Trip Report -- WA to Northern BC and Back

[emcvay]

Took me a while to post this here because I had to come up with a new way to host pics for posting trip reports and the like.

We left Moses Lake WA on August 10th with a quick stop at Dutch Bros for fuel 😄 Of the Coffee kind 😉


With tasty iced coffee's in hand, the generator running to keep the AC on and the camper cool, we headed north in our new setup with smiles on our faces as we had planned this trip a LONG time.

Since we'd already done 1200 miles with the new 6.7 dually we knew it would be a breeze with the new truck so no worries there and we would learn, as the miles ticked away by the hundreds that we had no idea just how nice the new truck was! Can I saw it was awesome? a beast? bad as....well, you get the idea! What a truck!


Couple hours into the trip found us at Chief Joseph Dam for a short break to get rid of some coffee 😉 Then we were back on the road but not before capturing another pic with the dam this time.



We continued north until the duty free to pick up some spirits at serious money savings, then waited in line for our border crossing which was a tad slow for Osoyoos but overall a breeze. Once across we continued to point north and headed to Peachland where I'd once lived and went to Kindergarten.


It had started raining along the way but the rain didn't last long and we were soon strolling around looking for my old house, having lunch, checking out the old school and just generally having a great time and experience.


If your old school is a museum does that make you old?

Once we were done in Peachland we continued on our Northward trek heading for Merritt BC and finally Monck Provincial Park a few miles out of town. The climb up into the hills was not just uneventful and undramatic for us in the new truck but I had toi keep slowing DOWN! 8% grades going up over 6400 feet with the new 6.7 was like driving on flat ground! Wow! I'd pass slow moving struggling rigs and look down and go "gee, I ought to slow down now!"...too easy! Down hill was even better with no breaking at all really! Engine breaking is awesome 😄


After a slow and bumpy drive out of Merritt to the campground we get settled in for a relaxing evening. It was easy to check in, the site was great and frankly we were just all smiles. We love traveling with the camper frankly and having it nice and cool on arrival was a big bonus though the temps were now such that we wouldn't need the AC much moving forward. We'd left central WA with temps in the high 80's and low 90's and come to the BC interior where temps were in the low to mid 70's 😄 In other words, heaven!


We had picked up a second set of leveling blocks and were glad we did because the site was small and not too level for our rig but it was a breeze to setup anyway.


I had, however, broken our flimsy step ladder just prior to the trip (on our last one) so had to improvise! I'll get a better one soon.


Loved the site and lake and wished I had brought the canoe but then my arthritic wrists might not have and I am fighting some serious tendonitis in the elbows so it probably was the best. Maybe just a relax at the site with a drink would be better 😉


We continued north and ran into some mild BC weather along the way. It's to be expected really and having lived some 20yrs in the province I was prepared. Again, however, loving the camper, it was easy to pick a spot to stop for lunch and since the camp grounds frown at generators running in the wee hours of the AM my wife took advantage of the stop to run her hair implements which she is happiest doing in the morning and which require the generator to be running. I ate a nice home made sandwich and chips and pondered what fish might be in the lake while relaxing in the dinette. Another truck camper was just ahead of us doing the same thing 😄 In fact, truck campers were everywhere we drove...it's like 97 is Truck Camper BiWay!


As the miles ticked by so too did places I had heard about and been through as a kid and I couldn't help but get at least one pic. We had plans though, so didn't spend any time in each of the 'mile houses'...still, kinda fun to see them all after all these years.


and then there was this....I'd been to Bella Coola on my way to Ocean Falls back in the 70's and there, in big letters, was the direction to head if one wanted to make that long trek to the coast. I wondered if the road was still gravel?

Another tidbit is that 8 years ago I was hired to do some work for a company by their president who grew up on a homestead near Bella Coola and that was down in Central WA. Small world eh?


