Cross Canada Escape #1 - 3,710 km, four provinces, and two co-pilots later…

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… I now write to you from the end of the first leg of my cross-Canada summer adventure. What began a few months ago as a wispy idea for a summer adventure has materialized, aided by the purchase of a 2008 Ford Escape (another word for a North American traveller’s freedom).

The journey began in Southern Ontario where my close friend Mel (AKA – Co-pilot #1) accompanied me north to Thunder Bay. While we began the drive quite hung over from a night of socializing with my wonderful family, we soon got into the rhythm, making our way to the tip of the Bruce Peninsula from near Bancroft, ON by 3:00pm. Once there we hopped on the ferry to Manitoulin Island, which afforded us a beautiful view of Georgian Bay and a sunset drive through the island. Our stay at the Garlic Path B&B was memorable due to the delightful hospitality of our hosts, an unbelievable location (complete with a wild garlic patch and fawns grazing in the pond out front the house!), and a delicious meal of fish tacos at a local harbor front.

Ontario continued to impress throughout the next two days as we took our time travelling the Trans-Canada via the rocky, windy, two lanes of Hwy 17. As many can attest to, the drive can be long and arduous, but also beautiful with many look-outs and intriguing stops along the way. One of these was Lake Superior Provincial Park, where we camped and also took in a hike to see a set of ancient Ojibway pictographs painted on the side of a rock face directly over top of the tumultuous Lake Superior. That night huge waves rocked the beach as a lightening storm like no other I had seen before lit up the sky. I felt the power of that lake and the surrounding area that night, and had a healthy respect for that power throughout the rest of the drive along its shores.

By the night of the third day, we had made it to Thunder Bay, with roughly 1,500km under our belts. Once there, co-pilot #1 jumped on a plane (to fly back in two hours what had taken us three days to drive!) and I gained a new co-pilot, in the form of my partner, Lance. After securing his Ontario license, we hit the road, bound for the west coast. Now on to my fourth straight day of driving, I was feeling the kilometers, particularly in this uneventful strip of highway (save for a stop in the beautiful Kenora and Lake of the Woods region, which was re-vitalizing!). After that the border and our end destination of Winnipeg seemed attainable. As we drove further into Manitoba, we began to notice the subtle changes to the landscape. Before we knew it, the flat expanses of land emerged into a world of concrete as we found ourselves in Manitoba’s bustling urban hub of Winnipeg. With many thanks to our gracious hosts, Kendra and Jesse, we had a wonderful peak at the city over the course of the next 24 hours. Highlights included a downtown walking tour, watching the powerful Red River and Assiniboine River meet at the historic Forks, and taking in the Winnipeg Fringe Theatre festival.

While having only visited cities that I am familiar with over the last few years, I had forgotten how overwhelming a new city can be when you’re not sure where you are, where to go, or what the gems of the city are. Having a local guide made all the difference for knowing how to access the best parts of a festival and where to get an amazing, off-the-beaten-track breakfast (“Choose your own adventure breakfast” – who isn’t intrigued by that?!). I was also reminded of the differing vibes a city has from its bustling business-oriented daytime, to its culture infused edgy nighttime. While we only scraped the surface of Winnipeg this time around, it feels as if it is a city with many layers and many diverse people, all sharing a bit of themselves with each other. I look forward to visiting it again!

We bid farewell to Winnipeg on full stomachs and headed west again, leaving the urban concrete in the rearview mirror as we watched the prairies begin to roll out in front of us. When people told me to expect a flat, boring drive, I pictured expanses of land as far as the eye could see, like a desert, complete with tall wheat-like grasses blowing in the wind. My mental image turned out to be nothing like what I saw. Instead, the view was one of awe inspiring beauty, as lush green and yellow fields rolled out over miles of low lying hills, coming up to meet the brilliant blue of the sky. Over the course of the three days we spent driving and enjoying the sites of the prairies, I never got tired of this landscape. As Saskatchewan’s license plate declares, “The Land of the Living Skies” pretty accurately sums it up. Whether it was watching fluffy clouds gather and roll through a bright noontime sky, or lying beneath a clear, dark night sky spotted with stars for miles in all directions, one could not help but be overcome by the pull of the sky. While water reigns triumphant across much of Ontario (a fact we Ontarians take for granted that we can swim in clean, fresh water in an hours drive), the sky is the force to be reckoned with in the prairies.

