Road Trip 2010: Canada?

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)

Tonichelle said:

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!

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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.

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!)

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_rin...tre_skating_rink_arena_north_vancouver_bc.cfm

http://www.barkerville.ca/

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

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.

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 said:

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.

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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!

thanks for the info... now another random question

are there any good mini golf courses along the way?

Tonichelle said:

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

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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.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1

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

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)?

Tonichelle said:

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

Click to expand...

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/index.cfm?country=CA&state=BC&setlocale=1



Hope this helps!!!

Travel Plans

Hey Toni!

I can help you out a little in terms of travel time etc. as I am a BC native currently transplanted 30 min South of Edmonton.

If you are interested in hitting the beauty of BC and seeing Edmonton and Caroline this is what I would suggest in terms of time:

Day 1 - travel from Seattle to Vancouver - Stanley Park, Lonsdale Quay, Granville Island, are must sees IMO!
Day 2 - Vancouver
Day 3 - Vancouver
Day 4 - travel from Vancouver to Kamloops (about 5 hours) I would try and book into the Rocky Mountain Rail tour on the evening that you are in Kamloops. It is an incredible train ride up through the mountains, and there is a staged "train robbery". We did that with the kids 2 years ago and they thought it was awesome.
Day 5 - travel from Kamloops to Banff (about 5 hours) I would spend at least 2 days in the Banff area - Emerald Lake, Lake Louise, Takaka falls (a must see!)
Day 6 - Banff
Day 7 - Travel to Edmonton (about 4 hours)
Day 7/8/9 Edmonton - you HAVE to see the West Edmonton Mall! You may even be able to pop into the Glenora club to catch some practice sessions, but there is also the Ice Palace Skating Club (right in the middle of the West Ed Mall). I know the Canadian Pre Novice 2009 champion skates out of that club as well as a few others with fantastic placements at Jr. Nationals. Definitely schedule 3 days in Edmonton or there is no way you will see the whole mall. There are lots of attractions - Water Park, Amusement park, Mini Golf, Dolphin show, Submarine ride - all are right in the mall. I have lived here 8 years and I am sure I still haven't seen the whole mall!
Day 10 Travel to Caroline (about 2.5 hours) The Kurt Browning arena is awesome! (my daughter was SO excited to skate there!) They have a lounge upstairs totally dedicated to Kurt - lots of memorabilia etc.
Day 11 Travel to Drumheller (about 2 hours) If you are in Alberta you HAVE to go to Drum! I would drive the "dinosaur trail" which is a 42 K loop through the hoodoos. The Royal Tyrelle Museum is also a must see.
Day 12 Travel to Calgary (about 2 hours) Visit Olympic Park
Day 13 Head South across the border - and this is where I get lost so you are on your own! It is about a 2.5 hour trip from Calgary to Sweetgrass, Montana.

This would be a trip you would not soon forget! The scenery and sites would be incredible!
As a photo buff I can guarantee you will get some absolutely amazing photos of the scenery and sites.

Hope it helps!

Michelle

Michelle - thank you SO MUCH!!!!! That gives me a great idea of how to look about driving through (and what's REALLY awesome is I had pretty much plotted that same course while looking at a map I got through Travel BC's travel guides they sent me :yes: )

I'm getting REALLY excited about this trip! ha ha!

The Butchart Gardens are just beautiful. So are the Rockies. I would love to go back some day but it would never happen now.

Mountains I've got, here in AK... Canada feels like home when I look out the window, but we'll be doing a lot of Mountain viewing on our trip

Don't Miss Calgary Stampede!!

Toni, if you are going to be travelling through Alberta in July you don't want to miss the world famous Calgary Stampede.

http://cs.calgarystampede.com/

Also worth seeing in Alberta is:

http://www.heritagepark.ca/

http://albertatravel.org/Badlands_Alberta.htm

http://www.canadianbadlands.com/

http://www.dinosaurvalley.com/index.php

Lad - we're not going in July, we're going in August... last part of August... can't go any sooner than that as Erin and I both have jobs that have strict times of no vacation.

Tonichelle said:

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)?

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It should. Unless things have changed, you would get the commercial exchange rate on your charges (which is better) vs the retail exchange rate when you buy Candian dollars.

You should still get some Canadian money for incidentals, but try to charge as much as possible.

Many of the tour books available will have notes about how it'll work.

You do need to make sure that your bank card works on a world wide network - i.e. Cirrus, NYCE, MAC, etc. Take this all with a grain of salt since I'm not sure if there is a difference internationally between your Credit card vs your debit card.