Home On Wheels - Our First RV Trip (2Sep - 5Sep)

Yippee! Here came the 5th of Sept, 2011 (A stat holiday in Canada for Labour Day) and along with it rode in a long dream that finally came true for me. I have always dreamt of  driving large vehicles and I got to drive a 32 feet RV (caravan) during this trip. The idea of going in an RV for a camping trip had been bearing seed since February 2011, but we had been unable to make it that time. For this trip, we booked our RV from Canadream, an RV renting company in North East Calgary. We were pretty excited about the whole thing as this would be our first camping trip in an RV.

Wood Lake Terrace Campground, Wood Lake, British Columbia

Taking Stock

Two days prior to the trip we had rented a Nissan Sentra to buy goods and commodities for the trip. While an RV lends you loads of fun, in that you have a complete moving motor home, and you can camp at the most exotic sites, it also steals the flexibility of driving in town, parking in narrow streets, stopping by at food joints that do not have spots for RV parking and the like. So for the next four days, we would be on our own and would have to have enough ration to last that long. As this was the first time I would be driving such a mammoth, I had a bubbly feeling running down my thoughts, of which the major share was that of excitement, and the remaining minority was minced with a pinch of contemplation. So we first went to see how our RV would look like and thus drove straight to the RV rental place at 2510 - 27 Street NE.

From Our Apartment In Downtown Calgary To The
RV Rental Location:  2510 - 27 Street NE

That evening, the rush hour traffic in Downtown Calgary was not only lethal but also posed as potential killer to thwart our dreams of making it to the Rental place which closes at 6 in the evening. Slithering past Downtown at a snail's pace, we somehow were able to pull in there just a few minutes before it closed for the day. The garage technician was kind enough to show us around some RVs - different ones of different sizes. There are, in general two categories of RVs -

a. The whole bodied ones - where the driver's chamber and the rear living place is one unit
b. The ones that are towed - where the living room is towed by a truck or SUV

And among the two, there are several types again, depending on the amount of people each one can accommodate. We had taken the largest one - a 32 feet RV that could accommodate 6 people at minimum and 8 at max. We were completely on our toes and were too excited to see how the insides of the different RVs looked like. After the Rental Place closed, we drove further North to purchase the much needed groceries. That day we bought worth 350 dollars of groceries and other necessities for the trip. The boot of the car was completely full when we got back.

Sept 02, The Day We Actually Took The RV -

Sept 02, 2011, we were all set to go. Anand had called up the Rental folks in the morning, and the RV was supposed to be ready by 12 PM. We finished off office work, booked a taxi and reached Canadream at 1 PM. The plan was to get back to our Apartment in Downtown, have the RV loaded, and leave Calgary by 2.30 PM. The formalities took some time at the front desk, where the agent took us through numerous scrolls of papers, explaining to us the rules. After that when we went to the backyard to do a walkover for damage inspection, we were disappointed to see that we were being given a 26 feet RV, which was 5 years old and was not much fun on the interiors. Bargaining for another RV took us a lot more time and it was 5 PM by the time all formalities were closed. This included a session on operating the various mechanisms in the vehicle - propane, generator, sewage, water and others. This RV that we got was a new one - totally fresh from the inside, it felt like a 5 star hotel moving on wheels.

Some Technical Details For The Driving Enthusiasts

There are a lot of differences when you drive a car and a 32 feet truck. The first one is that you have to make wider turns. Being a long bodied vehicle, the rear oversteers in comparison to the front. In laymen terminology, if you want to make a right on a corner, you have to drive a couple of feet further from the curb and then steer right. Another difference comes when changing lanes - the blind spots are much larger in such a massive vehicle than the smaller cars. The two rear view mirrors do help in eliminating some of this problem. So you got to be very careful when changing lanes. Then there is the reversing exercise, which is by far the toughest one I found on these mammoth sized beasts. Also when driving on a freeway, there is a considerable roll that the vehicle has around corners. You feel the weight of the vehicle come onto one of the front wheels and that the vehicle may topple if pushed too hard.

