# Driving from Ottawa to Vancouver Island in the time of COVID19



## zztomato (Nov 19, 2010)

Anybody taking any long road trips this summer? I'm going on Sunday. Packing the family and dog in the car and getting the heck outa' Dodge.

Any stories to tell? Any advice on what to do for roadside stops? Are things open!?!? Should I bring a bucket?  We've booked places to stay but they say we'll need to find food elsewhere.


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## dtsaudio (Apr 15, 2009)

Don't know about you're route, but I just went from Hamilton to Sault Ste Marie and back. Pretty much everything was open including gas station rest rooms. Only drive through at fast food places or take out. Even the trading posts were open.
Had a shitty experience at a Tim Hortons but other than that no issues.


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## zztomato (Nov 19, 2010)

Good to know. Thanks. The whole washroom thing was making me nervous. I'll try to avoid Tim Hortons.
We're on the trans Canada most of the way.


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

SE corner of Sakatchewan to Edmonton and back. No problems anywhere. Bring hand-sanitizer and facial wipes. Bring a cooler and get food, drinks, snacks at a supermarket. 

EdIT: FYI, nowhere to hide on the prairies. Bare-assed women and men doin' the dangle are not uncommon sights. They ain't shy. "YMMV"


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

As far as I know almost everything is open coming west but rest stops might be iffy......not a lot of tall bushes in the prairies. The bucket is an option but TP is a must. Depending when and where you'rew going to stop food places in a lot of smaller places is probably time bound like they've been for the past few years. Closing at say 10 pm.


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

Restrooms were open everywhere, but all of them seemed unattended. Filthy. Go with the great outdoors whenever possible.


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

Locally I have seen the park and provincial rest stop washrooms are closed. Maybe get a portable toilet if you are driving a van. The one my parents had used a chemical and was pretty good.


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)




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## zztomato (Nov 19, 2010)

player99 said:


> Locally I have seen the park and provincial rest stop washrooms are closed. Maybe get a portable toilet if you are driving a van. The one my parents had used a chemical and was pretty good.


Have a Rav4. Could put the toilet in the back beside the dog. Or maybe on the roof.


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

A four-door vehicle could provide some privacy for a two-tank potty. They work pretty well I hear.


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

There's always these and 4 liter milk jugs. 








depending on the age of your family. If you have kids you'll be stopping for them about the same amount as the dog.


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## keithb7 (Dec 28, 2006)

I can't speak for other Provinces but here in BC there are cinder block buildings with pit toilets at rest stops. They are f-ing disgusting all the time. Not just during covid. Stay away from them. Feces, snot, and god knows what else smeared on the walls.

As mentioned, road pull outs. Angle the car just right. Open a door. Get out git 'er done. If you are headed out of Horseshoe Bay t0 Nanaimo, I recommend Kamloops to Lillooet. Then down that Hi-way through Squamish and into Horseshoe Bay.


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

keithb7 said:


> I can't speak for other Provinces but here in BC there are cinder block buildings with pit toilets at rest stops. They are f-ing disgusting all the time. Not just during covid. Stay away from them. Feces, snot, and god knows what else smeared on the walls.
> 
> As mentioned, road pull outs. Angle the car just right. Open a door. Get out git 'er done. If you are headed out of Horseshoe Bay t0 Nanaimo, I recommend Kamloops to Lillooet. Then down that Hi-way through Squamish and into Horseshoe Bay.


That's a great road, 99, on a bike but then so is heading south from Golden 'til you hit 3/95 and going thru Manning is good too. All depends which way you want to go.


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## zztomato (Nov 19, 2010)

Electraglide said:


> There's always these and 4 liter milk jugs.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Perfect! I'm sure my wife could help- wouldn't even have to stop driving.


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

zztomato said:


> Perfect! I'm sure my wife could help- wouldn't even have to stop driving.


If a two liter pop bottle works, why not a 4 liter jug? Just takes love and a helping hand. You doing a straight shot on the Trans Canada or sort of meandering? Depending on where you're going on the Island driving up the Sunshine Coast to Powell River and then across is not bad.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

We did that trip in 2004. Make sure you _seriously_ gas up in Swift Current, because it's a loooooonnnng way to Medicine Hat from there, and you won't find many or any gas stations along the way.

There are drive-in theatres in Saskatchewan that may provide a nice diversion, though not many bushes on the TCH there to stand behind and pee. The salt flats in Saskatchewan my surprise you.

