So Long, Ontario.

LONG DAY! We were up at the crack of dawn - or at least for me it was. I am not a morning person, so when my alarm rang in my ear at 6am this morning, I had a few choice words for the device. Showered, fed, and coffee in hand, Andrea and I departed from Sault Ste. Marie at 7:30am excited and keen for the day ahead. 

When we plugged the address for our destination in the GPS system, it estimated that we would be on the road for 15 hours. Ouch! What we've learned though is that the GPS thinks we drive the speed limit of 90 km/h the whole way. False! Cruising at 105 km/h didn't see us getting stopped by any police officers as we passed by them frequently. Success! 

Today was by far the most gorgeous and scenic drive I've ever taken. For approximately 6 hours we drove through mountains and along Lake Superior. What a huge lake! - compared to the small ones I'm used to in New Brunswick. Lots of pictures were taken, and videos too, but they truly can't do the drive any justice. There were lots of opportunities for travellers to stop along designated "look out" points to take in the majestic lake and all its beauty. I liked stopping at this "look out" points because there would be vacationers and travellers from all over New Brunswick. Today, we talked to a nice guy from Vancouver Island, BC. He is orginally from the Netherlands, but moved to Canada 3 years ago and he loves it! He raves about how amazing the people are here and how beautiful our country is. When he asked us where we were headed and why, he was floored at how "lightly" we had packed. I told him that I feared I had packed too much. He assured me that when his fiance moved from Niagara to Vancouver Island she packed so much that she had to haul it in a trailer. I doubt our new friend is reading this blog post, but I wish him good luck on the rest of his journey and all the best at his wedding in 12 days!

I highly recommend that everyone travel the highway 17 from Sault Ste. Marie to Thunder Bay, Ontario at some point in your life. I will forever remember it. 

After the blissful drive through Lake Superior, we endured another 4.5 hours of driving through small towns, the middle of nowhere, and out of cell phone service capabilities. Andrea and I both agree that the last 100km of each day have been the worst because we've been sitting for so long and our eyes are getting tired that it seems like we'll never get there! 

At 7pm Dryden, Ontario time (9pm New Brunswick time) we arrived at the Comfort Inn, our third destination of the journey to Calgary. Saying that we are both exhausted is an understatement. The thought of even chewing food when we went to Pizza Hut for supper earlier made my eyes heavy. Our plan for tomorrow is to sleep an extra two hours than we have thus far. A much shorter journey to Regina (estimating approximately 9.5 hours, gaining an hour after the time change in Saskatchewan) will still put us at the hotel by 7pm if we leave by 9am. 

Things we have learned after taking this journey: 

1. Quebec has the most construction work either of us have ever seen. Worst part - sometimes there would be "Warning: Construction" signs, traffic would slow down and merge into one lane, and there would be NO construction in sight. Talk about frustrating. 

2. Ontario is a 2-lane highway province. Not optimal for cruise control settings. 

3. Staying at hotels with a continental breakfast saves a ton of money in food expenses. Eat your breakfast, and take extra food away with you to have for lunch. Buying one meal a day is much more economical then buying three (Thanks, Sara!) 

4. Another perk with packing a lunch for a car, eliminates the amount of times you have to stop for food and drink making the drive faster and more efficient. 

5. Nap. You'll last longer when it's your time to drive. 

*I was hoping to upload one of the videos we have taken for our vlog compilation tonight. However, the internet service in the hotel is slow and it would have taken 744 minutes to upload the video. Hopefully the pictures I've added to this post can help to paint a picture of our journey today.