Vancouver Island is so full of highlights that I’m splitting it between two posts- Nanaimo to Tofino on this one, and the south end of the island in another one. After a few days on Vanouver Island, I started getting the feeling that I wasn't just in a different province, but on a different planet. Specifically, I felt like I was on the forest moon of Endor, from "Return of the Jedi" where the Ewoks live. (Which makes sense, since those scenes were filmed just down the coast

This trip has taken us through many significant Indigenous sites: Manitoulin Island, Treaty 1 territory at The Forks in Winnipeg, the Wanuskewin site in Saskatchewan. We've learned about Louis Riel and the Red River Resistance, and we've passed unceded territory at Wikwemikong. On Monday of this week, we had the opportunity to visit The Secwépemc (suh-WEP-muhk) Museum and Heritage Park in Kamloops. It contains fascinating exhibits on Indigenous language, history, culture, and

After hundreds of kilometres of prairie driving, I was more than ready for this stretch of the drive. And it delivered. From the moment the landscape started undulating into foothills, the scenery left us constantly picking our jaws up from the floor of the minivan, and required me to consciously keep my eyes on the road when I was tempted to open the sunroof and spin in slow circles to take it all in. Let's divide the trip from Edmonton to Vancouver into three sections. Sect