Newbies from across The Pond

Howdy Mike,
Another welcome to the forum. Looks like you have an outstanding trip planned! We are presently roaming around the same area you will be visiting. If you see our rig give us a shout!
Two definite recommendations for you.
#1. Pick up a Milepost book as soon as possible. Probably the most informative book you can buy for the trip.
#2. Also suggest making reservations as soon as you can for Denali, if you are planning on staying inside the park. Most anywhere else you go you will not require reservations.

Best places to buy foods:

1. roadside stands with veggies
2. farmer's markets for all kinds of food
3. when dining out, a trully local place, like chains are always chains and bound by the policies of the company. A locally owned place will be best for what are dishes true to that area.

:C

Hi Mike & Jan

My son and I just returned from our 5 week trip to Western Canada our 15th visit and in a rented motorhome our total kms in BC and Alberta is now about 64,000!

Make sure you have plenty of storage, we took over 7000 images this year alone.

We always try to stay in Provincial campgrounds they usually offer better privacy and are often located in more scenic locations at prices around $20-25 per night. Watch out for campgrounds near railways, many of the trains can be up to 2-3 km long and rumble along at low speeds day and night.

It sounds like a major trip that you have planned, watch out for the fuel costs, they vary considerably across Canada (Alberta is generally the lowest) check out Gas Buddy at http://www.gasbuddy.com for up to date prices. One thing the rental companies do not usually tell you is that you will only get 20-30L/100km (10-14 mpg) out of your RV depending on size. Don't forget petrol=gas, gas=propane.

Another thing to be aware of is the purchase taxes, PST & GST, (no PST in Alberta) they are applied like VAT, BUT prices shown in stores are not tax inclusive so you will find that at checkout when the taxes have been applied you could be paying 5-12% more than you expected. Tax is included in fuel prices.
You can get some good deals on Canon gear, have a look in at The Camera Store in Calgary.

Eating out in Calgary, If you feel like lashing out River Cafe is great, for something a little less expensive, if you like steaks, try Saltlik. Brunch at Cusina.

Have a great trip, if you have any questions about BC or Alberta please feel free to ask I will try to help.

Trevor

Welcome to the Forum. You should find a lot to photograph.

Here's some of what I have on our Alaska Adventures.

We have flown up 3 times, twice we have been able to do a little camping. Got to do some sightseeing each time. A neat place to see. Even spend two nights camping at Whittier on one trip.

By the end of next week we should be in the Fairbanks area again. Our 4th fly up. Our son has taken two weeks off & has a travel trailer reserved for us. Looking forward to it for sure. Three weeks in Alaska with two weeks camping.

While out in BC check out White Swan Provincial park. Be prepared for boon docking, since it is a fair drive from the paved roads. But good chance of natural wild life in the area. My parents have been there a few times and always enjoys it. They have seen every thing from grizzly bears to deer and elk and wild water fowl. (Loons, pelicans). It is the south east portion of the province.

Hi BucksMike. Welcome to the forum from this US family who live in a city named after a 18th century British Prime Minister, and a colony er... state named after another 18th century British fellow. If you haven't done it yet, look at the Roll Call Alaska 2013 & Roll Call Alaska 2014 threads in the RVing in Canada and Alaska forum part of this site. They contain much useful information. Did you make any reservations for campsites in or near Denali? Did you book any bus trips into Denali? Best wishes for a successful trip.

Bob

Can't help with Canada or Alaska (native southerner)but wanted to wish our British cousins a warm welcome to North America. I know you will enjoy your time here.

Thanks

I know what you mean as we have driven in some wonderful places, such as Botswana, Namibia and a lot of Central America but this is our first ever trip to US or Canada. In North Yorks on the moors you can rack up some mileage I know but you need to try here in London. Sometimes you can go several hundred in an hour (Yards that is).
Hoping for nice wide open spaces as well as difficult roads etc to go with the wildlife. We do post as and when we can on a trip with pics if possible. That depends obviously on getting an internet connection from time to time.

All I can offer is have a great trip. If you have not been here before you will be in for a surprise. I am from North Yorkshire and the big thing you will notice is the roads. It is nothing for Canadians to go for an afternoon drive that is 400km. LOL. Not like a trip across the moors to Whitby being an all day affair. You will have a wonderful opportunity for photographing wildlife.
I can't wait to hear a report of how your trip is going.