Exploring in the 2017 Ford Explorer #GoFurther150

When you’re road-tripping with the whole family you need to be prepared for anything. You need to pack for safety, prepare the kids for how long the drive is in advance, pack snacks, activities, and playlists.

Sometimes, no matter how much you prepare in advance, plans change.

We were on a road-trip to Revelstoke to explore the Enchanted Forest as part of Ford Canada’s #GoFurther150 initiative last Friday. A friend of mine Tweeted me a link to a news article reporting that Highway 1 was washed out West of Revelstoke and would be closed for at least 24 hours, likely longer. Drive BC confirmed this, and the only alternative route would have taken about 10 hours (more than double the original drive time) which didn’t make sense for a two-night getaway. We had already been driving for nearly two hours when we learned this.

We didn’t even really consider heading back home. When you’ve booked a kennel for the dog, a house-sitter, packed up the kids and pulled them out of school for the day, gotten up early to hit the road, turning around to go home just didn’t feel like an option.

So I got the Ford PR team on the phone and suggested we head to the Okanagan Valley and try to spot Ogopogo (a mythical sea monster) instead. Our route changed abruptly, we missed out on some activities we had been looking forward to, but it was a great lesson in staying flexible.

So we found a few fun activities in Kelowna!

The Kangaroo Creek Farm is an amazing refuge for emus, kangaroos, wallaby, and wallaroo, all in an open field you can walk in, pet them and even feed them!

The girls even got to hold joeys (baby kangaroos)

It was truly amazing. I highly recommend this stop next time you’re in or near Kelowna. It’s inexpensive, it won’t take all-day and your kids will love it!

Our next stop was finding Ogopogo at the Lake!

The wineries in the Kelowna area are all set in the beautiful hills around Lake Okanagan.

The Ford Explorer was a great family road-trip ride. It’s very spacious (seats 7) and feels safe on the busy, windy BC mountain highways.

  

The Explorer comes fully equipped with plenty of luxury options like massaging seats, Apple CarPlay, lane-keep assist, rear-view camera, and so much more.

What I love most about Apple CarPlay is the fact that I can talk to the car to add appointments and reminders easily by just saying “hey Siri” just as you normally would. It also reads your text messages and iMessages to you and will transcribe messages for you to keep in touch safely as you drive.

The rear third-row seating is especially versatile in the Explorer, something I’ve been wanting to see more of with these seven-seating SUV vehicles. We’re looking for a 7-seater that has enough cargo space for actual stuff too.

We were able to pack a lot in the back behind the third-row seating, which is unusual for this class.

It was an all-around fabulous weekend away where we learned to adapt quickly, bond as a family in tight quarters (hotel rooms are always a challenge, aren’t they?!) and enjoy some adventure to see parts of Canada we hadn’t seen before to celebrate our 150th birthday thanks to Ford Canada! #GoFurther150

*Sponsored by Ford Canada. All opinions are my own.

 

 

 

 

 

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