2019 Summer Road Trip report- The Baldwin's venture to Canada!

[thatbaldwinlife]

[Jake de Villiers]

[joetiger]

Great report! I know what you mean about the kids growing up. While it's inevitable that they'll want to do their own thing, I'm very grateful to have had my daughters experience the road with us. I totally agree on trip reports--they keep me motivated when I'm on a difficult project and/or bring me out of a funk when I'm pissed off at the world/job/etc...

The highway from Radium over to Canada 1 is spectacular. We also had to skip Lake Louise because of the crowds.
_________________
Joe T.

'86 NAHT Vanagon GL Syncro/ supercharged ABA 2.0 "Pigpen"
'91 Wolfsburg Carat "Barchetta"
'02 Baja-ish Beetle "Bubbles"

"get metaphysical with it. if it's simply a means to get to and from places, it will let you down. if it becomes your zen, it can't fail you." -dabaron

"Still, it's good to be afield."--VWagabond

Justice for Megan: https://linktr.ee/justiceformegantrussell

[thatbaldwinlife]

[71whitewesty]

Great trip report! I’ve done a very similar route and even camped in a couple of the same places. This year we are heading that way again and so it was great to read this now. Good times and with the family and I can relate to the kids getting older as mine are now 10 and 13 and this will be our 10th summer of family VW road trips.
_________________
71 Westy 1600 DP, all stock Bus 1
1970's Snow Trac 1600 SP (sold 12/2016)
1968 Tucker sno cat, sold 2021
1969 Tucker Sno cat 542
2017 VW Alltrac
71 tin top stock 1600 DP (project but runs)
Twin 71 White Westy, Bus 2, that I pulled from a 15 year slumber in a dry eastern WA field in 2015.
1966 Sundial Camper "Boomer"

[Jake de Villiers]

Really great to read your stories, Nate. I love your map, too - did you make that yourself?
_________________
'84 Vanagon GL 1.9 WBX
'86 Westy Weekender Poptop/2.5 Subaru/5 Speed Posi/Audi Front Brakes/16 x 7.5 Mercedes Wheels - answers to 'Dixie'
@jakedevilliersmusic1
http://sites.google.com/site/subyjake/mydixiedarlin%27
www.crescentbeachguitar.com
www.thebassspa.com

[owokie]

[thatbaldwinlife]

Next year will either be Colorado or back to Cali but going further south than before. We'll see!

Yep Alex the winds wear you down for sure!

It is a lot of work to take the pics, process, write the story, load the pics to samba (which is a lot by itself) and then pull it all together so it is readable. But I do this as much for myself as others. Gives me a story to go back are read and relive. I probably read my old road trip reports more than anyone just to have those feelings of traveling again. All well worth it

nate
_________________
1987 Westy
Insta: @Thatbaldwinlife
Vanagon Adventure and DIY videos:
That Baldwin Life YouTube Channel

[owokie]

Awesome trip, looks like we had very similar itineraries this summer, with our twins in tow as well. You're dedicated, I can never manage to put all those words and pictures down on digital paper. Thanks for the ride-along!

[chachi]

nice one, nate. def was seeing the word “iOverlander” a lot on your instagram posts, gonna have to check that one out. that gorge run under high wind, man, i have been there. super fried after a long road trip, everybody asleep, trying to maintain 65 but everywhere on the road, yuck.
_________________
'74 transporter panel
'91 vanagon carat NAHT

[jimf909]

Well done. I wonder what y’all are planning next.
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- Jim

[thatbaldwinlife]

We awoke to cloudy and foggy skies that gave the mountains an erie feeling.

We were excited to see what the road would bring today as we headed towards Yoho National Park and Lake Louise. We made some breakfast, packed up and slowly climbed out of the town sometime after 10:00am.

Soon we would cross into another province, Alberta! We did not expect to come this far east so crossing into a new province was exciting for us. We drove at a leisurely pace taking in the sites and secretly hoping Lake Louise would not be crazy crowded. As we approached the first parking area, we saw the sign that read "full". Oh well, let's see if the overflow lot is available. As we drove up, lines of cars were waiting to get in. That did it for us. It was not meant to be today. Gives us another reason to return.
It was approaching lunch time so we found a trail head with picnic tables and made hummus, tapenade, and lettuce in whole grain wraps. Delicious!

