Little known fact: 26 hours of driving straight is really hard on the ass. 
Seriously, I almost collapsed. After we got home and unloaded the car, my equilibrium was way off. 

That being said, the trip was a balance of family, friends, fun and discovery (couldn’t think of another “f-word”) and equal amounts of pain. 

I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Imma start this summary with the thank yous for the friends and families that put us up. I’ve thanked them a bunch, but I can’t thank them enough. Wendy, Matt, Rachel, Brooke and Michael. Ken, Tamara and Carol. Richard, Melissa, Sloan, Ian, Niles and Noah. Paul and Nicole. You all rock our world. 

Thank you to all the fund supporters (still looking for support for our next adventure!), we received much more than we could ever expect! Time for me to get started on the art!

All of the excitement aside, on to the fun stuff!

By the numbers:

20 total days on the road (July 15th-August 4th)

11162 total mileage in kms

4400 total cost of trip in dollars (approx)

90.9 cheapest gas per litre (don’t remember where, but it was full service!)

129.4 most expensive gas per litre (Revelstoke)

10 varieties of wildlife spotted in nature (Black bear, elk, deer, bald eagle, bunny, jellyfish, coyote, sealion, prairie dog, magpie)

2 Terry Fox monuments visited

2 times lost

4 stays in hotels/motels

9 sleeping at friends and families

5 camping out nights

2 car naps

3 drivers irritated by us making wrong turns

2 Giant Tiger stores visited

3 Wal-Marts visited

4 Starbucks visited

6 police cars seen while not in Ontario

Countless Tim Hortons and McDonald’s visited (sometimes just for washroom and Wi-Fi breaks, we actually didn’t consume too much fast food)
Awards (visiting family and friends don’t qualify):

Best moment from entire trip: Kathy’s bear encounter. After much disappoint with the lack of wildlife this far on the trip, we finally found a bear. This lonesome guy was just eating berries at the side of the road, ignoring the gathering of admirers. He got just a couple metres away from Kathy. (Runner up: Terry Fox monument in Thunder Bay. This was a bucket list moment for me.)

Best overall experience: The entire trip. With no major meltdowns, no vehicle problems and so many newly discovered opportunities just made the entire 20 days unforgettable. 
Biggest disappointment: West Edmonton Mall. After all the hype and excitement to see it After all these years, while an interesting place to visit, the cost of the featured entertainment (waterpark, theme park) was discouraging, as well as the seemingly pumped retail prices. (Runner up: Cost of the Vancouver Island Ferry. Just ridiculous.)

Biggest surprise: Athabasca Glacier. The recession of the ice due to global warming prevented the kids from fully experiencing the epicness of the icefields. Plus it was a real eye opener to the impact of the gradual increase in tempreature on the earth. (Runner up: Karaoke night!)

Best picture (Uncle Ken’s not included):

Runner ups:

Sketchiest place: Medicine Hat Park Lane Motel. The fact that a cop interrupted our check-in was pretty telling of the environment we were subjecting ourselves to. The creepy guy in the laundry room, the ghetto guests coming in and out of the lobby, the attached liquor store in the basement, the trashy receptionist, the icky room and Sharknado 4 on the tv just made it a real experience. 
Top 5 places:

1. Bridal Veil Falls
2. Jasper National Park/Rocky Mountains
3. Royal Tyrell Museum
4. Alberta Badlands
5. Terry Fox Monument, Thunder Bay

(Runner up: Miller’s Campground)

Missing in action:

1. Whales
2. Moose
3. Cowboys
4. Saskatoon Berries
5. Mountain goats

Thanks again for following along. I hope our adventure was entertaining! I had fun writing the blog entries and look forward to many more!

Please feel free to leave a comment!