Vancouver Island, B.C. - Day Two (the long drive north)

 So, it’s 5:00 am and we are on vacation.  A wee bit early you say?  TRU DAT!  But we have a ferry to catch in port Angeles and they told us to be 70 min early.  We were certainly first in line, but even Starbucks was closed…

TIP: EVERY SINGLE PERSON at the terminal at the suggested time was old (including us).  We certainly got on the boat (but so did all the youngsters who slept in).

 

TIP #2:  Measure your RV before you make reservations.  I was WAY off (we are 23’ long).  It costs more, but they easily accommodated us.  Had it been full….!?!?!?

Vancouver Island, BC is only (460 Km - or 285 miles).  Seems like you could get from Victoria ferry terminal to Port Hardy in 4-5 hours.  The Customs Officer seemed skeptical when we told him this was our destination….

TIP #3:  Do not tell a Canadian Customs Agent you have no reservations (seems fishy).  I also didn’t mention that I am a police officer (though I DID NOT TAKE A GUN - respect the country you travel in).  And don’t take - Eggs, fresh fruit, “weapons of any kind”, cannabis (we were pretty safe there), “weapons” (but he didn’t mind our camping knives), he asked about alcohol, and we had some, but it wasn’t a problem.  The customs process was about five minutes and only about 10 cars were searched (we were not, but we were within the rules anyway).  

It took almost eight hours to get from Victoria Ferry to Stella Lake (an hour outside Campbell River (a REALLY pretty town by the way)).  BUT - we stopped three times for gas, one time at the COSTCO in Victoria for a new generator, and a few little stops to see the views.  We took our time.  But you still could never make this in five hours.  The highways have stop lights.  There is a LOT of traffic.

TIP #4:  In the USA, COSTCO only takes VISA (trust me on this).  In CANADA, COSTCO only takes MASTER CARD.  UGH.  Luckily we brought a checkbook.  They were SUPER friendly and worked hard to help us.

By the way, the new generator is AMAZING!

We finally arrived (through a 4x4 gravel road) at our FREE campsite (we don’t cost, only the solitude) after 6:00 pm.  It is gorgeous (and surprisingly, there were only two empty sites.  But it is very quiet, lots of space between sites, and a GORGEOUS lake!

We plan to stay a couple of nights here (but you never know - we are UNDAUNTED!)