Get ready for the "where-the-hell-did-*THAT*-come-from?" reaction when you emerge from the dense forests and lake area of Kenora and northwestern Ontario (the Muskoka/Laurentians equivalent for Winnipegers) to the wide open plains of Manitoba. It's a big contrast.

Include a short detour to the badlands of Drumheller and visit to the Royal Tyrell Museum ( Home | Royal Tyrrell Museum ). Whichever way you do it, make sure one of the stretches through BC is the northcentral route through Banff, Golden, Revelstoke, Kamloops, et al., and the other is the southern border route on highway 3. The former also brings you to Craigellachie, where "the last spike" was driven in and they took that history textbook photo of the guys with beards and top hats. The latter brings you through Osoyoos, which is as close to a Mexican hacienda as one can get in Canada, and through Crowsnest Pass and the site of the Frank Slide ( Frank Slide - Wikipedia ). The foothills between Frank and Fort McLeod have so many wind turbines at their crests, you start to feel like an ant in a flower garden.

Make a point of starting any drives through the Rockies_ early_ in the day. The roads themselves are safe and wonderfully scenic, but they twist and wind, and truck high-beams suddenly and unexpectedly coming around a blind turn do not make for a relaxing drive or satisfactory family/marital relationships. So you'll want to have the day's drive end before sundown.

Leaving Ontario, we took the northern route along Highway 11, through Cochrane, Hearst, Kapuskasing, Longlac, et al., and the more southerly route, along Highway 17, hugging Superior along the northern and eastern shore, on the way back. The eastern shore of Superior, north of Sault St, Marie, is strikingly similar to Vancouver island. All that's missing are the totems and the whales. Along both routes, you will run into many "Canada's/World's largest" things. Highway 11 is quieter and flatter, with fewer trucks, while 17 is more scenic.

You'll probably end up taking more time to sort through the thousands of pics taken, than the trip took. But that's a good thing. Have a wonderful trip, while gas is cheap.


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## Kerry Brown (Mar 31, 2014)

There are a lot of people in BC that want to close the provincial borders. Be prepared for people to question why you are here with out of province plates. I'm on the fence, but I am horrified at the numbers coming out of Ontario and Quebec compared to BC.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

mhammer said:


> We did that trip in 2004. Make sure you _seriously_ gas up in Swift Current, because it's a loooooonnnng way to Medicine Hat from there, and you won't find many or any gas stations along the way.


Mostly true, although there are a couple of big gas stations on the intersection of #1 and #21, just north of Maple Creek. But if you can make it that far, you can probably make it to Irvine or Dunmore. Gas is always a bit cheaper in AB.


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## johnnyshaka (Nov 2, 2014)

Kerry Brown said:


> There are a lot of people in BC that want to close the provincial borders. Be prepared for people to question why you are here with out of province plates. I'm on the fence, but I am horrified at the numbers coming out of Ontario and Quebec compared to BC.


This is what I was thinking about when I read the title of this thread...some folks aren't happy about cross-border travelers right now.

I drove from Ottawa to Edmonton a few summers ago and my one bit of advice would be to make sure you plan your accommodations beforehand and it sounds like you have. We flew by the seat of our pants and that led to a lot of scrambling late into the evenings to try and find a place to stay and I imagine that would be even more difficult during the pandemic.


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

Try and avoid going through Manitoba and Saskatchewan, the rest should be great.


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## boyscout (Feb 14, 2009)

vadsy said:


> Try and avoid going through Manitoba and Saskatchewan, the rest should be great.


Ditto.

Over a period of years I did long "walkabouts" - five- to eight-week-long driving trips - literally all over the U.S., every state, hardly EVER got bored. Canadians kept saying, "why haven't you driven across Canada?"

I'd flown to many of its cities on business but I thought, "OK, I'll do it." Enjoyed it until I left Medicine Hat. By the time I neared Estevan Saskatchewan I though, "Eff this!" and turned down into North Dakota. Soon in beautiful Wisconsin, interesting Illinois and Michigan, and back to Ontario through the U.S.

@zztomato fly from Medicine Hat to Thunder Bay and get someone else to drive your car for you.

Guess I've just added a few MORE enemies here. Gonna get crowded.


