Friday, July 29 2005Are we ready?Less than 24 hours to go and then we are off, most things are packed and ready to go, but there are always the last minute things that turn out to be bigger or more time consuming then originally planned. Starting tomorrow we will update as often as we can. Hope you enjoy following us across the country! Saturday, July 30 2005Day 1 HighlightsIt was a good first day on the road, we avoided early traffic chaos on the 400 and made good time to Sudbury, then on to Sault Ste. Marie. The weather was good all the way until we were pulling into the Soo when it started to rain. A few pictures to re-cap the day. The girls were all smiles just before pulling out of the driveway.
We couldn't go by Sudbury without stopping in to see the "Big Nickel". One of the goals of the trip is to see as many "Big Things" in Canada.
For those who wonder what is on the back of the Big Nickel, wonder no more.
The girls climbing around the rocks.
The girls decided they would try and lift the Big Nickel to see how heavy it was. First up was Angela.
Then Gillian gave it a try.
Finally it was Claudia's turn.
Just before Sault Ste. Marie, we stopped at Echo Bay when we spotted a big Loonie. We piled out of the car and did the photo op.
At the same stop there was the Lake George Marsh Boardwalk, the kids had a great time running down the boardwalk.
All in all it was a good first day, tomorrow it's on to Thunder Bay. Sunday, July 31 2005Day 2 HighlightsToday we had a good day heading from Sault Ste Marie to Thunder Bay. It started out iffy, we had rain and thunderstorms overnight (good thing we weren't camping). The rain was really coming down when we left, but by the time we reached Wawa it stopped. The photos show the weather through the day. A quick stop at one of the scenic lookouts of Lake Superior.
The big goose in Wawa.
The girls wanted to lift the Canada Goose, so they each took a turn,
After this picture was taken, the girls decided they would pick the statue's nose.
We made a quick stop in White River, where it all began for Winnie The Pooh.
At the same stop they had an old CP Rail caboose
Originally I told the girls to make it look like their pushing the caboose
Next thing we know, Claudia is actually pushing and pulling the little car, so they all had to take a turn.
Angela, still smiling after approximately 1000km.
The girls are on a rotation through each seat this trip.
One of our "must see" stops was a difficult one. This year is the 25th anniversary of Terry Fox's Marathon of Hope. Back in April I read an article in the Toronto Star about the actual spot where Terry ended his run. There is a local resident who faithfully mows the grass. There is a white marker indicating the mile and the date. I e-mailed the writer of the article and asked him for markers to indicate where on the Trans-Canada highway it was. He sent detailed directions and even though the area is in the middle of a construction zone we found it.
The plaque on the marker
This photo shows the area.
We ended our day at the official Terry Fox Memorial
There is a pool in our hotel today, so the girls were pretty excited getting to the hotel. Tomorrow it's on to Winnipeg, the forecast is for clear sunny skies. We will have our first time zone change and cross our first border. Monday, August 01 2005Day 3 and countingToday's highlights included Max the Moose, Husky the Muskie and Bears on Broadway. The first stop of the day was crossing over into the Central Time Zone.
The next stop was in Dryden Ontario where we found Max the Moose at the Information building.
Claudia gave her best effort to scale Max.
We stopped in Kenora to see Husky the Muskie.
A close-up of the girls with Husky the Muskie, we had to take this picture quick because we could see a swarm of people coming from two tour buses that we keep running into, the first time was in Wawa at the Goose.
The Goodwill Geyser, it shoots ups every 15 minutes.
We finally made it out of Ontario and into Manitoba
We are staying the night in Winnipeg, after dinner we went downtown to walk around. This summer there is "Bears on Broadway" in Winnipeg.
Like the Toronto Moose, Victoria Whales, Halifax Lobsters, there are around 62 Polar Bears painted by various artists in different themes. We walked from the legislative buildings down Broadway to the Train Station. Here are some of the polar bears.
The girls with "Bearister"
Biker Bear
Nanookshuk
It has been almost 30 years since I was last in the Manitoba Legislative Building. I remember going there when I was 9 years old on our family trip out west.
Tomorrow it's on to Regina, a new province and another time zone change. Tuesday, August 02 2005Day 4 UpdateToday's drive was from Winnipeg to Regina.
The drive is quick, flat and not too exciting. The early highlight was talking to Stu the Pacific Western bus driver. We met him at the Tim's in Brandon, Manitoba. We first saw him in Wawa and ever since they have been at the same stops a couple of times. He is driving a tour group from Toronto to Vancouver and back.
Our only other stop on the road today was at the Saskatchewan border. The girls and I posed in front of the "Welcome to Saskatchewan" sign.
Today was a "pool" day, we are staying at the Travelodge in Regina, it has a 250ft waterslide. Claudia wanted to stay two nights , just so we could go on the slide again. We have been once already and we are heading back after dinner.
