Coast to Coast Travel

Trans Canada Roadtrip in BC

In Yoho National Park I made a stop at Emerald Lake to do a hike around the lake which was recommended to me by my friend in Calgary. Although the parking lot was overflowing, it was pleasantly nice walk around that didn’t take too long.

I was interested in visting Glacial National Park because it’s a place that I’ve driven through several times but never stopped at. I figured there would probably be some interesting hikes and stuff… but it turns out there really isn’t much. I was a little surprised that the main claim to fame is Authur’s pass and that’s about it. There’s a small info center and a monument to the completion of the highway through the mountains as well as a memorial to the people who died in an avalance while building the road. Surprisingly, most of them were Japanese.

Fortunately, Revelstoke isn’t too far and I’d never been so I drove up the mountain. There’s a number of lookouts going up and at one point the road was blocked off because there was snow further up so I got out and walked to the next lookout which wasn’t too much further for one last view.

The yellow sun setting behind deep blue mountains seemed like the quintessential BC image

I camped in Salmon Arm my first night back in BC but I was anxious to get to Vancouver and also to complete my trip because the first day of my new job was rapidly approaching and I still didn’t have a place to live. I’d been scoping out places online while in Toronto but Vancouver is a place where there’s so much variability in the older housing stock that you really need to be there to check it out before renting.

I decided to spend a morning at a starbucks in Kamloops doing some more research and I tried to line up a viewing but the listing and what the building manager said were quite different.

I was quite anxious so I drove down and in Hope I decided that I might as well call this one place. A week ago I’d posted a housing wanted ad because I figured there was nothing lost in throwing a lure out. Someone got back to me with very few details and a phone number so I decided I’d try it out and arranged to see it the next morning on my way to the island.

I was far and above more than I could hope for and a fantastic place. Situated in West Vancouver in my ideal location, it was brightly lit and had a magnificently inspiring view of the Lions Gate bridge, Stanley Park and the downtown skyline. Immediately I knew that it was the place I wanted to make home for the forseeable future and I was fortunate enough that the landlords are a wonderful elderly couple who were willing to accomodate me. This was one of those times when I had a deja vu moment and the stars aligned. I knew this was the place I was meant to be and I think it’s a place where I can thrive.

I “moved in” immediately and decided to stay the night so I could take measurements of the studio space and plan a new desk area. With about a week left before my job began, I went to the island for a few days so that I could complete my cross-country trip.

It’s been a long time since I stopped at Cathedral Grove on the way to Tofino. It’s a pretty great space with lots of old giant western red cedars. We used to come here as kids a lot and there was one section of trail beside the river that I remember fondly.

In Port Alberni I also made a stop at McLean Mill National Historic Site which is an old logging mill. It’s getting pretty run down and rotten but there’s still a bit to see and it’s free to wander around so definately worth checking out.

Although Tofino isn’t technically on the Trans-Canada highway, I’ve associated it with the end of the road ever since watching the movie One Week. Its also on the west coast of the island, as opposed to Cape Scott at the North end and Victoria at the south end, so that gives it more credit too.

Having arrived in Tofino and stepping out on the windy beach, I felt that I could now say that I’d driven coast to coast from Cape Spear in Newfoundland to Tofino in BC, having crossed all 10 provinces. That’s an acheivement I’m proud of. It might have been shorter on the western side and I would recommend spending more time in the Maritimes and NFLD/Labrador but I still felt like I experienced each province in a well-rounded trip.

I celebrated with a small lunch and then headed back, preparing for the next thing to come.