Wednesday’s drive started off very windy, slick, and dark. The doesn’t start to rise till around 9am, so the majority of the drive from Minot, North Dakota to the Canadian/U.S. border checkpoint in Portal, ND into Saskatchewan and to the Trans-Canada highway was not relaxing, as freezing rain turned to snow.

Once I hit the Trans-Canada Highway, things got pretty awesome fast. Conditions were now cold enough that the road was fairly dry, and being the main Canadian highway, it was much better maintained than the small provincial road I had been on. I would not want to live there but I really enjoyed the beauty and atmosphere of the Canadian plains. Had I not been on a schedule, I would have pulled off the highway to check out the various dinosaur remains sites.

As I was driving along US Interstates-90 and 80, I liked the reassurance that there was going to be a big rest-stop with gasoline, food, restrooms  etc. quite frequently, especially as I would be likely sleeping at one of them. This is not the case on the Trans Canada highway, but I actually liked this fact. Then again, I was driving the long quiet stretch in broad daylight, in good weather conditions, and not anticipating needing to spend the night along the highway. Despite not having some of these huge rest stops, there are fairly periodic/frequent pull-outs for recycling and rubbish (good, because I eat a lot when I drive to stay away), and some times bathrooms. There was only one point where I was anxious about not knowing when the next gasoline station would be, and very much hoped my mental conversion from the distance on the road signs (in km) to the estimated range shown on my car dashboard (in miles) was correct. Fortunately, it was.

It’s a bit hard to tell but it was extremely windy – I didn’t feel that welcome.

Saskatchewan winds, I found out, are also something. I was literally blown over as I was filling up my car, and I had never had most of the windshield wiper fluid I was pouring (despite my efforts to orient myself correctly and block the wind), travel horizontally away from my target.

I have to admit I was surprised by how well my car and the cargo box held up to some pretty inhospitable driving conditions (roads and very very high winds across the plains and driving from Calgary to Canmore, actually).

My trusty steed when she was about to start off i.e. she is clean.

There was enough setting light for me to see the Canadian Rockies as I drove along the Trans-Canada highway towards Banff; I always forget how my heart and chest swell to the point of hurting when I see the Rockies rise up from the flat lands. It has been a long time since I have been in Canmore, and I was struck by the dramatic drive in to town.

3 days, 2609 miles, and too much junk food and too many McDonalds hashbrowns to count, I arrived at my destination of Canmore, Alberta.

2609 miles later, I arrived at my destination.

Despite getting up very early, making coffee, eating numerous hashbrowns at the McDonalds, and getting a 0530 start on the driving, I managed to get caught in crappy Chicago area traffic. Things got worse around Madison on I-90. I had no idea there could be such bad traffic jams around there, with many long haul trucks lined up. I had to take a lengthy detour on backroads to get around the traffic on I-90, and it cost me a lot of time.

I am not sure whether the day was long and boring because of the location itself, or because it was Day 2, I was tired, I was a little anxious about making it to my goal destination of Portal, ND (the Canadian entry point), and knew I had another day of long driving ahead of me. I had some slight anticipation of driving through Fargo, ND, as popularized by the fantastic Coen brothers film of the same name. It was quite a large town (strip malls etc) compared to the rest of the very large state.

A slightly dirty windshield and iPhone mounted near the dash.

I was somewhat disappointed not to be stopped by Officer Gunderson on my drive through Fargo (you will have to know the film to get that reference). I thought the spacer bars between the electricity lines were pretty neat. It must be because of the huge temperature differences experienced by the place throughout the year.

I have to say though, driving through dark, deserted, North Dakota backroads and small highways, in uncertain conditions (slick, wet, black ice) and uncertainty about when the next gas stop will be, when very tired, ranks alongside least favourite things ever. Being a planner, I played out scenarios of my car running into problems (mechanical or running out of petrol) and what I would do to get help.

I was far too tired to make it to Portal, ND (in retrospect, I am very glad I did not spend the night) and decided to bed down about 1.5 hrs away in Minot, ND, as it was a sizable town with amenities.

The drive took MUCH longer than the estimated Google Maps drive time.