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## LanceT (Mar 7, 2014)

Stay home, there is nothing to see here.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Kerry Brown said:


> There are a lot of people in BC that want to close the provincial borders. Be prepared for people to question why you are here with out of province plates. I'm on the fence, but I am horrified at the numbers coming out of Ontario and Quebec compared to BC.


No matter where you go in the world, most people anywhere will be proud to show off their region to someone from farther away who has never been there. Where they get grumpy and resentful is with folks from nearby regions who use their area for partying and a diversion. "Cottage countries" everywhere have a love/hate relationship with the large nearby municipalities that feed, and simultaneously exploit, them. Wide-eyed come-from-away folks are a whole other matter.

As I understood it, some folks in the Okanagan were none to crazy about Calgarians bringing their pathogens into BC. The degree of substance to that resentment is another matter.

Might be a good idea to get the family tested, and bring along a dated printout of the test results, before you leave, as a sort of insurance against bias and suspicion, along with masks for everyone, and a box of disposable gloves. Nice to be able to vouch for yourselves, but you can't always vouch for everyone else.

As comments here attest, not everyone is a fan of huge open plains. Any Joni Mitchell album that has Jaco Pastorius on it, like _Hejira_ or _Mingus_, sounds amazing against the backdrop of the prairies, and makes the drive more relaxing and pensive. The drone of a fretless bass complements the sound of the wind blowing through the fields, and whatever seasonal insect is singing its mating tune. Harry Manx albums would probably work well too, given his penchant for drone strings. 

A drive across Saskatchewan and Manitoba will persuade anyone who ever doubted it or simply never thought of it, of the important, and even foundational, role of the railway and trains to this country. In the city, you tend not to see them because they're always obscured by buildings. On the prairies, sometimes you can look around you and it's almost _all_ you can see in every direction; the sheer number of trains going this way and that, starts to feel like those videos you see of all-way pedestrian intersections in Tokyo. It's how the world comes to a big chunk of Canada and how what Canada provides to the world gets out there. When we got to Craigellachie, where it was first stitched together, it made the moment even more profound. There's a train museum in Revelstoke. I'm not the mad-about-trains Sheldon-Cooper type, but it was interesting. Funny enough, I had to take the young'un out for a midnight walk because he was restless and risked waking the others up. We strolled over to the train museum and looked in the windows. But when we started to walk back, a freight train came rolling through town, keeping us on the other side of the tracks and unable to return to the motel. That was one looooooong train.


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## Kerry Brown (Mar 31, 2014)

mhammer said:


> As I understood it, some folks in the Okanagan were none to crazy about Calgarians bringing their pathogens into BC. The degree of substance to that resentment is another matter.


It is much more widespread than that. Here on the coast there are many social media posts complaining about out of province cars. People leave them nasty notes. Not saying it is right but it is happening. We were warned yesterday by Bonnie Henry, our head health system doctor, that our social contact rate has recently gone from 40% of normal to 65%. Her modelling shows that above 70% we will experience an exponential growth of cases. That has a lot of people scared.


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

LanceT said:


> Stay home, there is nothing to see here.


Brent Butt at Corner Gas, looks around and answers: "Whadya mean, you can see everything." (Season One, Episode One, Scene One) 

And oh yeah, very good point, I hear out-of-province vehicles in BC are being gouged with "Stay Home". No such paranoia in SK and AB.


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

hearing more unpleasantries about visiting BC makes me hesitant to vacation this year. on one side they are calling and asking us to come, on the other we may get the locals hassling us. I do believe it would be different in a tourist town like Fairmont but I'd sure hate to find out the hard way


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## allthumbs56 (Jul 24, 2006)

Pre-pandemic we had plans to visit my daughter, SIL, and 1 1/2 year-old grand daughter in Victoria. I've only met the little one once - I'd like her to know me. Now I see pictures and it'll have to do.


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## Kerry Brown (Mar 31, 2014)

allthumbs56 said:


> Pre-pandemic we had plans to visit my daughter, SIL, and 1 1/2 year-old grand daughter in Victoria. I've only met the little one once - I'd like her to know me. Now I see pictures and it'll have to do.


I hear you. So far I've missed three grandkid birthdays. This lockdown sucks but we have to do it.


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## LanceT (Mar 7, 2014)

vadsy said:


> hearing more unpleasantries about visiting BC makes me hesitant to vacation this year. on one side they are calling and asking us to come, on the other we may get the locals hassling us. I do believe it would be different in a tourist town like Fairmont but I'd sure hate to find out the hard way


We are being pretty weird about it.


