The RV was now clean and stocked, and we were ready to leave Victoria to start our summer adventure. We left Christines house, and took the Brentwood Bay ferry to MillBay and headed up Vancouver Island. We decided to take the Comox to Powell River Ferry to get to the Mainland and to explore a bit of the Sunshine Coast. We found a few beautiful campgrounds along the way to spend our nights, but decided if we want to save some money- we will need to boondock most of the time. We downloaded the travel app iOverlander and that is a wealth of information for the nomadic traveler. We headed to Gibsons via the SalteryBay/Egmont Ferry, and got to see all the waterways that we have sailed in for the last 15 years from a different perspective. We found a campground in Gibsons and had a wonderful 3 days visiting with our friends.
After Gibsons….we headed to Vancouver by ferry (I think this was the 4th one so far) and drove up and over the Coquihalla (last year this mountain highway was washed out in sections due to flooding and it’s amazing how fast the roadworks got the highway back up and functional) and we arrived in Kamloops by mid-afternoon to visit another set of friends. We stayed here for almost a week enjoying Nichole and Brents company, the use of the laundry and of the showers was wonderful. We helped them with planting the garden and minor yard work for exchange! While in Kamloops- we had a minor issue with the water pressure in the RV and had a leak. We can’t say enough good things about FraserWay RV who fit us in right away and fixed the issue.
After leaving Kamloops we did a roadside stop to visit The Last Spike (that connected the east and west of Canada by railway) and made a 4 day stop in Radium HotSprings to enjoy a day in the large hot pool. We either stayed in campgrounds or truck stops along the way.
Soon, we crossed over into Alberta….and you know what? The first thing we noticed is how nice the highways were in Alberta…..each province is responsible for their own roads! We got to Exshaw (again for me!) and set up our RV in my parents driveway. We then plugged in and had the use of laundry and showers……luxury! We then spent the next 3 weeks visiting family, helping out around the house and gardens, a wedding thrown in the mix….and a couple of side trips. Within a couple of days getting to Exshaw- the wind changed and we started getting the smoke from the wildfires from Northern Alberta.
Our first trip was to Drumheller and the Tyrell Museum. We spent 5 fun filled days of dinasaurs, desert, hoodoo’s, hiking and more dinasaurs. We spent most nights at the friendly Walmart in town and one day at a very lovely (albeit-expensive) campground, right on the Red Deer River. We then headed back to Exshaw for more family and visiting. Then took off with the neighbours to Bow Valley Provincial Campground for 3 nights to camp by the Bow River (by this time the smoke had all but cleared).
My brother came all the way from Australia to visit my parents….and of course all his great sisters! We were able to get Mom into the Extended Care right in Canmore hospital (she has a lot more freedom now to come and go) and of course, witness my Niece getting married. No matter how old you are….when all the siblings get together we all revert back to teenage years! Fun and laughter all around!
The day finally came and Dave and I were ready to continue our trip East. Sad to say good-bye, but we’ll come back through in September…..except my brother, Neil….we’ll have to go to Australia to go visit him again. We are done with Alberta for now….so on to Saskatchewan and more adventures. Cheers Everyone!
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