Claudia swimming around the pool
Gillian waiting in line for the waterslide.
Gillian making a splash!
Angela waiting in line
Angela spotting the camera as she came out the bottom!
Tomorrow it is on to Brooks, Alberta. Our fourth province and third time zone. Hoping to stop by one of the CAPMoN sites in the morning. Wednesday, August 03 2005Day 5 highlightsWe started the day off in Regina, Saskatchewan and ended it in Brooks, Alberta. The first stop of the day was at the Bratt's Lake CAPMoN site, about 30km south of Regina, the girls had fun running around the fields.
They could have run forever and we'd still be able to see them.
They tried hiding in a flax field.
Not far the site is the town of Rouleau, Saskatchewan where the sitcom "Corner Gas" is filmed.
They weren't filming at the gas station, but they were on Main St., we were allowed to walk around the gas station and look in the windows. Here are the girls standing in front of The Ruby. When you look through the window of the Ruby, it is a storage area for wardrobe. The actual inside shots are done on a sound stage in Regina. The gas station parts are filmed on location.
We weren't the only tourists, vehicle after vehicle kept pulling up to stop and look around.
One final photo from Dog River
the next stop of the day was in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan for a pit stop and a photo of "Mac the Moose", not to be confused with "Max the Moose" who you have seen already. Mac was in need of some repairs, the girls couldn't get close because there were a couple of guys who were working at the base of the statue.
As we entered into our fourth province we stopped for the photo op.
Our day ended in Brooks, Alberta at the Best Western. There was another waterslide, but not as impressive or fun as the one in Regina. Here is a sequence of photos of Claudia and I coming down.
This the waterslide
Here comes Gillian
Followed by Angela
Tomorrow we are off to Dinosaur Provincial Park and then on to the Drumheller area. The girls are pretty excited. The weather forecast is sunny and hot. Stay tuned for the update. Thanks for following along. Thursday, August 04 2005A dinosaur dayWe had a full day of exploring and learning in the Drumheller, Alberta area. We started the day off at Dinosaur Provincial Park, we walked two of the trails before heading towards Drumheller.
Gillian on the edge of the canyon
Exploring the Badlands Trail. It wasn't that busy so often it seemed like we were the only ones around.
Angela on the Badlands Trail
Of the rattlesnakes, scorpions and cactus that they warn you to watch out for, we only came across the cactus.
Gillian touching the sky
It was a lot harder to climb up this one than the picture indicates.
This was my picture of Susan taking the picture, so you can see we are pretty far away and quite a bit higher.
Top view of a hoodoo
Taking a break along the "Trail of Fossil hunters" trail.
Building Inukshuks in the badlands.
After leaving the park, we headed to Drumheller, here we are at the Hoodoos along the Hoodoo Trail.
The next stop was the Royal Tyrrell Museum.
Gillian getting eaten by the T-rex outside the front doors.
It was still hungry so next up was Angela.
Claudia feeding the dinosaur outside
Just a few pictures from inside the museum
The last sign in the museum
Stopped for a few groceries at the local IGA and found this guy coming out of the wall.
Tomorrow will be a bit more touring in this area and then it's on to the mountains and the Banff and Lake Louise area. It will be good to reach Vancouver to give us a chance to slow down the pace. As Claudia said today it's "rush, rush, rush!", of course she wants to stop and play at every playground. She finally got to play on the playground outside the museum.
Friday, August 05 2005Day 7 UpdateI couldn't get an internet connection last night so the update is a day late. It was a long day, we started in Drumheller, Alberta and ended in Revelstoke, British Columbia.
We started the day off at "The Little Church" on the North Dinosaur Trail.
Gillian led us in prayer
With Claudia as her special guest.
There were a couple of bunnies hanging around the front of the church
Next up was the "World's Largest Dinosaur"
The cool part is you can climb stairs inside the dinosaur up to its mouth to look out.
I ran back down the stairs and took a picture of the girls up in the mouth.
We were back on the road and made a quick stop in Calgary to do some shopping.
One of the mountains heading into Banff National Park.
Banff was hot and very busy, we had lunch at Athena Pizza and then drove around.
The Banff Springs Hotel, which is now listed as a National Historic Site.
After leaving Banff, we headed to Lake Louise.
The girls dipping their feet in the lake.
Claudia relaxing by the edge of the lake.
From Lake Louise we drove to Revelstoke. The scenery going through the passes was spectacular. We have entered our fifth province and fifth time zone. |
Follow "The Tanabe's" as we travel from Ontario to British Columbia this summer. This blog format will hopefully be quicker and easier to update as we make our journey. Archive2005/07/29 - 2005/08/052005/08/06 - 2005/08/12 2005/08/13 - 2005/08/21 2005/08/22 - 2005/08/29 2005/08/30 : epilogue
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