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## zztomato (Nov 19, 2010)

@mhammer , thanks for all of your very thoughtful posts. We are mainly making time in the first two days- sleeping in Thunder Bay then Regina the second night. After that, Canmore for a night then Kamloops. Next day, a short drive to Vancouver then ferry to Nanaimo and then Gabriola Island. 
It's funny you mentioned Jaco and Joni Mitchell, they are on my drive playlist separately and together. Great stuff. I agree about the sound of the fretless. I totally get what you are talking about.

As to the " not welcome here" sentiments some have pointed out, I get it. Thing is, I've gotten that every year for the last 25 years visiting our family place on Gabriola Is. There are always people who don't want more "people" to invade their precious island paradise- forgetting of course that they moved there from somewhere else once. COVID19 is giving an added incentive to bash the outsiders. 

We usually fly out. We had decided that flying had a bad vibe and if the virus was on the downswing, and places were opening up, we'd do the drive. We have to get our daughter back to UBC, and frankly, I need a break from the Covid weirdness so we are going to, essentially, live secluded on Gabriola for a month. 

I'll be parking our car and driving a pickup with BC plates once we get there- make the target a bit smaller.


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

zztomato said:


> @mhammer , thanks for all of your very thoughtful posts. We are mainly making time in the first two days- sleeping in Thunder Bay then Regina the second night. After that, Canmore for a night then Kamloops. Next day, a short drive to Vancouver then ferry to Nanaimo and then Gabriola Island.
> It's funny you mentioned Jaco and Joni Mitchell, they are on my drive playlist separately and together. Great stuff. I agree about the sound of the fretless. I totally get what you are talking about.
> 
> As to the " not welcome here" sentiments some have pointed out, I get it. Thing is, I've gotten that every year for the last 25 years visiting our family place on Gabriola Is. There are always people who don't want more "people" to invade their precious island paradise- forgetting of course that they moved there from somewhere else once. COVID19 is giving an added incentive to bash the outsiders.
> ...


Back in the 70's....between two wives....I had a girl friend who's grand father had a place on Vance. The only way to get there back then was by boat. Lots of isolation. Used to get the "not welcome here" there and on Saltspring and a few of the other Gulf Islands and that's with BC plates.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

zztomato said:


> @mhammer , thanks for all of your very thoughtful posts. We are mainly making time in the first two days- sleeping in Thunder Bay then Regina the second night. After that, Canmore for a night then Kamloops. Next day, a short drive to Vancouver then ferry to Nanaimo and then Gabriola Island.
> It's funny you mentioned Jaco and Joni Mitchell, they are on my drive playlist separately and together. Great stuff. I agree about the sound of the fretless. I totally get what you are talking about.
> 
> As to the " not welcome here" sentiments some have pointed out, I get it. Thing is, I've gotten that every year for the last 25 years visiting our family place on Gabriola Is. There are always people who don't want more "people" to invade their precious island paradise- forgetting of course that they moved there from somewhere else once. COVID19 is giving an added incentive to bash the outsiders.
> ...


You're expecting to make it to Thunder Bay from Ottawa within ONE day? Even if you're not sightseeing, it takes two whole days to get out of Ontario.

Our drive had us sleeping in Smooth Rock Falls the first night, Ignace (west of Thunder Bay) the second, and Brandon the 3rd. And those were LOOONG bloody driving days that went well after sundown. Not to take anything away from the endurance of the vehicle or its driver/s, but Regina on the 2nd night strikes me as a little overly ambitious. It's a lovely drive, but stops being like the 417 or 401 once you get northwest of the Muskokas, and doesn't really transform back into straight and flat until you get pretty much out to Steinbach. That's a big part of why it takes so long to get out of Ontario. Even if you have two drivers who can trade off and extend the driving day to, say, 16 hours, it's not like the highways are well lit like the Queensway. 100kph will feel like meeting a long-lost relative by the time you get to Manitoba.

All of that said, there are few substitutes for seeing the glory and variety of this country from the ground. Your family will remember it forever.


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## allthumbs56 (Jul 24, 2006)

mhammer said:


> Even if you're not sightseeing, it takes two whole days to get out of Ontario.


Yup.

I'd count on 3 days. There's a lot of "Ontario" to get out of


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Ontario is one big assed province, LOL.

