My Montreal high school gang decided to have a reunion to celebrate all of us turning 50. I figured Sandy, Keiran and I would enjoy the drive across Canada. Many kilometers, pushing hard. As usual, if we saw something interesting, we just stopped and investigated. We planned to tent and hotel, whatever seemed appropriate. The basic plan was to go through Canada while going east, then return through the US.
For the few days, it seemed that we drove under a constant thunderstorm, which travelled above us. Then a few days with Craig in Toronto. Then a few days in Montreal with my old gang. Then a few days in Vermont, after which we decided we needed to put in some miles in. We pushed hard across the US until Minnesota where we got pinned down by monster thunderstorms. Then another hard drive across the Bad Lands to Hot Springs in South Dakota, see Mount Rushmore, go down into Wind Cave. Then another hard drive north to Saskatoon. 15 days of travel.
Where did we go?
(these routes need to be redone in summer, because Google Maps won’t do ferry crossings in winter)
Our Schedule
- August 11: drive to Melville and drop in on Scott, drive to Portage La Prairie, Holiday Inn Winnepeg
- August 12: drive to ThunderBay, Terry Fox memorial, set up tent at ThunderBay KOA
- August 13: Oimet Canyon, Old Woman Bay. Sioux St. Marie
- August 14: Sault Canal and Locks, International Bridge, Lake Superior, random train bridge, ferry from South Baymouth to Tobermory, arrive Chez Craig late at night
- August 15: Niagara Falls, Marineland Theme Park, Chez Craig
- August 16: CN Tower, subway, visit Don & Linda, Indian dinner
- August 17: Marineland Theme Park again, visit Jim’s place, Keiran heelies, Chez Craig
- August 18: Drive to Montreal, Oka Reunion BBQ dinner
- August 19: Oka camping, beach play, reunion cake and picnic dinner
- August 20: Rainy day at Oka, drive to 2 St. Charles, old Montreal, dinner in Pointe Claire at Piazza Romana, Holiday Inn Express downtown Montreal
- August 21, Old Montreal walking and brunch at Jardin Nelson, Notre Dame, drive thru Winooska Falls, end up in South Burlington at the Mainstay Suites
- August 22: Winooska Falls, Dakin Farm, Frog Hollow, drive to Larrabees Point, ferry across to Ticonderoga, Pottersville Stone Bridge & Caves, hotel in Ithica
- August 23: Drive Ithaca to Elkhart Indiana, tent
- August 24: Wake up in the tent in the rain, drive to Bonneyville Mills, Essenhaus, Amish carriages, I-80, Bricelyn MN, hide from monster thunderstorms in Austin Holiday Inn Express
- August 25: Drive to Chamberlain, Prairie Homestead, Badlands Wall, South Dakota Badlands, Holiday Inn Express in HotSprings, SD
- August 26: Rainy Day, Drive to Mount Rushmore, Wind Cave, Classic Car tour, Hole in the Wall, Cathedral Spires, cross North Dakota, arrive Saskatoon 2:35 am.
