BC Archives - Our View From The Road

Day 04: Radium Hot Springs to Writing on Stone Provincial Park

Yep, I know…. What happened to Day 03? Well, we spent it relaxing at Redstreak campground and walking a 2km hiking trail to the Radium Hot Springs where we relaxed in the 39°C water and swam in the ‘cool’ water pool. I finished another James Patterson novel and we cooked dinner on the Blackstone griddle. A day off from driving was very nice.

Today, we’re back on the road again, this time heading to southern Alberta where we have a camping reservation at Writing on Stone provincial park near the town of Milk River a little north of Coutts.

The day started with a drive South towards the Crowsnest Pass (Hwy 3). The road down the valley is wonderful, easy to drive and not too busy. When we get to Hwy 3, traffic is heavier but moves well. We drove this road last year and enjoyed the views of the mountains as much this year as last.

Arriving in Fernie, BC we stop at The Chopstick Truck for some Vietnamese fusion cuisine. We took it to a local park and enjoyed lunch away from the traffic and noise of the highway. Delicious and filling.

After Fernie the road passes through the actual Crowsnest mountain pass and then descends to the grasslands of southern Alberta. Barb takes on the driving chores and navigates us into Lethbridge where we stop for fuel before turning South towards Coutts on Hwy 4.

We stop for a couple of grocery items in Warner and then drive to Milk River where we turn East to the provincial park.

We arrive at about 4:30 and settle into our campsite. No luxuries tonight, the site has no services and so we’ll rough it for one night.

Tomorrow, we’re heading to Saskatchewan so join is again.

Day 02: Cache Creek to Radium Hot Springs

Up and at ‘em! It’s just after 8:00am and we’re on Hwy 1 heading East. It’s September 10th, our 37th wedding anniversary, Happy Anniversary my love ❤️.

Heading East along Hwy 1 the hills rolled along still covered in grasses. We pass some larger lakes and after about an hour we arrive in Kamloops, BC. Here we treat ourselves to a sit down breakfast at the White Spot restaurant, a BC staple. We both enjoy a very well prepared Eggs Benedict and coffee before heading back out onto the highway.

Having traveled this section of Hwy 1 a few weeks ago we knew to expect some construction delays as large sections of the highway are being widened to 4-lanes from 2. This requires the clearing of trees and the removal of huge sections of mountainside in order for the road to weave its way through the wilderness. Our journey was extended by about 30 minutes in total because of these delays.

After continuing our drive eastward we passed through Roger’s Pass and knew that we only had a little further to go before leaving Hwy 1 at Golden, BC where we stopped for fuel, groceries and bakery items (Yum!)

Our journey continued Southward along Hwy 95 towards Radium Hot Springs where we are camping at the Redstreak Campground in Kootenay National Park for 2-nights.

Before pulling into the campground we turned East on Hwy 93 towards Banff. We drove past the hot springs facility and up to the Kootenay Valley Viewpoint. The sun was in the West which lit the far side of the valley allowing us to take some wonderful photographs.

Returning back to Radium Hot Springs we entered the campground and setup camp before enjoying dinner and a beverage. It was a long day (in excess of 6 hrs) and we were both tired.

Tomorrow we will visit the hot springs and take a day off from driving.

Day 01: Galiano to Cache Creek

The ferry back to Tsawwassen left Galiano at 8:30am, that meant leaving Dad’s house by 7:15am in order to ensure that we had a good spot in line as we had no reservation. Turns out that we needn’t have worried as there was lots of room on the Salish Eagle that would return us to mainland Canada. We enjoyed a breakfast on the ferry and once we arrived we made our way towards the Trans-Canada Highway (Hwy 1) heading East towards Hope, BC.

Originally we had planned to go through Vancouver and then take the Sea to Sky Highway to Whistler and onto Cache Creek; however, that was going to add 90 plus minutes to our first driving day and so we headed like lemmings toward Hope. Everyone heads this way, including us in the past. We wanted to take a different route and so headed up the Fraser Canyon on Hwy 1. This was the original Trans-Canada Highway before the Coquihalla Highway (Hwy 5) was opened.

We took the “Coq” West when we arrived a few weeks ago. I described it as ‘intense’. 120km/h four lanes, steep hills (6 – 9%) and lots of truck traffic makes for a less than relaxing drive. Coined “The Highway through Hell” in the Winter, it gets its name honestly from those that have driven it in harsher weather.

The Fraser Canyon drive was slower as it weaved its way North towards Lytton. It reminds me of Route 66 in the U.S. It was once a busy thoroughfare as can be seen by the many now abandoned gas stations and businesses along the way; however, it doesn’t have the allure of Route 66. It was difficult to find places to stop and admire the scenery, even the ‘Hells Gate’ tourist attraction was closed as we passed by at about lunchtime on this Tuesday in September.

