Tag: Western Canada Alaska

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Day 93-99: North Cascades National Park and heading East

September 14-20

Our road trip interactive map

We like our converted Subaru and it works well for two as transportation (normal, small car) and camper (even if minimalistic). Roof cargo box lowers fuel efficiency on highways, but streamlines daily packing. We traveled 30500 miles during ☞ 7 long road trips, plus some shorter trips. We drove more often on unpaved not so good, bumpy and dusty roads which accelerated wear on mechanical systems. We described problems with breaks and tires in earlier posts. Now we noticed humming noise coming from the suspension, so we visited Canadian Tire in Surrey to have it inspected. They did good job taking us in on short notice. Diagnosis: be ready to spend $$$ on suspension/bearings – we got it all fixed in Chicago, but stopped at Costco in Bellingham and Burlington WA to rotate tires and then check torque.

Piotr spent quite a bit of time designing, building and testing our Subaru minimalistic camper.

More info

Day 93. Driving: Surrey- border crossing (Douglas/Blaine) – Hwy I-5 – Hwy 20 – Newhalem. We used car inspection waiting time to restock for camping in North Cascades National Park. Then back to US – Joanna studied cross-border rules and we passed customs quickly with no problems. Newhalem Creek Campground is very good with large shaded sites. When we arrived everything looked closed for the season, but one loop was actually open and we found a good spot. Nature trail led to Visitor Center. We stayed there 3 nights.

Day 94. We only touched the surface of the park watching it from scenic Highway 20 and from 2 short trails above tree line. Three hydroelectric dams (electricity for Seattle) created beautiful lakes. True exploration of North Cascades requires backcountry hiking, we had the gear, but were already too tired on this trip. Piotr was getting sick and rested, Joanna checked out Skagit River, Rock Shelter, Trail of the Cedars, Ladder Falls and Gorge Dam walking from campground.

Day 95. Visited Gorge and Diablo Lakes, Ruby Arm by driving around and stopping from time to time. Lakes were beautiful shades of blue, turquoise and green on that sunny day. We hiked scenic 6 km Thunder Knob Trail with views of Diablo Lake.

Day 96. Last day in the west and we both didn’t feel well, but we still managed short 7 km hike to Lake Ann, stopped at Washington Pass Overlook and continued on Hwy 20 to Klipchuck Campground in Okanogan National Forest, as far as we could go that day. We arrived quite early and decided to rest as much as possible. We had good spots to choose from, campground was quiet, few people, sunny weather.

Day 97. Driving: Hwy 20, 155 – Coulee Dam – Hwy 174, 2, I-90 – Coeur d’Alene. Stopping at scenic overlooks etc. Overnight at Coeur d’Alene LaQuinta.

Day 98. Driving: Hwy I-90, 12 – MacDonald Pass (short walk near Continental Divide Trail) – Hwy 12 – Helena. Overnight at Helena Baymont Hotel.

Day 99. Driving: Hwy 12 – Forsyth – Hwy I-94 – Medora. We arrived at Theodore Roosevelt National Park late and all campgrounds were already full, but we found a spot at nearby Sully Creek State Park Campground just for the night planning to move to Cottonwood National Park campground in the morning.

We traveled 1000 miles in 3 days spending most of the time on highways, section to Helena scenic and interesting, the rest rather boring. Our health improved quickly, resting comfortably two nights in good motels helped.

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Western Canada and Alaska 2024: 103-day road trip.

We planned the road trip for quite sometime, but it was only this year that we were able to pull it off. The initial plan was very ambitious (we skipped some destinations shown in red on the overview map below) as there are so many places one would want to see across six provinces/teritories (ON, MB, SK, AB, BC, YT) and eight states (IL, WI, MN, WA, ID, MT, ND, AK). We were in Alaska 40 of the 103 days. We crossed US-Canada border 8 times. The interactive map shows places where we stayed O/N, more often in areas explored in-depth.

