RV Road Trip 2018 - A once a year update

Posted by MELISSACARR on DECEMBER 6, 2018

We haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on our list.

This was plan C.

We initially planned to go to Cambodia and Vietnam for Sean’s 50th birthday. But Hana has had some health problems this year and was put on some twice daily medications, in addition to her twice daily eye drops. In short, she has a collapsed trachea that causes her to cough. In addition she has a defective heart valve, a heart murmur, and an enlarged heart, though the ultrasound showed she doesn’t have congestive heart failure (phew!).

So, plan B started to evolve with the idea of doing a road trip with the dogs. We had already done a road trip to Banff a couple of years ago, so we decided to do a different route–and we wanted to make it a big one! So, we chose Whitehorse. Yukon. And, furthermore, we decided that we’d do it via RV! Awesome! But, hey, that’s pretty far, and RVs are more expensive to rent than we had guessed, especially when I calculated mileage cost and gas cost (RVs are hungry beasts!). In addition, we were warned that even though we were choosing to go October 1 to 15 (trying to catch a time between summer forest fires and winter snow), we were still risking snow that far north.

Thus, plan C. Haida Gwaii. Still via RV. YAY!

As it turns out, plan C was a top pick, a great vacation and adventure!

Day 1 — Vancouver to 100 Mile House (450 km)

Highlights of this day:

Picking up our very first RV rental! I think we’ll do it again sometime.
This trip was a celebration for Sean’s 50th birthday, so when he said he wanted to start the drive, I agreed to that. We hadn’t guessed just how much he loved it, and he drove the whole trip! That allowed me to be the navigator, photographer, and Kendo’s car seat.
Snow! Day 1 and he’s already driving through rain and snow. Every weather condition yet to come.

He’s a bit excited. And pups are raring to go too!
This is the inside of our 25 foot RV. 25 feet of vehicle!
The dogs were seat belted into their own spots, Sean decided to start off as our driver, and with our matching “Road Trip! Road Trip! Road Trip!” shirts, we were ready to roll.
That didn’t last long. The rattling of all the items in the RV scared Hana and Kendo, so they both ended up seat belted on my lap. Pretty crowded!
It was a rainy start, but with some pretty views along the way.
See? Pretty views.
Until we hit the snow. What?! Day one (October 1) and we’ve already encountered snow. Didn’t anticipate that.
White snow, white knuckles. But he drove like a pro!
Our first campground was in 100 Mile House, but this is the best picture I got that night. Still snowing!

Day 2 — 100 Mile House to Vanderhoof (420 km)

Highlights:

Waking to so much snow. An hour or so of driving and it was clear again.
That didn’t mean the roads always felt safe. We were driving along a straightaway when we noted that the truck up the road was on our side. He was passing another big rig, but we were quickly approaching each other. “Slow down, slow down, slow DOWN!” I shouted to Sean. He was already doing that, but what else to do? The big logging truck managed to get back into his own lane in the nick of time. And when we gave him wild arm waving “What the hell?!” motions, he simply smiled and waved back. I didn’t get a photo of any of that because I just didn’t think of it as I contemplated our demise.

Kendo shocked to see the amount of snow, as it continued to snow all night!
That’s Rocky the RV
Our spirits aren’t dampened! Ready for day 2!
The cows don’t seem to mind.
We saw tons of logging trucks all through the trip.
One of the best things about traveling in an RV is that we could stop anywhere and cook food, someplace beautiful (even when it’s covered in snow).
Lunchtime!
Snow does make for a beautiful setting.
Sometimes you quick snap pics as your husband’s driving down a highway and you find some cool scenes.
Then again, no snow is pretty beautiful too! What a difference an hour of driving (and lower altitude) makes!
The contrast of beautiful nature and the tools we use to take it down.
In Prince George we stopped to check out the town and some shops, and heard the story about a bird’s imprint on the store window after it flew into it that morning!
Just a tigress in Walmart. Nothin to see here.
We should have bought the T-rex head!

Day 3 — Vanderhoof to Terrace (476 km)

Highlights:

I nearly passed out trying to blow up a bunch of Happy 50th Birthday balloons,, but it was worth it!
On his birthday he wanted to drive an RV. Check! We also saw 2 coyotes, a number of deer, and a black bear!
What a gorgeous drive!

