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Selling a trip across the Trans Canada Highway

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CharleyBC

Active Member
Jun 28, 2019
1,745
2,085
Talent, OR
Okay, friends up north, I need your help and advice.

Since I was a kid, I have wanted to drive the length of the TCH. Life intervened and it never happened. But now a few things are coming together to make it possible. I'll retire next August, giving me time. And Tesla is busily working at filling in that big Supercharger gap across the middle of the TCH. So it'll be possible soon!

But here's my problem. My wife doesn't want to go, but I'd love to share the adventure with her. She loves our Model 3, and enjoys our adventures in it, but she kinda views the TCH as thousands of miles in the car just for the purpose of covering thousands of miles. I told her that the Trans Canada Highway is sort of Canada's equivalent to US Route 66--that is, it's a cultural journey through the country, not just a road to a destination. But unlike US 66, the TCH still exists all the way! That argument sparked a little interest in her.

But now I need your help. I'm too uninformed to back that up well. Help me sell a journey across the TCH. Tell me why you love it. Recommend a book that will amaze us, and make her long for the experience. What is wonderful about the TCH and how it helps to reveal Canada? It might be a Tesla adventure of a lifetime!
 
I'm looking forward to taking some of it from IL (heading north) to MT in the next year. I had a great time going across BC last summer.
Just did some search and found the website below that may have some Attractions you both (read she) may like.

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Travel Planning Tips & Links on TransCanadaHighway.com

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Re: BC trip last summer

HIGHLY recommend Lillooet as a stop. The bridge and history of that area was very cool. Some info in another forum I posted. -- I called it Mile 0 reference point and a Canadian from BC had no idea what I was talking about. That is why I included the below info about that.
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Lillooet was day 2 of 3 and was a great (non-Supercharging - notice map pin dot vs T) spot for me to stay overnight and then take a loop thru Whistler and Squamish. I stayed at a small campground in a cabin. I did not need to charge there as I charged in Kamloops. I went down to one of the coolest bridges (1913) that I've every seen and meet and old-timer and his grandson. He worked for 40 years in logging and railroad so knew a lot of history.

Mile 0 is historical and info added below map below. Related to the 70, 93, 100, 150 mile house/towns.
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Mile 0 Motel site:

Lillooet's History:
In the late 1800s of the Gold Rush days, Lillooet was famous for being one of the largest towns west of Chicago and north of San Francisco. Thousands of miners headed to Lillooet, which promised riches of the Cariboo. Lillooet was also sited on the Indian trading routes along the Fraser River, were the St'at'imc people had lived for thousands of years. With the appearance of the Miners, Lillooet began to boom into a thriving town of tents and saloons. The town also included camels and camp followers; gamblers & ruffians; and more than a few dancehall girls when Lillooet became the Mile 0 of the Cariboo Road.

Other internet info ... ton more of it.

70 Mile House is a community situated on Highway 97 in the Cariboo region of British Columbia, Canada. Its name is derived from its distance from Lillooet, which was Mile 0 of the Old Cariboo Road. Other examples of towns named by their distance from Lillooet on the Old Cariboo Road are 93 Mile House, 100 Mile House, and 150 Mile House. In its heyday, 70 Mile House was a frequent stop for stagecoaches, such as the ones run by Barnard's Express and for Cataline's mule train.[1]

Where is 100 Mile House 100 miles from?
100 Mile House was so named because it was located 100 Miles from Lillooet (Mile 0) of the Cariboo Wagon Road. As the gold rush subsided, ranchers began to settle the surrounding area.

Why is it called 150 Mile House?
150 Mile House was an important stop on the Cariboo Wagon Road during the Cariboo Gold Rush. The name marks the distance from Lillooet via the Old Cariboo Road. It is the junction for roads to the communities of Likely and Horsefly to the northeast.




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Having driven from Vancouver to Whitehorse before (sadly not in a Model 3) I can absolutely appreciate your desire to go across Canada. There are so many beautiful sights to see and little gems to stop at.

While a little old, you should check out www.teslaxcanada.com. They took their X and a Safari Condo trailer across most of North America back when the X first came out. Might have some good stuff you could use!
 
I have done the TCH several times on family vacations in a Ford station wagon, but not for many years. I also spent the summer of 89 working on the fibre optic transmission line from North Bay to Thunder Bay so I drove that stretch many times - but that went along Hwy 11 and you will be going along Hwy 17. Northern Ontario is scenic with lots of trees, lakes and rocks. But that gets tiresome after a few hours and you have many, many miles (1000?) like that in very isolated parts of the country. Have fun!
 
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Great stuff—thanks to all! I’ll spend some time after this US Thanksgiving weekend is over diving into all your links and stories. We already have pretty packed plans for 2020, so this adventure will likely be in 2021. I’ve even thought about doing it in halves, like the western half in 2021, and the east some other year. We’ll see!
 
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