Our vehicle was equipped with a Ford E-450 6.8-liter, V-10 engine. This engine is tuned for higher torque (than power as you will see below) due to the huge load it is meant to tow. The engine develops 305 BHP (break-horsepower) at 4,250 RPM and 440 lb-ft (pound foot) of torque at 1,600 RPM. This converted to the metric world translates to a massive 600 Newton Metres of raw torque available on the wheels. The vehicle would weigh about 6 - 7 tonnes. 

There is a Tow Haul selector mode, which most of the ladder on frame SUV drivers would be aware of. The rental guys had advised us to drive the vehicle in this mode. What it internally does is, that it runs the locks the differential in the lower gears, thereby increasing the RPM. This way you have to apply the brakes lesser on the slopes. It is important to have the brakes as less heated as possible to avoid brake shoe burnout, that can eventually lead to brake failure. While I got adjusted to the vehicle for the initial 30 minutes, I drove the vehicle in the Tow Haul mode. But I found this mode too rough and jerky on the transmission. So I chose to drive in the manual mode rather, which allowed for much smoother gear transitions, while achieving the same braking effect on the engine.

The departure from the RV Centre was met with a loud applause and an exclamation of elation. I slowly began the journey towards Downtown. It was a different feeling altogether - a feeling of achievement. We first stopped on 4th Ave at London House to pick up Charan and his and Ashok's luggage. Thereafter we came to the back alley of our apartment on 7th Avenue. While the RV laid there parked, we had a host of visitors who were amused with the vehicle and each one of them came in to see how the vehicle was.

And The Trip Commences

It took some time to get the vehicle completely loaded with all the stuff that we had bought. We left Calgary at 7 PM and headed West on the Trans-Canada Highway. The earlier plan was to go to Golden, British Columbia that same day. But now as we were quite behind schedule, it was decided to drive to Radium Hot Springs and take up a campground there. Radium has been on our radar on our past few trips and it generally takes about 3 and a half hours to get there (which translates to 260 KM). We were expecting more time in the RV, but the RV was doing quite well on the highway. The drive on HWY-1 was almost as fabulous as it is each time. There were patches with rain, which made driving a little tough, but the sight itself, a pleasing one.

Trans Canada Highway-1 West

Patches Of Rain Making The Sky A Prism

Folks Relaxing At The Back

The Moon - A Peculiar Crescent, Trying To Sneak Up The Majestic Rockies

The drive was turning out to be an amazing one. Once you branch off from HWY-1 to go South on AB-93, you embrace the mighty Rockie in all their grandeur. The curves become narrower and the slopes steeper. It is here that taming the beast turns from being a skill to an art. Crunching miles on the highway, we reached the village of Radium Hot Springs by 10 PM. The entry into Radium is characterized by an extremely narrow path that winds through the Rockies that have been cut to pave the way. We stopped at the first Gas Station (Petrol Bunk) and here I realized how tough it was to maneuver the vehicle in tight spots.

Our RV At The Petro-Canada Gas Bunk In The Village Of Radium Hot Springs, BC

We stopped at the gas bunk for some time, while I got refreshed and shook some tiredness of my knees. It was late and we desperately wanted to get ourselves an RV Spot. While you can still get a campground secured at the last minute without having to make a booking in advance, it is a little difficult to find an RV spot during the peak season. The Canyon RV Ground is where we headed to. It has a total of 108 camping spots. The place is massive. It is carved out into the thickest of the coniferous forests of the Kootenay National Park. If I remember correctly, there are 8 divisions in the park named alphabetically from A-H. Divisions E-H are proper RV spots, in that they provide sewage disposal, water charging and electrical facilities on each one of the sites. Every division roughly has 15 spots each. We ventured from spot to spot in the divisions E-H, but every spot was occupied. We thus were forced to look in the lower divisions: A-D. There were quite a few spots available there and we chose C3 after surveying the complete area. The trails in the jungle are constricted and driving on these, you need to be cautious, especially while reversing.

