ThisCanadianLife

Finally settled in. Boxes unpacked. UK shipment mostly sorted. Technology plugged in. So, with all those boxes checked, we decided to go to Manitoba to visit friends and family – driving the 12 hours across half of Alberta, all of Saskatchewan and into Manitoba on the Trans-Canada. Most people thought we were mad! But here’s why we voted to drive instead of to fly, and here’s what worked and what didn’t.

Clear Lake beach

The prairies – especially the drive from Alberta to Manitoba – often gets a bad rap. Miles of straight highway. Miles of empty fields as far as you can see. And, a long way between gas stations. Even I was skeptical, having let a healthy 15 years pass since my last trek on Highway 1, and full of not so pleasant memories of past trips (read: I am never doing that drive again).

My first surprise: Number 1 isn’t as straight as I remember. My second surprise: the prairies aren’t as flat as I remember. My third surprise: gas stations are more numerous than I remember.

Early blooms

One of our motivations for driving was to spare our carbon footprint in the air. And having our ‘feet’ firmly planted on the ground certainly had its advantages. Having a vehicle made side trips easy and a pleasure. There were no luggage restrictions, which I took full advantage of, or hidden charges. And, listening to play lists on the iPod was far superior to the days of being held hostage by the poor reception of a AM station, fading in and out.

We saw a huge variety of wildlife on the holiday – deer along the way, hawks and eagles, squirrels and beaver. We witnessed flooding, thunder storms and hot sunny days. All that makes those stunning prairies pictures in calendars.

Far from the driving being bland, plenty of colourful views lined the route:  beer commercials wrapped around huge, round hay bales; kite surfers taking advantage of high winds and water levels; and an incredible amount of cyclists braving the elements.

We were entertained (U2 concert); ate like royalty (bar-b-ques, bistros and the best prime rib beef sandwich ever); and explored old and new haunts.

The must-see list had doubled since last time as nieces and nephews are now all adults and catching up meant visiting their homes, catching them for coffee on the way to work, and meeting up between a flight and a drive to a summer job.

Returning back to our home and our own space was wonderful too. But, the biggest surprise of all, is that we are already planning our return visit! Probably in the autumn when we can catch the harvest in motion, the colours of fall and a great Thanksgiving dinner!

So really, it all worked. Yes, we’d fly. And, no we’d not drive in the winter, unless it was the only option. It’s not for everyone, but it was everything and more we wanted in a road trip. Thanks Trans-Canada Highway No. 1.