Around Canada 2022 & 2023 thanks and statistics

We were in Canada for 5 months in 2022 and 6 months in 2023, with a week at home during the 2022 trip for work and three weeks in Europe for a family celebration in 2023. 

 

 

 

In 2022 we spent a fortnight each in British Columbia, Québec, and Nova Scotia, visiting family, with short trips into the Laurentian lakes in Québec (3 days) and to Cape Breton in Nova Scotia (5 days). We left Vancouver in the Wrangler in May and spent two months in BC, Yukon, NWT,  and Alberta, returning to Vancouver for several days to meet Marce’s Mum, following which we spent another month on the road with her, and then a week in Vancouver before returning home.

 

In 2023 we spent a week in Vancouver with family and preparing the vehicle before travelling through BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba,  Ontario, Québec, Labrador, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, PEI, New Brunswick, Québec, and Ontario. We left the vehicle in Ontario for the period in Europe, then continued through Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and BC returning to Vancouver where we sold the vehicle. We visited family in Ontario and Nova Scotia on the way.

 

For 2022 our plan was to combine travel with remote work every second week while on the road, giving a base split of 9 days travel and 5 days working. We ended up working 30 days of the 85 days on the road in the Wrangler, so achieving the planned percentage, although we ended up juggling days somewhat.

 

In 2023 we planned to work remotely 2 days in every 3 weeks. We actually worked 12 days in 136 days on the road, so slightly less than planned.

 

We spent most time in British Columbia, starting and finishing the trip there both years, and also acquiring and preparing the vehicle and selling it at the end. During the two trips we spent seven weeks in Québec, about a month in Ontario, three and a half weeks in Alberta, about three weeks in Nova Scotia, Yukon, and Newfoundland & Labrador, two weeks in NWT, eleven days each in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, a week in PEI, and four days in New Brunswick. Overall we were in Canada 307 days, of which 221 were on the road in the Wrangler.  

 

 

Our 2022 route in the Wrangler took us from Vancouver through BC to Prince George, then Prince Rupert, and then north via the Stewart-Cassiar Highway to Watson Lake, then to Whitehorse on the Alaska Highway, to Dawson City, then to Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk on the Dempster Highway. From the Arctic Ocean we returned on the Dempster, travelled to Watson Lake via Ross River, then to Fort Nelson and north on the Liard Highway to Fort Simpson. After this we travelled to Fort Smith and the Wood Buffalo National Park, then to Yellowknife, and then south through Northern Alberta to Peace River, back into BC to Dawson Creek, then southwest back to Vancouver. In the last month on the road we took the Crowsnest Highway to Alberta, then followed the Rockies to Banff, Lake Louise, and Jasper, before returning once again through BC to Vancouver.

 

In 2023 we travelled from Vancouver to Calgary via Kananaskis, then to Edmonton and Stony Plain via Drumheller, then east to Saskatoon, Prince Albert National Park, Lac la Ronge, Flin Flon, Thompson, and the Interlakes in Manitoba. Thence Winnipeg, Thunder Bay, Manitoulin Island, Tobermory and the Bruce Peninsula, Goderich, Long Point, Niagara, and then via Perth to Ottawa and into Québec. In Québec we visited Mont Tremblant, La Mauricie, La Tuque, Baie St. Paul, and Baie Comeau before heading north via Manicouagan Lake and into Labrador, where we covered the Trans Labrador Highway as well as visiting Nain (by air) and Cartwright. From Blanc Sablon we took the ferry to Newfoundland, where we travelled to Anse-aux-Meadows, Gros Morne, Twillingate, Terra Nova, the Avalon Peninsula, and St. Johns, before turning round to head west via Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and back in Québec, where we spent time in Parque Nacionale du Bic and the “Eastern Townships before returning to Ontario, where we left the vehicle in Perth while making our trip to Europe. Returning to Ontario we then continued via Algonquin, Georgian Bay, then the northern Transcanada Highway via Cochrane to Thunder Bay, and onwards via the southern route, returning to Vancouver via Grasslands National Park, Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park, and Calgary.

