Isn’t This Trip Over Yet? After completing the side-quest to Newfoundland, we had to get back to the west coast of Canada for our return flight to Australia. Amazingly, we found a points-booking on Westjet via Calgary. The only problem is that it required a stopover in Calgary. Because of availability, the stopover could be […]
Just fifteen minutes from Elliston sits another excellent puffin location on the Bonavista Peninsula: the cliffs surrounding Cape Bonavista Lighthouse. While Elliston often gets the spotlight as Newfoundland’s best land-based puffin site, Bonavista quietly delivers fewer people and epic close encounters. The lighthouse itself dates to 1843 and stands on dramatic cliffs that jut into […]
After leaving St. John’s, the first stretch north on the Trans-Canada Highway was smooth and easy. We found it slightly ironic, as just weeks earlier we had stood at the western end of the same highway in Tofino. Once we turned onto the Bonavista Peninsula, the potholes slowed us down and the landscape began to […]
From Churchill to St. John’s Our trip to Churchill ended back at Winnipeg Airport. Our Calm Air charter flight arrived at the main airport terminal, which was very convenient. With Andy’s infamous buzzing Waterpik safely left behind with the concierge, our luggage came out quickly. After a night at the Grand Royal, right across from […]
More Summer Adventures in Churchill Before leaving Churchill, we packed in a few more experiences. We spent one morning kayaking with the beluga. After suiting up in farmer-john style wetsuits and life jackets, we boarded two-person kayaks. Tip: paddle backwards for a better view, as the whales seem to follow. The weather was perfect, […]
How Many Polar Bear are there in Churchill? Churchill is known as the “polar bear capitol of the world.” The Churchill region is home to an estimated 900 to 1,100 polar bears. Regarding the status of the population, the way it was explained to us is that this is considered the number the local […]
Driving from Campbell River to Tofino The drive from Campbell River to Tofino takes about three and a half hours, but we made a few essential stops. First was Goats on the Roof for another round of doughnuts. If you are planning to eat at the marketplace (even just getting coffee), arrive before 11:45 as […]
Eagle Show Uncertainty Our primary reason for visiting Campbell River was the famous Eagle Show. While in the Khutzeymateen, we received an email saying the operator could not run our tour and offered to transfer us to another vendor. We had chosen this company specifically for their boat: enclosed with good outdoor space rather than […]
Preparing for the Ferry from Prince Rupert to Port Hardy This time we did it right. The night before departure we stopped at Safeway and picked up a picnic lunch. In the morning we added coffee and doughnuts from Tim Horton’s before heading to the terminal. We were number four on the waitlist for […]
Getting to the Khutzeymateen from Prince Rupert After three days in Prince Rupert, it was finally time to depart for the Khutzeymateen. Trips leave from the commercial dock, with check-in at 7:15 a.m. for a 7:45 a.m. departure We grabbed coffee and doughnuts from Tim Horton’s before heading down. It was pouring rain, but the […]