Day 9

7:30am

The car has been plugged in for the last hour and we've got our fingers crossed that it's going to start today. It's cold! BUT - we still want to take a detour to Hay River and walk on Great Slave Lake.

8:30am

The sun is just starting to rise. I've lost all sense of direction because although we're driving north the sun is rising behind us? I guess when you're this far north - everything happens below you ;)

Ewww! There are two huge buffalo carcasses in the ditch being picked apart by ravens. These ravens, not crows, are massive! They must be the size of a small turkey and their fuzzy breast feathers and furry feet make me laugh. They're so slow that we almost hit a couple of them as they hop off the road.

9:00am

We've just seen a large moose with no head on the side of the road. Dad thinks it's the left overs of a trophy hunter and that makes me mad! I have nothing against hunting responsible, but wasting the life of any animal is really upsetting.

9:30am

The radio coverage of CBC has been amazing on our entire trip. BUT - we have finally entered a dead zone. It's not that Dad and I don't enjoy a good chat, but after 9 days we're running low on new topics ;) Thankfully we pass a road sign and Dad takes note of the radio frequency. AM 1230. Yup - AM!?!?! When was the last time anyone listen to AM? I'd always thought that button on the stereo was just there for the comfort of the over 50?


10:30am

Hay River is a pretty big town. If we'd known that we never would have stayed in Enterprise! The town is very quaint. Lot's of mom and pop places, community centres, areas, school and shops and the shore of Great Slave Lake is huge!

We pull up to the beach and I run for the outhouse which, thankfully, is still open! I have to pee so badly that even though the toilet seat is covered in snow and the toilet paper has icicles hanging from it - I'm still squatting!


Dad only has his small boots on, but there's a great snowmobile track straight onto the lake. There are children playing along the shore and I'm amazed. It's freezing, but I guess they more used to these temperatures than we are.










11:00am

We stop for brunch and then hit the road to Yellowknife.


12:30pm

We're on the ice road! It looks well travelled and the road is marked by small trees, but I'm still nervous. Two huge ravens appear along side the car and fly with us for the first minute. I'm in awe, but after a few peeks into the car I'm starting to think that they may be waiting to see if we break through and they get lunch! Thankfully they fly on.





Dad's got this look on his face which is half "woo hoo!" and half "holy crap!". We're driving 30-40km and that's fast enough. I'm starting to relax and enjoy the drive - after all this might be a once in a life time experience since there will be a bridge across the lake soon.

5:00pm

Welcome to Yellowknife! We drive over the hill and I'm in shock! It's huge! There's a sea of lights, high rises and a massive airport! Houses are tucked up against the rocks and there are tons of tiny lights on the lake that must be the house boats. Dad says it looks nothing like the city he remembers, but that was 30 years ago.






It's not hard to find the hotel and after unloading the car, we decide to lay low tonight and get to know the city in the daylight. We call mum to let her know we've made it in one piece and then tuck into our left overs from Biggar. Yup! Our first meal in Yellowknife is from a Chinese restaurant in Biggar Saskatchewan ;)

I'm pooped and can't wait for bed. It feels good to be here, but I'm also a little sad that the road trip is over. Although - it's hardly the end of this adventure for me!

OK - I'm turning in - I'll write all about the city tomorrow.

Day 8

8:00am

It's COLD! The thermostat in the car blinked -29 and then broke! or the Japanese didn't think to make a thermostat that recognizes lower than -30 ;)

It's time to dig out the next layer in warmth! New mitts, hats, scarves and the big boots are ready just in case it gets even colder. And - I just have to say - God love the person that invented heated seats!!!!!


9:00am

It's still dark.

9:45am

We just passed a sign that posted 400km to the Northwest Territories border. I get a rush of nervous excitement. Yeah! Wait - what am I doing?!?! It'll be ok..... won't it? There are fields of crops and rolling hills on all sides. I'm amazed at the landscape. At times it feels like we could be in northern Ontario. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I never thought it would feel familiar.

