Trip: From White Rock BC to Revelstoke BC.

Hello, Sports Fans!

Android Auto Notes Feature and Trip

Android Auto Notes

Before I get into the nitty-gritty of the trip today, I want to share a little feature of Android Auto as it pertains to the infotainment system in the Impreza RS.

In a previous post, I lamented the slow performance of the Infortainment system. It still is slow, but I have found a really useful feature that I did not expect and happened on quite by accident.

If you are connected to Android Auto, you can say "Hey Google," and it will ask how it can help you. If you say, "Create a note," it will transcribe your voice into a note.

This is really handy!

I keep a spiral-bound notebook and a pen handy and will write down points of interest that  I might want to look up later, like, say, a historical site. The problem is that you are driving and trying to write or print legibly, which is hard for me to do when I am not driving.

Instead, ask Google to take a note!

Now, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. Google does not like long sentences; it does not spell indigenous words well (guesses poorly too); it can fail, especially if you are driving in a remote area with poor cell/data service; it has no read back function so you will not know, until later, that it pooped the bed or not.

The note-taking feature saves your notes to your Google Keep app, and you can retrieve them later. On this 8-hour trip, I created twelve notes. Here is a screen grab of one of them.

A Google Help post from 2022 outlines how this function works. It uses Google Assistant to save the Notes. They went into my Google Keep without me configuring anything, but if they do not show up in Keep, check out where the notes are kept in Google Assistant, and it appears that they do store the notes in Google Keep.

This feature is a real lifesaver and makes my trip more enjoyable and increases the value of the experience.

Trip

If you follow Google Maps, it will route you to Revelstoke via the Coquihalla Highway which makes the trip last 6 hours and 16 minutes, travelling 552 km (Google Maps is adding a bypass due to a road closure due to an Indigenous protest). Instead, I decided to take the entire trip from Hope BC to Revelstoke via Highway 1, which is effectively bypassed by taking the Coquihalla.

This route initially follows the Fraser River north and is spectacular.

This route is 7 hours and 1 minute, travelling 607 km. Being longer in time and distance the views, roadway (read twisties), and lower traffic volumes make it a great way to go.

As you go North, the topography changes at Lytton, where the highway branches East, away from the Fraser River and becomes semi-arid, though the valleys are more open, leading to crop and cattle raising.

One area of interest that I was not able to stop at was Hell's Gate. There is a tram, but it does not run until June, so that opportunity was out. Had to drive on by, Sports Fans!

As you pass Kamloops, the geography changes again, being more like that of the Eastern part of British Columbia with wetter weather, low cloud, rain, and thick stands of coniferous forests.

The road was very good overall, except the quality of the road starting about 20 km west of Revelstoke having rougher pavement and some frost heaving

There are not many services on this route so be sure to have a full gas tank. As an example, the town of Lytton was devastated by a forest fire in 2021 where it was decimated with an estimated 90% of the building were destroyed. Another 6 buildings were destroyed in a fire the very next year. There is evidence of the fire on the hills and slopes extending approximately 10 km before and after the town and it is an example of how global warming is impacting this area. It was eerie driving into "town" to find that all the houses were brand new and there are many open lots were residents have not been able to afford to build or have abandoned the town completely.

Very chilling.

By SounderBruce - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=155194904

As you can see from this photograph taken in March 2024, the destruction in this area was complete. The buildings at the back of the photo may have survived the fire, but are most likely new buildings built since the fire.

A bit of a sombre note, Sports Fans. But we take the good with the bad, and travelling is about discovery and learning about how one fits in one's environment.

Trip Tip: Check out the Ashcroft Bakery and Coffee Shop for amazing cappuccino and bakery goods! About 6 km off the Trans Canada.

Photos

Clean and Bling

 Good day, Sports Fans!

In this post, an update on one of my favourite activities. Washing my car. I love the outcomes and how a good wash and wax/detailing bring out the contrast of the red paint and black trim. She just POPS! after such treatment, and it is something I take great satisfaction in.

There is also a follow-up to the door sills I bought back in November and I have got GREAT news for Impreza owners. 

Clean

After approximately 4,500 kilometres of driving it was time to get caught up on cleaning up the Mist. She was a dirty girl and deserved some TLC.

In White Rock, there are several vendors, and I happened upon Car Wash Canada in Surrey, BC, due to its really good reviews. It has about 8 wash bays and a touchless car wash. The bays are high enough for campers and other high vehicles, and the payment machines are excellent. They have a "Stop" button so you can pause the wash to do work that does not require water, thereby decreasing the wasting of water and making it more of a "pay as you go" model. Did it save me any money? I am not sure, as it uses tap and a minimum fee of $2.50 per session.

