Drive across Canada they said. It will be a great time, they said...
When we decided to take jobs back in our home city, we had to decide if we were going to drive with all of our stuff across the country. We decided that yes it was the only real way to get our car and all of the possessions that we didn't give away or donate back to Toronto.
So, this is the story of a couple going across the country and all the funny, sad and frustrating moments that we go through to travel great distances.
When we first talked about this drive we decided that 8 hours was our maximum amount that we could put in to drive a day. More than that and I think it would be too hard to concentrate. So we took out a map of Canada and started to mark off where we would stop overnight to rest and then begin again. Because we had an SUV and it was full to the top with all of our belongings, I decided that were not going to stay at motels or on the side of the road and were going to stay in hotels.
As we finished packing and moving out of our house, completing our jobs and trying to wrap up our lives, I became increasingly anxious about the drive. As most of you who know me would know, I don't like driving on highways a whole lot. The drive is only highway driving, so I became more anxious about it as the time to leave became closer. God bless my partner for putting up with my crazy behaviour. I didn't drive until we left Regina because I couldn't get my shit together enough to actually do it.
We agreed that our stops would be Calgary, where my brother is, Regina, Winnipeg, Thunder Bay, Sue Saint Marie and finally Toronto. The first stop in Calgary would be 2 days and used as a rest day since we were working up until the last day that we had to leave.
I am going to break this story up into legs since it will be better to understand. Plus there are many details and funny stories which I want you guys to hear about!
Kelowna to Calgary
So we began our drive, car packed and ready to go. Tired and hungover from a big last night out in Kelowna. We left Kelowna around 8:30am, thinking we would be in Calgary by 5 or 6pm if we stopped for lunch somewhere.
We drove past the fields in Armstrong and past the houseboats in Sicamous. We decided not to stop in Revelstoke since we had visited there a few months ago in the winter. The first part of the drive went well until we got to Golden and this is where our car got stuck at a stand still on the highway with many other cars behind it. There had been an accident on highway 1 and nowhere to go. There is basically one way to go and if you decided to go the other way it takes more time and is less direct. So we waited and waited in the car and stretched our legs outside on the road while getting to know the other people stuck in their cars. After 2 hours of waiting, we decided that we had to turn back and go south to get around. We had to keep going and not loose the daylight.
We drove through Golden and south to Radium Hot Springs, right at the border of BC and Alberta. Radium Hot Springs was a full blown tourist trap. The streets were littered with cars and people, leading to another stand still on the highway. I awoke in a daze as my partner filled up the gas, cursing the line of traffic that we had to move through to get in. When we finally got through the first line we ended up at another stand still by the hot springs. The frustration mounted and the curse words were flying. Finally we began to move and get on our way. By this time it is close to 3:30 or 4pm and we needed to get to Canmore to get his cousin on the way to Calgary.
When you are a passenger, you try to change the music and the podcasts enough to distract the driver from the traffic, but it is challenging to see no movement on the road when you want to move. People say this is the best part of the drive. The huge mountains, beautiful sunsets, the roads curving their way through mountain passes. All of these things combined should make the drive enjoyable, but when you are on a schedule it remains a bit challenging.
While driving and looking out the window, many times you think of great memories had with others throughout the time you lived in the place you are leaving. Then you start thinking about all the things you need to do after you move home.
When we finally saw the sign of the province of Alberta, we both breathed a sigh of relief. As the drive continued the road winds and you see the town of Banff coming into sight. By this time, the sun has almost set and we are famished, considering there was no lunch. You can't count nuts on the side of the road as lunch. Once we got to Canmore, we picked our package and went to a pub for a beer and something to eat. A quick dinner at the Drake Inn and we were on the road again, finally getting into Calgary.
Only one more time we got lost with the GPS coming into the city, but at this point being so tired, you can barely care about the small time mistakes. We finally arrived in Calgary at 10:30pm, exhausted, smelly and ready to go to bed. I'm lucky enough to have a brother who has a hottub which I can use whenever I visit (shout out to Tony Gall).
What a ride the first day of driving was. I can't wait to tell you about what happened on the next part of the journey! Stay tuned for the next posts about the other places we stopped along the Canadian drive.
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