Brett and I embarked on our journey from Toronto to Revelstoke last week. Two countries, seven states, three provinces, and forty-five hours later, we finally parked our little car in Revy.
Upon starting this journey, I tried researching the best route. I could not find anything online about the drive, where to stop, and where to stay. With the insufficient findings, I have decided to take it upon myself to document our trip with the tips and notes we have gathered.
Brett and I did the trip in five days, driving around eight to nine hours a day. Luckily, Brett passed his G test two days before leaving! This was the final push I needed to feel confident enough to share the driving with him. When planning our trip, we had two options. The shortest way to Revelstoke is crossing the border and going through the US. The other route, which is only a few hours longer, is to take the Trans Canada Highway all the way to Revelstoke. Not only did Brett and I want the shortest route, we wanted a drive that would be somewhat interesting and different. We were told that the Trans Canada Highway can be a bit boring and a bit slow if you get stuck behind an eighteen wheeler truck. Therefore, we did not hesitate to go for the border crossing.
For our first day, we woke up and left Toronto by 6:30 AM, to get to Chicago at a decent hour. It ended up being one of our longest days taking us over nine and a half hours due to traffic and stops. We were running on excitement and adrenaline, so we didn't mind the longer day. We stayed at the Kimpton Allegro Hotel, which was the cheapest, downtown option I could find. It was a beautiful hotel, designed with an Art-Deco vibe. Because of our timing, the hotel lobby was completely covered with Cubs gear. It was the first home game of the world series. The room was small, with no view, and an oddly laid out bathroom, but it had a comfortable bed and we were able to walk everywhere. We quickly dropped our things off and walked over to Millennium Park to see the infamous Bean. It was very crowded, but worth seeing as it is just so big and different. We made our way over to Navy Piers and along the way, decided to make a last minute decision and do a boat tour of the architecture of Chicago. It was a bit pricey at $37/person, but it was well worth it...very informative and interesting. We ended our night at Sunda, a beautiful, delicious, Asian Fusion restaurant. Chicago was our most expensive stopover, but we thought it was worth it. It was our only real city night and we were excited to start the road trip off with a bang.
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| Looking up the bean |
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| Architecture Boat Tour |
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| Sunda |
We left Chicago mid morning and started our trip to Alexandria, Minnesota. We drove through Illinois towards Wisconsin to finally reach Minnesota. A long, monotonous trip to a small town off the side of a highway. We stayed at the Best Western, which was perfect for what we needed. A large, clean bed and breakfast included. We headed to Doolittles Woodfire Grill, which was empty for a Saturday night. The food was good, but the service was even better. We had a lively dinner, with a few drinks (as they are 50% off after 9pm). It made the long drive worth it in the end.
Our drive to Montana was memorable and, by far, our favourite day of the road trip. It was filled with long, empty highways, and huge views. We finally learned what "big sky" country meant....truly amazing. We drove the entire width of North Dakota and we could not contain our excitement for the beauty surrounding us. We pulled off at the Theodore Roosevelt National Park visitors centre, which was unfortunately closed. We were still able to walk around and take in the views of the badlands, a first for both of us. We finished our night staying at the Sherman Inn, small hotel in Wolf Point, Montana, a town made up of 3000 people. A quiet and early night for the both of us.
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| The Badlands |
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| Big Sky |
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| Our Trusty Little Hyundai |
After an early take off, Brett and I were on route to Calgary. The border crossing was the smallest I have ever seen. No issues there and we were finally in the motherland. To be noted that there are no gasoline stops/bathroom breaks for 80 kilometres after the border...just straight views. We drove into Calgary at rush hour, which wasn't too bad and met Brett's sister for buck-a-shuck oysters and a few other snacks! We had a great night catching up and planning future adventures that we will be taking!
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| Feeding Frenzy |
Our final day was a beauty. We left the flat land and finally saw some mountains...snow covered at that! We drove the Trans Canada all the way to Revelstoke. This final drive is a bit tricky, as it is wet, icy, and a ton of curves. A bit scary when you have a huge truck headed the opposite direction on a tight turn. After 5 and a half hours, we finally landed in Revelstoke at our new home!
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We are thrilled to be here and are excited for the adventures that lay ahead.
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