 

We covered 53,018 km overall in eleven months, of which 51,026 km were in the Wrangler. We averaged 173 km/day overall however when on the road we averaged a lot more than in our previous “big trips”, giving an average of 231 km/day for travel in the Wrangler. In the Wrangler we used 6007 L (= 1587 US gal) of fuel at a cost of CAD 12,011.08 (= USD 8750.60). Average fuel consumption in the Wrangler was 11.87 L/100 km (= 19.8 mi/US gal) -  interestingly the consumption in 2022 was 12.32 L/100 km so the long highway stretches at constant speed in 2023 resulted in a noticeable improvement.

 

Thanks and saludos

 

We appreciate the hospitality, help, and advice of many throughout the trip, including:

 

In 2022:

 

·      Catriona, Nick,  Charlie, and Blair in Vancouver

·      Rose and Justin in Montréal

·      Jan, Rolf, and Chris in Wolfville

·      Rose and Ray in Aylesford

·      Heather and Dave in Victoria Vale

·      Lucy and Gilles in Kingston

·      Jo-Anne and Irwin in New York

·      Elaine, Dee, and Steve in Smithers

·      Carlos and Teresa in Eagle Plains

·      Mike on the Dempster Highway

·      Taylor and Hayley on the Dempster Highway

 

In 2023:

 

·      Catriona, Nick, Charlie, and Blair in Vancouver

·      Bruce and Susan in Kananaskis and Calgary

·      Ken, Lisa, Patricia, and Jerry in Calgary

·      Norm and Maritta in Stony Plain

·      Jeff and Colleen in Stony Plain

·      Rose and Justin in Montréal

·      Jan and Rolf in Wolfville

 

We met lots of great people on the road and so saludos to:

 

In 2022:

 

·      Derek on the Dempster Highway

·      Dennis, Clifford, and Norm in Tuktoyaktuk   

·      Willie and Scotty in Inuvik

·      Craig and Lucinda, Russ & Brenna, and Mark & Katie on the Dempster

·      Mike & Lynne in Watson Lake

·      Leonie and Henry in Fort Providence

·      Adolfo at Saltery Bay

·      Eric y Nancy in Westcoast Campground.

 

In 2023:

 

·      Marsh in Calgary

·      Paul in Calgary

·      Sekwin, Jason, Nick, Isaiah in Lac la Ronge

·      Mary at Cranberry Portage Heritage Museum

·      Wang at Arborg Heritage Village

·      Marcie at St. Ambroise Beach

·      Darlene at Lillian's Indian Craft Shop & Museum

·      Steven Tedford at Colborne

·      Scott Starkweather in Wakefield

·      Charles and Jasmine at Pointe-aux-Outardes Nature Park

·      Garfield, Mark, Henry, Betsy, Jeremy, Elizabeth, Barbara, Deedee, Curtis, Robin, Lukas John, Charlie, Craig, Adam, Justine, Nisa and Naba in Nain

·      Brian at Kenamu River

·      Pete and George in Cartwright

·      Wabeglose at Lobster Cover

·      TJ and Lauren at Rocky Harbour, Tablelands, and River Bourgeois

·      Michael at Bird Rock

·      Tony, Delf, Cynthia, Cass at and around Mistaken Point

·      Blair in St. Johns

·      Dave in Wolfville

·      Dave at Lennox Island Mi'kmaq Culture Centre

·      Noella, Annie and Bonnie; Betty and Andrea; in Charlottetown

·      Norman at Portage la Prairie

·      Dustin and Rachel at Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park

 

…among others.

 

The vehicle

 

For a long trip renting is prohibitive. Based on quoted rates for a 4x4 Toyota 4Runner or for a “Maxi Camper” this would have cost around USD 55,000 for the trips we made in 2022 and 2023, all of which is “lost money” (we also got a quote for a motorhome, which would have been too big for our travel style anyway, however it was CAD 65,000 for 6 months!). 