Our road trip interactive map

Overview map

The plan was to drive between major destinations and camp in our car or tent most of the time (campgrounds and wild camping), stay in motels/hotels/cabins from time to time. Altogether we stayed in 76 different destinations. We drove 13000 miles with only several longer driving days (longest was 660 miles on return to Chicago from Fargo). Luckily, we were able to fix unexpected car mechanical problems on the go, but wasted energy and precious time (~4 days).

It was wide range of scenery and activities. Mountains, glaciers, lakes, rivers, fjords, temperate rain forest and old tree stands, sand dunes, badlands, Pacific coast. Dinosaurs. Wildlife watching (salmon, bears, orcas, whales…). Driving through areas destroyed by wildfires, some recently. Historical towns and sites from gold rush era. Changing views along highways. Changing weather. In retrospect, our schedule was very interesting travel-wise, but also very intense with little time to rest.

We managed only one short backcountry hike/camping from Kennecott to Root Glacier, disappointing as we were prepared for more. But we did many day-walks/hikes. Memorable several hours on Root Glacier, long day on Harding Icefield Trail and long, but relaxing hike to Kinney Lake and beyond. Two off-trail “wild” hikes: one on slopes of Cathedral Mountain in Denali NP and one exploring petrified forest in badlands of Theodore Roosevelt NP. Kayaking half of Eklutna Lake. Walking along rivers to watch salmon. Exploring gold rush history. Add sightseeing fly-over from McCarthy to Mt Blackburn in Wrangell-St Elias NP, and two ship cruises: from Seward to Northwestern Glacier and from Valdez to Columbia Glacier. Just to name some highlights.

Even with last minute daily planning, we did not have any problems, other than a couple of times, finding places to overnight. There were many campgrounds with good locations and layouts. Most had no running water, flush toilets or showers. We were sometimes surprised by dilapidated infrastructure and poor maintenance. Some automated fee collection stations were technologically top notch. We found very good old-fashioned campgrounds too. We stayed at established campgrounds most of the time (61 nights/42 destinations). Wild car-camping was fine (11 nights/11 destinations). Weather (rain), tight schedule, restocking and laundry, car repairs and long driving was a factor: renting a place to stay overnight was then the only viable/comfortable option (30 nights/23 destinations). Found many excellent and some interesting ones, not always expensive.

We experienced two travel health problems, but both resolved quickly.

Main expenses: gasoline $1980 ($2.80 to $6 per gallon), three ferries $200, rental overnight accommodations $3600 (average $120 per night), paid campgrounds $1060 (average $19 per night), tickets (airplane/ship excursions, mountain gondolas, museums etc.) $2120. Plus we camped 17 nights for free. Total $8970 = $88 per day. Spending on food and drinks was no more than at home. Car repairs and maintenance totaled $2180, but were not directly related to this trip other than by added mileage.