Sean’s big 50 birthday!
I had him hide while I blew up balloons to decorate the RV.
A bunch of family and friends decorated this t-shirt for him. That paint glows!
His favourite phrase.
This is what he most wanted for his 50th birthday–to drive an RV.
Oops! Guess it was a bit cold last night. This is our water hose we had hooked up outside. Lucky we were able to remove it ok, and then we had to defrost it in our shower.
So many logging trucks.
Whoa. Crazy tough bears.
We stopped in Burns Lake and found our new fave on-the-road café. We actually made 2 more stops here later in the trip!
It was a hot and dry summer.
That’s a lot of cars in a yard.
Quaint
There’s a coyote in this picture! We actually saw 2 coyotes on Sean’s bday. Does that make it his new spirit animal?
And 3 deer in a field.
Should we change plans and drive to Alaska?
Yes, we brought Wolfie with us, of course!
Pretty view. So many pretty views.
We saw deer. No moose. No elk. Though the signs kept promising them. And we tried calling them out! Here, moosey, moosey, moosey…
Skeena River near Terrace
Oh boy. Emptying in the sewage tank. After this attempt by him, I took over.
Winding down

Day 4 — Terrace to Haida Gwaii (342 km including ferry ride)

Highlights:

An incredible drive to Prince Rupert, followed by a 7 hour ferry ride.
When we arrived on Haida Gwaii and we drove to the campground, it was already dark. Hayden Turner Campground is on an honours payment system, and you put $20 in an envelope in a box at the entry.

On the road again.
Small town BC. I think this is Smithers ???
You’ll see me use the word “beautiful” a lot.
Looks like we’re going to eventually hit a rock wall!
Bridges. Clearly.
Two little pieces of paper and our main destination point is just 7 more hours away!
I think he’s excited. Kendo…less so.
All aboard!
See you again soon Prince Rupert!
It was cozy and comfy onboard the ferry.
I occupied myself watching for whales while I needle felted.

Day 4 — Haida Gwaii! (150 km around the island)

Highlights:

Wow! Wow! Wow! Haida Gwaii makes an impressive first impression!
We couldn’t take pictures in the Haida Gwaii Museum, but it was wonderful. We were asked to consent to the possibility that pictures of a us (and a few other visitors) might end up on their website!
We decided to head all the way to the north end of the island. It was a gorgeously sunny day. We took a really bumpy road to North Beach and though we wondered if the RV might rattle apart (or if we would), we all arrived just fine.
Hana LOVES the sand! So, as soon as her paws touched it, she started to frap. We haven’t taken her off leash outside for a very long time, but there was no one else around us, so we let her run. Until someone came out with 2 big dogs just a couple of minutes later. But for those 2 minutes, she had so much fun!
We chose not to go all the way to Tow Hill (where you can view Alaska!) because we weren’t sure how much further or how rough the ride would be for the RV. We’ll need to come back!
For our second night, we stayed just outside of Masset at the Hidden Island Campground.

We arrived when it was dark, so were thrilled with getting to actually see our first Haida Gwaii campground (Hayden Turner) and walk just a few minutes to the water.
Wow.
This was one of our awe moments, struck by the beauty of this place.
Us.
Impressive. Most impressive.
Of course I had to try out this swing rope.
Got his wings.
Hana approves.
Sadly, the red coats and dresses represent the missing and murdered indigenous women and girls.
Haida Gwaii Museum
Massive mushroom
Just out lunch spot. Carry on.
Is the sign indicating to go slower so you can get a better view???
It was a very bumpy road. Everything in the RV rattled. Including Sean.
But it was worth the drive out. The dogs loved it too!
People heading out to surf.
I guess the bird decided this starfish was too sandy.

Day 6 — Haida Gwaii (45 km around the island)

Highlights:

We drove into New Massett, though it was Thanksgiving long weekend, so not much was open. There are some wonderful murals there though.
We then went to Old Massett, the reservation, where we visited two gift shops, including one I didn’t get a photo of, Gin Kuyaas- Haida ArtStudio & Gifts. We spent a long time chatting with owner Lisa White-Kuuyang, her nephew, and friend Vern. Lisa and her husband are both artists and they sell some fabulous items. Her nephew is a young guy, working on learning and sharing the Haida language and culture–that’s promising!
Lisa’s brother has a carving shop across the street, and though we didn’t have time to have the tour, we did check out the yard and his work in progress.
Next we headed to Port Clements. It started to rain, but that didn’t’ stop us.
We took a walk from our campground at Sunset Park and Campground through a forest into town. It wasn’t a very wild walk, but there were tons of mushrooms, slugs, and greenery along the way.
At the museum in Port Clements, we were able to see the stuffed white raven and pictures of the Golden Spruce (seriously, read that book!).
In town, we also bought chanterelle mushrooms, and I couldn’t believe how cheap they were! I’m sure we saw some along the path, but I didn’t want to make the mistake of picking the wrong ones and making us sick.

