OUR HOLIDAY IN WESTERN CANADA AND USA, 1999
AN ACCOUNT OF THE HOLIDAY BY BRIAN AND SHIRLEY GUNTER TO WESTERN CANADA, NORTHWESTERN USA AND HAWAII IN MAY/JUNE 1999
You are visitor numberINTRODUCTION
In May and June 1999 my wife (Shirley) and I (Brian) visited western Canada, the northwestern US and Hawaii over a period of five weeks. The trip was for purely tourist purposes.
We had lived in Vancouver in the mid-1960’s (almost in a previous life, it was so long ago), but had not returned to North America since then. When we lived in Vancouver we had travelled around quite a lot of southern Canada as well as in the US, so we still had many memories of our earlier visits to places of interest.
We flew from Australia to Vancouver. There we picked up a rental RV (recreational vehicle) and spent four weeks exploring Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Alberta and British Columbia. On our way back home we stopped-over for a week in Hawaii and spent most of that time on Hawaii (Big) Island.
We like visiting rural areas (particularly National and Provincial parks) and managed to avoid most major cities (except for Vancouver where we used to live). Photography is one of my hobbies and springtime in western Canada and USA has lots of opportunities. A selection of my better photographs can be seen on a linked website: "Photographs of Western Canada and USA".
Having a hydrological background, I planned our trip in spring when the weather is mild, there is still lots of snow on the mountains and (most importantly) the summer tourist hordes had not yet arrived. The inclusive dates of our trip, ex Australia, were 17 May and 21 June – this turned out to be ideal timing in our opinion!
During our mainland travels we stayed mainly in camping grounds operated by National or State Parks or Forests (in the US) or in Provincial Parks (in Canada). These were all of such good quality, even if the facilities were often basic, that we used private camping grounds only when there was no other choice. Government campsites cost about C$10 to C$20 per night depending whether there was electricity or not.
We took the "Canada" Lonely Planet book with us and this was very useful around Vancouver. However, for most our trip we relied on tourist information provided by State or Provincial authorities, National Parks and such organisations. We used road maps obtained from the gas stations or tourist authorities. For money we relied on ATM withdrawals and didn’t bother to take any travellers cheques with us.
RV RENTAL
There are several large companies in Vancouver that rent RVs to tourists. We located several of these via the internet and finally settled on "Go West Campers International". They are a large, established company based in North Vancouver (they also have a branch in Calgary). We completely happy with their vehicles, service and prices and would highly recommend Go West to any other travellers. They have a website at: "Go West"
Before departing from Australia we had chosen a vehicle and paid for the rental. So, it only took an hour or two to complete the formalities in North Vancouver, obtain a briefing on the features of the vehicle, be reminded to drive on the right hand side of the road, and we were on our way!
Our RV was a "Van Conversion" of a Dodge Ram 3500 vehicle. It had lots of power (5.9 litre engine) and was very well fitted out. It slept two persons, had a gas cooker, refrigerator and heater, an inboard toilet and shower (small but convenient at night or in towns!), a TV and video (if electricity at site) and a CD player. Our RV had only travelled 2,700 km when we collected it so it was in "as new" condition.
The rental cost? Because we commenced our 27-day rental on 18 May we qualified for a special "21-Day Spring Special" deal that included 2,200 km for a cost of C$760 (base cost only). For the remaining 6 days the daily cost was C$137/day plus C$0.29/km. Additional costs were C$120 (convenience kit), C$50 (preparation fee), C$432 (insurance), C$190 (BC Provincial sales tax) and C$220 (Federal sales tax, GST). We ended up travelling a total distance of 5,509 km (average of 204 km/day!) so had to pay an "excess km" charge of C$960. So all this amounted to a grand total cost (excluding fuel) of C$3,553 or C$132/day (about US$90/day). We thought that this was a good deal considering the quality of vehicle that we had and also that it was our "hotel", "transport" and "restaurant" for a month.
In case you are interested, the contact details of Go West are: Go West Campers International Email: info@go-west.com 1577 Lloyd Avenue Tel. (1-604) 987 5288 North Vancouver Fax (1-604) 987 9620 BC Canada V7P 3K8 Website: http://go-west.com
INTINERARY & COMMENTS
17 May (1). Departed Sydney midday, Qantas, 9 hr flight to Honolulu (1 am)
17 May (2). Connecting Canadian flight to Vancouver, 5 hr flight, 2:30 am - 10:30 am (local times). Stopped at St Regis Hotel, Dunsmuir St (booking made by Go West), C$124.
18 May. Picked up RV from Go West in North Vancouver. Stopped at Capilano RV Park in North Vancouver (a good "city" park located at northern end of Lions Gate bridge. Stocking RV with food, etc from nearby shopping centre. 6 km.
19 May. Vancouver to Mount Rainier National Park (Washington). Crossed into US at Aldergrove (3-month visa, $6). Travelled via I-2 freeway from Everett to south of Seattle (didn't stop!), then via Puyallup and Eatonville. Bought National Parks "Golden Eagle Pass" at Mount Rainier NP entrance US$50). Sunshine Point campground (great site beside Nisqually River, other campgrounds still closed). 390 km.
