(Don't blame me, you asked for it):
America’s Last (Bus) Frontier: Time to Cross the Border, Eh?
Up until now, our trip had been restricted to the US. So, it was with a renewed sense of adventure, if not bus phobia, that we crossed the border at Lynden/Aldergrove (exit 256A off of I-5 N, to Hwy 539). To get there, make sure you stay on 539, and it’s about 15 minutes to the border (don’t turn off to Lynden). We had heard that this crossing or the Sumas/Abbotsford one had much shorter wait times than the ones closer to Vancouver, and indeed, we only had a few minutes wait at about 2 in the afternoon. (We had gotten our usual early start of noon from Bellevue, WA). Before you leave your RV Park for the trek into Canada, be sure to check out http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/border. There, you’ll get up to the minute wait times (including a traffic cam – how cool is that?) which may help you decide on when/where to cross. Whichever border you chose, do NOT get into the truck lane. That is ONLY for commercial vehicles and if you do, they will make you back up (there’s no place to turn around) and unhook your tow vehicle. Cats and dogs need current rabies certificates and they will question you about how much booze you have and if you have a gun. In our case, they didn’t even ask about the pets, trusted our word on the booze (silly them – although we have heard that for people living in their motorhomes, the Mounties understand that alcohol restrictions are a bit extreme and will let you get by with pretty much anything) and we were not boarded -- this time. (We had read that if you have children with you, you’re more likely to be closely questioned, due to kidnapping concerns.)
All in all, it took us just over 8 hours to reach our first stop, Lac la Hache, where we stayed in the Big Country (formerly KOA Lac la Hache) RV Park. It was quite pretty, with a heated pool and sauna, about 3 miles south of town on Hwy 97 (250-396-4181). Pull-through, full hook-up, spacious, treed sites for about $22/night. Be sure to get in by 11 pm, because that’s when the gate closes. It gets 4 out of 5 painted nails. The drive up was terribly scenic after we left Canada’s I-1 for Hwy 1, until about Cache Creek – from majestic mountains shrouded in mist to vistas reminiscent of the Old West (no wonder Hollywood often films up here). What we noticed right away about Canada was that the roads were largely in excellent shape, wide and had many more rest stops and spacious pull-out areas than we were used to in the States. Dump stations and water spouts were also plentiful. From Lac le Hache, we drove 7 hours to Smithers, where we spent the night at Riverside Golf and RV Park, 1 mile east of town on Hwy 16 (250-847-3229). Lovely setting, and if you aren’t in a rush, play some golf along the river, or try the driving range with the stunning snow capped mountains in the background. Also 4 painted nails (it lost a hangnail due to no pool or Jacuzzi). I didn’t even realize it was on the river, despite its name, as over the year I had gotten so used to the false advertising inherent in so many parks’ monikers. You know what I mean, places like Whispering Pines RV Park – right next to the rail yard. Or Vista View RV Resort – the view is of the town dump and as for the resort part, let’s just say the amenities include a mossy swimming hole and a tuff shed with an air hockey table .
In Prince Rupert, we stayed at the Park Ave RV Park overnight to catch the ferry to Ketchikan at the terminal aboot a half-mile from the park. They do not allow overnight parking at the terminal, and Park Ave had plenty of availability with 30 amp full hook-ups for $21/night. They also have dry docking, if they’re full. July and August are the busiest for the ferries, but even so, when we sailed on June 11th, ours was teeming with vehicles (they had a wait list). There’s not much else reason to stay in Prince Rupert and the park gets 3 painted nails, as it’s not particularly scenic and has no amenities save the laundry room. The drive from Smithers to Prince Rupert took 4 hours and the scenery on Hwy 16 was stunning with titanic peaks, churning rivers and waterfalls twisting down the mountains like the woven tassels on my white summer loafers. (Do waterfalls ever feel unfashionable after Labor Day?)
It may seem like a lot to drive three days to catch the ferry in Canada, when we could just have gotten on in Bellingham, WA. But, as I mentioned in my last column, this shaved off nearly half the cost of the entire trip of the ferry system, and was a very pleasant drive to boot (Sorry, I was due for another boot aboot now).
Next month, our first stop on the Alaska Marine Highway – Ketchikan.