These were the types of thoughts that consumed us leading up to our September 12th departure from Borden-Carleton, PEI. In the end, as we left PEI, we didn’t really have any set plans of things to do or places to eat. We had an itinerary of our daily destinations we were travelling to but that was it.  Our 36 days exploring Canada was a blank canvas waiting to be painted with a variety of unexpected adventures.

It was these adventures that led to discovering some beautiful parts of Canada that often go unnoticed. In our 36 days, we saw a lot, we learned a lot, & we most certainly ate a lot. One night a couple of weeks ago, Kate & I were discussing some of our favourite moments from our 36 days on the road. Reminiscing on the trip brought a smile to our face. It also made us realize that we should share a variety of the best things we enjoyed on the road. So, here we go…

The Best of Canada from 36 Days on the Road

The Best: City

Kate: Vancouver

Vancouver is one of the most picturesque metro areas I have visited not just in Canada but the world. You are never far from the ocean and the city has done a great job at making the city easily accessible for walkers. There are sculptures, artwork, birds, history, and scenic views around every corner. What I loved most is how safe I felt. Not once did we turn down a street where I felt like I would have to clutch my purse a little closer to my body. I’m not much of a city person, but if I had to choose a city to live in, I’d pack my bags and head to Vancouver.

The totems of Stanley Park in Vancouver.

Adam: Quebec City

Until we reached Vancouver, Quebec City was far and away my favourite city that we visited throughout the trip. Vancouver closed the gap a little bit for every reason that Kate mentioned. Still, Quebec City was my favourite city stop on this trip. Old Quebec quickly became one of my favourite spots. The history along with the European feel of Old Quebec is incredible. Walking around through the cobblestone streets was a true pleasure. After leaving the city, I felt that Kate & I should brush up on our French because I could absolutely see us living in the heart of Old Quebec.

The famous Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City.

The Best: Food

Kate: Everything in Montreal

The night before visiting Montreal, we had to figure out what to do for the day. Because of the size of Montreal, it was hard to focus on one area. Eventually, after some looking around, we decided to do a food tour of Old Montreal. We chose this because we knew that we wanted to visit Old Montreal but also because, well…we love food. What a perfect combo. The day ended up being perfect and we enjoyed fantastic fish & chips, apple flavoured ice cream, & the delicious dessert – pouding chomeur. So many great foods in a great city. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Brit & Chips – the first stop on our food tour.

Adam: Poutine 

It’s been more than two months now, but I still cannot stop thinking about the poutine that we had at Frite du St. Mathieu in Beloeil. Yes – it was that good. Frite du St. Mathieu is a small burger & fries place, but their servings were enormous. We each ordered medium poutine only to be shocked when we were handed our order. A medium order of poutine probably weighed two pounds. On the surface, it didn’t look like the best poutine but it was superb. The cheese curds were nice and squeaky like they should be and there was an impressive mountain of them covered in gravy. It was so friggin good. This poutine was addictive. I’ve found myself trying to scheme up different ways I can have another poutine from Frite du St. Mathieu. While I’ve enjoyed other poutine since it’s just not the same. I will be back to Beloeil someday for one. Heck, I may just move there all in the name of poutine.

The massive and delicious poutine enjoyed in Beloeil

The Best: Ice Cream

Kate: MacKay’s Ice Cream

MacKay’s licorice ice cream in Cochrane, Alberta is by far the best ice cream I experienced on our trip. It’s creamy, rich in flavor, and it was black licorice! When I was a little kid, my parents would take me to Shaw’s Ice Creamery located just outside of St. Thomas, Ontario. I would always get black licorice ice cream. I haven’t seen black licorice ice cream since. So, imagine my delight when I found black licorice ice cream at MacKay’s and got to remember that part of my childhood.

MacKay’s Ice Cream located in Cochrane

Adam: Sargent Sundae

While visiting every city on our trip, we’d take to Google to find out about the local ice cream shops where we could grab a scoop or two at. In Winnipeg, there were A LOT of options. It was kind of overwhelming just to find a place to get ice cream. In the end, we found the perfect spot. I had read that Sargent Sundae just released their pumpkin pie soft serve for the fall season which needed to be enjoyed. However, when we got there, I became conflicted. The ice cream menu at Sargent Sundae was filled with too many good options. No matter what I was going to be pleased but part of me also felt that I couldn’t be pleased unless I had one of everything. I ended up getting a waffle cone filled with pumpkin pie soft serve that was made with real pumpkin. It was very good ice cream. Kate decided to support me by ordering a peanut butter sundae which was incredible as well. Kate & I exchanged each other’s ice cream so we could enjoy the best of both worlds.

Delicious pumpkin pie soft serve from Sargent Sundae.

The Best: Hike

Kate: Horseshoe Canyon

We had some great hikes on this trip. Sleeping Giant Provincial Park near Thunder Bay gave us staggering dramatic views of Lake Superior. Then there were the beautiful hikes in Jasper National Park. But the hike that stands out most in my mind, was a place that we stumbled upon in Alberta.

While travelling back from the Hoodoos in Drumheller, we noticed a sign for a canyon. We veered off the highway towards Horseshoe Canyon. We had no idea what to expect and we didn’t know how long we would be out walking. This canyon is located 17 km SW of Drumheller, and it is in a horseshoe shape. It gives you an unbelievable view of the Badlands. Unlike a lot of canyons around the world, this one allows you to climb the stairs down into it. There wasn’t anyone there so Bella, Adam, and I took off on an adventure. It felt like we were out in the desert which is kind of hard to image for Alberta. During peak season there is a little fossil shop that operates in the parking lot. They have gemstones, petrified wood, and dinosaur fossils.

Horseshoe Canyon near Drumeheller

Adam: Maligne Canyon

When we went to Maligne Canyon in Jasper National Park, I had no idea that it actually was a hike. I had thought that it was just a quick walk to a lookout. It turned out to be a decent hike with stunning scenery everywhere. It seemed like every 2-minutes we would have to stop so I could take pictures. Light snow was falling when we were walking through the canyon which dusted the surrounding coniferous trees. This hike was a delightful surprise and one you have to do when you visit Jasper National Park.

Maligne Canyon

The Best: Drive

Kate: Kamloops to Surrey

I have a bit of a daredevil streak in me, so driving in B.C. over the Coquihalla Pass was a bit of a thrill for me. I had had a lot of people question and wonder about my driving ability towing  a 5^th wheel. Apparently, it is quite rare for women to drive when towing a 5^th wheel. I felt proud of myself for driving that stretch of road. While the scenery was beautiful, the drive is one of the tougher in Canada when towing. We had Matt Mays cranked during that part of the drive and the feeling of exhilaration as we got further into British Columbia was something I will never forget.

Adam: Hinton to Kamloops

Leaving Jasper was the craziest day we endured during the trip. We woke up ready to leave Hinton only to see that it had snowed between 5-10cm overnight covering our RV. It also made our route out of the park a bit dicey. Thanks to the great folks at Jasper Gates RV Park, we made it out. The drive made up for the less than ideal start to the day. Because the snow had fallen throughout the night, the landscape we drove through was stunning. The Rocky Mountains and the trees were all dusted in fresh powder. It couldn’t have been a more beautiful drive. Once we left Jasper National Park, we entered British Columbia and Mount Robson Provincial Park which was just as beautiful. As the day wore on the snow disappeared as we dropped in elevation. Nearing Kamloops I was also able to pick up the Jays game on the radio. I was great to listen to Jerry Howarth (wishing Jerry a speedy recovery) call a Jays victory over the hated Texas Rangers as the drive concluded.

The Best: RV Park

Kate: Bows Rivers Edge Campground

Hands Down my favorite RV Park was in Cochrane, Alberta at Bows Rivers Edge Campground. The Rotary and Lion’s Club co-own/manage this fantastic park. It was the best park for Bella that we experienced in Canada. With a dog park right behind the park, it would be a perfect place to RV for a summer. The lots are spacious, level, and have a little patch of grass. The amenities are good, too. The only thing I didn’t like was the pay showers were short and often cold.

Adam: Jasper Gates RV Park

We were fortunate to find some of the best RV parks in Canada while on this trip. Camping Alouette, Domaine de la Chute, & the KOA’s we enjoyed in Ontario were all fantastic. The Pacific Border RV Park in Surrey was also great, especially since we ended up there for almost a week. While all of these parks were great, Jasper Gates went above and beyond during our stay. Situated just outside of Jasper National Park, it’s an easy choice when visiting Jasper. The park is both rustic and scenic and offers some great amenities to their guest. However, it’s the customer service at Jasper Gates that really impressed us. The whole team pulled together to help get us out of the very snowy RV park by plowing out our site and the route out of the park. Kate and I have discussed the possibility of spending a summer in Jasper and if we do, we’ll be staying at Jasper Gates.

The family all together enjoying our site at Jasper Gates.

The Best: Day

Kate: Quebec City

Some of the best days of my life have been spent with Adam exploring both Canada and around the world. Our day in Quebec City was beautiful, despite the rainy and chilly conditions. It reminded me of the day we spent in Dublin, Ireland in 2012. We explored Old Quebec, eating lots of great food, riding around on a bus, learning history, and enjoying each other’s company. There really isn’t much more I could ask in life. Plus, we ended the day with ice cream and chocolate. Perfection.

St. John’s Gate

Adam: Wawa

This is a tough one. A lot of our days travelling across Canada easily could be my favourite. That being said, Wawa was a great time. The small village along Highway 17 in Northern Ontario is a popular stop for tourists because of the giant Geese. After arriving in Wawa, we enjoyed visiting the geese & Young’s General Store. We also went on a couple of small hikes which were nice. One of the places we went to was Magpie Falls. It was here that I thought Kate and/or Bella was in danger. They had separated from me while I was snapping some pictures of the waterfalls. It was then that I heard Kate yelling my name but I couldn’t see her or Bella. I feared that they may have slipped into the river near the falls. My heart was pounding & my mind raced through different scenarios. Thankfully, they were just yelling for me to take their picture and nothing was wrong. The combination of the sights and discovering Kate & Bella weren’t dead made Wawa a memorable day during our trip across Canada.

The original Wawa Goose at Young’s General Store

The Best: Tourist Attraction

Kate: Jasper National Park

Jasper National Park is a jaw-dropping & overwhelmingly beautiful tourist attraction. The mountains, rivers, snow peaks, big horned sheep, elk, clouds, and trails are something that made me tear up. I wouldn’t even really call it a tourist attraction. I would call it an experience that leaves you wanting to return and take it all in again. We will go back to Jasper.

A beautiful female moose feeding while the snow falls.

Adam: Miette Hot Springs

Located near the East gate of Jasper National Park are the Miette Hot Springs. We were lucky to be able to visit the hot springs. The weekend we were in Jasper was the last weekend the hot springs were open for the season. The one morning, with the snow falling, we decided to hit up the hot springs. As we arrived, the hot springs were just opening and the warm pools of water were mostly empty. There we sat for about an hour not just soaking up all the minerals but the snow covered trees of Ashlar Ridge. It made me wish that we had a natural hot spring outside of the RV everywhere we travel in Canada.

What a great way to spend our first morning in Jasper yesterday we seen a couple of hours having a soak in the Miette Hot Springs. It was perfect. The snow fell on us while sitting in the 38 degree pool. The views of the Rockies around us were superb. #jasper #beautiful #happy #amazing #lucky #hotspring #explore #discover #wanderlust #roadtrip #canada #explorecanada #rockymountains #rockies

A photo posted by @fulltimecanada on Oct 8, 2016 at 7:18am PDT

Tell us about your experience in Canada….

What’s your favourite:

• City
• Tourist Attraction
• Drive
• Food

The post The Best of Canada from 36 Days on the Road appeared first on Full Time Canada.

Why We Chose Tofino

You may wonder why we decided to hang out in Tofino for the fall & winter. When we first discussed the possibility of full-time RVing over a year ago, there were a lot of unknowns. Yet, the one thing we did know was that we would be spending our winter on Vancouver Island. The reason we chose Vancouver Island was because it’s the one spot in Canada that gets pretty much no snow. The temperatures also rarely dip below the freezing mark which for us was huge. We didn’t want to have to winterize our RV and live many months in a freezing cold and snow-covered area of the country.

Everything we had read and seen about Vancouver Island made us excited for this part of our adventure. Until this summer, though, we didn’t know exactly what part of the Island we would be calling home. Parksville, Nanaimo, Victoria, & Courtney were all options along with many others. One location that we thought would be great but unlikely was Tofino.

The long, pristine beaches were just one of the many reasons we wanted to come to Tofino.

Anyone who has ever been to Tofino says how incredible it is. Often we would see videos online of Tofino. The long sandy beaches, the dreamlike rainforests, & the laid back culture of Tofino appealed to us. The only downside was there weren’t many RV parks in Tofino, so our chances of landing in the surfing capital of Canada seemed unlikely. But we had to try.

We did some research and found the one spot in Tofino that would be perfect to call home – Crystal Cove Beach Resort. After looking throughout their website, the pictures left us in awe. The resort was home to many luxurious cabins but also had a small RV park. The landscaping of the resort was gorgeous, full with many gigantic trees and other lush flora. If that wasn’t enough, the resort was right on MacKenzie Beach. Within a few minutes, we could be walking Bella on the beach. This place seemed perfect.

