TransCanada Experiences

In our recent TransCanada trip to relocate from Montréal to Langley BC, we had a rapid exposure to a few of the diverse parts of Canada. The TransCanada Highway, which we followed, is of course almost a one-dimensional view of the country. At any point going either south or north we would have seen even more diversity. However time was of the essence so we grabbed what we could. Here I will recount just a few of the impressions as we made our way across the country.

• Visiting Petawawa, Ontario, a major Canadian forces base, we were struck by the continuing reminder of the sacrifices being made by our troops in Afghanistan.
• In Wawa, there were multiple large statues of Canada geese including the largest one in Canada. On the other hand there is only one bank in town, the Royal Bank.

• The North Shore of Lake superior is incredibly beautiful.

• We stopped at Nipigon at dusk, since there were warnings from storeowners and the Ontario Provincial Police by radio on the danger of driving after dark given the frequent moose crossing the road at night. We saw such a moose crossing behind us just before we stopped for the night.
• In Thunder Bay, there is a memorial to Terry Fox. It was there that he had to give up his run across the country from St. John’s Newfoundland to the West Coast when cancer invaded his lungs. One can only marvel at his fortitude. It is fitting that he is such a motivating example to so many others.
• Ontario is a surprisingly large province with two time zones. The areas of Ontario, west of 90° west longitude, are in the Central Time zone.
• Entering Manitoba, to our great surprise we immediately lost cell phone reception via Telus and only regained its immediately upon entering Saskatchewan. We questioned whether this was really friendly Manitoba but it now appears it was Telus to blame.
• Entering Saskatchewan, we were somewhat surprised to see via our cell phones that we had gained another hour although Manitoba and Saskatchewan are in the same time zone. The next gas station attendant confirmed that Saskatchewan doesn’t observe daylight saving time. In summer its clocks are aligned with Alberta, while in winter its clocks are aligned with Manitoba.

• Although some find the Prairie Provinces overly flat and somewhat boring, we found they had their own particular beauty.

• Calgary and Alberta as a whole are still “enjoying” their booming economy. This apparently results in a severe shortage of labour in many fields. Heading west from there, there are great views of the snow-covered Rockies above the line off Foothills.

• The magnificent Rockies are beyond description and we thoroughly enjoyed our trip through the Kicking Horse Canyon and Rogers Passes.

• We then traversed the Coquihalla Highway and then on down to the Fraser Valley and our ultimate destination.

The journey took us 7 days and we travelled over 4,000 km. A more extensive set of images will shortly be available on Flickr.

Related: Following the Trans-Canada Highway with Google Maps