Great lunch views

We needed to start heading south so we took hwy 93 through Kootenay National Park. The road climbed quickly and the mountains jetted up on both sides of us. We pulled over for pics and to let some cars pass.

Soon we saw a sign for Paint Pots so we decided to check it out. We started down the trail and soon came to a river with a nice bridge over it. The water in the river was a beautiful glacial blue and freezing cold!

We crossed the bridge to continue on to Paint Pots but soon the trail turned to mud and we did not have the right shoes on so we turned back. We still had fun though.

We were soon at Radium Hot Springs and like the last two, extremely crowded and just a big hot pool. We stopped for gas and to figure out our next move.
On Google maps, we saw a municipal park not too far up the road with a lake so we decided to head there to cool off.

It was not very crowded and the water was decently warm. We broke out the paddle board for the twins and just chilled for a while.

After a few hours we decided we needed to find a place to camp. iOverlander led us to a remote site down a dirt road that turned into a downhill rock filled
road to the lake. Unfortunately it was already occupied so we turned around and headed back up. I think the campers at the lake were surprised to see an old VW come down this road as they were all driving 4wd trucks. Westy made it back up without any wheel spin and we took another side road only to find another truck. We pulled off the road in a clearing and thought about making camp there but with dark clouds threatening rain, we decided we did not want to be at the bottom of the dirt road in case of a storm. We headed back to the highway to keep searching.

We eventually ended up at Wasa Lake Provincial Park which was a nice but busy campground. At this point one of the twins had come down with a cold and her throat hurt so we just needed to get camp set up and get her to rest a bit. This was another night in the van watching Netflix.

As we packed up the next morning we decided to skip making breakfast and head out and pick up something on the road. In Cranbrook we found our calling- Tim Hortons. They are now serving Beyond Meat in the breakfast sandwiches so we grabbed a few. Pretty damn good!

Bellies full, we heading to highway 3 going west under drizzly skies. We didn't expect this road to climb like it did. We eventually settled into a
second gear climb, slowly enjoying the sites around us.

Link


At one point, we saw something darting across the road. After a second it sunk in that it was a bear! Our first wild bear encounter on the trip! We were all pretty excited to see such a majestic animal.
As we crested the top, we stopped to use the bathroom and watch the fog roll over the lake.

As we descended, the fog was so thick we just put it in second and slowly crept down the hill until it cleared up.
We meandered into Fruitvale which reminded us a lot of Hood River in Oregon with all of the fruit farms and stands, and made lunch trying to use of the rest of our fresh veggies so we wouldn't have to take them across the border.

We then wanted to use the rest of our Canadian cash so a stop by the liquor store was in order. We set our sites on a tiny border crossing on road 22A and headed out. As we approached the crossing, it was clear that it was a good choice as there was no line. No cars at all. We pulled in and he asked us to shut off the van. A few questions regarding weapons, drugs, and cash and we were off. Back in the states, though we already missed Canada.

We pulled off a bit later to snap some pix an right when we did, another white Westy drove by. Well of course he turned around to see if we were ok and we talked for a bit. He was from White Salmon which is not too far from where we live. Small world.

At Kettle Falls we had another decision to make. With now two girls not feeling great, windy and rainy weather and many more miles to cover to get to our original goal of Coulee Dam, we decided to head to Spokane and get a hotel. Well we ended up in Spokane during rush hour traffic so it took some
time to finally check in. We made dinner in the van and ate in the room.

That night we decided to cut the trip a day or two short and just make the long drive home tomorrow. Wanted to get the girls home and we didn't need to wander around northern Washington just to do it so early Thursday morning we headed south. We wanted to try and get through Portland before traffic got miserable.

My wife took driving duties first under a severe head wind. We were pushed all around and tried to maintain a 62mph speed the best we could. It was
brutal. Hours later we finally crossed back into Oregon! Around Boardman, I took over the final push home and the winds did not let up. All the way
through the gorge it was rough. Makes for a tense drive. Just outside of Troutdale driving at a around 63mph, the van kind of bucked three times very
quickly like it was running out of gas. It was very quick and as I let off the gas pedal, it went away. Didn't really seem to do it again so I am
not sure if it is Vanagon syndrome (I did put in a newer used AFM a few months before the trip) or fuel pump/filter. Have to keep and eye on it.

