Day 1 Niagara to Nipigon, ON
We woke up before sunrise, leaving for 7am. Travelling upward to northern Ontario gave rocky green landscapes for hours on end. We set out to get a lot of miles in our first day and kept a steady pace around Lake Huron and Lake Superior.
Kyle drove into the night when it began to rain. Finally around 10:30pm we stopped in a Tim Hortons parking lot in Nipigon to sleep. I moved all our belongings to the side and I put my pink blanket against the window to block the light and create privacy. We cuddled up in the back of the car to get some sleep.
Two AM hit and I awoke with an urgency to pee. I tried to ignore it for the night but it was inconsolable. I went into Tim’s and passed the dreaded burning feeling (if you know you know ladies). I went back into the car and took a leftover antibiotic from my last infection. After another hour and a half of squirming around the pain got worse. I didn’t want to go back into Tim’s again so I went into the woods where I felt much worse. Then I made a decision and we went to the Nipigon hospital. Small town, there was no one there, not even a doctor. It was me and the nurse. She was also a frequent UTI sufferer and called the doctor to confirm the best option for my situation. By then I was in a lot of pain and began urinating blood which rarely happens for me. She gave me a one time drink to take with antibiotics and 2 Tylenol and 2 Advil. We drove back to Tim’s and within an hour my pain subsided. What a time to get a recurrent infection... what a way to start a road trip across the country.
Day 2 to Brandon, MB
Up at 9 we left again on our journey. Brushing our teeth and washing our faces in the parking lot, I was feeling a lot better. Hours on end northern Ontario took us on an endless one lane highway surrounded by rocks and trees. What they say is true, northern Ontario is beautiful and long.
I read a lot for the first section of our drive, however after we passed the Manitoba border (also a time zone earlier that day) the lack of sleep from the night before really hit me.
I slept in the back for two full hours and woke up in Winnipeg. A beautiful city, the buildings stood tall and bright all though looked like a new-historic (aka Canadian aged historic); like a newer Montreal. If I hadn’t just woken up from a long nap I might have taken advantage of the city and taken some photos. Soon out of the city the landscape quickly flattened out to endless views of farmland.
We stopped 2 hours passed Winnipeg in a town called Brandon. We stayed in a hotel this night which was highly refreshing after the rough night before. I did a quick body weight workout which felt amazing to move my body, and fell quickly into a deep sleep.
Day 3 to Drumheller, AB
I did a lot more driving this day than the previous, in fact I packed in more hours than Kyle (all though he is still wildly ahead of me). We drove through the endless prairies passing the Saskatchewan border and then the Alberta border. It was crazy how fast we went through Saskatchewan compared to how long the previous provinces (especially Ontario) took. Before we crossed into Alberta I found a side road to get off the highway and switch turns driving with Kyle. I got my camera out here and took some portraits to help log the trip. I get so excited taking pictures like this again and was really happy with the outcome. The most underrated Canadian provinces and I captured some beautiful pieces to remember them by.
Into Alberta was the same views for a long while again, until suddenly we got over the peak of a hill and DRUMHELLER. The first movement in landscape we had seen in a few days and it was gorgeous. Sandy rolling hills with stripes all up and down them. We had arrived perfectly when the sun was setting pink and were relieved to hop out of the car and feel the fresh air in this calm, quiet, beautiful town.
Day 4 to Banff
We woke up and enjoyed the complimentary breakfast in the hotel, filled with elderly guests. We went straight to the Hoodoo’s. The historic rock formations in Drumheller. On the way there we explored a gorgeous suspension bridge and climbed some of the sand hills nearby. The views were incredible, with so much unique detail to the landscape. We then saw the incredible Hoodoo’s, and departed towards Calgary.
We stopped in Calgary and had our first sit down meal on the trip. We went to the River Café and the food was incredible. I didn’t realize how hungry I was due to the inactivity of sitting in a car. The Café was actually quite a fancy restaurant. We sat outside, riverside with vines and clear glass bottles of water. The food was to die for and very natural.
After our meal we enjoyed the beautiful drive into Banff. This was my second time doing this drive, but was still hypnotized by the mountains becoming closer and closer for so long.
Arriving into the park, we drove inward to hike Johnston’s Canyon. More of a walk than a hike (as it was paved), still proved some beautiful views. Along the icy blue river we walked upward to view two gorgeous waterfalls. Some how the smaller waterfall ended up being more impressive as we were able to view it much closer through a small cave. The walk felt amazing to my legs and we made it back down just before the sun set.
We drove about half an hour further into the park and found a parking lot to park and sleep in.
Day 5 to Vancouver
It was a 7am wake up with a park employee knocking on our windows. He told us the lot was closed and we took that as our queue to head over to see lake Louise.
We stayed at the lake for a bit. Walking along the side enjoying the mountainous views. As we came back the canoes were just launching - canoeing lake Louise would be an amazing thing to do someday.
From here we drove through more mountains for hours on end. We arrived over the famous bridge and into the city with Kyle spiralling into some road rage. This might have been the largest city we passed through the whole trip. Diving into the city landscape wallpapered by mountains we arrived at my cousins new house. Herself and her husband had only moved in last week, having just done the same drive we had. It was cool to have gone all this way and see someone I am used to seeing at home. We had a lovely dinner at a restaurant called “Whiskey Chicken” and finished it off with some delicious gelato.
Day 6 to Victoria
Today was a very short day! We caught the 9am ferry to Sydney - less than hour up from Victoria. I finished reading my book just in time for our drive to be finished. We signed our lease and spent the day moving into our sweet tiny apartment. Remember: it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey - however now, back in Victoria, we have started a whole new journey.
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