Canada RV Trip 6.21-7.1 2010
June 21st 2010
We had to wake up very early in order to leave DCA on a 6:00AM flight to Houston and from there, after 1 hour connection, we left to Vancouver.
We arrived in Vancouver at 11:45AM; a cab took us to Cruise Canada.
Once again we took the 30 feet long RV and this time we got a brand new RV, we were the first once to ever drive in it. We brought all our camping supply with us but everything was in the RV; new pots, pans & cutlery. We are using our own sleeping bags and towels. We left Cruise Canada around 1:30 pm and headed out to Safeway to do groceries. After that we drove to Tsawassen were we took the 5pm ferry to Victoria on Vancouver Island. This is a huge ferry with 3 decks just for busses, trucks, RV’s and cars, the 4th deck is an indoor lounge and the 5th and 6th deck is to sit outside. It takes 1.5 hour to cross, and it is beautiful. We arrived in Swartz Bay and from there it was a 30 min. drive to Victoria. We are staying in Westbay RV Park. It is located close to downtown Victoria and on the water. It has a little marina and floating houses.
While Nir was making dinner I organized the rest of the RV and the girls were playing outside with a new friend. After taking a shower we all went to sleep and around 11pm everybody was in there own dreams.
June 22nd 2010
This morning we woke up around 7:30 and the girls around 8am. We all snuggled in bed for a while and started the day easy. Nir made pancakes for breakfast while I and Noa went to the registration office from the RV Park to find out what we can do in this area. We decided to walk to downtown over the boardwalk all along the water. It’s an easy walk with beautiful views. When we arrived downtown we took a snack and continued walking to Fisher’s man Warf. We had lunch at Barb’s where we ate Fish & Chips. For dessert we had ice cream and after walking around and looking at the sea lions we took a water taxi back downtown. Galya went to see the Legislative building since Victoria is the capitol from BC and the girls and Nir walked along the water near the Empress Hotel and looked at some art stands. After that we walked a bit on Government Street where all the shops are and from there headed back again with a water taxi to our RV Park. It was a beautiful day and it’s a nice place to walk around. Victoria is small so you can really see a lot by foot. It is fun to see all the water planes taking off and landing.
June 23rd 2010
This morning we wanted to leave early since we had a long road trip ahead of us but we were all too tired to get out of bed on time. We left our campground at 8:15am and started driving towards Tofino. Tofino is located on the west coast of the island. We took from Victoria Highway 1; the Trans Canada HYW. We decided to stop at several places along the route.
The first place was Duncan (40 min north of Victoria) in the Cowichan Valley. This is a really diverse valley region rich with farms, vineyards, forests & lakes. Duncan is also known as the “city of totems”. There are all together about 80 unique hand carved cedar totem poles on display. We took a self guided tour that started at the Cowichan Valley Museum located in the heart of the city. You follow the sidewalk’s yellow footprints and you get to see 40 totem poles.
It was fun seeing and beautiful handcraft most of the time but I don’t think it is something you have to see and “waste your time on”.
The second place we stopped was Chemainus. This was a very cute little town and it’s famous for its 33 story-like murals on buildings spread over town. All of them portray the history of Chemainus, such as its native heritage, the Japanese legacy and early settlers. Here again you can follow the footprints on the sidewalk for a self guided tour. We had ice cream at Billy’s Delight Ice Cream Parlor where they make fresh homemade waffle cones. Those waffles were amazing! From there we continued driving towards Parksville where we changed to Highway 4.
Along HYW 4 you pass through Cathedral Grove in MacMillan Provincial Park. We took a little trail here to wander among the giant cedars. It’s a must see! From there we continued all the way till Tofino. We finally arrived at our campground around 6pm. We are staying at Crystal Cove Beach Resort, beautiful RV Park located next to the beach and a great playground for the kids. Unfortunately it hasn’t stopped raining since we came here but that didn’t stop the girls from exploring the beach and making new friends. After dinner we played some Taki, drank coffee and now it is time to sleep.
June 24th 2010
This morning we woke up around 8am again. This vacation we just can’t wake up earlier than that. Last night it rained cats & dogs. After Nir made pancakes and we finished our breakfast we started heading out to Ucluelet which is a small town 33 km. from our campground.