Completed itinerary
Day       Destinations   Overnight
1 Jun 14 Fri Harstad Park, Eau Claire River IL-WI Harstad CG
2   15 Sat Voyageurs NP MN Woodenfrog CG
3   16 Sun Voyageurs NP MN RiverFront Hotel, International Falls
4   17 Mon Voyageurs NP, Rainy Lake, Rushing River PP ON Rushing River CG
5   18 Tue Kenora, Anicinabe Park ON Kenora Traveloge
6   19 Wed Trans Canada Hwy, Portage Spillway PP MB Trans Canada Hwy wild camping
7   20 Thu Echo Valley PP SK Echo Valley CG
8   21 Fri Echo Valley PP, Trans Canada Hwy SK-AB Tel Star Motor Inn, Brooks
9   22 Sat Dinosaur PP hiking, Little Fish PP AB Little Fish CG
10   23 Sun Midland PP hiking, Royal Tyrrell Museum AB Two Jack Main CG
11   24 Mon Banff NP: Minnewanka Lake, Cascade River, Banff AB Banff Tunnel Mtn Village I CG
12   25 Tue Banff NP: Johnston Canyon, Ink Pots AB Lake Louise (hardsided) CG
13   26 Wed Banff NP: Lake Louise, Lake Agnes & Little Beehive AB Lake Louise (softsided) CG
14   27 Thu Yoho NP: Takakkaw Falls, Emarald Lake, Banff NP: Icefields Pkwy BC-AB Waterfowl Lakes CG
15   28 Fri Icefields Pkwy, Banff NP: Peyto & Bow Lake, Bow Glacier Falls AB Waterfowl Lakes CG
16   29 Sat Banff NP: Chephren & Cirque Lakes AB Waterfowl Lakes CG
17   30 Sun Banff NP: Waterfowl Lakes, Mistaya River AB Waterfowl Lakes CG
18 Jul 1 Mon Icefields Pkwy, Banff NP: Mistaya Canyon, Parker Ridge, Saskatchewan Glacier AB Wilcox CG
19   2 Tue Icefields Pkwy, Jasper NP: Wilcox Pass trail, Athabasca Glacier AB Wilcox CG
20   3 Wed Icefields Pkwy, Jasper NP: Sunwapta Falls, Athabasca River & Falls AB Jasper Becker’s Chalets
21   4 Thu Jasper NP: Medicine, Maligne & Moose Lakes AB Jasper Becker’s Chalets
22   5 Fri Jasper NP: Maligne Canyon trail, Mt Robson PP: Overlander Falls AB-BC Robson Meadows CG
23   6 Sat Mt Robson PP: Kinney Lake, Valley of Thousand Falls BC Robson Meadows CG
24   7 Sun Yellowhead Hwy: Rearguard Falls PP, Ancient Forest PP BC Yellowhead Hwy wild camping
25   8 Mon Yellowhead Hwy: Vanderhoof, Hagwilget, Hazelton, Ksan Village, Kitwanga BC Kitwanga Municipal CG
26   9 Tue Cassiar Hwy: Gitanyow Totems, Bear Glacier, Clements Lake, Stewart, Salmon Glacier BC Granduc Rd wild camping
27   10 Wed Stewart-Cassiar Hwy: Salmon Glacier, Fish Creek, Hyder AK, Bear Glacier AK-BC Dease Lake Water’s Edge cabin
28   11 Thu Cassiar Hwy: Boya Lake, Alaska Hwy BC-YT Alaska Hwy wild camping 1
29   12 Fri Alaska Hwy: Teslin, Johnsons Crossing, Marsh Lake, Whitehorse YT Caribou RV PK
30   13 Sat Whitehorse: Yukon River, Miles Canyon YT Kaleido Lodge Whitehorse
31   14 Sun Klondike Hwy: Carmacks, Five Finger Rapids, Moose Creek YT Moose Creek CG
32   15 Mon Klondike Hwy, Dawson City,  Diamond Tooth Gerties YT Dawson City private room
33   16 Tue Dawson City: Dredge No. 4, Bonanza Creek, Midnight Dome, Klondike & Yukon Rivers YT Dawson City private room
34   17 Wed Yukon ferry, Top of the World Hwy, Taylor Hwy, Chicken AK, Pedro Dredge YT-AK Taylor Hwy wild camping
