Canada here we come

[hrpearce]

Ok dates now known, pick up car in Vancouver 12:00 21st Sept 2019 and drop it off in Toronto 12:00 14th Oct 2019.
Now to make plans.

[maple_leaf_eh]

Originally Posted by hrpearce

Ok dates now known, pick up car in Vancouver 12:00 21st Sept 2019 and drop it off in Toronto 12:00 14th Oct 2019.
Now to make plans.

Plan an uncontestable 36 hours door to door between Regina and Ottawa. And for the sheer scenic monotony of rocks and black spruce, I "suggest" highway 11 through northern Ontario. Fewer tourists and more through traffic than hugging the shoreline of Lake Superior. Night stops in Kenora or Hearst/Kapuskasing. And one drive I made, we rotated drivers religiously every 200 km.

[rob love]

Originally Posted by maple_leaf_eh

Plan an uncontestable 36 hours door to door between Regina and Ottawa. And for the sheer scenic monotony of rocks and black spruce, I "suggest" highway 11 through northern Ontario. Fewer tourists and more through traffic than hugging the shoreline of Lake Superior. Night stops in Kenora or Hearst/Kapuskasing. And one drive I made, we rotated drivers religiously every 200 km.

I think we will disagree on the 11 vs 17 thing Terry. Highway 11 is comparably boring compared to the lake route of highway 17. If I am pulling a trailer load, and wanting to get to where I am going, then yes, highway 11. But if I am traveling empty, and want to see the best of what Canada is, then highway 17 offers great views of Lake superior along with touristy towns and villages. Just don't let the fuel tank get below 1/2, because there are a few long stretches between stations, especially around Wawa.



I found highway 11 comparable to driving in Northern Manitoba. Mostly flat, and with towns that do not appear inviting, but rather seem to be just large truck stops.

[r.morrison]

Well Robert, you and your wife are in for a long but extremely memorable trip. I won't wade into Rob and Terry's discussion....HOWEVER the drive between Vancouver and Calgary is in my words, the most beautiful in all of Canada. My recommendation is to get an early start when heading into the Rockies and watch the sun come up and....well the pictures speak for themselves. Lots of places to stop and photograph. Wildlife everywhere. Just about saw 2 female deer get "smoked" going into Banff Alberta. They missed being run down by a nano second. And of course, once you get through the mountains, you will gradually drive into the prairies and a great city called Calgary. Be sure and visit Rob and Dirk's surplus stores!!!!A few places there you should also see. The attached photos were taken this past September. Enjoy.....Robert

[r.morrison]

A couple more to wet your whistle! R.

[r.morrison]

Robert: I just saw the dates you're going to be here. Man....you got a lot of country to jam into that time period. You can use me as a contact at the Vancouver end. I will PM you some details. If you run into problems, just drop me a line. Cheers....Robert

[Lang]

Robert

Looking at the Canadian blokes' suggestions it is a bloody big country. I have done Vancouver to Anchorage which was a long way but crosswise is a drive and a half.

Regina (which is halfway across) to Ottowa as suggested above is the same distance as Melbourne to Townsville. Vancouver to Ottowa is further than Brisbane to Perth.

Might be some lateral thinking required to make the most of your holiday other than a detailed inspection of the trans-Canada national highway road surface? As the guys say, there is a heck of a lot of nothing out in the middle, particularly if you are on a main highway.

Just a suggestion but maybe a combination of cars, trains, and planes? The Canadians could offer some ideas for value-added transport combinations. Mr Google also has many ideas.

Lang