If I wanted to drive from my location to the Manitoba border and remain in Canada for the whole drive it's about 24 hours of non-stop driving (16 hours just to Thunder Bay).

It is a pretty drive up north though.


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## zztomato (Nov 19, 2010)

It's ambitious for sure but we'll do it. We have 3 drivers. It's just under 16 hours to Thunder Bay. next day to regina is just over 13. The car is fairly new and running great.


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

one of the kids just drove Edmonton to Victoria and back. He said you have to make an appointment (pre-book) to get on the ferry to Vancouver Island. Food is mostly drive-thru.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

zztomato said:


> It's ambitious for sure but we'll do it. We have 3 drivers. It's just under 16 hours to Thunder Bay. next day to regina is just over 13. The car is fairly new and running great.


I hope you're able to look around as you drive through. The Lake Superior route is pretty spectacular in some sections, especially as you approach Thunder Bay.

I have fond memories of travelling back and forth across Canada. I think few of us really appreciate the natural beauty we have right at our feet.


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## zztomato (Nov 19, 2010)

Lincoln said:


> one of the kids just drove Edmonton to Victoria and back. He said you have to make an appointment (pre-book) to get on the ferry to Vancouver Island. Food is mostly drive-thru.


Good tip. We were going to do that. We usually book a reserved spot on the ferry in normal times too.



Milkman said:


> I hope you're able to look around as you drive through. The Lake Superior route is pretty spectacular in some sections, especially as you approach Thunder Bay.
> 
> I have fond memories of travelling back and forth across Canada. I think few of us really appreciate the natural beauty we have right at our feet.


I'm actually looking forward to the drive. With 3 of us sharing the duties we'll all get to view the scenery. The first day is going to be a grind.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

I have always been coming from just west of Toronto, so it was 400 North and then through the Sault and onward to Thunder Bay.

From Ottawa, what will you see? Would you go through Kirkland Lake and Kapuskasing or across to Sudbury and then the Sault?


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## zztomato (Nov 19, 2010)

Milkman said:


> I have always been coming from just west of Toronto, so it was 400 North and then through the Sault and onward to Thunder Bay.
> 
> From Ottawa, what will you see? Would you go through Kirkland Lake and Kapuskasing or across to Sudbury and then the Sault?


The most direct (fastest anyway) route takes us far north of Toronto. North of Algonquin park to North Bay then highway 11 all the way to Thunder bay. Drive time shows 15:44. through Kirkland Lake. I'd rather drive along the lakes but seems to add a couple hours.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Good luck, safe travels.


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

zztomato said:


> The most direct (fastest anyway) route takes us far north of Toronto. North of Algonquin park to North Bay then highway 11 all the way to Thunder bay. Drive time shows 15:44. through Kirkland Lake. I'd rather drive along the lakes but seems to add a couple hours.


Let's see, see some lakes in Ont. or get to the Island as fast as you can. Me I'd stop for gas, food and a piss break or two until I hit the Rockies. Easy to do with 3 drivers. With the dog that's what, 48 hrs?


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

'Tis a pity that the Highway Book Store in Cobalt ( The Highway Book Shop - A Literary Legacy - Northeastern Ontario Canada ) is closed now. As independent bookstores go, the place was a marvel. You'd think you had gotten to the back of the store, but then you'd turn a corner and realize you were nowhere near the end of it. Their geographical, and minerological map section was stunning. One of our neighbours here knows the (former) owners. They had tried to find a buyer, but to no avail.

Coming back, we had to spend the night in Marathon, along the north shore of Superior. Not because I was tired, but because there was a fog so thick you couldn't see 50yds in front of you. When we woke up and looked out the window of the motel, we were surprised to see we were right beside a municipal/regional airport. That's how thick the fog was. It's stuff like that which buggers up one's schedule and plans, so be forewarned.

Then there's all sorts of regional events we didn't know about or think to look for. We expected to spend the first night in Cochrane, only to learn when we got there that every room in the region had been booked by Aboriginal people coming from everywhere within a few hundred miles for the "Blueberry Festival".

White River, about halfway between Marathon and Wawa, is reputedly the birthplace of the real Winnie-the-Pooh, and the town makes a really big deal about it: Experience the Birthplace of Winnie-the-Pooh I'm sure it's a nice town, but it's more than a little odd to be standing in the parking lot of the Robin's Donuts, surrounded by logging truckers with weathered faces and fingers yellow from cigarette tar, cursing up a storm, while you're looking out at a park festooned with all sorts of Pooh-related monuments and stuff in the park across the street. Enchanting contrast.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

KapnKrunch said:


> And oh yeah, very good point, I hear out-of-province vehicles in BC are being gouged with "Stay Home". No such paranoia in SK and *AB*.


