Othello Tunnels - Ferry to Vancouver Island

Today it was once again time to rack up the kilometers. We wanted to get as close as possible to Vancouver (about 400 km). We first headed towards Merritt on Highway #97c.

To my shock, Berni soon stopped and announced "driver change"! I haven't driven our big RV myself yet. I didn't dare☺️😏... Luckily, there wasn't much traffic on the highway. We drove smoothly up to 1700m, which is the same height as Lenzerheide, and then back down 😝. However, I wasn't quite as relaxed while driving. Breezy gusts of wind and passing trucks required all of my attention. I was relieved to break the drive after 1.5h at a rest area. Done 😅! Took a short walk and had our first hot dog, then Berni took over driving again towards Hope...

Othello Tunnels

In Hope, we visited the Othello Tunnels at Coquihalla Canyon Provincial Park. The Kettle Valley Railway used to run along the river. Due to constant problems with rock and snow avalanches, this section was shut down in 1961. What remains are five consecutive tunnels through granite right next to the river. You could explore them on foot.

Then the route continued on Highway #7 north of the Fraser River instead of Highway #1. Instead of just zipping along the highway, this road also offered some sights. Wide meadows, beautiful estates, small villages, large farms and nurseries, winding roads, and occasionally a fruit stand.

At Mission, we headed south towards Abbotsford and back on Highway #1. That's how we reached Vancouver and bypassed the city.

At the Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal, we had to wait for almost 2 hours until we got a spot on a ferry to Nanaimo, Vancouver Island. Luckily, we had everything with us! WC 😊, food, and even the bed 😝. Berni took a short nap, the girls watched Iron Man 2, which I had downloaded on Netflix at home, and I read on my Tolino or worked on today's blog.

We left the ferry in Nanaimo around 9:30 PM. Since we didn't know beforehand when and where we would be for the night, we didn't book anything in advance. As it got dark, we headed to 2 campsites, but they were already closed. At Walmart, a security woman approached us and politely informed us that camping is not allowed in their parking lot. So we continued driving towards Parksville at night and parked our RV on a side street in Nanoose Bay. Hopefully, we will have an undisturbed night and Berni will feel better in the morning.