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Vancouver Island - Suggestions, Tips, Advice Wanted


ShallowGal

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In late July, we're weaving our way to Alaska again & plan to stay the month of September in Haines where our son lives. The plan for heading home is the Cassiar to the Pacific coast down to northern California then east to visit family & parks in Utah. This YouTube by The Adventures of A+K has us considering a week on Vancouver Island in early October. Have you been? If so, we'd love your guidance.

Huge thanks!

Chris & Duke 

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Chris & Duke Chadwell
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Vancouver Island is spectacular!  Living literally within view of Vancouver Island, we have had the opportunity to visit the island a great deal, both by boat and by land.  With only a week available you will only be able to scrape the surface.  Victoria is a must followed by a visit to the outer coast near Tofino - great camping but weather is likely at that time of year ... luckily you have an Oliver.  Vancouver Island is big - the largest island in North America.  Those two areas will give you a feel of the island but there is so much more.

 

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A big word of caution about International roaming…. We camped at a county RV park in Washington, near Port Angeles, almost directly across from Victoria BC, our phones connected to a BC cell tower without our noticing, and we got hit with an enormous US$400 data charge, it took several hours in person at the Verizon store to straighten it out. This was several years ago, I am not sure how the current plans work, but be VERY careful about using cell or hotspot data when you are in the USA, but so very close to Canada.

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John Davies

Spokane WA

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SOLD 07/23 "Mouse":  2017 Legacy Elite II Two Beds, Hull Number 218, See my HOW TO threads: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/john-e-davies-how-to-threads-and-tech-articles-links/

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My tmobile plan gives me a "welcome to canada" message, and my plan is the same as home.

Verizon is very different.  

We get free  Internet  to .5 gig. Pretty much nothing.  Then it drops to  2g, dialup speed. Since we rarely have Verizon, anyway, we turn off that phone, and use the tmobile/rogers.

It is  important to check (and understand) your plan as @John E Davies suggested 

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Vancouver  Island is amazing. 

Can you not go to haines earlier?

It's a lovely space to hang out, but going home will be more difficult,,and colder. Likely to find colder temps and possibly snow, on the cassiar. . 

Boya lake  is one of our very favorite campgrounds on the cassiar.  You will have no services in October,  but there's not much any time. The beauty is all you want.  

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2008 Ram 1500 4 × 4

2008 Oliver Elite, Hull #12

Florida and Western North Carolina, or wherever the truck goes....

400 watts solar. DC compressor fridge. No inverter. 2 x 105 ah agm batteries .  Life is good.


        
 

 

 

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I would also suggest a visit to Stanley Park in downtown Vancouver if possible.  It is similar to Central Park, a little larger and bordered by water on three sides.  But don’t take your Ollie, it’s in the city.

Mossey

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Mike and Krunch   Lutz, FL  
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1 hour ago, Jim and Chris Neuman said:

makes me think beavers must use backhoes and bulldozers.  

They don't?🙄

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3 hours ago, Jim and Chris Neuman said:

When you get to the beautiful Provincial Park on Boya Lake, check out the amazing beaver dam to be found at the end of a short hike out of the park.  It is amazing... massive - makes me think beavers must use backhoes and bulldozers.  

Last time we were at Boya lake, and that's probably four years ago, there was no freshwater available at the campground.  I don't remember why. But, new friends there told us about a spring source a few miles down the road. It wasn't hard to find, because of the number of people parked,  filling jugs. 

If we have to take drinking water from a spring, I boil it. Just in case. Chlorine doesn't kill giardia, and a few other things. But, heat does. One minute rolling boil below 3000 feet, 3 minutes above is the rule I've used.  You can Google it yourself, to be sure.

I don't even trust a great filter, for giardia. I double down. No interest in getting sick in remote locations.

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2008 Ram 1500 4 × 4

2008 Oliver Elite, Hull #12

Florida and Western North Carolina, or wherever the truck goes....

400 watts solar. DC compressor fridge. No inverter. 2 x 105 ah agm batteries .  Life is good.


        
 

 

 

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  • 3 months later...

We are on Vancouver Island now, Miracle Beach to be exact. I've spent hours playing in tide pools at low tide. Heading to Pacific Rim NP (Tofino area) tomorrow for a few days then to Victoria. 

The Cassiar was beautiful. Aspens in their glory the top half. Boya was wonderful & quiet. There is an artesian well near the dump station & you're asked to limit your fill to 20 gallons. And, as always, the Gray Jay's (who thought the button on my cap was edible) were entertaining. 

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Chris & Duke Chadwell
🐾Maddie & Baxter🐾
Elite II Hull 292
2022 F-250 Lariat 7.3 Godzilla 4x4 Lakeland,FL
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3 hours ago, ShallowGal said:

We are on Vancouver Island now, Miracle Beach to be exact. I've spent hours playing in tide pools at low tide. Heading to Pacific Rim NP (Tofino area) tomorrow for a few days then to Victoria. 

The Cassiar was beautiful. Aspens in their glory the top half. Boya was wonderful & quiet. There is an artesian well near the dump station & you're asked to limit your fill to 20 gallons. And, as always, the Gray Jay's (who thought the button on my cap was edible) were entertaining. 

20220917_104813-03.thumb.jpeg.8c5354fcf85dc389806a0e91c5789515.jpeg

20220916_161610-01.thumb.jpeg.a304fa0ea5f18b676426d50783dacbda.jpeg20220924_103649-01.thumb.jpeg.a3e77e15de8ecdefac687b8944f73192.jpeg

Great photos Chris and Duke! It sure beats Florida with hurricane Ian on its way.😳

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

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