Ummm, unless they relocated Banff to BC and I didn't hear about it, that isn't accurate. People are complaining about US plates and police are ticketing them for not driving straight through to Alaska as they said they would at the border. Not exactly the same, but people are concerned everywhere. I think it really depends on, as a province, how many foreign plates you get on a regular basis as to how sensitive you are to this.


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

High/Deaf said:


> Ummm, unless they relocated Banff to BC and I didn't hear about it, that isn't accurate. People are complaining about US plates and police are ticketing them for not driving straight through to Alaska as they said they would at the border. Not exactly the same, but people are concerned everywhere. I think it really depends on, as a province, how many foreign plates you get on a regular basis as to how sensitive you are to this.


I heard it was AB plates in BC. Hearsay. What do I know. Good way to have trip ruined...


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

KapnKrunch said:


> I heard it was AB plates in BC. Hearsay. What do I know. Good way to have trip ruined...


Both. A lot of the BC stuff is just nutso people. Many of these AB people own property in BC and they should be allowed to go there, as long as they are healthy. Our prov govt supports this as well.

But there have been US plates, in both BC and AB, parking in hotel parking lots. These people didn't carry out the 2 week isolation that they should have, and they didn't drive straight to the destination in AK, as they should have. They deserve the hassles they are getting.


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

The old "Yankee Go Home". Lol.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

"We'll build a wall -------- and have the states pay for it." 


Oooops, probably too political. LOL


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

High/Deaf said:


> Ummm, unless they relocated Banff to BC and I didn't hear about it, that isn't accurate. People are complaining about US plates and police are ticketing them for not driving straight through to Alaska as they said they would at the border. Not exactly the same, but people are concerned everywhere. I think it really depends on, as a province, how many foreign plates you get on a regular basis as to how sensitive you are to this.


people are complain or the cops are doing their job?


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

KapnKrunch said:


> I heard it was AB plates in BC. Hearsay. What do I know. Good way to have trip ruined...


we had some folks in the community that had their tires slashed while they were in Radium while stopped at a gash station. that is so so close to being Alberta with the amount of visitors in the summer time, yet technically BC.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

vadsy said:


> people are complain or the cops are doing their job?


The two things aren't mutually exclusive.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

vadsy said:


> we had some folks in the community that had their tires slashed while they were in Radium while stopped at a gash station. that is so so close to being Alberta with the amount of visitors in the summer time, yet technically BC.



Gash station, LOL.

I don't stop at those anymore....


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

welp, I’m embarrassed


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

vadsy said:


> welp, I’m embarrassed


I thought it was deliberate. I'm not the grammar cop.


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)




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## zztomato (Nov 19, 2010)

First day done. Made it to Thunder Bay right on schedule. On the road at 6 a.m arrived at 10 pm.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Did you _enjoy_ it? Did you see the Terry Fox lookout just east of Thunder Bay?
And what route did you take?


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## Doug Gifford (Jun 8, 2019)

vadsy said:


> hearing more unpleasantries about visiting BC makes me hesitant to vacation this year. on one side they are calling and asking us to come, on the other we may get the locals hassling us. I do believe it would be different in a tourist town like Fairmont but I'd sure hate to find out the hard way


Vacation in Ontario.


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

Doug Gifford said:


> Vacation in Ontario.


It’s on the list but I just don’t want to put in the effort., it’s too far. The lakes do look fantastic in a lot of spots but BC is so close with summer and winter offerings, lakes or mountains or whatever. 

I have wanted to ask for a long time on recommendations for cottage country getaways. We all hear across this country how Ontario has Muskoka but I wouldn’t know where to start. and now these reno shows on TV doing work up at all those lakes,,., looks incredible


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## Doug Gifford (Jun 8, 2019)

vadsy said:


> It’s on the list but I just don’t want to put in the effort., it’s too far. The lakes do look fantastic in a lot of spots but BC is so close with summer and winter offerings, lakes or mountains or whatever.
> 
> I have wanted to ask for a long time on recommendations for cottage country getaways. We all hear across this country how Ontario has Muskoka but I wouldn’t know where to start. and now these reno shows on TV doing work up at all those lakes,,., looks incredible


Ah. So "greater metro area" is not Taranna.


