It isn’t hard to come up with an excuse to take off on a road trip, even if it is just a short overnight adventure.
My road trips tend to focus on things I enjoy, like hiking, camping and nature. I also like baseball, so the idea of taking off to Cleveland, Detroit or Pittsburgh for a weekend drive from Toronto is pretty common.
Sometimes a short road trip has a way of turning into a big one though. After I convinced a buddy to come along, the baseball weekend trip turned into a week-long 3000 km / 2000 mile adventure! And so, the week-long Great American Baseball Road Trip began…
Bridge to USA - Let the Baseball Road Trip Begin!
We had it planned perfectly to catch 7 baseball games in 7 different parks over 8 days.
Seriously proud of our logistics, the excitement of the road trip had us buzzing as we left Toronto at 3am for the 10 hour drive to Boston.
About those logistics – seeing so many games in so few days ins’t easy. The biggest tip on getting the most out of a baseball road trip? Start your trip on a Monday or Thursday. Those are commonly ‘getaway’ days you can squeeze in an extra afternoon game, or catch an extra team at their first / last home game instead of chasing them half way across the US.
Baseball Road Trip Stop 1: Boston
Fenway Park in Boston
Fenway Park! As baseball fans, seeing a game in Boston is a dream. We snagged some crappy ‘standing room only’ tickets and had fun walking around the park, staring at the Green Monster and watching our team, the Toronto Blue Jays, beat the Boston Red Sox!
We kept our cheering to a minimum though, as there were some unfriendly looking locals surrounding us. As fun as that was, the time outside of the park was even better. Walking along Yawkey Way and taking in the street party scene before the game was a real treat. Today, Fenway Park remains my favourite MLB park to visit.
Baseball Road Trip Stop 2: New York City
New York City - Near Times Square
Since we had two nights here, long enough to catch a Yankees and Mets game, we decided to stay at a hole-in-the-wall hotel just off Broadway and close to Times Square.
Unless they’re playing each other in inter-league play, having both the Mets and Yankees at home on the same weekend is pretty rare, so we were excited. But, the allure of the bright lights of the Big Apple got the best of us and our 7 games in 8 days turned into 6 games in 8 days + a David Letterman Show.
The ubiquitous guy on the street offered us tickets to a Letterman taping. The catch was we’d have to miss our Yankees game. My buddy was a huge Letterman fan, so the decision was made. It was a fun show, lots of laughs…and it also let us enjoy more eating and drinking time in Manhattan!
The Mets game the next day was a real treat too, a perfect sunny summer day, seemingly created for drinking beers and watching baseball. After our two days in NYC, we were off to the city of not-so-brotherly love.
Road Trip Stop 3: Philadelphia
Driving to Downtown Philly
Let’s get the hell out of here! That was our unanimous feeling about Philadelphia. Sorry Philly fans, but your city definitely wins the worst baseball road trip experience award.
Things were all good getting to Philadelphia, but once we got off the freeway and headed downtown, there was a creepy vibe. Maybe it was the guy who tried to get into our car while we were driving? Or the other one who yelled obscenities at us for no known reason when we stopped at a red light.
We didn’t even feel welcomed at the gas station, which conveniently featured bullet-proof glass windows for the safety of their workers.
As for the baseball game, we had atrocious nose-bleed seats. The only decent thing was we could say we had a Philly cheese steak sandwich.
Without a hotel booked, we shuddered at the thought of leaving the safety of the ballpark at night, Philadelphia was scary enough during the day! So we decided to pull an all-night drive to Pittsburgh!
A late-night fast-food stop kept us awake long enough to roll into Pittsburgh just in time for sunrise.
Road Trip Stop 4: Pittsburgh
PNC Park in Pittsburgh - Home of the Pirates
Talk about night and day. As much as Philly sucked, Pittsburgh rocked. First, the random hotel we ended up at let us check-in at 8am. Nap time!
A few hours later we were drinking beers at the hotel bar, thinking about what to eat. We wanted steak and the kind bartender told us about the Outback Steakhouse at PNC Park. Sold! With that, we performed some more ticket trickery by watching the start of the game from the Outback Steakhouse located in left field.
Afterwards we had free reign to wander around the ball park. If Fenway was a favourite for nostalgia, then PNC Park quickly became a favourite for location and setting. With a river in the background and sun setting off of downtown Pittsburgh and the Roberto Clemente Bridge, it was a perfect night of baseball. The scary memories of Philadelphia quickly faded away.