The “Wild Pacific Trail” was our first hike of the day. This trail traces the coastline, offering panoramic views. It’s a 2.6 km loop. It’s an easy walk and really fun to do. After the hike we had lunch in our RV, sandwiches & salad. The second hike that day was the Rainforest Trail. This trail is divided into 2 loops across the highway. Each loop is 1 km. There is a boardwalk that leads you through the rainforest. It is amazing to see all those gigantic tall and old trees, some more than 800 years. At the end of the day we drove to Tofino where we booked a whale watch tour with Westcoast Aquatic Safaris. We left on a small boat around 6:30pm. We saw Grey Whales and Humpback Whales, as well as sea lions and eagles. Both of the girls were getting seasick at the end of the trip since we went to open sea and you could really feel those waves! Was it amazing? No! Was it fun? Yes, but wouldn’t recommend anyone to do it, the chances of seeing a whale jump out of the water is small so you get to see his back, the spurting of the water and his tail getting out of the water. It’s exciting to see those amazing animals so close up. Back at the campground we took warm showers and did some laundry.
June 25th 2010
This morning we actually managed to leave the campground quiet on time, 8:30am.
The campground was beautiful, one of the best we have been so far from all our RV trips.
We drove today to Campbell River which is located on the east side of the island and more or less in the middle. We had to take Highway 4 again which is a very difficult road to drive. It is a narrow and winding road going up and down the mountains. It is a very scenic road and many beautiful places along the road to stop. We had our breakfast around 10am along the way in a rest area with a beautiful view over Sproat Lake. Closer to Port Alberni we stopped for a small hike at Little Qualicum Falls Provincial Park. We did a little loop starting at the lower falls going up to the upper falls. This took us little less than an hour. It is well worth it to stop there. When we continued driving, just on the other side of the road we saw a black bear, and that was of course one of the bigger excitements for the day. We have seen so far deer, quite a few bald eagles, whales and a bear. When we got to Parksville we went on route 19 A which is the old highway to the north but much more scenic all along the shore. We stopped at another rest area just before Comox at Union Bay to have lunch. We thought it would be fun for the girls to walk and play a bit on the beach but it turned out to be an oyster beach. There was no sand at all you just walked over oyster shells. This wasn’t fun of course and like every year our trip wouldn’t be complete if Liron wouldn’t get a booboo so today she cut her toes open on the oyster shells. She is a brave girl and Nir took very well care of her with his first aid kid. From there we continued driving all the way till our campground; Parkside RV campground on route 28 which is going back to the west again. It is just 10 min. outside of Campbell River. It is a nice campground located in between many trees. We arrived around 4 pm, earlier than planned because the hike that we wanted to do today was closed. It is located in Strathcona Park on the Forbidden Plateau. That is the highest place on the whole island and till last week they were skiing there, till today they have 105 cm (41.3”) of snow on the ground and so unfortunately we couldn’t do the hike which is supposed to be beautiful. At the campground the girls played horse shoe and Nir took a nap on the open fields next to the playground. In the evening we drove back to the town of Campbell River where we had a nice dinner at “Lookout” restaurant.
It is located next to the water and you can see all the fishermen’s boats getting back to the harbor. After dinner we did some small groceries at Walmart which was surprising very well managed and clean.