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## cdntac (Oct 11, 2017)

vadsy said:


> It’s on the list but I just don’t want to put in the effort., it’s too far. The lakes do look fantastic in a lot of spots but BC is so close with summer and winter offerings, lakes or mountains or whatever.
> 
> I have wanted to ask for a long time on recommendations for cottage country getaways. We all hear across this country how Ontario has Muskoka but I wouldn’t know where to start. and now these reno shows on TV doing work up at all those lakes,,., looks incredible



You’re not getting anything in Muskoka that you’re not gonna find in any cottage area with lakes.


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## MarkM (May 23, 2019)

vadsy said:


> Try and avoid going through Manitoba and Saskatchewan, the rest should be great.


Why is Saskatchewan so windy?



Cause Edmonton blows and Winnipeg sucks!


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

MarkM said:


> Why is Saskatchewan so windy?
> 
> 
> 
> Cause Edmonton blows and Winnipeg sucks!


I believe you're thinking of Calgary


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## MarkM (May 23, 2019)

vadsy said:


> I believe you're thinking of Calgary


Nah the wind comes from the NW


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

cdntac said:


> You’re not getting anything in Muskoka that you’re not gonna find in any cottage area with lakes.


I'm sure that's true. So in trying to avoid the tourist trap, where is a good place to start?


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## Doug Gifford (Jun 8, 2019)

vadsy said:


> I'm sure that's true. So in trying to avoid the tourist trap, where is a good place to start?


I think of Muskoka as cottage country more than a tourist destination. From there, you can head east for more rocks and trees, or you could go south to Peterborough then south to Cobourg on Lake Ontario and potter east along the shore and down the St. Lawrence. That's pretty nice. Quite old culturally (for Canada) but still largely rural. Then back through Ottawa and up the Ottawa Valley.


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## tomee2 (Feb 27, 2017)

zztomato said:


> First day done. Made it to Thunder Bay right on schedule. On the road at 6 a.m arrived at 10 pm.


Good time of year to drive late...lots of daylight. After dark, 2 people awake watching the road for moose. Especially going west from where you are now... Kenora area is beautiful try to see it in daylight. It's all beautiful actually. Take pictures of the giant road side things.. goose, spider, lumberjack, easter egg.. I forget them all now..

Did the Kingston Edmonton trip twice in the 90s .. me and the GF (now wife) taking 48 hrs or so in a 1980 VW Rabbit with a leaky water pump. If the revs stayed up it was fine. Stop for gas meant adding coolant. I would turn the engine off and coast in for gas to keep from leaking too much. Good times..


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## zztomato (Nov 19, 2010)

mhammer said:


> Did you _enjoy_ it? Did you see the Terry Fox lookout just east of Thunder Bay?
> And what route did you take?


I enjoyed it....mostly. I love the drive and how the scenery changes. The kids are a little less interested. 
We took the 11. Saw the lookout but did not stop. The drive down to TB is beautiful. We stopped at a rest area for a few minutes by a lake and in those few minutes, my poor dog was mobbed by black flies. Holy F they were brutal. We got him back in the car, kids spent half an hour squishing the damn things on the dog. Dog is covered in blood. What a mess!

Writing from the Sleep Inn in Regina. Another long day on the road. Prairies are pretty cool. Glad to be not driving though and now drinking wine. 

Hey, so everything seems to be open and fine for travelers. Some fast food places are drive-through only and don't have washroom access but most do- for paying customers. 
Bit of a hard day on the road. Watched a huge majestic moose get hit by a van a few cars ahead of me. It came up on the highway out of nowhere. The van was not at full highway speed and it seemed no one was hurt but the moose was down at the side of the road still alive and suffering greatly and we all just felt sick about it. Such an amazing animal and left mortally wounded by a car was incredibly sad. 

Canmore AB tomorrow.


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## Guitar101 (Jan 19, 2011)

I've never heard that black flies can do something like that to a dog. Hopefully a one time thing. Also watch for ticks on the dog after a roadside stop. I have heard that they can pick up a few ticks if their in long grass.


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## cdntac (Oct 11, 2017)

vadsy said:


> I'm sure that's true. So in trying to avoid the tourist trap, where is a good place to start?


 Banff. Canmore. Icefields Parkway. Lol. 

