A tourist in Canada

Was Googling some information on driving across Canada. I live in this massive, incredible country and have seen very little of it. Frankly with gas prices as they are, I can't afford to see much of it, but that's another story.

It brought to mind a hilarious conversation I had with a workmate of Horse Daughter's. This young woman is here from Germany, she usually works on farms but right now is working in the sawmill with Daughter. She came over one day to ride horses and I had the opportunity to visit with her. She is a typical (stereotypical?) German girl with blonde braids, brilliant blue eyes, lovely clear skin and this earnest expression that grabs onto you and pulls you in. She speaks with a heavy German accent, and I do mean heavy, so please read the rest of the story in your best German accent. She was telling us about her Greyhound bus trip from Squamish to Salmon Arm. They had been in Squamish but, in her words. "Yeah, vell, vutever, had eenuff of zees place, time to go." SHe and her then boyfriend found a farm job in Salmon Arm and were instructed to get on the bus.

"I sot, yeah, zees is eezy. I haf been on a bus before. Vee looked on zee map and zee space from Squamish to Salmon Arm was just a leetle bit. So, get on zee bus, ride a leetle and get off. No biggy."

"Vell. Soon vun hour had gone by. Zen two hours. And zen I said to my boyfriend, vee haf gotten on zee wrong bus! Vee are going somewhere far, far away, but vee must have been to Salmon Arm already if zis was zee right bus. I ask a lady beside me, does thees bus go to Salmon Arm and she said yah. But I think she is confused."

"More time vent by. By now I was getting very vorried because we haft not brought food. I make my vay to zee front of zee bus and said to zee driver, excuse me, but vee ver supposed to be going to Salmon Arm. Zee driver he look at me and nods. I think maybe my accent ees too bad for him, so I say again slowly, Salmoooon AAArrrmm. HE says, yah, vee vill be in Salmon Arm, please sit down now."

"I sit down. But I say to my boyfriend, zees ees crazy! Vee haft been keednapped! Vee have been on zees bus for at least 4 hours! Vee are probably in another country by now and no one knows vee are missing! It was only a small space on zee map, it cannot take zees long to get anywhere! I said again to the lady beside me, are you SURE zees is zee bus to Salmon Arm and she said again yah, vee should be there in a few more hours. A few more hours! Ach du liber! Vee are all giong to die of starvation on zees bus. The lady gave me a granola bar from her purse and told me not to vorry. I said to my boyfriend, zees Canadians do not voory ven zey have been keednapped by a crazy man in the bus. Vee are all going to die on zees bus!"

Me: "So you got to Salmon Arm alright?"

"Yeah. But zees country is stupid big! In Germany zay have no idea. Zay alzo think every Canadian voks around in cowboy hats unt cowboy boots. Ven I vent back to see my family I took some spurs unt some plaid shirts unt even leather chaps. I got all dressed up in zee airport unt my family say, Ah, you are a Canadian now! Vee all went to a party and my dad and brozer wore the plaid shirts I brought them and everyone said, ah look, zee Canadians are here!"

So one of these days I would love to see some of my own 'stupid big' country. I"d like to see the Maritimes. Like to take in a lobster festival. Know some folks who have RVed the whole thing, coast to coast, but that is a HUGE undertaking! Also know some who have flown to Montreal or thereabouts and rented a vehicle and headed out from there.

Anyone with advice, experiences of their own? Maybe you've been a terrified tourist in another country? That young lady made me laugh. But as she said, any vehicle trip that was more than an hour was considered a 'journey' and was prepared for with packed food, water and emergency blankets! I drive longer than that to get to an airport or specialized medical care. I think we have no concept of our own size.

I sm s military (navy) brat and I have made the road trip across Canada twice and have lived on both coasts. The maritimes is beautiful and wonderful but very different from this coast. I still have half my family on the east coast. This is a big beautiful country and you should make the trip someday but it is a loooooong trip HD's workmate would definitely not make the trip LOL

Or go to Germany! Zey pack a lot into a tiny space!

I was laughing to myself at the wedding I photographed last weekend. Everyone makes small talk with the photographer, and usually it starts with where you're from. I am about 1.75 hours from that location and I heard more than once, "Oh! That's so far!"

It's not unheard of for me to go twice that distance for work. Heck, it's a little over an hour just to get to a Walmart or Home Depot, and that's even a little too close for my liking. Costco is a good two hour trip.

Before I had kids, I thought nothing of bagging my crappy truck down to Okotoks for a weekend (6 hours) or to horse shows all over the place. I stay closer to home these days.

uno wrote: I think we have no concept of our own size.

you might be right, I find BC on its own overwhelmingly vast in comparison to my little home country floating around down there in the Sth Pacific. Everything here is big - as if on steroids. would really love to see a prairie - even from a plane window. Is it possible to take a train from one coast to the other? That would be really cool. Are you seriously considering a trip?

Yes about the trip. The idea is rolling over in my mind. It's time to do it now (or soon). Have to start all the strategic plans, like who is going to critter sit for us while we're gone? May take my mom along as she says seeing more of Canada is on her 'bucket list'. It's very nebulous at this point. OR...I could run away to a Greek Island, like Shirley Valentine OR buy a house in Italy, like Under The Tuscan Sun. A girl can dream.

sounds exciting Uno. I must admit I love the smell of aeroplane fuel   . I guess I equate it to adventure. Right now, at this point in the winter I am thinking it would be nice to be in a remote Greek village by some sea (but with my own husband :-). I loved that scene where she and her Greek guy are in the waves and the orchestral music happens. And his catch phrase "boat is boat, bleep is bleep" (want to clean up my language on here).

