Some readers may have noticed an error message that popped up when they tried to make a comment on last week’s blog. Chris, one of our regular readers, picked it up early Saturday morning and let me know so we could investigate. The message, in case you saw it, looked like this:
Last week many of you may have seen this error message on our site. All fixed now !
It seems the site had simply gotten a little out of date ( apparently these things happen over time ). A quick call to our WordPress consultant, Michael had it resolved fairly quickly. If you ever want to comment, and can’t, just send us an email at [email protected] to let us know ( since I never make comments it’s hard to know when the “Comment” functionality fails ). Thanks again Chris, and thanks to Michael for the quick solution.
The snow ( and neighbours’ Christmas lights ) made for a very festive feel when looking out our from our deck at New Years.
Hard to believe but by the time you read this we’ll be well into 2023. Not sure what your New Year resolutions were but ours ( truth be told, they are more “wishes” than resolutions ) included the world getting back to some semblance of normality – Covid not being the big story, the war in Ukraine coming to an end and travel in general becoming easier and safer for all. We have many more wishes of course, but those are the ones relevant to a travel blog ! Lois and I considered ourselves fortunate to be able to spend the entire holiday season with close family and friends ( is there anything better than that ? ) and enjoyed a true “White Christmas” this year – we usually have snow on the ground here ( which makes for a pretty scene ) but it’s just that little bit more authentic when it’s actually falling on Christmas Day as well ( and we had a little bit of that ). A real bonus this year was to spend a couple of days with Lois’s brother and his wife at their beautiful chalet on Silver Star mountain – it couldn’t have been nicer ! During this time we also did a little “ship watching” as the Talisman made its way to Panama and then on through the canal before sailing out into the Pacific.
Silver Star Mountain in Vernon had lots of snow and the sunsets were beautiful.Our time with Lois’ family was delightful. Along with with a couple of other friends who visited we had hours of entertainment playing “Where’s The Dude?” a charade-like game involving a blow-up “Dude” mannequin.Entering the Panama Canal ( from the Atlantic ), most ships ( including ours ) make a brief stop in Colon before transiting the canal and exiting into the Pacific. At this point ( image above ) the ship is almost through the canal having transited the final set of locks at Miraflores. It would soon pass under the Bridge of the Americas ( which joins the North & South American continents ) before heading out into the Pacific. We had very fond memories of driving through this area and over the “Bridge of the Americas” on our way down to South America in 2019.
As New Year approached our own sights were set on taking off again “Down Under” – repacking for what we hope (and expect) will be some extended warm weather and planning how we’ll spend the time between getting there and then later in the month, getting back in our van. With almost a full month in between those two dates it made sense to take a little detour and with Air Canada having recently started a direct flight from Vancouver to Auckland, a pit stop in New Zealand seemed like a logical idea. We’d both been to New Zealand a couple of times before but had missed out on some of its lesser known attractions and decided with a couple of weeks at our disposal we might just be able to see them this time around.
Given the variable weather conditions at this time of year ( and heavily booked flights ) we opted to drive to Vancouver rather than fly. The trip down was uneventful and as scenic as the white stuff can be, hopefully this will be the last we see of it for some time !
As is so often the case, getting out of Kelowna by air in high season can be difficult. We decided to rent a car and drive the easy 4 hours to Vancouver. Lots of snow around but the roads were clear – just a week or so earlier a tragic bus crash occurred in icy conditions on this very road killing several people. We took it slow………Vancouver airport ( YVR ) – pleased to see that ( so far at least ) the Auckland flight was on time. Surprised to see 5 flights to either Australia or NZ that evening. Popular destinations !
New Zealand is a lengthy 13+ hour flight from Vancouver. That’s a tough stretch anytime but after 4 hours on the road to get there, then 6 hours waiting at the airport we were ready to just collapse in our seats once on board. Had a couple of remaining airport lounge passes that made the airport stay bearable !
Relaxing in the airport lounge while waiting for the flight.Vancouver (YVR) to Auckland (AKL), 13 hours and 10 mins. Tiring !Driving into Auckland from the airport was about as nice as the weather got during our stay. Continuous rain after that ! I always find the street scenes and buildings in New Zealand so similar to Australia ( felt almost like home !).Not much to do in rainy Auckland on the day we were there but Queen Street and the harbour front area is always interestingLots of boutique shopping just off Queen Street.We’d missed Auckland’s popular Sky Tower on previous visits so had it in our list this time – sadly the weather was not cooperating. Figured if we could not see the viewing deck from the ground then we would not be able to see much from the deck if we did go up.