10:30am

Dad and I are both hungry. Once we got the car started it would have been cruel to stop for breakfast right away, but now we're both ready for brunch and the car needs to be filled up. We find a cute restaurant called Quotes. The service is friendly and the food is great. Plus there's funny quotes on just about everything.

After breakfast I visit the lady's room and find a funny one.....
















2:00pm

We stop in High Level to stretch our legs and I need to find a bank to take some $ out. My poor VISA has had quite the workout over the last week - thankfully I'll be getting it all back soon. Yeah for the new company!

High Level is hilarious! There is a strip of motels straight out of Vegas. How the hell did they get them up here?












Dad pulls up outside the CIBC and I'm just about to get out of the car when a women backs into us! Yup - we crunched bumpers! Poor Ruby (car - selected by colour and side trip to the Ruby Cafe ;) There were a couple good scrapes on both cars, but other than trading some paint there wasn't a whole lot of damage. I exchanged info with the girl and hopefully that's that.

3:00pm

"Caution, Bison on road". Woo hoo! Hopefully we see some soon. I'm glad we're driving this stretch in the day light, although the sun is hanging very low and it may only be an hour until it sets.

3:30pm

We're only 100km from the NWT border! Once we're over the boarder we're heading for Enterprise and it there's time today or tomorrow we're both hoping we can visit Hay River. It's on the south shore of Great Slave Lake and I really want to walk on both shore of the big lake! There's a bridge over a river and I pull a Dad. "Hey..... oh crap..... Hay River."

4:30pm

We cross the 60th Parallel!














The sky is unbelievable! Every colour of red, orange, yellow, pink and purple! A soft cloud hangs low and soaks up much of the purple. Dad is frantically taking pictures and I drive. We finally have to stop and, braving the cold, we stand on the side of the road and watch the sun set. But - only for a minute!

A head of us the sky is dark and plain and honest to God I actually say, "I can't get over the difference, it's like night and day!" Dad groans and I know it's bad.

5:30pm

I see a sign for the Twin Falls and we decide we've got to check it out. We bundle up and it's so cold that we run down the path to the look out points.

It's incredible! Huge walls of ice and you can hear the water rushing under the ice. I can only imagine what it looks like in the day or when it's not frozen ;) This area would be an awesome place to hike and camp in the summer!










6:00pm

We check into the only thing in Enterprise. Literally - it's the gas station, the restaurant, the video store and the motel! The restaurant is open for another hour or two so we check into our room and walk back for dinner.

We're the only ones there and since it's movie night at the local school, our waitress is one of the moms. She's funny and we enjoy chatting as she fumbles around the kitchen trying to find stuff to make us dinner.

Unfortunately the mood is completely spoiled by a large trucker who waits 40mins while she makes him a custom pizza and spouts off about conspiracy theories. Dad and I don't give him any encouragement - he doesn't need it! I can't believe the crap he's going on about and the mom is joining in!??! Dad and I eat as fast as we can and decide to call it an early night. BUT - we can't get away without the trucker writing down the most important websites to check out.

I double check that the door is locked and we watch TV for a few hours before nodding off.

Day 7

8:30am

I'm packing up the hotel room and Dad's got a conference call this morning. A later start should be ok because we're only planning on covering around 700km today.


9:30am

We're on the road to Edmonton. The sun is shining again and I still can't get over how big the sky is here! Oil drills are scattered over the fields, mixed in with cattle and horses. There are a few hills popping up once in a while and the prairie landscape is starting to disappear.








11:15am

There is blowing snow and high winds, but the X-trail is truck'n along. I'm thankful for my new wheels and the heavy load in the back. We drive by a town called Vegreville "Home of the world's largest Pysanka." What the hell is a pysanka? Dad's convinced it a huge perogie or some other kind of food - he might be right? For a few second we debate whether it's worth a detour, but lunch in Edmonton wins.