Food Getting Ready In-House

The feeling which I got when I finally parked the RV in our chosen spot, it was unbelievable.The guys immediately got into cooking mode. Since we did not have an electric source, we had to turn on our RV's generator. There are various mechanisms working in the RV in conjunction and care has to be taken to operate them. It is mandatory to turn off some of the equipment during specific operations viz. refueling, filling the water tanks etc. Likewise, at most RV spots and in most of the campgrounds, there is a cut off time after which you are not supposed to keep your generator running, which we were not aware of, and so the Park Warden pulled up beside us and advised us to shut our generator down. We happily obliged. The RV battery is strong enough to run the AC and the lights the whole night, and with a full propane tank, you have enough juice to satiate your eating desires for up to a week. We had some of the finest cuisines made that night. There was a long round of talks alongside the food and the folks got quite late to hit the bed.

12:13 PM, Sep 03 - We Parked The RV For Emptying The Sewer And Filling Water

Late to bed and late to rise is what people enjoy in such laid back trips. There was no rush to visit different spots, all we wanted to do is camp, and thus everyone took their own time to get ready for the day ahead. Our plan that day was to ride to The Kekuli Bay Provincial Park, Vernon, BC. We had been to this place in April 2010 and knew about the mesmerising environs of the place.  We had paid for one day's services at the campground at Canyon and had to vacate by 11 AM lest we got charged for another day. But as history had it, we went well beyond that time.

Adjusting The Vehicle To Properly Align The Water Hose - Canyon Campground

The facility had a neat and elaborate arrangement for the restroom area. There was a minute hint of a little chill in the air that morning and the hot shower was able to mask that very well. As we had done an overnight parking, we had to do the registration process in the morning. Monojit and Anand had gone to do that and by the time they came back I was up and running. We had to clean up the sewer tanks and refill the RV with water for that day. So we left the folks at our campsite to get ready, while Monojit, Anand and myself left for the common area to take care of the filling and emptying routine of the vehicle.

Way To Our Campsite - Slot # 3 in Area # C

While we drove back to our designated spot, we noticed how different the campground looked in the morning. It was a lovely feeling to be marooned in a huge forest surrounded by mountains on all sides. The folks were ready when we got back. It was cooking time again, and an elaborate one. The chefs prepared the ingredients while the rest helped in slicing the vegetables, marinating the food and the like.

The Retractable Portion Jutting Out - Makes For Extra Room For The Foldable Beds Inside

While the meals were getting ready, we were charting out the next leg of our journey. Some of the folks had not been to the village of Radium earlier. So it was decided that we would drive up there, have our lunch, and the folks could visit the Hot Springs. We wanted to make it before sunset to Vernon so we decided not to take a dip in the hot pools. We pushed out of the campground by 1.30 PM and headed to Radium.

Exiting From The Canyon Campground

The Village Of Radium

On The Way To The Hot Springs

Steep Incline Cutting Through The Rocky Mountains

The ride from the village of Radium to the Hot Springs is marked by a characteristic steep incline and a recklessly narrow road that has been cut across the thickets of mountain rock. After parking in designated RV slot near the Hot Springs, Monojit, Anand and myself waited in the RV, and chatted, while the other folks visited the pools and came back. We had a hearty lunch after that.

Radium To Vernon - 400 KM

Our next destination was The Kekuli Bay Provincial Park, which is about 12 KM from the town of Vernon. Vernon itself is 400 KM from Radium. This time, Ashok was also a driver in the team as opposed to the  other trips, where I am the sole driver. After lunch I was feeling sleepy and felt good to have my driving load shared by Ashok. I sat on the back sofa, strapped myself with the seat belt and got engaged with my camera. The drive through BC is one of the best I have seen till date and I spent quite some time taking pictures.

L-R: Nilesh,Charan, Monojit (co-driver's seat) And Anand

Some Beautiful Country House

Another Lovely Scene - Serene Mountains With Open Fields

No, Not An Advertisement Of Bottled Water

Taken At Speed, Still Came Nice

A Little Bit Of Flat Ground

The Beauty Just Does Not Stop Coming

Fulfilled The Dream Of Staying in Such A Place

This Is What Makes It Even More Enticing - The Rail Track

Heavy Duty Diesel Doing The Rounds

Snow Studded Rockies

The Drive Gets Even More Beutiful

The Moon Coming Up The Sky

We stopped midway at Canyon Hot Springs which is roughly 220 KM from Radium. The break was meant for the driver to take a little rest. Everyone woke up from a deep slumber at this place.