We did manage to find a pull off where there was a sign for Southbound travelers welcoming them to the Fraser Canyon. It included some wonderful views across the canyon and North towards Lytton.

Arriving in Lytton Hwy 1 turns North-East and follows the Thompson River towards Cache Creek, BC. The landscape changed from lush treed mountain slopes to dry desert like hillsides. After several miles of twisting along the rivers edge, the road struck North across a grasslands landscape that remained us of Northern Nevada. The sagebrush was abundant and the hillsides rolled along covered in grasses and not trees. The air became much dryer and we noticed this on our arms and legs first.

Arriving in Cache Creek we stopped and filled the van with fuel and then sought out a place for lunch. We’d already stopped twice along the Fraser Canyon but one was closed and the other seemed a little sketchy so we drove on. Our third attempt in Cache Creek also resulted in a closed Greek restaurant and so we headed for a local taco stand that seemed to get good reviews. The ‘Desert Hills Ranch Taco Stand’ proved to be an amazing place. We each ordered a Taco Bowl which ended up being large enough for both lunch and dinner. The ingredients were fresh and the spices were amazing, easily the best Mexican food we’ve had anywhere in North America.

We stopped for the night at the Cache Creek Campground and RV resort just East of town off of Hwy 1. A nicely kept private campground with level sites and full services. A great end to the first day of our journey home.

Tomorrow we head deeper into the mountains, retracing some of our route Westward but also finding some new places to explore.

It’s been a while…

Yep, too long really but there you go. We are currently midway through a Fall ‘journey’ that has had some real highs and real lows so let’s catch you up.

In mid-August I received the phone call that no son wants to get, my mother had been admitted into palliative care and I should make my way to her ASAP. Air Canada was grounded due to a strike and the other airlines were charging ridiculous fares to gouge customers in the interim. On top of the fares, the earliest we could fly would be 7 days later. Barb and I quickly decided that we could drive our camper-van more quickly and more cheaply across the continent than we could fly. We were heading out on the road!

We left home on Monday, August 18, 2025 and head to McCullough’s Landing Campground near Carleton Place where we had reservations for the week but would only stay one night. We enjoyed a lovely evening with our friends Cathy & Dean before getting a good nights sleep ahead of several long driving days.

Tuesday started well until we spilled a large Tim Horton’s coffee into the passenger footwell. Saved however by the WeatherTech floor mat as it contained the entire coffee allowing me to pour it out onto the ground. Phew, crisis averted. Was this how this journey was going to go?

Tuesday found us stopping in Sault Ste-Marie, ON where we parked for the night at a truck stop. Wednesday found us rounding the Lake Superior lakehead and turning North West towards Dryden, ON. Another night, another truck stop. Thursday had us finally exiting Ontario and crossing Manitoba before stopping for the night in Moosejaw, SK where we parked at the Visitor Centre. Friday found us zipping across Alberta and into the Canadian Rockies where we stopped at a campground in Golden, BC. Saturday, August 23, 2025 found us driving the remainder of the way across BC to Vancouver where we caught a ferry to Vancouver island. We arrived at my mother’s bedside in the early evening and visited for a short while before retiring to sleep. We parked at the hospital overnight and stayed for the next few days. We would be joined by my brother, Trevor and his girlfriend, Kim on Monday.

The next few days were a bit of a blur. Sadly the inevitable happened on Wednesday, August 27, 2025 my mother passed away quietly with my father at her side. The insane 5 day driving journey had been worth it. I had spent some of my mother’s last hours at her bedside along with my brother and father.

Thanks for all of the support in recent days to those that have reached out. It meant a lot to myself and my family.

Coral Edna Fisher (1944-2025)

We spent the next 2 weeks with my father at his home on Galiano Island. Things got done, changes were made. Life goes on.

I wouldn’t recommend anyone attempt driving across Canada at the pace we did unless they have to. You don’t enjoy it or see anything of interest along the way. It really took the joy out of camper van adventuring. That said, it had to be done and we’re both glad we endured the journey.

The next few blog posts will detail our return to Ontario. Nope, not doing it in 5 days, in fact it’s likely to take us about 10 days. So, come back and follow along on our journey home.

BC tourists

The early morning hours of Monday, June 2nd found Barb driving Kyra and myself to the Ottawa airport for our flight to British Columbia. We have a quick 4 day trip planned to visit my parents and do something touristy.

We were flying with Porter Airlines this time, taking advantage of their newly offered Ottawa – Victoria direct flight. Our seats were upgraded by the gate agent to exit-row seats which gave us a tonne of legroom during the 5 1/2 hour flight, which was wonderful and arrived on time at 11:00am PDT.

