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Congratulations! You and your family have won a camping trip across Canada. You will travel from St. John's, Newfoundland to Vancouver, British Columbia. This is your chance to observe and appreciate the geographical, historical, cultural, and linguistic diversity of Canada. At the end of the trip, we will fly you and your family back home to St. John's, Newfoundland.

Newfoundland & Labrador

DAY 1:->

Our trip originates in Newfoundland & Labrador which lies on the East coast of Canada. St. Johns, the oldest city in Canada, and the capitol of Newfoundland, is our first stop. For our first historic site visit we stopped at Signal Hill. Signal Hill was named because of its role. People would send messages down to the town via a series of flags to let townspeople know what ship was coming in. Signal Hill is the second largest National Historic Site in Canada. At the top of this hill, is the Cabot Tower built in 1897 to commemorate the 400^th anniversary of the discovery of Newfoundland. This is the Tower from which the first transatlantic wireless signal was received by Gugliemo Marconi. Our view of the Narrows leading into St. Johns was limited because of the fog. St. John's is famous for its foggy weather. Due to poor weather, we then left St. John's and started our trip across the province.

As we drove, the weather improved, so we decided to stop for lunch at Hotel Gander. After lunch we proceeded on to Gros Morne National Park, a World Heritage Site, which has a rich variety of scenery, including the magnificent Table Lands, and the Western Brook Gorge. The park covers 1805 square km in the Long Range Mountains on Newfoundland's Western coast. It is one of the World's most valued natural landscapes because of its diverse land formations. Out past the Tablelands is a small community called Trout River. In Trout River there is a provincial campsite, where we stayed for the night. After pitching our tent, we went down to the waterfront in Trout River to the Seaside Restaurant for Supper. We then drove back the Trout River Road, to view the Table Lands, and to read the information posted on the lookout sites. This information pertains to the origin and nature of the area. Because the evening was getting short, we headed back to the campsite. On the way back the road we saw three moose, which kept us captivated for several minutes. The weather in the Park today has been exceptional. We have covered about 700 km today.

Day 2:->

We got up at 5:30 am, ate our breakfast in the chilly morning air, and got underway. We arrived at the trail head of Green Gardens Trail at 6:15 and parked our van. Green Gardens is an amazing array of geological structures including things like sea stacks, sea caves, volcanic features, secluded coves, and sparkling waterfalls. It is an impressive trail which is fairly long with steep sections. It takes about 3-4 hours to hike the trail. When we got back out to the van we had a little snack. We then went back to the campsite to pack up our tent and belongings. After checking out at the Visitors Center, we headed for Port aux Basques to catch the ferry to North Sydney, Nova Scotia. When we got to Corner Brook it was lunchtime, so we stopped at my Grandmother's house to eat and visit for a while. Around 1:00 pm we left Corner Brook to drive to Port aux Basques, to catch the ferry at 4:00 pm. The Joseph and Clara Smallwood is a car/person ferry that runs from North Sydney to Port aux Basques or Argentina. The Ferry was named after a former Premier and his wife. Once in Port aux Basques we went straight to the terminal to purchase a ticket for the van and Family. We were then directed to line up and to wait to board the vessel. Then at 3:30 pm sharp the traffic started to move, and the boat was loaded by 3:53 pm. We set sail for Nova Scotia at 4:01 pm. Once we left the province behind, we got all settled in for the six hour journey. To keep the kids entertained we went for a walk on the deck because it was a beautiful sunny afternoon. At 6:00 pm went for supper in the cafeteria. After supper we went up on deck to watch the sun set, and then settled in the lounge to watch a movie. The kids started to get sleepy, so we just let them sleep in the lounge chairs. In one hour we would be docking.

NOVA SCOTIA

We got off of the boat in North Sydney at about 10:33 pm, and headed for Ingonish. Nova Scotia is a peninsula, surrounded by the Northumberland Strait and the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the south and east, and the Bay of Fundy to the west. It's connected to New Brunswick and the rest of Canada by a little piece of land called the Isthmus of Chignnecto. We arrived in Ingonish at about midnight. We went to Ingonish Chalets and booked a two bedroom log cabin, with wood stove for the night. Today we traveled 482 kilometers.

