Roscommon MI to Kithener Ont (home). END of West trip.

 

Clean and fed, we pulled out before 8:30. Stopped at Birch Run for some outlet shopping. The stores didn’t open till 11 (Sunday), so we waited ½ hour or so. Cath enjoyed a stop at Mary Maxim’s at Port Huron. Then home.

Stats summary: 11,600 km on the van. Spent almost exactly $3000 Cdn (thanks Mom!), including $750 for gas, $350 in Victoria for good hiking boots and sandals, and $130 for ferry and bridge tolls. We ate out 17 times out of 79. Gone almost 5 weeks, should have been at least 8! A real good trip overall.

 

Ashland WI to Roscommon MI

 

Away at 8:45 after cooking bfast on site. Clear blue sky, and very warm already. Ashland was a really nice stop. Saw a snowshoe hare (in summer colours) on the road near Ashland - our first rabbit this trip!

Heading back into Michigan UP, we had to stop for a couple more pasties and a moose chip cookie, at Lawry’s outside Marquette. The day is still sunny, but the temp has moderated to 74F with low humidity - a gorgeous day. Stopped at “Da Yoopers Tourist Trap”, and bit for a few little things. Funny (amusing) outdoor displays. Ate our lunch there at a picnic table. Real nice place to stop.

After crossing the bridge again, heading south on I75. We saw 2 wild turkeys with 8 or 10 young ones near Gaylord. Also a vulture feeding on a dead deer. At 7:30 we pulled in to Roscoe McHiggins cg, on Higgins Lake at Roscommon. An ok spot, for our last night on the road. We saw a nice little (18 ft) Jayco (?) 5th wheel there, and thought it looked appealing. We never bit for a 5th wheel though.

Rugby ND to Ashland WI

 

We filled the thermos at a local cafe about 6:30, then on the road again. Stopped at Mrs J’s in Devil’s Lake for a good 2-egg-and-hashbrowns bfast, a nice spot. 

Grand Forks ND - site of largest tree shelter belts (agricultural) in the world. Shopping stop at East Grand Forks on our way to Ashland Wis on #2, where we camped at a municipal cg, right on the shore of Lake Superior ($10 serviced!). It’s a real nice spot, and with the good weather we had a marvelous sunset we could enjoy right from our site. Sun was setting about 8pm, as we’re on the Eastern edge of the time zone now.

 

Cyprus Hills AB to Rugby ND

  

Off by 6:30 on a sunny morning, headed up to the Trans Canada. Miles and miles of nuthin but miles and miles! You can see the dust trail of a vehicle on a dirt road from miles away. Saw 3 more antelope in a field.

No, these weren't antelope:

Speed limit is 110 kph/68 mph on the TransCanada here. We stopped for a good bfast in Swift Current at 9am. Stopped again on #39 at Welburn for a half-hour air-conditioned break. It’s getting hot again, and no air conditioning in the van. Sometimes a lack of A/C was a real drawback to our good ole van.

After going through Estevan (sunniest spot in Canada), we crossed the Sask border into North Dakota at 4:20, near Minot. Camped at the C&R cg in Rugby ND on #2. It’s cooling off nicely, and is a lovely night. There are only 2 cg in town, and they are overrun with Airstreams (and others), but we got the last site in one. Showers, supper, Dairy Queen and truck viewing. 

Called the girls and gave them a quiz question when they asked where we were - Where is the geographical center of North America?  (Rugby of course). There’s a rock pyramid to mark the spot.

 

 

Wateron AB to Cyprus Hills SK

We hated to leave Waterton, but were away by 9am, another gorgeous blue day. We headed towards Cyprus Hills park on #61. Saw several antelope in a field - as soon as we stopped, they took off right away. Likely been shot at from vehicles before. It’s getting to be very flat country now. Getting hot, 29C.

Got to Cyprus Hills about 2:30, with gray clouds moving in fast. Gord still not feeling good. Some Pepto Bismal and a nap might help. 

Near dusk we went for a modest hike along a boardwalk - saw several deer, and many different kinds of ducks. It’s an interesting place, but can’t compare to Waterton.