Canyon Hot Springs. L-R: Anand, Charan And Me

The Mountain Overlooking Canyon Hot Springs

Our RV

The Resort

We left Canyon Hot Springs by quarter to six. Vernon was still about 200 odd KM South West. The scenery was getting wilder and the camera clicks were coming by faster.

Near A Town in British Columbia

This Snap Would Have Come Better Had It Been Taken From Outside Of The RV

Taken From The Bedroom Of The RV

British Columbia Is Full Of Lakes

At 7 PM we stopped by at a rest area near a lake. The guys went in to dip their feet inside it. We strolled along the fine sand beach on the lake for some time. We were still some 60 KM away from Vernon and I took over the wheel for the last few kilometers.

On The Lakefront

The Guys Having Fun In The Lake

We stopped again, shortly after the lake stopover - this time to fill gas. I was not very surprised to see that the vehicle was yielding a paltry 3.4 KM to a liter of gas. It was already dark when we entered Vernon. It was heartbreaking for me, as I wanted to get a campsite by evening at least that day. Kekuli Bay was on our charts. The campground there has a majestic view overlooking The Arrow Lake. We entered the campground to find that it was fully occupied not only for that day but for the next couple of days. Thereafter we embarked on a mission to find a good campground and we checked out each and every spot in and around Vernon, but each one of them was full.

Finally Got A Spot For The Night Besides A Lake

Parked In A Narrow Spot

We were almost about to give up, when near midnight, we found ourselves an RV spot, it was more like a parking lot for RVs, but it had restroom facilities and was on the banks of a grand lake. So we decided to pull over for the night. Though the spot was a small one, it did have all facilities that an RV would need - water, electricity and sewage disposal. Though we were not too excited about this spot, it was definitely a relief to have a spot rather than not having any. Rest of the night was spent cooking and chatting.

The Otherwise Congested Spot Looked Lovely In The Morning

Copyright Landscape, British Colombian Water Bodies

Waking up time was no different this day than the earlier one. The morning highlighted the fine landscape that usually surrounds a water body in British Columbia. But that was not enough to make us stick to the spot. While a few among us wanted to stay there for the remaining journey, the majority was not at all convinced to stay there. After a lot of arguments, it was finally decided that we would move on and find another spot.

Peach Plantation Near Vernon, BC

Almost Ripe Peaches

Bought Two Baskets Of Peaches From The Farmer

We scrambled through the list of nearby RV spots on our mobile devices. It was decided that we would camp at Wood Lake for the rest of our trip. This place is a very small spot near a lake called, well, Wood Lake. It is about 25 KM from the town of Vernon and is adjoining Kekuli Bay Provincial Park, which itself overlooks the Arrow Lake. While on the way we were misled by the GPS to a remote interior place atop a hill. But this gesture of the GPS was a blessing in disguise for us, as we were able to visit a local farmer's peach and apple plantation there.

The Wood Lake Campground Office

We had to call up the Wood Lake office to find the directions to the place as we were not going anywhere with the GPS. The place was just near the highway. Narrow trails led up the mountain to the various camping spots that were neatly placed in the woods like leaves on a tree - ascending structures that give a lovely wide angled view of the lake. This was the place we always wanted to be. This was our fruit. We decided we would stay there for the rest of our trip.

Our RV Finally Anchored Firm

While the RV was still idling and parked atop a dangerously narrow and steep trail, we decided the spot which we would like to camp on. After selection of the spot we had a tough exercise to bring the RV to the parking spot. There were nested trails, and it was very tough indeed to park the RV as you see it in the photograph. We had to drive all the way up come back down the other side, pull up a little further then perform some flaky maneuvers, that tilted the vehicle almost to the point of falling. Anyway, we were all set  by 1.30 PM.