Crossing our fingers for a response, we emailed Crystal Cove asking if they would be interested in partnering with us and allowing us to stay at the park. In exchange, we would Workamp similarly to what we did while at Jellystone PEI. In all honesty, we didn’t expect to hear back from Crystal Cove. However, a couple of days later we received an email asking us if we could call them to have a chat.

The gorgeous, well manicured grounds at Crystal Cove.

During our chat, we talked about our newfound lifestyle, what we had been doing in PEI, and of course –Bella. They then asked us if we’d be interested in helping with their online presence seeing as we had plenty of experience with our website and previous careers in radio. As much as we didn’t mind the physical campground work we did at Jellystone PEI, this was right up our alley. At the conclusion of our conversation, we told them that we were excited but needed to talk it over.

As we hung up, both Kate and I looked at each other smiling. We were grateful for how well the conversation went and how positive and friendly both JJ and Jen (GM & AGM) seemed on the phone. We always try to look at the pro’s/con’s of all our decisions, but this was an easy one to make. How could we not live in Tofino if given the opportunity? After celebrating with Cows Ice Cream, we returned to the RV and sent a quick email accepting the offer. We were now going to be Tofino bound!

Getting There

When we had our initial conversation with Crystal Cove, JJ had an interesting remark. He told us that we would be saving the worst road during our cross-country trip for last. At the time we chuckled and thought that there was no way driving the drive from Nanaimo to Tofino could be that bad. On day 36, we were going to find out but first, we had a ferry to catch.

A half hour from our RV park in Surrey was the Tsawwassen ferry terminal. From there, we would drive onto the ferry that would take us over to Vancouver Island. Aside from flying into some of the airports on the Island, the ferry is the only option to get to the Island. I believe that as a result of this, BC Ferries can pretty much charge whatever they wish to board. When booking, they ask for the total length of the truck & RV as this is what they use to determine how much it will cost for you to board the ferry. We measured our truck & RV which came out to 53 total feet. How much do you think it would cost for 53 feet to board with BC Ferries? It cost us $320! To us, that price was high, but there was no alternative option. We had to pay up.

Our planned route from Surrey to Tofino including a ferry ride with BC Ferries.

Aside from the cost of boarding, the ferry is nice. The seating area is nice and offers plenty of viewing areas to enjoy the nearby islands. The nice thing about this ferry, compared to others that we’ve been on in the past, is that they let you stay in your vehicle if you wish. We sat up in the seating area for about an hour before heading down to see Bella and Paris in the RV. Once we were in the RV, we stayed for the next hour relaxing before the drive ahead of us.

Two hours later, we were off the boat and on the road to Tofino. The first part of the drive through Nanaimo up to Parksville was nice and easy. Once we turned off to Port Alberni, that’s when things got interesting. Highway 4 to Port Alberni wasn’t a bad drive at all. There were some small climbs and descents but the views were incredible. After Port Alberni is when it started to get fun.

The road from Port Alberni to Tofino is filled with all sorts of driving obstacles. There is steep climbs, blind corners, snake-like winding roads, and even an 18% grade we had to descend. 18%!!! We had gone down 6-10% hills before but nothing ever close to 18%. When we saw the sign, we both wondered if we could safely make it down. Thankfully, while the grade is steep, it’s not long which was relieving. There were plenty of dicey situations during this drive which at times reminded us of the Cabot Trail in Cape Breton. Like Cape Breton, the drive is stunning and is one of those drives that you have to do at some point in your life.

Our new home at Crystal Cove Beach Resort in Tofino.

Our First Days in Tofino

With over 10000+km’s behind us, we were now in our home for the winter. We finally made it. It felt a little surreal to us that we had left Prince Edward Island just over a month ago and that we were now in Tofino. We pulled into Crystal Cove, and just like when we first looked at their website, we were in awe. The resort is even more beautiful in person. We couldn’t be luckier to being calling this place home for the winter.

Something that brought a grin to our faces was the fact that it wasn’t raining when we arrived in Tofino. While they don’t get any snow here, they do get rain and lots of it and the forecast was calling for rain upon our arrival. After dealing with snow in Jasper and being stuck in Surrey thanks to Super Typhoon Songda, it was a pleasant site to see the sun beating down in Tofino.

MacKenzie Beach

Within a couple hundred meters of our RV is the gorgeous MacKenzie Beach. While the beach isn’t as popular as Long Beach, this is one of the most beautiful beaches either of us has ever seen. It’s a long and large sandy beach, lined with the thick trees and various resorts & campgrounds.

The sun sets on MacKenzie Beach.

We walked the entirety of the beach while Bella met plenty of new friends. As the sun began to set, we stood to watch a couple of paddleboarders and surfers brave the frigid waters while catching some good sized waves. This was my first time seeing the Pacific Ocean in person. The large crashing waves were an introduction that told me that this ocean is much less forgiving than the much gentler Atlantic Ocean.

The look on her face says that Bella loves MacKenzie Beach.

Town of Tofino

The next day, the sun was still shining so we decided to introduce ourselves to the town of Tofino.

The town is small. Aside from the many thousands of tourists that flock to the town, the population of the village is about 2000 people. It is a cute, little town, right on the water offering many picturesque views. We wandered about the few main streets enjoying our surroundings for about an hour.

Welcome to Tofino

Out of curiosity, we wanted to check out the grocery store in town. Everyone here has told us to be prepared for the cost of groceries in Tofino. A lot of locals make a monthly trip to Port Alberni (2 hours away) and stock up on food to save. It does make sense that groceries would cost a bit more in Tofino. It’s not easy to get goods into the town, especially since transport trucks have to drive the same route as we did to get to Tofino.

We walked around the Co-op for about twenty minutes checking out the various selection and noting the differences in prices. The prices weren’t too bad compared to what we were used to. There were, however, some noticeable items that cost more. Cheese is the big one. A long brick of cheese that would cost $6-7 in PEI was $13 here which is unfortunate since we both love cheese so much. We did notice that while we were in Surrey that the price was about the same. I wonder why cheese is so much more expensive in BC. Items that we constantly consume like peanut butter, bacon, and other meats are a bit more expensive here but not by a lot. There are actually some things that are cheaper like some produce which is nice. What we have to figure out is if it’s worth it to make a monthly drive to Port Alberni for food considering the cost of fuel.

There a few float planes that transport locals & visitors to/from Tofino.

Pacific Rim National Park Reserve

One of the many fantastic things about staying in Tofino is that we’re a quick 5-minute drive to the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. The park covers 511 km of the coastal area of the South Western part of Vancouver Island. We’ve never lived this close to a National Park before. We’re excited to explore everything the park has to offer throughout our stay in Tofino.

The trails of Pacific Rim National Park Reserve are truly majestic.

We gave ourselves a brief introduction to the park during a sunny break in the weather. Our plan was to hike some of the quicker and smaller trails, allowing us to get acquainted with the park and its surroundings. For three hours, we explored Radar Hill, Schooner Cove, & Combers Beach.

All three of the hikes were beautiful, but the standout was the 2km hike at Schooner Cove. This was our real introduction to the rainforest that covers the Island. The trail led from the parking lot into the forest which smelled so amazing. The trees in the forest are incredible. There are the giant redwoods but then there were also trees completely covered in moss. It was lush all throughout the hike. Neither of us had been in a rainforest before (the Rainforest Café, doesn’t count does it?) and were astonished by this hike.

The amount of driftwood on Combers Beach shows you how powerful the Pacific Ocean is.

TacoFino

While we are certain that there are many places to find a good meal in Tofino, there was one place the piqued both of our curiosities before we arrived here – TacoFino. We both love good Mexican food and the reviews for this food truck serving up Mexican delights were stellar. We couldn’t wait to try it and wouldn’t you know it, TacoFino is a 5-minute walk from Crystal Cove.

The truck serves up a wide variety of Mexican food including bowling ball sized burritos, gringas, and of course – tacos. Like we often do, Kate and I both ordered the same thing – a crispy chicken burrito. For two burritos it cost us $25 which is a bit much for a burrito but when we got them and took our first bites we could see why. The burritos are packed with chicken, rice, refried beans, guacamole, and slaw. Kate says it’s the best burrito she’s ever had and I have to agree with her. This place will become a constant food source for us. I can’t wait to try their fish tacos…hum, maybe dinner tonight?

Preparing for the “BIG ONE”

The one thing that we knew when coming to Tofino was that we would be entering an earthquake and tsunami zone. We weren’t going to let something like this stop us from visiting such a beautiful place, but it’s also something to take seriously. Seismologists are predicting the “Big One” could happen any time now. What will happen when the “Big One” hits is unknown but the damage is expected to be severe as it’s predicted to measure greater than 8 on the Richter Scale.

While living in New Brunswick, we experienced a light earthquake while walking Bella. At first, we didn’t know what was happening. We didn’t feel much. But we did hear a loud rumbling noise that resembles an oncoming freight train. It’s incredible how much is happening below our feet that we cannot see. This previous experience gave us a taste of what we could be in for while in Tofino. The main thing is to be prepared.

There are many earthquakes and tremors every year on and around Vancouver Island. The most powerful one this year was 5.2 in strength. Most of these are light tremors that no one feels but if a bigger quake does happen, it’s imperative to be ready. Throughout our week in Surrey and first few days in Tofino, we heard a lot of advertisements on the radio about the importance of having an earthquake kit ready. Slowly, we’ve been piecing together everything we need to have in our kit should we need to evacuate our RV. We’ve also been studying the various routes for evacuation should a tsunami happen. It’s a bit unsettling to think how our lives could change should one or both of these natural disasters hit while we’re in Tofino. Yet, we’re not going to let that stop us from visiting such a beautiful place.

Departure Time/Location: 8.30a Surrey, BC

Arrival Time/Location: 4p Tofino, BC

Total Distance: 325km

Next Stop:  To Be Determined

The post Crossing Canada: Day 36 Tofino appeared first on Full Time Canada.

The day we arrived in Surrey, we started hearing on the radio about the “big storm” coming our way and more specifically, on Vancouver Island. The storm, which was leftover remnants of Super Typhoon Songda, was to possibly bring 100km winds and upwards of 400mm of rain to Vancouver Island over the course of three days. The Lower Mainland including Surrey were also due to get hit.

Friday, we were supposed to head out to Vancouver Island on the ferry. Due to the impending storm, we changed our reservation with BC Ferries and decided to stay in Surrey for an extra four days. The storm wasn’t as powerful as expected but it was still damaging. Tofino was without power for 18-hours at one point.Sadly, a teenage boy was also killed by a falling a tree in Surrey during the first wave of the storms.

Getting There

The ride to Surrey from Kamloops was the craziest day of driving we’ve had on our trip. For the drive, we had to decide on one of two routes from Kamloops. We could either take the Trans-Canada Highway or Highway 5 thru the Coquihalla Pass. After some research and some help from social media, we decided to go with Highway 5.

After driving Highway 5, I’m interested to see what the Trans-Canada would be like because the drive down 5 was intense at times. It’s filled with steep ascents to the Coquihalla Summit and then followed by nail-biting descents. Thankfully, our studying on how to drive the truck in such circumstances paid off. We didn’t blow up the engine or burn up the brakes. Once we got through the mountains, we easily made our way onto Surrey where the landscape is much flatter.

Surrey

We chose to stay in Surrey while visiting the Vancouver area because of its close proximity to Vancouver. It also had the best-rated RV park in the area. We chose to stay at the Pacific Border RV Park which was, right on the border of Canada & the US. Less than a 100-feet behind the park was the US which is pretty neat.

Peace Arch Park

After arriving at the RV park, both of us and Bella were in desperate need of stretching our legs. Luckily, a kilometer or so down the road was the unique Peace Arch Park. The park is technically an international park consisting of conjoined parks – one on the Canadian side of the border and the other on US territory. The interesting thing about the park is that you can enter the US without your passport, just as long as you remain in the park. As a Canadian, if you tried to leave the park on the US side, I’m certain Donald Trump would pop out of the bush in military camo and take you down.

Bella peacefully enjoying the Peach Arch Park.

Bella happily walked around both sides of the park while we watched streams of cars trickle across the border. The park was beautiful, complete with well-manicured gardens and enormous trees. For a short while, we sat on the lawn in front of the giant Peace Arch monument. The monument was built in 1921 along the border as a symbol of forever lasting peace between the US & Canada.

Redwood Park

Another great park in Surrey came with an interesting tale. Redwood Park in South Surrey, is home to over 50 different species of trees. The park initially was a piece of land that was given from a father to his two sons. The sons spent years travelling the world collecting various seeds and saplings. The seeds and saplings were then planted throughout the property where they grew and flourished. The brothers later built a 2-storey treehouse which they lived in for many years. It burned down on multiple occasions but was rebuilt.

Between the ferns with Bella.

The park was a great place to take Bella for a walk while. We were excited to see countless amounts of trees that we had never seen before. The Redwoods, Red Cedars, and Douglas Firs were the highlights as they towered over the trails that snake through the park. There were also trees almost completely covered in moss. This served as our introduction to the rainforest element that we will be immersed in while in Tofino.

Some of the many fairy houses located in the Fairy Village of Redwood Park.

