Why we travelled Canada first

When I was 10 I went on the trip of a lifetime. It wasn’t just any old family vacation – it was an experience that my parents wanted to give us with the hopes that it would give us an appreciation for our country. To say they were successful is an understatement! 

 

My Dad has said for as long as I can remember that we should see our own country first. Growing up in Canada this is no small task, but one we have all tried to accomplish. I am missing Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Yukon and North West Territories while my brother and sister made it to Manitoba, but missed Nunavut. Not bad for three kids (now young adults) from a rural community in northern New Brunswick right?!

Looking through travel albums with Little Dude

Iqaluit, NU

Before I get right into the trip there are a few things you need to know in order to fully appreciate why this really was the trip of a lifetime:

1. Our family was (and still is…) made up of three kids with just shy of 8 years between the oldest child (me) and the youngest (my sister).
2. We have been a single income family since I was 3
3. We were not and are not rich (financially that is…)
4. We did not have a computer or internet at home when my Mom planned out this trip
5. The whole trip was 5-6 weeks (I’m pretty sure… I mean I was 10, turning 11 during the trip so the exact length is a bit foggy to me. I can tell you it was the better part of the summer, all of Dad’s vacation and then some and nearly a year of planning ahead of time!)

Take a moment to re-read point #4 – welcome back! – my Mom is amazing right?! Without the internet at home I wouldn’t have the slightest idea how to even begin planning a trip like this! I can still remember her hilroy scribbler with all the details hand written, maps attached and people’s phone numbers written in so we could contact family and long lost friends through our trip (not to mention crash in some of their living rooms, haha).

Our Route It would literally take me hours to describe our whole trip to you, so here is the route with some details, but many have been left out.

• Belledune, NB – home!
• Grand Falls, NB – first stop

Driving, driving , driving…

• Sandbanks Provincial Park, ON – we met up with my aunt, uncle and their three kids. Pretty sure we stayed there a night before going to their home in Belleville, ON
• Belleville, ON – home of Reid’s Dairy, we went every summer for many summers… it’s good!
• Toronto, ON – we didn’t really visit Toronto, but we flew from Pearson International Airport to Calgary, AB.
• Calgary, AB – we stayed with relatives of my Dad that he hadn’t seen or spoken to in years. I can remember their house vividly – it has floor to ceiling windows, seemed to be in the middle of nowhere (so it might not have been in Calgary come to think of it) and it had vaulted ceilings throughout the concept living space. Now, you have to appreciate that in 1996 open concept was a pretty new thing, so this house seemed like a magazine house to me.

Ok back on track…

Take a moment to enjoy the fashion of 1996! haha

• Drumheller, AB – hoodoos, little church, swinging bridge thing and the Royal Tyrell Museum
• Canmore, AB/Banff, AB – we stopped at all kinds of lakes, canyons and mountains. We stayed in Canmore near the Dairy Queen and happened to take a picture in front of it twice! And, of course, we went up sulphur mountain to enjoy the view of Banff and the Rocky Mountains around us. 
  

  Top of Sulphur Mountain – Banff, AB

• Jasper, AB – on the way from Banff to Jasper we stopped at Lake Louise and also at the Columbian Ice Fields. Both sites are absolutely stunning – it is worth the trip just to see these two things at least once in your lifetime. We rented a cottage on a lake and spent time using the canoes and small boats when we weren’t counting elk or mountain goats. 

Columbian Icefields

• Mountains and Lakes and Canyons (oh my!) – too many to mention them all, but Mount Edith Cavell still stands out in my memory.
• Mackenzie, BC – at the time my aunt, uncle and their two children lived in Mackenzie. We spent about a week visiting with them and my grandparents who had also travelled from New Brunswick to visit that summer. We spent most of the days boating on the lake near their home and just enjoying being together.

  Left – Dad water skiing / Right (from top to bottom) my sister and I, my brother and uncle, dad water skiing & Papa and my sister

• Edmonton, AB/Leduc, AB – a highlight of the trip was the water park at the West Edmonton mall. We all loved it! And, how many kids from New Brunswick can say they went to the West Edmonton mall water park to celebrate their 11th birthday?! I was so proud to tell that story (and still am!)

Craving more Canada 150 fun? Check out the links below from my fellow East Coast Mom Bloggers to see what they are doing/ what experiences they are sharing in celebration of #ECMCanada150.