This became clearer to us the more time we have spent in the prairies as we realized it means lots of wind, powerful thunder storms, brilliant summer days, and the source of many local legends. Lance and I both felt the undeniable power of this as we learned more about the First Nations people whose land this is during a visit to the Wanuweskin Heritage Park outside of Saskatoon. While there were similarities to Ojibway culture in Northern Ontario (like tikanagans, intricate beading, and forms of hunter-gathering lifestyles), there were also differences like the prominent role of bison, horses, and a landscape that rolls out for so long in any one direction before being connected to the overarching sky.

Overall, we really enjoyed our time in Saskatchewan, exploring the city of Saskatoon on our own (which I agree has an Ottawa-ish feel to it, thanks to the Saskatchewan River that flows through its centre and the pedestrian friendly downtown area). We also explored the back roads of the province, camping in a small local park and eating a delicious (and large!) breakfast in the town of Hafford. While small and unassuming, the Silver Sword produced a 12-page menu, a delightful character of a chef, and a whopping meal! It is definitely making us consider the benefits of back roads as our journey continues.

After our adventures in Saskatchewan, we hit the Alberta border and the land of cheap gas, unregulated liquor, and no PST began (all of which I continue to be astounded by!). We have spent the last two days in Edmonton, enjoying the wonderful hospitality and knowledge of my friend, Dodie. On our first day here, she took us to a local organic farm she has been working on where we learned how to milk goats and cows, feed chickens and collect their eggs, as well as gain an understanding of the hard work and labour that goes into maintaining a farm. The hard work pays off though, as we experienced at lunchtime with enchiladas that were made primarily from ingredients straight from the farm including the chicken, the vegetables and salsa, and even the cheese! We finished off the day with a trip to the Elk Island Bison Park, where populations of woods and plains bison are being bred in their natural habitat for the purpose of re-population. While the park is vast, you can drive through in the hopes of seeing bison, which we were fortunate enough to see! We came across a herd very close to one of the roads, and we got to watch some of them cross the road, at close range. When a bison gets close to you, you really get a sense for the enormity of this animal, of which an adult bull can stand well above the average human.

During our last day in Edmonton, we indulged in the ultimate face of Albertan consumerism, West Edmonton Mall. It definitely is a place where you can drop a LOT of cash as you can shop in over 800 stores and partake in any number of classic North American entertainments. While there was no way we could hit up the water park, the movie theatre, the amusement park, the bowling alley, the shooting range, the sea lion show, the skating rink, the high ropes course, AND the shopping, we opted for site seeing, shooting guns (Alberta style) at the shooting range, rocking the bowling alley, catching a sea lion aquatic show, and riding a roller coaster (yes, I screamed the ENTIRE way!). Remember, all of these things are in ONE BUILDING! Epic. And a quintessentially Canadian brand of consumerism if you think about the fact that the mall allows you to do all of these things all year long in a climate that is not so generous. One could definitely spend hours, and hundreds of dollars, getting lost in the labyrinth that is West Ed.

After the mall, we headed into downtown Edmonton’s core where we partook in the Tastes of Edmonton festival. For all us poor saps in Ontario who have yet to see such brilliant food centered festivals grace our cities, this is one type of festival not to miss! Featuring over 40 different food vendors, the concept of the festival is centered on you purchasing tickets, which you trade in for a hearty sample size of any dish that appeal to you. Each vendor is allowed to display two items from their menu and my goodness, what a plethora of delicious food! For those who know me well, you will know that I love to eat good food. This was divine! I sampled jerk chicken, stuffed mushrooms, whiskey & chocolate ribs, fried pickles, dry spicy chicken, green onion cake, lava cake, and gelati. My eyes were big and round the whole time, taking in all the scents and dishes, deciding what to sample next. We all agreed that we hope to see festivals like this in Toronto and Ottawa in the near future!

Alas, this post is enormous, I am tired, and we head off for the second leg of the journey in the morning, which will take us into the Rocky Mountains, Northern British Columbia, and Haida Gwaii (formerly known as the Queen Charlotte Islands). Thanks for reading, and I hope that wherever you are, you are enjoying your own summer!

Stay tuned for the second leg,

Courtney

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Photos

Too much driving!
I need a Monster to help me on my way to Winnipeg :P

Pit Stop
The Neepawa Lily Festival