But seriously, ON just isn’t a pretty place to drive through as compared to BC.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Three days driving to Canmore? Geez, I've heard that when waterboarding doesn't extract the needed information from detainees, that drive is the next step up in "enhanced interrogation". I hope your drive back is a little more leisurely. And given that I gather there will be one less driver, I assume it will have to be.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

_"Wake me, please wake me,
It's cold and warm on the prairie freeway
........
It's oil, It's wheat, It's soil, It's meat
It's beef!
The road, it's home, the mountain high, river low...
Wake me, please wake me,
When it's my turn to drive
Only the lonely (and maybe John Denver) know the Canadian freeway."






_


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

cdntac said:


> Banff. Canmore. Icefields Parkway. Lol.
> 
> But seriously, ON just isn’t a pretty place to drive through as compared to BC.


Banff can be touristy. The others I don't feel it. BC is nice around the edges, the middle is meth and goat farms


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

At least you won't have Stampede/pre-Stampede traffic to drive thru, just a little damp. BTW if you see the white Griz. or the two toned cub don't stop. There a no stopping zone from about the Brake check to the east of the Spiral Tunnels to Field. Parks Canada installs no stopping zone to protect white grizzly . From the looks of things you shouldn't have to worry about snow on the pass.


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

mhammer said:


> Three days driving to Canmore? Geez, I've heard that when waterboarding doesn't extract the needed information from detainees, that drive is the next step up in "enhanced interrogation". I hope your drive back is a little more leisurely. And given that I gather there will be one less driver, I assume it will have to be.


my son's first trip east was to Montreal (chasing a girl). I offered to fly him to Montreal, but he said, "no, I want to see the country. I'll take the bus". When it came time to return to Edmonton, he took me up on my offer of a flight without a second's hesitation or thought. He must have seen enough of the country on the way down.


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## tomee2 (Feb 27, 2017)

I always liked Jasper better though it is out of the way depending on the route.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Lincoln said:


> my son's first trip east was to Montreal (chasing a girl). I offered to fly him to Montreal, but he said, "no, I want to see the country. I'll take the bus". When it came time to return to Edmonton, he took me up on my offer of a flight without a second's hesitation or thought. He must have seen enough of the country on the way down.


My wife bought our younger son a VIA Rail pass as a graduation present, so he trained it from Halifax out to Vancouver and back, exiting at all major stops to see if he'd like to live and work there. Not to take anything away from the bus, or seeing the country at ground-level, but I think being able to get up and walk around makes a world of difference in long-distance travel.


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

Lincoln said:


> my son's first trip east was to Montreal (chasing a girl). I offered to fly him to Montreal, but he said, "no, I want to see the country. I'll take the bus". When it came time to return to Edmonton, he took me up on my offer of a flight without a second's hesitation or thought. He must have seen enough of the country on the way down.


Can't take the Dog anymore. After meeting a girl online I rode from The Okanagan to Sacramento then a while later rode from there to Vermont. Trucked the bike back in January. Depending on the time of year, especially with more than one driver you can do Calgary to Vancouver in about 12 hrs. That's doing the speed limit. To me it's a toss up, get there as fast as I could to spend as much time as possible on Gabriola or take a bit more time, turn south at Sicamous and do the Valley and Hope Princeton. Possibly cut up thru Coalmont and Tulameen to the Coq but that might add a few days to the trip.


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## Doug Gifford (Jun 8, 2019)

I've travelled a lot of ways -- plane, train, car, thumb, ship -- and bus is the worst


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

Doug Gifford said:


> I've traveled a lot of ways -- plane, train, car, thumb, ship -- and bus is the worst


It used to be good in the 60's, especially when combined with thumb. Basically party time and most of the Dog stations had full kitchens that were usually open 24/7. A lot of the times, especially at night, there was always someone with some herb who was willing to share. You got on the bus and if it stopped someplace interesting then you could get off and get back on another bus later. The milk run at night from Vernon to Vancouver took 12+ hrs on the Hope Princeton in the summer. It was cheap...$7 and change.....and a good way to meet girls. When they moved the main route to the Coq. it was still pretty good. 


tomee2 said:


> I always liked Jasper better though it is out of the way depending on the route.


Doing the Yellowhead thru to George is a good run, if you have enough gas. Going as far as Tete Jaune and the turning south can be fun too, just can get a little hote the closer you come to Kamloops.


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