 

We thought about shipping our Montero to Canada however shipping rates had gone through the roof; it would have cost 45% more to ship to Vancouver and back in 2022 than it cost to ship to Brisbane and back in 2019, which is approximately three times further! Shipping in 2022 was quoted at approximately USD 22,000 there and back. We have to return the vehicle to Colombia within 12 months so to make both 2022 and 2023 trips would have cost around USD 44,000, although if rates had come down again in 2023 it could have been more like USD 35,000.

 

We chose to buy a vehicle in Vancouver, use it for our trip in 2022, keep it over the winter for 2023’s trip, and sell it at the end of 2023. It cost CAD 39,000 and sold for CAD 25,000 so the cost of the vehicle was CAD 14,000 over two years, compared with our “worst case” estimate of CAD 24,250. Maintenance and repairs cost CAD 3015.92 so total cost of ownership (excluding costs of damage to tyres and windscreens) worked out at CAD 17,015.92.

 

Damage to tyres and windscreens cost CAD 742.17.

 

So, overall cost was CAD 20,758.09  and so a lot less than either renting or shipping. In addition, having the vehicle in Vancouver for the times we were there was convenient. Out of interest this works out at CAD 0.41 per kilometre.

 

 

So, the vehicle:

 

·      Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited LWB 3.6L V6

·      85,375 km at purchase

·      255/70-R18 tyres

·      Range 648 km (we saw over 800 km a few times)

·      Height 184 cm

·      Width 189 cm

·      Length 434 cm (14.23 ft)

·      GVM 1762 kg

·      Clearance 26 cm

·      Wheelbase 246 cm

 

Costs for vehicle modification and trip gear:

 

2022

 

1.     Lumber (Coe’s): pine plyboard, sandpaper, piano hinges. CAD 127.77

(Note: the “2 x 4” lumber for the bed frame was recycled)

2.     Home Hardware: tools (socket, UJ, extension, drive bar, XO). CAD 125.22

3.     Canadian Tyre: foam mattress base, tyre repair kit, crossbrace, webbing straps, safety glasses. CAD 133.80

4.     Metro, Montréal - 2 x Metro collapsible grocery baskets. CAD 2.50 each.

5.     Amazon - Self-inflating mattress - On&On K. CAD 162.95

6.     Canadian Tyre: extinguisher, bear spray, water container, stove, etc - CAD 464.30

7.     Muji - duvet, duvet cover, pillows, CAD 342.84.

8.     Canadian Tyre: bottle jack, jump leads, warning triangle, LED warning lights, tiewraps, CAD 180.13.  Returned phone mount, mattress base - CAD 59.34 & CAD 19.03.

9.     Canadian Tyre: storage boxes CAD 71.64.

10. Amazon – 2 x ANPPEX camp chairs – CAD 146.96

11.  MEC: camp table CAD 183.98 + tax

12.  Walmart, Prince George - Foam mattress “topper” -  CAD 85.00

13. Whitehorse Canadian Tyre - exercise mats, 2 x CAD 29.99 + 5%

14. Inuvik Northmart - Tyre “goop” 54.89

15. Inuvik Napa - Tyre repair kit, valve core remover, vice-grip - CAD 44.80

16. Inuvik Hawks Supply - valve cores - CAD 3.50

17. Amazon – 2 x Gysrevi tents – CAD 283.48

18. Amazon - ANPPEX camp chair – CAD 73.48

19. Valemount Home Hardware - Torx T15 CAD 11.19

 

2023

 

·      Alpicool C20 Portable refrigerator CAD 319.99

 

The total cost for modifications and gear was CAD 2770.75. We retain all of the items bought for further trips. The only item which will not be used is the bear deterrent spray, which cannot be transported by air.