There are some gorgeous murals in Masset.
Feels like I walk down this path.
Gift shop in Old Masset
Totems in Old Masset
Portside in Masset
Totem and canoe carving building in Old Masset
This is going to be a canoe. A big canoe!
Nurses rock
Ready to go for a walk into Port Clements.
What it looks like. Trees on logs. In the mist. Yup. But so pretty!
Man with a parasol.
Trees are awesome.
Truly awesome.
Try, try again tree.
This one grew something weird.
And so many mushrooms! I think this one is a type of reishi! Wish I would have picked a bunch.
Yin and Yang slugs
That’s a shipping container house!
This white raven lived in Port Clements. And now he still resides in Port Clements, but stuffed in a museum.
You can no longer see the Golden Spruce along the Golden Spruce Trail, but the museum has pictures of it. The book, “Golden Spruce” by John Vaillant is a great read!
Can you believe…just $0.60 for these chantarelles at the little local grocery store!

Day 7 — Haida Gwaii (75 km around the island)

Highlights:

It was raining, but we were still excited to go hiking Anvil Trail.
This is only a portion of the mushroom pictures I took. Seriously, there were a lot!
The trail was terribly muddy in some sections, grown over a bit in others, and longer than we expected (longer than indicated on the sign), but though we were a bit concerned we were away from the RV (and the dogs) for too long, it was an amazing and memorable walk–well worth the trouble!
The only animal wildlife we saw were a few frogs and slugs, but it was a bit concerning when we came across what we think was bear poop along our trail.
It took us two days and use of a hairdryer to dry our boots and coats and pants, but, man, that was fun!
We headed back to Hayden Turner Campground for our last night on Haida Gwaii.

It was raining, but nothing was going to stop us from hiking the Anvil Trail.
We stayed on the trail by following these markers.
It started off pretty easy.
Even has some cool paths.
And for part of it, we were sheltered from some of the rain by the tree coverage.
Peek a boo
That’s a huge tree!
It’s like tree wired connections.
We were soaked by the time we reached this point, but it was so well worth it!
This was one of Sean’s favourite parts of the hike, getting to rapel down a slope.
So many varieties of mushrooms! Black reishi.
Maybe blue chantarelles.
Dead stumps are one of their favourite foods.
‘Shroom path.
Crowded spot
No idea what type of mushrooms these are.
Slimy
Big ‘shroom guys
Hmmm, not going to eat these either.
Maybe I should have picked this beauty! Reishi!
For sure I should have picked this one! Lion’s Mane!
Big sucka
Hiding frog
Ummm…is that bear poo?
Are we there yet?
Finally found our way out. And we were soaked.
Really soaked.
Warmed up with a warm meal.
Balance Rock
Queen Charlotte fisheries
Is this really big enough, if there’s an oil spill?
Misty
So many views.

Day 8 — Haida Gwaii to Prince Rupert (201 km ferry ride)

Highlights:

We were sad to leave, but we had to get on the ferry for our long trip back to Prince Rupert.
I wanted to stay near Prince Rupert, so we could spend at least part of a day there. I hadn’t known it before, but my mom’s dad grew up in Prince Rupert. We were tired when we arrived back on the mainland, so headed to our campground with plans to return to PR the next day.
I won’t get into the story here, but we did have a sewage dump issue that’s a funny story now (a panic story then!).

Empty crab traps
Thank you Haida Gwaii, for a wonderful visit!
More felted projects completed as I watched out the window.
Arriving at Prince Rupert.
Wolfie has taken over the driving.
Our clothes were still soaked from the day before! Had to dry my boots and coat out with a hairdryer.
The dogs apparently think this is their dinner.

Day 9 — Prince Rupert to Hazelton (287 km)

Highlights:

It started out really foggy that day, but we enjoyed a walk around the town of Prince Rupert.
This journey was probably the most beautiful section of drive we’ve encountered!
And, it was hard for me to not distract Sean from driving while I oohed and aahed over the mountains that loomed as we entered Hazelton.
‘Ksan Campground was the best campground we stayed at, and you can see from the photos, why.
We’re not great at making a campfire, but we managed enough to roast marshmallows.
We had heard that we might be able to see the Northern Lights, so I woke up several times over the night to check if they were visible. It was cloudy all night, so no view. But at 6 a.m. I got up to see the stars.

