
3 Decades of Travel
1999 Travel Blog & Guide

Canada 1999 – Detailed Route Map (Sequential Waypoints)
11 August – 4 September, 25 days
Vancouver → Vancouver Island → Inside Passage → Highway 16 → Vancouver → Rockies → Edmonton → Calgary.
1) Arrival & Vancouver Area
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Vancouver (Downtown)
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Burnaby
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West Vancouver
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Cypress Provincial Park
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Capilano Suspension Bridge
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Grouse Mountain (Canopy Bridge & Lumberjack Show)
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Granville Island
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North Vancouver Harbour (Seaplanes)
2) Ferry to Vancouver Island
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Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal
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Through US waters & Gulf Islands
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Swartz Bay (Vancouver Island)
3) Southern Vancouver Island Loop
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Sidney
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North Saanich
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Cordova Bay
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Thetis Lake Regional Park
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Esquimalt
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Millstream
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Victoria (Empress Hotel, Inner Harbour)
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Sooke
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Shawnigan Lake
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Duncan (overnight)
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Crofton
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Cassidy
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Chemainus (Wall Murals)
4) Central & Western Vancouver Island
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Nanoose Bay
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Port Alberni
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Beaver Creek
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Cathedral Grove (Giant Sequoias)
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Pacific Rim National Park
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Long Beach
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Tofino (Whale watching / Orcas)
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Gold River
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Campbell River
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Strathcona Provincial Park
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Port Renfrew
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Lake Cowichan
5) Northern Vancouver Island → Inside Passage
Port Hardy (B&B)
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Inside Passage Ferry
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Queen Charlotte Sound
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Glacial fjords
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Prince Rupert (Tall Trees B&B)
6) Highway 16 Across British Columbia
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Travelling east from Prince Rupert:
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Gitnadoiks River Provincial Park
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Hazelton (Art Ksan)
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Seven Sisters Provincial Park
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Burns Lake
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Fraser Lake
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Vanderhoof
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Prince George
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Quesnel
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150 Mile House
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100 Mile House (overnight)
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70 Mile House
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Lillooet
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Pemberton
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Mount Currie
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Whistler
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Squamish (overnight)
7) Back to Vancouver → Swap Car for Motorhome
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Vancouver (vehicle changeover)
8) Rockies & National Parks Loop
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Kamloops (camping)
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Nicola Lake (fishing)
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Kelowna
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Aspen Grove
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Glacier National Park
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Rogers Pass
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Skunk Cabbage Boardwalk
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Yoho National Park
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Radium Hot Springs
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Kootenay National Park
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Banff
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Banff Gondola (Sulphur Mountain)
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Banff Springs Hotel
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Lake Louise (water tank incident!)
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Moraine Lake
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Columbia Icefields
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Athabasca Glacier (Ice Explorer)
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Jasper National Park
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Athabasca Falls
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McBride
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Robson Bight
9) Alberta – Final Leg
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Calgary (brief visit)
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Edmonton (friends, West Edmonton Mall)
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Calgary (return to drop off motorhome)
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Calgary Airport → UK

