Canada's insider blog

Writing my final blog post about this magnificent journey across Canada that we’ve shared together should be the easy part. But somehow, I can’t seem to get it together.  I start and then I stop, but my thoughts are running all over the place.

Admittedly, I’m a bit worried about forgetting. Something.  A person. A place. A feeling.

After all–Canada is a Big Place–as a project is very close to my heart.  And it’s more than just a blog. It’s a vision.  It’s about making those offline connections become online memories.  It’s about showing certain sides to our country that maybe weren’t so obvious.

To others, it's about the usual suspects.  Those questions that somehow beckon to be answered. What was your favourite place?  What was your ultimate experience?  Which province was the most beautiful?

Canada is known for its captivating landscapes worthy of a thousand calendar photos. And while that is something to talk about, what I found more interesting than all of those things were talking to the locals: They made this trip special and through them, I can summarize what my last seven and a half weeks on the road were like.

Overall, I can fairly say that in each province, the person whom I remember the most was a unique individual who was tapped into that “locals know” something. This would seem obvious, but it’s not.  It’s almost as if these people are a character summary of the province. Looking back for inspiration on our Flickr photostream, I realize that each province has that person. It’s hard to mention everyone, but here are a few notables.

In Quebec, we met two Canadian top chefs who really made an impression: Francois Blais from Quebec City and Fred Morin from Montreal have helped put Canada on the map in terms of the fine dining and the sustainable food movement.  Their daily food creations focus on serving locally sourced, organic and slow-food philosophy style foods that are a unique selling point for visiting Canada.  They're also charming and full of life.

When speaking of adventure, Ontario native Chris Hughes from the Bruce Peninsula defines to a point what it means to get outside and play in Canada’s backyard.  An extreme adventure seeker and also just enthusiastic, Chris bikes, hikes, and runs like no other.  Not only is Chris hilarious, but he is also a wealth of knowledge when it comes to conserving the environment.

Brian Ladoon from Churchill, Manitoba and Brian Storen from Victoria, British Columbia are both hard to describe.  Maybe it’s a “Brian” thing. Eccentric, unapologetic and unusually candid, the two represent a refreshing outlook from coast-to-coast. And then there are countless more: Cowboy-and-cattle rancher George from La Reata Ranch in Saskatchewan, East Coast walking trail expert (and a mom with the kindest heart) Karen Cole from Newfoundland to world-famous oyster shucker John Bil from Prince Edward Island to Jimmy the gold miner from the Yukon.

They're all one-of-a-kind people, yet they represent a part of us.Through their eyes, I was able to experience each province, territory and city like the locals do.  I was able to see a different Canada and not forget.