Something else that was really intriguing was the Fairy Village located down one of the trails. In the “village” you’ll find fairy doors. There are also hundreds of birdhouses aka fairy houses hung and lined along many of the large trees in the forest. It’s a fun spot to come with the family where you can even bring your own fairy house that you made.

Vancouver

We spent the one day where we had good weather (before the storm) in Vancouver. The sun was shining and it was beautiful. Perfect for walking around exploring which is exactly what Vancouver is perfect for. We truly enjoyed our day in the city. We took the SkyTrain from Surrey into the heart of Vancouver. From the Waterfront station, we were perfectly located to start wandering about.

The Vancouver harbour, not too far from where we got off of the SkyTrain.

Stanley Park

Stanley Park is a large park, almost completely surrounded by water with plenty to do and see. In 2014, it was named the top park in the entire world by TripAdvisor. That’s quite an accolade but it’s not surprising as the park is stunning. There’s so much to do and see for everyone. The park is perfect if you’re active and love to run and/or cycle. To walk the entire loop of the park takes roughly 2 to 3 hours.

Walking the seawall in Stanley Park.

We walked along the outer edge of the park including the seawall. This gave us lovely views of the Vancouver harbour and the skyline along with views of North Vancouver. Along the way, we stopped to see the famous totem poles at Brockton Point. Most of the original totem poles that adorned the area have been moved to museums with replicas now standing in their place. They’re quite amazing to look at and to study the craftsmanship that went into creating them.

The totems of Stanley Park.

A little while later, after walking along the seawall for a bit, our stomachs were telling us that it was time to eat. As a result, we cut through the middle of Stanley Park and a short while later we were back on the streets of Vancouver, heading towards Granville Island. The one thing that we loved about Vancouver was how easy it was to walk around the city. Nearly the entire city is surrounded by parks with paved pathways and beaches connecting them to one another.

Brockton Point Lighthouse in Stanley Park.

Granville Island

If you’re looking for a fun place to spend an afternoon – head to Granville Island. The Island was a former industrial area but now is bustling with 275+ businesses and facilities for locals and tourists alike to enjoy. The Island got its name from the bridge that it’s under – Granville. In fact, Vancouver was called Granville previous to 1886.

Palm trees on the beach with the Granville Street Bridge nearby.

We were drawn to the Island by the Granville Island Public Market. The market is home to many different vendors selling everything from meats & produce to arts & crafts. The main attraction of the building for us, though, was the one section that was completely devoted to take away food. Because we were hungry when we visited, every option looked inviting. There was every type of food imaginable from Canadian food to Chinese, Lebanese, Mexican, Greek, Japanese, and so much more. I’m certain we walked around the building many times just trying to decide what we wanted. In the end, I went with a heaping plate of Chinese food while Kate feasted on fish & chips.

The Granville Island Public Market

With our bellies full of food, we walked around Granville Island for a bit longer. It really is a great spot. I wish we could have spent more time wandering around the various shops and attractions. However, we had a chocolate lab to get home to. A short ride on the False Creek Ferry took us to our SkyTrain connection and we made our way back to Surrey to reunite with the chocolate pup.

Departure Time/Location: 8.30a Kamloops, BC
Arrival Time/Location: 1.30p Surrey, BC
Total Distance: 335km
Next Stop: TOFINO!

Our route from Kamloops to Surrey.

The post Crossing Canada: Day 30-35 Surrey appeared first on Full Time Canada.

Our plan changed once we arrived into Jasper as the forecast had changed. On Friday, both Jasper and Banff were expected to get hit with snow. 5-10cm in Jasper and 10-20cm in Banff. This wasn’t just light flurries, this was A LOT of snow. It also meant that we had to cancel our trip to Banff which was a huge bummer for us but there was no way we could travel into that much snow. As a result, we adjusted our plan and route and made our way to Kamloops a day early.

Getting There

Most days, when packing up the RV for departure, it would take us about an hour and a half. That includes eating breakfast and walking the dog. Departing Jasper for Kamloops took us almost 4 hours thanks to a snowfall that dumped about 5cm of snow on our RV overnight. This created two obstacles for us.

The first obstacle slowing us down was the fact that we had to actually brush all the snow off of the roof and slides. We had to do this so that we could bring our RV slides in without having snow come into the actual RV. The roof also had to be brushed off because we couldn’t have snow flying off the RV into traffic. While I was ready to climb the narrow ladder of our RV to brush the snow off, Kate recommended that she do it since she is more conscious when it comes to being safe. That is true. So up the ladder she went. She managed to brush off all the snow within an hour. It was no easy task but she did it.

Kate on top of the RV clearing the snow off the roof.

Our second obstacle was actually getting out of the park. The grounds of the RV park were covered in snow and our path out was going to be an interesting and potentially challenging one. The people at Jasper Gates were incredible in helping us with our departure. They plowed the laneways of the park and our actual site to give us the best chance of getting out. Still, we were a bit nervous. The path out was down a steep hill and if we didn’t make the turn, there was likely no backing up due to the slippery conditions on the incline. Thankfully, we managed to trek through the slush and snow before exiting the park and meeting up with the welcomed site of the highway. Watch the video of us driving out of Jasper Gates.

The drive was as gorgeous. Although the snow was a nuisance to us early in the day during our preparations, it was now providing us with stunning views of the Rockies. The mountains & forest were covered in fresh white powder which gave us some incredible views as we made our way through Jasper and on to Kamloops.

Just like our previous days in Jasper, during our drive, we encountered plenty of wildlife. There were herds of bighorn sheep crossing in front of traffic and herds of elk laying in nearby fields. The drive from the East to West gates of Jasper couldn’t have been any more beautiful.

Pondering whether or not it would be wise to walk into traffic.

Upon exiting Jasper National Park, we were now in Mount Robson Provincial Park and officially in British Columbia. We made a quick stop to take some pictures and to stretch our legs before continuing on. Driving into BC was nice and similar to Jasper –  for a bit. As we continued west, the landscape began to change and we no longer saw snow atop the mountain peaks. Throughout the rest of the day, we enjoyed nice views of various valleys and peaks along Highway 5. Because of our late departure time, we didn’t end up in Kamloops until almost sunset. Once we got there and unpacked, we were relieved to get there based on how the day started.

Leaving Jasper National Park and entering Mount Robson Provincial Park.

Riverside Park

While our time in Kamloops was limited, we were able to enjoy the beautiful Riverside Park located in the downtown of the city. The park is alongside the Thompson River which provides a nice backdrop while walking the paved paths of the park. The park also features beautiful trees and gardens. It’s a pleasant place. They also had the first outdoor pickleball courts that I’ve seen in Canada. I immediately thought how much my father – the pickleball assassin – would love playing here. Bella also loved walking through the park. As we were exiting the park, though, we noticed signs that said most of the park is off-limits to dogs. Whoops. The park is beautiful and worth a visit if you’re in Kamloops, there’s a great view of the river and the nearby mountains.

Adam & Bella enjoying the views of Riverside Park in Kamloops.

Departure Time/Location: 12.30p Hinton, Alberta

Arrival Time/Location: 6.30p Kamloops, BC

Total Distance: 519km

Next Stop:  Surrey

Our route from Jasper to Kamloops

The post Crossing Canada: Day 28-29 Kamloops appeared first on Full Time Canada.

The Rocky Mountains always seemed dreamlike to me. It amazed me that such beautiful and mammoth objects existed in the same country I lived in. All I knew growing up (for the most part) was the cement surroundings of Greater Toronto. The Rockies seemed so far away to me – which I suppose from Southern Ontario they are. One day, I had to see them up close. It had to happen.

It took exactly 30 years, 1 month, 3 weeks & 6 days for it to happen. That’s the span of time it took for me finally see the Rocky Mountains in person. It was one of those special moments I’ll never forget. It was a wonderful sentiment for Kate as well as she had never set her eyes on the impressive mountains either. We both caught our first glimpses of the Rockies as we pulled into Jasper National Park. We just stared in amazement at what was presented in front of us. All I could think was that what we were seeing was far superior to what I used to see in all those documentaries.

Getting There

Getting to Jasper required a decision. Did we want to take the easy & less picturesque drive? Or did we want to take the trip that would have us wanting to stop every five minutes to absorb the scenery? The easy & less picturesque route would have us travelling around the mountains, thus making it an easier the truck. The other option was to go to Banff and through the entirety of the Icefields Parkway to our campground just outside of Jasper.

In hindsight, we sort of wished that we had taken the route through Banff. The reason we chose not to go that direction was because we were going to drive down from Jasper to Banff for a couple of days before heading to BC. That didn’t end up happening thanks to a change in the forecast. Still, the route we decided to take to Jasper was beautiful.

As we made our way north, the setting around us changed from the golden hue of farmer’s fields to the dark greens of the thick Northern forest. The change in the scenery also brought with it wildlife that we had yet to see during our cross-country trek. Up to this point, we had seen plenty of deer, a couple of bears, and even a wolf but somewhat surprisingly, we had yet to see a moose.

Not long after our drive had begun, we were driving outside of Cochrane in an area where farmer’s fields began to meet the forest. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a large, dark animal moving quickly. At first, I figured it was likely a Black Angus cow but there were no other cows around. That caused me to do a double take. Sure enough, rushing through the field like Kate dashing to a candy store was a giant female moose. Both Kate and I smiled and laughed as we watched this moose tear across the field. Every time we’ve seen moose in the wild, they’re pretty calm. We typically would see moose foraging for food while barely making a move, so this was special.

Just outside of Sundre, we saw our second wolf of the trip which was walking near the road. A little more panicked was a deer that crossed the road in front of us before Rocky Mountain House. This deer was pretty impressive. As it sprinted across the road, we noticed it was heading towards a nearby fence. Rather than slow down and approach the fence with caution, this deer rushed towards the fence with no fear. It then flew through the air like one of Santa’s reindeer, flying over the fence before continuing on. We were shocked at how easily the deer cleared the fence.

Hinton

While visiting Jasper National Park, we chose to stay at Jasper Gates RV Park in Hinton. As we arrived, a light dusting of snow began to fall. It was October 6th. For me, that made it the earliest snowfall I’ve ever seen. The previous record was October 12, 2007, when we were hit with a blizzard in North Bay after an Alice Cooper concert. One of the main reasons we chose to spend the winter in Tofino was because there would be next to no snow and here we were in Jasper experiencing snow. That being said, we did expect some light flurries during our trip to Jasper. However, the forecast originally indicated that there wasn’t going to be any accumulation of snow, so we figured we’d be ok.

The snow began to fly just as we set up our RV.

Once we were set up at Jasper Gates, we went into town for a delicious pizza at L&W. Hinton is a nice little town of 10,000 people and is the closest town to Jasper National Park. It’s a perfect final stop before entering the park to grab camping supplies or groceries.

Miette Hot Springs

The morning after arriving in Hinton, we woke to much more snow than we had expected. Light flurries were still falling as we ate breakfast with the looming decision of what to do for the day. As the weather was less than perfect, I had a feeling that the Rockies were not going to be visible throughout the day. With this in mind, I opted to plan on avoiding the picturesque spots of Jasper with hopes that the weather would be clearer the next day. But what were we supposed to do on this day?

I sifted through a couple pieces of tourist guides and brochures and came up with a fun experience on a day that included snow – Miette Hot Springs. To me, it seemed like an obvious choice to sit in a steaming hot pool of water, while the snow falls around us and the Rocky Mountains provide a breathtaking background. The idea was pitched to Kate, who agreed and off we went toward the Miette Hot Springs.

Although the visibility wasn’t great, driving into Jasper and seeing the massive Rocky Mountains for the first time was rewarding. We had waited our entire lives to see these mountains. Here they were towering in front of us with a light dusting of snow covering them. We drove slowly for the next twenty minutes, while our heads swiveling from side-to-side trying to capture as much of the view as possible. After driving up and down a long and winding road, we arrived at the Miette Hot Springs.

Ashlar Ridge

There a few other natural hot springs in the Rockies, but Miette is the warmest. The water flows at 53.9 degrees. That’s Celsius! It’s actually too hot, so Parks Canada cools the water off a touch to around 40 degrees. The cost to enter the hot spring is affordable at $6 per person plus $1 for a locker in the change room. If you travelled to Jasper without your bathing suit, you can also rent a suit that is reminiscent of bathing suits from many years ago. Thankfully, because we travel with our home, we were prepared.

With our bathing suits on, it was time to be brave. We had to take a quick cold shower, before heading out into the elements. The pool isn’t too far from the change room but after taking a cold shower, the freezing air bites with force once it hits your skin. Within 10 seconds of being outside, we were relaxed in the hot spring.

There are two large pools and a few smaller ones that vary in temperature. Because of the time of year, the pools were quiet. There were maybe 20 other people among the various pools which gave us lots of room to move around. In the summer, when there are plenty of tourists around, I’m sure people pack the pools like a can of sardines. That would be unpleasant but our experience was perfect. We sat along the edge of the pool while light snow fell onto our heads. The visibility of the Rockies was almost non-existent but we still enjoyed the views of the dense forest of Ashlar Ridge surrounding us.

An hour or so after soaking in the warm water and various minerals, our pruned fingers and toes told us it was time to go.