Just when the winds let up around Troutdale, the traffic took its place. Stopped on I84 at 1:00 on a Thursday. Welcome to Portland. We slowly made our way west and arrived home safe and sound around 2:30 in the afternoon.

Map filling up!

We did around 2200 miles in 14 days. No van issues besides the small hiccup. This was by far one of our most challenging road trips due to the
schedule we had to keep the first week but so worth it. As you watch your kids grow up and start to live their own lives, it is rewarding to see them
want to join you on an adventure even if it is for a few days. We also know that we have limited time to take these adventures with the twins. They
are entering high school this fall and within a few years, they will have jobs, responsibilities, and may not want to spend this time with us during
the summer. We cherish these trips to spend time together and show them what traveling can do to your perspective. We hope they take these lessons
and experiences and use them as they grow into adults.

“Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.” -Gustav Flaubert

We could all use a little more modesty at times.

Thanks for reading along!
-Nate
_________________
1987 Westy
Insta: @Thatbaldwinlife
Vanagon Adventure and DIY videos:
That Baldwin Life YouTube Channel

[thatbaldwinlife]

Yeah we figured there would be some wild camping somewhere outside the city but we had to use data/wifi to make some decisions. So beautiful up there.

I hope to wrap this report up today or tomorrow but they take so much work to write, upload pics, insert pics, etc. Thanks for following along!

nate
_________________
1987 Westy
Insta: @Thatbaldwinlife
Vanagon Adventure and DIY videos:
That Baldwin Life YouTube Channel

[Ride_On]

I spent 2 summers planting trees in Revelstoke. Such a great area. Much too late for you now, but if you head north from town, there is a paved road basically to nowhere for 160km/100miles to Mica Dam. There are many, many, many forestry and mining access roads that you could likely find a spot to call home for a night.

Great trip report! Fun to follow!
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1977 Westfalia 2.0 FI Skills EJ25 w SubaruGears 5sp
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=687254
2018 Golf Sportwagen 4MO DSG (Dieselgated 2013 Golf Wagon TDI DSG)

[thatbaldwinlife]

I woke up around 3:00 am to the sound of someone or something going through our food cabinet. I laid there thinking that it must have been something else.Then another ruffling. A mouse! We jumped out of bed and did a quick search around. We did not see any evidence but know we had a visitor. We made sure our open food was closed and hoped for the best.
The next morning we were greeted with mouse droppings on our cabinet lids. We pulled everything from the van and washed the dishes, counter tops and dry goods containers. We then put any open food bags in the Yakima box for a few days to detour the mouse from staying. It must have worked as we never had a problem after that.

With that taken care of, we were back on 99 heading east admiring the amazing views all around us.

We saw a farm stand off the side of the road and we were in need of veggies so we decided to stop and do some shopping. They also had a really neat small animal petting area with a variety of animals. Needless to say, we spent quite a bit of time hanging out there.

Our goal for the day was Kamloops and the BC Wildlife Park. We arrived a bit late which was nice as the crowds were mostly gone. We spent around two hours walking around looking at the animals on display. It was like a small zoo but the twins enjoyed the bears and wolves.

It was time again to find where to sleep so back to iOverlander. It showed an interesting place in Chase that was billed as "Safety Mart Parking". It was in a grass field next to a grocery store. We needed groceries so we headed that way.

There were two RV's in the grass already so we picked a spot as far from them as possible. Really not a bad place. Not a remote, amazing view kinda place but it was free and had bathrooms in the store till they closed. About 15 minutes after we made camp, an older lady who lived in the house directly behind our Westy came over with some hot food for us for dinner. Turkey legs with squash and peppers. Though we are mostly vegetarians, it was such an amazingly nice gesture we decided to eat it. She saw the twins and knows how hard it is to travel with kids and thought we could use the help. We talked with her for sometime and then she went home. Another encounter on the road that we love so much.
Walked to Subway to refill our Hydroflask water bottles and a few cookies for the twins, we found some free WiFi outside of the bank and soaked it in for a bit.

Our first stop in the morning was in Sicamous which has a very nice public beach on Shuswap Lake. Though the weather was supposed to be a bit rainy, luck was with us and it was nice and sunny. Out comes the swimwear and we spent several hours playing in the water and eating lunch.

A short walk around town rewarded us with our first taste of ketchup chips which seem to be so popular in Canada. Can't say we were huge fans.