The payment hardware and the washing wand worked wonders, and it had a typical range of wash, wax, and rinse modes with a poster clearly defining the use of each mode, making it easier to determine what to do, when, and how.y.

Once the was was done, there is a spacious area to park and detail, and one can well imagine a sunny weekend where the activity of people washing their cars being incredibly busy.

As it was, only 3 bays were in use.

Of note, there was a wash attendant who was so diligent in collecting the vacuum hoses and policing (sweeping, refuse collection, etc.) that you could sense a sense of pride from the attendant and the business in keeping the location in good condition, making everyone's experience better.

There are also two black bins of microfibre cloths. One for clean clothes and one for dirty available to patrons for their use. Having my own, this was not a concern, but it is a nice touch and creates value and goodwill amongst the patrons.

There was a steady stream of cars with people taking various levels of effort in washing their vehicles.

Some are wash and go, and some are like me. Minute car washing and cleaing.

The Mist got a pretty thorough exterior wash, and the engine bay got a bath and clean up, and she is looking really good. Ready to go out to the Prom.

I am really pleased with the results and it feels so much better having the Mist in fighting trim.

Bling

In February, I posted about my theory that the door sill protectors for the 2024 Crosstrek would fit the Impreza. I went to Weathertech's website and did not find a part number for the Impreza, but on the theory that the chassis and other structural components of both cars were essentially the same, I ordered the set for the Crosstrek and took delivery in February.

As of today, the Canadian Weathertech site shows no part number for Impreza.

On the other hand...

ST008K1 is the part for the Crosstrek Sill Protector and retails for $99.95 CDN.

I waited for warm weather and on the night before leaving for my trip, I installed them.

1. Read the instructions.
2. A warm, low-humidity day is best.
3. Clean the area where the parts are being installed.
4. Laying the parts out, basically setting the plastic part on the door sill and moving it back and forth until it "sets." There is a place on the sill where you can sense that it fits best. This is easier on the rear doors as they are shorter in length and have a more pronounced curvature. The front sills are relatively flat, but with a bit of patience, you can sense the proper location.
5. Marking the front and back with masking tape is a good idea, and then you pre-peel the adhesive cover strip and gently place the sill protector on the sill and peel the protective cover off, and press down on the plastic, setting the adhesive and sticking the part to the door sill.

It took about 15 minutes to install, and I am very pleased with having them. I tend to scrape my shoe on the sill, and I would rather mark up the protector than the paint on the metal of the sill.

This video gives a great primer on what is involved.

This is the result on the Mist, Sports Fans!

I am really pleased with the results and feel the price is well worth it as it enhances the look of the door sills and has such a practical component to the protection of your vehicle.

Feel free to pop a question about them if you have any more questions about the install.

Well, Sports Fans, it was a great day of car care and therapy. The Mist is clean (outside) and looking good, shaming those cars more expensive but not nearly as sexy as she is.

Well, Sports Fans, drive safe and you know where the rubber goes!

The Next Day: Terrace Bay to Winterpeg (Winnipeg)

 Hi there, Sports Fans! I was hoping to have the energy and wherewithal to keep this blog up-to-date as each day passed, but after a full day's driving, I did not have much go juice in the can to make that happen.

So here it is.

02 May 2025

Getting up and off at 08:23 EST the weather was cold with the temperature at departure an awesome 1 degree C. Sping is slowly coming to the northern parts of Ontario and there was no extensive snow cover, but many of the lakes had a thin sheet of ice on the water and many of the denser forested areas had snow. Red Lake sometimes does not have spring break-up until the middle of May.

As it was, it was sunny with high cloud, and the temperature an hour into the trip was a balmy 6 degrees C.

My first stop was the Terry Fox Monument, and it is a wonder that his run had such an impact, not only on Canada but the world. An estimated WHOPPING $800 MILLION has been raised under the auspices of all the Terry Fox-inspired events since its inception.

The monument is beside the Trans Canada Highway just West of Thunder Bay and signifies the farthest he got in his Marathon of Hope bid to cross Canada from sea to sea by running, effectively, a marathon a day.

There was a most pleasant woman at the information kiosk at the park, and there are washrooms available for those who stop. People throw coins on the monument base, and it is too bad we are converting to a cashless society because every cent helps! I did not have any change to give, and I have to admit that I did not note a change machine in the area, which would be a great idea. A debit/credit machine being available to donate while you are there would be a great idea.

View from the monument over the bay and highway. Facing south, to the right would be west towards Vancouver.

After that, I proceeded past Thunder Bay. Highway 17 heads northward and away from beautiful Lake Superior and is replaced by a variety of landscapes. Typical Northern Shield granite with lakes and coniferous trees; a surprising area around Dryden that is agricultural; and then boggy lands with stands of coniferous trees. There are portions by the highway that were subject to a forest fire before 2008, as that was the year a large-scale tree planting took place, and the trees are now about 12 feet high.