Could HD and sidekick be trusted or even pursuaded to look after critters?

I've been to Eastern Ontario once and Southern Ontario twice. Once tenting and once in a travel trailer. I've been to Montreal once by train. You miss a lot going by train as the train goes through the night although through some parts of our country there is not much to see from the train. We went third class to Kingston which meant we often missed our turn for the dining car. Third means sleeping sitting in the day coach and enduring no a/c approaching Toronto. Not having to drive is the nice thing about taking the train.

The daughter from here has moved to Halifax to go to university. We have talked about going to see her there, but any means of travel is expensive. You can fly to Europe cheaper than to Halifax. I have pulled a trailer through Toronto on the 401. It is not a road where I would want to go in a cookie can.

My wife grew up in Holland so we know how crowded a small country can be. I once went on a hike with my wife's niece who now lives in Germany. We walked for an hour or two and she could not understand that we hadn't gotten anywhere except farther along the trail.

I know two families who have driven across the country. They both said that they were glad to do it so they could see the country but they never want to do it again. lol

A story someone told me when they visited Denmark; people kept saying things like, "You're from New Brunswick, Canada? I saw in the news that there's been some bad weather in Texas. Have you had any of that?"

You are so right about having no concept of our own size. Every time I look at a map I am floored. Here's Nova Scotia a tiny tiny lobster claw out in the Atlantic and then the rest of Canada. We are so freaking small!

It would have been 21 1/2 years ago that I packed up my 3 kids and set off on our shoestring budget trip across Canada. I had just finished 5 years of school. It was hard on the kids with all my studying so I wanted to go on a holiday with them and got it in my head to take a trip across Canada. My husband couldn't go due to work obligations, so I was driving solo. Had not so much money so I loaded up the dodge caravan with 6 weeks of food, tent, etc. and off we went. My kids were 10, 13 and 15. (the 15 year old went under duress LOL although when he climbed into the van he mumbled something like "well if I have to go, I might as well have a good time" LOLOL). No in van movies, no electronic gadgets. Just a box full of books, a few toys and mom singing.    We had a such a great time; I had an itinerary but altered it if we were having an especially good time (or not). We saw lots of National Parks. We loved Lake Winnipeg. Loved PEI and the maritimes in general. We all got sick of driving around Lake Superior. We coined the phrase "sleepy for cheapy" cuz that's what we did   They all have great memories of that trip. You have to plan to enjoy the journey and not rush. This is a beautiful country! The only provinces/territories I haven't been to yet is Newfoundland, Nunavut and NWT.

I say go for it!!!

You can use my camper if you want.

That was funny...I put on my best German accent, and was reading away...then realized hey - wait!!! - that's not the the German gal any more, that's Uno. it was funny to continue the accent right through to your last few paragraphs though. I hope you find a way to get out on your hog and ride!

We have had a plan in the works to go east for about 2 years but with life , injuries, critters and what do we really want to see its gonna be awhile before we get to doing the big trip. I want to go to the TARGA race in Nfld and hubby wants to see the Big Rig races in Quebec. The boys well they are willing to see and do anything along as its not chores we have been as far as Brandon, Manitoba. It was a quik trip to help an ex friend move back to BC.

We have pretty much explored most of BC. And are now expanding our horizons, but life happens and the plans are always evolving. Most assuring is that I know it will be done in a rice can and on a shoestring budget . That's what makes family memories.

I say go for it. The worlds your oyster, enjoy it.

I have explored a lot of BC, but this is a big province and there are some amazing places to see right at home.

When Hubby and I sold our house in Calgary, we decided to move out to New Brunswick. With a very old 21 foot motor home, two large dogs, a cat, a 4 year old, and an SUV hauling an open trailer filled with large Rubbermaid containers with all our worldly possessions, we began a 2 week trip across Canada in early February. It was insane!
Absolutely leaves you with stories to tell.
Winterpeg was negative 60 something with windchill, and people from there were out in it... Walking around... Wow!
Stopping on the side of the road to try and sleep with the motor running, since it was too cold to turn it off.
Three days driving to go around Lake Superior....
Montreal. Need I say more?
It was definitely an experience, and through it all, the one thing I really remember is, that Canadians across the country are generally really nice.
Would I do it again -no way! Not that way.
Just an FYI, I bussed from Buffalo NY to San Diego California, so I know cross country travelling....

Hub and I once took a trip (we are pretty much non-travellers, so this is a new thought process for us!) by bus from here to Wendover, Nevada. We were in our early 40s and everyone else on the bus called us 'the kids'. The youngest of the others was 65 all the way up to mid 80s. IT was a gambling tour populated by the old set. We travelled with our elderly neighbours. IT is amazing to me how oldsters can sleep anywhere!

It was a once in a lifetime event for us. We still talk about it. But would we do it over again? DOn't think so. What does that mean when you wouldn't give up an experience, but wouldn't do it over, either? A couple people have now said they wouldn't trade it for the world, and wouldn't do it again.

uno wrote:
It was a once in a lifetime event for us. We still talk about it. But would we do it over again? DOn't think so. What does that mean when you wouldn't give up an experience, but wouldn't do it over, either? A couple people have now said they wouldn't trade it for the world, and wouldn't do it again.

maybe it means that the dream was a brilliant experience, you got the goods from it and don't need to do it over cause you sucked it dry of all it had to offer. Plenty more adventures out there to have. the things that were appealing to me when I was 10 years younger are often not the things that appeal to me now. Jimi Hendrix still appeals though