Thanks PNW Judy for your advice. I've been to Seattle and Vancouver plenty of times so I can skip them on this trip.

I looked into the ferry option and I couldn't find a ferry that goes from Prince Rupert to Bellingham. The Alaska Marine Highway serves both cities but traveling between the two requires a multi-day connection in Ketchikan and costs more than $900. BC Ferries runs from Prince Rupert to Port Hardy on Vancouver Island and takes about 15 hours at a cost of $500 (CDN). It also would require another ferry from either Departure Bay to Horseshoe Bay north of Vancouver or Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen south of Vancouver. I'm sure the drive down Vancouver Island is amazing, but it looks like the ferry option would add at least two days to the trip. Is there another option with the ferry I overlooked?

Have you driven the Trans-Canada across Ontario? I've been to Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa so I'm curious about the northern route across Ontario because the Trans-Canada is a two-lane highway for much of that drive, which combined with the lower speed limits, would add some time to the trip