It's been one year since I visited Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but I still have very vivid memories about this city, remarkable in many ways, and feel like I was there only yesterday. Great city indeed - glorious past, notable present and, clearly, a bright future. You can tell if a city is livable if you see people hanging out on weekday nights and weekends. The number of theatres, pubs, restaurants, galleries, museums and public art installations can also tell you something about the city and its residents. Speaking about the pubs - Pittsburg holds a world record for the highest number of pubs per capita. Unquestionably livable! 

This is the third and the last part of the story about my 2020 ultimate road trip to British Columbia and the Canadian Rockies. You will learn about a lesser-known but no less spectacular Yoho National Park and see the Canada's own real desert located at the south end of the hot and dry Okanagan Valley. British Columbia is undoubtedly the most biologically and geologically diverse province in Canada!

This is the second part of the story about my 2020 ultimate road trip to British Columbia and the Canadian Rockies. You will get a closer look at the two most iconic national parks in Canada - Banff and Jasper -  the number one reason most oversees visitors come to Canada. Both are located entirely in the province of Alberta, but we also will take a quick detour into the neighbouring Kootenay National Park to see its gorgeous Marble Canyon.

Road trips - my favourite road trips! I love them for many reasons. Sitting behind a steering wheel and enjoying the surrounding beauty that slowly unfolds before my eyes seem like a meditation. Road trips are also perfect to bond as a family. Though long driving may seem pretty monotonous and boring for rookies, you’ll be surprised how much you can learn from your travel companions under no time pressure if only you are able to patiently listen. I invite you to virtually join me on a 9-day road trip across most of southern British Columbia as well as Banff and Jasper National Parks. For a flatlander like me, the allure of snow-covered peaks, emerald lakes, mighty glaciers, immense ocean and a damp smell of old-growth rainforests was a such a delight.

Though staycations will definitely be remembered as the biggest tourism trend of the year, 2020 offered a unique, almost one-in-the-lifetime opportunity to see the Canada’s best landscapes without millions of international tourists. I obviously feel terrible for the loss or unearned revenue that COVID-19 brought to the Canadian tourism sector and am sincerely willing to chip in some extra cash from my taxpayer’s dollars to support the suffering industry, but man, those iconic Canadian places look so good without excessive crowds, long lines, always full parking lots, and overpriced hotel rooms! That's what lured me into committing to a road trip in British Columbia and the Canadian Rockies in August 2020. But, first, let's understand how the global pandemic shaped travel experiences for those, like me, willing to venture beyond day trips from home.

Have you ever participated in an obstacle racing? I have not. But I watched others do that and I can tell you - it's so much fun! Today marks one year since the last MUDGIRL in Ottawa, the muddiest activity of the year. No time limit, no prior training required - just you, other fellow racers and the 5 km / 3 mile course with lots of fun obstacles that will test your courage and stamina, and of course will make you muddy. I'm looking at those pictures and can't believe how different this current year has been with social distancing, face masks, hand sanitizers and other COVID-19 preventative measures.

The COVID-19 pandemic made me realize that Ontario does not actually have too many backpacking opportunities close to big cities like Toronto or Ottawa. With the US-Canada borders closed, Adirondacks Mountains as well as other destinations in Vermont, New York and Pennsylvania are out of reach for most Canadians. So unless you're willing to get stuck behind a steering wheel for hours bound to Northern Ontario or Quebec, you're pretty much down to a few options. One of them is the 387 km / 240 mile Rideau Trail connecting Ottawa and Kingston, Ontario.