We loaded up the dolly and set off on the morning of May 1st from Nanaimo to catch the ferry and eventually end our day at Hope BC. The ferry was very easy, very organized. It turns out we are 53 feet in total length with our car in tow so that is a whopping $300 one way. Luckily, we won’t be doing that too often. We caught the 12:45pm ferry which landed us in Vancouver area just at the start of rush hour. We expected this, so we were psychologically ready, but I soon discovered that still didn’t ease the pain.

It was normally a 2-hour drive to Hope, but it took us 3 including a 15-minute break. We decided to stay at the truck stop in Hope. When we arrived, we decided to fill up gas while there which was a bit of a challenge as the truck stop was only diesel. We had to go to the shell next door which was not built very well for RV’s. With Joerg’s great driving though, we made it through and then parked back at the truck stop for the night.

We were up early and off again by 7:30am. The Coquihalla pass was clear and little traffic so it was smooth sailing up. It was interesting to feel the push that it needed to get up, but we took it slow and steady and made it through.

We decided to stop in Merritt BC for a break at the Wal-Mart and we ran into our new RV friends (Dan and Brenda) from PEI that were staying at Nanaimo park at the same time. We had a little chat with them, picked up a few groceries and then were on our way again.

Next stop was Clearwater … well, it would have been, except that we were stopped three other times for construction along Hwy 5 north of Kamloops. One time we were stopped for about 15 minutes.

We arrived at Dutch Lake Resort and RV Park around 12:30pm. We checked in, got set up and immediately headed down to the restaurant in the park to enjoy the patio overlooking the lake. Absolutely Gorgeous. While sipping our drinks, I suggested we stay an extra night here. It was so nice and the Wifi was very strong, so we can get a good day of work in. So, we did.

The next day we were blessed with a beautiful rainbow over the lake.

We hated to leave (we will be back someday!) but it was time to move on to Jasper. Neither of us have been there. For the 30 years I have been going to Alberta, Calgary and Banff, I never made it north, so it was about time.

The Itinerary for our Journey through BC

Day 1 (May 1) – Nanaimo BC to Hope BC (Via Duke Point Ferry to Tswassen) – Total driven: 168km

Day 2 (May 2-3) – Hope BC to Clearwater BC – Total driven: 338km 

Day 4 (May 4) – Clearwater BC to Jasper AB – Total driven: 328km