June 26th 2010
Today we woke up @ 8am and we left the campground around 8:30am. We took route 28 west that takes you to direction Gold River. We drove to Strathcona Provincial Park. Liron was very hungry and since this doesn’t happen very often we decided first of all to park our RV somewhere in the park and have breakfast. Noa didn’t feel too well and didn’t eat anything. Most probably a bit carsick again from the winding road. After breakfast we went to the information center which was a very small cabin. We haven’t seen here on the island yet any good info center and the signs are not always clear as well. We decided to do a few short hikes instead of one long day hike. We drove almost all the way south of the park along Buttle Lake. We parked our RV on the other side of Ralph River Campground were 2 hikes started. The first hike that we did was Shepherd Creek Trail. This is a 1.5 km (0.9 mile) loop trail. It takes you along the Ralph River. At the other side of the river starts Wild Ginger, this is an 800 m. (0.5 mile) loop trail. Both trails are really fun to do. After the 2 morning hikes we drove to Karst Creek where we had lunch. The girls played with the freezing glacier water while I was preparing a yummy omelet. From there we drove to Lupin Falls which is also an 800 m. (0.5 mile) loop trail. You walk through a cool forest till you get to a beautiful waterfall. It’s a very scenic trail and my favorite from the hikes that we did today. We then drove more West on route 28 and stopped at Lady Falls. Nir was very tired and decided to stay in the RV to take a nap while I and the girls took this hike. To see the falls you need to take a hike of 900 m. (0.6 mile) when you get at this enormous strong waterfall you can enjoy its cool spray. We drove back to our campground and we arrived there at 5:15pm. We had a nice long talk with the friendly owner. At our campsite the girls and Nir went out to play with the new Frisbee while I started dinner. After dinner they played a bit more outside while I went to do laundry. The girls took a long shower at the campgrounds washroom and before they went to sleep we played Taki all together. The girls were at 9pm in bed. We all need to sleep on time to leave at 8am since we need to take the early ferry from Comox to Powell River for our last few days of our RV trip. The time is flying again like always.
June 27th 2010
This morning we did manage to leave on time. We actually left 10 min earlier than planned. The day started quiet said because just when we left the campground many Babies jumped out of the bushes next to the road. One Bambi was confused and wasn’t sure what to do and she suddenly jumped in front of our RV. We were going down a pretty steep hill and couldn’t maneuver around the Bambi. Well you can just imagine how that feels, horrible! After some tears we continued to fill up the RV with gas on Highway 19 which is the new highway. When we drove to Campbell River we used Highway 19A which is the old coastal highway. It took us about 30 min. to get to Little River which is close to Comox. We bought a ferry ticket for the 10:10am crossing time. While waiting for the ferry we had breakfast. You could see people from other cars starring at us; we were having a nice breakfast with coffee, while they were all sitting in their cars. We crossed the waters of “Strait of Georgia” and it took us 1 hour and 20 min. The girls were in the beginning a bit seasick. I gave Noa a motion sickness pill and took Liron for a little walk on deck in the fresh cold air. I also decided to go down to the car deck to get the game Taki from the RV. The girls where feeling much better when they were busy doing games.
When we arrived at Powell River we continued driving to Saltery Bay. This is another short drive on the beautiful Sunshine Coast Highway. We had plenty of time till the next ferry so we decided to get into Saltery Bay Provincial Park. We had lunch there and afterwards we strolled on the beach. It was a very scenic place. The beach was fun to explore; we looked at clams, oysters, huge purple starfish and many crabs. We took the 3:20pm ferry from Saltery Bay to Earls Cove. This ferry crossing takes about 50 min. This is a beautiful ferry ride because it sails in an inlet. This means you are sailing in between land. You could see Nelson Island from the boat and in the far you could see Chatterbox Falls. From Earls Cove we took route 101 South (Sunshine Coast Highway) till the Sechelt area, to be precise Wilson Creek where we had a campground reservation. Creekside Campground. The office was closed so we just took an empty side and there were plenty. We hooked up; the girls had fun playing in the creek while Nir and I had a beer and snack (borrel in Dutch). We had an early dinner and played a bit on the grass with the Frisbee. I don’t know why but I had a weird feeling about the place, there were too many weirdoes on this campground. In a spontaneous outburst I told Nir, “Let’s unhook and try to catch the last ferry and still drive to Whistler tonight”. Nir loved the idea, jumped up, unhooked, and he drove to Langdale as fast as he could to catch the last 9:00pm ferry of the day. We made it in time. The girls took a quick shower while we were waiting for the ferry. We arrived in Horseshoe Bay around 10pm. From Horseshoe Bay we took Highway 99 North towards Whistler. It was a very difficult road to drive and I kept on talking to Nir. He did a good job and at midnight we arrived at Riverside Campground in Whistler. We had called to make sure they still had a site. When we got to our site somebody took it so we had to tell him to wrap it up and leave which he did without a problem. After hooking up Nir and I had a nice cup of coffee and went to sleep.