The feasibility of taking our own van off the Talisman in Auckland ( it stops there en route to Melbourne ) and spending a month or two traveling with it in New Zealand was considered – we would, in fact, have been thrilled to be able to do that, however the idea was quickly nixed for a number of reasons:
The ( already high ) shipping cost went up considerably
There would have been 4 sets of port charges, rather than two
New Zealand has biosecurity rules equally as tough as Australia’s so going through that twice ( for perhaps only two months of travel ) made little sense
And, finally, two months in New Zealand would have cost us two equally great summer months in Australia and we didn’t want to sacrifice that
Fortunately, an appealing substitute existed and when it was determined that the dates lined up nicely for us we decided to jump on it. Now this “solution” would not work for anyone on a fixed schedule ( we aren’t ), or for anyone that hadn’t already seen New Zealand to some extent at least ( we had ), nor for anyone that can’t live with some restrictions ( we can ) but when you can tick all those boxes and your travel dates DO match vehicle availability, the “Imoova” van relocation option can provide incredible flexibility and value to travellers who want to get around the country and take their accommodation with them. Check out the details at www.imoova.com. We have used this service before ( many years ago ) in Australia so know the drill pretty well. Long story short, we managed to get a 4 berth Sprinter van from Queenstown to Christchurch, followed by a rest day in Christchurch then another (6 berth Sprinter) van from Christchurch to Auckland. The good folks at Imoova even cover the cost of the Cook Straight ferry between the South and North Island. What’s not to like ?
A short 90 minute flight got us from Auckland to beautiful Queenstown, where we picked up our first van. Stay tuned next week for our adventures around the southern South Island !
Picking up our relocation van in QueenstownOur Maui 6 berth Iveco van – quite the deluxe rig !Much more space than we needed !View of Queenstown and Lake Wakatipu from Bob’s Peak
As readers can imagine, much time and research was put into picking this route, securing our passage, and getting all the pieces of the puzzle together just to get the vehicle to Savannah. While going to Australia via the US East coast was neither the shortest, nor most obvious route, it was the ONLY way to get an over-sized vehicle to Australia WITHOUT trans-shipping. By oversized I mean one that won’t fit in a conventional 40ft hi cube container. Hence Savannah being our chosen departure port (it could have been Baltimore as the ship also stopped there). We have a couple of overlanders ( with future plans to ship to Australia ) following the shipping blogs so I’ll be outlining the shipping process in more detail than most people would normally be interested in – bear with me on this one if you are in the latter group ( or just skip to the bottom ! ).
Driving towards Savannah, we kept a close eye on the progress of our ship coming from Europe, the “Talisman” ( hopefully the name is a good omen ). So far so good. At the time of the screen shot below it had left Southampton ( UK ), it’s last European port call. Ships are seldom delayed on the open seas but port hold ups are the norm these days. It stops only in Baltimore before Savannah and then has only two stops before Melbourne. The code “NO” means it is a Norwegian ship. I’m always amazed how many ships there are on the ocean at any one time.
The route taken by the Talisman from Germany to Australia. Think there is scheduling issue in Baltimore, it should only be there one day. It’s 33 days from Savannah to Melbourne.The Wallenius “Talisman” steaming across the North Atlantic towards Baltimore, the first stop before Savannah.
Having enjoyed exploring the sights of Savannah, there was now much work to do preparing the van for shipment. The next series of pictures show how we spent that time.
We visited this high clearance car wash on several occasions to clean the vehicle as thoroughly as possible, especially the underside, wheel arches, the engine and radiator ( reportedly areas of close inspection by the BioSecurity people at the Dept. of Agriculture in Australia). Vehicle fumigation is done at the port prior to loading on the ship.Shipping via RoRo one pays based on vehicle dimensions in cubic metres (LxWxH). Everyone removes ANYTHING that unnecessarily protrudes – so off came the front nudge bar.Just a fraction of the gear we carry which was all pulled out, cleaned rigorously, and packed into stackable ( and collapsible) crates. The five military style fuel bags fold down to almost nothing yet hold 100 litres (26.5 US gallons ) of fuel, more than doubling our driving range to 1,400 kms ( 870 miles ).In preparation to drive the vehicle in Australia one needs a “Left Hand Drive” warning decal and a decal showing it’s country of registration ( CDN indicates it’s a Canadian registered vehicle ). While driving on the left in Australia will be familiar to us, driving a “left hand drive” vehicle on the left side of the road will not !Prior to clearing ( stamping ) our Carnet out of the US, the Border Patrol folks closely checked our VIN against the Carnet. Conveniently they allowed us to have this done the day before we took the van to port.Our copies of the Carnet ( CPD ) stamped in and stamped out of the US.
Once in Savannah contact was made with the local representative of our shipping agent and, just like in Buenos Aires, a port delivery date and time were firmed up. As in Argentina, we had to deliver the vehicle well before the ship arrived and have a “port escort” arranged. Access to US ports is, as one might expect, VERY tightly controlled. Shipping insurance was also arranged, it costing almost as much for our van to be a month on the ocean as it does for it to sit for a year in our driveway – and with a whole bunch of coverage exclusions !
