trip to Nova Scotia (1 Viewer)

[smileyboy]

My wife an I want to plan a trip to Halifax, NS and visit Montreal, Quebec too.
Driving from Denver, CO is going to cost a lil bit in fuel.
Dumb question. How do I plan for the estimated cost of fuel?
How do I inspect the vehicle for a trip this long? Thx

 

[4xoddic]

Part of your Answer

Getting Online to save gas . . .. . . an article in Sunday's newspaper:

Suggested GasBuddy.com - Find Low Gas Prices in the USA and Canada

Dang. I knew of $3.91/gal reg spot (cash only), but you take your car in your own hands with folks jockeying their rigs around the 2 pumps & hanging out into both streets to save $0.04/gal. Didn't know of $3.93 BP down the street.

Don't get hung up on current prices, just look for station closest to your route w/cheapest gas today. Trend should be the same when you travel. Don't drive extra miles to save $0.03/gal. In Ks towns along I70, gas will be cheaper 2 blocks off I70 (for towns that are at least 4 blocks wide).

Think about Octane Rating in other states. A CO friend was always surprised to find KS lowest grade was 87, you have 85, I believe. So he didn't have to buy the mid-grade here in KS. Also look out for ethanol blends in farm states. They will be cheaper (we all pay taxes to make it competitive with regular gas); you just may not want to run it in your LC.

Check into Oil Cos' credit cards. They may be offering a $0.0X/gal discount on purchases in the first 60 days of use.

Article also suggested planning your route using MapQuest Maps - Driving Directions - Map

Avoid arriving in KC on I70 during rush hour traffic. Ditto for other big cities.

Consider slowing down. A few semi drivers are slowing to 55 on I70. One quoted on TV said he was saving $8K/yr by slowing to 55.

Consider getting off the Interstate. I often take K4 rather than I70 across W half of KS. They're parallel, & most of the towns along K4 have gone belly-up, so there's no traffic (except during harvest).

Check out each state's transportation dept. website. KS likes to pick the summer months to narrow I70 down to 2 lanes for miles on end w/speed limit of 60 & traffic slows any time someone slows to exit. Also check for construction on a 2-lane you thought would be an Interstate alternative.

Enjoy the ride. We have scenery in KS, we just didn't put anything but wheat fields along I70 in W. KS.

 

[slow91fj90]

When I moved from Lake Tahoe, CA to No. Virginia in my 91 Cruiser I bought a program for my laptop. Microsoft Streets and Trips with GPS locator. Program is awesome, you can program in your price for fuel and It will calculate your fuel consumption and cost as you go. It came down to about $60 off from the total all the way across. Plus its kinda neat to have your passenger mess with all the diffrent options while your driving. You can get it at Best Buy for about $125 with GPS locator. I think its about $50 without GPS.

 

[JohnnyC]

you NEED to stop off at Peggy's cove...the best thing in NS IMO.

Welcome to Peggy's Cove & Great Seafood Dining & Gifts at the Sou'Wester

when I went there was a guy doing bag pipes...really cool...Peggy's cove "lighthouse is one of the most-photographed structures in Atlantic Canada"

 

[smileyboy]

Sweet, Will do.

 

[lowbanks]

Just remember, fuel prices in Canada are at least 30% higher.
My family is planning a trip into the U.S. and can't wait to fill up on cheaper gas you have in down there.
It's why our second car is a Yaris.

 

[AJP]

Lunenburg is very nice ... some excellent B&B's and there is a nice sailing trip out of the harbour worth taking. Try to get to PEI on the way to Quebec if you like "Anne of Green Gables" ... also Quebec City is very very pretty particularly the old city ... great restaurants!

 

[blunt]

Check out taking a ferry for part of the distance once you get into Maine (if that is part of your route) here is the website:

Portland and Bar Harbor, Maine to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia - CAT Ferry

this is a very cool 200+ ft catamaran that does 50+mph. I work in Bar Harbor, so I see it every day. I knew that it used to save people gas money by taking it...worth a look.

