C U R I O S I T Y ... Explaining This Lifestyle Choice

"Overlanding is about exploration, rather than conquering obstacles. While the roads and trails we travel might be rough or technically challenging, they are the means to an end, not the goal itself. The goal is to see and learn about our world, whether on a weekend trip 100 miles from home or a 10,000-mile expedition across another continent. The vehicle and equipment can be simple or extravagant - they, too, are simply means to an end. History, wildlife, culture, scenery, self-sufficiency - these are the rewards of overlanding."

Overland Journal

WHY   ON   EARTH   WOULD   WE   TRAVEL   THIS   WAY   ?

Sailing the INSIDE PASSAGE

Prince Rupert to Port Hardy

We sailed with BC Ferries on the Northern Expedition. We did the math and compared driving to sailing. 

The marine route covers a distance of approximately 525 kms in 16 hours; the driving route about 1500 kms over a minimum of 4 nights (our average travel day). We ran a budget sheet and compared the cost of driving from this location to Port Hardy on Vancouver Island that included vehicle fuel, camping and food costs plus the time required. BC Ferries charges by the foot and for our 'short' vehicle the costs are not that high. The slight upcharge for us was worth it; and a chance to sail a portion of the Inside Passage was just too difficult to pass up. But, the charges to ferry the longer Class A's, fifth-wheels and travel trailers can get quite expensive, $20/foot in excess of 25 feet ... yet another reason to travel in a truck camper!

South Through BC

This Rainforest Rains! 

CASSIER HIGHWAY

We first drove the Cassier Highway, south through British Columbia, in 1994. The highway (HWY37) begins in Yukon, just west of Watson Lake. In 1994 it was an all gravel, 724 km long road; now it’s fully paved. Driving south, the landscape along the initial 50 kms of the road was heavily damaged by a 30,000 hectare (74,000 acre) forest fire in 2012. 

After that burn zone, the Boreal Forest cover returns and even on a rainy day, like ours was this trip, the scenery is mountainous and memorable ... short grades of 8%, a twisty, narrow roadway, framed by several mountain ranges, intersected by creeks and rivers, peppered with small to large lakes ... and frequented by a few families of Black Bear. 

Six Days In Whitehorse

What Do Two 'Mature' Women Do Alone In The Yukon For Six Days?

I really wanted to title this post Girls Gone Wild In The Yukon , but I once wrote another post about a girls trip to Las Vegas Three Girlfriends Gone Wild that caused our blog visitor location map to go crazy. Suddenly we had dozens of visits from the middle of the South Pacific (hmm ... perhaps a sailor doing random google searches and finding my post about 3 girlfriends turning 60 - how disappointing it must have been).

Despite plans to do a several week tour of the Yukon, Fate Intervened which resulted in my sister-in-law Peggy & I being 'alone' in the Whitehorse area for six days. Well, what's a woman to do but shop, learn and explore!