Okay, I promise this is my final post about our summer visit on Vancouver Island! We arrived unscathed at Parksville on the east coast, our next stop after retracing our path across the island on highway 4. We made it over the 18% grade again, with less stress this time since we knew what to expect. The usually long wait […]
After gallivanting around Ucluelet we focused our activities on Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, the only national park on Vancouver Island. A parade of rental RV’s driving around its 120,000+ acres every day proved how popular it is. The park resides within the traditional territory of the Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations. The park’s management has been working collaboratively with First Nations, […]
Some folks we met while traveling on Vancouver Island raised their eyebrows when we told them we were heading to Ucluelet. They were excited for us, but then they would point at Betsy and say, “you’re going in that?” Opinions varied on the wisdom of taking a large RV towing a car on the steep, narrow and winding highway 4, […]
After watching Orcas play in the water and hitching a ride on a floatplane mail run, we shifted gears back to our usual activities. Our stop at Qualicum Beach was the midpoint of our island adventures, and a good place to do unavoidable mundane household chores and stock up the fridge. Steve also had to do a little more maintenance […]
Only one route traverses north to south on Vancouver Island, so from our northernmost stop at Telegraph Cove we drove back on Highway 19. This 120-mile journey back to Qualicum Beach was our longest drive while on the island. Cedar Grove RV Park and Campground was our basecamp for a week of excursions and outdoor fun, the main one being […]
Heading north out of Nanaimo meant leaving most of the civilization behind. As the roads narrowed to a single lane in each direction, we entered the upper third of unspoiled Vancouver Island North. Our destination was Telegraph Cove, a small village on the water surrounded by forest. This little hamlet has only 20 hearty year-round residents, but it gets crazy-busy […]
When we arrived at Living Forest Oceanside RV and Campground in Nanaimo, two local residents welcomed us to our site. They kept us company during our entire stay, not because we were the most fun people to hang out with, but only for the unlimited birdseed we offered. We settled in comfortably at our spacious forested site under tall trees […]
Cowichan Valley is the region where we drove back and forth to meet Betsy’s appointed repair schedule. Our campgrounds were at Crofton, Chemainus, and Duncan, which make up some of the communities surrounding the area. It wasn’t a bad place to be stuck for a few extra days, as it offered many activities and gorgeous summer weather. We even discussed […]
The picture of Vancouver Island that I had in my mind was quickly erased as we drove to our next stop. The island was bustling with activity, and traffic slowed us down on some of the very mountainous roads. I had imagined a remote, less populated place with few services, which describes a good part of the island, but areas […]
We (Steve and Mona Liza) retired early at the beginning of 2012, sold our house and almost all of our belongings and moved into our RV. We are pursuing our dream of traveling the U.S. and Canada for several years and seeing everything and everyplace we can.
