You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join our community today!
The banners on the left side and below do not show for registered users!
If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact contact us.
Vancouver Off-Topic / Current EventsThe off-topic forum for Vancouver, funnies, non-auto centered discussions, WORK SAFE. While the rules are more relaxed here, there are still rules. Please refer to sticky thread in this forum.
Anyone drove to Alaska? I looked at the ferry from Bellingham but it takes almost a week and costs $5K USD one way
lol these YouTubers we watch took that ferry, fucking idiots didn’t look into it beforehand. If you don’t book a room you have to sleep on the fucking deck because you can’t stay in your vehicle.
5 days in a tent on the deck of a ship going up the inside passage ffs..
lol these YouTubers we watch took that ferry, fucking idiots didn’t look into it beforehand. If you don’t book a room you have to sleep on the fucking deck because you can’t stay in your vehicle.
5 days in a tent on the deck of a ship going up the inside passage ffs..
Would you guys rather spend a couple of days in Tofino or Banff (Lake Louise etc)?
Is Jasper an option?
Been to both in the off-season Tofino in November, Banff during COVID.
Can't really compare they're totally different. That's like asking, should I go vacation in Hawaii or Switzerland?
That being said, Banff I think is way more photogenic and colourful. There's nothing like the grey-hulking masses of the Rockies contrasted with the turquoise blue waters of the lakes. Even though it can get super crowded you can go elsewhere and be completely alone.
Tofino really just felt like a sleepy town, but the beaches are cool however the water is still the same greyish-brown you see everywhere around here so you really don't get that feeling of "wow this place is nothing like home"
Go to both, but obvs. Tofino is way closer and easier to just spend a couple days if that's all you have.
Tofino is a tourist trap too. Everything is $$$ and very small selection of restaurants, accommodations to choose from. $500 a night to stay on a shitty island?
I went during storm season to look at the storm I recall it was like around $400 a night few years back, gets dark at 3 pm, raining, windy, cold. A lot of restaurants were closed for the season, so there's pretty much nothing to do.
Unless you camp or can car camp for free. Would not recommend the hotel prices. There's nothing to do, just walk on beaches in the cold wet wind.
Tofino might be a tourist trap as well but at least it's not packed wall to wall with people like Banff is. Tofino is way more peaceful compared to Banff.
Banff is at a crossroads. Even if it's too touristy you can go to Lake Louise, Icefields Kananaskis, Canmore, Calgary, Jasper, etc. in a couple of hours.
Tofino is literally at the end of the road. The only other place you can go is Uclulet. A couple years ago weren't they literally cut off from the rest of the world due to a landslide?
Lack of fine dining, things to do are limited and if you are to wanting to party hard.. go elsewhere. Teens often want ABCDE but don't realize we are not metro Van.
We had a great time hiking and surfing and just chilling. Yes you do need to book early as my buddies were mocked on the phone calling around May / June "you're booking for July 2023... ahhahahah. We were booked since last summer."
Landslides, fires, same thing with Banff really. There is only 1 #1 highway.
There's highway 1A and 93 for the National park. But if you're talking about Banff the town then yes its only one road. However being the Trans Canada you can bet you'll get much more through traffic and attention if it ever gets blocked.
Nothing planned so far. But I want to add my 0.02.
If you are going to Lake Louise, find LL ski gift cards from Costco. It’s got a code for cheap Chateau LL room. I think something like half price for lake view Junior suite. Then sell the GC if you don’t ever plan to ski at LL. It’s already cheaper by just using that code even if you don’t use the GC.
Then the drive there, if time is not an absolute concern, I suggest take HWY3 when you get to Hope, then HWY5A from Princeton. It’s beautiful in all 4 seasons I’ve driven there and a lot of fruit stands along the way. The floating through the canal is a must do in Penticton. A great way to kill 3hrs and if you are with kids, they would love it. My kids have been there 3 times and they have not gotten tired of that yet. This whole route is EV friendly. So any car can make this trip with 0 planning.
From there, Kelowna, 97A and back to TransCan.
Alternatively, if you don’t want LL/Banff you can head south, pass Spokane (beautiful in summer btw) and go to Silverwood Theme Park if you are with kids. It’s a theme park without any of the crazy markup BS. Everything is quite decent and price for… say a meal, is no different than what you would pay outside of park. But remember to buy tix in advance and get there early.
Last year, we did that drive and then head to Yellowstone. And again, Tesla friendly route and MT is a no sales tax state.
Some of our friends didn’t go to Yellowstone with us. They drove back from there and I told them to take hwy 20 through the North Cascades National park. The most beautiful drive in WA and only possible in summer as it’s closed in winter due to constant heavy snow.
The floating through the canal is a must do in Penticton. A great way to kill 3hrs and if you are with kids, they would love it. My kids have been there 3 times and they have not gotten tired of that yet.
If you're in Penticton with kids (or without them) pop to Tickleberries ice cream in Okanagan Falls. It's only 15-20 mins each way and they have a crazy number of flavours. The sizes are huge so take a look at what other people are ordering for an idea. Take Eastside Road on the east side of the lake (obvs) as it's a lot nicer than 97. There's also Kartplex at Area 27 for some karting in Oliver that's another 20 min south (book online in advance). A fun day is take the back roads west of 97 from Penticton to Oliver, go karting, grab ice cream, take the back road to Pencticton, float the channel.
The channel is all public property btw, some companies operate along it but you can bring your own stuff and do it all for free. Stop at the sand bar by the gas station partway down and tell me if Native Elvis still sings there. Pay attention to the signs at the end, if you miss the stairs just float past the bridge and once you're safely in the lake paddle over to the beach. Don't panic and think you're off to OK Falls lol.
If you want wineries the densest grouping of them I've ever seen in my life is on the road between Penticton and Naramata.
If you need to get to Kelowna and you're bored of 97, Chute Lake Road is gravel but well maintained, anything crossover sized and up should be fine during the summer. Do not take it if you're going all the way to Kelowna in the winter as the last section before you get to Kelowna gets very icy and dicey and people get stuck in the ditch a lot.
Lastly if you're going to Big White from Penticton you can take the 201 and save a lot of time. It's technically a forestry road but it's always immaculately plowed and maintained because it's heavily used. We drove it every weekend to go skiing when I was a kid.
Both of those roads are technically in the bush so be smart about it but people drive minivans and cars on them all the time. I've been down the 201 in my Celica in the winter but I wouldn't take anything quite that low to Chute Lake.
That's more than I was planning to write but if anyones looking for back roads or 4x4 trails around here lmk.
__________________ 1991 Toyota Celica GTFour RC // 2007 Toyota Rav4 V6 // 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee
1992 Toyota Celica GT-S ["sold"] \\ 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee CRD [sold] \\ 2000 Jeep Cherokee [sold] \\ 1997 Honda Prelude [sold] \\ 1992 Jeep YJ [sold/crashed] \\ 1987 Mazda RX-7 [sold] \\ 1987 Toyota Celica GT-S [crushed]
Quote:
Originally Posted by maksimizer
half those dudes are hotter than ,my GF.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RevYouUp
reading this thread is like waiting for goku to charge up a spirit bomb in dragon ball z
Quote:
Originally Posted by Good_KarMa
OH thank god. I thought u had sex with my wife. :cry:
I’ll write out a basic overview when I get home, my tour includes virtually all the “best” wineries the Okanagan has to offer and they are all in a line with a few excellent lunch spots in the middle, ideally you have someone drive you but you can start or end in either penticton or Osoyoos
__________________
Dank memes cant melt steel beams