Since the last blog which was sent from Drumheller, we have had a relaxing week mostly in the Okanagan. It was so nice to see the mountains on the skyline as we skirted Calgary and we had a beautiful day to drive through Banff National Park and the Kicking Horse Pass. We decided to try and have a quick look at Lake Louise which we hadn\u2019t visited for 51 years! Although we were there on a weekday at the end of September it was still very busy. We ignored the suggested shuttle service from 5km away and eventually managed to find a parking spot within a five minute walk of the lake. On our previous visit the glacier had still been down to the lake while it has now receded well up the mountain. The next day we were not so lucky with the weather as Roger\u2019s Pass was in the clouds with rain most of the way until we hit the Okanagan. We had a couple of lovely days in Lake Country and Naramata visiting old friends before heading down to the extreme south and the Nk\u2019Mip campsite on Osoyoos Lake. We have visited several wineries in the last few days and are coming home with about 18 bottles of red we hope to cellar for a few years before drinking. We had been planning on heading home on the 5th, but had been on tenterhooks that grapes would arrive for us on the Island before we were home. On the 4th we heard that the first grapes were arriving on Saturday 7th. Whew!!!! The drive home from the Okanagan was uneventful and we arrived home after a 55 day absence and a drive of 12,580 km.<\/p>\n

Looking back over the past six weeks, our initial reaction is the satisfaction of having safely made the journey. We have now so much better an understanding of the country, its huge size and diversity. It was such a brilliant idea to waive entry fees for the national parks for Canada\u2019s birthday as so many people had the chance to enjoy what they have to offer and to get information from the very knowledgeable staff. We certainly took that advantage and enjoyed the history in St. John\u2019s, the grandeur of Gros Morne, the Viking Settlement at L\u2019Anse aux Meadows, the Evangeline Trail in Nova Scotia and and New Brunswick and Lake Louise. Our visit to Ottawa and tour of the Parliament Buildings was very special. Earlier this year we \u00a0were not hugely thrilled on hearing of all the money being spent on the birthday celebrations but felt that MosaiCanada in Gatineau was worth every penny. We were very surprised by our drive across the Prairies as it was anything but boring – so beautiful in the Fall sunshine. It was only when we arrived back in BC we realized how much we had missed the mountains. We approached Victoria on a lovely sunny afternoon and, having travelled right across the country, we felt so lucky to have our home in Victoria.<\/p>\n

Total distance driven St. John\u2019s to Victoria:12580 km
\nCrow flies distance SJ to V: 5063 km
\nDirect road distance (Google) SJ to V: 6761 km
\nOutward journey: 12,596 km
\nTotal km on the van this summer: 26,176 km.- I can\u2019t believe how close the outward and homebound distances driven are!<\/p>\n

Days from SJ to V: 54
\nAverage distance driven per day: 233 km
\nLongest day\u2019s drive: 679 km
\nWere in 9 of the 10 provinces (PEI missed out)
\nWere in 6 time zones<\/p>\n

Total cost of fuel: $2,681
\nAverage litres\/100 km: 18.7
\nAverage fuel price: (includes price spike from hurricane on Texas Coast) $1.14\/litre
\nTotal repair bills – one oil change on return journey, new water pump and oil change on outward leg!<\/p>\n

Some high spots<\/b>– not in any order other than E to W
\nL\u2019Anse aux Meadows NP
\nGros Morne NP
\nLouisbourg NP
\nGrand Pr\u00e8 National Historic Site
\nOttawa- including our home exchange in Gatineau
\nStratford and Niagara on the Lake
\nMuseum of Human Rights, Winnipeg
\nRoyal Tyrrell Museum, Drumheller<\/p>\n

Some surprises:<\/b>
\nWe did it!
\nThe vastness and diversity of Canada
\nHow quiet the TCH was (other than the Toronto and Banff areas)
\nHow pleasant the scenery was in most of Northern Ontario
\n90 cent\/litre gas in Manitoba and Sask.
\nThe water, colour and relative lack of long, flat, straight roads crossing the prairies
\nThe general absence of wasps, mosquitoes and flies<\/p>\n

Some disappointments<\/b>:
\nThat, due to the shortening days, the closure of many campsites on or before the end of September and the likelihood of grapes arriving for us in Victoria, we did not have time to stop and see much in the Prairie Provinces.
\nTotal lack of Roger\u2019s coverage for our cell phone in most of Newfoundland<\/p>\n

Most important equipment<\/b>:
\nRobin\u2019s iPad with Telus SIM card. This enabled us to use the I-maps GPS to guide us through cities and find the best routes across the country. Also we were in constant e-mail connectivity and could listen to CBC without having to constantly hunt for the local station. There was only one stretch of about 250 km in Northern Ontario where we could not get a Telus Signal for a significant time.<\/p>\n