Road Trip 2010: Canada?

[Tonichelle]

Erin and I have been bouncing around ideas on what our trip for next year should be (we try to take one each year since we're in seperate states.) I suggested WDW again (as soon as later this YEAR) but she shot that down very quickly (the meanie head) because 2011 is DisneyLAND and she doesn't think we can afford so many Disney trips lol I disagree but oh well.

Anyway while bouncing ideas around we landed on a road trip through Canada - we're both aware we won't get to see EVERYTHING (it'd be like a vacation in AK you ain't gonna come close to seeing it all) but it'd be a fun trip...

We basically have no idea where to go and what to tackle... other than we want to spend at least a full day in Edmonton (for the mall and let's face it a lot of great skaters come from that area lol) and I wouldn't mind taking a side trip to Caroline just to get a picture of the Kurt Browning arena

But yeah... where to go what to do? HELP!

Edited to Add:
Tentative Travel Dates: August 18 - 31, 2010
Tentative Travel Plan: Start in Seattle (I'll fly down, she'll drive over) and then head for Vancouver, BC... where we go from there who knows but we plan to make it over to Edmonton by the end of it... then down to Montana where Erin's family is where I'll either catch a flight home OR we'll drive over to Seattle and I'll leave from there (what I'm hoping as the tickets will be cheaper! LOL)

[skatingbc]

Erin and I have been bouncing around ideas on what our trip for next year should be (we try to take one each year since we're in seperate states.) I suggested WDW again (as soon as later this YEAR) but she shot that down very quickly (the meanie head) because 2011 is DisneyLAND and she doesn't think we can afford so many Disney trips lol I disagree but oh well.

Anyway while bouncing ideas around we landed on a road trip through Canada - we're both aware we won't get to see EVERYTHING (it'd be like a vacation in AK you ain't gonna come close to seeing it all) but it'd be a fun trip...

We basically have no idea where to go and what to tackle... other than we want to spend at least a full day in Edmonton (for the mall and let's face it a lot of great skaters come from that area lol) and I wouldn't mind taking a side trip to Caroline just to get a picture of the Kurt Browning arena

But yeah... where to go what to do? HELP!

If you want to go to Edmonton, then I think staying towards the West might be a good plan. Calgary is beautiful, so I would go there. A crazy time to go is around Stampede time. You don't even have to be into horses and the rodeo to have a good time! I would also suggest Banff and Jasper. Honestly, everyone should go there at least once in their life! Drumheller in Alberta is cool, if you're into dinosaurs. The interior of BC is nice as well. It can get really hot during the summer, which is good, if you like heat. And Vancouver! Of course I'm biased, but it honestly is one of the most beautiful places I've been to. Vancouver Island is beautiful as well. Tofino, which is on the West Coast of the Island has a beautiful beach which is great for stormwatching in the winter and great for beachcombing all year round! My parents dragged me camping all over as a kid, so I've seen a lot. If you like camping, it's a good way to go. The BC provincial parks are cheaper than privately owned campsites and the individual sites are nicer. Any questions just ask. The West is really beautiful!

ETA: If you want to see skating...there is a massive competition in August at the BC Centre of Excellence (Joanne McLeod's rink). Some Americans tend to come up every year...Laney Diggs, Kelly Nguyen...some others whose names I can't remember...they came last year, plus the top skaters from Alberta as well.

[Tonichelle]

I think Erin is looking at August for the trip as she'll have some time off then. I think that might work well for me, too, as work will be dwindling down by then at the Census Bureau. So that might be an option (of course Erin is not so keen on the sport... unless there's a cute boy involved... first Tim... now Evan lol).

Any information would be great... even like a mock up travel plan/map... I'm a hands on planner... so the more information the better (if you have some great sites to look at that really show the experience and isn't just a "travel site" that would be lovely as well!)

[Ladskater]

Toni:

SkatingBC has some great ideas. Yes, you must see Banff and Jasper (both National parks). Jasper is close to Edmonton. If you come my way which is the West Coast, you will not run out of beautiful scenery all the way down from Alaska. You could take a side trip to Barkerville - a ghost town - which was part of the famous gold rush period of the 1800s and is still an established town just it was then - founded by Billy Barker who struck it rich. You could then make your way down to Vancouver and take in all the sites, including of course our famous Jewel Stanley Park. You could visit North Vancouver and drop in to Karen Magnussen's ice arena. Hey you might even catch a sighting of Karen herself as she now coaches there. Also many of our top skaters train in and around Vancouver. I believe Victor Kraatz teaches in Burnaby.

