My Canada - US Travels |
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Cross Canada
BC - Winnipeg
North West Drive
Washington
BC Interior
Langley Detour
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Road Trip - Sunshine Coast, British Columbia to Sainte Adele, QuebecWinnipeg to Thunder Bay (200 km)Sunday, December 19Long Drive. We find a Super 8, or as we later rename it Thunder Bay Barracks 8. Sure it’s clean, but all niceties have been removed from the building, it feels more like a quonset hut, half way to how I imagine a station in the arctic (but then I suppose we’re half way there!). The best part of dinner at East Side Mario’s is the sugar packs with their interesting facts about Thunder Bay, Lake Superior and the area.
One sticks in my mind: there is enough water in Lake Superior to flood the US and Mexico! Phew Canada is safe, and anyway to what depth? You get the idea, it’s big, not surprising
Thunder Bay is Canada’s 3rd largest port.
Thunder Bay to Terrace BayMonday, December 20At about 1pm Nippogin is clear, we leave straight away. We drive in white out conditions, grateful for a truck to follow. An hour and a half past Nippogin we pass through the town of
Terrace Bay. Well we start to pass through, until a cop at the other end of the town closes the road. We’re trapped, a police car is stopping traffic leaving town in either direction,
there being only one road through this town. We are initially relieved to see that there’s a small cinema, but quickly discover that despite its marquee, it has been closed for 10 years.
So with bottle of wine and food we hole up in a motel room watching bad TV until they will let us leave – tomorrow!
Terrace Bay to SudburyTuesday, December 21Next morning we wake to our ritual weather channel, where they blame the conditions on the “Lake Effect”. We hear this phrase used as an excuse often – it’s the air coming off Lake Superior, it’s got lots of snow to dump. However the road is open. They had also closed and reopened in the night an additional stretch of road we are traveling on today! So we’re off asap, before they can change their minds. The road looks surprisingly clear for one that was closed just a few hours ago. I suppose the police just get fed up with getting drivers pulled out of ditches as they careen off the road. At least we can see more of the great view which we missed the previous day. At Sault Saint Marie, usually just pronounced "the Soo", we feel we deserve a break, so we decide to drive into the town and take a walk. What a waste of time, never even get out of the car. After 40 minutes going round in circles we press on to Sudbury. This is the first time I’ve ever chosen where to stay based on the hotel having a hot tub. We think our backs deserve the massage of the water, particularly as we haven't had a chance to get out and walk at Sault. After driving thru near closed roads, high winds, snow drifts and ice, Sault Saint Marie to Sudbury is the hardest part since the Sunshine Coast - courtesy of the drivers.
Sudbury to Sainte AdeleWednesday, December 22Today is going to be the final day, come hell or high water. First to North Bay, then Matawa (closed the day before), Petawama and 6 hours later Ottawa. Here stupidity takes over. With Rush Hour approaching, 3 days before Christmas remember, snow on the ground and in the air, traffic already moving slow, what better idea than to go into downtown Ottawa for a bite to eat. 2 hours later, and roads in substantially worse condition and now dark, we are on our way again. At least we drive by the Parliament Buildings. Anyway at 8pm we cross over to Quebec at Hawkesbury, foolishly not stopping at the liquor store, having just heard on the radio that the Quebec liquor stores are all on strike - I have faith parents will be sufficiently stocked! By the time we turn North on to the Laurentian highway, we know we are on the home stretch. At intersection 72, 72 km north of
Montreal
(the exit numbers on Quebec highways actually mean something - how far you are away from the major city) we exit for
Sainte Adele and parents’ condo. As we pull into the drive,
the trip odometer is reading 5,030 km, and we've only gone across 5 of the 10 provinces!
BC to Winnipeg Quebec back to Winnipeg
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