One consistent experience experienced while travelling the Trans Canada Highway is the parallel train tracks that follow many portions of the highway along your route. A train was heading south on the right side of the highway with shipping containers,s and some of these trains are several kilometres long with one engine in the front and one in the rear. This is called banking, and the idea is that the cars benefit from the rear locomotive going up grades. I have to admit, Sports Fans, I have no recollection of seeing this before.

Typical track orientation from the highway. It can be on either side and generally is about 200 metres from the highway.

I stopped at Upsala at the XLT for gas, and it had changed since the last time through there. Before, it was an active restaurant offering American food, but now it seems to only serve breakfast, offering cold sandwiches and quick-serve microwaveable food. A real disappointment.

Note that in Ontario, there are two spots where there is NO GAS for 150 kilometres, so it is a wise idea never, ever, let your tank go down past halfway. With the Red Mist with its long legs and accurate fuel range estimation, you can play this loosely, BUT ONLY IN THE SUMMER. The first area is after Terrace Bay, and the other is after Dryden to Upsala. This little gas station does a banner business and is definitely a Near North experience. No fancy automatic pumps. It is Full Serve Sports Fans. I waited, like any Canadian, for about 5 minutes for buckwheat to show up and then did my own gas. I have fueled a C-130 Hercules, so handling this apparatus for my car is a cinch. But the buddy at the till was pretty upset that I had done the fueling myself. But, as buckwheat, the fuel jockey, was nowhere in sight until after I had served myself, no one's harmed, and it is all go. Except, I should have been paid for doing my own gas!

As a side note, there was a bit of a bizarre image opportunity. Someone had left their mouthguard on the bench outside the store. This happens to me. I have found some really odd items at rest stops and motel rooms over my life, and this one really puzzles me. I took a photo and left it is situ in case someone came back for it.

Random Mouthguard.

Overall, the trip was great. Other than almost being killed by an opposing semi that was travelling too fast down a hill, allowing his/her trailer to slide into my lane, it was a great drive. Averaged 6.4 L/100 Kms / 44.1 imperial mpg / 36.8 US mpg for a trip distance of 935.5 kilometres.

The Red Mist Heads West!

 Good evening, Sports Fans. It's been a while since I've updated the blog, and I've got a few articles I need to write, but right now I'm going to be concentrating on a series of my trip out West to white rock in Vancouver.

As a quick summary, I'm driving out over the next 5 to 6 days to the Vancouver area and Lower Mainland. I'll then spend approximately 4 days in that area and then return home. This is not my first trip out West by car. In fact, this is at least the fourth time I've driven the entire way out West and back.

I've driven through this, the United States, twice, and this will be the second time driving the entire route through Canada. My original intent was to drive through the United States and go to the federal park that commemorates the battle of Little Bighorn. Sadly, circumstances are such that I must do my entire trip through Canada. It's only sad because I really wanted to go to Montana to that historical site. It's been a childhood dream of mine to go there, and I've actually passed it twice and not had time to stop. It was it was my hope thought I would be able to make it happen this time.

 

Instead, I'll be travelling through all of Canada, which is just as good since I'm Canadian and Canada is a fantastic country, and the scenery, history and other aspects of the trip are well worth the drive for those who like long distances.

So Sports Fans, hang on and I'll be giving you some details that I hope you find interesting, and we will get right into it...

 

Day One: May 1st

 

Overcast and a relatively early start to the day.

The trip through Canada is approximately 4400 miles and 46 hours of driving. Since this will take a while my first day of driving is basically a launching off point. I left work at 6:30 and drove up to I have a motel near Midland, ON and stayed overnight. That was a relatively short trip of 280 kilometres, and it took approximately 2 1/2 hours to drive.

 

Some of the noteworthy items of the trip involved driving through the Holland March, and then north on Hwy. 400 through Barrie, Ontario. The Holland Marsh is an incredibly dense agricultural area with rich, dark soil that basically is a vegetable food basket for all of southwestern Ontario. Its location near Toronto makes it ideal to support that market, and the concentration of farms is absolutely astounding. I believe part of the reason it's named the Hollande marches because a lot of Dutch farmers or familiar with reclaiming swampland and bought that land in that area and reclaimed it to make it viable for agriculture. The reason that this is a memory for me is that we used to have a cottage on Lake Simcoe and driving along Hwy. 400 as we drove down the hill into the valley, where the hallen marches indicated to us that we're getting closer to the cottage and our subsequent excitement and expectation would increase. Our father was very generous with his time and energy, and always made sure that our family had a wonderful place to holiday. The way that he would do this is he would rent cottages on different lakes in Ontario, and we would get the benefit of the rental of those places. The place we stayed at was called Sandy Cove, which still exists to this day,y and I have many fond memories of going there.