 

Service:

 

·      96K service and 15 point “peace of mind” check in Yellowknife:

o   Service CAD 394.82

o   Replaced front axle seals, rear brake rotors and pads CAD 1917.39

·      Replaced the 20A fuse for the cigarette lighter socket at 92,355 km

·      Headlight bulb replaced in Saskatoon CAD 59.41

·      Replaced two sidelight bulbs (incorrect bulbs were found which had been installed prior to our purchase) in Saskatoon CAD 244.08

·      Changed oil 112,949 km Waverley Jeep CAD 113.58

·      128K service in Charlottetown CAD 249.95

 

Service costs over the two years were CAD 2979.23 or CAD

 

Car issues:

 

·      The security warning light came on for a day at Wells and briefly once more later on in 2022 and once in 2023

·      The screenwash jet hose came off at Prince Rupert and a couple of times later on  - fixed temporarily with an elastic band then permanently (?) with a tie-wrap.

·      Found that the electrical connection to the rear heated screen was broken – not fixed .

·      The gas cap warning light came on at 89,325 km. This was a result of forgetting to put the gas cap on after refuelling (!). We found the cap (remarkably) however the light remained on, and in the morning the engine warning light came on. We found that the seal in the cap had come out resulting in the warnings - Jeep Whitehorse replaced the gas cap for CAD 36.69 – no further concern (a self-inflicted problem).

 

Damage:

 

·      Tyre puncture from sharp stones on the Dempster Highway, northbound – this section of the highway had recently been “maintained” with razor-sharp stones(!). We repaired this on the road.

·      Windshield chip at 37 km north of Peel River southbound from an inconsiderate driver of a blue pick-up blasting past us in the other direction.

·      Tyre puncture (in the same tyre as before) from sharp stones on the same section of the Dempster Highway, southbound. We repaired this on the road, had a patch put in at Eagle Plains, then in Fort Nelson replaced the repaired tyre with a new Dueler A/T and put spare (also a Dueler) on the rear axle. We now have 2 x Bridgestone Dueler A/Ts at the back and the Michelin LTXs on the vehicle when bought at the front and on the spare wheel.

o   Eagle Plains tyre shop – patched tyre – CAD  117.52

o   Tirecraft Fort Nelson: Bridgestone Dueler A/T - CAD 378.00

·      Windscreen chipped by a stone thrown up by a passing truck - H97 west of Chetwynd.

·      Windscreen - major damage north of Drumheller from stone thrown up by passing truck - replaced in Edmonton CAD 246.65

·      Windscreen chip (first noticed at Caddy Lake 113,423 km)

·      Windscreen starred at lower right on northern route west of Cochrane, Ontario

 

 

Overall the Wrangler did an excellent job – it was easily capable of covering all of the roads and tracks we explored, the ride on the highway was good, the ride on uneven tracks required low speeds to avoid being pitched around. The space was adequate: when two of us were travelling there was enough to be comfortable both travelling and sleeping; when three of us were travelling there was enough for comfort travelling and space enough for our kit. Fuel consumption was better than we had thought – the consumption in traffic is OK, but the range was less than 500 km, which would have required extra fuel cans for some of the routes we travelled, however once on the road we found that steady speeds on long open roads gave us over 700 km range, and we saw more than 800 km indicated a few times. This gave us the range needed for the longest “fuel-free” stretches we were to travel, in the NWT and Labrador.

 

Ferries:

 

The ferries taken in 2022 and the challenges associated with uncertainty are discussed in the final 2022 post, at https://aroundcanada2022and2023.blogspot.com/2022/09/thanks-vehicle-ferries-and-statistics.html .