After some 350 miles or so we finally made it to Barkerville which was a lifelong destination for me. My sister had been some 45 years earlier and I'd always wanted to market the trip myself and here we were...met by heavy rainfall but it didn't dampen our spirits at all!




Day two done, time for a meal, some relaxing, cards and bed....since this is pic intensive I'll stop here and post this part of the report and continue in a reply......

[emcvay]

Taking a step back (since we were using a camera and two cell phones and all the pics are not well organized, here are a couple more from Peachland...


Yes we're having fun! and My DW loves her selfies


Parking on main was a little tight with the dually 😉 but we managed.

[emcvay]

We must have crossed paths! I think I saw your post on FB about Barkerville. Did you get there after the rain? Or did it just keep raining 😛

This trip was planned in advance with some specific goals and targets and I booked all campsites ahead of time but we were on a time table for the wedding so I didn't want to risk it! Next trip? NO PLANS! 😄 We want to spend some US bucks in those quaint shops and towns along the way ;).....well, my wife does anyway 😉


We really liked all of this trip and have other pics I'll try to share. Like this one of the lake Nicola?


Leaving Monck

[Old_Islander]

Emcvay, many thanks for the pics and comments of your recent BC trip. We may have crossed paths; we did a loop of the central province -- just home a week ago. Coincidentally, we also stayed at the Monck Provincial Park campsite at Nicola lake, and at the Barkerville RV site.

Monck Prov. Park


Did you make reservations for all your sites?

Normally we do, but this trip was an experiment, in that we made none. We were able to get into every park we visited, often with really nice sites. At two, including the Monck campground, we were able to get waterfront sites. I think the trick is to drive in the morning, and get to the campground in the early afternoon, before everyone starts to arrive. Then go off exploring.

I'll look forward to seeing the rest of your pics...

[emcvay]

Kayteg1 wrote:
We counted 22 bears on the road, most of them in BC.
They seem to like the grass and small vegetation on the side of the roads.
Beautiful pictures

Normally that's what I'd expect...well, maybe not THAT many, but this trip it was about 8 deer, 3 moose (with heads down) and that was IT! And the weather was good for it if you ask me, and we covered some 2200 miles through the interior. but it's ok, loved the drive all the same and am planning a second already!

[jaycocreek]

That is a very nice setup.

[emcvay]

romore wrote:
The pictures brought a smile to my face, I know the country well. My mother grew up in Vanderhoof, I spent quite a bit of time there.

Seems like we've been in the same areas than 😉 I lived in both Peachland and Kalowna as well as Vanderhoof, FSJ, Hazelton and more 😉

Got lots more to post as we were only 1200 miles or so into the journey when we reached Chetwynd and had the 1000 miles south to go yet!

[Kayteg1]

We counted 22 bears on the road, most of them in BC.
They seem to like the grass and small vegetation on the side of the roads.
Beautiful pictures

[romore]

The pictures brought a smile to my face, I know the country well. My mother grew up in Vanderhoof, I spent quite a bit of time there.

[emcvay]

The drive to Fort St James was fairly flat with a lot of farm land around Vanderhoof but not as much near Fort St James.


Stuart Lake at FSJ. My dad camped out here in an MGBGT for a couple weeks after getting the job in the mill here. He then commuted for a while from Vanderhoof before breaking his neck in the mill, mom buying a house because she didn't want him to commute and finally leaving for warmer shores that same year.


So many lakes, so little time! What I wouldn't give to take a few months, a boat and some fishing tackle along next time!


It took nearly 2000 miles before this sign proved true! We finally saw moose somewhere in the Cariboo region but they were across a swampy lake with their heads down and we were doing 60mph heading south so just caught a glimpse.

My son said "Moose don't live on the road Dad!".....whatever!


My wife (left) and I (middle) with our host Tim. It was such a great visit we plan to go back and really do some exploring on the old quarter section!


Charlene (middle) made everything possible because she saw my post for help and answered! She's one of the nicest people you could meet! Like family!