View Of The Lake From Our Campsite

A Zoomed In View Of The Lake

Another One

Layout Of The Campground

Next in line was cooking. This meal, like all the past ones on this trip, was indeed hearty. After that I slept off like a log and some folks went to take a stroll down the lake.

Our RV Spot

A Close Up Snap - In The Evening

In the evening, the guys came back from their stroll and woke us up. The evening air was fresh and we could smell the pine in the air. It was amazing. We drove down a few KM North to pick up some beer for the evening.

The Log - To Serve As Firewood Later

The Lake In The Evening

Before Starting The Bonfire

Dusk had started to set in when we came back and twilight cast a conversational spell on each and every mind. The time was just ripe for a campfire. The caretaker of the camp was an old lady. She had come to help us with lighting the fire and was successful very early. We had bought a few pieces of wood from the campground. But figuring out that the same would not be sufficient to sustain the fire for long, we start to toil hard at making fire from the log we had. The piece was wet from within and would not catch fire that easily. One French guy who was camping at a nearby site offered to help with cutting the wood. Finally he gave up. He had some extra wood which he offered. After that we tried many hands at cutting the thick log.

Monojit Working On The Log

Now It Is My Turn To Toil

Kindled The Flame

Night Photography Can Be Real Fun With A Tripod

Caught The Lake On The Lens As It Got Darker

Group Snap - The Moon Over Our Heads

The Uncanny Mystical Moon

Perfect Environs

Do We See People Dancing?

The Flames Go On

Making Use Of My Tripod

Then it was time to use the grill. Monojit and Anand had marinated fish. With a little trial and error we were able to figure out the correct way to cook it. The fish got cooked pretty soon and we tried it out. The spice had caught on unbelievably well onto the delicacy and the recipe was mouth watering. We did quite a few more rounds of fish.

Anand And Monojit Marinating The Fish

Time To Grill

We had put some lovely Hindi music inside the vehicle. The speakers were loud enough to summon even our neighbours. So we had to smoothen the volume a bit, just as much as could reach our ears. After dinner, some of the guys went for a short walk, while we got oursleves busy with the wet wooden log. We found a way to burn it. It was kept in the fire and periodically rotated to bring the blackened side up. This was then struck repeatedly to remove the burnt cover, revealing the inside, which was then able to glaze itself. We passed time by doing this activity for some time. I spent some more time taking still photos in the night. A little after midnight, everyone was fast asleep.

8:10 AM (7:10 BC Time) - 5th Sept 2011

Wood Lake - Beautiful Memory To Last Forever

Land Of Rising Sun - He He

The next morning we all got up pretty early, may be because we had slept earlier by our standards. The sight that met our eyes was something very pleasing. A thin blanket of mist had built up over the lake's surface. It stayed there suspended, as if it had been hung from up above with an invisible thread. There was a little amount of coldness in the air, and I coming out of my RV, parked on the hill, gazed in awe. In 5 minutes I rushed back in and came running out with my camera to capture the beautiful moment. 

Preparation For Breakfast

Other folks started to wake up soon after me. Breakfast was the next stop, and the chefs got to it in their own style. It was laid out on the camping table in an elaborate fashion and we had it outdoor style, the sunny way. And then it was argument time again. The bone of contention - whether to head back to Calgary or to visit a winery. While most of us unanimously voted to head back, Nilesh wanted to visit a winery. And what more, it turned out that he had woken up earlier than anyone of us and had called and booked a tour with the "Gray Monk Estate Winery". 

A: Wood Lake & B: Lake Country (Gray Monk Estate Winery)

On The Way To Lake Country

RV Parking At The Gray Monk Winery

Gray Monk Winery - Main Block

The 4th Largest Winery in Canada

Okanagon Lake

The Gray Monk Winery is located in Lake Country, British Columbia which is about 9 KM from Wood Lake. There was a scheduled tour of the winery at 12 PM Pacific Time. We bid adieu to our home for one day - Wood Lake and started towards Lake Country. It took us about 20 minutes to reach our destination. Gray Monk is the 4th largest winery in Canada, the first one being Mission Hill Estate Winery, which is located further South in the town of Kelowna, British Columbia. We had been to Mission Hill in April 2010. Gray Monk is located in a picturesque spot overlooking the Okanagon Lake. The estate itself is spread over 100 acres and was founded in 1972 by George and Trudy Heiss. Story has it that their parents had come from Europe and bought some land near the place on which the Winery stands today. George and Trudy fell in love in their youth and decided to marry. At one point after they started making wine, they even went bankrupt, but came back resurgent, to shape the winery in the form as it is today.

