dougal2.mpg

I had to learn how to use some new software today, so I put this little slide show together....

Days 10 and 11 - Nova Scotia

We had friends waiting for us in Halifax, so we said goodbye to Quebec City and hit the road toward the Maritimes. Halifax was almost 12 hours away, and we had just put in a full day of sightseeing in Quebec, so we stopped somewhere near Moncton for the night, and made it to our destination the following afternoon.




View Quebec City to Halifax in a larger map

Day 9 - 400 years of stuff to see

We decided that since we only have a day in Quebec City, we should find a tour guide to show us the highlights. We hired a horse-drawn carriage to take us on a one-hour trip around the old city, which was well worth the time and cost. Every building has a story.

Although I was impressed with the architecture and history of the buildings, it was the Plains of Abraham that really got to me. This beautiful park was the site of the 1759 battle that determined the fate of North America. It's no doubt the most important piece of real estate in the country, and one that every Canadian should see.


Well, you can't go sightseeing on an empty stomach!




Dougal meets his driver.





Plains of Abraham is a good place to throw a frisbee too.

Day 8 - On to Quebec

After a day of stationary serenity, we got the urge to ramble once again. Picked up a car in Ottawa, and moseyed up the St. Lawrence to Quebec City, a destination I was really looking forward to, since I had never been there.

We got off to a good start: found a cheap room in the best hotel in town (and one of the best in North America), the Auberge Saint Antoine. To celebrate, we took in an unforgettable meal at Panache, the hotel's restaurant. The food was amazing, of course, and the setting was truly Old World: the building was once a warehouse, and on display throughout the hotel were artifacts that had been dug up during the restoration process. The property has been in continuous use since the mid-1600s. Although the weather wasn't the best, we were looking forward to a full day of sightseeing in one of Canada's oldest cities.



View Cantley Quebec to Quebec City in a larger map






The perfect dessert to follow Spit-roasted St. Appolinaire Duck!

Day 7 - Chillin' in Cantley

Finally, a day with no driving. Just sitting by the Gatineau River...

Day 6 - Ottawa awaits

I think my shutter finger was getting sore, because we only took a few photos despite the beautiful scenery. We made it to Ottawa easily, and enjoyed our first home cooked meal in a week.


View Day 6 - Sudbury to Ottawa in a larger map

Steak dinner for Dougal. Is this Ottawa, or am I in doggy heaven?

Day 5 - Thunder Bay to Sudbury

Lotta driving today, not much time to stop and take photos. We had to take some shots of Lake Superior, though. It was a very windy day and the lake had ocean-size waves rolling across it. This was a very beautiful, but rugged, part of the trip. The highway was only 2 lanes wide with lots of curves as it hugged the lake for several hundred miles. This was the only leg of the trip where we saw an accident. Two of them, actually, both moving trucks that appear to have just slid off the road. Furniture everywhere. Talk about a yard sale...

That night we said goodbye to our traveling companion Chris, who was on his way to his new home in Huntsville the next morning, while we had our sights set on Ottawa.



View Day 5 - Sudbury to Thunder Bay in a larger map







Proof that dogs can indeed take catnaps.




Northern Ontario going for the southern California look.




Goodbye, you crazy old U-Haul, you...

Day 4 - Thunder Bay

The motel in Verdin was a little underwhelming, to say the least. I thought all those big rigs parked in the lot meant the place was pretty nice. I guess truckers can be wrong sometimes too. It was next door to a Tim Horton's though. But then again, pretty much everything on this highway is next to a Tim Horton's.

Since we had only planned on getting as far as Regina the night before, we were now officially ahead of schedule, which was a good thing because the eastern Ontario leg is only two lanes, and the weather was starting to get dicey. Thunder Bay was our destination tonight -- a good 12 hours of driving awaited us. Plus a stop at the Royal Canadian Mint in Winnipeg. We found a nice little motel in the country that night, and collapsed into bed.


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Typical road fuel. A cross country drive is not a good place to start a diet...



A very rare giant quarter where the Queen looks kind of like a fluffy dog...



Sunflowers as far as the eye can see.





Our hideaway for the evening. this shot was actually taken the next morning cause we didnt get to the place until very late the night before.

Day 3 Picking up speed

After a detour to the Calgary airport to drop off one wife, one dog and two kids, the three remaining humans, one dog and two birds continued eastward, through the wheat fields and oil wells of Alberta and Saskatchewan. We stopped every few hours to get some exercise and take a few photos. The mosquitoes were waiting for us at every turn. We made it as far as Virden Manitoba that night, a little over 1000 kilometres. I was expecting miles of parking-lot flat vistas and acres of wheat fields, and was surprised at the rolling terrain and beautiful scenery.


View Day 3 - Calgary to Virden Manitoba in a larger map






There's a dog in there somewhere...



There he is! Frolicking through the wheat fields...





... As opposed to Swift Current, 'The Standoffish, Snooty, Unfriendly City'.

Road Trip Day 2

After an easy drive to Kamloops the first day we decided to get serious about making some progress. We were determined to make it to Calgary the second night, so Rockies here we come. I was pretty impressed that a U-Haul filled with furniture and towing a minivan made it up and down those mountains with nary a complaint.


View Day 2 Kamloops to Calgary in a larger map



This is the location of the Last Spike on the Canadian Pacific rail line.










Dogs wearing hats. They are everywhere in Lake Louise!






This is our rig: no sharp turns and no backing up - ever.

Road Trip!!! Day 1

For almost 3 weeks it was just me, Sylvie and Dougal with nothing but miles of highway in front of us - destination: Halifax. Why? Because I've never driven across Canada before, and it just seemed like a good idea at the time.
We were travelling as far as Sudbury Ontario with some friends who were moving there, so we started out with 4 adults, 2 kids, 2 dogs, 2 birds, one station wagon and one 26-foot-long U-Haul moving truck towing a minivan. First stop was Kamloops, where our convoy invaded my sister's place for the first night.


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When I see a 30 foot high statue of a duck, I have to take a picture of it. That's just the way I roll.









The Merry Pranksters. Plus my sister.