The Toronto/Newfoundland trip is all booked. I will see Toronto first because the Blue Jays hit the road after the 4th. I do think this is the better choice. I'd be wiped out the first day in Newfoundland after 3 flights going east.
There may be some logistical challenges, but they are unavoidable. I connect from Birmingham to DC to Toronto with only a 51-minute layover. I prefer 75-90 minutes in case there is a short delay. Still, this is a big airport and Toronto is a popular destination, so I expect to get a same day flight even with a missed connection. From the airport, after clearing Customs, I will take the subway directly to Union Station and my hotel is just a half mile away, next to Nathan Phillips Square.
I get a direct flight to Newfoundland from Toronto and get in by early afternoon, which is perfect. Getting out of Newfoundland could be a little dicey. I had to get a 6 AM flight or I could not make it back in just one day. Since I am not renting a car, that means I have to get a cab at 4 AM. OUCH! I will have a VERY long layover in Toronto but otherwise, it would have cost me SEVERAL hundred dollars extra. Supposedly, when flying from Toronto to the US, you actually go through US Customs in Toronto. With that being the case, I actually want at least 2, maybe 3 hours in Toronto to avoid a potential delay or unforeseen problem because I booked the flights separately. It should be pretty smooth after Toronto. I have a 75-minute layover in Philly and still get home at a decent hour.
Now, on to my Canadian travel history:
My parents took me to Niagara Falls as a toddler but I only VERY VAGUELY recall being there. I'm not even sure we saw the Canadian side so I can't count that. I do have slight memories of a Quebec trip in either 1985 or 1986. Can I count that? Put that in the grey area. I was either 5 or 6 years old.
1998- Ontario- Spent a day and night in Toronto and ate on top of the CN Tower. Getting back to the USA required a long wait. I was 17 at the time so I can certainly count that. It's hard to believe that was 25 years ago.
2014- Atlantic provinces road trip. Saw New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia but I don't feel like I did it justice. That said, I certainly did enough in all 3 to count them under the strict standard. In New Brunswick, I did a walking tour of St. John and sampled Bay of Fundy NP. I crossed the Confederation Bridge for a night in Charlottetown, PEI and did a walking tour of a park. I also had a sit-down meal and a meaningful conversation with the bartender. In Nova Scotia, I toured Halifax and ran a half marathon. That took me up to 4 or 5 depending on the standard.
2017- Alberta and British Columbia- This was an epic road trip that included Yellowstone, Glacier, Banff and Calgary. I did cross into BC and saw Yoho NP and spent a night there as well. 6 or 7 done.
2019- Repeated British Columbia but this time, I did it justice by seeing Vancouver and Whistler.
2019- Ontario and Quebec- Toured Ottawa and Montreal, which shores up Quebec. Saw a hockey game in Montreal and a museum in Gatineau, Quebec just across the river from Ontario. 7 done with no dispute.
2023-Manitoba and Saskatchewan. With 7 down, I've got to finish. This trip was surprisingly decent and better than expected. Cities visited were Winnipeg and Regina and saw a CFL game. 9 down and only 1 to go.
2024- Lord willing, I am going to repeat Ontario and see Newfoundland for the first time.
Will I ever return to Canada after this?
Probably. I have no desire to visit the territories but the provinces that I could see myself re-visiting are Alberta and the Atlantic 3 from 2014, especially PEI and Nova Scotia. In Alberta, I want to go all the way up the Icefields Parkway to Jasper and maybe visit Edmonton. Nova Scotia's Cabot Loop looks beautiful and PEI's beaches look great too. The water temperature can hit as high as 65F in August. That could be tolerable especially with wetsuit pants.
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