35   18 Thu Alaska Hwy, Delta Junction, Richardson Hwy AK Chatanika Lodge
36   19 Fri Fairbanks, Chatanika AK Chatanika Lodge
37   20 Sat Fairbanks: Pioneer Park, Tanana River AK Chatanika Lodge
38   21 Sun Chena River, Angel Rocks, Chena Hot Springs AK Granite Tors CG
39   22 Mon Parks Hwy, Nenana, Denali NP AK Riley Creek CG
40   23 Tue Denali NP: Savage Alpine Trail AK Riley Creek CG
41   24 Wed Denali NP: East Fork Toklat River, Cathedral Mountain AK Riley Creek CG
42   25 Thu Denali NP: Savage River, Horseshoe Lake, Nenana River AK Riley Creek CG
43   26 Fri Parks Hwy, Talkeetna AK Talkeetna Cabin
44   27 Sat Talkeetna, Parks Hwy, Hatcher Pass, Independence Mine AK Eklutna Lake CG
45   28 Sun Chugach SP, Eklutna Lake AK Eklutna Lake CG
46   29 Mon Eklutna, Anchorage, Ship Creek AK Anchorage Airbnb
47   30 Tue Seward Hwy: Turnagain Arm, Mt Alyeska AK Granite Creek CG
48   31 Wed Chugach NF: Carter and Crescent Lakes, Kenai Lake AK Primrose CG
49 Aug 1 Thu Kenai Fjords NP: Exit Glacier, Harding Icefield AK Resurection River wild camping
50   2 Fri Resurection River, Kenai Fjords NP: Exit Glacier, Seward  AK Nauti Otter Inn Seward
51   3 Sat Kenai Fjords NP: Northwestern Glacier AK Trail River CG
52   4 Sun Ptarmigan Lake trail, Tern Lake, Kenai Lake AK Kenai Lake wild camping
53   5 Mon Kenai River (Russian River Ferry) AK Cooper Creek CG
54   6 Tue Russian River & Falls, Sterling & Seward Hwy AK Williwaw CG
55   7 Wed Portage Lake, Whittier, Williwaw Creek, Portage Valley, Anchorage AK Anchorage Airbnb
56   8 Thu Glenn Hwy, Chugach Mountains, Matanuska Glacier, Tazlina Glacier AK Lake Louise Rd wild camping
57   9 Fri Richardson Hwy, Tonsina, Worthington Glacier, Thompson Pass AK Sheep Creek wild camping
58   10 Sat Richardson Hwy, Valdez, Columbia Glacier AK Valdez Airport Mancamp Hotel
59   11 Sun Valdez Glacier Lake, Duck Flats, Old Valdez, Richardson Hwy, Edgerton Hwy AK Gilpatricks Hotel Chitina
60   12 Mon Chitina, Chitina & Copper Rivers, O’Brien Creek AK Gilpatricks Hotel Chitina
61   13 Tue McCarthy Rd, Kennecott, Wrangell-St. Elias NP AK McCarthy CG
62   14 Wed Wrangell-St. Elias NP: Root Glacier AK Root Glacier moraine backpacking
63   15 Thu Wrangell-St. Elias NP: Root Glacier AK Root Glacier moraine backpacking
64   16 Fri Wrangell-St. Elias NP: Kennicott & Root Glaciers, Erie Mine AK Root Glacier moraine backpacking
65   17 Sat Wrangell-St. Elias NP: Root Glacier, Wrangell Mts, Gilahina Trestle  AK Gilahina Trestle wild camping
66   18 Sun Wrangell-St. Elias NP: Crystalline Hills, McCarthy Rd AK Snowshoe Haven Cabins Gakona
67   19 Mon Wrangell-St. Elias NP: Nabesna Rd, Caribou Creek AK Kendesnii CG
68   20 Tue Wrangell-St. Elias NP: Nabesna Rd, Skookum Volcano AK Kendesnii CG
69   21 Wed Nabesna Rd, Tok Cutoff, Alaska Hwy AK Deadman Lake CG
70   22 Thu Alaska Hwy AK-YT Haines Junction Airbnb
71   23 Fri Kluane NP: King’s Throne YT Kathleen Lake CG
