Why?
A few thoughts about our pending trip
01/08/2022
Our trans Canada road trip has been on the drawing board for at least 3 years. Covid lockdown & travel restrictions meant it was postponed by at least one year, if not two. The format, schedule and even route have been in constant evolution. As Canada has tentatively re-opened its borders to international tourists, many businesses in the sector have either closed permanently or redefined themselves. Train & airline schedules have been changed or cut completely. But most significant of all, post covid, the global car rental market is facing huge supply problems. During the pandemic, companies sold off their car fleets but now cannot restock in sufficient quantity. Our holiday is based on self drive for over 40 days so our trip has been greatly impacted. We can no longer drive across certain states & hire charges have rocketed. But overland trips are what we love to do. Canada by train would just not give us the chance to experience the vastness & complexities of the Canadian nation & its people. Indeed it is due to its size that Canada features on our travel radar:
By landmass, accounting for 6.1% of our planet’s land surface, Canada is the second largest country in the world. However in terms of population ( with circa 38 million people or just 0.5% of the world’s total ) it is way down the ranking. Compare that with China, the world’s third largest country, with a slightly inferior landmass but a colossal 17.7% of the world’s population. Russia, with 11% of landmass wins the gold medal for size. And if Putin realises some of his current geopolitical ambitions, Russia would become even larger. Well of course we’re not particularly keen to venture into Russia at the current time. So looking for a new road adventure we decided to drive across Canada starting in Vancouver in British Columbia & finishing in Halifax in Nova Scotia.
Actually our trip will extend beyond Canada’s borders. At the very start of our holiday & before we pick up any hire car, we will be spending over 2 weeks in Alaska. On SG’s bucket list is the annual spectacle of brown bears gorging themselves on the salmon run before they retreat into their winter hibernation. Our adventures start in Anchorage, not Vancouver. The whole overland journey will last 60 days, visiting two countries, America (Alaska) & Canada and driving through 9 of Canada’s 10 provinces & 1 of its 3 vast territories. By the end of it all, we will still only have seen a small proportion of this magnificent part of the world. And in many places we will surely see more wildlife than humans. The mileage covered will be declared at the end of this diary. Who knows what detours we will have to make!
Posted by sagbucks 11:15 Archived in United Kingdom