A very foggy drive.
Like the start to a scary movie.
Someone has a sense of humour.
Cool mural in Prince Rupert.
Totem in Prince Rupert.
Thanksgiving lunch
Misty view at Lake Oliver.
Our dogs aren’t exactly outdoorsy.
Sean on a log.
Fallen tree B&W
Just off the roadside portrait.
Peek-a-boo view.
Random roadside stop.
Beautiful views everywhere.
A tale of two bridges.
Pups approve of the view.
RV family.
Rearview view
Train, railroad ties, and more beautiful mountain views.
Too cold to go for a swim.
RV Hubs is loving this.
CN Rail
Fall road
One-way bridge in Hazelton.
Our campround in Hazelton. VIews all around!
This.
It looks like Hana’s off leash, but no way. That’s Photoshopped.
Hana was loving running on the rocks. Kendo, not so much.
Dinner outside.
Hi Kendo.
Yes, we loved this campground. ‘Ksan Campground.
We wanted to make sure we got to roast marshmallows at least once on this trip.
Pretty at night too.

Day 10 — Hazelton to Babine Lake (257 km)

Highlights:

What a stunning morning!
The ‘Ksan museum was closed, but we were able to walk through the village.
When we were on the return ferry from Haida Gwaii, we had chatted with a young woman who we found out was a forest firefighter who lives in Burns Lake in the summer and on Vancouver Island (where she teaches) during the rest of the year. She said that this past summer was one of the hardest summers for fires, especially as they came in very close to where she was living.
When researching places to park the RV near Burns Lake, I came across a place on another lake, called Babine Lake. It appeared to be a reasonable distance, so I spoke to the owner and booked it.
On the drive in, we hit logging road. While the condition of the road wasn’t too bad, it was awfully bumpy in the RV, so I called the owner to ask if it got worse. She said no, though to watch toward the end, as it would get a bit steeper. An hour or so later, we arrived.
It was called a resort, but um, didn’t look like a resort.
The owners were nice though and the lake was beautiful.
The woman reminded me that they were closed at 10 p.m. I was confused, as we were already there and I’d pay then. What she meant was that they shut off the power generator at 10. That was bad news because without the electricity, we’d lose the ability to run the RV heater all night! It was very cold and there was no way I wanted to sleep without heat in that cold RV. So, I asked her about the cabins they had onsite. Were any available? She said she had one. It was the one she and her husband used in the winter, because the rest of the year they lived in their RV. They did used to have a bigger house on the grounds, but her husband told me that that one blew up Christmas Eve the year before!!! They never found out why, but all the cabins are heated with propane, so it would make sense that something went wrong with the propane heater. Anyway, the available cabin—also heated with propane—was ours for the night, if we wanted it. Choice A: freeze all night feeling like we were dying a slow death (a bit dramatic, but I do hate being cold). Choice B: be warm, but possible blow up (death would likely be quick). We chose B.
The people were nice, including the hunters from Langley in the cabin next to us, but the place was a bit like a scene from a horror movie. Beautiful lake, far away from town, with a big building making a lot of noise(where the generator was, but it could have also been where bodies were chopped up), and strangers with guns.
Because of Hana’s cough, every night we wore earplugs, that night included. I had closed the windows to keep the heat inside, but in the middle of the night I woke up and smelled a strong scent of propane. Not wanting to tempt fate and make the place blow up, I decided to get up quickly and open the windows. Unfortunately, that meant going outside, as the screens are bolted closed. So, I put on my coat and boots to go out. Sean woke up and asked were I was going. I told him, but he didn’t hear me because he had his earplugs in. I grabbed a lantern and went outside. Now, I was nervous because the hunters had told Sean about a bear that had bitten one of the propane tanks(!) and I didn’t want to meet this dumb crazy bear. But this had to get done, so I went around the house and opened each window. As I was doing that, Sean was inside, and he decided to go pee.
His perspective: The toilet faces one of the windows and he’s standing there peeing when he notices a light approaching the window. He doesn’t realize I’ve gone outside. He sees the light get closer and closer, and then suddenly the window in front of him opens and he freezes in fear! By the time I got back inside, he was just recovering from the shock of thinking he was about to get killed by the Babine Lake psycho murderer. Lesson: Make sure that you actually hear your wife’s answer when you ask a question.

‘Ksan village and museum
Hand of History
Entry gate to the museum and village, though unfortunately we couldn’t get into the buildings, as it was closed.
Sean and totem building
‘Ksan village
Beaut
Memorial to sacred burial site.
Overview of bridge and view in Hazelton
Stunner
Teepee skeleton
Broken barn scene
Burnt trees outside of Burns Lake.
Rattle road leading to our Babine Lake campground.
Babine Lake “Resort”
Cute
Eagle
Long story, but this was plan B for the night of sleep.
Sean in front of our cabin
Kendo looking scared again. Can’t blame him this time, as that stove/heater was noisy and seemed to be alive.
Prepping dinner.
Home for the night.
Our view from our cabin.
Babine Lake
Campground view
Rolling with the punches, we’re happy to enjoy our alternate plans.
Blue view
Dock view of cabins campground
Sean learns to play cribbage.
Wolfie’s not going to win this cribbage hand.

