Date: Sat, 23 Jul 2011 14:10:46 -0700
Reply-To: Poppie Jagersand <poppie.jagersand@YAHOO.CA>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Poppie Jagersand <poppie.jagersand@YAHOO.CA>
Subject: Trip report, British Columbia
In-Reply-To: <CAG0-GTy_5z0fjFEJuHydX6RMDpEPH73Y6OWxYonxoLo07X6mhQ@mail.gmail.com>
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2weeks + 1 extra day and 3200km later Poppie, the '82 Westy, with me, wife and 2year old arrived back home in Edmonton.
Thanks for all the tips about BC sites. We got to go up the sunshine coast as several of you had recommended. Ran into Roger Whittaker + baby when shopping in Powwell river, then after some days kayaking we saw the baby again, this time accompanied by his wife. Also saw the Skukumchuck tidal rapids (impressive 6foot waves tacked by skilled kayakers doing flips and other tricks.), and stayed in the Porpoise provincial park just outside Sechelt (nice beach but a very large campground and a bit more of a generic experience after having been spoiled by the sights further north.)
Weather report forecast rain for the second week, so we changed our plans and went into the arid southeast of BC instead. Stayed at Sasquatch provincial park near Harrison lake on the way (unremarkable), then through Manning provincial park, impressive but rainy on the wast slopes, to the arid southeast.
Stayed at Haynes point provincial park in Osoyos lake in the very south, a spectacular camping spot (and the most sought after provincial campground in BC -- thankfully the very flexible rangers let us "overflow" camp at pull-offs on the causeway to the peninsula which was also very scenic. We kayaked both up the lake to the town of Osoyos, and down south to the US border.
At Kokanee creek provincial park, on Kotenay lake we had the unusual pleasure of camping with only Westies. Circumstances had it that the usual campground was full for the weekend, so rangers had moved the smaller westies to camp in the beach parking lot. Each camper got two parking spots, one for the bus and one for a camping table the rangers had brought. That would have been pretty crowded if it had filled up the 50 or so spots, but there were only four westies, two vanagons and two T2, so we had plenty of space.
Took the scenic ferry across Kotenay lake, then visited Fort Steele near Cranbrook and Bar U ranch in southern AB, both historic landmarks. Had to keep the Diesel running almost continuously for the last part of the trip since the rebuilt starter and alternator I had installed just before the trip were not quite up to the task of cranking the engine anymore. The problem is similar to what I had with the old starter. Sometimes it cranks vigorously, sometimes barely at all, while drawing massive current. I'm thinking the slow cranking is due to one or two brushes(of the 4) not contacting the commutator, thus only giving half the torque. It was not helped by the alternator putting out 13.6V instead of 14 (likely the regulator). 0.6V does not seem like a big difference, but the battery took another 20Ah when I charged it after returning home. Got until end of Aug to get it in shape again for the next trip when the wife's brother will be visiting.
Martin
--- On Fri, 7/8/11, Roger Whittaker <rogerwhitt1@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> From: Roger Whittaker <rogerwhitt1@GMAIL.COM>
> Subject: Re: Waterfront campsites on Vancouver island and Bella Coola, British Columbia?
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Received: Friday, July 8, 2011, 10:39 PM
> dear others
> ran into poppie n family last night in powell river
> i went up to a vanagon to brag i had one too and there he
> was him self
> i hope that he n his had a wonderful stay n that i did not
> spend too much of
> their valuble time here with my idle chatter about how
> wonderful life here
> is
> regards
>
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