When NOT to travel across Canada

[Luckymadon]

I love to travel. It is something I don't get to do very often so when I do have the opportunity to pick up and go, I tend to get overly excited. So excited in fact, that I don't put much thought into the timing part of the trip.

This happened to me in December of 2008. I had spontaneously decided to take a bus trip across Canada. What I didn't consider was the fact that winter in the northern, central and mountain regions of Canada begins in October. That fact occurred to me only after crossing the New Brunswick border into Quebec. From that point on, the trip was completely whiteout. 

In Northern Ontario the highway to Thunder Bay was closed for 18 hrs due to blizzard conditions. Having to spend 18 hours on a bus, sitting in a truck stop in the middle of Nowhere, Ontario was the highlight of the trip. We chased six blizzards all the way to Vancouver. 

One pointer I can give to anyone who wishes to travel across the Canadian Rockies is; Dont try this at any time between October and April unless you wish to experience the thrills of the great Canadian winter.