We’ve done it! We have officially driven from Vancouver, British Columbia to Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. This is probably going to be a long post because I’m going to try to cram everything into one, unlike my England trip. Let me know in the comments below which you prefer for travel blogs.
I was going to do a whole “Where we stayed” and “What I ate” section, but a lot of it was McDonalds fries (always gluten free) and cheap hotels with vacancy. I’ll be sure to make note of the exciting ones though and include links.
We left Vancouver on July 30, 2017 which was a Sunday. We spent the morning with loved ones as we packed everything into the moving truck and then said our goodbyes. It was really bittersweet leaving our first home together, and the first place that has felt like home to me in my adult life.
On the 30th we drove to Vernon to spend a day and a half with my mom and see some friends and from there we headed to Calgary, AB on August 1st.
Driving through the Rocky Mountains was obviously beautiful and I wish I had spent more time looking out the window because what has become the norm is much, much different.
After a quick stop in Calgary we started our drive to Saskatoon, SK on August 2nd. We made a pit stop in Drumheller, AB to see the landscape and the Royal Tyrrell Museum to check out some cool dinosaurs.
After a night in Saskatoon, SK with some close family friends we started the drive to Winnipeg, MB on August 3rd. This is one of the longest feeling legs of this trip. Just a straight, flat prairie drive for close to 9 hours.
I’m not going to lie, I had some judgments about Saskatoon and Winnipeg as a westcoast girl, but I can confidently tell you that they’re not bad! Saskatoon was actually an awesome city and I would love to go back there and actually have some time to explore.
As for Winnipeg, we just happened to get there during the Canada Games. Neither of us actually had any idea that they were happening but decided last minute to have dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory. Dinner was obviously fine, but the location happened to be right in the hub of all the Festivities. If this wasn’t all enough of a fluke, the night we were there was PEI night and featured artists from Seb’s motherland. We caught some live music and fireworks before heading back to the hotel for a good nights sleep.
From Winnipeg, on August 4th we headed south through the states. We planned on spending the night in Duluth, MN but Thomas the Tank Engine was in town and all the hotels within 100 km were completely booked up. We stopped for dinner and a legal amount of drinks at this awesome pub called Thirsty Pagan Brewing in Superior, WI. They didn’t have much in the way of gluten free options, as they feature pizza and beer, but they had a hoppy cider and this awesome cheesy, buffalo chicken dip with tortilla chips. That stuff could easily kill you – but I enjoyed every bite.
They make all their own beers and they had a massive selection. It was a really awesome spot, and if I ever get my hands on a magic pill that allows me to eat gluten, I’ll be heading back here right away.
On August 5th we went east again back over the border. We planned on spending the night in Sault Ste. Marie, ON but again, all the hotels were booked up. I ended up booking a B&B off the beaten track called Sleepy Hollow B&B and this place was magical. It was right on Lake Huron the hosts, Jenny and Mike were so accommodating and friendly. We had our own private cabin on the property and spent the evening chatting and sitting by the fire. In the morning Jenny made us an amazing breakfast and told us “No one leaves my house hungry”. I would absolutely recommend this spot to everyone and the best part is it’s only 95$/night!
On August 6th, a week since leaving Vancouver, we finally made it to Ottawa. Luckily for us it was Fajita night at Churchills in Westboro. We had a great dinner together before heading back home and calling it a night.
The next day, we went downtown to explore, run some errands, do some shopping and do some general tourist things.
We went to Parliament Hill and wandered around Sparks Street. We also took a guided tour of the Supreme Court of Canada because I’m a huge nerd. Seb’s such a trooper for following along on all the nerdy government centered things I love. It was awesome to have a rest day with less than an hour driving time, a much needed refresher before getting back in the car on August 8th and driving to Quebec City for the night.
In Quebec city we spent most of the day just wandering around and seeing the sights. We had dinner at a place called Le Veravin in Old Quebec as it had been called “A Celiac Haven” in its reviews. It was mostly just okay. We shared an order of the Gluten Free Traditional Poutine, which was actually incredible, they were very generous with the curds, which is all I can really ask for, and the gravy was really nice. For our main we shared the Duck Confit Pasta, I imagined that for the price there would be a little more duck, but I think we each maybe got a bite or two in the entire dish. The atmosphere was nice, the service was good but the prices were a little high. This was only to be expected as we were in the more touristy area. I just found that the pasta was not worth the price. 10/10 for the poutine though.
The next morning, August 9th we packed up the car one last time and drove towards Prince Edward Island. We drove through the rest of Quebec and New Brunswick and then over the Confederation Bridge! I didn’t get any pictures of the actual view though, as the barricades along the side are taller than I am in our little car. It was a pretty cool bridge though!
We got into PEI around 6 Atlantic Time and we were welcomed with pizza and beer! I had some gluten free pizza from a place called Famous Peppers and guys, it was a killer gluten free pizza.
So it’s been a little under two weeks now since we left our home in Vancouver and embarked on this journey across our beautiful, vast country. I probably wouldn’t do it again, but it was a bucket list item for sure. I had some good gluten free eats, and stayed at some beautiful places. We were blessed enough to have family and friends across the country who welcomed us into their homes for nights here and there. We only had to stay in three budget hotels, and got lucky with a beautiful B&B.
Onwards to the next adventure.