June 28th 2010
Today we slept in and got out of bed around 8:30am. The girls woke up only around 9:30am. We had a nice breakfast and had to check out from this site before 11am. We went to the campground’s office to get our new site that I had reserved already a month ago, and it’s good I did because even though it is dead season this campground is full. We also got some info about the area. We decided to drive into town to go to the info center. It was raining already the whole night and it continued in the morning but with our rain ponchos we walked in town, and it is beautiful here. We got some info about hikes. We drove about 16 km south of Whistler where we took a small hike to see the Brandywine Falls at Brandywine Falls Provincial Park. It’s a 66 meter waterfall and you also have views of Daisy Lake. You pass on this trail remains of volcano’s you need to cross a railroad track to get to the observation platform at the falls.
After this hike we drove again back towards Whistler and about 8 km south of Whistler we did the Farside/Riverside hike. It was a bit hard to find and the signs are really bad here in Canada, not clear at all. We started some kind of hike but quickly we understood it wasn’t the hike we wanted to do. We walked back to the RV and started walking along the river since we knew from the map that the trail had to be along the river, and we were right. The trails follow the gentle grade of the Cheakamus River, with a suspension bridge crossing the river. This hike was beautiful and a lot of fun. This hike is about 6 km. We were lucky with the weather because only at the end it started raining again. When we started driving back towards Whistler we saw a bear just on the side of the road walking towards us. It was amazing to see. It was an adult black bear. We tried to take pictures but from excitement we didn’t take the best pictures. In town we had dinner at “Ric’s Restaurant”, an amazing good restaurant. Since it is still dead season we had a good deal on a 3 course meal. It was so good that even Liron ate from the calamari that we had for appetizer and she also ate from my fillet mignon. Tomorrow is our last day with the RV, and our last day in Whistler. I am already sad that it’s almost over!
June 29th 2010
Today we had an easy going morning. We woke up pretty late, Nir made the last pancakes for this trip since we wanted to finish all the food that was left over and we still had some pancake mix, milk and eggs left. We left around 10:15am and arrived in Whistler village 10 min. later.
We decided to go up the mountain since it supposed to have an amazing view and we are curious to see how much snow is left since we see a lot of people heading up the mountain with skis and snowboards. We first took a chair lift onto Blackcomb Mountain. While taking this lift we saw black bears on the slopes. We had to take another chairlift and it was very cold. On the top we got to Rendezvous Mountain Café. From there we took together with all the skiers and snowboarders a bus that took us to another chairlift that took us to the peak of Seventh Heaven. It was like being in heaven I guess. What a stunning view and so much snow. The other side of Blackcomb Mountain, not the side that you can see from the village, was packed with snow and of course all the boarders and skiers. It was unbelievable to experience this in the summer; you had a feeling like being in a ski vacation. That same atmosphere, and at the hut of Seventh Heaven you could eat something from the BBQ and snow flurries even came down.
We didn’t stay to long on the peak of the mountain since we were not really dressed for the occasion and we were pretty jealous watching all the skiers. We took the chairlift down again and the bus ride back to Rendezvous Café. We went inside to warm up and enjoy the view.
From Blackcomb Mountain you can take a peak 2 peak gondola that connects the two mountains with each other. We saw from up there another black bear. In total today we saw 5 black bears, pretty amazing! On Whistler Mountain you have another great lodge and we spoke there for a while with Marcel from Montreux, Switzerland. He is a ski instructor here for over 35 years. We took some pictures and took the smaller gondola back to Whistler town. From this gondola you could watch all the extreme mountain bikers going down the mountain. Crazy guys! Back in town we had a late lunch early dinner at the Brasserie. The food was good, simple but really nice. We walked after eating a bit in the village, went inside a few shops but decided to wait with the real shopping till we are tomorrow in Vancouver. The girls really want to buy something at Roots. This is a Canadian brand for cloth. Back at the RV campground the girls and Nir went to play with the Frisbee and I started packing. In the evening we all took a last quick shower in the RV, since you have to pay with coins at the campground showers, finished eating some more food that was left over, did games and Noa can’t stop reading from this book; Twelve. Nir and Liron took a last little hike and this is the end of our again very successful and fun RV trip. Tomorrow morning we need to drive back from Whistler to Vancouver to return the RV at Cruise Canada till 11:00 am. From there we will take a taxi to our hotel in Vancouver.
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