A photo posted by @fulltimecanada on Oct 8, 2016 at 7:18am PDT

Maligne Canyon

The next day, we were hoping that the weather would clear a bit and allow us to view more of the Rockies. Sadly, that was not the case as the sky was filled with clouds that covered the mountains. The snow continued to fall from the sky as well. With our time in Jasper limited, we realized we still had to get out and enjoy what we can. As a result, we decided that we would take the day to drive around the park without a specific plan.

Our non-specific plan led us to Maligne Canyon which I had read was incredible. Unknowingly, I had thought that the canyon was a small hike to a look out. That it wasn’t. Rather it was a much longer hike than we had expected but one we welcomed.

Throughout the hike, we stopped many times in awe at the views of the canyon. At certain spots, the canyon gets to over 50 meters deep. There were striking waterfalls surrounded by the rigid rock walls of the canyon. The hike ended up taking almost 3 hours as we traversed the trails and bridges surrounding the canyon.

One of the many falls throughout Maligne Canyon.

Wildlife

Visiting Jasper allowed us to witness plenty of wildlife. We saw many herds of large elk, bighorn sheep, and a moose. At first, we thought that it wasn’t a big deal to see a moose in the park as the surroundings seemed fitting for a moose. Kate told a couple of the employees at Jasper Gates about the moose and they said that it’s rare to see moose in the park. They had both lived in the area most of their lives and between them, had only seen moose on three separate occasions.

A beautiful female moose feeding while the snow falls.

There’s one thing we learned while driving in the park. You never know when wildlife will cross your path, whether you’re on foot or in your car. On a couple of different occasions, we had wildlife cross in front of the truck. One junior elk almost ran into the side of our truck before veering back into the woods to wait for a clear path.

This male elk appears to be calling out to the nearby lady elk.

Seeing the herds of bighorn sheep was fun. They sure are goofy looking with their large horns sitting atop their tiny heads. Their horns can weigh up to 30 pounds which is more than the entire weight of the bones in their bodies.

A pair of bighorn sheep munch on some greens near the road.

Morons A-Plenty

Most people use common sense when it comes to wild animals and safely view the animals from the comfort of their vehicles. Then there are some others who are about as bright as the Arctic in December. The first time we saw a herd of elk, we pulled over and were shocked at what we saw. Casually walking amongst the herd of elk were two morons who must have thought this was some sort of fenceless petting zoo. There the morons were, taking more selfies than anyone could ever care to see. I get wanting to capture the incredible moment of seeing such a large herd of elk in person but use just a slight touch of common sense. In the herd, there were some hefty males with 15+ point racks. If they were the least bit threatened and charged these nitwits things could have gotten interesting.

Would you potentially risk your life to stand within 10-feet of this guy?

Unfortunately, occurrences like this are common in national parks. Just read this story from the Calgary Herald. You likely won’t stop shaking your head in disbelief that so many people can be so stupid. If you do encounter wildlife, whether you’re driving down the road or hiking a trail here are some common sense recommendations from Parks Canada:

We recommend you keep at least three bus lengths (30 metres/100 ft) away from large animals and about three times that distance (100 metres/325 ft) away from bears. Here are some more tips for wildlife watchers and photographers:

• Don’t entice wildlife by feeding, reaching out or simulating calls (eg. elk bugling).
• Keep the animal’s line of travel or escape route clear. If it approaches you, move away.
• Retreat immediately if you notice signs of aggression or any behaviour change.
• Avoid direct eye contact. Animals feel threatened by this.
• Leave nesting birds, denning animals and newborn or young animals alone.

Leaving Jasper

After a few days with less than optimal weather conditions, we left Jasper with the desire to come back. The park is huge and it’s impossible to enjoy it all within the course of a few days. We had discussed how it would be fantastic to be able to spend a summer sometime in the area. That would give us a few months in the park allowing us to immerse ourselves and enjoy everything the park has to offer.

Departure Time/Location: 8a Cochrane, Alberta

Arrival Time/Location: 3p Hinton, Alberta

Total Distance: 517km

Next Stop:  Kamloops

Our route from Cochrane to Jasper Gates.

The post Crossing Canada: Day 25-27 Jasper appeared first on Full Time Canada.

Our time in Alberta was to going to see us in Calgary, Jasper, & Banff. Much like a lot of our cross-country journey, that changed.

Getting There

Our first stop in Alberta was at a campground in Cochrane, just outside of Calgary. To get there, we did our longest day of travel to date. We left from Regina early as the weather forecast was calling for snow in Saskatchewan later in the day. One of the goals of our full-time RV lifestyle was to avoid the snow. We’re done with it. To avoid the snow, this meant driving over 800km throughout the day to get to Cochrane before sunset.

While a lot of people told us that driving through Manitoba and Saskatchewan would be more boring than watching paint dry, they were wrong. We quite enjoyed the drive and scenery through those provinces. Yet, once you cross from Saskatchewan into Alberta it all changes. The drive from the Alberta border to Calgary was a true bore. The landscape is more flat than most of Manitoba and Saskatchewan. There aren’t any of the beautiful farmer’s fields or the odd grain elevators that dot the Saskatchewan & Manitoba landscape. Rather, the fields are dry & vast. Nothing catches your eye aside from the odd cow or oil pump pulling up the black gold from below.

Even though our drive to Cochrane was far from exciting, we knew that was going to change over the next handful of days as we would get to experience some of the province’s more beautiful areas.

Arriving into Cochrane was a bit of an adventure. Kate had driven throughout most of our long & boring drive through Alberta, but near the end of the journey I took over. Our route took us on a bypass around Calgary which was great since we were driving through at rush hour. It was still a touch chaotic at times but we got through with no issue. Instead, the issue decided to wait until Cochrane.

As we were driving towards Cochrane, we didn’t notice how much we were climbing in elevation. Just before you approach the city, you’re essentially on top of it looking down on the city. To get to where we were camping, this meant a descent. Likely because we were a bit worn-out from the long drive, we both failed to notice the signs to use lower gears when descending into the city.

The slow descent into the city is beautiful, but it did a number on our brakes because I failed to shift down into 3rd or 2nd. Instead of riding the brakes, which I know is terrible, I tapped them as we made the descent. At last, we were at the bottom of the long decline sitting at stop lights waiting to turn. That’s when I saw a large cloud of smoke emit from the front of the truck. At first, I thought it was the engine but Kate knew right away that it was the brakes. Not good. Thankfully, we only had a couple of kilometers to go before arriving at our campground.

Afterwards, we studied a bit online about downshifting on grades. I also consulted with my RVing pal Eric who said he had a similar incident happen to him when driving through Yosemite. He informed me that it’s key to let the brakes cool down after the heat up like that. The best way to do that is to pull over, enjoy the scenery and wait for them cool. That’s definitely a good tip for us, should we ever encounter a similar issue. Now that we know more about proper shifting on grades, we can avoid our brakes looking like they’re at a party with Snoop Dogg.

Cochrane

For our first couple of days in Alberta, we chose to stay in Cochrane as it was close enough to Calgary that we could easily pop into the city.

We ended up staying at a fabulous campground called Bows RiverEdge which is owned by the Lions and Rotary Clubs. The park was beautiful. Each site had its own little yard with grass and shrubs surrounding it. Bella loved the campground as well. There was a wonderful, off-leash dog park along the Bow River where she got to sniff a plethora of doggie bums and play around a bit.

The night we arrived in Cochrane, we started to plan our next day in Calgary. I should say that Kate did this. She planned while we were at Boston Pizza watching the Blue Jays vs Orioles Wild Card game. I was too focused on the game to offer much help. During a break in the action, we did make the decision that we were actually going to skip Calgary. While we know the city has some great attractions, we just didn’t feel like a city day was in us. We wanted to explore a bit instead.

The next morning, we explored Cochrane a bit. The small city is beautiful and well maintained. The roads were fantastic, the parks were great, and the downtown area was adorable.

MacKay’s Ice Cream

One thing that Cochrane is famous for is ice cream. As much as we love our ice cream, it was a complete coincidence that we ended up in Cochrane. During our Ice Cream Tour of Canada, we had not encountered any ice cream joint that actually makes their own ice cream. Instead, most times we were served Chapmans or some other major ice cream producer. That changed in Cochrane at MacKay’s Ice Cream.

Located in the downtown you will find MacKay’s which has been open in Cochrane since 1948. Since they opened their doors almost 70 years ago, they’ve been making homemade ice cream with 16-18% butterfat cream. We know from enjoying and touring Cows in PEI that a higher percentage of butterfat cream is key to excellent tasting ice cream. We were excited to give MacKay’s a try.

MacKay’s Ice Cream located in Cochrane

Although the weather outside was far from typical ice cream weather, we weren’t going to let that stop us. We entered the downtown shop, which is large and welcoming. The shop is filled with all sorts of fascinating history about MacKay’s and Cochrane. Up to the counter we went with the toughest of decisions to make – which flavours would we have?

MacKay’s has recipes for over 200 different varieties of ice cream and specialize in flavours that are inspired by countries around the globe. They have interesting flavours like Buko, Durian, Kulfi, & Purple Yam just to name a few. I decided to go with a scoop of Butter Pecan and a scoop of Pralines & Cream. Kate went with Black Licorice & Haskap Berry. The young gentleman serving us told Kate that Haskap was one of his favourites. Haskap is a Japenese fruit that grows on shrubs and resembles berries. It’s also known as honeysuckle. Kate enjoyed it but almost died when she tasted her Black Licorice ice cream. Kate got extremely excited when she found out that MacKay’s had real Black Licorice ice cream. The last time she enjoyed the delights of Black Licorice ice cream were as a kid. Since then, she hasn’t found it anywhere else until MacKay’s. Needless to say, we left MacKay’s as happy customers.

Delicious ice cream from MacKay’s in Cochrane.

Drumheller

A while ago, I wrote 30 Places I Want To Visit in Canada and on that list was Drumheller. The main reason for wanting to visit the small town was because of its unique location. Drumheller is located in the Canadian Badlands, an area where dinosaurs roamed many millions of years ago. It’s also home to the Hoodoos which not only sound cool but also look cool. When we decided to skip a trip to Calgary, we made up our minds to visit Drumheller instead.

The Hoodoos

Almost a couple hours after leaving Cochrane, we were on the Hoodoos Trail just outside of Drumheller. When we first arrived in the area, we were stunned by our surroundings. We had never seen another landscape like the one that presented itself to us at the foot of the Hoodoos Trail.

The setting around us felt cold and eerie, yet somehow beautiful. Kate remarked how it looked like a scene out of Star Wars. To me, it felt like we were on a different planet. It also felt like at any moment a dinosaur might poke out from around of one the distinct crevasses.

The magical Hoodoos of the Canadian Badlands.

A quick walk up some steps and you’re right in front of the magical looking Hoodoos. The Hoodoos are a grouping of naturally made figures that have been carved by the weather of their surroundings for millions of years. It is said that the Hoodoos protect the land around them by hurling rocks at intruders who threaten the land. Thankfully, the area around the Hoodoos are protected by fencing rather than having the Hoodoos to defend for themselves. There were even signs in the area that if you’re caught on the Hoodoos or destroying them in any way that you could be fined up to $50,000. It’s great to see such measures are put in place to protect the special site.

When we were done examining the Hoodoos up close, we continued walking the trail with Bella who was quite happy with the walk. Even though she was happy with the walk, she’s still terrible when it comes to having her picture taken.

Bella had a great walk, even if her face doesn’t show it.

Star Mine Suspension Bridge

On our way to Drumheller, we noticed a sign for a suspension bridge ahead. Since we were feeling adventurous, off we went towards the bridge.

The Star Mine Suspension Bridge is 117 meters long crossing the span of the Red Deer River. It was built by the Alberta government in 1958 to commemorate the mining history of the area. Coal mining was a huge industry in the area during the early to mid-1900’s. For a while, miners would use rowboats to cross the Red Deer River until a similar suspension bridge was built in 1931. Even though rough winds and floods compromised safety, miners used the original bridge until 1957.

The bridge is not for the faint of heart. If you’ve ever been on a suspension bridge before, you know the feeling. That feeling of your heart beginning to race as you look down through steel grates, looking at the water below as you gently sway side-to-side with each step. I tried to hold a brave face, but it was a bit nerve-wracking for me. Meanwhile, Kate was joyfully walking across the bridge with no worry whatsoever. We tried to get Bella to come with us but as soon as she took a look down below, she pulled us back to the truck.

A look down the Star Mine Suspension Bridge.

The World’s Largest Dinosaur

Anytime you go on a road trip, you’re likely to stumble on a small town with some sort of giant, quirky roadside attraction. During our trip, while in Wawa, we saw the giant Canada Geese. Canada has a wide variety of roadside attractions but I feel confident in saying that there isn’t one more impressive than the World’s Largest Dinosaur in Drumheller.

I had seen pictures of the attraction, but that didn’t prepare me for what we were going to see in Drumheller. A quick drive through the small town led us to the large prehistoric beast which completely consumes you due to its enormous size. The giant attraction is 86 feet tall which is more than double the size of an actual T-Rex.

The World’s Largest Dinosaur – an 86 foot tall T-Rex.

The detail that went into the construction of the giant T-Rex is nothing short of amazing. Something that makes this roadside attraction different from most others is the fact that you can actually walk up to the top of it. For three bucks, you can climb the stairs through the bowels of the T-Rex to a lookout platform that overlooks Drumheller.