This is our old 160 acre 'homestead'. Really it was a Ag Lease but we called it a Homestead anyway since it's practically the same thing.


The road is 1/2 mile to the west of the property line and the white bent line is the approximate driveway in...my sisters used to walk that alone to the school but at 6 and 7.


Before Dad built the A-Frame Turkey Coop come cabin, we stayed in the 'Jones cabin' on Sinkut Lake but it had burned down a few years back and all that was left was the stone fireplace. Still, kinda cool that this was still there.


Once we left Vanderhoof and passed through Prince George we headed north again on the long (170 miles or so of no mans land) trek to Chetwynd. There were a few places to get fuel along the way but don't blink! Meanwhile, there was some nice scenery.


Again, we'd love to take MORE TIME on future trips to really enjoy the views. This far inland and to the north and you run into the Rockies!


Well, I guess they call these the foothills of the Rockies but still, gotta love it don't you?


So many RV's (mostly truck campers though) on the road heading to Alaska I realized this had to be the most commonly traveled RV highway on the west coast! No wonder though, it's a beautiful drive and we'll be back!









Moderator adjusted map picture width.

[ppine]

I really like BC. Great people and wonderful country. We hiked over Chikloot Pass into far northern BC about 1992. I nearly froze to death on Aug 31.

[emcvay]

After a rainy night we caught a break in the weather and snuck back into town for an early morning stroll through time.

However, I had a specific destination in mind for the day and we headed west back to Quesnel and then north to Prince George and again, west heading to Vanderhoof.


Way back in September of 1967 when I was just two my family (2 older sisters and mom and dad) headed to Vanderhoof BC for work and to homestead a piece of land. I had connected via FB with the son of the man who helped my dad 'clear' the land back in 68 and he was going to take us back out there, where apparently no one had lived since! It was all grown back but we hoped to find the cabin site at least.


First though, we headed north the 38 miles to Fort St James for lunch and a quick drive around town as I'd gone to grade 1 there and wanted to see the town one last time. Not much to see there and sadly, the town is dying due to a mill shut down but that's often the case in forestry towns these days. So it was back to Vanderhoof and an adventure!

You can see the adventure here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrenTI58LGw

It isn't the best video and you may have to stop to read some of it (I'll fix that soon) but you get to see how 'wild' as my dad puts it, the land is today!

Part two is here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewJj9kk1m9o

It's better than part one I think and shows some stills.


That's our old well that dad always said "we had running water, as long as you were doing this!" and would make a well pumping motion with his arm. This is because they built the kitchen right over the well!


Not much is left of the homestead but there is some left anyway and we did find more artifacts (seen in the videos). We hope to go back and collect some next time but were on a mission to Chetwynd for a wedding so time was very limitted.


That nail, however, makes it pretty clear there was a cabin here to me!


With the days adventure over, a wonderful dinner finished with great company, we retired to our home on wheels in the best most scenic campsite yet! I love being able to park and camp anywhere!


Our friends, of decades past, were gracious and offered to host us again next year when we have more time to explore! They also wanted us to get the land back too 🙂 My wife described the visit as if they were family and we'd just reconnected. But that's central BC in the bush!


We headed north (and I'll have to post those pics soon) to meet up with my son in Chetwynd and help he and his fiance get ready for the big day! We stayed in a cramped RV park in town but it was convenient for us and kept us close to the activities and of course, had hookups which was nice considering the time spent away from the camper.


Due to the rain while there (after day one or two) we spent a fair bit of time inside though! At one point 7 of us in the camper! Yup, we had fun!

More to come...

Moderator fixed video links.

[emcvay]

We love the freedom of the TC! Nothing better! 😄

[lap527]

Great pics and trip. We recently bought a tt but still have our TC and after seeing your post it convinces me to keep our tc. I love the TC but the hubby not so much! Your post makes me want to load up and go!

[jimh406]

Looks like a great time.