The Vineyards As Seen From The Balcony Of The Gray Monk Winery

Okanagon Lake

Nice And Sunny Is What The Flowers And Humans Adore Alike

The Complete Group. L-R: Nilesh, Ashok, Me, Charan, Monojit And Anand

Stairs Leading To The Oak Storage Cellar

The main building consists of various floors dedicated to specific purposes. The one on the ground floor has wine exhibits and offers wines on sale. Just outside of this is a large balcony from where you can see all grape plantations, popularly called vineyards. We moved around, carefully studying the wine exhibits. Some of the finest wine was also on the rounds for sampling. At 12 PM sharp, the tour lady called us to the balcony. So we gathered there, a group of about 25 people from all over the world - Belgium, Holland, Eastern Europe, Japan, Australia and us, from India. The tour lady began by introducing herself and then went around the circle that had formed around her. Each one of us gave a short introduction and then she she started with the winery's history.

Oak Casks In The Cellar - Wine Storage For Aging The Wine

Always Have Wanted To Take This Snap

Charan. In The Background Wine Making Equipment

Tappets

One Barrel Has So Much Wine That Can Last A Person Drinking One Bottle Everyday For 3 Lives

Bottling Machinery

We were then ushered into the cellar where the wine was stored in Oak casks. She explained to us how they age the wine by continuously shifting the wine from cask to cask over the years. She took us around in the basement into various rooms that contained different equipment used to make wine. It should be noted that each category of wine is made from a different variety of grape. And the kind of grape that grows in a region is very specific to that region. Grapes, like crocodiles, are highly territorial.

After Completion Of The Tour Of The Winery

Charn and Me

Grapes Are Highly Territorial Like Crocodiles

The Drive To The Winery - Okanagon Lake In The Far

The tour lasted about 45 minutes, after which we came outside. While we came back to our vehicle to commence our trip to Calgary, the rest of the crowd went back to the building, probably to buy wine. The tour surely had sparked off the buying instincts of the visitors.

Map: Lake Country To Calgary

Pine Forests

The Narrow Winding Road

We started our journey to Calgary at 1 PM Pacific Time. There were 586 KM to be covered in all. Ashok was on the wheels. On our way back, at about 4.30 PM Mountain Time, we halted at the historic spot, South of the town of Revelstoke, where the last spike of the Canadian Pacific Railway was driven. This spot, as it is said, welded the rail line link between the East and the West. There is a historical Western movie called the Canadian Pacific, produced in the year 1949 which beautifully narrates the story of how the Canadian Pacific Railway was built through the mighty Rocky Mountains. It is also worth thinking how the Canadian Pacific Railway was instrumental in shaping the history of Canada.

A Painting Depicting The Driving Of The Last Spike

British Columbia Would Have Been A Separate Country Had The Last Spike Not Been Driven

Monojit Enacting 'Driving The Last Spike'

On A Wooden Bridge

They've Got 100s Of These Coaches Placed On Display All Over Canada

I took over the wheels a little before the town of Golden, BC. There was a heavy traffic jam on the highway that time and it took almost 1.5 hours for it to clear off. There was a coffee and fuel stop made enroute and then it was a long drive back home. 

1.5 Hours Of Traffic Jam. All Traffic Going North Was Brought To A Complete Standstill

Some Lovely Colours Saturating The Horizon

Coffee And Fuel Stop - 8:30 PM, 5-Sept-2011

By the time we found a dumping ground to clear the tanks of the RV and got back home it was 2 AM (6th of Sept), and by the time we dropped the RV and got back to bed it was 4. The verdict? What more can I say - This trip was another feather in the cap for us. When it comes to exploring and doing the wildest of things, we do it the best.