we are flying to edmonton in june to visit family for 2 weeks then we are going to drive across to toronto to visit more family for 2 weeks. so we have 6 days to drive across a very large & beautiful country.
Hello Susan 😊
Do you have a question you want to ask?
Mel
Reply to this yeah i did have a few questions but i've got it in the wrong forum it's not in the canada one and i couldn't figure out how to put it in canada instead of north america.
Reply to this I have now put it in the Canada sub section of North America. 😊
Reply to this great thank you very much mell
i was wondering if anyone can advise on the route we plan to take.
we leave from edmonton on day 1 and drive to medicine hat via calgary.
day 2 medicine hat to grenfell
day 3 grenfell to kenora
day 4 kenora to thunder bay
day 5 thunder bay to sault ste. marie
day 6 sault ste.marie to lake simcoe
does anyone have any experience of this route? actually driving times etc. we've looked on mapquest etc but it would be good to here from people who are driven it.
thanks
Reply to this Hey Susan,
Drive times will vary depending on how often your teens need or make you feel like stopping. If they're Ipoded up, you could make really good time 😉
Edm to Med Hat - about 5.5 hrs. 110km speed limit but you will see speeds of 130 - 140km hr.
Med Hat to Grenfell - about 6 hrs 110km speed limit.
Grenfell to Kenora - about 5 hrs speed drops to 100km in Manitoba and down to 90km in ON.
Kenora to Thunderbay - about 5hrs 90km speed limit.
T Bay to the Soo - about 7 hrs 90 km speed limit
The Soo to lake simco - depending on traffic big time... about 7 hrs.
I have done faster times than this but have been speeding. Lots of cops hang around Regina area (RCMP training ground) and the OPP seem to be hanging around from the ON boarder to the Soo.
Just curious why the stop in Grenfell? There is not a lot there. Is it because you're trying to do approx. 600 km a day?
I've driven this stretch more times than I care to remember in a car and a transport truck so if you have any more questions, feel free to ask.
Reply to this thanks chocolatemonkee, love the name by the way. we have booked b&b's and one daysinn hotel along the way so that was the reason for stopping in the places we named. and we are trying to keep the distances about the same for the kids and for us driving it. is ther plenty of gas stations/ rest stops and tim's along the way. and is there anything we should make a point in stopping to see. my son wants to see as may large road side attrations as possible to have his photo taken with. less than 6 weeks to go and i'm getting exicited and scared i've never driven on the opposite side of the road before. at least there isn't lots of roundabouts. any info whould be great.
thanks again
p.s. the kids don't actually know this is happening this year they think it's not till next year.
Reply to this Hey Susan,
You will find a Timmie's in every major town along the number 1 (med hat, swift current, moose jaw, regina, brandon, portage la prairie, winnipeg, kenora, dryden, thunderbay, etc, etc, etc!), gas stations in each city/town as well. As for road side attractions, you can check out http://www.roadsideattractions.ca/tch.htm or http://www.gbkphoto.com/pages/index_main.shtml (This one is the best imho).
Reply to this we are also trave lling across canada with teens camping or hotels??
Reply to this Depends on what you like. When I go camping, I prefer back country camping and have a tough time going to a front country campground as I am not a huge fan of car camping. I would suggest that you do a few nights in the tent or camper and then spend a night in a hotel/motel perhaps w/ a pool or close to a huge mall so the teens can eat some pizza, see a movie or just hang out.
With my kids, they're very flexible and this seems to work well. Plus it allows us to get a good nights sleep in a bed.
Reply to this we aren't doing any camping as there is not way we could take that much on the plane. so it's b&b's and one hotel along the way. so 'lifesgreatifyoucantraveleh' how many nights are you planning to take and want route and you taking? we might pass each other on the way!
Reply to this just wondering about any road laws we might not know about can anyone help? i know in ontario you can turn right on a red light if there's nothing around. but what about the rest of the country?
thanks
Reply to this Right turns on red are allowed but will be posted w/ signs when not. Highway driving is highway driving for the most part. Always count to three before crossing the street and look both ways. You will probably look the wrong way first when crossing.
Reply to this the kids look the wrong way crossing the street here as they actually learned how to cross the road while we where in canada ?(which worries me). what about things like if you hit a wild animal what do you do? here you report it to police. what do you do in a thunder storm or hail etc.? there can be quite harsh weather in canada unlike here.
Reply to this If you hit an animal, you should report it to the police. Chances are you'll have vehicle damage and will need to make a traffic report for insurance purposes. Be especially careful between MB Border and central Ontario. Moose are prone to standing on the highway and will not move. They like the swampy area along the #1 hwy in this area.
As for Thunderstorms/hail, you drive until it is unsafe too. Rain is rain. If you can't see, you pull over w/ your four way flashers on and wait it out. You'll probably get to see a good lightening show. With hail, its good to pull under something to try and protect your vehicle from damage but this is not always an option and you end up having to wait it out. I have seen people put a blanket over their windshield to try and save it from getting smashed but most people just continue on.
Reply to this 