1:00pm

We arrive in Edmonton - past all the refineries and into my favorite area of Edmonton - Whyte Ave. I'm so excited to have lunch at Dadeo's. It's a great little restaurant - straight out of New Orleans - and the food is GOOD! After lunch we do a little window shopping, but it's -25 and we're anxious to get back on the road.












7:00pm

"Welcome to Peace River". It's a really beautiful town. Even by moonlight it's easy to see why the rolling hills and river valley are home to so many early homesteads and farms. We're staying in the Sawridge Inn. It looks super fancy, but we soon realize that almost every room has been built for the 100s of single guys who travel to work in the area and the rooms with 2 beds are in out buildings!?!?! Stinky, smoky, noisy out building! I'm not impressed.... but we don't really have any other option.


8:00pm

Thankfully there are plug-ins for almost every car in the lot, because it's almost -30 plus wind chill! Dad and I decide to stay put and find food in the hotel. Again, I'm thankful that I'm traveling with a man, because other than a couple of the servers in the restaurant and the girl at the check-in desk - I'm the only girl! Ya, Ya - I'd usually love that, but there are some BIG guys around here - and some don't look that cuddly ;)

Goodnight!

Pics from Day 6

One of many grain elevators along the road.














Barely room for two people - and we're still talking ?!?!














Good Ol' Dog River Hotel. Actually in Rouleau.















Yummy - Muffets ;)















Beautiful Prairie sunset!

Day 6

8:00am

Today we begin the 1/2 way leg of the trip. Dad and I are both excited about the places we'll be visiting on this part of our journey.

The first thing we did today was drive through a car wash. The poor x-trail was so filthy that we could barely see out the window. I'm sure it won't last for long and we've dug out the rags and wipes to keep the car clean from here to Yellowknife.

The sun is so low this morning that we can see our own shadow racing along beside us. It's big and fat and happy - just like us ;)

10:00am

We cross the boarder into Saskatchewan! A whole new province stretches out as far as we can see. We pass farm after farm and the grain fields are endless. I'm saddened to see that almost every second house we see has been abandoned. The old wood houses and out buildings sag into the fields around them and I wonder what it would have been like when they we all proudly painted and full of life.

There's one lone stone house and I remark on how very rare it is and Dad pipes up with, "you mean Prairie rare." uuugggg!

12:00pm

There has hardly been a curve in the road since we entered the Province and suddenly there's a gradient warning sign. Dad touches the brakes and as we crack up laughing as we see the small hill that it's warning us about. I swear it's something we'd take a crazy carpet down in Ontario, but compared to the flatness of the surrounding landscape - I guess it's significant for a "warning".

As I look around us I'm struggling to understand why the view feels familiar, when I know I've never seen anything like this, and then it comes to me. It's the same feeling I have when I'm in a plane and you can see for miles in every direction. I feel like I'm on top of the world looking down. It's a very strange feeling and I'm loosing all sense of scale. I wonder if it feels like this in the summer too?

2:30pm

Dad and I decided last night that we'd take a small detour and make the pilgrimage to Rouleau AKA "Dog River". We both love the show - we're not die hard fans, but when it's only 1/2 away... come on - you'd do it too!

We roll into Dog River and as we drive down Main St. it is SO cool. "There's the cop shop!" , "There's the hotel!" and then we get sad when we see that the Corner Gas and the Ruby Cafe have been boarded up and abandon. BUT we stop to fill up at the real gas station in town, have a drink in the Dog River Hotel and Dad buys a Jackass hat which I'm sure he'll wear through Edmonton just to bug me!

3:30pm

We're still flying down the dirt roads of the prairies when we see a beautiful snowy owl. It flies across the road and it's breathtaking. I've never seen an owl like this outside of a zoo and I'm tickled!

6:30pm

We've decided that we're going to push on to the Sask/Alberta boarder tonight and try our luck on accommodations. This breaks both our rules for the road trip, but it's mild and Lloyminster is a city with a ton of hotels - so we'll be fine.

