Two people and a black and tan dog pose for a selfie in front of a turquoise alpine lake, with a dramatic jagged mountain peak and forested slopes in the background under cloudy skies

Bohdan Dryhval

Co-founder · Routes & Logistics

Bull elk with large antlers standing beside a cow elk grazing near a lake surrounded by coniferous forest

Anna Dryhval

Co-founder · Stories & Photography

About Anna

I’m Anna, co-founder of Explorer Canada and the one behind most of the photographs and stories you’ll find here. While Bohdan plans the routes and tracks the kilometers, I’m usually the one out of the car first — looking for the light, the small details, the moments that don’t make it onto maps.

I grew up in Ukraine, where my favorite trips were never about reaching a destination. They were about everything that happened along the way — the way the road smelled after rain, the small bakery in a town we didn’t plan to stop in, the conversation with a stranger that lasted longer than the coffee. When we moved to Canada in 2023 with our dachshund Nika, I worried that vast distances and quiet highways might feel empty. They didn’t. They turned out to be exactly the kind of slow that I’d been missing.

On Explorer Canada, my role is to capture how a place feels, not just how to get there. I write about quiet mornings at Lake Louise before the tour buses arrive, the way Manitoba’s prairie storms build for an hour before they break, the dachshund chasing her shadow on a beach in Hecla Island. I take most of the photos for our posts — usually with cold hands and a coffee balanced on the car roof.

If you’ve ever felt that the best part of a trip isn’t the famous viewpoint but the gas station you stopped at on the way back, you’ll feel at home here. I cover travel stories, photography, slow mornings, and the side of road-tripping that’s harder to plan but easier to remember.

Find me on Instagram for photos that didn’t make it into posts, or write to us with your own road trip stories — I love reading them.

Why trust my routes

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Anna's stories

Frozen river with bare trees lining the banks, a wooden dock structure, and clear blue sky with bright sun overhead
35 minutes from Winnipeg. A 100-acre municipal park with an outdoor maritime museum, a riverside trail, and one of the most unexpected catfish monuments in Canada.
Frozen river with snow-covered banks, bare trees lining the shoreline, and vehicles parked on the ice under a clear blue sky
A friend said "let's just go for a walk." We grabbed coffee and drove 35 minutes north. The day taught us why driving without a plan keeps working
Half's Moon hot dog restaurant at dusk, featuring a vintage neon sign with a crescent moon and stars, red exterior, and adjacent neon signs for Super Dogs and Deluxe Hot Dogs
A 1929 hot dog stand whose son started the tradition of kissing the Stanley Cup. A 1938 diner that DreamWorks chose for a film. Two restaurants, one small town, almost a century of competition.
Wet parking lot at dusk with vibrant orange and yellow sunset sky, parked cars, street lights, and a young tree silhouetted against the colourful clouds
Some trips start in a Google Sheet. Others start with one empty Saturday and a single question — where can we drive in forty minutes? This one is about the second kind.
Neon-lit diner with red and blue signage at night, wet parking lot with parked cars, vintage Americana roadside restaurant aesthetic
A spontaneous Saturday evening, 60 km north from Winnipeg, two restaurants and a 100-year-old dam. Practical route and what to know before you go.
Squirrel foraging on wood chips and dark mulch, with bushy tail raised
Lake, forest, deer trails, picnic shelters, and real quiet — all 30 minutes from Winnipeg. A provincial park that does not feel like one.

Share your Canada story

Tell us briefly about your trip. If your story inspires us, we'll reach out by email to hear the full version — and feature it on Explorer Canada.

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