Roberto Clemente Bridge in Pittsburgh
We loved Pittsburgh so much, that we shut the city down. Literally closing two bars and having to walk to our hotel as taxis seemed to be non-existent late at night.
Road Trip Stop 5: Cincinnatti
The festivities of the night before meant next to no time in Cincy. We arrived just in time to catch a game and drive to Colombus for the night.
It was really just a blur of a day, but as neither of us could think of any other reason to ever return to Cincinnati, we went anyway.
Road Trip Stop 6: Cleveland
Progressive Field in Cleveland - Home to the Indians
It was a busy weekend in Cleveland, which caught us off guard. We arrived early, but every hotel we checked was booked solid. Crap.
That gave us some time to explore the city and get to the ball park right when gates opened. Progressive Field had a nice, natural feel to it, with a great beer garden in the outfield and good variety of food options scattered around.
It was quite a contrast to the cramped confines and concourse areas at Fenway Park! Spacious and bright, we didn’t care that the Indians were playing horrible at the time, as we actually enjoyed the ball park itself.
As our last game of the road trip came to a close we had to decide what to do next. Keep trying to find an overpriced room in Cleveland or drive on to somewhere else?
We drove on, to some rural area in Ohio. A random town with two motels and a restaurant/bar. All we needed!
Celebrating our road trip with pitchers of beer and pounds of wings, we both agreed we’d have to do another baseball road trip one day – to the west coast.
An icon of the American West, Buffalo Bill was born on this day 166 years ago. Amazingly, I came across Buffalo Bill not once, but twice, on my road trip through Wyoming.
Both encounters were by accident too, they were unplanned surprises that presented themselves while on my way to the first National Park in the world – Yellowstone.
Tepee outside the Buffalo Bill Historical Centre
Buffalo Bill Historical Centre
After 20 hours of travel, including a 9 hour drive, my late night arrival in Cody, Wyoming had me wanting to get a good night’s sleep. My rustic cabin was the perfect place to re-energize for the start of my road trip…next stop Yellowstone National Park!
My Cozy Wood Cabin in Cody, Wyoming
But wait, as I’m driving through the Wild West-esque downtown of Cody, I pass a Rodeo, then I see a stream of people heading towards some new, modern looking building. What could it be?
Turns out it was the Buffalo Bill Historical Centre.
Unable to resist, I stop and wander around the outdoor grounds of the centre, before wandering in to get some Buffalo Bill education.
Statue of Buffalo Bill outside the Buffalo Bill Historical Centre
What a cool place. The American West was on display here, not just the story of Buffalo Bill, but Indian art and artefacts, as well as old firearms. It wasn’t until I pieced together Buffalo Bill’s real name, William Cody, that it sunk in as to why his name was plastered all over the town.
Learning about how he got his nickname by killing more than 4000 Buffalo (Bison) was one of those bitter-sweet moments. An impressive feat for sure, but a reminder of the unsustainable practices that almost led to the demise of the American Bison population. To his credit, Buffalo Bill wasn’t killing them just for fun, it was his job, as the meat was an important source of protein for railway workers back then.
Another Statue outside the Buffalo Bill Historical Centre in Cody, Wyoming
As a Canadian I really never knew much about Buffalo Bill. I knew the name, I knew that he fought American Indians while in the Army and that he brought stage shows to Europe later on in life. He was a famous figure, but I never knew his whole story, so visiting the Historical Centre was a real treat as it gave me an extra appreciation of what life was really like back in the late 1800’s.
Oddly, what impressed me most was the statues outside of the Buffalo Bill Historical Centre, maybe because in the natural surroundings it helped me visualize the American West as it once was.
I got back on the road after exploring the Centre for an hour or so…thinking I would leave Buffalo Bill behind as I headed to Yellowstone. But I was wrong!
Buffalo Bill Dam near Cody, Wyoming
Buffalo Bill Dam
I hadn’t been driving long and was just getting into the winding mountain scenery when I came across another unexpected attraction – a big dam.
With thundering water flowing over the edge of the controlled damn, bordered by steep cliffs on each side, I was anxious to check it out and get some photos.
Surging Water at Buffalo Bill Dam
Originally called Shoshone Dam, the Buffalo Bill Dam was completed in 1910 – such a feat was an impressive one at the time. Back then, it was one of the highest dams in the world!
After that double-dose of Buffalo Bill I felt that I had been approved, or at least deemed worthy, of exploring the American West. I was finally free to venture onto Yellowstone National Park and see some of the Bison that were lucky enough to never cross paths with Buffalo Bill.
