Phase 2 – Alaskan 2015 Adventure: Touring Vancouver, BC

Last we left you hanging, we had just arrived to Vancouver after a multi-day cross country Amtrak rail adventure.

Ah, it seems so long ago that we arrived to Vancouver – so many adventures since to catch up on!

Vancouver, BC

When we were planning our summer travels and considering a one-way cruise to Alaska, we were thrilled to learn that for legal reasons, all of the one-way departures left from Vancouver.

It’s a city that we had heard so much about, and had been wanting to get up to. When we discovered Amtrak’s Cascades train route terminates there, it was a done deal.

And just as soon as we announced our summer plans, the invitations for meet-ups and places to stay in Vancouver poured in. Everything we had heard about Vancouver being one of the friendliest cities around was seeming quite true!

Given our limited time in the area, we accepted three offers to meet-up and see the town through different eyes. We thought we might host a general meet-up as well, but our time was just too limited.

Thisawayz and Thatawayz

We had just started researching lodging options via AirBnb.com, when Tracey & Harold of Thisawayz and Thatawayz reached out to offer their place as our basecamp during our visit.

We have interacted with Tracey for a long while on Facebook in our various RVing groups, and had the opportunity to have a quick meet-up in Quartzite this past winter. We are so super thankful for their generous offer of crash space.

Camera-shy Tracey & Harold live in the Vancouver area, and then RV around for a few months at a time. Both have work-at-home high tech jobs that allows them a lot of flexibility. We so enjoyed getting to know them better as well as their family (Hi Cairo!)

For our introduction to Vancouver, they took us to the Steveston coastal area, which is an active fishing village. Fishing boats dock, and you can purchase seafood right off the boats. We happened to arrive on an open-house day and got to tour many of the older buildings in the area when this was a top salmon cannery.  Great day out exploring!

For a follow up adventure, they took us on a hike in the Belcarra area, which was scenic and gorgeous.

They completely spoiled us with a comfy bed, fast WiFi, yummy meals, excellent company, late night laughter over copious amounts of wine and transportation around town. Thanks again guys, and hope to see you again soon!

The RV Geeks

Probably the very first e-mail we got when we announced our Vancouver plans was from John and Peter of The RV Geeks.

We had been corresponding with these guys for years after learning about them in Gone with the Wynn’s Make Money and Travel Series.

They hit the road full time back in 2003, and eventually started designing websites for campgrounds as their income source.

Then they started creating some how-to videos for a friend who just bought an RV and just happened to post them on YouTube for the easiest access.

That has now exploded into one of the very top RVing YouTube channels out there.

Their videos have become go-to-sources of information on the practical & DIY maintenance side of RVing, and we highly recommend subscribing and checking them out. You’ll learn a ton from these guys in a very clear and approachable way (and Peter’s voice is just super soothing, how can you resist?).

Many years ago they became Canadian citizens and bought an RV lot about an hour outside of Vancouver as a basecamp for part of the year. And it turned out our arrival would be well timed to finally meet in person before they hit the road!

They booked a place downtown so we could enjoy exploring the city together, and we so loved wandering aimlessly around together. They showed us some of their favorite spots, including walking the seawall and Stanley Park.

Many laughs were shared, and we truly hope our paths cross many more times into the future.

RVSummit

A couple months ago, Stephen and Ellen invited us to take part in their RVSummit – where they interviewed a bunch of RVers and traveling folks. The interviews were shared for free back in May.

During our phone chats, we learned they’re also located in Vancouver and they graciously offered to host us and show us around town. We weren’t able take them up on the first offer due to already having arrangements, but we were thrilled they were available for dinner and touring.

We had a great time seeing the city through their eyes and getting to know them. They took us driving around town to many great overlooks, then a walk around and dinner on Granville Island.

They’re gearing up their work-life to become more mobile so that they too can embrace a nomadic lifestyle.

Vancouver Wrap-Up

We thoroughly became smitten with Vancouver after having the opportunity to see it through so many different perspectives.

For such a large city of nearly 3 million, it just doesn’t feel that crowded. The public transit is efficient, the streets are lined with trees and there are lots of big wide open natural feeling spaces.

We haven’t yet booked our return to the midwest to rendezvous with Kiki and our bus – and are seriously considering booking a few days in Vancouver first before heading back eastward to continue exploring.

So, you may see us there again in mid-July.

What’s Up Next? From Vancouver we embarked on the Coral Princess on a one-way cruise to Alaska. It was a fantastic experience, and we’ll update soon on our adventures along the way.

We’re currently up in Fairbanks after riding the Alaska Railroad for summer solstice and quite the RV Blogger Meetup with Gone with the Wynns, Snowmads, The Learning Banks, Jeneric Ramblings and Ardent Camper. More shenanigans to ensue, for sure before we head to Denali National Park on Monday.

We’re not touring around as much, and instead spending some time catching up on backlogged work projects after a couple weeks in vacation mode.

Bus Update: Mid last week Zephyr’s engine was fired up by Master Tech RV back in Elkhart and moved into the shop to begin work. The work is a couple weeks behind our preferred schedule, but hopefully things happen at a more rapid pace now and we’re still on track for completetion in late July.

Thus far the generator has been removed and they are gearing up to dive in deep this week with projects and starting to strip Zephyr to prepare for the re-painting.

Follow our Summer 2015 Alaskan Adventure:

Planning Our Great Alaskan Adventure

Phase 1 — Alaskan 2015 Adventure: Amtrak Train Travel from St. Louis to Vancouver, BC