Dreaming of Canada
March 21 is one year since the U.S.-Canada border closed.
TL;DR
March 21 is the one-year anniversary of the U.S.-Canada border shutdown.
Canada became my go-to place for travel writing from 2019 to early 2020.
It was a year of harp seals, polar bears, cycling trips, and other adventures that have Canada top on my list for a post-pandemic trip.
In early March of last year, I was on a press trip in Quebec as part of an assignment for Sierra Magazine, covering the impact of climate change on harp seals. Along with other journalists, I was flown by helicopter from the Magdalen Islands to the ice floe in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, where we were able to see recently birthed harp seal pups. The trip included an introduction to the Gaspé Peninsula and the town of Percé. We snowshoed, hok-skied, fat-tire biked—it was an incredible last trip before the pandemic, capping off a year’s worth of press trips that often took me to Canada.
I recently found out that all trips to the ice floe to observe harp seals were cancelled for this year—there was not enough stable ice (thanks to climate change). It feels like I was observing the end of an era.
When I came back home from that trip, the borders closed, my other press trips to Canada were cancelled, and I was left with an incredible memory. It’s hard to believe, but on March 21, we reach the one-year anniversary of the border shut down—I’m missing Canada.
In 2019, Canada became my go-to place for travel writing. I had an opportunity to see its stunning landscapes and diverse wildlife.
In November, I went to Churchill, Manitoba in the Canadian subarctic to explore the impact of climate change on polar bear tourism as part of an assignment for The Daily Beast (“Polar Bear Tourism Is About to Become More Unpredictable”). I stayed at the wonderful Tundra Buggy Lodge of Frontiers North Adventures, which also works with Polar Bears International to help support the science behind studying polar bears.
In October, I found myself on a last minute trip to Vancouver Island in British Columbia, where I stayed at the beautiful The Fairmont Empress in Victoria, storm-watched along the beaches of Tofino from The Wickaninnish Inn, and then flew by helicopter to the remote Nimmo Bay Wilderness Resort on the mainland. It was a luxury trip, which I covered in The Daily Beast (“How I Got Lost in British Columbia”), and which allowed for some wonderful forest bathing moments.
Nimmo Bay is part of the Great Bear Rainforest, a place full of diverse wildlife—whales, seals, sea lions, bears, etc.—and what seemed like the scent of the cleanest air possible. Once there, it takes little imagination to see why no one would want to leave. The moment I will remember most was from a brief time out in a kayak on the last day there, watching the fog gently fold over the mountains, while I took in the crisp air and heard the soft rain land around me (see video below with sound up).
In August, I was in Calgary, AB one of the cleanest city’s I’ve seen with an amazing library (“This Beautiful Modern Library is for Fans of Shiny Things”), Canmore, a cool little town with amazing views near Banff, Edmonton where we hung out at the annual Edmonton Folk Music Festival, and lastly in Ottawa, where media meet with destinations to learn about tourism in their regions. In Ottawa, I had a chance to experience the fantastic The Sound and Light Show on Parliament Hill (video below).
But July was the first trip to Canada for 2019, where I cycled the beautiful Blueberry trail in the Saguenay-Lac Saint-Jean region of Quebec and took a ferry on the Saguenay Fjord for a piece in The Daily Beast. I had a rare cycling accident during the trip and had to change up the itinerary, but still managed to have a wonderful time thanks to a very understanding guide with a handy plan B (see “A Blueberry Trail Derailed My Cycling Trip”).
In other words, Canada left an impression on me that I can’t let go.
When the pandemic happened, it felt like I was cut-off from a year and place that gave me new life, new friends, and a country that I could easily call home. With the one-year mark approaching, I’ve been thinking about where I’d like to go next when I can get back there. (My first vaccine shot is already scheduled.)
For now, while I sit here waiting for the borders to reopen, and waiting for that moment that I can slip back in and see all-the-things, I’m going over my memories stored in the cloud and dreaming of Canada.
Where are you dreaming of going after the pandemic?
Hi, I’m Brandon Withrow. I'm a freelance travel journalist—stranded by the pandemic. You’ll find me in places like The Daily Beast, Business Insider, and Sierra Magazine. Follow me on Twitter or Instagram or visit brandonwithrow.com.