As a frequent road tripper, I am pretty sure I enjoy driving across country more than your average traveller. No other form of travel puts you in control as much as a road trip, with the ability to cover lots of ground or take it slow by stopping, changing plans and embracing surprises.
TN / NC Border in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
With ample free time on my hands, I decided to do something last year that I had heard of for some time – be a driver of cars for Canadian snowbirds. The company I hooked up with is Hit the Road, and while the actual road tripping parts were great, a few bumps in the road (pardon the pun!), in particular the actions/inactions and disorganization of Hit the Road left me with a sour taste in my mouth. Ok, let’s get on to the hit the road review.
What is Hit the Road?
First, some background on what car delivery is all about, to help you decide if it’s something you’d be interested in. These services exist because retired and wealthy Canadians head down to Florida, Texas and Arizona each winter – and they don’t want to drive.
So, while they fly back and forth to their sunny destinations, somebody has to drive their car. One such company that arranges car delivery for Canadians is called Canada Driveaway, or Hit the Road. They also provide this service for people who may be moving across Canada, say from Toronto to Vancouver.
To car owners they advertise providing a safe, quick and reliable service for a fee. Then hittheroad.ca / canadadriveaway.com locates a willing driver to spend a few days on what they liken to a ‘free road trip’, providing compensation to cover gas and possibly some expenses.
Sounds pretty sweet doesn’t it? It could be, but for a fair review, let’s see how things stack up when it comes to using hittheroad.ca vs. a rental vehicle.
Benefits of using hittheroad.ca instead of renting a car
you get a free car to drive for a specified number of days
you get to personally meet the person / people who own the vehicle
there is the potential that you may drive a vehicle that is nicer than anything you would rent
compensation paid to you upon successful delivery is made in cash
overall, it should save you money
Risks of using hittheroad.ca instead of renting a car
the pickup and drop off locations will not be as convenient as the nearest rental car company
you are limited to the provided insurance coverage, there is no all-inclusive ‘loss damage waiver’ or other coverage option
a deposit of $500 is required before you can drive any vehicles for Hit the Road
you do not get paid anything until you have delivered the vehicle
your support system is a small organization that may not always be reachable
roadside assistance is not provided if the car breaks down
you are given a limited number of days
you are given limited kilometres / miles, which may restrict the route you wish to drive
you are limited to the dates and destinations offered by hittheroad.ca
confirmations tend to be done last-minute, within a couple of weeks of departure, meaning the cost of your one-way airfare (if needed) may be high
you have no control over the quality of the vehicle being driven, it may be an old, beat-up car
there is no eating or smoking allowed in the vehicles and you can not bring pets
you are told not to drive at night
there is limited space in the vehicle as the owner will have their personal items in the trunk and possibly the back seats as well
Benefit of using Hit the Road? You may drive something you’d never rent like this Jaguar
There you have it, what it really means to deliver a car using a service like Hit the Road. If you’re just in it for a drive to get from A to B as quickly and directly as possible, while taking the risk that nothing will go wrong, then it can be a great option. If you are used to having flexibility on your road trips, want to book things ahead of time, enjoy having no-worry insurance coverage or need lots of vehicle space then you may want to reconsider.
How much do you get paid for car delivery?
This is the most common question people have asked me. From the two experiences I had driving for hittheroad.ca it seems to be around $100 per day. You can negotiate more depending on the route and car requirements, or if you’re backpacking across country already, you might only be paid enough for gas money.
With that information you should be able to make an educated decision yourself whether driving a car for hittheroad.ca is something you may be interested in.
Warning: I suggest stopping here and spending your time reading something else, unless you prefer controversy.
Catching a Cardinals game at Busch Stadium during a Road Trip
Disorganized Business Practices
At the start of this review of Canada Driveaway / Hit the Road I mentioned they seemed surprisingly disorganized. So let’s have a little recap of the issues I encountered from the time I agreed to work with them, up to the time I dropped off the last car.
Disorganized Issue 1: Wrong Information. Where is the car?
The first car I picked up for hittheroad.ca in April 2011 was located in the Fort Lauderdale area. Before agreeing on the assignment, I had numerous emails and phone calls with the owner of hittheroad.ca, Mr. David Smaller. Our first chats said he had a car in Miami. After more questions it became either Miami or Fort Lauderdale or Hallandale.
The dilemma this created was – do I fly into Miami or Fort Lauderdale to get the car? Prices for flights varied greatly. I decided to fly into Miami, it was cheaper.
