heading west

[2fast]

So i'm moving to edmonton next week. (gf lives there) I'll be driving out, leaving from london likely next monday.

I'm wondering if anyone has any recommendations regarding the trip itself. i've never had the opportunity to drive across this great country before. For the record, the trip will be entirely on canadian soil.

Should i just put the hammer down and drive 1300km a day or take my time? Can you recomend any places to stay along the way?

Unfortunately, money is a factor, but at the same time i'm very excited about the trip and want to make the most of it.


Also, i'm having a very hard time finding a motel that has reasonable weekly/monthly rates for my first little while there while i try and find a place. Net searches are all returning the same results over and over and none are affordable. Room and board is not an option. Any ideas?

Any help is greatly appreciated!

thanks in advance!

 

[ShizzleMaNizzle]

take the North road around the great lakes, i.e. hwy 11 instead of 17 all the way.

17 goes through the hills and is way too 'inclined' slows you down. other than that I don't really have any pointers.

 

[xix]

I drove there.

I did what you did. I started from hamilton then to sarnia through michigan then to Sault. St. Marie.

You should do Sudbury and North bay then to Sault. St. Marie.
that is one day trip. unless you stop at teh museum in Sudbury.

Then from Sault. st. Maurie to Thunderbay is one day. If actually sto to see the scenery. Which is Awesome.

From thunderbay to Saskatoon is another day.
From Sass to Edmonton I guess would be another day.

I mainly stay in mama's and papa's motel outside the cities. But Sault Marie had a hostel in downtown for $22 in 1996.
And yes the woman there are ummm....

My biggest recommendation is to read a few traveling books from the public library.

Good luck.

 

[Why Not?]

take the North road around the great lakes, i.e. hwy 11 instead of 17 all the way.

17 goes through the hills and is way too 'inclined' slows you down. other than that I don't really have any pointers.

I highly recommend this if you like LLOOONNNNGGG boring rides through the flattest, ugliest, swampy terrain in northern Ontario. Only the last 50 km into Nipigon and first 150 km out of North Bay is scenic.

On the other hand most of the Superior route (Hwy 17) is scenic. After Labour Day the traffic won't be as bad as most of the motor homes and travel trailers will off the road.

 

[FLT]

Do the North Shore of Superior. Definitely worth seeing.

 

[groo39]

Also, i'm having a very hard time finding a motel that has reasonable weekly/monthly rates for my first little while there while i try and find a place. Net searches are all returning the same results over and over and none are affordable. Room and board is not an option. Any ideas?

Chain hotels have relatively consistent pricing across the country. You won't find a huge discount unless you're comparing to the GTA core.

You might find a better deal if you can commit to a timeframe and try the executive suite listings. Some hotels have such suites, if you know to ask for a business suite instead of a room.

B&B's could be an option as well, though you might find that uncomfortably close to R&B.

Avoid the city core no matter where you go. You pay a huge premium for the convenience of walking to the morning meetings, which isn't what you seem to be after.

 

[groo39]

The Drive

From the Thunder Bay region to the Manitoba border, you'll want to keep your speed down. There are a lot of cheese-dicks wearing uniforms who nail any non-locals, knowing that most people won't fight the ticket because it's too far out of the way to drive back.

Don't be surprised if you're told you're doing 5-10 kph faster than you had your cruise control set to as well. It's your word against theirs, and the only way out of the fraud is to go back and fight it or hire a lawyer.

 

[MsKiss]

When you hit the Northern parts of Ontario, have a camera ready. Not for the scenery, but take a picture of the look on your face the first time you see a moose or a bear on the side of the road.

And don't be surprised as to how long it takes you to get out of Ontario.

Bonnie

 

[Big Bear]

Take Your time and enjoy!

Definately take the Lake Superior route unless you like looking at trees and swamp. I used to travel NW Ontario regularly and in the words of one of my former colleagues "the best view of Geraldton is the one in your rearview mirror"

It's a great time of year to travel as most of the tourists have left and the trees will be changing colour so you'll get a lot of great views. Day 1 should get you to someplace like Sault Saint Marie and the second somewhere west of T Bay, maybe as far as Winnipeg. Route through Saskatoon is a lot more interesting than taking the southern route through Regina and then up. Flat as a pancake with no turns between Brandon and Regina. I know people who have read a book while driving that route.

One other word of advise based on what Ms. Kiss said. Don't honk your horn at the animals! I know a guy who honked his horn at a moose outside Thunder Bay and regretted it. Moose charged the car and did almost $5,000 damage to the front end and it still walked away. Try explaining that to your insurance company.

Most of the small mom and pop motels along the North Shore of Superior are fine and are inexpensive. Meals are big and not expensive if you have them in the small towns. Just remember that hot hamburger sandwiches are considered a gourmet treat.

 

[2fast]

All the advice so far is greatly appreciated. I'll be taking the ferry over to manitoulin, so given the rest period i'll have, i plan to drive farther than sault st marie the first night. (unkess someone has a good reason to stop there overnight)

Can anyone confirm that motels and restaurants are plentiful on 17 between wawa and thunder bay? I don't intend to drive to late the first night as i've always wanted to make the drive through northern ontario and dont intend to miss the scenery in the dark.

My intention was to take the lower route (#11) to winnipeg, but may reconsider now and take #17.

I also intended to take #16 after winnipeg through saskatoon and on to edmonton, or is it smarter to take #1 through regina then up #11 to saskatoon given it looks like a larger (faster) highway?

All the opinions are appreciated!!

 

[2fast]

When you hit the Northern parts of Ontario, have a camera ready. Not for the scenery, but take a picture of the look on your face the first time you see a moose or a bear on the side of the road.

And don't be surprised as to how long it takes you to get out of Ontario.

Bonnie

I'll have the digital camera ready at all times!! I've actually had past experience with bears/moose in northen ontario. Really looking forward to the drive.

 

[Avery]

Re: I drove there.

Then from Sault. st. Maurie to Thunderbay is one day. From thunderbay to Saskatoon is another day.
From Sass to Edmonton I guess would be another day.

Sault Ste. Marie to Thunder Bay is about 700 km - 7 to 8 hours of driving time on a 2-lane highway.

T. Bay to Saskatoon would be a hell of a long day's driving, especially if you're alone. It's about 1500 km, and only about 200 km (in Manitoba) is a four-lane highway. You'd be really hard pressed to do it in less than 15 or 16 hours of driving time.

Saskatoon to Edmonton is only about 500km, i.e. 5 hours driving.

To break it up a little more evenly, try SSM - Dryden, Dryden - Yorkton, SK and Yorkton - Edmonton.

 

[groo39]

Hotels

At this time of year, you'll still find a fair number of the mom & pop hotels open. If you see a car parked in front, stop in and ask -- you won't find too many brightly lit signs, even if they're open.

Most aren't even air-conditioned, but they're dirt cheap, usually clean enough (if a bit musty from disuse), and serve the purpose if all you want is a horizontal padded surface for a few hours and a shower after.

I can't think of any stretches where I haven't been able to find a hotel within an hour of deciding it's time to find a place to get some sleep. Just don't expect to find one within the next 5-10 minutes.

Keep an eye out for any hotels with at least 2-3 rigs parked. Those are pretty much guaranteed to be decent little sleep-stops for a good price. Same thing with restaurants -- follow the truckers if you're trying to save a few bucks!