Uprooted and adrift: A road trip across Canada

Cover image credit: Shot by the author when she was in her Wild Rose Country.

5300 kilometers from Beautiful British Columbia to Je Me Souviens has been an incredible road trip; an experience that was not on my bucket list but one that I am immensely grateful for. I’ve loved the Yukon for almost three decades and was super stoked to finally start my long-awaited journey to the True North last Sept when a life-altering event changed the course yet again.

The True North

Before this road trip, the wilderness of the Yukon, Alberta, British Columbia, and Newfoundland and Labrador was all I cared about. If you were to stumble upon my poem on The True North strong and free, you might have appreciated my passion and enthusiasm but found my gaze quite narrow.

When I reluctantly agreed to drive south from Fort Nelson (British Columbia) to Longueuil (Québec), I was upset that I was leaving the mountains and a good northern latitude for a crowded city that I did not want to see (Montréal). I love Québec’s wilderness too, but a metropolitan area was not even my last choice.

Life had other plans, and I guess it was time for me to widen my gaze. I’m glad that I don’t live in Montréal, but I am grateful for the opportunity to drive through the living skies of Saskatchewan, friendly Manitoba, and yours to discover Ontario. I have come to appreciate a lot more of the Canadian wilderness, and Québec is absolutely stunning as you drive away from Montréal.

Canadian Cordillera

I am happy that I am still close to the Canadian Cordillera because my Longueuil library keeps an awesome book titled Géologie de l’Orogène de la Cordillère au Canada. Yes, I get to read about her sheer beauty and immensity in French!

Enjoying this chapter of life on the East coast. I don’t know how long it will be, but I’m sure that the last chapter will be back home in my Wild Rose Country because that’s where my best friend of 16 years is resting.

Also, it is quite hard to beat a driver’s licence (DL) that has a piece of the Canadian Cordillera and a freaking dinosaur. I was happy to get that DL when I landed in Alberta, and I’d love that as my last DL - whenever that is.

Happy Canada Day

Happy Canada Day to everyone who is celebrating today!

Sharing some photos of my road trip in case a cross-country experience is on your bucket list and you need a slight nudge to take action. I shot these photos when my brother was driving. I drove only 2200 kilometers of the 5300-km trip.

Take a tangent in your life cause you never know what you need to learn and unlearn. You got this!