Despite stopping short of my planned destination, enduring the very tiring and mentally taxing day put me in a good position for Day 3 driving.

Well, I reached Canmore, Alberta after three days of driving. I have never driven across the continent, or for more than a day even, before – it was an interesting but very tiring experience. I was glad to reach my destination in the prescribed time I had set for myself, but driving for ~15 hours each day was definitely taxing on the body and mind. I’m writing this a few days late, just because it has taken me some time to sort other things out, like skiing, dealing with logistics and unpacking (for this first stop).

My goal for Day 1 was to get as close to Chicago as possible, although I had been told reaching Cleveland, OH was a realistic goal. The route took me along the Great Lakes (Buffalo, Niagra Falls, Erie (PA)). Fortunately, temperatures were cold, so the roads were dry. There was some Lake effect snow that made for an atmospheric interlude.

Flurries around the Great Lakes.

I’ll get to you, Canada, farther down the road…

The estimated drive time is not indicative of the actual drive time, but on this day, I made good progress.

Being on large interstates (I-90 and I-80) meant that there were frequent rest stops and opportunities to refuel the car and myself. It made for easy and relaxing driving. I ended up bedding down for the night at a rest stop near South Bend, IN. I deliberately chose to sleep surrounded by the dulcet hum of large long-haul trucks under the very bright mood lighting of the truck parking area. I am very aware of being a small female sleeping alone in my car, but I felt like the best choice was to sleep amongst truckers versus being the only car (or one of very few cars) in a car rest stop/pull-out.

It was cold. Thank goodness for having a very warm sleeping bag.

I managed to get some sleep in the car. I had set aside the length of the car behind the drivers seat for me, and it was the perfect length. I even had a duffel bag at the foot of my feet and there was still room, although I do tend to sleep curled up in the foetal position. It would certainly be a little less comfortable for someone of taller stature; they would likely have to sleep diagonally. I wanted to get an early start for the next day as I wanted to get a lot of driving in to make the third, and final, day manageable and have me arriving in Canmore not too late, giving me time to unload the car etc. I have a tendency to stress out a little about planning and logistics. I am good at it, but it does occupy my mind a fair bit, especially on big trips like this.

September to February has been, and will be, an amazing and slightly insane travel season. From September to December, I did round-trips to Paris; Salt Lake City/City of Rocks, ID; Red Rocks, NV; and Hong Kong.

December to mid-Febrary are looking like this:

– Boston <-> SKIING ROAD TRIP (see below)
– Boston <-> Martinique
– Boston <-> Chamonix

I am using the time between when I return from Hong Kong to Francophile lands, to do something I have always wanted to do: a skiing road trip across America! Hopefully I’ll fit in a little bit of ice-climbing too. My itinerary will be dependent on weather, but tentative plan is based around the places that are a part of the Mountain Collective Pass.

I will return to Cambridge from Hong Kong, outfit my car for sleeping, storage, and the driving; dress up and go to a holiday party; ski in Vermont the next day hopefully, and then try and hit the road as soon as possible after that. I absolutely love planning for and preparing for big trips.  But there is a lot to cram in in a very short period of time.

My rough itinerary, subject to weather etc. is:
Cambridge, MA -> Lake Louise, AB -> Kicking Horse, BC -> Revelstoke, BC -> Whistler, BC -> Sun Valley, ID -> Salt Lake City -> Jackson, WY -> Aspen/Snowmass, CO -> Telluride, CO -> Taos, NM

The tentative plan. I may choose to go anti-clockwise instead.

I do not think I will be able to make it to Tahoe, given time constraints and without incurring enough speeding tickets to make me a fugitive from many states. Which sucks because I miss Squaw and Kirkwood. I’ll try and make it happen. I am going to get my ass kicked the first few days. I cannot wait to see friends in many of these places.

I am so excited about skiing and ice-climbing in/around Chamonix with my friend Yves in February! I have heard such amazing things about the place. It will be interesting to see how I handle the gnarlier lift-served terrain. I actually learned to ski in Switzerland when I was 12 years old, so maybe this counts as a home-coming of sorts? :)

Pins I collected as an excited 12 year old in Switzerland.

I will try my best to document this once in a lifetime experience.

So. Much. Stoke.