DAY 3:-> After a good nights rest, we were eager to be on the move. We treated ourselves to breakfast at a cozy restaurant, and then headed to Cheticamp at 8:00 am to do some whalewatching. The family enjoyed the splendor of several humpbacks out playing and having lots of fun. Following the tour we then went down to Point Cross to the beach at 10:00 am so that the kids could play in the sand. We left the beach at 10:45 am and drove to Antigonish where we stopped for lunch at about 12:45 pm. After lunch we headed towards Parrsboro. At about 3:30 we arrived in Parrsboro, the kids were excited about viewing fossils for the rest of the afternoon. It was then suppertime and the kids were hungry, so we went back into town and grabbed a bite to eat. After supper we headed for Upper Nappam 40 km up the road. We stayed at a campground in Upper Nappan for the night. After setting up the tent, the kids enjoyed roasting marshmallows over an open fire; The kids were getting tired so we called it an early night. The weather for the day had been very pleasurable, with a mixture of sun and cloud, and warm temperatures. We traveled a total of 550 km today.

DAY 4:-> We got up at about 7:00 am this morning, and had breakfast . We then packed up our belongings and headed for P.E.I.. To get to P.E.I. we first had to go through New Brunswick.

NEW BRUNSWICK

New Brunswick is the largest of the Maritime Provinces. It is nestled under Quebec's Gaspé Peninsula. Its Northern Border includes the Restigouche River and the Baie des Chaleurs. The Eastern boundary is made up entirely of Gulf of St. Lawrence coastline, and Northumberland Strait. The Southern border is made up of the Isthmus of Chignecto , which connects the province to Nova Scotia, and the Bay of Fundy which has the highest tides in the world. To cross over into P.E.I. We first had to travel through 50 km of New Brunswick. We first turned off the main drag onto route 16 just before we got to Aulac. We then traveled straight up to Cape Tormentine, and drove across the Confederation Bridge to P.E.I.

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND

Prince Edward Island is one of the four Atlantic Provinces. The Provence is crescent shaped, and is located in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. P.E.I. is separated from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia by the Northumberland Strait. Our first stop was in Charlottetown's Ardgowan National Historic Site at about 10:45 am. Ardgowan was the home of William Henry Pope, one of the Fathers of Confederation. Following the tour we went to Peakes Quay Restaurant and Bar at noon. It is located on the waterfront overlooking the Confederation Landing Park. The Restaurant has P.E.I.'s largest outdoor deck. After Lunch we went to the Precious Memories Museum and Figurine Outlet. This is P.E.I.'s largest and most prestigious gift and collectable center. After leaving the museum we headed for Cavendish, arriving at about 2:15 pm. Cavendish is located on the northern shore of P.E.I. in the Prince Edward Island National Park. After registering at the park, we went to the campgrounds and set up our tent. We then headed for the beach for the rest of the afternoon. Before we headed out for supper, we went back to the campgrounds to get dried off and to get changed. We stopped at Fiddles & Vittles for supper. After leaving the restaurant we headed south to Brackley Beach to see a move at a drive in theatre. This theatre is one of the most distinctive drive-in theatres in North America. After the movie we drove back up to Cavendish and took a stroll along the beach because it was such a beautiful day, before turning in for the night. Today we traveled about 230 km.

DAY 5:->

In the morning we got up at about 8:00 am. and went back to Fiddles & Vittles for breakfast, and headed for East Point, which is the furthest point east in P.E.I. We went right out to the lighthouse, which is one of the Islands "first generation" light houses. We then headed back East on the Southern shore highway to West Saint Peters. The children were anxious to go horse back riding along the beach. The family had a great time on the Sheldon Gunn Trails. After the ride in the fresh air, the children were hungry. We went to the Trail side Cafe and Pizzeria, located in Mount Stewart, for lunch. The restaurant has a rusticsetting, and is next to the Confederation Trail and the Hillsborough River. We were ready to leave for Borden at about 1:00 pm. We arrived at Borden, and crossed the bridge. We were back in New Brunswick at 2:00 pm. Our arrival time in Saint John was about 4:30 pm. We headed downtown to the Delta Brunswick Hotel for supper. We left the hotel at about 6:30 pm and decided to do some sight seeing. We decided to go and see a natural wonder called the Reversing Falls where the planets highest tides and the province's longest river join forces, causing the river to flow upstream. After leaving the falls we went up North to Oak Point Provincial Park. We checked in, set up the tent, and went to straight to bed because everyone was tired from such a busy and beautiful day. Today we traveled about 620 km.