Day 11 — Babine Lake to Prince George (267 km)

Highlights:

We went through Burns Lake again and picked up Morris the Moose. People kept telling me there are lots of moose in the area, but I now call them “unicorns” because I feel like they aren’t real. A unicorn seems more feasible than a moose as an animal that could/should exist.
We stopped stayed just outside of Prince George in Northland RV Park where the owner there said that there is a buck, doe, and baby moose that walk through their campground almost every day, sometimes twice daily!
He offered that we could walk through his land and suggested we check the two ponds and the big field at dusk.
That was exciting! But, nope. No unicorns. Or moose.

Morris and an empty logging truck.
Beauty
And the Beast
Makes you think about how you use wood and paper. Dead trees.
Probably one of the odded/ugliest city entrance signs. Prince George.
Dirty RV
Where are you moose?
Be vewy vewy quiet. We’re hunting (for) moose.
Do you see any moose?
What about here?
So sad. This moose’s antlers just tossed in with the garbage.
What a sky. The picture doesn’t do it justice. Blue and pink swirls.
Sunset dusk over our campground.
Checking out the field nearby. No moose, but beautiful, nonetheless.

Day 12 — Prince George to Quesnel (121 km)

Highlights:

Quesnel seemed like a really quaint, nice town, though in talking to some of the locals at a café, they joked that it’s a hick town with no culture. Still, they said so kind of lovingly.
And, I loved their Hudson’s Bay building local crafters’ store.
Such a pretty spot to camp–Robert’s Roost RV Park–lakeside and all to ourselves. And, a rainbow just for us!

Cool bridge in Quesnel.
Fire hydrant lumberjack
This old Hudson’s Bay building is now a crafting building.
Hudson’s Bay building
Not sure what not to do.
It was the last day of Robert’s Roost RV Park for this season, so we got our own pick of spots.
And what a sweet spot it was.
Pot of gold.
Somewhere under the rainbow.
Where shall we go?
Mallard
Night view

Day 13 — Quesnel to Cache Creek (317 km)

Highlights:

We had a very foggy start to the drive, and we even took a short break from it in the hopes it would clear. It didn’t, but we eventually drove out of it. And, then briefly back in.
As we left Quesnel, I texted one of the Robert’s Roost RV Park owners to ask her for tips of where to go en route to our next stop in Cache Creek. She recommended 2 things that turned out to be wonderful.
We had never heard of a place in BC that’s like our own (smaller) version of the Grand Canyon, but it does exist. And, it’s called The Chasm. Spectacular!
The next place her suggested was Horstings, a farmers’ market where we picked up the most delicious bread (reminded us of stuffing) and chutney.
What a change in the landscape, as the greenery, leaved trees, and sharp-edged mountains turned into dry, rolling hills. Still gorgeous.
While at our campground in Cache Creek, I got a phone call from my friends Tracy and Craig in Ontario. It was a wonderful chance to chat. But shortly into the conversation, I noticed an owl sitting in the tree across from our RV. So I promised Tracy I’d call her right back and I ran out with a camera. It was a big Great Horned Owl!

Morris leads our way into the fog.
So many beautiful lakes.
The last few years have been rough for wildfires.
Back into the fog.
It is pretty though.
William’s Lake (I was told it’s nicknamed “Willy’s Pond”).
I think that fire hit this area.
It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s an alien comet! Actually, it’s a plane.
BC’s Grand Canyon
elfie at The Chasm
Did you know this was in BC?
Oh the things I make him do. Tree pose.
Scenery change
Horstings Market
Brookside campground in Cache Creek
Great Horned Owl

Day 14 — Cache Creek to Harrison Hot Springs (228 km)

Highlights:

More diversity in landscape and the beauty of the Fraser River.
I had read about Fat Jack’s diner, and though it isn’t apparently as good as it was once, to us, it was pretty darn good!
Tuckkwiowhum Village was closed for tours and its stores, but we were able to do our own walk around and we saw that it was beautifully presented.
A couple more small stops and then we were in Harrison Hot Springs. This was our most expensive RV park (by long shot), and though it included use of a pool and hot tub, it was too busy for us. It was one of the least scenic places we stayed, but we really enjoyed walking around Harrison Lake.