Route Summary
Vancouver BC
Burnaby BC
West Vancouver BC
Cypress Provincial Park BC
Capilano Suspension Bridge BC
Grouse Mountain BC
Granville Island Vancouver BC
Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal BC
Swartz Bay BC
Sidney BC
North Saanich BC
Cordova Bay BC
Thetis Lake Regional Park BC
Esquimalt BC
Millstream BC
Victoria BC
Sooke BC
Shawnigan Lake BC
Duncan BC
Crofton BC
Cassidy BC
Chemainus BC
Nanoose Bay BC
Port Alberni BC
Beaver Creek BC
Cathedral Grove BC
Pacific Rim National Park BC
Long Beach BC
Tofino BC
Gold River BC
Campbell River BC
Strathcona Provincial Park BC
Port Renfrew BC
Lake Cowichan BC
Port Hardy BC
Prince Rupert BC
Gitnadoiks River Provincial Park BC
Hazelton BC
Seven Sisters Provincial Park BC
Burns Lake BC
Fraser Lake BC
Vanderhoof BC
Prince George BC
Quesnel BC
150 Mile House BC
100 Mile House BC
70 Mile House BC
Lillooet BC
Pemberton BC
Mount Currie BC
Whistler BC
Squamish BC
Vancouver BC
Kamloops BC
Nicola Lake BC
Kelowna BC
Aspen Grove BC
Glacier National Park BC
Rogers Pass BC
Skunk Cabbage Boardwalk BC
Yoho National Park BC
Radium Hot Springs BC
Kootenay National Park BC
Banff AB
Sulphur Mountain AB
Banff Springs Hotel AB
Lake Louise AB
Moraine Lake AB
Columbia Icefields AB
Athabasca Glacier AB
Jasper National Park AB
Athabasca Falls AB
McBride BC
Robson Bight BC
Calgary AB
Edmonton AB
Calgary Airport AB
CANADA 1999
CANADA IN A MOTORHOME 1999, British Columbia & Vancouver Island Plus Alberta to Edmonton to stay with Friends. This Family Trip is also replicated on the motorhome-travels blog as BLOG 166
INTRODUCTION
This page covers our trip to Canada in 1999 11 August to 4th September, 25 days in our hired All Drive Classic 3000 3 berth motorhome and initially a hire car, we started in Vancouver, went to see the Rockies, also across on the ferry to Vancouver island where we went to Tofino to do some whale watching, actually saw a pod of Orca's just magical, also saw the magnificent Pacific Rim National Park, then back to see more of British Columbia eventually travelling up to Edmonton in Alberta to visit our pals David & Cathy & family, magical times with Doug who was 15 at that stage, fishing and chopping logs for our wild camp fire cooking was a true highlight. We stayed in some very remote campsites and managed to avoid the bears! 😉 In summary some of the highlights and places visited were Victoria, Vancouver Island, Vancouver City, West Vancouver, Cypress Provincial Park, Inside passage by ferry, Prince Rupert, Highway 16, Prince George, the BC ferry Tsawwassen thru US waters and various Islands to Swartz Bay, on Vancouver island we visited Nanaimo, Sidney, Cassidy, stayed in Duncan, Crofton, Swartz Bay, Lake Cowichan, Port Renfrew, Nanoose Bay, Port Alberni, Beaver Creek, Sooke, Long Beach, Tofino and then returned to the Islands Capital Victoria which is just such a lovely place with the historic Empress Hotel (by 2022 known as the Fairmont Empress), plus Patricia Hotel, North Saanich, Cordova Bay, Thetis Lake Regional Park, Esquimalt, Millstream, Squamish, Whistler, Banff, Pemberton, Mount Currie, Yoho National Park, Radium Hot Springs, Ice Explorer on the Columbia Ice field, Athabasca Glacier, Lillooet, 70,100,150 mile house, Quesnel, Fraser Lake, Burns Lake, Gitnadoiks River Provincial Park, Hazelton, Seven sisters provincial park, McBride, Jasper National Park, Kamloops, Kelowna , Vanderhoof , Moose Highway 99, Capilano suspension bridge, Sulphur Mountain, Calgary and a whole lot more.





1999 25 Days Between
11th August & 4th September 1999
Canada 1999 Mostly British Columbia , Some Alberta to Edmonton and back.
Summary: We spent 25 Days in British Columbia and a bit of Alberta
We took 185 Photos, all of which are included in the summary slideshows.
Our trip to Canada in 1999 was from 11 August to 4th September, 25 days in our hired All Drive Classic 3000 3 berth motorhome combined with a hire car at the beginning for use to get around Vancouver Island and do the Inside passage loop from Port Hardy to Prince Rupert and then back down to Vancouver to swap the car for the camper van, when we had the car we stayed in B&B’s mostly and some motels, clearly once we had the van we stayed at campsites. Initially we started in Vancouver downtown in what was definitely not a nice area but was cheap and afforded us the opportunity to see the City of Vancouver quite easily, then across on the ferry to Vancouver island where we went to Tofino to do some whale watching in the Salish sea, actually saw a pod of Orca's just magical from our boat that left Telegraph Cove, after returning from Victoria, Vancouver Island and picking up the motorhome we went to see the Rockies, then much more of British Columbia eventually travelling up to Edmonton in Alberta to visit our pals David & Cathy & family, magical times with Doug who was 15 at that stage, fishing and chopping logs for our wild camp fire cooking was a true highlight. We stayed in some very remote campsites and managed to avoid the bears!
We then drove up to Port Hardy staying in this old house B&B there before getting up very early to travel on the ferry up to Prince Rupert , this was the famed inside passage, we headed up the coast having set sail from Port Hardy through the magnificent glacial fjords of the Inside Passage to the stunning and wild destination of Prince Rupert. It passes through the Queen Charlotte sound but for us the weather sadly was appalling so we were a bit restricted in what we managed to see. We stayed at the Tall Trees B&B in Prince Rupert run by the lovey Kathy Butterfield who was so welcoming and told us quite a bit about the local area.
Travelling back down to Vancouver in the car we stayed at a B&B in 100-mile house having had a quick look around Prince George after leaving Kathy. On the 22nd of August we made our way back to Vancouver having seen Whistler the previous day , remember mountain bikers coming hurtling down the now snow clear mountain sides, frightening, even in my hey day I would never have had the bottle to travel quite so fast, overnight we stayed in a B&B in Squamish, we then swapped the car for the motorhome before heading off to Edmonton. In the motorhome we visited Banff, Lake Louise which is where sadly our water tank came detached from the underside of the hire van, a very kind Canadian stopped and applied a rope he had to it to strap it up enough for us to get back into the town of Lake Louise where we took it to a garage having rung the hire company and had it welded back on, we kept the receipt so we could claim back later, on route we also saw Kootenay, Waterton, Roger’s Pass National Park, Skunk Cabbage Boardwalk, Seaplanes over Vancouver North Harbour, Spray Can Art, Bungee Jumping (not us just watching) near Nanaimo, Yoho National Park where we visited and went for a swim in the Radium Hot Water springs pool, it may have been chilly outside but in the water was heavenly. We also saw the Columbia Icefields Park where we travelled on a snow mobile / coach called the ice explorer out to the Athabasca glacier one of the ice fields 5 toes, do remember them specifically telling us all to stay within the perimeter rope for our safety, folk had died falling down the many crevasses, a foolish tourist in our party didn’t follow this advice and hoped over the fence to get a better picture, he was lucky.

