houses the Biodome (the Olympic velodrome that has been converted to house replicas of four North American ecosystems), Botanical Garden, Insectarium and Planetarium.

The rest of our day will likely be spent wandering Montreal's downtown neighbourhoods. The most notable, of course, is Vieux-Port de Montreal. Some of the things to see there include:

• Place d'Armes
• Basilique Notre-Dame 
• Saint-Paul Street
• Place Jacques Cartier
• Montreal Town Hall
• Bonsecours Market

Other areas  to explore include Mount Royal, Mile End and Marche Jean-Talon.



Planning Part 17 - Days Twenty and Twenty One South Shore Nova Scotia to St. John to Montreal

On day twenty, we'll leave Halifax and hit the road again. This time it will be a meander down the south shore of Nova Scotia, then zip over to Digby and a ferry ride across the Bay of Fundy to St. John. We'll need to be at the ferry terminal in Digby by 4:30 pm in order to make our 5:30 pm crossing, so we will have some time constraints, but should still have plenty of time to take in the sites if we get an early enough start.



Day 20

Peggy's cove is known for its lighthouse and rugged coast line, and is highly touted as a must stop attraction. However, I've heard from a number of people that Blue Rocks is equally as beautiful, but doesn't have the volume of tourist traffic. It also has the added benefit of being just off our main route. As such, it will likely be our choice between the two stops. Near to Blue Rock, is the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Lunenburg. A historical fishing village, it is known for its unique architecture, and as the home of the Bluenose.

After Lunenburg, we'll turn inland, and cut across the province to Digby. Along the way, we could potentially stop at Kejimkujik National Park & National Historic Site. The park protects traditional lands of the Mi’kmaw people including a collection of petroglyphs. While a lot of the park is backcountry, there are exhibits and short walks right off the highway, so it will be a good chance to stretch our legs.

I am suspicious that by the time we make it to Digby, we'll need to head straight to the ferry. But if there is time, we can make a visit to Port Royal National Historic Site. The site is a reconstruction of the first French settlement on the continent. It was abandoned in favour of Quebec City, which became the first permanent settlement.



Day 21

We'll wrap up the day by taking the ferry to St. John, where we will spend the night. The next day, we'll drive from St. John to Montreal. We have a couple of options related the route. We can double-back the way we came to Quebec City, then continue to Montreal. The other option is cut through Maine. Option one has the benefit of allowing us to remain in Canada, but the disadvantage of repeating a route we've already travelled. Conversely, option 2 provides new scenery and is slightly quicker, but forces us to leave the country. Either way, it will be a full day of driving and leave little room for exploration, so at this point, we'll leave it open to play by ear.

Planning Part 16 - Day Nineteen Halifax

On day nineteen, you'll find us bumming around the Halifax waterfront. In addition to checking out the shops and sites of the waterfront, including the Halifax Seaport Farmers' Market, there are two museums I'd like to visit.

Day 19 - Halifax

The Canadian Museum of Immigration is located at Pier 2, which was one of the main ports of entry for immigrants arriving via ship between 1928 and 1971. The museum chronicles this history as well as what it like to be an immigrant at that time.

The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic details Nova Scotia's maritime history including the Halifax Explosion and the sinking of the Titanic.

Nearby is the Halifax Citadel National Historic Site. Set up on a hill, the star-shaped fortress has protected the city since 1749. Unfortunately, we won't be there on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday evening when ghost tours are offered, but there is still plenty to see and do.

And if all that doesn't fill our day, we can head to Fisherman's Cove. Just 20 minutes out of downtown Halifax, this restored 200-year old fishing village offers site-seeing, shopping and dining opportunities.

Speaking of dining, I am also certain that Halifax will offer some culinary explorations. Of course,  everyone knows that seafood is the must-eat delicacy of the maritime provinces, but Halifax apparently has a number of other treats not to be missed. These include Larsen's hot dogs, donairs and Moon Mist ice cream. Though after finding out that the later is a mix of grape, banana and bubblegum flavours, I may have to leave the Moon Mist to the kids.

Planning Part 15 - Days Seventeen & Eighteen The Cabot Trail

On day seventeen, we'll leave from Antigonish to complete a two day tour of the Cabot Trail. The Cabot Trail comprises a 300km loop along the northern tip of Cape Breton Island. Despite its short distance, there is a lot to see along the way, including Cape Breton Highlands National Park.

Days 17 & 18

We'll take the counter-clockwise route to maximize our views. It also means we'll start the trek by visiting Bras D'Or Lake and the village of Baddeck. Some of the sites here include the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site and Uisge Ban Falls.

From there we move up to St. Ann's Bay and Ingonish. This is also our gateway to the National Park, which contains numerous beaches, scenic viewpoints and hikes of varying sizes. There are a number of smaller hikes that contain interpretive information or take you to a significant viewpoint that we are interested in completing:

• Middle Head - headland cliffs overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, Cape Smokey and Ingonish Island
• Broad Cove Mountain - dense forest of softwood to the top of Broad Cove Mountain for exceptional views of the rocky Atlantic coast
• Green Cove - rocky granite headland jutting out into the sea
• Lone Sheiling - largest old growth hardwood forests in the Maritimes with a replica of a Scottish crofter's hut at the beginning of the trail
• Bog -boardwalk through a highland plateau bog
• Le vieux chemin du Cap-Rouge - the remains of an old school, foundations of the former residents' houses, and the old wharf at La Bloc

One trail in particular stood out - Skyline Trail. Aside from being the park's most iconic hike, it boasts spectacular westward views, making it ideal for a sunset hike. Fortunately, we'll be spending the night only a few minutes from the trail in Pleasant Bay, so our timing should line up.

The area is also known for Whale watching and there are a number of companies offering short excursions. There is plenty to see and do without a tour, but if we do have the chance to do one, I do think the boys will love it.

On day two, we'll head south through the park to Cheticamp, and then to Margaree. Maragree contains the Margaree Salmon Museum, which chronicles Nova Scotia's fishing history. After spending two days on the Cabot Trail, we'll drive to Halifax and continue our Nova Scotia adventure there.