I like Victoria airport. It’s small and easy to move through. I got the rental car while waiting for our bags to arrive at the carousel. The timing was perfect and we only waited a few minutes for our bags after which a quick walk to the rental car lot had us out of the airport and on our way.

The Hyundai Kona would prove to be a great little runabout serving us well during the time we had it. Not flashy or overly powerful, it’s a simple people mover that does its job. The only missing feature was navigation meaning that we had to rely on our phones for not getting lost.

We picked up a few grocery items to take with us to my parent’s house and then got in-line for the ferry to Galiano Island. The almost 2 hour wait was enjoyed with a quick nap and time reading books. The 90min ferry ride allowed us to enjoy the Coastal BC scenery, something that I always enjoy. The ferry docked at Sturdies Bay at 6:00pm PDT as scheduled. It’s been a long day!

A short drive on the island from the ferry had us arriving at my parents home. Kyra had last visited 8yrs prior and noticed many changes about the garden.

The next 2 days were spent catching up and helping about the house. We grabbed a few photos of the many flowering plants and shrubs before saying our farewells and heading back to the ferry on Wednesday at noon.

Arriving back at the Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal we disembarked and made our way to the world-famous Butchart Gardens. Time to be tourists and walkabout the beautiful gardens the climate here permits.

We are lucky, the gardens are not too busy today and we are able to take some wonderful pictures in an effort to capture the beauty of this place.

Completing our walkabout we grabbed an ice cream which we enjoyed in the shade. For both of us, this was our first time visiting and we both agreed that we’d return again.

We enjoyed a pub dinner before checking into a hotel for the night ahead of our return flight the next morning.

Departing for Victoria airport was as easy as arriving. Our flight departed on time and got us uneventfully back to Ottawa as scheduled in the evening where Barb was waiting for us to drive us home. It was a quick trip but one that we both really enjoyed.

Day 39: Mountains, Foothills, Prairies

We awake at 6:00am and find that we were joined last night by two other campers in our secluded ‘wild camping’ spot behind the Independent grocery store in Fernie, BC. A few townies kept Barb awake for a while, but in general terms this was a wonderfully quiet place to spend the night. Also close to Starbucks, McDonald’s, etc. if you need/want breakfast take away in the morning before heading out. We had our usual coffee, banana & yogurt before heading out at 7:00am.

We had decided to stop at the top of Crowsnest Pass for a cooked breakfast and take the time to really start our day. The road up the pass was not as steep or arduous as some of the passes we had driven yesterday, which surprised us and as such we arrived at the top fairly quickly. Time for quiche. Yummy!

Once fed and ready for the day we headed further into the mountains and arrived at Frank, BC the site of Canada’s most deadly rock slide. In 1904 the side of Turtle mountain collapsed and slid into the valley below. 100 lives were lost in the town of Frank and the valley was changed for ever. The debris pile is huge and from the interpretation center you can imagine the noise and dust that would have been produced that day.

We traveled on to Fort Macleod in the Alberta foothills where we visited the “Head Smashed-In Buffalo Jump” museum. This is a World Heritage Site and goes into amazing detail of how the Blackfoot people used the cliffs as a killing ground for herds of buffalo (bison) for thousands of years until the 1800’s. Built into the cliff, the museum building is worth the visit by itself; however, the stories of the people are the real captivating reason to visit. Highly Recommended.

Continuing East on Hwy-3 we head to Lethbridge, AB where we stop under the railway viaduct in a park for a picnic lunch in the van. No trains passed over the viaduct while we were there unfortunately.

The day was heating up into the low 20’s as we headed further away from the mountains. Shortly before Medicine Hat we stopped in Seven Persons, AB for ice cream! Yummy, again.

We drove around Medicine Hat and headed toward the Saskatchewan border on Hwy-1, the Trans-Canada Highway. Shortly after crossing into Saskatchewan we stopped at the “Cypress Hills Winery” in Maple Creek, SK. This is another Harvest Host destination and we enjoyed a fruit wine tasting and had a glass of Rhubarb Wine with pizza for dinner. A couple of bottles might also have found their way back to the van as well.

Tonight we are hoping to see the Aurora Borealis that so many saw last evening but we missed due to cloud cover. Fingers crossed!

Day 38: The Crowsnest Highway

Another early start to the day. I blame it on the early rising of the sun. Away from our wonderfully quiet campsite in the vineyard by 7:30am. Today we will spend the day traveling along Hwy-3, also known as “The Crowsnest Highway” towards Fernie, BC.

Leaving Osoyoos you immediately begin to gain elevation and the views across the valley are stunning.

