We rose each morning before sunrise with charged batteries and eager hearts. We were on the road for 21 days together in a cramped CRV and covered over 19,000km. It was 2011, and on a whim, my husband and I decided to drive across Canada. He had done the trip previously but it was all new for me and our first big road trip together. Starting in Toronto, Ontario, we journeyed west to Tofino, British Columbia, and then eventually north to Yukon and the Northwest Territories.

I was biology student in love with photography. I had a new camera and keen interest in the natural world so, naturally, we went in search of Canadian mammals and birds to photograph. We were amazed to encounter black bears, grizzly bears, elk, prong horn sheep, caribou, bison, deer, wolves, coyote, fox, eagles, hawks, owls, mountain goat, sheep, porcupine, seal, whales and many more species. The thrill of finding, then observing, photographing and learning about these species left me dancing in my seat.

My camera had a designated spot on my lap, beside field guides, maps and a bag of sweet peas. The days were long and slow. My only necessity, besides frequent bathroom breaks, was a cup of decent coffee and a promise to stop for photos if we saw anything delightful and Gerry stopped every time. He hunted for the best glazed donuts in Canada (a small bakery in Manitoba took the title) and danced in front of as many worlds’ largest statues he could find. For some time, our Canadian Road Trips became an annual ritual - each year, we’d carve between 2-3 weeks away from work, hop in the CRV, point to a spot on the map of Canada and drive.