News & Photos - October 2008


Way Too Pricey
Current Location: Site 9, Riverhaven RV Park & Motel, Hedley, British Columbia
Dates: Oct 3-6, 2008
Services: E/W/S/WiFi; Cost: $25.20; Nights: 3

It's October, and some RV campgrounds are already starting to close for the season. Although their website indicated that Riverhaven closed at the end of September, I phoned and confirmed that they are still open for another few weeks. This is a 22-site campground and motel, located right on the Similkameen River; for an additional $2 per night, I got a site right on the top of the riverbank, with a good view. With tall mountains blocking any satellite signal, I appreciated the free WiFi Internet access.

Cathedral Prov. Park is nearby, with some hiking trails surrounding the Cathedral Lakes near the center of the park. However, I found out that vehicles are not allowed into this area, except for those owned by a lodge which operates in the area. They are the only ones allowed to drive into the park, and they charge tourists $140 for a round-trip drive of only 16 km! Needless to say, I wasn't going to pay a private company to let me use a public park! It's a shame that they are allowed to have this arrangement.



Top of the Mountain
Current Location: Site 15, Coldspring Campground, E.C. Manning Prov. Park, British Columbia
Dates: Oct 6-7, 2008
Services: None; Cost: $15.00; Nights: 1

I've gone from the dry areas of the Okanagan valley to the rainy parts of B.C. closer to the coast. During my 24 hours here, it has rained almost constantly, except (thankfully!) for a brief period while I unhitched on Monday. This campground is near the top of the Crowsnest Pass, so I shouldn't have been surprised to wake up on Tuesday to find that the tops of the mountains were covered with fresh snow, and the temperature outside my trailer only +2°C. With tomorrow's weather forecast to dip below freezing overnight, I decided to head to somewhere warmer, even though I've not done any hiking due to the rain.





Rainy Side of the Mountain
Current Location: Site 3, Whistle Stop RV/Tent Park, Hope, British Columbia
Dates: Oct 7-9, 2008
Services: E/W; Cost: $24.15; Nights: 2
Current Location: Site 58, Coquihalla Campground, Hope, British Columbia
Dates: Oct 9-12, 2008
Services: E/W/S; Cost: $26.25; Nights: 3

Normally when I arrive at a campground, I pay for only one night and renew the next morning if I like the place. This time however, I was lazy and paid for two nights upon arrival. Within an hour, I realized that it was a bad decision — the campground is right next to Highway 1 (west of where the traffic from the Trans-Canada Highway 1, Coquihalla Highway 5 and Crowsnest Highway 3 all merge), and is very noisy. On the other side of the park is the main CN rail line into Vancouver, with trains that whistle at the road crossing nearby. Since there is lots to see and do in Hope, I've moved to another campground that's quieter.

On highway 3 just south-east of Hope is the Hope Slide. Here, in January 1965, a minor earthquake triggered an enormous landslide. 46 million cubic metres of rock and snow buried Outram Lake and the highway, up to 70 metres deep, killing four people. The current road is 38 metres higher than the old location.

Highway 5 to Merritt and Kamloops is no longer a toll road. Built in 1986, it has few services along its scenic route along the Coquihalla and Coldwater Rivers. Even during early October, there is snow along the side of the road at the summit! One section has had so many avalanches that there is now a “snowshed” (a bridge over the road for the snow).

This area is part of Canada's rainforest; the trees here are draped with moss. I hiked the steep Mount Hope trail to get a good view of the town; unfortunately, the trees blocked parts of it.