 

I wanted to mention the drive through Barrie, ON, specifically because as a child,d we used to go into Barrie for groceries and other shopping opportunities when we stayed up there throughout the year. It's not recognizable to me anymore. Yeah, it's basically grown out to a road called Innisfil Beach Road and the density of businesses and shops is absolutely incredible. It's not the quiet town it was back in the late 60s, early 70s. And it's probably lost its lustre in its character as it's now been homogenized into a typical North American re. Canada, US town or city with box retailers and American fast food joints all over the place.

 

I actually entered the coordinates wrong on my GPS. I ended up at a bed and breakfast and had to drive 17 kilometres, basically backtracking until I got to my motel. The bed and breakfast was named almost exactly the same as the motel. That's what you get for using voice recognition on your map system in your Subaru Impreza.

 

Not the fault of the map system, but a user's fault!

 

Day 2: May 2nd

 

The second day was a run up to Terrace Bay, which is approximately 1000 kilometres in driving. For those uninitiated, the dry basically is up I'll highway called Hwy. 400, which extends all the way to Sudbury and then you turn West onto Hwy. 17 and proceeded towards Thunder Bay and then to the Ontario-Manitoba border. A lot of people who aren't familiar terrio to understand that the province is huge. Drive from Kitchener, Ontario to Thunder Bay is an 18-hour drive. In my previous drive, I drove and stayed overnight and a similar location and then made it to White River. This time my goal was to get to Terrace Bay because the following day I want to be in Winnipeg,g Manitoba.

The weather overall was about 8°C and overcast with intermittent rain. The road conditions were very good, but there are sections of the road that are very rough due to the frost heaving from the very cold conditions that this part of Ontario experiences.

Of particular note are some twisties that start on the highway after Sioux Saint Marie and then extend towards Wawa, ON. I was lucky enough to connect with another vehicle, and we drove together as a team, basically coordinating our driving so that we could drive the twisties with some energy. Overall, the drive was quite enjoyable and I have to give credit to Subaru's adaptive cruise control, which simply acts as a wonderful moderator. What I do is I set the cruise control to a speed slightly higher than the car in front of me and then set the distance and just stay behind them it keeps the distance and senses any sudden change in speed in the car in front of me and adapts to that speed and if the car speeds up past the speed of set I just stay at the speed I want to drive at. This actually takes a lot of stress off driving and allows me to concentrate on the act of driving better.

 

Typical Northern Ontario along Highway 17 between Sudbury and Espanola.

I simply can't say enough about how comfortable this car is, and the sound system and climate control are absolutely outstanding. The car is comfortable and quiet, and I drove for almost 4 1/2 hours without a stop. After the entire drive, I felt no fatigue at all. It's a testament to the design of a car, and I'm still surprised because the seats are relatively soft compared to what I'm used to and yet they have full support, and I don't get a sore back. I do have an issue with my right foot and leg and which gets numb after a while, and adjusting the seat solves that problem, but I also have incorporated stretching exercises while I'm driving and when I'm stopped to rest and alleviate the pain that I have experienced. This is something specific to the Impreza, and I think part of the problem is my physical size. I am a large gentleman, so to speak, and I think that is contributing to my challenges there, but I'm able to solve the problem by the aforementioned stretching.

Making two stops. One in Blind River and one and White River. The first one was for gas and coffee, Kitchener, Ontario and the second one was to stop for some food for dinner tonight. If you take a look at the matrix that I've included, you can see how much I've spent on gasoline so far and the average fuel mileage, which I think is very impressive.

 

The Red Mist is looking a little worse for wear, and that is my fault. I haven't had a chance to hand wash the car since the end of November, and I haven't had a chance to clean the interior, though it's in pretty good shape overall.

 

Blind River for gas and coffee.

So, essentially, the car is working extremely well, and I would have to say compared to the Hyundai Accent, this car is at least 50% better overall in experiential value. I get a real joy out of driving it, and it impresses me every single day. It's basically an entry-level car in the Subaru lineup and its engineering and quality control, combined with its wonderful ability and ergonomics, simply make it an enjoyable car to drive, and I can't say enough about how much I love driving this car.

If you expand the photo, the driver of the white car is hamming for my camera (phone).

 

Tomorrow

I'll be staying overnight at Terrace Bay, and my plan is to drive to Winnipeg, MB, for two days. I'm going to the aviation museum in Winnipeg.

 

For my 900-kilometre drive, I'm hoping the weather will be a little bit better, and Thunder Bay weather is showing partly cloudy with sunny periods.

 

Expect another update in one or two days, Sports Fan,s and keep the rubber on the road!