Saying that Drumheller takes its dinosaurs serious is an understatement. While we were driving throughout the town, we noticed dinosaur statues at almost every corner. They were colourfully and playfully decorated. Some of them were even made into fun benches. There is also the Royal Tyrell Museum. Due to time, we passed on the museum but it features many galleries focused on dinosaurs. Amongst the galleries, there are 40 dinosaur skeletons and over 110,000 fossils.  If you have kids that love dinosaurs, a visit to Drumheller would have them smiling all day in excitement.

Horseshoe Canyon

With the day winding on, we decided to make our way back to Cochrane from Drumheller. Less than 10 minutes outside of Drumheller, Kate noticed a sign pointing towards another attraction – Horseshoe Canyon. “Do you wanna go?” she asked. Although I was starting to get a bit tired from our adventure, I said, “sure, why not?” We made the turn and were at the impressive canyon within a few minutes. It was much more than what I was expecting.

Horseshoe Canyon near Drumheller

The setting made us both think of the Grand Canyon. Yes – Horseshoe Canyon is quite different than the Grand Canyon, but we had never experienced a canyon in Canada quite like this one. It was beautiful. There wasn’t another soul in sight aside from the three of us. There was a nice trail that led down a long set of stairs and along various levels of the canyon. Bella loved it. She appeared to be much happier than when she visited the Hoodoos earlier in the day.

Departure Time/Location: 9a Regina, Saskatchewan

Arrival Time/Location: 6p Cochrane, Alberta

Total Distance: 802km

Next Stop:  Jasper

Our route from Regina to Cochrane

The post Crossing Canada: Day 23/24 Cochrane appeared first on Full Time Canada.

Getting There

Driving in Saskatchewan while pulling a 5th wheel is a piece of cake. We drove from Winnipeg, Manitoba to Regina. You don’t spend near as much on gas/diesel while hauling because there wasn’t any wind and the roads are well constructed and flat.

We were both in great spirits, as neither of us had been in the prairies, and to our surprise, there were birds everywhere. We travel with a Peterson bird guide book in the truck. To our delight, there were magpies, Bald Eagles, many hawks and thousands of Canadian geese and ducks. We also saw flying in a V with the Canadian Geese a few white geese with black tipped wings. What the heck were this birds taking part in the Canadian Geese V flights? Snow geese. Beautiful geese that were just hanging out with their Canadian fowl friends on their way to warmer parts of this continent.

There is plenty to look act while driving, including active railways. We watched trains all throughout our drive. Flat farmland growing various grains are all along the Trans-Canada Highway. What we found cool were the grain elevators. You can see them from miles away, all different colors, and they dot the landscape usually with a town’s name written in big black letters on the side. Adam remarked, “They are like the lighthouses of the Maritime Provinces.”

King’s Acre RV Park

At first sight, this park is old. It had a beaten up, broken playground for kids, and dated (albeit clean) bathrooms. We also had to pay $2 for a shower that runs for 5 minutes. The reason for staying at this park is its near Regina. We set up and figured the WiFi would be less than adequate because the park is so old. Wrong! The WiFi was the best we have had yet while travelling. It goes to show, you just never know. This was important to us because we were so far behind in our writing. This meant we spent the following night writing and working on social media. I was so tired that the traffic of the nearby highway didn’t bother me one bit while I was sleeping.

The next morning, we awoke to rain. Adam checked the forecast and informed me there was a special weather statement for the province. Rain, up to 50mm into the following day, and then that rain would turn to snow and colder temperatures. We knew we had to get up early and get out of Saskatchewan the next day. Faced with rain throughout the day, we planned our day over breakfast. Bella had been walked, and we would be spending about 6 hours in Regina with four places to visit.

Royal Saskatchewan Museum

This museum consists of exhibits about Saskatchewan’s geology, dinosaurs, nature, & First Nations. Some modern exhibits make you think about your existence and how you are impacting the planet. Their special exhibit was on the snakes of the province, which had live snakes in enclosures.

Royal Saskatchewan Museum

Three interesting/random things we learned at the museum.

1.  Each pole used in a teepee means something and is used as a teaching mechanism.
2.  Prairie Grouse will bury themselves in the snow to stay warm and safe. This can also result in death if it freezes and seals them inside.
3.  That black stuff you see on trees, where it kind of looks like birds pooped black stuff on the branches? That is black knot fungus.

We had a great time at this museum. A major bonus is that admission is by donation. There is also plenty of free parking.

RCMP Heritage Centre

My dad was an Ontario Provincial Police officer, so I am always interested in museums about police officers. This museum does not disappoint. It’s a self-guided tour which takes you through the start of the North West Mounted Police in 1873.

RCMP Heritage Museum

Throughout the museum, you see the work that the Mounties did with the Canada’s First Nations in the early days of the NWMP. We also learned about weapons and badges used throughout the years, the introduction of police dogs, how to crack a case by looking at ballistics, forensic light source technology, how to spot counterfeit money, and information on e-currency.  You can also try on the traditional red serge (jacket) and various Mountie hats for a photo.

An old RCMP patrol car.

There are two things that stand out from our visit. The RCMP 3D virtual reality Musical Ride experience. I could have spent all day on that fake horse wearing those goggles and listening to the Musical Ride. Also, the movie on what the RCMP cadets go through in a 6-month training course was intriguing. Our friend Skyler had recently gone through the RCMP Academy Depot, so we were impressed by the rigorous training he and the other officers go through.  

Bushwhackers 

In Regina, the place to eat is at a pub. The town has had an explosion of craft breweries. We decided to try Bushwhackers. It’s in a beautiful old building that features dozens of types of craft beer. Neither Adam or I really drink beer. We had heard wonderful things about their food, so I ordered a Ukrainian plate that included perogies, a cabbage roll, sauerkraut, and a piece of beer bread. Adam ordered a “Prairie Pizza.” The pizza was mushrooms, bacon, and cheese (Typically called a Canadian elsewhere) and it was yummy. The crust had cheese baked in. We split both of these plates and agreed the pizza was delicious.  The Ukrainian plate was just alright.

Ice Cream Tour Continues

The place we wanted to get ice cream in Regina was closed for the season. Instead, we made our way to the 2nd best place according to the internet. Dessart Sweets Ice Cream & Candy Store is a candy store that had me mesmerized when we went in because of the amount of licorice’s they had. I needed to focus, though, we were there for ice cream. Dessart Sweets Ice Cream & Candy Store only serves soft ice cream. Adam had a peanut butter sundae with Reese’s Pieces and I got a chocolate brownie sundae. We ate them outside, shielding ourselves from the rain by standing under a sheltered area of their outside patio. This ice cream was a 3/5.  It was good, not great. It was also a little pricey for what we got.

Need More Time

Adam and I both agree we need more time in Saskatchewan. It’s a great province and we want to know more.  We wished we could have stopped in Moosejaw and explored the tunnels used by Al Capone and the rum runners during the prohibition.

Departure Time/Location: 9a Winnipeg, MB

Arrival Time/Location: 5p Regina, SK

Total Distance: 573 km

Next Stop: Cochrane, AB

Our route from Winnipeg to Regina

The post Crossing Canada: Day 21/22 Regina appeared first on Full Time Canada.

Not only had Kate nor I ever driven through Manitoba and Saskatchewan, we’ve never even been in either province. As soon as we exited Northern Ontario, we were going to be entering new territory. Anytime we visited any place new, we get excited. You never know what you’re going to see or experience which is a tad thrilling.

Getting There

Day 19 of our coast-to-coast trip had us planned to leave Thunder Bay. We were then going to stay one more day in Northern Ontario in Kenora. The fall day was beautiful as we began our drive towards Kenora. The changing leaves of the birch trees were golden under the bright sunshine. The drive was going great as we began winding through thicker patches of forest and lakes. After a couple of days rejuvenating in Thunder Bay, we had a certain amount of energy to burn off. Then the discussion commenced.

Kenora is a beautiful little town with some great outdoor activities, but for us on this trip, it was just a place stop for the night. It’s also just two and bit hours west of Winnipeg – our next stop after Kenora. Because we were making good time to Kenora and the fact the weather was great, we decided to bypass Kenora and head straight for the ‘Peg. We also crossed into Central Standard Time outside of Raith, Ontario which gave us an extra hour to play with for the day.

Getting to Winnipeg from Kenora wasn’t quite the breeze the earlier part of the day was. It’s almost like Kenora was trying to find a way to keep us for the night. As we entered the small town, I noticed that one of our RV tires was losing air according to our tire pressure monitoring system. The system hadn’t alerted us of a leak or that the tire was about to blow which was a plus. However, it’s not normal for a tire to lose air while driving. Usually, tire pressure will increase while driving.

I was worried that we had a serious issue on our hands and at the same time, I didn’t know how to deal with it. My mind was going around in circles as I searched for helpful information on Google. Finally, I ended up reading that unless your tire has lost 15% or more of its air pressure you should be ok. Knowing that, we were more than OK having lost less than 10%. It was at this point that we decided that we needed to get an air compressor for situations like this where we may need to top up a tire or even the spare.

Once the small tire fiasco was behind us, we trucked on into Manitoba for the first time. Almost immediately upon entering the province, the terrain leveled out from the hilly and treed landscapes of Northern Ontario to a flatter and wide open surrounding. We noticed how you can literally see for miles and miles. In fact, it’s probably a 100 miles on a clear day. There are hardly any visual obstructions blocking your view as you drive the Trans-Canada Highway towards Winnipeg.

We also saw three large bald eagles sitting together in a group of trees. No matter how many bald eagles we see, we always get excited. They’re just such beautiful birds. Aside from the occasional thumb war, spotting and identifying birds while driving is one of our main activities to help pass the time.

Less than two hours after crossing into Manitoba, we were just outside of Winnipeg in Iles-de-Chenes. Here is where we were going to spend the next couple of days at Arrowhead RV Park. After setting up the RV, we were ready for a good night’s rest before exploring Winnipeg the next day.

Winnipeg

There were a few things that we definitely wanted to do while in Winnipeg. We wanted to go to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, the Forks National Historic Site & Market, & the Royal Canadian Mint. It was also important that we find a spot for perogies and ice cream. Our plan had to change though as we received a good phone call the day before while driving towards Winnipeg.

CTV Visits Full Time Canada

CTV Winnipeg had left us a voice mail while we were on the road to ask us if we wanted to do an interview for the Saturday night news. Of course, the answer was a resounding yes. The only downside was that it was going to cut into our touring time of Winnipeg. We were OK with that as we were excited for the opportunity to share our story and alternative lifestyle with the people of Winnipeg and Manitoba.

After a few phone calls, we knew that a reporter would be coming by around noon to interview us. So yes, this meant that a good part of our planned day would have to be ditched, but again, not a big deal – we were excited.

Finally, just pass noon, the white CTV vehicle approached our RV. Out stepped a man, who introduced himself as Chase. We had a quick chat with Chase who repeatedly told us that we were living his dream. Hearing something like that always makes us feel great about the decision we made to full-time RV while exploring our great country.

Our interview with Chase went great aside from the fact Paris Frances felt the need not to make an appearance for the camera. The likely combination of Chase being a stranger, and the giant camera with a fuzzy mic left Bella nervous. This resulted in her barking at both Chase and the camera. We tried to convince her that everything was OK but she refused to trust the mic which resembled her fuzzy chew toy.

We want to thank Chase and everyone at CTV for the time they took to share our story. You can read and watch it – right here.

Canadian Museum for Human Rights

Thanks to Tourism Winnipeg, we had passes to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. The idea to go to  a museum on the topic of human rights isn’t something we’d normally incorporate into our trip, but everything we had heard about the museum was beyond positive. This left us eager to visit.

Before we got there, we were instructed to download the app for the museum and to bring our ear buds. The app would be our tour guide for our walk through the building and its galleries.

A quick drive from our campground brought us into St. Boniface. After crossing the Red River we were on Israel Asper Way. Next, we were staring at one of the most impressive buildings we had ever seen. We were unsure but assumed that this was the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. Kate noted how the building’s design looked like two people hugging. A short walk along the sidewalk in front of the enormous and impressive building had us standing in front of a Gandhi statue. To us, this symbolized that this was the correct building.

Upon entering, we were greeted by a friendly volunteer who went on to give us a brief introduction of the museum. He informed us that no matter how long we were to spend inside of the building, that we should come back frequently as there is always something new to learn on every visit. This left us keen to get touring around the building.

As impressive as the exterior design of the building is, the interior is just as spectacular. Wonderful architectural design went into the process of constructing this monstrous building. The one site that  grabs your eyes is the marble-like ramps that lead up and down through the various levels and galleries. Our tour guide app had explained that the architect designed the building with the idea of having every part of the building to have meaning for human rights. The marble-like ramps are Alabaster ramp-ways that lead upwards for 800 meters towards the Tower of Hope. The architect described that the ramp-ways were meant to symbolize universal design that is equally accessible to everyone who visits.

For a couple of hours, Kate and I wandered through the various galleries. This provided us with a tremendous amount of information and sadness. The world is far from perfect but it is much better than it used to be based on everything we learned. So many people, all over the world, throughout recent history, have had their basic human rights violated – even here in Canada.