Pick up day arrives, so I head out early to the address listed on the official ‘vehicle delivery agreement’ provided by Canada DriveAway. Should be easy. After an hour of searching, the car owner and I realize the wrong city was listed on the agreement. Turns out the car was 15 miles away, in Hollywood, a city never even mentioned once by hittheroad.ca.
Alright, no big deal. Everyone makes mistakes…there is a fun road trip ahead. I mentioned this issue to hittheroad.ca when I picked up the car but didn’t receive any apology or acknowledgement of error.
Disorganized Issue 2: Last-Minute Planning without Enough Information
Before signing up to deliver a car, you need to go through a process of providing a drivers abstract and references. Once accepted, you can begin talking about delivering a car. It’s generally a quick process, if there is a car available to go somewhere you are interested in, hittheroad.ca will be happy to sign you up asap.
However, it becomes difficult to make those arrangements as you will not be told any specifics until after confirming your agreement. Building on Issue #1 above, the process for confirming my Florida delivery went something like this:
Hit the Road: I have a car to pickup any time these three days. Me: (Reply next day) – Ok, I can do that and book a flight down to Miami.
Hit the Road: (Next day) – Have a car the next week now, in a different city. Me: Alright. Done. Deposit sent.(I had already booked a flight for the week before)
Hit the Road: *Silence for a week* Me: Umm, are we confirmed?
Hit the Road: Silence for a few more days.
Hit the Road: (Three days before pickup) – Oops, my bad. Sending delivery details today. (They didn’t.)
A ‘Bear’ in the Smoky Mountains, North Carolina
I had actually started to expect a message saying “sorry, I don’t have a car for you.” and began planning my own way back home, until I received documents the day before pickup.
This is an example of how hittheroad.ca could improve their business. By locking in a date with their car owners further ahead of time, they’ll allow themselves more time to find a driver, who in turn will have more time to make plans and find the best travel deals en-route to picking up the car. Less stress and less hassle for everyone.
Disorganized Issue 3: Changing details after Accepting a Delivery
If you think the last-minute stress of agreeing on a car delivery is enough, it potentially doesn’t end once you’ve accepted a delivery.
On my second car delivery for hittheroad.ca I had a number of phone calls and emails with David Smaller. As I was now a successful driver, having delivered my first car, we agreed on a delivery of a new Jaguar from Phoenix to Toronto.
After being a tourist for a couple of days in Arizona, I printed out the delivery agreement papers that had come in by email the day before pickup.
However, three things had changed since confirming details with hittheroad.ca by email earlier in the week. First – it was a different car, but still a Jaguar. Second – I was given an extra day of driving to deliver the car. Cool, but that meant last-minute accommodation changes. Third – the trip expense reimbursement fee had been increased by $200, presumably to cover the expenses of the additional day, yay!
Disorganized Issue 4: Security Deposits and References
Hit the Road requires a $500 security deposit before you drive any cars. They also need references, both of which are reasonable, except they forgot that I sent them my references and later seemed to have no record keeping of when I paid my deposit.
They advised that the deposit is returned upon a successful delivery and the delivery agreements stated that the $500 deposit was to reimburse the vehicle owner any costs associated with insurance if the vehicle were damaged. Ok, all good, that seemed legit.
On more than one occasion when checking the hittheroad.ca PayPal link I got the notice that the account was frozen. Fun! They didn’t have any alternative to PayPal at the time, which seemed a bit Mickey Mouse, but thankfully I can say this is one issue they’ve since addressed.
Disorganized Issue 5: No Support if Something Goes Wrong
Chances are nothing will go wrong when you deliver a car and, for the most part, Hit the Road was fairly responsive to any questions posed to them from the time of signup to the time of picking up a car. Even while driving a car and providing a progress check-in Mr. Smaller would normally reply within a few hours.
Guess what? Something went wrong on my second delivery.
Uh oh, Someone scratched my Bumper
After parking the car in a secure parking lot, I returned to see the left corner of the rear bumper sticking out. Looking closer, there were very, very faint scrapes and it seemed that someone had bumped the corner of the bumper in my absence. There was next to no damage, save for a hairline crack in the corner and some surface scratches – the bumper simply ‘popped’ back into place with a gentle push.
Still, I reported the incident that day. After no response, I contacted Hit the Road again by email and asked if they wanted to advise the car owners and forward the photos. No response.
The next day I take photos of the slight scrapes and sent to Hit the Road, asking what they want me to do.
Again, no reply.