20 May. In Mount Rainier National Park. To Paradise (road open to Paradise, snow 2-3 m deep), visitors center. Photos of friendly (= hungry) Gray Jays and Steller's Jays at one of roadside stops (see my photos!). Mount Rainier was in cloud but it was still a great day. Sunshine Point campground again. 59 km.
21 May. To Mount St Helens National Volcanic Monument. Travelled via Elbe (1906 Lutheran church, intesting general store), Morton (a really nice town) and Castle Rock (back to "civilisation"!). Mount St Helens National Volcanic Monument - a fantastic day, probably the highlight of our whole trip. Great weather, great views, great facilities. An "expressway" type road extends for 50 miles up to within 4 miles of the Mount St Helens crater. Very good visitors centers at Coldwater Ridge and Johnston Ridge Observatory. Stopped at Seaquest State Park (near Castle Rock) - great site. 303 km.
22 May. To Hood River (Oregon). First to Mount St Helens NVM visitors center in Silver lake and then saw Cinerama film on Mount St Helens eruption in Castle Rock - both worthwhile. Travelled via I-5 freeway to Portland (didn't stop!) and then along "Old Scenic Highway" along Columbia River Gorge (river lookouts, Bonneville Dam). Stopped at Vienta State park near Hood River (nice site even if between freeway and railway). 199 km.
23 May. To Bend. Travelled via Highway 35 to Mount Hood (Timberline Lodge ski area), then via Madras to Bend. Stopped with some old (ie long-time) friends that we first met many years ago in Indonesia. 274 km.
24 May. In Bend (talking, eating, shopping, etc). 0 km.
25 May. To Crater Lake National Park and Chiloquin. Crater Lake was spectacular in the springtime with deep snow but some of the roads around the crater rim open to traffic. Stopped at Collier Memorial State Park, near Chiloquin (campground nice enough but a problem with the mosquitos). 296 km.
26 May. To Burns (central Oregon). Travelled through an arid region of central Oregon via Lakeview. Stopped at Village RV Park in Burns. 387 km.
27 May. To Meadows (Idaho). Travelled via Ontario (Oregon) and Weiser (Idaho). Stopped at Meadows RV Park - great park and location. 367 km.
28 May. To Clearwater National Forest. A very interesting day in central Idaho. Travelled via Grangeville and Kooskia. Followed along the Little Salmon and Salmon Rivers and then along the Clearwater and Lochsa Rivers - great river scenery! Saw whitewater rafting and canoeing in the Lochsa River (see my rafting photo!). Stopped in Clearwater National Forest Campground at Wendover - nice park in forest near river, mosquitos). 310 km.
29 May. To West Glacier (Montana). Travelled via Missoula and Polson. Interesting stop at Lolo Pass (Clearwater National Forest Visitors Center, 5235 feet). Visited western sections of Glacier National Park. Stopped in Apgar Campground (Glacier NP). 398 km.
30 May. To Saint Mary (Glacier National Park). Visited Glacier NP visitors center in West Glacier. Travelled via East Glacier as the Going-to-the-Sun highway was stilled closed. Snowing lightly at Marias Pass (5220 feet) and near Kiowa. Visited Two Medicine Lake (cloudy) and Saint Mary Lake (weather cleared) - great mountain scenery, better than around West Glacier. Stopped at KOA Campground in Saint Mary (not as good as the National Park campgrounds, but we wanted to wash and dry clothes and have a hot shower!). 219 km.
31 May. To Waterton National Park (Alberta). Travelled via Mary Glacier (Glacier NP), good views of Chief Mountain and crossed into Canada. Stopped at National Parks campground in Waterton (nice flat location by lake, weather wild and windy). 123 km.
1 June. To Fort Steele (British Columbia). Travelled via Pincher Creek (wind farm), Crowsnest Pass(coal mines, slide) and Fernie (nice town, ski resort, checked internet at public library). Stopped at Fort Steele Resort, near Cranbrook. 300 km.
2 June. To Lake Louise (Alberta). Travelled via Columbia Lake, Fairmont Springs, Radium Hot Springs, Kootenay National Park and Banff National Park. Inspected Lake Lousie. Stopped at Lake Lousie Campground (Banff NP) - a huge park but nice. 289 km.
3 June. Banff National Park. Visited Moraine Lake, Lake Louise (walk to top end of lake), Bow River Parkway (Castle Mountain), Banff (very touristy, Sulphur Mountain gondola, Banff Springs hotel, Bow Falls). Stopped at Lake Louise Campground again. 170 km.
4 June. To Jonas Creek (Jasper National Park) via Icefields Highway. One of our best days with clear weather and magnificent scenery. Stops at Bow Lake, Peyto Lake (magnificent but had to walk through snow for half an hour to reach the lookout - see my photo!), Athabasca Glacier (Snocoach trip, $25 each). Stopped at Jonas Creek campground, Jasper NP - basic but okay. Note that campgrounds are scarce in this region. 162 km.