Of course, what goes up must come down and sure enough it not long until we are descending at a rapid pace into another valley in Southern BC. This is repeated several times today with the climbs being just long enough to allow the brakes to cool from the last descent before being called on again. Utilizing the lower gears in the gearbox helps on these descents, as does having an eight-speed gearbox.

We stopped for a quick break in Grand Forks, BC and then again in Cranbrook, BC. Between Cranbrook and Fernie we crossed into the Mountain time zone and as such are now just two hours behind Ontario. Our final destination is the town of Fernie, BC where we are ‘wild camping’ for the night.

Tomorrow we enter Alberta and will leave the Rocky Mountains behind us.

Day 37: & so Eastward we are bound

5:30am rise & shine to get ready to depart Galiano Island. The ferry leaves at 8:30am but we have no reservation and so need to arrive at the dock early to have the best chance of boarding.

After a very nice and relaxing six days visiting my parents we say our goodbyes and head toward the ferry at 7:00am. 7:25am and we’re first in-line. A coffee, yogurt & banana while we wait. Turns out that that there was no issue of space and we could have probably slept in for an extra hour or so. Oh well, better safe than sorry.

As we cross the Strait of Georgia towards Vancouver, we think back on where we have been so far on this adventure and the varied weather that we have seen. This morning it was around 10°C when we woke, it will be 27°C when we stop later this afternoon!

Looking towards the Southern Gulf Islands, BC

Our drive across the Fraser River valley is uneventful and after a couple of hours we pull into Hope, BC for fuel & to dump our tanks at a municipal Sani-dump ($free).

For those that don’t know, Hope, BC was the filming location for “Rambo: First Blood”. The town has embraced this notoriety and there are several landmarks about the town that you can visit from the movie. The bridge, across which Rambo walks at the beginning of the movie is gone (2011) but a new bridge has replaced it and there are still signs, but it’s not quite the same knowing that it’s not the same bridge.

Not the ‘Rambo’ bridge in the same location as the original ‘Rambo’ bridge

Everyone’s favorite stop is downtown near where the Police station was in the movie. In the park there are a number of chainsaw carvings of the characters from the movie. We snapped a picture of Rambo (below).

We head East on Hwy-3 towards the Okanagon valley. The road, although windy and hilly as it passes through the mountains, is really very good and well maintained. There are lots of passing lanes on the hills (including one that is 38km long!).

Eventually we notice the trees thinning and the flora around us changing to be more desert-like as we approach Osoyoos, BC. It reminds us of the Southern California desert in some ways with the slope of the hills and the sagebrush. It’s also now quite warm and the A/C in the van is very welcome.

Pulling into Osoyoos, we stopped at a roadside produce stand which happened to have a Mexican food truck next door. Lunch time!

Lunch was delicious and we both highly recommend “Sofia’s Mexican Food”. I enjoyed a chimichanga and Barb had 3 chicken tacos. Barb also picked up a few treats for another time from the roadside produce stand.

Our stay tonight is at a vineyard just north of Osoyoos called Mythology vineyard. The wine is very good and our camping spot is amongst the grapevines behind the tasting room. Our view is West towards the mountains and we look forward to enjoying a glass of wine as the sun sets.

Days 32 to 36: …

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Day 31: Nothing to declare

Oooof…. 5:30am. We’re up & heading for a shower (which gets 4/10 because of very small size & clingy shower curtain). Why so early you ask? We have an early reservation for the Port Angeles, WA to Victoria, BC ferry. Yep, we are leaving the U.S. after almost a month of travel, it’s time to head back into Canada.

Showered we get the van ready for the day and are driving off site by 6:45am. Traffic is fairly light and this makes our drive back into town to the wharf easy and quick. Black Ball Ferries require us to check-in a minimum of one hour before the ferry “Coho” departs at 8:20am, we make it with a few minutes to spare.

A cup of coffee and a banana are enjoyed while we wait to board which begins shortly before 8:00am. We make our way up to the top deck in order to have the best views back across town to the Olympic mountains.

The ferry is relatively full with most passengers having walked-on. The Salish Sea is mill pond calm and we see a few seabirds fishing for breakfast but no whales or seals today while crossing. Arriving in the Victoria inner harbour, our departure and clearance through Canada Customs takes about 30min. We head towards Langford, BC where we enjoy breakfast at a White Spot restaurant before getting groceries for the week.

The weather for today is predicted to go from sunny this morning to rain later in the afternoon. As such we have changed our plans to try to avoid the heaviest rains and are now heading to my parents home a day ahead of schedule for a few days of rest and relaxation.

We’ll catch-up with you again when we resume our journey next week. All the best and thanks for following our adventures.