Finally, two days after the incident, I get a response to the tune of ‘talk to the owners tomorrow when you drop off the car.’ I was shocked that Hit the Road didn’t even want to advise the car owner in advance of the minor issue, to avoid a surprise.
Upon delivery, the owner was surprised, but also understood it was something out of my control. They paid the full delivery expense agreed that the car had been dropped off in good condition.
Considering this was a ‘top client’ I would have expected Hit the Road to have advised their client ahead of time, but that’s just my opinion on proper customer service.
Unprofessional and Unaccountable Management
Now on to the last two issues. A month after my second car delivery, I began the process to have hiththeroad.ca return my security deposit or advise me that it was used for repairs to the Jaguar. Little did I know that this would turn into a massive, drawn out ordeal.
The following issues stem from more than 100 emails exchanged between myself and David Smaller, the owner of hittheroad.ca and canadadriveaway.com
Scenery of the Painted Desert, Arizona
Unprofessional Issue 1: The hittheroad.ca Scam of Not Returning Deposits
Car delivery number two was completed on May 12th. As part of the process, hittheroad.ca requires each delivery agreement to be signed upon pickup and dropoff. Three copies must be signed, with one being mailed back to their headquarters in Toronto.
So I waited until June 13th to send Hit the Road an email and inquire about the status of my deposit. The response was not what I expected. I got a response, but had to remind them of the date I paid my deposit and under what name, email I used. Not the most attentive over there at hittheroad.ca
Fast forward to August 11th. Two months later and not a single word from Hit the Road. So I send a follow up asking about the status. The response I get a few days later is ‘let’s meet for coffee’. Sure, I agreed let’s meet that week, just say when.
No response.
I follow up again the next week, asking if the refund is on the way or if my deposit was used for repairs, only to get a delayed response advising that Hit the Road hasn’t heard from the car owner yet (3 months after I dropped it off).
So, I chase Mr. Smaller again the next week. Now he advises they repaired the car on their own and has asked them if they want to put my deposit money towards the cost.
Silence again, until I email Hit the Road in September, finally expressing some frustration in this lengthy process, suggesting they return the deposit or send proof it was used for repairs.
Now things get interesting. Mr. Smaller replies saying he wants to offer them a $100 goodwill gesture. He proposes to meet again and suggests that the $100 be taken from my deposit. I respond the next day, make him a counter proposal and agree to meet, just tell me when and where.
Silence for two weeks.
I chase him again, saying I’m free to meet.
Silence again, until October 4th, Hit the Road sends a newsletter to their mailing list. I respond saying we’re overdue for our meeting about the deposit.
Guess what? Silence from Hit the Road.
Finally, on November 28th (5.5 months after I dropped off the car) I send hittheroad.ca a lengthy email outlining three options. Get the deposit sent over asap, show me proof it’s been used for repairs or ignore the issue and I’ll be happy to report these ongoing issues.
The next day he advises he drove their car recently and gave them $100 off. Did I want to spot him that money? Umm, no.
I advise him that he owes me $400 still, as we agreed by email that I previously received $100 of my deposit from my first car delivery. He claims that the extra $200 I received for delivery two was from my deposit and not from the extended day for that delivery (so I was given no extra pay for an extra day of expenses?). There is no record of that and the agreement clearly states the entire payment is for expenses, not deposit.
He wants to pay me $200, I say $400. He offers a middle-way solution. As it is November I agree to accept $300 just to get it over with.
On December 6th I receive an email payment notice for $100.
I ignore the notice, thinking it must be a mistake and he’ll send a corrected amount shortly. The reply I get is ‘what did we agree on?’.
So, with that we progress on to the last issue.
Benefit of driving a Rental Car? You can drive at night and enjoy unlimited Sunsets
Unprofessional Issue 2: Aggressive and Innapropriate Attitude
When first wanting to drive for Hit the Road, there were a number of aggressive comments said that made me wonder how legit Hit the Road was. Nothing crazy, just your usual pushy sales lines like ‘if you confirm today, I can pay you extra’.
But, let’s get back to the escalating deposit money issue.
The communication continued on from December 13th to 15th and deteriorated quite rapidly as I point out his personal contradictions and inability to meet from our previous agreements. Accusations get thrown back and forth.
He claims my reasoning is flawed and lacks merit. Yet, his calculations include $100 of ‘withheld’ deposit, for no valid reason, along with saying that $200 is to be taken from the second delivery, yet there is no record of this being agreed upon or mentioned and contradicts what our signed agreement says.
