The Leonard family, who posted their incredible journey across Canada to Reddit on Wednesday, impressed us any many others. The family of five was able to collect all Parks Canada Xplorer tags, by visiting 96 National Parks and Historic Sites.
We had the opportunity to chat with Mike, the dad behind the story, and find out more about his family’s trek across our beautiful country.
Since the family has been travelling since 2015, we were curious to know some of the highlights from their trip. While the memories are endless, some of the most memorable moments for the Leonard family included: seeing icebergs from their RV in Newfoundland, the Northern Lights in Hay River in June, doing the Alaska Chicken run with the RV, driving (slowly) past bison in southern Alberta, seeing the Rockies close up on the Icefields parkway in Alberta and Cape Breton’s Cabot Trail was breathtaking through the front window of the RV.
Talk about epic views!
Of course, life on the on the open road doesn’t come without bumps along the way. One of the most challenging moments for the Leonards’ was when their motorhome broke down on the road to Wood Buffalo National Park in the North West Territories. Having no cell service for 150KM in both directions, they were stranded for almost 30 hours before being rescued by the RCMP. Not to be bested by the hiccup, hey made the best of the experience by enjoying some chicken wings and taking advantage of air conditioning courtesy of their generator. However, despite the twists and turns along the way, the good far outweighed the bad. The cherry on top for the family of five was finally making it up to L’Anse Aux Meadows to collect their final Xplorer tag.
After an incredible cross Canada tour, it’s not surprising that they The Leonard family is planning to take a bit of a break from travelling. However, they likely won’t let much grass grow under their feet. They loved the North West Territories, so plans to return a trip sometime next year may be in the works.
As someone who has clearly learned a great deal RVing, we couldn’t resist asking Mike for some advice. For others who may be planning or dreaming about setting out on a similar journey, he offered the following tips:
- Always plan for the unexpected
- Never let your gas drop below 1/3
- Keep a good toolbox on hand
- Know your RV
- Keep on top of repairs and maintenance-your RV will need lots of TLC
So, what are you waiting for? If this story doesn’t inspire you, we don’t know what will! And, we know a great team who would be happy to make your dreams a reality. Happy RVing, friends.