VIA. Toronto to Edmonton

We crossed the Canadian Shield & remnants of a glacier rich in nickel as we went through Ontario.

We traveled through a bit of snow today. It was gone by afternoon. Manitoba lakes were much like its neighbor Minnesota to the south. We passed fields of wheat in Saskatchewan and Alberta as we approached Edmonton. After a short night in a hotel we traveled by bus directly south to Calgary.

The Maritime Provinces

As we leave these Atlantic provinces of Canada we are reflecting on how much we've learned.
New Brunswick
Prince Edward Island
Nova Scotia

This is a part of the world I never planned to visit so it was difficult to picture in my mind. So different from what I imagined.
JoAnn

PEI is the most carefully developed into farms and acreage that produce crops. The island is very well cared for by it's residents, evidenced by the very quick cleanup after hurricane Dorian.

David

Toronto

A day in Toronto. Lots of modern varied architecture here. I spent lots of time looking up. We ate lunch at a gourmet tapas vegan restaurant. When the rain started about 4:30 we ducked into the underground walking maze of 1,100 shops & food establishments beneath big buildings with connecting paths under the streets. It's called PATH. Just as we found the connecting path near our hotel the lightning and downpour began. We were soaked through in few meters to our hotel.
Wish we had planned more time here. I love Toronto. It always feels safe here.
JoAnn

VIA

We are on our way!
VIA is luxurious. Smooth ride with mostly dedicated tracks. Great fresh choices for food. Nice young attendants who love their jobs so they are fun to talk to. A "Park car" at the end with a viewing dome, snacks, coffee & tea. We have accommodations with a shower. Two beds. They are new cars built in 2005, I think.

I've learned to get out and walk whenever they stop. There are 3 stops on this leg (Halifax to Montreal).

The drive from Baddeck to Halifax (350 km) was in a misty rain, now it's a beautiful sunny afternoon.

A drive & a detour

Part of our plan was to spend a couple of days on Cape Breton so we could visit the Alexander Graham Bell museum in Baddeck (prounounced BaDECK) Alec & his wife Mabel loved the area for its similarity to Scotland, set up a laboratory & lived to the end of his life here at 75. He was very loved by his wife, family and friends. This museum emphasized his generous nature, devotion to his family (two daughters) and several grandchildren. His inventive genius with airplanes, hydrofoils and genetics demonstrated the diversity of his interests. He wanted to be most remembered for his work with the deaf(including his wife Mabel). His descendants still own the house nearby.

Rental car

Very nice rental car. Quiet ride. Has all the new features &. warnings of lane changes. We have lots of ideas for our next new car.

A ferry ride back to Nova Scotia.
The leaves will be fully changed in a couple of weeks I think.
Staying in Baddeck, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia overnight.

Back to Charlottetown 28 km

Short ride along the highway with a wide shoulder. It was only slightly tempting to ride back on the flat Confederacy Trail, since it is a much harder ride than on pavement. We arrived at the hotel to an unexpected sunny day(the forecast was for lots more rain.). I'm exhausted & ready for a good meal and a rest.