Mr. Smaller ends his communications with a ‘lets agree to disagree’ attitude, saying he can’t offer me any more of my money back.
My last response is that I consider the issue unresolved and that – agreeing to disagree – is not a solution.
As it stands, I have received $200 of my deposit and Hit the Road has retained $300.
Other Reviews of hittheroad.ca
The last part of this post may seem one-sided, so please get in touch with Hit the Road and check them out yourself, or tell me about your experiences. I do know of other people who have driven for them – once – without incident, including other travel writers and bloggers.
It isn’t the type of company that has tons of online reviews either, but I did manage to find the two websites below. I share them only because they echo my concerns about deposit returns and an aggressive attitude from hittheroad.ca
Planes, brains and no automobiles from David Cheesman – who experienced the aggressiveness of Hit the Road, but managed to avoid being a driver.
Yelp reviews of HitTheRoad – one negative review, which echoes my deposit issues, quickly followed by a number of perfect reviews (Tripadvisor syndrome, perhaps?)
Final Comments
It took me a long time to decide if I should write this review as I took pride in delivering my Hit the Road cars on-time in accordance with their delivery agreement guidelines. I hope that the information posted here will help others decide if car delivery is a sensible option during their travels. I’m sure I will hear from Mr. Smaller shortly after this review and will be happy to post any response or comments he wishes to share.
If you’re considering Hit the Road, my suggestion is to just pay for a worry-free rental car. Or, consider these alternatives to hittheroad.ca (I can’t personally vouch for any of these services):
My most epic road trip was a 4000 mile drive through the Mountain States of the US.
The road trip went something like this: Fly into Denver. Buy groceries. Drive. Explore nature. Drive. Explore nature. Drive. Sleep. Wake up. Drive. Explore nature…ya, it was pretty exhausting.
Standing over Bryce Canyon National Park
It was a road trip that changed the way I take road trips now, as I had tried to to do too much in too little time. I haven’t totally gotten over that compulsion, but I have definitely taken more time to chill out on road trips since then.
Alright, so here are some photos from five of the crazy moments I had on my most epic road trip and the lessons I learned from them.
Scoring the Last Campsite
If you skip Alaska, the greatest wildlife destination in the Americas has to be Yellowstone National Park. This was the number one reason I took this epic road trip, and I spent more time here than anywhere else on the road trip.
Waking up before sunrise, exploring all day and getting to sleep after midnight, my days in Yellowstone were adrenaline-filled adventures of hiking and wildlife watching.
Don’t Feed the Wildlife – Bison roaming the Campground in Yellowstone
Now one day I didn’t have a campsite booked for the night. It was summer, so it was packed. With a bit of luck and a chat with a park worker at Norris campground he said if I showed up right at a certain time I might be able to snag one of their blocked sites that are reserved for backcountry trekkers. Awesome.
Sure enough, I roll in at twilight and there is one site that hasn’t been claimed. The last site. At the end of a path, just beside a meadow and forest. Pure paradise.
At least it seemed like pure paradise, until I saw the Bear markings on trees nearby and had to keep an eye on some Bison that were wandering around the campground. That wasn’t so much scary as it was intimidating, since I was camping solo. With my tent up, darkness had fallen. I was damn hungry by now – so I tried to enjoy some heated up chili over a camp fire and a bottle of beer. The problem was that there were constant noises nearby freaking me out.
Me, trying to enjoy a campfire in Yellowstone, but being freaked out by nearby animal noises
Aside from my fire, everyone else was sleeping in their tents. It was pitch dark. I didn’t know where those Bison were. I could hear things in the forest behind me.
After my nerves were totally shot, I scampered into my tent and had a restless sleep…maybe there was a reason nobody else claimed this campsite on the edge of the forest?
The next morning I woke up early and discovered a Bison had left a fresh present for me just outside my tent. Thanks Mr. Bison. Lesson learned here was to secure a camp site early in the day to avoid having after dark nightmares!
Dizzy and Dehydrated in a Desert Canyon
Thanks to Bryce Canyon National Park I had my first lesson in how not to hike in the dry heat of the desert.
Beautiful, enticing and dangerous Bryce Canyon National Park
I took off on a short trail to head down towards the valley. As I was short on time that day, I figured I’d just do part of a trail and didn’t worry that it was already scorching hot out at 12:30 in the afternoon. So down I go, along a path. Within 10 minutes the sun is piercing the canyon and the rocks are getting blazingly hot. It’s dry, rough and nobody else is around. Pushing on to get some photos, my water supply is already being drained way too fast.