We only needed to make it to Revelstoke that day and the next adventure was the Enchanted Forest just up the road. Though obviously a tourist stop, we wanted to compare it to the Enchanted Forest we have in Oregon. This one is a bit different as it does not offer rides and other interactive areas. It is basically a walk in the woods with themed areas and small houses to go in. The twins liked it enough and it was nice to stretch our legs a bit.

Once we reached Revelstoke, we had a decision to make. Either head south on 23 and meander back towards the border or head east on 1 towards Glacier/Yoho/Banff. We had originally planned on heading south as I thought we would not have the time to take the 1 but we had somehow gotten ahead of schedule. Not that we really had a schedule now but here we are. As we were thinking about our next move, we looked around and saw a huge black cloud coming over the mountain and the winds picked up significantly. We needed to find a place to sleep quick! There are only a few campgrounds around Revelstoke and some were already full. We decided since we needed internet to plan our next few days, we would spring for a hotel and get out of the storm and use some WiFi.
The Stoke Hotel was nice enough and had some vacancy. After checking in and making dinner in the van, the storm never materialized. It was now sunny and beautiful! Oh well, we still were glad to have some WiFi to do some route planning.

We decided to head east in the morning and are so glad we did. The area east of Revelstoke and out to Banff may be the most beautiful part of the trip. We stopped in Revelstoke National Park to do a short hike at the Giant Cedar Boardwalk.

Next stop was the Canyon Hot Springs as the twins wanted to see if they could soak. We pulled into the parking lot and what do we see? Another Westy from the states! We talked with Claire and South for sometime about travel and good places to stop as they were headed the opposite direction as us. They live in their Westy almost full time as we swapped travel tips and ideas. We will see them at Descend on Bend in September!

As we approached Glacier National Park of Canada, there was a lot of road construction around but traffic was flowing. Lucky for us, they had the speed limited to 50 km/hr so we got to enjoy the scenery as we drove through the park.
We did not stop much along these routes as going east put us in kind of a time crunch and gives us a reason to head back and spend some time there.

We need fuel and groceries so head set our sites on Golden BC. After a quick stop at IGA, we decided to walk the small town a bit. A little window shopping and then onto a small pub. My wife and I each had a fantastic cider and the girls got some onion rings to go with their Doritos Ketchup chips. Yep.

We then took a walk down to the river and decided we really liked this town and decided to iOverland a site that was recommended to us by Claire and South. It was a day use area down by the river and across from the tiny airport.

Saw this unusual Westy on the street

We arrived and no one was there so we had the place to ourselves. It has a nice pit toliet restroom, picnic tables, and trash/recycling. The airport was empty and the road was fairly quiet. We set up camp and made some dinner.

A light rain started to fall so we deployed the awning and Thermacell and played Clue till dark. A short movie and we were off to sleep.

Next we get to experience even more stunning scenery and finally start heading south!
_________________
1987 Westy
Insta: @Thatbaldwinlife
Vanagon Adventure and DIY videos:
That Baldwin Life YouTube Channel

[oceanair]

We live in Victoria -- it's really interesting to see people's reaction to the place where you live!

Safe travels!
_________________
84 Vanagon Pop Top Conversion from Tin Top, 1970 Ghia - all sweet rides! Love em!
Previous: Green 72 Tin Top, White 72 Westy, Blue 64 Beetle, Yellow 71 Squareback, 2014 Jetta TDI Wagon - wish I could have them all back!

[thatbaldwinlife]

[termuehlen]

Fun to travel along! Haven't been that way in a few years. We found Goldstream Provincial Park to be a great overnight stop between Victoria BC and Butchart Gardens.
_________________
1988 Westfalia automatic Subaru OBD1
1986 syncro tintop wbx

[Jake de Villiers]

Another great trip report, Nate! Extra fun for me as I'm familiar with much of the territory so far!
_________________
'84 Vanagon GL 1.9 WBX
'86 Westy Weekender Poptop/2.5 Subaru/5 Speed Posi/Audi Front Brakes/16 x 7.5 Mercedes Wheels - answers to 'Dixie'
@jakedevilliersmusic1
http://sites.google.com/site/subyjake/mydixiedarlin%27
www.crescentbeachguitar.com
www.thebassspa.com

[dobryan]

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Dave O
'87 Westy w/ 2010 Subaru EJ25 (Vanaru) and Peloquin TBD

"To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive." Robert Louis Stevenson

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