Month: April 2018

This morning, we worked in Starbucks for a few hours, before spending some time touring around the town of Banff.  Based on the recommendations we received from the visitor center, we visited Bow Falls and the Fairmont Banff Hot Springs.

After, we drove to Lake Minnewanka, a large lake located on the outskirts of Banff.  We then drove to Canmore to receive some recommendations for the Cowboy Trail and Southern Alberta.  The rangers at the tourist center in Canmore suggested we drive down Highway 22 (the Cowboy Trail), but also warned us that Glacier National Park in Montana might not be worth visiting during the winter.  After conducting some research, we decided not to visit Glacier National Park, but still decided to drive a loop around Southern Alberta.  From Canmore, we drove on highway 1 toward Calgary, then took highway 22 down through Brag Creek, Black Diamond, Longview, Lundbreck Falls, Crowsnet Pass, Bellevue, Frank, and more.

We then continued for another hour and are spending tonight in Fernie, BC.

 

 

This morning, we drove from Edmonton to Jasper National Park.  We arrived at Jasper National Park and were immediately awestruck by the incredible beauty and majesty of the landscape.  Although we couldn’t witness the beautiful turquoise waters, it was an equally stunning experience witnessing the frozen lakes, snow-covered mountains, and snow-covered pine trees.

After a brief stop in town, we drove the length of Maligne Road, stopping at Maligne Canyon, Medicine Lake and Maligne Lake.  At Maligne Lake, I hiked the Moose Jaw Loop, which was entirely snow-covered with fresh snow.  Next, we stopped in town and headed to Pyramid Lake.  Once we arrived at Pyramid Lake, we walked to the Island in the middle of the lake and spent about 15 minutes walking on the frozen lake and admiring the white landscape with the majestic mountain backdrop.  From there, we visited Annette Lake near town, and then had dinner at Jasper Pizza.  The vegetarian burger and creamy mushroom soup were delicious.

 

 

 

This morning, we drove from Regina to Edmonton.  Upon arriving in Edmonton, we drove straight to West Edmonton Mall, the largest mall in North America.  The mall includes multiple department stores, multiple food courts, a waterpark, ice skating rink, and much more.  It was quite an experience to be able to see the large scale of the mall firsthand and see how the mall is still facing challenges in spite of its local dominance.

After a couple hours at West Edmonton Mall, we drove to our hotel.  For dinner, we drove to Whyte Ave in the Strathcona district.  Whyte Ave is lined with restaurants, bars, and street retail.  We had dinner at a pasta bar and then called it a night.

This morning, we woke up and drove from Dryden to Regina.  On the way, we stopped at Winnipeg and visited the Forks national historic site which is located at the confluence of two rivers in Winnipeg.  The Forks National Historic Site includes an outdoor historical park and many other buildings including a museum and a marketplace.  The marketplace was built in a restored railroad depot and includes dozens of restaurants, food vendors, and specialty retailers.

Next, we drove to Assiniboine Park.  On the way, we suddenly heard a loud crash and realized that the air conditioning unit on top of the RV was stripped off of the roof of the RV after the top of the RV collided with a low bridge.  We left the AC unit on the side of road and now we have two skylights in the ceiling of the RV.

We then drove to Regina and spent the night there.

 

 

This morning, we woke up at 7:30, went for a shopping trip at Walmart, and then began driving toward Winnipeg.  Sometime during the early afternoon, we decided that we would drive until Dryden, ON, a small town between Thunder Bay and Winnipeg.  The drive was very consistent and lacking in attractions, yet very beautiful and scenic.  We gained and lost quite a bit of elevation, passing by many frozen lakes and rivers.  At about 7pm we arrived in Dryden, and had a quick dinner at Pizza Hut, while planning the next few days of our trip.  Tonight, we’re sleeping in the Walmart parking lot in Dryden, ON.

As of now, we are planning on the following.

• MONDAY 16th
  • Leave Dryden early morning
  • Potential stop in Riding Mountain National park
  • Drive until Saskatoon
• TUESEDAY 17th
  • Arrive in Edmonton Tuesday Afternoon
  • Visit Elk Island National Park and other attractions in Edmonton
• WEDNESDAY 18th
  • Drive to Jasper
• THURSDAY 19th
  • Jasper and Banff
• FRIDAY 20th
  • Banff
• SATURDAY 21th
  • Waterton Lake National Park
  • Glacier National Park (ST Mary Visitor Center and Hwy 2 Loop)
• Sunday 22nd:
  • Kootenay National Park
  • Yoho National Park
  • Glacier National Park of Canada OR back up through Banff

This morning, we woke up at 8AM, showered, and walked over to Ihop for breakfast.  After breakfast, we drove to Niagara-on-the-lake, a touristy, high-income, character-filled, charming town located at the intersection of Niagara River and Lake Ontario.  After about an hour walking around town and along the water, we continued driving toward to Sault St Marie.  About midway through the drive, it began snowing very hard and we had to slow down and drive extra carefully.  We checked the weather forecast and realized that a huge snowstorm would be hitting the region over the next couple of days, so we decided to drive out of the area as quickly as possible so we could avoid the bad weather.  Tonight, we slept in the RV in a Walmart parking lot in Sault St Marie.

This morning, I landed in Toronto at 2AM and worked at the Starbucks in the airport until 8AM.  At 8:30AM, I met dad at his terminal and we Ubered to the ferry terminal in Downtown Toronto.  We left our luggage at the Westin in Downtown Toronto and boarded a ferry to Ward Island.  From Ward Island, we walked across the Toronto Islands, visiting Algonquin Island, Centre Island, and Hanlan Island.

From Hanlan Island, we ferried back to harborfront, picked up our luggage, and Ubered to the Cruise Canada dealership in Bolton.  We picked up the RV and drove to Niagara Falls and checked into the Wyndham Garden.

We then walked around the town of Niagara Falls, taking in the incredible view of the waterfalls, visiting Niagara Casino, walking through Clifton Hill, and finally ending up back at the hotel to sleep early.

 

After a bit of planning, below is the rough preliminary itinerary for the upcoming road trip through Canada.  I’m sure it will change a lot during the trip, but it’s nice to have a general plan to make sure we’re not running too far ahead or behind schedule.

Trip Schedule:

• April 13th
  • Visit St Lawrence Market
  • Pick up RV from Bolton, ON
  • Visit Toronto Islands
  • Drive to Niagara Falls on the Lake
  • Drive to Niagara Falls
• April 14th
  • Point Pelee National Park
  • Windsor, ON
  • Algonquin Park
  • Stay in Sudbury
• April 15th
  • Drive to Thunder Bay
  • Isle Royale National Park
• April 16th
  • Drive from Thunder Bay to Winnipeg
• April 17th
  • Drive from Winnipeg to Regina
• April 18th
  • Drive from Regina to Calgary
• April 19th- April 21st
  • Banff National Park
• April 21st-23rd
  • Jasper National Park
• April 24th
  • Day in Edmonton
• April 25th
  • Day in Calgary
• April 26th-27th
  • Drive to Prince Rupert
• April 28th
  • Gwaii Haanas Island
• April 29th
  • Trip to Port Hardy
• April 30th- May 2nd
  • Port Hardy to Victoria
• May 3rd
  • Garibaldi Park and/or Whistler
• May 4th-5th
  • Vancouver