After only about halfway down, I see a super amazing lookout further on. But it is also getting hotter and hotter by the minute. I want the photos, but I’m melting, so choose to turn around.
I begin the trek back up. Having underestimated how steep the trail was, I quickly drink all my water and struggle the last mile or so. It’s a steep wall of rock on my right, a narrow path to walk on, and a deep, deep canyon on my left. As I start to slow down and get a bit dizzy I stumble, lose my footing and am about to fall into the deep canyon. With a last-second shot of adrenaline, I dig my hiking boots into the loose ground and get enough traction to scramble back onto the path. Without looking down, I force myself to hike out of there as fast as I can before the adrenaline wears off.
Pay Attention to Warning Signs like this one at Bryce Canyon
It was one of those moments I barely remembered later, as it all happened so quickly and I prefer not to dwell on such near-misses. One more step in the wrong direction and I would’ve been splattered on the bottom of Bryce Canyon.
Overheated, with heart and head pounding I made it to the top a short time later, drenched myself in water, cranked up the AC in my rental car and drove away. Disaster averted, but now even when I plan to be on a short hike I take extra water and supplies, just in case.
The Lost Keys Hike
Another hike, another lesson learned.
This time I was in Arches National Park. I decided to take a popular hike just before sunset, as the red glow on the rocks would make for some stunning photos. The hike itself was amazing, lots of weird rock angles, odd desert plants to look at and little lizards running around.
I stopped twice along the trail to drink some water, relax and just enjoy the scenery as the sun got lower and lower on the horizon. After about an hour and a half, with the sun nearly gone I made it back to my rental car.
Ominous looking Clouds at Sunset – Arches National Park
Reaching into my pocket for my keys, I found my camera lens cap. Hmm. No keys. They were in my pocket, but I had also put my camera filters and cap in that pocket. So, I instantly knew that the keys must have fallen out at one of the spots I stopped for photos.
Looking back at the nearly gone sun, I knew I had to do a quick re-hike now or I’d never find the keys. Off I go, jogging most of the way this time. Spot one – no keys. darkness starting to set in now, I reach the next couple of spots – still no keys.
One last place I think they could be, I get there and search around on the ground, but still – no keys.
Dejected, I head back to the trailhead, hoping perhaps a ranger or somebody will be nearby. I have no phone on me, so I can’t call anyone to get extra keys either. Thinking it is going to be a fun night locked out of my car in Arches National Park, I walk the last part of the trail in the dark.
As I approach my car, I notice a young couple sitting on a nearby picnic table. Wandering over, we chat – they had found my keys and were waiting for me to return. Amazing! Again, disaster averted. Lesson learned since then? Always put my keys somewhere secure in my backpack while hiking, never in my pockets.
Going after a Grizzly Bear
The first Grizzly Bear I ever saw in the wild was on this road trip. It was in Grand Teton National Park. A big, lumbering Grizzly was strolling across a field. Cars began to stop, parking on the side of the road. By the time the Grizzly got to the road, there must have been 25 cars stopped.
Grizzly Bear walking in a field in Grand Teton National Park
Without hesitation, he simply crossed the road and kept on meandering through a field on the other side of the road. As he got farther and farther away, people began to leave.
I noticed a side road nearby that went off in the direction of where Mr. Grizzly had been going. So, I head down the road, keeping an eye out for him. After 10 minutes of searching it seems he has gone off into the bush, so I get out and wander around the field of flowers.
Where did you go Mr. Grizzly Bear?
After taking some pictures and wandering a good distance from the car, it isn’t until I am ready to leave that I realize if Mr. Grizzly was still anywhere nearby I would have been an easy meal if he was so inclined.
Just because you can’t see something as dangerous as a Grizzly doesn’t mean they’re not there. After that little bit of stupidness I paid extra attention to any bear warnings I saw on my travels.
Driving 4000 miles in 10 Days
In 10 days I drove through Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Utah and Arizona. I visited 7 National Parks, 2 State Parks, 1 Tribal Park and drove through countless National Forests.
Road trips require balance. Be sure to split these kind of views with…
…these kind of views! Or your road trip may be lacking crazy memories when you get home.
Realistically this road trip should have been cut into 2 or 3 road trips. Outside of Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons the rest of the trip felt rushed and I had to sacrifice skipping some hikes (and meals) just to keep on moving.
It was an epic, awesome road trip, but lesson learned – I should have slowed it down and saved some parks for another time.