The town of Biggar is only a few km away so we decide that's where we'll stop of dinner. On the map it looks like a tiny town, but as the lights start appearing in the distance I think - hu, it's bigg....oh crap..... and I say it. "It's Biggar than I thought it was." Dad is BEAMing! I feel like banging my head on the window as he says "I saved that one for you." uuuggggg

9:30pm (actually 10:30)

We gain another hour so it doesn't feel too late walking into a hotel to book a room. I'm pooped. It's been a long day. We've had great weather again, but the forecast is crappy for tomorrow so we're tucking in and planning on getting an early start.

Goodnight.

Day 5

8:00am


Dad's got his talk to give today in Brandon so we're on the road early. Well - early enough! I'm driving the 3+ hours so he can do some last minute editing and prepping.

It's another clear blue day and the prairie landscape is sparkling. Lots and lots of snow and lots of snow capped bales of hay which make me smile because they look just like Muffets with sugar on top!

There is a huge field of fay bales on the side of the road - storeys high and miles long. They've been completely abandoned and it's sad to see such a huge waste. I take a few pictures because it's hard to grasp the scale of things when there's nothing else around.

9:30am

The land is completely flat as far as we can see. Dad and I both crack up laughing when we see a sign for a golf course. Oooo - how challenging ;) It's possible - that somewhere over the horizon they have made a few lump and ponds, but it just seems ridiculous.

Just after the "golf course" exit is "Hughes campground" - I wonder if they're related to Bill? In the background there is a train chugging along and I suddenly realize that you can see the whole thing! It must be 80-100 cars and you can see every car! Now that's flat.

12:00pm

We arrive in Brandon at the house of old friends of my parents from their time in the north. It's so cute because they welcome me in with big huge and it's the first time in YEARS that anyone has said - "you're all grown up!". Which is a funny thing to say to me, but the last time they saw me I was in diapers so I guess I've "grown up" a little ;)

I have a great visit, looking at old pictures of my parents and the north while Dad heads to the conference.

4:00pm

I've walked through Brandon to the convention centre to meet up with Dad and his colleagues. Agriculture week in Brandon is a HUGE event. 1000's of farmers and if I'd had any idea how many cute farming boys would be at this conference I'd have passed on the tea and cookies!


10:00pm



The day ends as we share a great meal with old family friends and a few glasses of wine. I think I'm gaining a 1lb a day - and I really don't care. Fat and happy is my motto for this road trip - I'll have lots of time to shiver off the pounds over the next few month!

Day 4

8:00am

It's -18. Cold, but bearable. We had an awesome breakfast, said our goodbyes to family and hit the road.

9:00am

The sun is rising high in the sky behind us and it's beautiful. The whole sky is pink and the clouds are thickening. We pass many logging trucks and as the Hwy splits into #11 and #17 - it's official - we're on new ground! Dad and I have never been west of Thunder bay by car so we're feeling nostalgic about this leg of the journey.

9:30am

The snow is falling and it's almost a complete white out in less than 1/2 an hour! We've been so lucky with weather so far and I guess we're due for some good ol' Canadian winter ;)

10:30am

I decide that it's high time we should see a moose after all the signs and safety info and sure enough we do! A big, fuzzy cow tucked into the trees on the side of the road. She's huge - even with the first 2 feet of her legs buried in snow!

From here on there's nothing by trees and road.

12:00pm

We drive by Thunder Lake and it's gorgeous! Lots of little fishing huts are out on the ice and it must be an important place because it has the first lamp post we've seen all day.

1:00pm

There's a sign for Egli's Sheep farm and gift shop and we decide it's time for a pit stop. Dad really wants a pair of mitts and if they've got wool, I'm game.

It's a really big farm, with barns full of animals, walking trails, a big workshop and a huge store with tons of handmade mitts, hats, slippers etc. etc. We're thrilled that we stopped and I'd recommend it to anyone passing through!

3:00pm

We pass over the Manitoba border and cheer that we're finally out of Ontario. It feels like a big achievement since Ontario is so huge. We're only 1.5 hours from Winnipeg which is good, because I just found out that I'll be the guest speaker at a Rotary dinner!

