trip from PA to Vancouver BC

[Cheeplow]

I will be picking up my AS next week. We are planning a trip to Vancouver,BC in the spring of 2011. Has anyone made a trip going over the mountains and what can you share with me about that trip. I have a little concern going over the Rockys with the AS.

[tinhutjohn]

Keep your eyes on the road and not the scenery or you'll become part of it.
May I suggest you include Vancouver Island in your itinerary. Victoria is charming, and the trip to the north end of the island is great. Don't miss Tofino or Uculet on the west coast of the island.

[dwightdi]

You have close to 2,000 miles till you reach the Rockies. By that time you will be well experienced to handle it. if you have any concerns at that point you should likely stay on the InterState expressways. They have been tamed for the trucks but you will need a truck with a good gear ratio to keep things cool. If you have not changed you brake fluid in over 5 years, I would recommend a complete flush. Old brake fluid absorbs water and will boil when pressed hard at high elevations.

[RGBaker]

I have not towed across the Rockies, but I have driven a few times at various points. Consider this friendly suggestion ...

It has more than twenty years since I crossed the Rockies on US Hwy 90 but my memory is that it was a much 'tougher' crossing than the Canadian passage on the TransCanada -- other posters may have more recent information on this consideration. I have crossed through BC in recents years on both CDN Hwy 1 (the TransCanada) and Hwy 3 and found the drive to be spectacular but relatively easy (more so 1 than 3) -- I've also crossed in recent years on US Hwy 80 and though pretty and straightforward through the Rockies, I'd as soon not repeat the drive from Wendover to Des Moines when compared to the drive across the Canadian praries of Alberta & Saskatchewan. The praries may be broad, flat and featureless ... but they are not the Great American Desert either, your tastes may vary. Consider at a minimum driving out one way & back another (which is in fact what I've always done). Note that if you are driving through Canada you will have the opportunity to make the north of Superiour route through Ontario, which is also spectacular at points ... and much improved in terms of highway since my first drive forty years ago.

As suggested, Vancouver Island is worth the trip -- but it is a trip. The ferry is terrific, but will use up a most of a day's travel each way in my experience, and the drive from Victoria to Tofino is another day, from Nanaimo to Tofino only moderately less so. So a few days minimum to do it right. Again, consider crossing one way in one direction, another for the return.

All fun no matter how you do it -- crossing this Continent behind the wheel is a thrill I can't get too much of! (In any direction -- the drive to Newfoundland is similarly terrific, as are the various north/south routes)

Cheers,
GB

[Aage]

Cheeplow,

Welcome to airforums.com! You'll find it all here. I think your trip is going to be a complete blast, you'll see a ton of things you'll want to remember.

Things that struck me as I read previous posts:

• Get a really hot camera (and video camera, too), and buy extra memory and batteries for it. By getting one that is better than you think you need, you'll get many great shots to treasure.
• Gas is MUCH cheaper in the US, so while it might be fun to travel over thousands of miles of prairies (although many here say it ain't so), it will be a LOT cheaper to do it through the US.
• I agree that Vancouver Island is worth seeing. As well as the sights mentioned, the Canadian headquarters for the Hells Angels is in Nanaimo!
• May seem obvious, but make sure your running gear is all in tip-top condition. Do this by taking a few shorter trips, say a week at a time, to test it all out.
• And of course the old standard: pack half the clothes and twice the cash. You'll see why as you travel...

[Relentless]

As you get over the Rockies you might start staying in state parks in Idaho, Oregon and Washington. Most have full hookups and are in really nice places. They are also way cheaper then private campgrounds.

I'm sure you realize, by looking at a map, that there is another range of mountains to cross west of the Rockies. If you stay on the interstates the maximum grade in 6% .

John

[Cheeplow]

Thank you to all of you. It was all good information espically about clothes and money.
I will let you know how it goes.

[Gene]

It's hard to say whether you will have a problem since we don't know which Airstream and what you will be towing it with. If you are more specific, we can be of greater help.

Vancouver Is. is very nice and well worth seeing, but the ferry fares with a trailer are very high—from Pt. Angeles, Wash., to Victoria, around $200 each way. I believe Vancouver to Victoria is about the same. Having taken other car ferries, these are the highest rates we've seen and won't be visiting Vancouver Is. in the near future. It might be cheaper to leave everything in Vancouver and walk on and rent a vehicle in Victoria.

Gene

[RGBaker]

The ferry to Vancouver Island isn't cheap -- $200 each way is perhaps even a low estimate -- but maybe cheaper than many. If memory serves, it is nearer $500 each way from Nova Scotia to Newfoundland (Argentia), and even the short hop from St John to Digby (NB to NS) must cost close to $200 -- it was double that when the high speed cat was running. But both the Vancouver/Victoria ferry and the NS to Nfld ferries are events in their own right. Whales, porpoises and dramatic landscapes are a given!

Note too that when talking about Vancouver Island, the distances are great. From Victoria to Tofino (and a trip to the Island without a stop at Long Beach/Tofino is a trip missed) is a journey in itself.

All that said, I'd be curious to hear of relative bargains in ferry rides. I've tried to take the ferry when the opportunity presented as I like the experience, whether the passenger-only run the length of Waterton Lake or the hop across Lake Champlain. Suggestions?

(apologies if this has hijacked the thread ...)

[Gene]

The ferries to Newfoundland are a much, much longer trip. North Carolina has ferries to the Grand Banks and I think they cost less/mile.

Gene

[Aage]

Originally Posted by RGBaker

The ferry to Vancouver Island isn't cheap -- $200 each way is perhaps even a low estimate -- but maybe cheaper than many.

Yes, with a TT it will be in this range. Vancouver toe Victoria could be ~C$200, but with only a car that is less than 20 ft long, it's only $45.

This is when a Bambi is a good idea! BC Ferries - British Columbia Ferry Services Inc. - Experience the Difference

[Gene]

Originally Posted by Aage

only a car that is less than 20 ft long, it's only $45.

Plus $14 for each person.

Gene

[Cheeplow]

Gene,
That is a good point- I will be hauling a 23' Flying Cloud with a Jeep Commander that has a 4.7 liter engine.

[Aage]

Originally Posted by CrawfordGene

Plus $14 for each person.

Gene

Well, yes, I guess so, if you want to go with the vehicle.

[Gene]

Originally Posted by Cheeplow

Gene,
That is a good point- I will be hauling a 23' Flying Cloud with a Jeep Commander that has a 4.7 liter engine.

Going back to the original question, will Cheep' have a problem with this rig towing across the mountains? I don't have a clue.

I think the easiest way to cross the continental divide is taking I-80 across Wyoming (unless you go through NM). This is South Pass and was the way of the Oregon Trail. Of course, there are many more mountains after that. I-84 would take you up through Boise and into NE Oregon I think. This goes through high desert, but the grades are probably less. Going through the Columbia Gorge would take you to the ocean (maybe that's still I-84).

Gene