The former Kettle Valley Railway ended at Hope. Due to the steep mountains, several tunnels (called the Othello Tunnels, due to the railway engineer's love of Shakespeare) were built. Now, it is a busy hiking and bicycling trail.
Hope Slide



Coquihalla Highway




Great Bear Snowshed





Mt. Hope trail


Othello Tunnels
(Kettle Valley Railway)







Wood carvings around Hope







Not So Hot
Current Location: Site 12, Harrison Springs Camping & RV Park, Harrison Hot Springs, British Columbia
Dates: Oct 12-13, 2008
Services: E/W/S/WiFi; Cost: $34.20; Nights: 1
Current Location: Site 105, Springs RV Resort, Harrison Hot Springs, British Columbia
Dates: Oct 13-15, 2008
Services: E/W/S/WiFi; Cost: $31.50; Nights: 2

Rather than take the main Trans-Canada highway to Vancouver, I took the slower, scenic route along Highway 7. This gave me the chance to stop at the town of Harrison Hot Springs, and see the Sand Sculptures on the beach. Over the summer, many artists had sculpted figures from just compressed sand and water, and their entries were judged. The sculptures were sprayed with a water-soluble polymer, which helps them retain their shape despite the weather.

The only public access to the local hot springs is at the town pool, which is fed by its mineral water. Sadly, the pool water isn't very hot, just a bit warmer than average. After paying $10 for admission, I enjoyed a half hour soak; there were about 10 other people in the pool at the time.













Rainforest
Current Location: Site A18, Vedder River Campground, Yarrow, British Columbia
Dates: Oct 15-18, 2008
Services: E/W/S; Cost: $25.00; Nights: 3

On the western side of the Coastal Mountains, this area gets a lot of rain! It's been gently raining constantly for the last 24 hours. I briefly managed to do the “Giant Douglas Fir” trail at Cultus Lake Prov. Park, but got caught in a shower on the way out. Unfortunately, the Bridal Falls park is already closed for the season.





Giant Douglas Fir trail,
Cultus Lake Prov. Park

Fun in the Big City
Current Location: Site 94, ParkCanada RV, Tsawwassen, British Columbia
Dates: Oct 18-27, 2008
Services: E/W/S/WiFi; Cost: $29.50; Nights: 9

Stanley Park is a 1,000 acre oasis of rainforest next to downtown Vancouver. Numerous walking and bicycling trails cross the park, including the 10 km Seawall trail which goes around its perimeter. On December 15, 2006, a large storm destroyed many trees in the park, especially in the north-west area around Prospect Point. The damage has long since been cleaned up, but many stumps still remain as testimony to nature's fury.

Also in the area are the Vancouver Aquarium (with large displays of aquatic mammals) and the Greater Vancouver Zoo.



















Island Adventures
Current Location: Site 80, All Fun RV Park, Victoria, British Columbia
Dates: Oct 27-Nov 1, 2008
Services: E/W/S/WiFi; Cost: $23.40 (Club discount: 10%); Nights: 5

The ferry to Vancouver Island was a relatively uneventful trip lasting an hour and 40 minutes. As it can carry transport trucks, bringing an RV across to the island was straightforward, although a bit expensive at $187. Apparently, the price will go down in December, due to the declining cost of fuel. It sails every 2 hours, and since I went around noon on a weekday, there wasn't much of a line-up.

Although I was concerned that there may not be many flowers still out at the Butchart Gardens, it turned out to be worth the trip. Started in 1904, the gardens spread over 55 acres of a former limestone quarry. The shrubs and flowers were often collected by the Butcharts during their extensive world travels, and this garden — started as a hobby — is now visited by over a million visitors each year.

Nearby Goldstream Prov. Park has two waterfalls, “Goldstream Falls” and “Niagara Falls”. Despite the name, neither was really impressive. Perhaps in the spring run-off, they would be worth seeing. It does, however, have some huge trees!

Highway 14 runs along the south coast of the island for 100 km to Port Renfrew. This is a paved road, but with many hills and curves. Once I went west beyond commuting distance into Victoria, the traffic volume dropped off considerably. There was a small campground at River Jordan (which I didn't stay at) with campsites right on the Juan De Fuca Strait. The Juan De Fuca Prov. Park has a long, challenging hiking trail along the coast. Although it sounded interesting, the rain and slippery conditions convinced me to leave it for another time.



Queue for the ferry


Another (similar) ferry


Leaving the dock









Butchart Gardens








Goldstream Falls






Niagara Falls

<< Back to September ····· Forward to November >>