In summary some of the highlights and places visited were Victoria, Vancouver Island, Vancouver City, Burnaby, West Vancouver, Cypress Provincial Park, inside passage by ferry, Prince Rupert, we drove much on the fab remote Highway 16 thru BC back down through some fabulous scenery to Vancouver swapped car for motorhome and then across to friends in Edmonton, plus we saw at various stages and in no particular order, Prince George, the BC ferry Tsawwassen thru US waters, and various Islands to Swartz Bay, Tsawwassen terminal is a 36 km drive from downtown Vancouver and is located at the southwest end of Highway 17 in Delta. Sailings departing from Tsawwassen provide service to Swartz Bay (Victoria), Duke Point (Nanaimo) and the Southern Gulf Islands. Visit the Tsawwassen Quay for shopping and a range of food and beverage options.
On Vancouver Island we visited Sidney, Cassidy, stayed in Duncan, Crofton, Swartz Bay, Lake Cowichan, Port Renfrew, Nanoose Bay, Port Alberni, Beaver Creek, Long Beach, Tofino and then returned to the Islands Capital Victoria which is just such a lovely place with the historic Empress Hotel. We returned via the fabulous Shawnigan Lake, we also visited Sooke on the island where our B&B landlady told us a about the replica Captain James Cook ship the Endeavour on its re-enactment voyage, just wonderful especially as Captain Cook is our hero and we have tried on our travels to visit many of the places he went to , from Middlesborough to 1770, big tick, plus we remember the sordid Patricia Hotel, North Saanich, Cordova Bay, Thetis Lake Regional Park, Esquimalt, Millstream, Squamish, Whistler, Banff, Pemberton, Mount Currie, Lillooet, 70,100,150 mile house, Quesnel, Fraser Lake, Burns Lake, Gitnadoiks River Provincial Park, Hazelton, Seven sisters provincial park, Chemainus and all the wall murals, bit like the place in New Zealand called Kati Kati, Giant Sequoias, McBride, Athabasca Falls, White Water Rapids, MacMillan Provincial Park , the Canopy Bridge at Grouse Mountain and the Lumberjack games display there, The Fraser River, Gaslight Jack and Granville island, ferries galore, Moraine Lake, Robson Bight, Banff Springs Hotel, talk about posh, Jasper National Park, We camped in Kamloops where despite the time of year one of the residents in a caravan had their Christmas decorations up, bizarre but very festive, Kelowna , the pacific rim national park on Vancouver island was spectacular, we camped at gold river and visited Campbell River (later we discovered Annie has current rellies living there, shame we didn’t know at the time, Strathcona Park.
We also saw Aspen Grove, Art Ksan at Hazelton, the wonderful Butchart gardens, so loved that what an experience, Cathedral Grove, lots of wildlife along the roadways edge especially in the Rockies National Park, fishing on Nicola Lake outside Kamloops, Glacier National Park, Sulphur mountain which we took a cable car known as the Gondola to the top of , amazing views looking back down at Banff, Keef of course got his Hard Rock Café T-shirt from Banff, why not, smile, we also took the van into Calgary but it was just so busy we decided not to stay long and headed off to Edmonton, remember David clearly saying when we camped some 300 miles down the road, hey you were so nearby, Canadians have a different view of distance, their country is just so huge in comparison to the UK. Also visited West Ed Mall, amazing what was in there, Annie going down the hugely deep-water slide is one memory, the other is denting the side of the van on a bollard in the car park which I didn’t see, oh dear. We eventually drove back to Calgary to hand the van in there and did a deal on receipt against busted water tank and dent in van, so quits no charge for either party, result. All drive hire company gave us a lift to Calgary airport, part of our one way hire agreement and we flew back into Manchester I think via Keflavik in Iceland (but that may have been on the way out, can’t remember) but what I do remember is buying the Reykjavik T-shirt from the Hard Rock Café in the airport tee-hee and then home to Nottingham. A lovely trip with some great memories and shared with Doug in his teenage years, Craig was in Spain with his mates.
That’s all folks, I think its quite enough. Poor Doug who often said "are we there yet" was only 15 and a better imitation of "Kevin" by Harry Enfield I have not seen 😉He did love fishing and making real campfires however.

Family Time in a Motorhome with Doug aged 15

colourful calendar to show 1999 month of August

Day by Day August 1999 travels with Doug

Day by Day September 1999 travels with Doug

colourful calendar to show 1999 month of August
1999 25 Days Between
11th August & 4th September
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