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Old 08-14-2016, 04:43 PM   #41
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Just re-read through all the posts and found the comments incredibly helpful. I got an American Express gold card for a year (free) because they don't charge for foreign exchange (Canada really doesn't seem foreign) as does my other card. Contacted Verizon to be sure I got the best cell rates.

Even though I live in Oregon, I lived in self-serve states for many years so feel fairly competent in pumping my own gas.

Coming back, I'll start in Montreal and head up towards 17 and take that back. Any suggestions on interesting places to see/stop along the way? Sturgeon Falls is already on my list as I love waterfalls.
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Old 08-14-2016, 05:23 PM   #42
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the North Side of Lake Superior may be subject to storms- watch the weather- most commercial traffic uses an inland route.

the scenery along lake superior is ...superior though.

some stretches in Northern Ontario are light on fuel stops esp at night.

check ahead- the gasbuddy app is great for locating fuel stops and prices.

Discover card is free of foreign transaction fees- you have to check, some cards charge a fee for foreign and a 2nd fee for currency exchange...


T-Mobile includes Canada and Mexico at no extra charge- they do no contract plans- you can get a month for under $50 if you have a GSM phone.- although data roaming will have caps. T-Mo des allow wifi calling if you are at a hotspot ( mcdonalds always good for that!)

Verizon and Sprint use CDMA which is a frequency band and technology which is not much used outside of the USA.
Check that your verizon phone will work on GSM systems such as in Canada. some do both, like iphones- if the phone takes a sim card, that generally indicates GSM capability.

figure out metric conversion before you go, you can have a chart handy if you are not metric -wise.

50 KM is 31 MPH
60 is 36
70 is 42
80 is 50
90 is 55
100 is 62
110 is 68

roughly

the litre used to sell gas is about a quart- 3.96 L to the US gallon
( you may see reference to gallons in Canada although archaic- CA used the Imperial Gallon- 4.54 liter to Imp Gal.)

depending on your interests there is plenty to experience- if you like history, consider that the French fur traders canoed from Montreal all the way to the Canadian Prairies along much of the route you will drive...they also made it to all those upper midwest places with French names...DesPlaines, Detroit etc etc

mike
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Old 08-14-2016, 06:59 PM   #43
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Quote:
Originally Posted by soohma View Post
I'm assuming the same rules/laws apply in Canada as in the US regarding taking dogs into stores? In other words, it's a no-no? I want to see some of the cities, but hate the thought of leaving him in the RV while I explore.

Anyone had experience with this?

Also, anyone have any suggestions for camping near Montreal, Winnipeg or Toronto? Is there public transportation that can get you into the city so you don't have to drive the RV into the city?
re: Dogs in stores - yes and no. Although most stores are signed on the front facade or door with rules about pets, shoes, shirts, food, drink, etc. if they really don't want it inside. Restaurants typically bar pets for health code reasons. What size dog are you bringing? Might make a difference, if it's a Yorkie versus a Husky? Service animals are pretty much universally allowed, unless there's a really good reason to ban them.

As for the camping part, I'm racking my brain for RV camping near or in Toronto, and can't think of too many places. Outside east/west have a few. Get a GPS unit with POI files for RV campgrounds, which might help.

Your better bet (as some have suggested) would be to find a place east or west of the city, maybe just a Walmart near the Go Train line (there is one in Burlington, ON on Fairview Street, or one at 401/Brock Rd in Pickering, ON), and take the Go Train into downtown, and then subway/street car/taxi/walk to see stuff.

re: Places/Sights to see - Fort York, Casa Loma, Hockey HoF, the Rogers Centre, CN Tower, Air Canada Centre, the Eaton Centre, Royal Ontario Museum, are all interesting, depending on your likes/dislikes. You can now walk from the Toronto Waterfront near the mainland ferry terminals to the Toronto Island Airport under water in the new tunnel, if you like that sort of thing. Toronto Island is a nice place to relax during the week, but tends to be crowded on the w/e. There are many other things too, but the list is long, and my memory is short.

Logistically, Spadina/Bay/York/Yonge streets run north south, and Lakeshore/Front/King/Dundas streets run east west have many places to eat/drink/shop in those large city blocks.

Or,
You could drive downtown with your van, and park near the Lakeshore/Bay/Yonge financial district. There used to be many large parking lots under the Gardiner Expressway, which runs above and parallel to Lakeshore, down there with all day rates. Or, a bit further east along Lakeshore in the "Beaches" area, and then take transit to the downtown core. I have no idea what the parking rates are these days, haven't lived or parked down there in over a decade, but it's close to most of the Places/Sights I mentioned.

Any more specific questions, fire away, and I'll try to answer if I can.

p.s. Bell Mobility and Telus were entirely CDMA until a few years ago when they added GSM coverage. Rogers was always GSM. AT&T has a reciprocity agreement with Rogers for cell tower coverage/roaming. Not sure if Bell/Telus are in cahoots with any US carriers, but I would guess they are.
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Old 08-14-2016, 07:45 PM   #44
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Hiway 3 is good with some sights to see, then comes out at Medicine Hat and meets up with Hiway 1, then it's only 30 minutes to Saskatchewan, stay on Hiway 1 through Sask. as that's the best route for sights to see, there's the Tunnels of Moose Jaw to see and then there are some things to see in Regina, museum etc. not much to see after that.
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Old 09-11-2016, 10:13 PM   #45
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Boy were you right on the tie a brick comment. I thought I'd never come to the end of the Prairies, but at least I was prepared.
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Old 09-11-2016, 10:16 PM   #46
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I did stop for Tunnels of Moose Jaw and it was worth it. Very interesting. I did the Chinese tour as opposed to the Mafia one.
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Old 09-11-2016, 10:18 PM   #47
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Having a great time on my trip. Lots of scenery, but finding some things to report on my blog also. Will be in Winnipeg tomorrow. Wasn't there someone on here willing to show me the (daytime) sites?
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Old 09-14-2016, 01:59 AM   #48
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If it was the weekend I probably could. But work calls... yuk

If you have some time in Winnipeg, and I don't know your tastes in sight seeing, but check out
Canadian Museum for Human Rights
Royal Winnipeg Ballet
Winnipeg Art Gallery
Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra
Royal Canadian Mint (daily tours)
Fort Whyte Alive
Leo Mol sculpture garden located in Assiniboine Park along with the Winnipeg Zoo and the Assiniboine Nature Conservancy
Winnipeg Legislature building (filled with freemason symbols and codes)
Manitoba Museum (dinosaurs, history and a full size replica of a 1650 ship called the Nonsuch which you can explore <- awesome for kids and adults)
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