DAY 6:->

We got up at 7:00 am, packed up all of our gear into the van and went up the road to Gagetown for breakfast. We stopped at Steamers Stop Inn for a hearty meal before hitting the road. Our destination was Woodstock. We arrived at 11:30 am and decided to have a swim before lunch at the Panorama Motel. After our fun in the pool and hot-tub it was time for lunch at the motel's restaurant. After lunch the children amused themselves on the swings while my wife attended to the laundry. At about 2:30 we headed for St. Léonard Provincial Park where we had a game of frisbee. After our half hour game we started for Edmundston to have supper at Hotel République City Hotels. After supper we went to The Madawaska Historical Museum and the Gallerie Colline before heading to St. Jacques Provincial Park. We arrived here at approximately 7:30 pm, checked in and proceeded to our campsite. Once we had the tent setup we were anxious to get a fire going so that the children could roast marshmallows. Since it had been such a dirty day, and was now such a beautiful evening we decided to go for a walk around the park before turning in for the night. Today we traveled 375 km.

DAY 7:->

Since it was a beautiful sunny morning we thought it would be nice to cook breakfast on our Coleman stove, and eat outdoors. After we had the dishes cleaned up, we packed up the tent, checked out of the park, and headed for Quebec. Our destination is Quebec City.

Québec

Québec is Canada's largest province It is bordered by the U.S.A. , the Arctic Waters, Ontario, and New Brunswick. The St. Lawrence River which ranks among the greatest rivers in the world, runs through the Southern part of the province. We arrived in Québec City at noon. Since the old quarter of the City is a world heritage site we thought that it would be an interesting place to eat lunch. Inside the old walls we made our way down to the lower town to Place-Royale. We chose a restaurant in the adjacent Petit-Champlain quarter. After lunch we moved on to Montreal, arriving at 4:00 pm. We checked into Novotel Hotel. For supper we went to the dining room of the hotel. The meal was superb. After supper, due to heavy traffic and not knowing our way around, we decided to take a cab to the Biodome. It has flora and fauna from four different ecosystems: tropical rain forest, a Laurentian forest, the Saint Lawrence marine environment, and the polar world. Then we went across to Montreal's Botanical Garden, the second largest in the world, with its picturesque Chinese and Japanese gardens and the intriguing Insectarium. We then headed back to the hotel, put the children to bed and spent a few hours watching T.V. The weather today was slightly overcast, with sunny breaks. Today we traveled 561 km.

Day 8:->

This morning we got up at 7:30 am, showered, got dressed, and went to the dining room for the buffet breakfast. After breakfast we went back to our room to get our luggage, and checked out. Leaving Montreal at 9:00 am, we headed to Hull. We arrived at 11:00 am and went straight to the Canadian Museum of Civilization. We were at the museum for most of the day, where we had lunch. After the museum we drove across the bridge to Ottawa for supper.

ONTARIO

Our choice of dining was the Talisman Hotel. Following the meal, we went to my Aunt Jean's house in Gloucester to visit and spend the night. We spent a relaxing evening chatting and watching Television. Today we traveled 232 km. The weather was beautiful in the morning, clouding over in the afternoon.

Day 9:->

We awoke at 6:30 am to the loud clap of thunder. By the time we had showered, dressed and eaten breakfast the storm had ended, and the sun was peaking through the clouds. We then packed the van and said good-bye. This morning we will visit the Aviation Museum and the Museum of Science and Technology. By the time we finished exploring the museums, it was lunch time, so we located the cafeteria in the Science and Technology Museum and ate. After lunch we headed for Parliament Hill where we toured the parliament buildings, strolled through the Sparks Street Mall and went for a boat tour of the Rideau Canal. And when we got back to the dock we went to the Town House Motor Hotel for Supper. After supper we headed for the campgrounds at Camp Hither Hills, where we checked in and set up our tent. The kids then wanted to go the playground and also for a swim. They were tired when they got out of the pool so we went on to bed at 9:30 pm. After the early thunderstorm the weather was fabulous. Today we traveled about 70 km.

