North America

Following our trip to Spain, we had been planning on almost immediately heading to Northern Ontario for some camping and hiking, but in the end we decided to spend six weeks at the family cottage a couple of hours north of Toronto, resting and recovering and readying ourselves for our East Coast adventures starting in July.

With the car stuffed to the gills with everything we might want for a summer of fun we took off on Canada Day on our Canadian road trip extravaganza. Our trip would take us from Ontario all the way across Canada, stopping in Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland – with a side trip to Boston and Cape Cod for good measure!

Our Quebec travels continued in the Laurentian mountains on the north west side of the St Lawrence River (aka le Fleuve) in Saguenay and Charlevoix regions.

After exploring the Laurentian mountains and Charlevoix area north of Le Fleuve, our travels were taking us now to the Gaspésie peninsula in Quebec, and 10 days of hiking and camping.

You can get screech’d in at many place, but Christian’s in St John’s is legendary. The entire bar shuts down during the 45 minute ceremony which is run by Lukie, a local dressed in his full wet weather fishing garb (sou’wester hat and heavy raincoat).

Cape Breton is an island of Nova Scotia and it is chock full of bays, peninsulas, large lakes and rivers, in addition to being surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean. Basically there’s water wherever you look.

Much of Newfoundland’s coastline has old walking trails used for trading between villages, which have been converted into actual hiking trails. In our four days in St John’s and few days in Bonavista Peninsula we hiked almost every day along the stunning coastal routes.

Neither of us knew much about Gros Morne before we got to Newfoundland. We knew it was a National Park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and figured it would have to have some cool hikes. But who knew that rocks – yes, rocks – could be so interesting.

Hiking in Gros Morne National Park is a lesson in plate techtonics and a day out in a stunning landscape all rolled into one. Given the nickname for Newfoundland is ‘The Rock’ it’s not surprising most of the hikes vary from boulder hopping to scrambling up steep slopes of scree.

For many people, food in Newfoundland means fish and chips. But if you take some time to look, Newfoundland has a lot more to offer in terms great restaurants, pubs and craft breweries. This list is just some of our favourite Newfoundland restaurants and pubs from our visit in 2022. 

Newfoundland was one of our favourite trips ever. The friendliness of the locals is legendary for a reason. It feels like coming home even if you’re not from there. Here’s a nutshell of travel tips to help you make the most of your visit.

Over the next couple of weeks we’ll travel through Nova Scotia and New England into Massachusetts, before heading ‘home’ to Ontario.

Heading West From Ontario to Calgary: This summer we’re taking a road trip, heading west from Ontario until we run out of land.

The Rocky Mountaineer train trip through the Canadian Rockies has been on our personal ‘bucket list’ for many years. This summer we had the chance to take the trip from Vancouver to Banff, and it didn’t disappoint!

Where we spend a week in the Rockies getting up close and personal with the mountains starting from Banff and up the Icefields Parkway to Jasper.

We’ve mapped out a route that gives us a couple of days in Revelstoke, Penticton, and the world-famous Whistler Village.

We’re heading from Oregon, through the Wild West of Idaho, Wyoming, and North Dakota, stopping off on the way at some ‘wish list’ places like Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park.

Chicago in a Nutshell: Chicago is well known for jazz, theatre and food but with parkland, outdoor music venues, cycle paths and river walks there’s no wonder it also comes alive with outdoor activities in the summer.  This nutshell outlines just a few of our tips from our three days in the city.