72   24 Sat Kluane NP: Rock Glacier, St Elias Lake YT Kathleen Lake CG
73   25 Sun Alaska Hwy, Klondike Hwy, Carcross Desert, Carcross, Bennett & Tagish Lakes YT Conrad CG
74   26 Mon Klondike Hwy, Summit Lake, White Pass, Dyea, Skagway YT-AK Westmark Skagway Hotel
75   27 Tue Skagway, Klondike Gold Rash, Yakutania Point AK Westmark Skagway Hotel
76   28 Wed Klondike Hwy, Tutshi Lake, Alaska Hwy YT Alaska Hwy wild camping 2
77   29 Thu Alaska Hwy, Watson Lake, Liard River Hot Springs YT-BC Toad River Community CG
78   30 Fri Toad River, Alaska Hwy, Stone Mt PP, Summit Lake BC Andy Bailey CG
79   31 Sat Alaska Hwy, Hudson’s Hope, Chetwynd, Pine Le Moray PP BC Heart Lake CG
80 Sep 1 Sun John Hart Hwy, Bijoux Falls, Crooked River PP, Prince George BC Prince George Airbnb
81   2 Mon Cariboo Hwy, Green Lake BC Green Lake Arrowhead CG
82   3 Tue Cariboo Hwy, Chasm, Hwy 99, Marble Canyon PP, Fraser River BC Nairn Falls CG
83   4 Wed Whistler: Blackcomb & Whistler Mt, Half Note Trail BC Whistler RV PK
84   5 Thu Sea-to-Sky Hwy, Brandywine & Shannon Falls, Howe Sound, Porteau Cove, Horseshoe Bay to Langdale Ferry BC Porpoise Bay CG
85   6 Fri Sunshine Coast, Porpoise Bay, Earls Cove to Saltery Bay Ferry, Eagle River Falls, Power River to Comox Ferry, Vancouver Island BC Seal Bay RV PK
86   7 Sat Vancouver Island. Comox: Goose Spit, Seal Bay Park BC Seal Bay RV PK
87   8 Sun Strachona PP: Karst Creek & Wild Ginger Trail, Buttle Lake BC Ralph River CG
88   9 Mon Comox; Strachona PP: Lower & Upper Myra Falls, Lupin Falls BC Comox Airbnb
89   10 Tue Strachona PP, Mt Washington: Paradise Meadows, Battleship, Lady & Croteau Lakes BC Comox Airbnb
90   11 Wed Catherdla Grove (MacMillan PP), Ucluelet: Wild Pacific Trail BC Surf Junction CG
91   12 Thu Pacific Rim NP: Rainforest Trails, Long & Wickaninnish & South Beaches, Florencia Bay BC Surf Junction CG
92   13 Fri Pacific Rim & Island Hwy, Sproat Lake PP, Nanaimo-Vancouver Ferry BC Surrey Airbnb
93   14 Sat Surrey, Hwy I-5 & 20 BC-WA Newhalem Creek CG
94   15 Sun North Cascades NP: Skagit River, Rock Shelter, Trail of the Cedars, Ladder Falls, Gorge dam WA Newhalem Creek CG
95   16 Mon North Cascades NP: Gorge & Diablo Lakes, Thunder Knob, Ruby Arm WA Newhalem Creek CG
96   17 Tue Okanogan NF: Lake Ann, Washington Pass WA Klipchuck CG
97   18 Wed Driving: Hwy 20, 155, 2, I-90, Coulee Dam WA-ID Coeur d’Alene LaQuinta
98   19 Thu Driving: I-90, Hwy 20, MacDonald Pass ID-MT Helena Baymont Hotel
99   20 Fri Driving: Hwy 12 (89, 294) Helena to Forsyth, I-94, Medora MT-ND Sully Creek SP CG
100   21 Sat T. Rosevelt NP, Wind Canyon, Buck Hill & Coal Vein ND Cottonwood CG
101   22 Sun T. Rosevelt NP: Roosevelt Cabin, Petrified Forest South & North ND Cottonwood CG
102   23 Mon T. Rosevelt NP: Skyline Vista, Painted Canyon trail; I-94 to Fargo ND Fargo Expressway Suites
103   24 Tue Driving: I-94, I-90 MN-WI-IL Chicago
See all posts for the trip