Keep us posted here about your plans. Are you timing this for the 2010 Games here in Vancouver?

Here are some sites you might find interesting:

http://www.seestanleypark.com/

http://vancouver.ca/parks/parks/stanley/

http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/ab/banff/index_E.asp

http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/index_e.asp

http://www.rinktime.com/skating_rink...ncouver_bc.cfm

http://www.barkerville.ca/

[Tonichelle]

no, Lad... we'll be coming through in August of 2010... and we'll be coming up from Seattle, not down from Alaska

[evangeline]

Though I don't live in Vancouver anymore, I agree with all the posters above who say that Vancouver is one of the most beautiful places on earth.

If you have some time to spare in Vancouver, I would recommend biking or rollerblading along the Seawall in Stanley Park (it's extremely easy and rather inexpensive to rent bikes, etc there). It's a good way to get some exercise and treat yourself to some very good views of the Burrard Inlet and bits of Vancouver in general.

[Tonichelle]

would you recommend walking the seawall? I'm okay with biking, but Erin is incredibly accident prone and so I'm kinda trying not to do a lot of that sort of thing (this is the girl who at age sixteen broke her leg/foot in 14 different places playing with a 'push scooter')....

but I'm all about walking

[Ladskater]

no, Lad... we'll be coming through in August of 2010... and we'll be coming up from Seattle, not down from Alaska

I recommend either walking around the seawall or biking. There are bikes for rent. Also you might want to take a trip over to Victoria. The trip on the ferry is well worth it and you can see so many beautiful sites in Victoria and the Island. The Royal BC museum and the world famous Butchart Gardens are phenomenal.

I also recommend taking the Gondola ride up Grouse Mountain:

http://www.grousemountain.com/Summer/


and a trip to Whister/Blackcomb (where the Olympics will be held)

http://www.tourismwhistler.com/

http://www.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/MainSite/default.aspx

http://www.butchartgardens.com/index...tpage&Itemid=1

[Tonichelle]

thanks for the info, Lad! It seems it'd be easy to just spend all our time in B.C. and forget the rest

oh and any links to where I can get visitor guides mailed to me would be great. I have stuff coming for Victoria, Vancouver, and Edmonton.... but any other spots... I'm having a heck of a time figuring this all out as I know next to nothing about Canada... and there are so many informative sites, but it's convoluted to my poor little brain's way of thinking

[Tonichelle]

okay, really dumb question - will my check card work for purchases along the way? how does that work considering it's an american bank card? or am I going to have to use Canuck $ all the way through (which means going to the bank and converting my monies)?

[Ladskater]

thanks for the info, Lad! It seems it'd be easy to just spend all our time in B.C. and forget the rest

oh and any links to where I can get visitor guides mailed to me would be great. I have stuff coming for Victoria, Vancouver, and Edmonton.... but any other spots... I'm having a heck of a time figuring this all out as I know next to nothing about Canada... and there are so many informative sites, but it's convoluted to my poor little brain's way of thinking

Yes, Tourism BC would be a good place to start.

http://www.hellobc.com/en-CA/default.htm

http://www.travel.bc.ca/

For Alberta:
http://www1.travelalberta.com/en-ab/...BC&setlocale=1



Hope this helps!!!

[skatingbc]

You could visit North Vancouver and drop in to Karen Magnussen's ice arena. Hey you might even catch a sighting of Karen herself as she now coaches there. Also many of our top skaters train in and around Vancouver. I believe Victor Kraatz teaches in Burnaby.

Karen doesn't coach at Karen Magnussen RecCentre very often, and only as a guest coach when she does. The Vancouver Skating Club runs its programs out of that rink and Karen and the VSC don't mesh well. Karen coaches at the North Shore Winter Club, but she's the only one who I would want to see. Not many elite skaters there anymore! Victor coaches at BC Centre of Excellence (Burnaby 8-Rinks, run by Canlan), along with Joanne McLeod. Many top skaters train there in the summer, some coming from other parts of Canada. I'm not sure that there practices are open for public viewing though. I heard that some elite sessions are closed even to parents!

ETA: The Seawall is about 12 km in entirety. It can take a couple hours, but on a beautiful day, it's definitely worth it!

[Tonichelle]

thanks for the info... now another random question

are there any good mini golf courses along the way?

[Ladskater]

Toni, is your road trip still on? When are you planning to come? Our weather - on the coast - is just beautiful right now and should continue for the rest of the summer.

[Tonichelle]

Lad - I've answered the when am I coming several times on this thread, not to mention the original post = AUGUST 18 through the 31 of 2010... I have over a year to plan