Looking for the adventure of a lifetime, an incredible look at your homeland, and a memorable family bonding experience, all rolled into one? Driving any of the sections of the Trans-Canada Highway is all that and more—7821 km more, to be exact.

Stretching from the Pacific at Victoria Island to the gray North Atlantic at St. John's, Newfoundland, the Trans-Canada is in fact the world's longest unified national highway. It accomplishes this astounding feat by connecting several long provincial highways. While most are multi-lane expressways. In some of the lonelier rural stretches you can still find the 2 lane carefree biways of yore-- complete with the sights of yesteryear, from medieval-style Gallic stone farms in Quebec to weathered wood barns along the Western plains.

Of course these would be but a few of the hundreds of sites awaiting the sharp-eyed traveler, all suitable for the photo album that you will no doubt assemble along the way.

You can start at Signal Hill in St John's Harbour, looking out over the storm-tossed North Atlantic, as well as occasional spouting whales along the horizon. Now head west, but don’t miss the Fundy National Park, with its highest-in-the-world tides, which rise and fall up to 50 feet in about six hours, necessitating careful planning for docked mariners.

West along the St Laurence River, time doesn’t stand still, it flows slowly to the sea, meandering past villages that have been almost unchanged for centuries, right down to the local  patois and fresh-picked produce. Don’t miss a short stopover in Ottawa, with its pomp and splendor, but then press on to Fort William on Thunder Bay, where the Hudson’s Bay Company operated an early trading post.

No transcontinental trip would be complete without a short detour to what has been called the most beautiful glacially formed lake in the world, Lake Louise in Alberta. And if you have a head for heights, the highest spot on the highway is at literally the roof peak of the Continent-- Kicking Horse Pass on the Alberta British Columbia  border near the Continental Divide.

And after a long run westward, you can finish your journey in cosmopolitan bustle at one of Vancouver’s 5,000 restaurants, or just observe the jewel-like dusk vista of the city from Stanley Park.

Ready to start planning? Most of the information in this article comes from the encyclopedic website www.transcanadahighway.com, which includes tons of facts, and numerous traveler’s aids.

We have all been through those hot summer months where we find ourselves having to park our cars in the middle of the dead heat. As we all know cars can heat up quickly however, the heat can have more of an impact on your car than you might think. 

Here are some impacts your car can suffer from overheating. Did you know that a car battery can die 33% faster in the heat than in the cold? Keeping your tires inflated to what the manual says will help reduce friction on the hot asphalt which tends to slow your car down. Just like a human, your car needs more fluids during the summer. Make sure your brake fluid, radiator fluid, and oil are full, because in the heat these fluids can evaporate real quickly.

Here are some tips to help try and avoid your car from overheating and some costly repairs:

 1) Try and park in the shade. It might seem obvious but this one tip can affect interior temperatures dramatically. If there are no shady spots available keep reading for more tips on how to keep you car cool during the summer.