Day 10:->

We awoke this morning to the sound of birds chirping, and the chipmunks chattering. We had breakfast, packed up our gear and checked out of the park at 9:00 am. Our destination today is Toronto. We will make several stops along the way. Our first stop will be Kingston where we will stretch our legs and have an ice-cream each. Our next stop along the way is Cobourg for lunch. We arrived at about 12:30 pm and went to the Best Western Cobourg Inn for lunch. After lunch we took a walk on the wharf, and watched the sea gulls flying around. By 1:30 pm it was time to head to Toronto so that we could get ahead of the rush hour traffic. We arrived in Toronto at 2:45 pm. While in T.O we decided to stay at the Indian Line tourist camp ground on the corner of Islington and Finch. After we checked in we headed east on Finch to the Pioneer Village, and then went to my Aunt Jean's in Weston. After an evening of reminiscing, we headed back to the park for the night. Today was a lovely day, with mild precipitation. Today we traveled 425 km.

Day 11:->

The children were very excited about going to the zoo, so they were awake early, and ready to go. So we got up, showered, ate breakfast, and headed for the Zoo! After a couple of hours at the Metro Zoo, we left and went to the Ontario Science Centre. After exploring the many Science and technology exhibits we went to the OMNIMAX theatre. After which we went to the cafeteria for lunch. After Lunch we went to the McLaughlin Planetarium & the Royal Ontario Museum. The museum is Canada's largest museum with more than Six Million objects in its collection. After a tour around the museum we head to Brad and Carla's on Hounslow Ave. North York for a feed of Spaghetti. After we spent the evening chatting we left and headed back to the campgrounds so that the children could roast marshmallows. The weather today was extremely beautiful, with beautiful sunshine. Today we traveled 65 km.

DAY 12:->

This morning we got up at 8:30 am. By the time we showered, and made breakfast. This way we would miss rush hour traffic. We left the park at 9:30 am. And headed for the C.N. Tower and Sky Dome. We had lunch at Don Cherry's between the Dome and Tower. After Lunch we headed to Ontario Place. We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening here. We had supper at the outdoor restaurant. We left Ontario Place at 8:00 pm. And went back to the campgrounds and settled in for the night. The weather today was beautiful and sunny with a high of 25*c. Today we traveled 45 km.

Day 13:->

We got up at 7:00 am, prepared breakfast, ate, packed up our gear and started towards Canada's Wonderland at 8:00 am. We arrived at about 8:45 am. We decided that we would only stay here for half of the day, and then head north to Brechin where we would camp at my Aunt's cabin. At Canada's Wonderland we got on some of the rides, went to the marine park section were we saw a great show. After the marine show, we played some of the games. After carrying on for a while we decided that it was time for lunch so we went into the village at the entrance to the park and had lunch in front of the falls. At 1:00 pm. we headed up north to my Aunt's cabin. We arrived at about 2:30 pm. When we arrived we went down in the backyard to set up our tent. My Aunt Phyllis who lives next door to Aunt June's cabin invited us over for a barbecue for supper. After supper the kids got out the old rowboat and had fun on the pond for the rest of the evening. After that we went for a walk around the pond where we visited my Aunt Jean. She also has a cabin in this area. We then went back to the tent and settled in for the night. Today was a beautiful sunny day with a few scattered clouds. Today we traveled 152 km.

Day 14:->

This morning we packed up our gear, went to Aunt June's for breakfast and headed off for Parry Sound. We arrived at 10:20 am. We gassed up the van, got an ice-cream each and walked down to the wharf to see if we could see the cruise ship leaving for its daily tour. Around 10:45 am we were ready to leave Parry Sound and head off to Sudbury. We stopped to take a picture of the children by the Big Nickel, Sudbury's signature landmark, which is at the entrance to Sudbury. At 12:30 pm. we then went on to Brockdan Motor Hotel on Pioneer Road for lunch. After lunch we drove to Science North which is 5 km west of Sudbury. We spent a fair bit of time looking at the Northern Ecosystem exhibit. The children especially liked the easy to use laboratories and hands on exhibits. Around 3:00 pm we left Sudbury for Sault Ste. Marie on highway 17. We arrived at about 6:00 pm and went to The Holiday Inn for supper. We left Sault Ste. Marie at about 7:00 pm for the Lake Superior Provincial Park, Agawa Bay Campground. We arrive here at 8:20 pm, checked in, and set up the tent. We then settled in for the night. Today was slightly overcast. Today we traveled 770 km.

