Yes, that’s right, we drove from Seattle into Canada and then to Las Vegas… well, at least one of us did. Matt had to head home for work from Boise, ID, so I continued the trip to Las Vegas from Boise solo. This was quite the long haul, but we got to see some truly amazing, albeit wet, scenery. From our start in Seattle through Canada it rained every day. Yes, we were in the Pacific Northwest and it felt like it!
The rain did not dampen our experiences, though. We had amazing, fog dense hikes through the Olympic National Forest, just by the Heart O’ the Hill Campground, and treks in Vancouver Island from Goldstream Provincial Park to Tofino. We saw signs of cougars (bigger than mountain lions – yikes), and watched a black bear fishing for salmon. Most of all, we hiked through dense areas of giant trees, passed waterfalls and around ferns and moss.
Getting into Canada from Washington was relatively easy and apparently quite common for people with trailers. We just hopped in line and drove onto the ferry getting “parked” in tight rows next to many other campers. Literally your vehicle is inches from other vehicles on all sides.
You’re not allowed to stay in your vehicle, but the ferry has very accommodating seating areas, a food court, and sizable deck that would be nice if not for the rain, fog and sea spray!
We disembarked from the ferry in Victoria. What a gorgeous, clean, well designed, charming city. It feels a bit like a town, but with over 350,000 residents. Normally on these trips we spend our entire time exploring forests, parks, and rural areas, but we could not pass up the opportunity to explore Victoria, walking the waterfront, eating oysters outside, finding cute boutiques, and gorging ourselves on a four course meal. Highly recommend a visit to Victoria! We set up camp outside of Victoria in the Goldstream Provincial Park.
Now for Tofino. If you talk to anyone that’s been to Vancouver Island, they will ask, “Did you go to Tofino?” Tofino is a surfer, hiker, nature lover paradise. Unfortunately, it’s also quite popular in the warmer season, so unless you had thought about booking a campsite well in advance, you might find a less than desirable spot to camp. We also were not confident on how and where to boondock legally in Canada. So, we ended up in a not so great and, lucky for us, extremely muddy campsite down the road from Tofino. To make up for the lack of atmosphere camping, we decided to treat ourselves to a fantastic dinner at the Wolf in the Fog (because there are wolves in Tofino and lots of fog). I was warned to be mindful while running alone near Tofino as the wolves will track you. Wolves, bears, cougars… oh my!
There was not a lot of mountain biking in Tofino, and Matt was having major withdrawl symptoms… think cycling in his sleep. So our next stop had to be the mountain biking mecca of Squamish. Luckily we found a great campsite at Alice Lake Provincial Park, and Matt found some great rides while I spent time trail running and drinking beer. Okay… Matt had a few beers, too.
Our time was running out and, frankly, we were a bit sick of all the rain. This meant time to move on and move south. Matt had to get back to work in a few days, so we mapped a route to drop him off in Boise, ID. Along the way we stopped at a nice winery near Yakima, called Wilridge Vineyard. It’s part of the Harvest Host program, so we set up camp, bought a few bottles of wine and sat on their porch while watching the sunset.
The last stop for Matt on this trip had to include more mountain biking, so we headed southeast to Wallowa-Whitman National Forest and camped on the edge of a lake bed. One long mountain bike ride, a long hike for me, a fabulous hamburger, and a nice campside fire created the perfect last day for Matt. We used some of the time to practice my backing up the trailer as the rest of the journey I would be going solo.
It was time for “Bobbi’s Solo Adventure”. There was a lot of time for road meditation. If you have ever been on the highways in northern Nevada, you know what I mean. Flat, endless stretches of empty road punctuated by the occassional trucker. After a quick overnight in Twin Falls, ID – mainly for errands like laundry and groceries – I made it to Angel Lake in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. It was like jumping in the deep end for solo camping, with a harrowing drive up a mountainside and backing into a very tight, small campsites… not to mention an unexpectedly secluded one. The drive up to Angel Lake is a whiteknuckle experience – windy, steep, narrow, with no guard rails. Only two of the 27 campsites at Angel Lake were large enough for Aristotle. It just so happened that the campground was closing in a few days, so I had my pick (luckily)!
While I wanted some time on my own, this proved to be a little more quiet and secluded than I expected. Two days of talking to no one and with no cell service was about all I wanted. So, it was back on the road with the next stop at the Great Basin National Park. I went from a completely empty campground to a camping convention! Little did I know that there was a star gazing gathering, so finding a spot wasn’t easy. All good things come to those that try! Not only did I find a nice campsite on a stream, but I was able to join the star gazing festivities. First time to see Saturn’s rings!!!
The last stop on Bobbi’s Solo Adventure was closer to Las Vegas – Cathedral Gorge State Park. Lots of selfie/snapchat/photo opportunities, but really a spot that can be seen in a day trip.
After going solo for a week, it was time to pack it up, get Aristotle and Plato to storage and head back to Chapel Hill. The solo adventure gave me an empowering feeling, and I would happily do it again. But I do find that sharing these experiences with Matt makes it so much better. So, back on the road as a couple for the next trip…