 

[romey]

the fast cat from from bar harbor is ridiculously expensive, fyi...insteady you can take Hwy 2 all the way to st. stephen and cross the border there, and take the smaller/slower ferry from st. john to digby for much less, if your tight on the budget, i'm sure the money you save will go straight in the tanks anyway.

i did an east coast trip on my motorcycle to nova scotia, YOU MUST SEE THE CABOT TRAIL! absolutely breathtaking scenery and winding roads, watch out for moose tho! while there, you can camp, hostel, or motel it and explore around cape breton.

july/august is whale watching season too, i'm assuming you'll be going around this time? if you do make it to the cabot trail, and YOU MUST! there's a nice hostel there in Pleasant bay ($20/night), the owner also does whale watching tours on the side, never got to do it b/c it wasn't the season yet, but i hear he can take you right up to huge whales! IF it's lobster season, you can wait for the boats to come back from their morning catch and buy lobsters right off of them for cheap, take it home to a boiling pot with some corn, and you're rockin.

+1 on lunenberg, never been, but i keep hearing it's a beautiful town. and +1 on visiting PEI, it can easily be done in a day, you only pay toll when you leave the island, you can ferry over or take the long bridge, check out anne of green gables, and you gotta try COW's ice cream, just ask the locals...

depending on which route you take, you can't go wrong going through upstate newyork, vermont, maine...stop by bar harbor or bangor maine for some nice seafood.... typically, a lot of guys i know who do this trip from ontario go through the states, cross back to canada in nova scotia, and head back through quebec, one very nice roadtrip loop.

right now, regular gas is about $1.32/litre CAN in toronto, in quebec/montreal they're up to $1.50/litre CAN. so just do some math...

last thing, you will meet the nicest people in the world, there's just something about east coasters . . .

excited for you guys! and hope to do a similar trip on my 80 too . . . maybe labrador and newfoundland...!

 

[romey]

Check out taking a ferry for part of the distance once you get into Maine (if that is part of your route) here is the website:

Portland and Bar Harbor, Maine to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia - CAT Ferry

this is a very cool 200+ ft catamaran that does 50+mph. I work in Bar Harbor, so I see it every day. I knew that it used to save people gas money by taking it...worth a look.

yeah, i would've love to take my bike on the ferry, but it cost way too much...i think it's because the ferry goes from the states to canada, so customs stuff...hmm, and i'm sure the costs is even more now with the higher cost of fuel/diesel..

in less time, it covers a greater distance than the regular ferry from st. john to digby, that is FAST!

 

[AJP]

BTW ... if you opt for a return loop from Montreal you can either drop down to Vermont...or farther along around Kingston drop down to New York state ... or stay on the "Hwy 401" all the way from Montreal to Windsor/Detroit. Generally the gas stations along this hwy/corridor are competitively priced and there is no reason to get off the Hwy just to find cheaper gas...we are doing the opposite this summer ... taking the kids from Ontario down to Denver and over to Utah...they saw Estes Park last year (very nice!) .... the son wants to go either up to Alaska or Fort Churchill were I lived as a kid though (he is 9)


What Romey says X2 for sure ./... btw those prices are per "liter" not per gallon

 

[romey]

just fixed the /litre...here's a neat conversion link i found here

Unit Conversions

hey, is this an expedition or a road trip?! lol. either way, PICS are a must for you to share! g'luck on the planning!

 

[45Kevin]

It's a great place to visit. I would suggest taking one of the ferrys from Maine and then going up the South shore to Halifax. That will take you through the towns of Yarmouth, Lunenberg and Chester. When you leave halifax go around Cape Breton if you have time and take the ferry to PEI. If you have a day or two, stay on PEI, otherwise just drive right through to Summerside and leave the island via the Conferderation Bridge. Then drive through New Brunswick and go back into the US through a New York/Quebec border crossing.

That route will give you a good taste of the Maritimes.

Do you have family in Halifax?

 

[d0ubledown]

plan for estimated cost of fuel? just expect to pay...'LOTS' and you wont be disappointed. do you have alot of air miles (or similar rewards program) banked? you can cash 'em in for gas cards. we're thinking about doing that for our oregon coast trip next year...

 

[peepers]

IMHO Yahoo Maps is the best for planning a trip like this, or Google Maps. You can plan the entire trip with stops and it will give you how many miles you will travel. Divide by your MPG and there is your budget.

here is an example:
https://forum.ih8mud.com/trails-events-expeditions/189067-6-000-mile-north-american-roadtrip-2.html

each letter can be a destination...

 

[smileyboy]

So, its about $1400 USD just from Denver to Montreal.... driving the LC of course.
about $800 to drive the 328i.
About $1300 to fly to New york and take the train to Montreal then another train to Halifax and walk everywhere.

I'm thinking 5 days in Montreal and 5 in Halifax.

Decisions decisions. I'd save a few days flying...........Arrrgh I want to do a road trip.