 

 

Day tripping around Waterton Park

 

Woke up at 8am feeling hot in the van. The sun had been shining for several hours and really warmed it up. A gorgeous day. After bfast we were just lazy for a while, soaking up some sun. Took the walking path into town, got a bear bell etc. Gord not feeling well, so we went back to the van and sat around in the shade.

 
About 4pm we had some lunch, then went for a drive up 2 very different roads to 2 very different environments. One with grassy plains, and the other at the edge of the mountains. We took a short hike at the plains road, back to a pretty waterfall. Forgot to take our bear bell, so had to whistle and talk now and then. 

 

The other road was to Cameron Lake, where snow came right down to the edge of the water, and warnings of grizzlies in the area. We didn’t hike there.

Back at the campsite we had salmon sandwiches and red wine, and just soaked up the atmosphere. It’s really a special place. Another gorgeous pink mountain evening, as the sun sets on the mountains. And it’s an almost full moon later on.

 

 

 

 

Kimberly BC to Waterton Park AB, via Fort Steele

Prince of Wales hotel, Waterton

 

A 10 am start under gorgeous blue skies - warm, Tshirt weather. Headed off to Fort Steele on #95 ($5.50 each) - a pioneer town set around 1890. We hopped on a wagon-ride tour, pulled by 2 Clydesdales, then walked around on our own for a couple of hours. Got some Dad’s root beer, orange cactus drink, sourdough bread and baked goodies for lunch. 

  

After we left Fort Steele we saw some bighorn sheep beside the road, about 20 km west of Fernie, where we got some groceries. It’s getting quite hot out now, so we got some watermelon & salad fixings, heading to Waterton Lk Park.

 

We enjoyed the drive to Waterton Park. It’s almost 50km down #6, thru prairie and ranches, with snow-capped mountains creeping up out of the prairie. Waterton Park is a real gem. 

On the way in we stopped to look at a buffalo compound. It turns out we could drive right in among them. It was about 1 ½ miles around this huge fenced area, rolling rich-looking grassland, 3 ponds. The buffalo were right on the road sometimes - cows and calves. We got some real closeup pictures.

The sun sets early in Waterton, due to mountain shadow

 

We booked 2 whole nights in this campground. We're ready for a day with less travelling.

 

 

Summit Creek camp to Happy Hans in Kimberly

Near Cranbrook BC

Fathers day. Cath presented gifts from the girls, and then we went and called them. It’s hot and humid in Ontario, about 29C/84F in the house. We were wearing heavy clothes where we are.

    Heather was accepted to Carleton University, with a $1000 scholarship!

After bfast (with a hummingbird attending) we took a good hour hike along the side of a ridge (part of the Dewdney Trail), with a view out over the marshes. Saw lots of fresh tracks - elk, wolf, and maybe bear. We whistled a lot, and set our alarm off several times, just in case.

 
Then we went for a drive up 3A to Kootenay Bay, and took North America’s longest free ferry to the other side of Kootenay Lake, over to Nelson. Saw more deer along the road. It’s a gorgeous sunny day. Still lots of snow up in the mountains though.

 
On the ferry we were the second car from the front, and had a lovely snow-capped mountain view (the couple in front of us weren’t interested in the view though!). We also saw an Osprey nest right in the harbour, complete with brooding Osprey. The ferry ride was at least 30 minutes long, a nice break from driving.

Waiting for the ferry to arrive

Nelson is a bigger more prosperous-looking town than Trail. We looped around and across the Kootenay Pass again - this time in sunshine. Saw several more deer, and gorgeous views we couldn’t see yesterday because of the rain.

 
Creston looked like a nice area too - hills on both sides, orchards and dikes, marshy flat lands. On to the Kimberly area. 

As we were coming in to Cranbrook there was a whole range of snow-packed peaks - very high, jagged, rocky mountains. 

 

Stopped in Cranbrook at a Bonanza for all-you-can-eat salad bar and other food - good! Camped at Happy Hans in Kimberly. Nice place, free showers, big sites, big mosquitoes, and a good night’s sleep. 

 

 

Leaving the Okanagan area, heading easterly to Summit Creek camp, Creston BC

  
 

Another travel day with no pictures.  