Most Canadians often think of our country as a perfect country with a perfect past. After walking throughout these galleries we learned that isn’t the case. A lot of people were treated horribly since we became a country in 1867. There are a wide variety of incidents throughout Canadian history where basic human rights were violated.  Our eyes were opened to what we had just discovered. We learned about the 60’s Scoop where Aboriginal children were taken from their homes and placed into foster homes. There was also the terrible acts committed against Japanese-Canadians during World War II. The list goes on. Our country is a great country, but our history isn’t as rosy as we think it may be.

Canadian Museum for Human Rights

Without a doubt, the most impactful gallery for both of us was Examining the Holocaust. We both knew in-depth about the holocaust and the tragedies of Hitler’s Nazi regime, but walking through the displays crippled us. Not long after entering the gallery, Kate had to leave because the information and images were too much. She wasn’t the only one. You could see other guests reading displays while tears streamed down their cheeks.

A few minutes after I finished walking through the gallery, I caught up with Kate before continuing through the other galleries. The other various galleries explored the progress of human rights throughout time leading up to where we are today in regards to human rights. We finished our tour by climbing several flights of stairs of the Tower of Hope. At the top of the tower, we were greeted with an impressive 360-degree view of Winnipeg and the surrounding plains of the prairies. Our quads were also screaming at us to get in shape by the time we reached the peak of the building.

There’s no doubting that the museum is a powerful building. It opens your mind and makes you think which is exactly what it is meant to do. You leave with plenty of questions. You also are left wondering how society can continue to progress in regards to human rights. Although our visit was a wild mixture of emotions, we were pleased that we were able to visit the powerful building.

The Forks National Historic Site & The Forks Market

During our interview with Chase, he asked us what we had planned to do throughout our brief stay in Winnipeg. We informed him that we were hoping to have time to visit both the Mint and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. He then told us that we should definitely add The Forks – as locals call it – to our itinerary. Luckily for us, The Forks is located right beside the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.

The Forks is a fantastic spot. It’s a nine-acre park where the Red and Assiniboine Rivers meet in the city. The history of the park goes back approximately 6000 years when early aboriginals frequented the area. Because the Red and Assiniboine meet up in a unique fashion, the Forks was an important destination during the fur trading period when traders would use the rivers as their main transportation route.

A view of Esplanade Riel from the Forks.

Nowadays, the park is still a busy meeting spot but for a lot of different reasons. The city and Parks Canada have done a wonderful job in creating a park that everyone can visit while finding something enjoyable to do. There are great trails that wind throughout the park and along the rivers. There are also beautiful sculptures, boat rides, and even a BMX/skateboard park for kids. A lot of people also look forward to doing some shopping or eating while at the Forks which you can do plenty of both.

Perogy Time

Staying true to the tradition of the Forks as a trading and marketplace, there is a farmers market every Sunday throughout the summer months. Aside from the farmers market, there are buildings around the Forks that feature copious amounts of shopping. What we were looking for (as always) was food, specifically – perogies.

Growing up, the tasty potato and cheese filled dumplings were a staple at family get-togethers. My great-grandmother, who was born to Polish-Ukranian parents in Manitoba learned the traditional meals of her parent’s native lands and passed down those skills to my grandmother and aunt. Perogies in my family are a big deal and I believe my aunt makes the best perogies out there. Even still, since we were in Winnipeg, a city with a rich Ukranian history, I felt it necessary to find a good perogy joint.

The one building at the Forks is filled with a plethora of food options. Any type of food you could think of, you could get it in this building. I assumed that there had to be a perogy joint somewhere in the old brick building.

While we were in a souvenir shop, Kate asked the lady running the shop if there were any good places to grab perogies. She then pointed across the way to Baba’s Tall Grass Pantry and although I couldn’t see the menu, I could tell they had perogies based on the name. Baba is that is the name we call my great-grandmother so there had to be perogies.

Baba’s at the Forks Market where we scored our perogies.

Once we had purchased our souvenirs, we crossed the hall to Baba’s for a peek at the menu. Success. Perogies were indeed on the menu along with other traditional Ukrainian dishes like cabbage rolls. Kate and I both ordered a perogy combo meat plate which came with sausage, cabbage rolls, a salad, and obviously – perogies.

Finally, once our dishes were ready, we sat down, smothered our perogies in sour cream and dug in. I must say, the perogies were good. They came with fried caramelized onions which tasted good by themselves but the sweetness of the onions didn’t match well with the perogies. Usually, we just have butter fried onions with ours. The perogies themselves were really good; the best I’ve had other than ones devoured at family get together’s.

Sargent Sundae

With our bellies stuffed with Ukrainian delights, we could have easily retired back to the RV. Then we remembered we couldn’t leave Winnipeg without finding an ice cream joint for our Ice Cream Tour of Canada.

I had remembered when reading about Winnipeg that they had this place locals loved called Sargent Sundae. I also saw on their Facebook page that they were now serving pumpkin soft serve which got rave reviews from happy customers. It’s rare that I know exactly what I’m going to get when I go for ice cream, but I knew I had to try this pumpkin soft serve.

Sargent Sundae is located outside of the downtown core of Winnipeg, about 10km west on Portage Avenue. During the summer months, the place is apparently often lined up out the door, but since it was now fall, it was a bit more quiet. For the time of year, it was still quite busy.

Even though, I knew I wanted pumpkin soft serve, a look at their menu got me wanting a few other frozen pleasures. I’m lucky to have Kate. When I told her that I was conflicted she asked what else I wanted. I told her about five other things which she told me to narrow down to one. I told her I really wanted the peanut butter sundae. So, she ordered that while I ordered the pumpkin soft serve in a waffle cone.

Wow. That’s all I can say. Both the pumpkin soft serve and peanut butter sundae were beyond incredible. Kate and I ended up sharing each other’s ice cream as a way of maximizing our level of ice cream enjoyment. Every lick of the pumpkin soft serve was a treat and every scoop of the peanut butter sundae was a sweet punch of sweetness to my tongue. Out of all the ice cream spots we’ve tried along our cross-country trip, Sargent Sundae has been the best, in my opinion.

Delicious pumpkin pie soft serve from Sargent Sundae.

Departure Time/Location: 9.30a Thunder Bay, ON

Arrival Time/Location: 5p Winnipeg, MB

Total Distance: 702km

Next Stop:  Regina, Saskatchewan

Our route from Thunder Bay to Winnipeg.

The post Crossing Canada: Day 19/20 Winnipeg appeared first on Full Time Canada.

Originally, we were planning to drive from Long Point to Sault Ste. Marie on Monday the 26th. However, Adam’s mom had convinced us that this would be a bad idea. When we were planning our trip, we didn’t consider that Monday morning traffic heading towards Toronto would be crazy. Combine that with the fact the drive would be almost 800km we had to switch up our itinerary. This was the first of many changes to our itinerary that we would experience while travelling in Northern Ontario.

Instead of leaving on Monday to head to Sault Ste. Marie, we left Sunday to beat the traffic. We also decided to cut the drive in half rather than driving all the way to the Soo. We had two options – Parry Sound or Sturgeon Falls. Adam kept going on about how Parry Sound was the home of Bobby Orr but Sturgeon Falls was close to where he went to school in North Bay. In the end, we opted for Sturgeon Falls.

Sturgeon Falls

We met Adam’s parents and grandparents for lunch at the Husky in Bradford before departing for Sturgeon Falls.  The best comments of the lunch went to Adam’s grandfather, who said, “who serves hot hamburger without fried onions?” and “how much do you guys know about where you are going?” After we assured them we knew about the earthquake risk and tsunami potential in Tofino we exchanged some hugs and off we went.

On our way to Sturgeon Falls we sang songs, ate Husky butter tarts and looked for wildlife. One of the drawbacks of towing an RV is that you can’t stop and pull over if you see wildlife like you can with a car. Although plenty of people do it, it can be super dangerous.

We didn’t get to Sturgeon Falls until almost 5pm. When we arrived we were both quite exhausted from the drive. Thank god we decided not to go to Sault Ste. Marie. Part of the reason that we decided to stay in Sturgeon Falls was because Adam wanted to show me around North Bay. As we arrived in Sturgeon Falls, our level of energy was just too low and neither of us wanted to leave the campground.

We ended up staying at the Sturgeon Falls KOA which is lovely. They have a river which runs alongside it. We took Bella down for a little swim in the water while Adam and I sat on a dock and watched the sun set on another day.

Sault Ste. Marie

The Soo was another place that Adam was looking forward to on our trip. Adam has some friends that live in the Soo area that he hasn’t seen in at least 8 years. During the drive, I almost cried, but for good reason. Not far from Sault Ste. Marie, we were driving and saw a little black bear walking on a dirt road off of the highway. It was a special moment. Seriously. Almost cried.

Lincoln, Jen, Adam & Erica

After setting up at the Sault Ste. Marie KOA, we went for a lovely pizza & wings supper at Jen and Lincoln’s house. Also there, we met up with Adam’s college friend Erica, her man Matt, and their new little baby Rowan who was just a month old. Jen and Lincoln’s baby Linden was also in attendance along with their large cat that weighs almost 30 pounds.

After a good visit, we headed back to the KOA and had a good nights sleep. We entertained the idea of staying around an extra day in the area to take the Agawa Canyon Train Tour. The famous train travels through 385 km of forest leading to a canyon. At this time of year, the fall colours during the trip were supposed to be incredible. However, because of the long summer, the trees had only just begun to change and most were still green. Even though we would have like to have done the tour, we opted to continue on with the trip to our next destination.

Wawa – The Town with 3 Giant Geese

The drive along the winding Trans-Canada Highway to Wawa was filled with mountains, trees, rocks, waterfalls, rivers, and beautiful views of Lake Superior. Adam accurately remarked that it felt like we were driving through a Group of Seven painting. It was stunning.

As we drove north, we saw many signs for the Agawa Indian Crafts & Canadian Carver store. All the persistent advertising worked and we pulled in. It’s a lovely stop with lots of room for RV parking. The shops were filled with gorgeous carvings along with other artistic crafts. The one thing you have to get if you ever make this stop is the butter tarts. These were the best butter tarts I have ever had in my life. Usually, when I eat butter tarts I just eat the filling with the spoon and pass on the tart. Not with these tarts. They were beyond delicious.

Back in the truck and driving towards Wawa, Adam read to me about how Wawa got its name. He likes to use a CBC narrative voice complete with dramatic pauses when he reads such material. It’s entertaining. Wawa is named after the Ojibwe word “wewe” which means wild goose. Now knowing that interesting piece of information, it’s not shocking that Wawa is known for its giant goose statues.

The original Wawa Goose at Young’s General Store

When we got to Wawa and drove around, we discovered that the town has three large geese statues located at various points. The Giant Goose of Wawa goes back to 1960. That’s when the final link of the Trans-Canada Highway was completed linking Wawa to Sault Ste. Marie. Because Wawa is a tiny spot, one local decided that the village needed something to force people to stop instead of passing through. Since 1963, the Giant Goose has stopped millions of visitors who have made the goose one of the most photographed landmarks in North America. Oddly enough, we didn’t see any Canadian geese while in Wawa.

We couldn’t visit Wawa without having ice cream, so we headed to Young’s General Store. It seems that Chapman’s Ice Cream has a good representation throughout Northern Ontario. I had a scoop of Chapman’s Orange Pineapple while Adam went with Cookies and Cream in a waffle cone. Young’s General Store is a fun stop. They also have the original Wawa Goose on their property. Inside the store, you’ll find all sorts of souvenirs and gifts along with a giant barrel filled with pickles. Adam was quite grossed out by this as a self-proclaimed picklophobe.

The barrel of pickles at Young’s General Store that frightened Adam.

After eating our ice cream and visiting giant geese statues, we went to Magpie Falls. It’s quite a drive down a bumpy, pothole-filled gravel road. The drive reminded of us the crappy New Brunswick roads we frequented while living there. The falls are an impressive 75 feet high and 125 feet wide that plunge into a gorge. You can sit under a pavilion on a rainy day and just watch the impressive falls. There is also a trail that leads down and then up to the mid-point area of the falls. I went with Bella up this trail while Adam took photos.

Magpie Falls – Wawa

At one point, I could see Adam and I yelled, “Hello! Adam! Hey, Look!” I was thinking that he could take Bella and I’s photo from below. All Adam could hear was my yelling and he couldn’t decipher any of the words or see me. Worried that his lady and more importantly his chocolate lab could be in danger, he started taking off quickly up the trail. My stomach sunk.

He thought we were hurt or something and he was hurrying. It was raining and slippery and he was carrying his expensive camera. I started taking off back down the trail. The look on his face when he saw me. Oh my, I felt horrible. I was so sorry. I apologized profusely. He was just relieved we were both ok even though he was out of breath. With that little bit of excitement behind us, we went to some smaller waterfalls and a beach.

To me, Lake Superior feels like it is an ocean. The waves are big, even when it is calm. I had just spent a week in Long Point on another one of the Great Lakes – Lake Erie. It didn’t seem near as big or strong as Lake Superior – which it’s not. Lake Superior is deep, cold, and unforgiving while at the same time, stunningly beautiful. This is the lake that took down the Edmund Fitzgerald and hundreds of other ships. Bella did not attempt to go in Lake Superior. I’m thinking our chocolate lab is an ocean dog, because we couldn’t keep her out of the Atlantic when we were in PEI.