5 June. To Jasper. Via Athabasca Falls - impressive. Met up with old friends who live in Edmonton. Stopped at Whistler's campground (Jasper NP). 157 km.
6 June. Rest day in Jasper. 29 km.
7 June. To Mt Robson (British Columbia). Firstly to Maligne Lake, southeast of Jasper - a very pleasant excursion with quite a lot of animal life (elk, bighorn sheep, etc - no bears!). Returned to Jasper and then via Yellowhead Pass and Moose Lake to Mt Robson. Stopped at Robson Meadows campground (Mt Robson Provincial Park) - great campground (the BC Provincial parks are the best of all!!!). 192 km.
8 June. Mt Robson. Visited Fraser River (Overlander Falls), walked to Kinney Lake (9 km return, western red cedar forests, Mt Robson partly in cloud). 11 km.
9 June. To Clearwater (North Thompson Provincial Park). Via Valemount. Saw a black bear, 2 moose and many deer today. Camped in North Thompson Provincial Park campground (beside the North Thompson River - probably the best campsite of our holiday!). 245 km.
10 June. To Savona (Juniper Beach Provincial Park). Via Kamloops. Camped in Juniper Beach Provincial Park campground on the edge of the Thompson River - simple campground but great location. 195 km.
11 June. To Squamish (Alice Lake Provincial Park). Via Cache Creek, Lillooet, Pemberton and Whistler. Great scenery around Lillooet (Duffy Lake, Fraser River Gorge). Stopped at Alice Lake Provincial Park campground - nice campground but with definite signs that we were not far from the crowds of Vancouver. 292 km.
12 June. To Vancouver. Our last day on the road which made us a bit sad. Nice trip along Howe Sound. Visited Cypress Bowl ski area in West Vancouver. Stopped at Capilano RV Park. 117 km.
13 June. Vancouver. Sorting out our gear and cleaning up the RV. Took ferry from North Vancouver to city (Gastown, Canada Place). Drove up to Cleveland Dam (North Vancouver).
14 June. Returned RV to Go West in the morning. Paid for our excess kms - we had travelled a total of 5509 kms! Rented a car for the day (Budget, C$60 total) and spent the rest of the day around Horseshoe Bay, Stanley Park and the city area. Dropped the car off at the airport. Left Vancouver at 10:15 pm for Honolulu (Canadian Airlines).
15 June. Arrived in Honolulu at 12:30 am. Long delays at immigration. After considerable difficulty we located the Airport Mini-Hotel (2nd floor, US$35/night/person - basic but close to the airport!). Bought Aloha Airlines ILIMA 6-trip book of tickets (US$315) and got ourselves on the 7:30 am Aloha flight to Hilo (Big Island, 50 minute flight). Booked hotel plus car rental package at Hilo airport information desk - US$218 for four nights including Budget car rental (a Mustang!), excluding car insurance/tax of US$30/day. Drive north along coast to Akaka Falls - see my photo! Stopped at Hilo Seaside Hotel - oldish but fine, good quiet location.
16 June. All-day trip to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park - another great day! Volcano (NP visitors center), Crater Rim Drive, Jagger Museum (Kilauea caldera), etc, Chain of Craters Driver to end of road, Thurston lava tube, etc. The Kilauea lava had stopped flowing two days before our visit, but it was still a most interesting day.
17 June. Around Hilo - a really nice town, not too touristy, with "real" people living there. Pacific Tsunami Museum (an interesting display on tsunamis). Wailoa Center (art display, tsunami memorial and photos). Drove along to beach areas east of Hilo.
18 June. Drove down to Puna area south of Hilo. Visited old friends who live in Pahoa. Travelled around the coastal areas, many affected by lava flows during the past 20 years.
19 June. Returned to Honolulu on 11:18 am Aloha flight. Rented car (Budget, US$69 total) for remainder of the day. To USS Arizona Memorial (a moving experience even for non-Americans). Drove via Honolulu city, Waikiki Beach (okay, but Australian beaches are much better!), south coast, east coast, Sunset Beach (only small waves when we were there). Drove back to Honolulu in the dark and rain. Returned car to airport at 9 pm. Checked in for our 12:30 am Qantas flight back to Sydney. Phew, it was nice to relax at last!!!!
21 June. We arrived back in Sydney at 7 am on 21 June. We must have slept well as neither Shirley nor I have any recollection of 20 June!
CONCLUSIONS
It was a great trip. The April/June timing worked out well.
Our Go West RV was great and we strongly recommend them to other travellers.
The National, Provincial and State park systems in Canada and the US are first class. Their campgrounds are often basic in regard to facilities but their layout and locations are superb. The US National parks "Golden Eagle" pass was a good deal.
Hawaii (Big) Island is an interesting place to visit.
Our favourite days were: Mount St Helens (21 May), Crater Lake (25 May), Clearwater National Forest (28 May), Icefields Highway (4 June) and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (16 June).
LINKS
Some internet links that you may find of interest are:
- "British Columbia Provincial Parks"
If you have any comments on this record of out trip then I can be contacted at: brigun99@yahoo.com
This page was last updated on 29 January 2000.