Highligts…

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Day 87-92: Vancouver Island

September 8-13

Our road trip interactive map

Day 87. Slow rolling through towns/cottages along the coast from Seal Bay Campground to Campbell River. Slow, but relaxing and we could see how people live around here. And then inland along Upper Campbell and Buttle Lakes to Strathcona Provincial Park. Two short hikes: Karst Creek and Wild Ginger Trails. We settled at Ralph River Campground with plenty of time for cooking, camp fire and meandering walk on Buttle Lake shore until sunset. All very quiet, not too many visitors.

Day 88. All day to explore Myra Creek area of Strathcona Provincial Park. We first drove to the end of Buttle Lake, crossed Thelwood Creek and visited (short trail) Lower Myra Falls: multiple small cascades over rock steps flowing down into the lake. We then continued to the end of public Western Mine Rd, parked there and hiked up to Upper Myra Falls on slightly longer trail. Cheered every big tree still standing along the way. On the way back, we stopped briefly at Lupin Falls and returned to Comox via faster Hwy 19. Piotr insisted we stayed in town near the repair shop rather than camping to deal with car repair as quickly in the morning as possible. Joanna found a nice, modern and well equipped apartment on Airbnb.

Day 89. Tuesday started with visit to car glass shop. All went smoothly. Still had better part of the day to visit Forbidden Plateau/Mt Washington part of Strathcona Provincial Park. Walked very nice 13 km “lake” loop from Paradise Meadows: Battleship, Lady, Croteau and Helen Mackenzie Lakes. Back for the night to our Comox Airbnb.

Day 90. We were heading west to Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. We could not resist and stopped at Cathedral Grove (old growth stands of Douglas Fir and other trees) to walk through another wet, green and mossy temperate rainforest (MacMillan Provincial Park). We decided to stay at quality Surf Junction Campground’s more remote Sunny’s Loop (very popular National Park campground was full). Community Building where we cooked meals (it rained at times) and showers are located in the loop. We arrived early and had several spots to choose from. We spent the rest of the day in Ucluelet on Wild Pacific Trail and beaches (Terrace and Big).

Day 91. More rainforest in the morning (Trail B) and then ranger’s walk in beach tidal zone near Kwisitis Visitor Centre. Well spent hour. The rest of the day was for exploring various beaches: Long, Wickaninnish, Lismer, South, Florencia Bay. Returned to Surf Junction Campground.

We spent more time on the Island than we planned, but weather was good and we enjoyed change of scenery after spending time traveling across high mountains and glaciers, taiga and tundra. Now it was walking in temperate rain forests with old stands of Western Red Cedar and Douglas Fir many hundred years old, and visiting rocky shores and beaches on the Pacific coast. Ocean breeze, atmosphere changing quickly between sunny, cloudy, fogy and rainy (nothing extreme) – both ecosystems have mysterious, fairy tale look.

We spent good amount of time finding and photographing things on sand, rocks and in tidal pools. Piotr had nice conversation with another photographer doing the same.

More photos

Day 92. Last day in Canada and we definitely felt we were heading home now, almost 4000 km away. Pacific Rim, Alberini and Island Highways to Nanaimo with short stops at Kennedy Lake and Sproat Lake Petroglyphs, lunch at The Clam Bucket in Port Alberni (clam chowder and clams & mussels bucket with grilled baguettes – very good). Joanna tried to find whales from Nanaimo (Duke Point) to Vancouver (Tsawwassenn) Ferry, but weather turn rainy and visibility bad. When we arrived two hours later, it was already 8 pm – heavy rain and dark. Suddenly all drivers were in big hurry like there was a big city nearby. It took Piotr some patient and careful driving, and Joanna quick navigation decisions to get us to our Surrey Airbnb.

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Day 82-86: Crossing Coast Mountains and ferries to Vancouver Island

September 3-7.