Day 15:->

This morning we woke up at 8:00 am, packed up our gear, had breakfast, and headed off to Thunder Bay. We got as far as Marathon, about half way to Thunder Bay. We stoped here for lunch at noon. We then went to Mink Creek Falls, where we took a stroll on the beach in Neys Provincial Park. We left at 2:00 pm for Thunder Bay. On the way we stopped at Nipigon to view the Terry Fox Statue, and to get an ice-cream. We arrived in Thunder Bay at 5:00 pm and went to the Valhalla Inn for supper and a swim. After the swim, we went to Kakabeka Falls Provincial Park where we stayed for the night. We checked in, set up the tent, and sat around the fire and relaxed while the kids had fun playing around. Today we traveled 590 km. The weather today, was excellent, with a high of 22*c.

Day 16:->

We got up at 7:00 am this morning, packed up our gear, had breakfast, checked out of the park, and were on our way to Dryden at 8:00 am. We arrived in Dryden at about 11:12 am. We went to a laundromat to do our laundry. We then went to the Dryden Museum, where the children had their picture taken along side the towns mascot, Maximillian Moose.

We then had lunch at the Chalet Inn Motel & Restaurant. At 1:30 pm we left Dryden for Winnipeg Manitoba, where we arrived at 5:00 pm.

Manitoba

We decided to have supper at the Kirkfield Motor Inn. After supper we went to the Assiniboine Park to see the Winnie The Pooh Statue. We then headed for the Beaudry Provincial Park where we settled in for the night. Today we traveled 668 km. The weather today was overcast with mild drizzle.

Day 17:->

This morning we arose at 8:00 am, showered, ate breakfast, and headed back to Winnipeg. We attended church at the Westminster United Church which is a heritage site. After which we went to the Forks Market where we looked around and had lunch. We left at 12:30 pm and went to the Darkzone, a real life video game of laser tag. We then went back to Beaudry Provincial Park to pack up and check out of the park. After leaving the park we started for Brandon. We arrived at 5:30 pm and had supper at the Colonial Inn. After supper we went to the Oak Lake D & G campground where we checked in, set up our tent and settled in for the night. Today we traveled 290 km. The weather today was exceptional with blue skies and warm temperatures.

Day 18:->

This morning we got up at 7:30 am, had our showers, got breakfast, packed up, and checked out of the park. Our destination today is Regina.

Saskatchewan

We arrived in Regina at 11:45. We went to the nearest McDonald's for lunch. After lunch we went to the RCMP museum until 2:00 pm, and proceeded to the Legislative building at the Wascana Center until 3:30 pm. From there we went on to the Buffalo Found Provincial Park where we checked in and set up the tents. Instead of going out, we decided that it would be nice to barbecue for a change. After supper we went to Moose Jay to look at the outdoor murals, and later attended the Saskatchewan Air Show to see the Snowbirds perform. After the air show we headed back to the park and settled in for the night. Today we traveled 460 km. The weather was beautiful with a scattered cloud.

Day 19:->

We got up at an early 7:00 am this morning, showered, ate breakfast, packed up and headed off to Calgary.

Alberta

On our way to Calgary we stopped for lunch at Cypress Hills Provincial Park. After lunch we had a quick game of frisbee, and then hit the road for a long drive. On the drive to Calgary the kids amused themselves with coloring books and toys. We arrived in Calgary at 5:45 pm after a four hour and fifteen minute drive. We had supper at my Aunt and Uncle's house. After supper we went downtown to see the Calgary Tower. While we were there we saw a spectacular lightening display. After the exciting storm we retired for the evening. The weather today was again exceptional with clear blue skies, except for the thunder and lightening storm in the evening. We traveled a total of 770 km today.