Lost in Vancouver

I already mentioned that we got lost in Vancouver in our motorhome and had to drive through downtown on our way to our first campground in Canada this year. The only thing that gave us hope during our trip was there were also city buses; if they could do it, we could also.

We stopped in Vancouver after returning to the south, where our trip through Canada was cut short because of the fire in Jasper. We could have gone to Banff, but that would only be half our desired trip. The north part of the Icefields Parkway was closed, and even though we visited Banff the year prior, we wanted to do both in one trip. So, after getting well north of Vancouver, we returned to the south and spent a week in Vancouver.

We had a wonderful stay in Vancouver, and on our return, we didn’t get lost and relaxed on the north side of South Surrey before heading back to Washington State. Here are links to our previous posts about visiting Canada this summer. Our Canada Trip was cut short… We could go back to Whistler!!!

George Vancouver

In 1792, George Vancouver was already an accomplished explorer. He was with Captain James Cook during the first visit to the Hawaiian Islands in 1778. 1791, Vancouver commanded an expedition to explore the Pacific region. In its first year, the expedition traveled to Cape Town, Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, and Hawaii. Britain knew what we called the Pacific Northwest was crucial for the fur trade and charged Vancouver with exploring every inlet and outlet on the west coast of the mainland, all the way north to Alaska. Along the way, he named virtually every geographic point after himself or some of his friends.

Vancouver named the large island north of the Strait of Juan de Fuca after himself. Of course, Fort Vancouver (in Washington State) was named after him after establishing itself as the capital of the British fur trade in the northwest.

First Peoples

Well before the Spanish and British arrived in the Pacific Northwest, the First Peoples occupied the entire region. They were the true hunters of furs that the British fashion industry coveted. The British established trading posts along the coast from Oregon to Alaska. South of Oregon, the Spanish were doing the same thing. To the north, in Alaska, the Russians were doing the same.

Before the First Peoples (in the United States, we call them Indian tribes), the entire area was part of a nearly global ice sheet.

20,000 years ago

Twenty thousand years ago, Vancouver, Vancouver Island, Seattle, and much of North America were covered in a vast ice sheet. Gradually, the ice sheet receded over the next 10,000 years, leaving the entire area at the edge of glaciers. The Cordilleran ice sheet along the coastline to Montana at the continental divide connected with the Laurentide ice sheet, which covered the east half of Canada and reached south, covering the Great Lakes region.

Everything George Vancouver visited was covered with ice ten thousand years before his visit. Gradually, as the ice receded, the area was also subject to repeated massive floods caused by the ice dams breaking and refilling on Glacial Lake Missoula.

Ice followed by floods

I mention Glacial Lake Missoula and the widespread flooding because the floods and glaciers formed the landscape that created the areas we have been visiting. The mountains in the region are steep at the bottom because of the glaciers carving the canyons into valleys with steep sides. Floods, some more than 1000 feet deep, scared the landscape and deposited topsoil from hundreds of miles away. Glacial Lake Missoula held more water than some of the Great Lakes combined, and when the ice dam held it back, the floods. It reached across Washington, Oregon, and southern Canada. Floodwaters inundated everything except the mountaintops or under the glaciers. I discussed these floods before in this article. Camping in the Bitterroot Valley

As the glaciers receded and the land healed, the First People occupied the area and established their culture in the northwest. Vancouver and British Columbia are named after the first occupants. Like other locations along the Pacific Coast, totem poles are typical First Peoples art.

Our Visit

When I first reported on our visit to Canada this summer, our objective was getting past Vancouver to Jasper. Border crossings can be challenging, so we scheduled a few nights in an RV park close to downtown, never expecting to drive through downtown. Then we found that our RV park wasn’t designed for our RV. The RV park did its best and gave one of the biggest sites, but it was still too small. At least we couldn’t reach the RVs next door from inside our RV. We have done this, and it hasn’t been fun.

Peace Arch RV Park

Peace Arch RV Park was way better than our previous campground, which was located on the north side of the Lions Gate Bridge. Rather than taking a lap through downtown, we approached Peace Arch RV Park, passing several farms.

Stanley Park

Downtown was close enough to visit, and that was great, especially Stanley Park at the south end of the Lions Gate Bridge. I don’t recommend driving your big RV across the Lions Gate Bridge, which we did twice while lost in Vancouver. Taking our car to Stanley Park and walking around the park was very nice. Stanley Park is huge and perhaps similar to New York’s Central Park or San Diego’s Balboa Park. Most of the roads in Stanley Park are in one direction, and we drove most of them during our visit.

To visit Stanley Park, we drove past English Bay Beach on the southwest side and then turned northwest on the appropriately named Park Lane. Once we passed under Highway 99, which heads north across the Lions Gate Bridge, we found parking near the Vancouver Rowing Club. From there, it was an easy walk past the Yacht Club and most major viewpoints, including the Totem Park and the Brockton Lighthouse.

We exited Stanley Park after taking a lap past the Prospect Point Lighthouse, crossing under the Lions Gate Bridge, and then back to the English Bay Beach Resort, heading back to our RV parked several miles away.

Border Crossings

The border crossing northbound into Canada was much less complicated than our southbound trip. Both were made at the “Pacific Border” crossing inland of the Peace Arch border crossing along Interstate 5. We chose the Pacific Border crossing because the numerous statements declared it the “truck route.” Usually, we go where the trucks go, and it turns out well. It also worked well at the Pacific Border crossing northbound into Canada.

The Pacific Border crossing was a disaster heading southbound because the border crossing wasn’t designed for large RVs. Trucks turned right on 2nd Avenue, away from the crossing area. Signs said RVs were in the left lane (although nearly any lane on the left side of the road would have been passable). After crossing the border, we had to make some turns dodging the security barriers and then through an already congested parking lot across the front of all the “car” lanes.

Our problems were complex before 2nd Avenue, where crossing the street at the light was nearly impossible without blocking the intersection. This was caused by all the far wiser Canadians using 2nd Avenue and the duty-free shop as shortcuts to get in line in front of all the unsuspecting traffic following the signs on Pacific Highway. From my observation, stick with the Peace Arch Border crossing, at least when traveling southbound.

Visit mixed with frustration and joy

Getting lost and making a lap through Vancouver, followed by our extra-hour wait southbound at the Pacific Border Crossing, made loving Vancouver difficult. The splendor of Stanley Park shouldn’t be missed; it was the highlight of our visit. Given that we now have a better plan, we would love to make another visit to Vancouver.

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The Cordilleran Ice Sheet and Missoula Floods

The Cordilleran ice sheet

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