Lovely morning. We had eggs, toast and oj. Dishes done and on the road by 8:30, towards Kelowna. Stopped at a fruit stand in the Okanagan Valley and got some carrots, asparagus and grapes. Its raining again. Tell D&B to retire to Penticton at the bottom of Okanagan Lake - looks like a nicely laid out town.

 
Stopped at Oliver for ½ hr break, watched a truck pull event on the main street. Still drizzling. Orchards all over the place, mostly cherry but peach and apple too. Fruit is expensive compared to KW though.

#3 east out of Osoyoos has a spectacular hill climb, went on for miles, literally. 1233 meters elevation at the top. Mountain meadows, sparse trees, lots of birch just leafing out - right up in the clouds. Saw more deer and a pheasant. The rain stopped long enough for us to stop and fix lunch, and have a bit of a stretch. 5 minutes after we restarted it was pouring rain again, with lightning.

Lots of snow left in the Kootenay Pass. Scary road, had to stop quickly for deer crossing the road. Stopped for the night at Summit Creek cg, #3 outside Creston. No electricity, but free showers and clean washrooms. Had a good walk around and saw a full bright rainbow, with a third of another beside it. Found a Looney, so that’s the “gold” at the end.
 

A visit to historic Hat Creek Ranch, and on to camp north of Kelowna

 

Near Spence's Bridge BC

Up by 6 for cereal and coffee, and away by 7. Sunny and cool. Skihist Prov Park, about 3 km up the road towards Spences Bridge looked like a lovely quiet place to camp. Also Goldpan (?) prov park about 10 Km east of Spences Bridge, right on the edge of the Thompson River.

We stopped at Hat Creek ranch outside Cache Creek, and spent half a day there. Took our first horseback trail ride ever, up into the hills and sagebrush country. Just an hour, and our knees were quite sore. Also took a wagon ride - very rough, imagine travelling for months in one of these - no wonder people walked instead. Nice pioneer village, just opened last year and still under development.

 

 

After our Hat Creek adventure we pressed on to Kamloops. Looks like a nice place to live, right on the edge of a lake, among sage-covered hills. Tell Donna and Bob there is a nice-looking cg on #1 west (?) about 2 km out of Cache Creek.

Stopped at Owl’s Nest cg at Oyama (?), #97 about 20 miles north of Kelowna, right on a lake (Kalamalka?). 

Nobody was around to register, so we picked a nice site overlooking the lake. Pretty soon it started to thunder and get very dark and windy, then it started to rain, Only lasted ½ hour, but when done there were small branches down all around the van. We started to cook supper inside, but were able to finish outside
 

We watched several quail poke around and play near the van, always cute to watch. A pileated woodpecker came to the tree beside the table several times. Magpies were chattering all around, and swallows galore. Even another hummingbird. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Down the Sunshine Coast from Lund to near Spence's Bridge BC

We saw lots of ferry landings on this leg of the trip

 

The sun is trying to shine this morning. Made grilled cheese for bfast, and off at 8:10, heading south (of course -  there is no road north from here). Mixed driving and 2 short ferry crossings back to Vancouver. Along the way we saw more eagles, one flying with a fish in its claws. The ferry area near Gibson (where Beachcombers was filmed) looked invitingly touristy, but we didn’t stop. We just went to the ferry and fixed lunch in the parking lot. 

We’re disappointed with this part of the trip. No views to speak of, little public waterfront access. Most of the shoreline is private cottages. Not much for the traveller, except some shops in Gibson.

Now our goal is to get thru Vancouver before rush hour, as this last ferry lands in Vancouver about 1:15. We did get to Hope - well east of Vancouver - about 3. Good time to stop for some groceries, as the road north is closed for construction (blasting) until 4:30.

We camped at a small campground between Lytton and Spence’s Bridge, right on the Fraser canyon. After supper we went for a walk and saw 8 mountain sheep on the slope across the river canyon from us. Also saw Cedar Waxwing, and some unknown bird - yellow breasted with an orange head, and red on the head as well. Black and white wings, about the size of the Waxwing. Saw lots more bald eagles soaring on the way here. Mild tonight, about 18C.