Our road trip interactive map

Day 82. We stayed on local roads for a while to get back to Rt 97 (Cariboo Hwy) and then short detour to “The Chasm” Ecological Reserve: ice age melt water cut through and exposed many layers of old lava flows. Short walk in pine forest around it. Next, Marble Canyon and series of lakes along Rt 99. This is Canada, mountains and/or lakes are always everywhere. When we approached Lillooet scenery changed dramatically – Frasier River was flowing through semi-desert. And it was hot, at least by our last Alaska reference standard. Then another change – to steep mountains covered with forest as we started crossing Coast Range. Road was winding and traffic was brisk, not too many opportunities to stop and enjoy views. Driving down on patchy roads through small towns/villages was relaxing. We wanted to stay close, but not in Whistler itself = Nairn Falls CG just off Rt 99.

Day 83. Whistler is nice, but touristy, not overwhelmingly though and no problem getting tickets for gondolas. We went on 4-gondola plus one chair lift excursion to Blackcomb Peak and Whistler Mountain, but hiking Half Note Trail around Whistler Mt was the event of the day – 360° view of surrounding mountain ranges and last sightings of glaciers on our trip – beautiful. Lazy hike turned into a run at the end as we almost missed last gondola. We had to come back via Blackcomb Peak – direct gondola to Whistler Mountain closed for the season that day. Grocery shopping and we landed at private, well managed Whistler RV Park. We stay away from RV campgrounds as they are usually densely packed with big campers, not quite compatible with our camping style. It was OK.

Day 84. Next two days were organized around 3 ferry rides, but we stopped here and there at look-outs and for short walks. Ferries were like mini-cruises with fjord, and mountain views and chance to spot whales. We drove (part) of scenic Sea-to-Sky Hwy stopping at Brandywine and Shannon Falls, and Tantalus Range viewpoint. Then along Howe Sound stopping at Porteau Cove. When we arrived at Horseshoe Bay the lines for the ferry were long and we were worried if we could get on one the two runs left that day (last was very late). Without ticket bought in advance, we had to wait in separate line. Luckily 2.5 hours later we were on board. Piotr got extra driving test as we were sent to wrong deck at first – too low for Subaru with rooftop cargo box. Backing-out of loading ramp through a maze of orange traffic cones on big plaza to another ramp leading to different deck. Zigzagging, but no scratches. No long waiting or problems on other ferries. Slow drive on Sunshine Coast Highway through small towns/villages and local road to Porpoise Bay Campground.

Day 85. From Porpoise Bay we continued on Sunshine Coast Highway to catch Earls Cove to Saltery Bay Ferry, stopping only briefly at Eagle River Falls. And continued right away to Power River to catch ferry to Comox (Vancouver Island). Sunshine Coast Highway is in fact small, winding summer vacation-style road. Powell River is nice seaside town. We had time for seafood lunch (Thaidal Zone Restaurant), bought good bread from small bakery and local beer (Townsite Brewing), all in one block. On the ferry run just out of Powell River we got great show by humpback whales, some close, some further away.

We arrived at Seal Bay quite late. RV Park office was already closed, but following info posted on the door and with help from other campers we somehow figured out what to do. It is probably the best private campground we have ever stayed at – large spaces for campers and separate area for tents where we stayed. Top notch facilities. On top of it, the host gave us good discount and we stayed there two nights.

Day 86. Our windshield had been sprayed with stones a few times during this trip without causing any significant damage. So we thought. Then, out of nowhere a 12-inch crack appeared (after driving on a bumpy Eagle River Falls access road and temps going up quickly ?). We heard one louder bang days earlier, but we thought stone hit metal – it hit glass close to the edge, hard to see. We made arrangements in Comox (Coastline Glass) to replace the windshield. It was Saturday and they ordered glass for Tuesday.

Piotr called rest day (?) with less driving and more relaxing (?). We drove around Comox, starting with the glass repair shop, shopping and visiting Goose Spit. Joanna took off for walk in Seal Bay Park by the coast. We had good place to stay, cooked dinner and tasted the beer. No to mention laundry and hot shower (two days in a row). With next campground booked for Sunday we were ready to explore Vancouver Island.

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