

| Subject: | Trip report: Calgary to Vancouver |
| From: | Kevin McLean |
| Date: | Wed, 2 Jul 2003 09:36:32 -0600 |
Just got back from my first big summer holiday trip in the van: Drove from Calgary, AB thru Banff and on to Kamloops, BC. Stayed at Lac Le Jeune Provincial Park. A beautiful spot, unfortunately it was cold and rainy. Continued on over the Coquihalla to Hope and then on to the ferry and Vancouver Island. Played on the sandy beaches at Parksville. Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park is incredible: quiet, shady, nice park for the kids, awesome beach. (Parksville is said to have the warmest ocean beaches north of San Diego!) After a stop at the Vancouver Aquarium, headed back the long way along the very scenic Hope-Princeton highway to Kelowna. Spent a few days playing in the Okanagan and then the Shuswap at Sicamous before heading home to Calgary. The van performed flawlessly: temperature gauge was rock-steady, even climbing some 2nd and 3rd gear hills in the scorching sun, no Vanagon syndrome problems, didn't use any oil, and the fridge kept everything nice and cold. What more could you ask for? Fuel consumption ranged from a low of 14 L/100 km to a best tank of 11.3 L/100 km and averaged 12.4 L/100 km, which seems pretty good for a fully loaded Syncro Westy with 3 adults, 2 kids, 2 big dogs, and all the misc. camping toys. Its trips like this that make me glad to have the van. Thanks for listening. Kevin McLean Calgary, AB 1987 Syncro Westy
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