 

 

Long Beach to Lund BC, heading towards home

 

 

Up before 7, and out on the beach. We saw a bald eagle (fishing, I guess) and watched it for a while. Lots of crows around, picking at the sand for food. The sky is starting to blue up. A Coast Guard ship had parked itself offshore within easy viewing distance, between the shore and an island. Is it waiting for smugglers? It just sat there for several hours.

Cath found some interesting shells to take home. We cooked oatmeal & toast for bfast, and were able to sit outside and eat, listen to the waves, and watch others explore, until we left at 9:30. In hindsight, neither of us is sure why we left so soon. The site warranted a longer stay.

Carving at Port Alberni

 

Partly sunny and 15C. We saw yet another bald eagle flying along the edge of the water before we left. We got to the Powell River ferry at 2:15 or so, for the 3pm ferry. Brewed a pot of tea and had sandwiches made from Donna’s bbq turkey. The Sunshine Coast looks sunny! The ferry should take 1 hr 15 min.

When we were starting up to board the ferry, a car behind us slammed in to our bumper! Cath spilled hot tea and burned her lip. Some old fellow behind us had put his foot on the gas instead of the brake. 

The damage to our back bumper didn't look too bad. He wouldn’t just give us $50 to get it fixed (luckily for us, as it turned out), so after we landed we went to the Powell River Insurance Office and filed a claim against him. We have his name, address, and license number (and video), and also the name and address of a volunteer witness. Really annoying! Our van is 8 years old but immaculate. 

His BC insurance (ICBC) paid for the repair once we were back in Ontario. It was a lot more than $50!

 

Someone was practising "touch and go" in this jumbo jet as we crossed on the ferry

 

We got to Lund about 5pm and got a site near the harbour (no view, and dog poop on the site, but close to the harbour). Went over to the Lund Hotel for really nice prawn dinners. Cath had prawns Provincial, and Gord had them steamed in their shells gourmet style, with their feelers still attached. We took pictures (videos) to gross Heather out! Gord had the best pumpkin pie in recent memory and Cath had strawberry-rhubarb pie.

 

 

It was all so good, we felt very relaxed after a trying day, so we topped it off with an ice cream cone while we browsed around the harbour. Looks like an active harbour area, with a mix of commercial and pleasure boats. Saw an eagle soaring, and hummingbirds flitting.

 

 

 

Departing Victoria, heading to Tofino BC

Cathedral Grove

 

Still raining. Away at 8:50 after a quick bfast of orange juice and Cheerios, which we could eat in the van with no trouble. Heated up the leftover coffee for the thermos.

Along the way we stopped in Chemanus and walked around viewing the 30 or so large murals on the buildings. Apparently this is where that trend started.

 

A lot of lumber is produced and exported from here

Wall murals

  

We got a lovely dream catcher for Meagan. Steamed up some hot dogs and made tea, then headed north to Nanaimo about noon.

Port Alberni was a good stop for some salmon jerky and candied salmon. Lots of traffic (too much). Much more “civilized” than we had imagined. Lots of the usual chain stores and restaurants. We almost got run over, walking at the side of the highway.

The we stopped at Cathedral Grove for a good walk around. It’s awe-inspiring how big those trees are:

The trees don't even look real sometimes

 

 

Very cool and damp in there, with lots of ferns. Cath found a ladies Seiko watch in good shape, still running with the correct time. No mosquitoes. Sunny and 16C. Wildflowers galore - lupins, daisies, clover, columbine, broom, astilibe and lots more unknown to us. Now pouring rain again - this is rain forest country for sure.

On the way again:

Lots of water

 

We pulled in to Crystal Cove cg outside Tofino tonight - still pouring rain. As usual for us, we had no reservations. $24 for a no-hookup, no-appeal site. No way, so went on in to Tofino. We looked for a motel or something, but Tofino was full, so we headed back out to Bella Pacifica cg. $27, but a serviced site right at the beach. It’s gorgeous, even in the rain.

Out the back windows

Our old Barbour coats came in really handy (rainproof)

 Another video clip:

 

Did some beach-walking, then a supper of beer, beans & wieners, and salmon jerky for desert.

Things looked better for wandering the beach later on:

A very full day.