Lake Superior

Thunder Bay

Wildlife

The drive from Wawa to Thunder Bay is long and picturesque. Up to this point, since we had left PEI, we  hadn’t seen that much wildlife. We had seen a couple of deer, some bald eagles, and the one black bear. We had expected more, especially since we were in Northern Ontario.

Not long after departing Wawa, we saw a truck ahead of us stop and start to back up along the shoulder of the road. The activity seemed strange and forced us to slow down. Then we could see what the occupants of the truck had stopped for. Along the opposite side of the road was a gorgeous wolf. It was just standing there frozen as it stared at the vehicle that had stopped to witness it. Because we couldn’t pull over or turn around, we continued on but did manage to snap a picture with our phone.

The wolf we witnessed just north of Wawa. Unfortunately, we had to settle for an iPhone picture.

White River

One of my favorite stops along the way to Thunder Bay was in White River. There is a statue of Winnie the Pooh – the bear that inspired A.A. Milne’s “Pooh Bear”. Winnie was a black bear that was purchased in White River for $20.00. His owner then took Winnie over to England where he lived in a zoo. I’m not a huge fan of zoos, but I was an avid reader of A. A. Milne when I was a child. This is a good little stop to rest your legs and get gas if you need it in White River.

The Winnie the Pooh statue in White River, Ontario.

The Sovereign

Our first night in Thunder Bay we went into the city and ate at the Sovereign. At first, we were going to bypass it. On the outside, it looked to be a “dive.” This is not the case. When you walk in, you notice how cool the spot is. There is great art on the walls in the dimly lit room. They also have a selection of VHS movies on a shelf which they play over the bar. There is also a huge craft beer selection and a unique menu.

We have started ordering and splitting our dishes to give each of us maximum exposure to new food. Adam had a duck poutine with Thunder Oak curds. I ordered a Zesty Chicken Sandwich that was breaded with Doritos. Both dishes were good, but the highlight of this meal was the dessert – mini doughnuts. There were three different, fresh made doughnuts to try. There was maple bacon, coconut lime, and apple miso cinnamon. We were both intrigued by the maple bacon doughnut but ended up not being that impressed by it. We really, really loved the apple miso cinnamon doughnut. We could have eaten a dozen of them…each.

Terry Fox Monument

That night we also made a stop at the Terry Fox monument. If you’re Canadian, you know who Terry Fox is but if you’re not Canadian, here’s a quick rundown. Terry Fox is a Canadian who at the age of 18 was diagnosed with osteosarcoma. As a way to raise money to help for cancer research, he started running the Marathon of Hope – a coast-to-coast run from St. John’s, Newfoundland to Victoria, BC. Each day during the Marathon of Hope, Terry would run 26 miles on one leg as he had lost the other one to cancer.

The beautiful monument dedicated to Terry Fox in Thunder Bay.

Sadly, Terry never completed his journey. He succumbed to the nasty disease that filled his body and retired from his courageous marathon just outside of Thunder Bay. Each September, Canadians across the country join together for the annual Terry Fox run. It’s a fundraising event that carries Terry’s legacy and dream to raise money for cancer research. To this day over $650 million has been raised in Terry’s name.

Today, in Thunder Bay, there is an incredible monument dedicated to Terry. The beautiful monument points westward – the direction Terry was running during the Marathon of Hope. The monument is also in a beautiful park that overlooks Lake Superior and Sleeping Giant Provincial Park in the far distance.

Sleeping Giant Provincial Park

The next morning we made our way to Sleeping Giant Provincial Park. If you are wondering why they call this park the Sleeping Giant, it’s because of a mountain formation that looks like a sleeping giant laying on top of Lake Superior.

I decided that we wouldn’t take Bella. I was worried she would hurt our chances of seeing wildlife. There had been reports of bears in the park and I could 100% imagine her seeing a bear, resulting in barking and carrying on. It ended up being a wise move to leave Bella behind as we did see bears.

One of the two bears that we saw while driving in Sleeping Giant Provincial Park.

We did a couple of the smaller trails in the park but by far the highlight is the Thunder Bay Lookout. As we drove along this dirt road in the park, we saw 2 bears, grouse, and rabbits. When you get to the lookout, it takes your breath away. The look-out is a platform that is made of wood and then sturdy metal slats. You are 1,200 feet high. We were the only ones there and we spent a lot of time just looking out over Lake Superior while watching bald eagles hunt for fish.

The Sea Lion of Sleeping Giant Provincial Park.

Thunder Bay KOA

For our stop in Thunder Bay, we stayed at the Thunder Bay KOA just outside of the city limits. After hooking up upon arrival, we sat around for a couple of hours before leaving for dinner. When we came back, we had no power. We checked the breaker outside which was still on. We then checked our fuse panel and found the flipped fuse. We flipped it back on but a few minutes later it flipped again while we were barely using anything for power in the RV. This made us believe that we had a bad site as we’ve read online about that being common. Instead of worrying about it too much, we went to bed deciding to deal with the issue the next day.

The next day, with sunlight on our side, Adam used his multimeter (an RV must) to test the power coming from the power source. 122v is pretty normal, so why were we blowing a fuse when we weren’t even using much power in the trailer?

We went to the office at the KOA and spoke to Mike who came to have a look. He did a quick test with his multimeter before deciding to replace the fuse and the plug. Afterward, we attempted to run some of our appliances and the fuse still blew. Now both us and Mike were perplexed. Eventually, he used another meter that read the amps being drawn by certain circuits in our fuse panel. He found that one of the circuits was drawing almost 20 amps even though we had nothing on. He called this a dead short and plugged the circuit for us.

It was just a temporary fix and will have to be checked by a dealer down the line but it allowed us to still use all our normal appliances with no issue. We later discovered that we have two outlets in the RV that are not producing any power for whatever reason which is likely tied to that issue.

We can’t thank Mike enough for taking the time to try and diagnose the problem for us. We discussed amongst each other how he could have easily said, “Hey – not my problem,” and left us hanging. We appreciated him taking the time that he took out of his day to help us. Thanks, Mike!

Home One Day?

Northern Ontario made an impression on us. So much so, that I would consider spending an entire summer somewhere in Northern Ontario, working & RVing. It’s absolutely beautiful. Watching the wildlife for an entire summer would be spectacular.

Trip One

Departure Time/Location: 9a Long Point, ON

Arrival Time/Location: 6p Sturgeon Falls, ON

Total Distance: 572km

Next Stop:  Sault Ste. Marie, ON

Trip Two

Departure Time/Location: 9a Sturgeon Falls, ON

Arrival Time/Location: 4p Sault Ste. Marie, ON

Total Distance: 410km

Next Stop:  Wawa, ON

Trip Three

Departure Time/Location: 9a Sault Ste. Marie, ON

Arrival Time/Location:  1p Wawa, ON

Total Distance: 239km

Next Stop:  Thunder Bay

Trip Four

Departure Time/Location: 9a Wawa, ON

Arrival Time/Location:  5p Thunder Bay, ON

Total Distance: 464km

Next Stop:  Winnipeg, MB

Our route from Long Point to Thunder Bay.

The post Crossing Canada: Day 14-18 Northern Ontario appeared first on Full Time Canada.

Our first week of travel from PEI to Ontario was a bit of a sprint and left us in need of a rest. Thankfully, Southern Ontario is the perfect place to rest for us. Both of our families live in Southern Ontario. This allowed us to plan a one week stop along our cross-country journey. I planned to stay with my family in Bradford, while Kate was going to take the trailer down to Long Point. For a week, we knew we were going to be a part. Usually, this can be quite tough but when you get to visit your friends and family for a week, the week flies.

Over the course of the week, we managed to have some fun while mixed in with seeing our friends and family.

Getting There

Leaving from the Montreal area and heading towards Southern Ontario meant that we had a long day of driving ahead of us. Almost 700km separated us and our stop in Bradford. This meant we needed to travel efficiently and effectively.

Leaving Montreal required some quick planning. Most people that we’ve talked to had shared their distaste for travelling through Montreal. As an alternative, we discovered a way to bypass Montreal. Route A30 is a newer road in the area that completely bypasses any of the craziness involved with driving through Montreal. There was still some traffic along the way. This included some lunatic drivers, but it was a much easier ride than the alternative. The only downside to travelling A30 is that you have to pay a toll. For our truck and fifth wheel the charge was $7.40.

Not long after departing, we entered Ontario. Late in the morning, we stopped in Cardinal to meet my brother for lunch. He’s currently working in Prescott on a job. This meant that he wasn’t going to be home so we had to settle for a quick visit over eggs benedict. Getting to the truck stop was a small adventure. At first, we drove right by it. Usually, this means a quick turn-around. Not in Cardinal. You have to drive all the way through town and wind back around on some old country, gravel roads. Our nerves peaked going down the dirt roads as we worried about the possibility of a low bridge. Low bridges are our kryptonite with the fifth wheel behind us. It’s our hopes that we never approach a low bridge that we can’t pass through. I’m not quite sure how that scenario will play out but I’m hoping we never have to find out.

The night before we departed Montreal, my mother texted to say that there was rain expected during our travels. She wondered if we would be slowed down by the weather. We weren’t sure because we hadn’t yet travelled through rainy conditions. An hour after lunch, we hit our first patch of rain. It was a heavy rain that reduced our visibility a little bit. Even still, we managed to safely continue our drive. The key is to slow down a touch and leave plenty of distance between vehicles. Other than that it’s pretty straightforward.

Once we approached the Greater Toronto Area on the 401, we knew that we wanted to avoid any sort of crazy traffic or congestion. Just like with Montreal, you can bypass Toronto with the glorious 407. The 407 took us around all the busy sections of the city. This allowed us to relax before hitching up with the 400 north heading towards Bradford.

Adam’s Week

Although our week in Southern Ontario was supposed to be relaxing, for the most part, it didn’t end up that way. However, I’m not complaining. I was busy visiting all my family and friends that I rarely get to see these days and that was quite rewarding.

Wiarton

Wiarton is a special place to me. As a child, I spent a lot of time just outside of the small village visiting my grandparents. A lot of my favourite childhood memories happened in Wiarton with my grandparents, brother, and cousins. We had a lot of fun building forts, hanging out in our clubhouse, and going on tractor & Jeep rides, and so much more.

Returning to Wiarton these days doesn’t quite bring the adventure that it used to. Still, it’s always nice to take a trip up to visit my grandparents and the area that I frequented as a child.

Adam & his mom having some fun with Wiarton Willie.

As you may know, Wiarton is home to a famous albino groundhog – Wiarton Willie. Willie has been attempting to predict the end of winter/beginning of spring with his shadow since 1956. Willie remains in his home down on Colpoy’s Bay, where anyone can go and visit the shy forecaster. My parents and I stopped for a quick visit and to take some pictures. The park around Willie is quite nice and is a perfect spot to hang out on a hot summer day as you can go for a swim in the bay.

Although it was much too short, my time visiting my grandparents was nice. It’s always great to see them and catch up. We only stayed the one night, as the next day, my parents had some plans including…

Pickleball

My father has been retired for quite a few years now. Since he retired, he’s become addicted to golfing and going to the gym. From 7a til the early part of the afternoon, he is consumed with a combination of golf, lifting weights, and playing pickleball.

For years now, he’s been telling me that I have to come out and try pickleball. Pickleball is a court sport that is a combination of tennis and ping pong. It’s usually enjoyed by retirees, especially down in Florida. My dad loves it and kept insisting that I come give it a try. Finally, I caved.

I entered the gymnasium along with the remaining group of ballers. I figured I would be the youngest and I was. What I didn’t think was that my dad would be second youngest, which I think he was. There I was playing pickle ball with a large group of retirees.

At first, I figured I should take it a bit easy, but wow, these ballers took it seriously. They were quite good. I had to step up my game. Once I did that, it was over. Pickleball domination. I played 7 matches with various partners and only lost one. I also managed to beat my father, the resident pickle ball assassin, in every match we played against one another. I’m not sure if I should be proud of my accomplishment on the court or not? Regardless, pickle ball is quite fun and I recommend you give it a try sometime. It’s great, fun exercise.

Toronto

Growing up, I spent a lot of time visiting Toronto. Most of the time it was to go to Blue Jays games, but over the years I got to know the city pretty well. Our friends, Eric & Rosie were spending some time in the city for a couple of days on their way back to the States. Based on my knowledge of the city, I figured I would show them around. Then I got lazy and figured out a better way of showing them around. Hire someone else to do it.

There’s this great tour company in Toronto that offers free 1.5-hour walking tours of different parts of the city. If you like the tour, you tip the guide whatever you feel like. For their visit, I booked Eric, Rosie & I on two separate tours – the Old Toronto tour along with a  tour of the famous St. Lawrence Market.

St. Lawrence Market

The Old Toronto Tour was really interesting. We learned all about the Jarvis/Rideout family rivalry, the rise and fall of the Eaton’s department store, and the rebel that William Lyon MacKenzie was in his time. Our guide Jackie was informative and impressed me with her in-depth knowledge on various subjects.

Jackie was also the guide that walked us around the St. Lawrence Market. The St. Lawrence Market is an amazing building with rich history. For 1.5 hours, Jackie walked us around the building explaining the different foods offered in the market. Toronto is a culturally diverse city. This means that there are many different foods from the various cultures to enjoy along with Canadian classics.