4:30pm (now 3:30pm)

We've gained an hour so it feels like it's getting dark earlier, but the sun is still hanging low in the sky. We're crossing the Red River valley and it's only -1! I can't believe how warm it is.

9:30pm

Well - tonight was interested. Dad co-worker Bob picked me up and after a quick "Hello. Nice to meet you" we were off to his Rotary club. I got to sit at the head table and then after dinner I gave a talk about our JCI Shelter Challenge and talked with the club about Shelter Box. They thought we were brilliant and loved what we'd done - I'm sure they'll be having an urban camp out of sorts in the next year.

It was nice to be talking with someone other than my Dad and it felt good to be able to be an ambassador of Kingston one last time. Sigh......

Good night.

Day 3

9:00am
I fell asleep the minute my head hit the pillow and didn’t wake up until the aroma of coffee reached my bedroom this morning. Breakfast in this Beach house is equally as nutty as ours, but just as lovely. Today is the baby shower for Myla and Melissa which I’ve been invited to. Both Aunt Blondie and Myla’s other Grandmother are from big Italian families so there’s bound to be a ton of great food and laughs. I’m happy to join in the “girl time” while the boys hang out.

5:00pm
We’re just getting back from the baby shower. What a gong show! It was crazy!!! So loud that my ears are still ringing and I can’t believe Myla is still in one piece after the pinching, kissing and hugging she got from 40+ women! I think Melissa is probably on her way home to bath away the layers of perfume, lipstick and sandwich leftovers !
It was a lot of fun, but I’m pooped and glad to be back at the Beach house.

7:00pm
I finally get the chance to write and re-connect with friends and family and the internet connection is down. I’m definitely starting to feel the distance. Especially since tomorrow morning we’re leaving for Winnipeg and not turning back.
It weird, but this is the first I’m feeling “cold feet”. Actually – not cold – just cool. Uncertain more than scared, but I’ve been there before – I can do it.

9:00pm
Dad, Uncle Tim, Aunt Blondie and her sister are at a Trailer Park Boys show. They won’t be getting home until late. I’m going to read for a bit and then head to bed because I’m pretty sure I’ll be driving the first shift tomorrow ;)

Day 2

8:30am
After a long restless night Dad takes the first shift at the wheel. It’s almost -30 and the car barely starts! We freeze our asses off for 5mins to let the car warm up before waving goodbye to the Polar Express.
We see a sign that says 750km to Thunder Bay which is hardly a dent in the distance we have to cover, but I know it’s going to be a long day.

10:00am
The black spruce grow tall and thin. It’s such a different landscape from Eastern Ontario that it’s hard to believe we’re still in the same province. The funny bottle brush trees make the sky look so big.
The road is straight and I try to catch some zzz’s – hoping I don’t miss anything while I sleep.

11:00am
We arrive in Kapiskasing. It’s a really beautiful town with gorgeous old buildings overlooking a ravine. We drive over the bridge and into the new side of town. There’s a funny building on the side of the road that is being “cut in half” by a huge saw blade and that’s when we realize we’re definitely in logging country.
Just off the side of the road there is a massive pile of logs. Twice the height of the Canadian Tire and blocks long! I’ve never seen so many dead trees and there’ll all so much larger than the trees around here. Where did they come from? The big pile of dead wood makes me sad, but I guess we’ve all got to wipe our asses somehow.

11:30am
Dad – again with the “humour”. There’s a street sign “Hardy” road. “Don’t you wish you could write Har Har underneath?” uuuugggggg!

1:00pm
We stop for a bowl of soup plus pie for Dad and a grill cheese for me. The restaurant is a genuine mom and pop – straight out of the 70s and I love it! Pink and green terrazzo floors, laminate wainscoting and bright orange vinyl benches. Blast from the past baby!
After lunch we walk a block to stretch our legs and then run the rest of the way back to the car to warm up. I better stop being so wussy soon.

