Anton's Amazing Race

Anton’s Amazing Race

Terry wrote an entry a few months ago admonishing the rest of us Canadians for not travelling within Canada often enough (See the post in March named “Change is Good”). He made some good points and funny enough I had similar thought processes several months earlier when deciding (and just as importantly budgeting) where I would like to spend my rotational leave this year. Here I am, a globetrotter since the age of six, and I have never been to the East coast of Canada. I resolved that one of my trips this year would take me there. Terry didn’t mention that the reason a lot of us don’t travel within Canada is that it can be more expensive to do so and this trip is no exception. FYI, one way car rentals are stupid expensive. Expense aside, I’ve put together a trip that’s going to take me from one coast to the other. I’ll admit that I’m skipping a lot of the stuff in between but when you check out my itinerary below, you’ll see it’s ridiculous enough as it is.

Ahem:

- Thursday July 28th 1:25 AM – Flight from Santo Domingo to New York
- Thursday July 28th 9:15 AM – Flight from New York to Halifax
- Thursday July 28th 3:15 PM - Flight from Halifax to St Johns
- Thursday July 28th in St Johns: George Street Festival – Great Big Sea Concert
- Friday July 29th in St Johns: Recover/Explore/Collect Water from Atlantic Ocean & More George Street Festival
- Saturday July 30th – Drive 8.5 hrs from St Johns to Rocky Harbour in Gros Morne National Park
- Sunday July 31st – Ascend Gros Morne Mountain 8hr Hike/Climb
- Monday August 1st – Hike/Boat Cruise through West Brook Pond in Gros Morne National Park
- Monday August 1st 8:00 PM– Leave Rocky Harbour and Drive 4.5 Hrs to Port Aux Basques
- Tuesday August 2nd 5:00 AM – Catch Ferry from Port Aux Basques to North Sydney Nova Scotia
- Tuesday August 2nd 12:00 PM – Drive from North Sydney to Cape Breton and follow the Cabot Trail
- Tuesday August 2nd 3:00 PM – Hike on headland north of Cheticamp, Nova Scotia 3 Hrs
- Tuesday August 2nd 6:00 PM - Drive to Ingonish Beach approx 2 Hrs
- Wednesday August 3rd – Breakfast in Ingonish Beach and a quick morning exploration
- Wednesday August 3rd 12:00 PM – Leisurely drive to Halifax Approx 5 Hrs
- Wednesday August 3rd 6:00 PM – Dinner in Halifax near the harbour and explore the old fort
- Thursday August 4th 5:45 AM – Fly from Halifax to Toronto
- Thursday August 4th 8:15 AM – Fly from Toronto to Edmonton
- Thursday August 4th in Edmonton – Kill time until people are off work
- Friday August 5th in Edmonton – See movie/buy supplies eat at Julio’s Barrio and drink myself silly
- Saturday August 6th in Edmonton – Different movie, different restaurant but essentially the same thing
- Sunday August 7th 12:00 PM – Drive to Elkford approximately 5.5 hrs depending on how adventurous I get with the gas pedal and if I stop in Calgary
- Sunday August 7th Evening – Lamplighter pub dinner for old times’ sake
- Monday August 8th – All day trip to Elk Lakes & hike to Petain Falls
- Tuesday August 9th 7:00 AM – Drive to Penticton BC along Highway 3 8.5 Hrs
- Tuesday August 9th 4:00 PM – Visits in Penticton potential dinner at best greek restaurant ever
- Wednesday August 10th - More visits in Penticton
- Wednesday August 10th 11:00 AM – Drive to Vancouver Airport (5hrs depending on traffic)
- Wednesday August 10th Evening – Gathering of friends & family depending on who's available
- Thursday August 11th Morning – Catch a ferry to the island, stop briefly in Nanaimo and drive to Tofino (est time 9 hours due to grandparents in Nanaimo)
- Thursday August 11th Evening – Dinner in Tofino
- Friday August 12th in Tofino – Dump water from Atlantic into Pacific (yay) Possible hike near Tofino
- Saturday August 13th 10:00ish – Drive to Nanaimo Approx 4 Hrs
- Saturday August 13th 6:00 PM – Attend Wedding in Duncan
- Sunday August 14th – Return to Vancouver & Chill
- Monday August 15th 2:25 PM – Fly to Dallas & Pass out
- Tuesday August 16th 7:10 AM – Fly to Santo Domingo via Miami and drive back to Minesite

DISCLAIMER: In no way can the above be considered relaxing. Side effects include fatigue, overdose of Tim’s Coffee, irritability, and one of the best damn experiences of your existence.