The Great BC Road Trip: Part One

Having been deprived of camping since 2007, I decided this was the summer to get back into the swing of things. Having a 3 year old and a 15 month old wasn't a deterrent and I convinced John that going on a 2 week road trip to Vancouver Island was a good idea (nothing like trial by fire!) We rented a 17 foot, 2500 lb (dry) trailer and pulled it with our SUV (which tows max 3500 lbs).

All in all, once John and I got past the sheer amount of dirt involved and gasoline required, we had a great trip. It was definitely a learning experience for us on how to camp and travel with young kids. We got a taste of the BC interior and have a list of places we're planning on going back to on future summer vacations.

The first leg of the trip consisted of 5 days driving to Victoria. We spent nights in Mount Fernie PP, Champion Lakes PP (just SE of Castlegar), Osoyoos, and EC Manning PP. We didn't travel more than 350 km each day, which the girls handled quite well. Pulling the trailer more than doubled our usual highway gas consumption, which was rather shocking at first. But the Lexus handled beautifully, much to John's relief!
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The rig

A happy Charlotte: she requires only rocks, a shovel and a toy car :)

Yes, we were the unprepared parents who allowed their baby to swim wearing only a diaper

Sisters having fun at Champion Lakes PP

A fussy and hungry Charlotte would only be pacified by being on Mommy's back

Yummy marshmallows

Campfire fun

Beach time in Osoyoos

A very typical photo - Mommy's generally the only one looking at the camera while Charlotte chews on something and Merrie scowls

A morning visit to a u-pick farm near Osoyoos

Merrie pulled Charlotte through the orchard

Charlotte grabbed a nectarine from the bucket and just started eating it

This is currently Charlotte's favourite activity - walking away from us as fast as possible

Hiking in Manning Provincial Park

Having fun on the ferry