Road trips are perhaps my favourite type of travel. The beauty of road trips is in setting your own schedule and having the freedom to deviate from plans as odd, fun or surprising roadside attractions and diversions pop up unexpectedly.
North to the Arctic, South to the Atlantic - Random Road Sign in Northern Ontario
Road trips may not be the most relaxing way to travel, but I think they’re the most rewarding. I’ll give train travel the nod of approval for most relaxing, but you can’t stop the train every time you pass by an amazing waterfall or feel like wandering around some random town in the middle of nowhere. How about planes? Well, what kind of wildlife can you spot out your window when you’re 40,000 feet up, assuming you snagged a window seat.
Benefit of Travelling by Road instead of a Bus, Train or Plane? Getting Outside to Stretch your Legs.
While not as cheap as it once was, if you’re roadtripping with friends, it can still be one of the most economical ways to travel too, especially if you’re interested in camping, which can greatly cut down on daily costs.
Camping during a Road trip is a great way to see nature and save money
You don’t really need anything for a road trip either. You don’t need to buy a ticket and you likely won’t have to go through any security scans. With just a general sense of direction and a vehicle you’re on your way. If you don’t have your own vehicle, rental cars can be quite affordable too, especially if you are a member of AAA/CAA and get certain coverage from your credit card. On my upcoming road trip I rented an SUV for 6 day, for less than $150.
Delivering a car as a Hired Driver - like this Jaguar in Arizona - is one way to Road Trip
There are also ways to take a road trip virtually for free, by being a hired driver. There are many pros and cons to that option, something I’ll write about in-depth in the future.
For me, my road trips have usually been camping road trips closer to home, but I’ve also rented a Campervan in New Zealand and stayed in hotels while driving across the US. I’ve done a solo 4000 mile road trip through Wyoming and Utah, but I’ve also done a crazy 14 hour road trip in one day.
Renting a Camper Van in New Zealand - A Great way to Road Trip
I used to even have a makeshift ‘compass’ and bunch of dice I kept in the car for random road trips. You’d spin the compass marker around and would have to drive in that direction for as far as the number of dice you rolled. It was a great way to spend a weekend and discover some random places on the road!
Again, that’s the beauty of road trips…short, long, near or far…it’s an unstructured way to travel where you never know what you’ll find around the next corner.
Soon, I’ll start up a little series here, with stories from past road trip adventures. For now, here are a few roadtrips I’m thinking of doing in the near future…who wants to join me?
Watching the Sun Rise in Monument Valley during a 4000 mile Road Trip
Future Roadtrips…
1 – Drive to the Arctic. As much as I want to visit Alaska and the Territories of Canada, I think my first Arctic roadtrip will be to James Bay. You can actually drive there by taking a 600km long Hydro Quebec road in northern Quebec called the James Bay Road. It’s only about a 1500km drive from Toronto, shorter than some road trips I’ve taken! With 382km between service stations, this stretch of road is more remote than even the Dempster Highway in Yukon and the Northwest Territories.
2 – Visit the Dakotas and Badlands National Park. Perhaps the most American road trip on the list. I almost did this road trip a few years ago, but decided to go elsewhere. The Badlands look amazing, wild and pure. While not far away there are some forests and state parks, as well as Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial. If you time it right and go in the summer, apparently the fireworks displays at Mt. Rushmore during 4th of July are among the best in the country.
3 – Big Island, Hawaii. The two Hawaiian islands that interest me most are Kauai and Hawaii (Big Island). Kauai interests me mostly for some great hiking and lush scenery, while the Big Island seems perfect for a roadtrip. From snowy peaks to flowing lava, remote coastlines to relaxing Kona. The island has tons to see, but you need a car to see it all.
4 – Drive to the Yukon. I’ve never done an actual road trip across Canada. Ideally a drive from Toronto to Whitehorse, Yukon would be my route, stopping at Provincial and National Parks along the way like Quetico, Riding Mountain, Elk Island and Nahanni.
5 – Pacific Northwest. Another US roadtrip. This time to Oregon and Washington. Taking in some forest scenery and places like Olympic National Park. Perhaps a side trip over to Idaho and Montana to check out Glacier National Park too.
Road Trip Hazard - Bison on the Road in Yellowstone National Park
So there are five of the road trips I’m interested in doing some time soon. Sure, there are places in Europe, Australia and elsewhere that I’d also like to go road tripping around, but I’ll save those for a later time.
If you’ve got some favourite road trips, let me know! Have fun on the road and remember, as is often said, to focus on the journey and not the destination.