3:00pm
The landscape is changing again. It looks like there have been multiple forest fires along this stretch of the highway. The hills and rock crops look like scruffy chins sticking up in the air with their funny little tree stumps and new shrubs.

5:00pm
We drive past the Pallisade’s hiking trails and it’s gorgeous! Huge rock faces with frozen water falls everywhere. I notice a couple cars on the side of the road and look up to see a group of ice climbers. We pull over to watch them for a few minutes and take some pictures. Loose, fluffy snow spills down the ice falls as they dig in. They’re crazy!

6:00pm
Thunder Bay only - 15km away. Woo hoo. We made it. There’s a huge warm welcome at my Aunt and Uncle’s. My Dad and his identical twin catch up on the sofa and I get some quality time with my Aunt, two of her crazy sisters and my cousin Melissa. AND I get some baby time with my new cousin Myla. She’s so beautiful! Whenever I visit Thunder Bay I’m reminded of what awesome family I have here.

10:30pm
We’re well feed, well hugged and I’m heading to bed. Aunt Blondie (who actually has brown hair, but that’s another storey;) has made sure Dad and I are sleeping on separate floors! God love her.

Day 1

7:00am
It's -31 at my parents place and we're plugging the car in while we eat b-fast. I still haven't told dad that the only space for his luggage is on his lap ;)

9:00am

We somehow managed to fit everything into the car, un-wrap my mum's arms from around my neck and we're on the road. Dad's already into his 1lb bag of Wherther's and we're on round 1 of my new Holmusic CD's which I love! Martha, Ryan and newbies. Thanks Matt!

11:30am

250km+ and we're nearing Pembroke. There’s a sign for Storyland and I start thinking about the awesome white water rafting trip this summer. There are so many people I’m going to miss!
It still doesn't feel real. I’ve been as far as Thunder Bay before - maybe when I wake up tomorrow I’ll realise that I’m not on holiday and not driving back to Kingston in a couple of days.
We’re passing Chalk River and we just graduated from deer to moose signs ;) There’s only one other vehicle on the road right now, but it’s a gas truck which is just fine!
The trees are beautiful and the sky is clear blue. I take a deep breath and start letting go of all the stress and tension that has been building up over the last... well month at least. The houses are getting smaller and the modest churches and mini main streets all covered in snow remind me of Whooville. Ok – so maybe I’m getting a little sleepy ;)
As we drive into Matawa there’s a line of snowmobiles outside the bowling alley and another outside the curling club. There is an icy mist rising over the river and as we cross the bridge out of town I’m a little sad we can’t stop and stay in every town we pass through.
3:00pm
I see a sign for the local radio station so we tune in just in time for the afternoon announcements. “A set of keys were found on Main Street. They’ve been turned into the Post Office.....”, “A woman lost her cell phone downtown on Thursday and she’d really like to have it back. There’s a small reward for the finder...”
3:10pm
Dad cracks his first “dad joke” of the trip as we pass Dunn Lake. “Hey – they should open an Inn.” It takes me a second to groan and if you haven’t got it yet – it’s ok. I warn him that it’s going to be a long trip and give him a limit of one doozy a day, which I already know is impossible!
4:20pm
Dad breaks the limit already. “Tobler’s Road”. “Good thing there’s an S.” And seriously – he laughs about this for a good 10 mins. Good God – give me strength.
5:30pm
The sun is setting and I’m yawning so we pull over to switch drivers for the second time today. It’s so cold that we’ve already agreed who runs around the front and who goes back so we switch as fast as possible.
6:30pm
We cross the 49th parallel.
6:45pm
We drive into Cochrane and head for the lights to find somewhere to stay. Over the train tracks we see “Polar Express, Station Inn Hotel and Restaurant”. It’s SO cool! We’re sleeping above the old train station which is full of polar bears and pictures of all the old trains. I think of how much Roger would have loved it.
11:00pm
Ear plugs in, a pillow over my head and the bathroom fan on – I glare at my Dad peacefully sleeping across the room and think – holy crap my mum must love him to put up with this snoring for 30+ years!

And so ends day 1.