Eric & Rosie sampled their first peameal bacon sandwich, which they enjoyed. We also got to sample some ice wine from the Niagara Region and mustard from Kozlik’s. Something interesting we learned was that Canada is the #1 producer of mustard seed. I had no idea.

After the tour was over and we thanked Jackie, the three of us re-entered the market. There was one more thing that I had to make sure Eric & Rosie sampled before they left Canada. Neither of them had ever tried a butter tart. I had no idea until a few years ago that butter tarts were unique to Canada. They’re so amazing. How have they not been introduced into other countries? We found a bakery which served both traditional butter tarts and my favourite, the pecan butter tart. While they enjoyed their butter tart, Eric and Rosie didn’t think it was anything special. I suppose maybe it’s just one of those things that if you’re raised on them, you appreciate them a little more.

Although we just had enjoyed some food at the market, it was now time for me to play the role of tour guide. One area of the city that I had never been to before was the Distillery District. This area of Toronto used to be home to the Gooderham and Worts Distillery from 1832 to 1990. It’s comprised of over 40 buildings connected by 10 streets. It’s also the largest collection of Victorian-era architecture in North America.

The Distillery District in Toronto

After a short walk from the market, we were in the district, walking amongst the old cobblestone streets. No longer a manufacturing area, the district is now lined with shops and restaurants.

Also overtaking the district was the World Cup of Hockey Fan Village. All throughout the district was various hockey attractions. I insisted that Eric and Rosie get their picture taken with the Stanley Cup. Neither of them are fans of hockey, but when you have a chance to get up close and have a picture with Lord Stanley’s mug, you take it.

Eric, Rosie & Adam with the Stanley Cup.

We wandered through the streets for a bit before settling at the Mill Street Brewery & Restaurant. Eric & Rosie are big fans of sampling various craft beers during their travels so this stop was a must. Mill Street also happened to be tapping a cask of beer for sampling. This made it a certainty that we had to stop for a pint and food.

As the sun began to set, I insisted that we start making our way to our final stop of the day – the CN Tower. Even though I grew up in the area, I had only been up the tower once which was in high school. That day it happened to be foggy, so once we got to the top of the tower all we could see was fog. This visit was about redemption for me, while Eric & Rosie were looking forward to seeing the cities lights from 1800 feet above Toronto.

Looking North from the observatory deck of the CN Tower.

58 seconds. That’s how long it takes for the elevator to take you from the ground of Toronto all the way to the observatory floor of the CN Tower. We opted not to take on the Sky Pod offer that costs an extra 12 bucks. I figured we’d see exactly the same views, so it wasn’t too worth it. We enjoyed walking around the observatory floor, looking out onto the city from different vantage points.

We then came across the famous glass floor. The glass floor is a small section of flooring that allows you to look completely down from where you stand. It isn’t for the faint of heart. Although it’s a bit scary to take your first steps onto the glass floor, the floor can actually hold over 48,000 pounds or the equivalent of 3 killer whales. Even knowing that, Rosie needed a bit of coaxing to make the walk across the floor. Finally, she persisted and didn’t fall through – bonus!

Looking West from the observatory floor of the CN Tower including a peek at the Skydome.

St. Jacobs Farmers Market

If you’re in Southwestern Ontario a spot that you must stop at is the St. Jacob’s Farmers Market. It’s a massive tourist destination near Waterloo in the town of St. Jacobs. The town of St. Jacobs has a long line of Mennonite heritage in the area. As a result, the market is often filled with Mennonite’s selling their various goods from produce to maple syrup to furniture.

St. Jacobs Farmers Market

I visited the market with my parents on a beautiful Saturday morning. As you would expect, the market was packed. What caught my eye as we approached the market was what appeared to be a sea of straw hats gathered in a long, large circle. After parking the car and walking through the entrance to the market, it became clear what I was seeing. A loud, quick voice was auctioning off horses to hundreds of Mennonites gathered around a field where the horses were shown off. It was quite a site to see before enjoying the rest of the market.

The market itself is huge. There are multiple buildings to walk through along multiple long rows of vendors outside peddling goods. You can get pretty much anything you can imagine at the market. Of course there is lots of produce and meats, but there are even specialty vendors. For instance, my dad bought a pack of diabetic socks from one vendor.

Mennonites watching the horse auction at the St. Jacobs Farmers Market.

The highlight for many when visiting the St. Jacobs Farmers Market is the food building. Inside, there at least a dozen different vendors selling all sorts of freshly cooked foods. My mom and I grabbed some peameal bacon sandwiches. While I was ordering those, I noticed a long line at another vendor. A quick peek over and I knew why. Everyone was lined up for freshly made apple fritters.

As I ate my peameal bacon sandwich, I stood in line to nab a couple of these delicious looking treats. Everyone that walked by me with theirs only grew my desire for one. Then I saw someone walk by with a bowl of two fritters covered in ice cream. I couldn’t wait much longer. Finally, it was my time to order. I placed my order for fritters with ice cream drizzled with maple syrup. I then watched as the fresh fritters came out of the fryer, were topped with a couple of scoops of ice cream and drizzled with delicious Canadian maple syrup. Although it likely gave me instant diabetes, it was so good.

Kate’s Week

Driving By Myself

I like to think that for the most part, I’m not afraid to do many things. When Adam and I planned this trip, we decided to stop in Southern/Southwestern Ontario to see our families. We knew that one of us would likely have to drive solo with the fifth wheel. Not a big deal – unless you are in Toronto.

Toronto’s traffic, even on a Sunday, is nothing short of ridiculous. There is a lot of public transit there, but as all big cities experience, people still love to drive their cars. I knew I would be able to handle driving there. I would just go slow. However, as per usual, I had to throw some obstacles in.

My niece Kelsey has just graduated from Humber College and is still living in Toronto. Before arriving in Southern Ontario, we agreed to meet in the city. She would then come with me, the pets, and the fifth wheel to Long Point. Because Kelsey lives on the opposite side of Toronto, we decided to meet close to somewhere I’d be driving. In the end we opted for the Costco parking lot in Vaughn. Adam said it would be an easy and straightforward drive.

I got to the Costco with no issues. However, the Costco parking lot was not as big as other Costco parking lots I have been too. People in Toronto, I learned, line up a half hour before the store opens, so the parking lot was already busy. As I looked around for Kelsey, I finally saw her and gave her a big hug. I haven’t seen her in 2 years! We loaded her stuff in the truck before attempting to get out of the parking lot. I noticed immediately that cars holding eager shoppers started to park where I wanted to drive to get out. After saying a word that rhymes with duck about 6 times, we got out of the parking lot to and made our way to Long Point. The rest of the drive was fine. I missed Adam navigating but I did it. My dad would have been proud.

Marina Shores Is My Home

The first thing that brings back memories for me when I visit Norfolk County, Ontario is the smell of the marsh in Long Point. It’s an earthy, musty, yet fresh smell which I know that sounds odd. It evokes memories of visiting Long Point as a child to go to my Uncle Neil’s RV at Norm’s Marina. We would go out on his boat for a little trip around Long Point Bay.

Later, the marsh smell would be synonymous with parties down on the beach when I was a teenager, or going to the beach on a hot summer day. In another life I owned a boat and would come down every weekend to go perch fishing. My nieces and nephew would come out fishing and swimming. Everything about Long Point brings back good memories.

Marina Shores in Long Point

Photo by Kelsey Winn

When Adam and I first started plotting out our trip I knew that I would be spending a week in Norfolk County but I wasn’t sure where exactly. In the end, I asked my friend Angie if I could park our RV at Marina Shores. This was a rarity for them because they don’t’ have overnight stays for RV’s. The park has about 300 RV’s and 600 boat docks. I am lucky to have Angie as a friend who said yes and allowed me to stay at this exclusive RV park.

Angie and I spent some time together talking about the park. She said the turnover is rare, with only 2 or 3 new faces each year. Once people get an RV spot here they don’t want to leave. The reason is Long Point Bay is so beautiful. Plus, the Spietals family take care of their customers. There is a healthy mix of fun, peacefulness, and a neighbourly feel in the park. It’s rare not to know your neighbours.

Just outside of my window I would see blue herons, swans, and fish jumping. I also woke every morning to that familiar and comforting marsh smell. To say I am spoiled by the Speitals family is an understatement. I’ve known Bob Spietals since I was about 5 years old, as he was a friend of my fathers.  To stay at Marina Shores was a privilege, a lot of fun, and I felt like I was with family. If you are interested in renting a boat dock, or if you are considering buying a boat, just go here for details. 

Long Point

If you are wondering what is so special about Long Point but have never visited, I’ll give you the Coles notes rundown.

Long Point is a sand spit about 40 kilometres long. Lake Erie is on one side while Long Point Bay is on the other. In 1986, the Long Point Biosphere Reserve was designated as a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO and is an important area for birds. Whether it’s waterfowl or songbirds, Long Point is a bird lover’s paradise. The area is a magnet for migrating birds. Half of the eastern North American tundra swan population visits Long Point in the spring. That’s roughly 30,000 swans. Long Point also has beautiful white/brown sand beaches and a lot of cottagers. The bay is filled with perch, pike, and large and small mouth bass. It’s a sports fisherman’s dream.

Long Point

Photo by Kelsey Winn

RV’s On the Beach

I stayed for a week in Long Point and each morning I walked Bella down Hastings drive which is right along Lake Erie. This is a road that is not maintained but has cottages all down the road. There is also a little beach that the locals use. A lot of the cottages that used to be along Hastings were destroyed in a storm in 80’s. The people fought back by placing boulders and cement blocks along the shore. They did this to keep Lake Erie’s winter storms from wreaking havoc on their cottages. Some of the lots that used to have cottages, now have RV’s located on small parcels of land that are next to the water. I loved seeing this and it’s smart on the landowner’s part, too. Instead of worrying about their cottages succumbing to the harsh winter they can have the RV out before winter.

One of the best places for a visit to Long Point with your RV is to book a site at the Long Point Provincial Park. They have all the services you need which gives you a chance to check out this ecologically diverse area of Ontario. There is even a section of the park that is “radio free” which means there is no music allowed. That way you can listen to nature rather than Kid Rock’s “All Summer Long” on loop.

A Day of Kayaking and Ice Cream

Not only was I fortunate enough to stay down in Long Point, I also had a chance to go kayaking and eat ice cream.

My sister Laura, my niece Kelsey and my nephew Jerred, and I headed out on a windy day to paddle around the Big Creek National Wildlife Area. We got in the kayaks and off we paddled. The wind was with us so that was nice for the paddle out. It’s a strange feeling being in the marsh, as there are no markers to guide us. We wondered if we would get lost. We didn’t thankfully.

It was beautiful to be in an area that was mostly untouched by man. We saw blue herons, a kingfisher, Canadian geese, a hawk, and we saw lots of fish jumping. If you ever have a chance to check it out, contact “Cronmiller’s At the Bridge” atthebridge.ca

Kayaking in Long Point

Photo by Laura McCallum

After 3 hours of kayaking, I was hungry and I wasn’t going to be eating dinner until 7. Bella and I got in the truck to make our way towards Port Rowan. We ended up stopping at Twins Ice Cream Parlour which serves Hewitt’s Ice Cream. It is a high-quality ice cream and is comparable to Cows.  The best part – THEY HAD TIGER! If you love black licorice, you must try Tiger ice cream. I hadn’t had it in 8 years, as no one in the Maritimes has Tiger that is orange with a black licorice swirl. My other scoop I had at Twins was Pralines and Cream. It was served in a waffle cone and the entire experience was a tasty delight.

Twins is an old fashioned ice cream parlour which makes you feel like you have stepped back into the 50’s. They have been voted the best ice cream parlour by the readers of Lake Erie Living Magazine several years in a row.

Bye Bye Norfolk

On my last day in Norfolk County, I asked my family if we could all meet up at the Barrel Restaurant. The Barrel has the best Greek Salad and chicken wings I have ever had. Some of my family wondered if I wanted to eat at any of the new places around Norfolk, but I didn’t want to. One of the reasons I came home was for the Barrel. What I love about the Barrel, is that they may make small changes to their menu, but the popular items like chicken wings, salads, and pasta are always the same and are by far the best I have had in Canada. Yes, I wrote Canada. I love this restaurant. I have never had an experience at the Barrel that would cause me to write anything negative. If you are ever in Simcoe, Ontario eat at the Barrel then you’ll see where my excitement comes from.

When it was time to say goodbye to everyone, I was a little sad. It’s funny when you get to be in your 40’s you realize that Mom isn’t going to be around for forever and neither are your siblings.  No one should be leaving this world anytime soon, but you just never know. I gave them all a super strong hug and while 10% of me always thinks maybe I should stay, the other 90% says “go see Canada and the rest of the world.” So I left, knowing my family and friends support me 100%.

Trip One

Departure Time/Location: 8a Camping Alouette, Saint-Mathieu-du-Beloeil, QC

Arrival Time/Location: 5p Bradford, ON

Total Distance: 610km

Next Stop:  Long Point, Ontario

Trip Two

Departure Time/Location: 9a Bradford, ON

Arrival Time/Location: 2p Long Point, ON

Total Distance: 245km

Next Stop:  Sturgeon Falls, Ontario

Our route from Montreal to Bradford to Long Point

The post Crossing Canada: Day 6-13 Southern Ontario appeared first on Full Time Canada.