 

 

1.     Peel River (Northbound)

2.     Red River / Tsiigehtchic (Northbound)

3.     Red River / Tsiigehtchic (Southbound)

4.     Peel River (Southbound)

5.     Liard River at Fort Simpson (Northbound)

6.     Liard River at Fort Simpson (Southbound)

7.     Horseshoe Bay to Langdale

8.     Earl’s Cove to Saltery Bay (note 1)

9.     Powell River to Little River (note 2)

10.  Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen

 

The ferries taken in 2023 were:

 

11.  Manotoulin to Tobermory

12.  Blanc Sablon to Saint Barbe

13.  Port aux Basques to Sydney NS

 

We had no booking for the ferry from Labrador to Newfoundland, however following the advice of the Park Ranger at Pinware River Provincial Park to arrive 2 hours ahead we successfully made the ferry. The crossing was in thick fog however this seems to be normal for this route.

 

Despite seeking to book a cabin on the Newfoundland-Nova Scotia ferry we could not, so the night-time crossing was not as comfortable as it could have been, however the weather was far better than that on our previous crossing so this did not prove too onerous. Had we thought to take the ferry from Argentia to Sydney this would have saved the two day return from St John’s to Port aux Basques; we would have planned the time in Newfoundland differently, however this option would have required booking months ahead and this would have put a fixed date on our travel to Nova Scotia, and we prefer to retain more flexibility.

 

Detailed statistics:

 

Days 2022 and 2023:

 

Overall                                              307 days

On the road in all vehicles                231 days

On the road in the Wrangler            221 days

Workdays                                  42 days

 

On the road – non-working days:

Camping in the Wrangler                   107 nights

Camping in ground tents                      13 nights

BnB days                                     36 nights

Hotel days                                            30 nights

Family/Friends’ home                         33 nights

Ferry night                                        1 night

Total non-work nights on the road          220 nights

 

On the road – remote working days:

Work nights in hotels                        18 nights

Work nights in cabin                            3 nights

Work nights in BnBs                          19 nights

Total work nights on the road          40 nights

 

Distance driven:

 

In the Wrangler	51,026 km	British Columbia, Yukon, Northwest Territories, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Québec, Newfoundland & Labrador, Nova Scotia, PEI, New Brunswick
In the CHR	557 km	Ontario, Québec
In the Rogue	1435 km	Nova Scotia
All vehicles	53,018 km

 

 

Average km/day

 

km/day overall                                                      173 km/day

km/day on the road in all vehicles                    230 km/day

km/day in the Wrangler                                      231 km/day

km/day all “big trips”   (including this one)     164 km/day

 

Fuel

Total fuel consumed                                                6200 L (= 1638 US gal = 1364 gal)

Total fuel consumed in Wrangler                          6007 L (= 1587 US gal = 1321 gal)

Total fuel cost                                                           CAD 12,444.12 (= USD 9066.09*)

Total fuel cost in Wrangler                                     CAD 12,011.08 (= USD 8750.60*)

Average fuel consumption in Wrangler               11.87 L/100 km (= 19.8 mi/US gal = 23.8 mi/gal)

Maximum consumption per fill in Wrangler       20.52 L/100 km

Best fuel consumption per fill in Wrangler           8.11 L/100 km (downhill)

 

(* FX at 2023 Nov 19)

 

All “big trips” compared

 

Here’s the 2010-2011 South America trip:

http://suramericacontraelreloj.blogspot.com

The 2017 Africa trip:

http://unochoenafrica.blogspot.com

The 2019 Australia trip:

http://discoverthedreaming.blogspot.com

The Iceland trip (only 5 weeks) in 2021:

https://fireandice-apandemicescape.blogspot.com

The Canada trip:

https://aroundcanada2022and2023.blogspot.com/

…and here's a blog for some of the short trips:

http://alanymarcemoreexploration.blogspot.com

Most of the posts are in both English and Spanish - scroll through them to your preferred language. 

 

Hugs

 

Alan & Marce

 

Photos may be used for non-commercial purposes with credit to alanymarce@gmail.com

 

Las fotos pueden usarse para fines no comerciales con crédito a alanymarce@gmail.com