Despite the title of my blog and my love of international travel, my favorite way to travel is in a car on the backroads! There is just no better way to experience the beauty and uniqueness of a place than to get off the highway. The National Parks are usually the highlights of our trips, and we make a special effort to plan the routes around them. We enjoy seeking out interesting roadside attractions, like charming Tinkertown on the Turquoise Trail in Sandia, New Mexico (www.tinkertown.com); creepy Bishop Castle in Rye, Colorado (www.bishopcastle.org); and the overwhelming House on the Rock near Spring Green, Wisconsin (www.houseontherock.com). (Interesting side note – we visited Tinkertown in 2016; in 2020, we met the owner on our Antarctica trip!) We try to reconnect with family and friends, some of whom I haven’t seen in person in 30 years. And any of you who know us understand that most stopovers involve local breweries and good food!
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| Some of the wonderful miniatures carved by Ross Ward at Tinkertown in New Mexico |
Just after returning from Antarctica in March, we started planning our next big adventure – a multi-leg road trip across Canada in our 1968 Camaro. "Sting", from BC to Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia, then down the East Coast of the US and back to Washington. We had planned to leave home on May 20th to drive to Revelstoke, BC. Why Revelstoke? Well, the tacos at the Taco Club, of course! And perhaps some of the most stunning scenery in British Columbia. The first leg of the trip will take us through Revelstoke, Canmore, Medicine Hat, Regina, and Brandon, on our way to Winnipeg. All the hotels and the flight home from Winnipeg were all booked! … and then COVID-19 happened. The US-Canadian border closed on March 20th, originally for 30 days. Last week, we found out that the border will be closed until at least May 21st. So, I spent an afternoon last week rescheduling that first leg for mid-June, fingers crossed that the border will re-open!
We have driven across the United States together six times – 4 westbound trips relocating vehicles from Georgia to Washington while we were still working (all different routes, of course), and one trip from Washington to Georgia and back in the Camaro after we retired. The Camaro trip was an EPIC road trip – more than 10,000 miles, 23 states, 6 National Parks, 7 National Monuments, Atlantic & Pacific Oceans, Gulf of Mexico, Route 66, Hwy 101, Continental Divide, The Alamo, Hoover Dam, the World’s largest six-pack, and a Giant Pistachio! Last summer, we drove the Camaro from Washington to San Simeon, California, taking in the Oregon Caves National Monument, Redwoods National Park, the 17-Mile Drive through Pebble Beach, the Golden Gate Bridge, Shakespeare Santa Cruz (twice because it was amazing), Hearst Castle, Pinnacles National Park, Crater Lake National Park, and Timberline Lodge. Another amazing trip.
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| "Sting", or 1968 Camaro at Badlands National Park |
We continue to fine-tune our road-tripping skills and find the right balance between pre-planning and spontaneity. Since the cross-Canada trip is a multi-leg journey (we will drive for 5-10 days, store the car, fly home, and then return a few weeks later to continue the trip), we had to make sure to end up at airports with good flight service back to the west coast. We plan to drive between four and six hours per day which leaves lots of time for route diversions, hikes, and photo ops, while still getting us to our destination before dark, and before dinner.
Overnight locations are chosen for driving distance and proximity to “landmarks” that we want to visit, whether that is a National Park, a hiking trail, or an enormous plaster moose. Lots of landmarks are chosen before we leave, looking at paper maps, google maps, park service maps, and Atlas Obscura (www.atlasobscura.com is an amazing resource!); seeking advice from friends along the route; and even chatting up our car-centric Facebook groups.
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| The magnificent Timberline Lodge at Mount Hood, OR |
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| The Star Drive-in near Montrose, CO. |
Lodging for the whole trip is booked in advance so that we know we have a safe place to stay at a reasonable cost. Where possible, we try to stay at locally-owned establishments, with Holiday Inn and Best Western properties as our go-to chains when that isn’t possible. Pro tip: it’s almost always best to book local places on their website; the owners appreciate not having to pass on a fee to the booking sites. Beyond landmarks and lodging is the spontaneity! We use Yelp! (www.yelp.com) to find places to eat and drink and always re-check Atlas Obscura for local oddities. The best resource of all, though, are the locals – bartenders and waitstaff are typically a treasure-trove of information. We can thank these folks for lots of diversions, including Palo Duro Canyon State Park near Amarillo, Texas, and the Star Drive-In Theater near Montrose, Colorado.
We are very much looking forward to our trip across Canada and exploring their National and Provincial Parks and quirky roadside attractions. Perhaps we will swing through Drumheller, Alberta, to see the world’s largest dinosaur, the hoodoos and the six-person chapel? While in Winnipeg, we must visit the zoo to see the statue of Winnipeg the Bear, the WWI origin of Winnie-the-Pooh! I want to drive across the 7.5 mile long Confederation Bridge, linking New Brunswick to Prince Edward Island so that I can visit the Canadian Potato Museum. There is so much to see! There are 42 National Parks in Canada and over one thousand Provincial and Territorial Parks. Try googling “world’s largest Canada”… fiddle, squid, and rocking horse just to name a few!
Here’s to the border reopening in time for a mid-June departure, eh!
Marsha Seekins
For those of you who are interested in following Sting's adventures, check out the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Sting68Camaro/
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