Arriving at the port, security was predictably tight. We met our rep, Logan right at the gate.One needs to be accompanied by an employee with a TWIC (Transportation Worker Identification Credential ) clearance to enter any US port. It was the same process in Brunswick. Of course there is a fee for every such escort !
Interestingly it costs exactly the same to ship the vehicle to Melbourne, Sydney, or Brisbane. We chose Melbourne simply because it was the first stop in Australia and closest city to Tasmania, the state we hope to explore first. Crazy to think that, after 33 days on a ship across the Pacific the very next thing we plan to do in Australia is…….put it on yet another ship !! Victoria state also seemed to be one of the easier states to insure our vehicle.
Removing licence plates – a favorite souvenir in some ports and a hassle to replace. We took them with us.Logan, our port escort ( and shipping line representative ), was amazing. Made it all go smoothly in Savannah. Here holding our licence plates after I had removed them.The paperwork was very simple. They confirm the vehicle is yours (VIN), check your dock receipt, and tell you where to go ( in the port I mean ! ). From start to finish, less than 2 hours in the port. Faster than any other port we’ve been to when delivering. Leaving Cartagena and Brunswick was very easy. Let’s hope it’s the same in Melbourne.A lot of heavy equipment is also shipped by RoRo. Logan gave us a quick tour of the port so we could see what was being shipped from Savannah.Not our ship, but exactly the same style, it was loading the day we dropped our van off. Vehicles of all kind are driven in from a large door that opens in the rear. The next image is our ship, the Talisman.The ship that will carry our van, Wallenius’s “Talisman”, approx 67,000 tonnes, and 241 metres long.With multiple levels inside, these types of ships can be adjusted for unusual size vehicles. Our van, parked among hundreds of others going to ports all over the world.Keys must be left on the driver’s seat, doors unlocked. Multiple people will drive it before we get it again in Melbourne. Leaving it unlocked is indeed a bit nerve wracking ( moments after we drove away there were already a few port workers checking it out ). The sheet of paper taped to the dash explains the starting procedure of the van.All vehicles are “tagged” so port workers know which ship to put it on ( and when it goes ). It’s meant to ensure none get missed ( but some do – hopefully not ours !!!! ). “MEL” means Melbourne, our destination.For added protection we taped the cabinet doors closed. We also took photos of the vehicle on all 4 sides showing the condition it was in ( perfect ) when we left it ( hopefully we’ll find it in the same condition when we see it again on the other side of the world ! ).
We’d both confess to a sense of sudden detachment ( and more than mild concern ) leaving our precious rig sitting on a distant port, with ( like all others ) doors unlocked and keys on the seat, especially after our last shipping experience – let’s hope the Savannah port security is good. Between us leaving the van at the port and the Talisman arriving to take it away, just one process remained – fumigation. The shipping line contracts a local company to fumigate EVERYTHING on the dock that is heading to Australia. It’s designed to kill any bugs/pests on/in the vehicles. They take all vehicles to a separate area, create a plastic “tent” around them and then pump in “Profume” ( sulfuryl fluoride ) as dictated by the Australian BioSecurity folks. We are assured the smell will be gone by the time we get the vehicle back and it won’t harm us 🤞. While the vehicle had not been fumigated when we left. Savannah, I asked the fumigation company to send me some pics when they did it ( I was curious as to what it was like ) – they kindly obliged and I got these images just before I uploaded this blog.
Our rig in the fumigation “tent”We were squeezed in between heavy industrial equipment.Presumably the blue tape indicates it’s been fumigated.
With the van now out of our hands all that remained was to arrange flights back to Kelowna which was straightforward. No real flight “deals” were available out of Savannah ( it’s so small ) so we took an easy one-way car rental to nearby Atlanta, spent a night relaxing in a hotel there and flew home via Calgary the next day. It took less than 5 hours to do in the air what had taken almost 9 days by road !
We flew home on what must have been Westjet’s most brightly painted plane.
So, what next ? Well, for now we can only wait, hope the “Talisman” arrives in Savannah on time, the ship picks up our cargo and successfully delivers it to us in Melbourne by the end of January. Wish us luck ! I may get time to do an update or two in the coming weeks but if not I will start up the blog again in early January once we fly to Australia.
In the meantime both Lois and I hope you all had a wonderful festive season and that the New Year brings you all much joy, good health, and time with your loved ones. Thanks especially to so many of you who have shared your comments along the way. We love hearing from you all so keep them coming in 2023 !
Post Script: The Talisman did indeed arrive on time ( Christmas Day ) and left as scheduled ( December 27 ). On the morning of December 28 we received word that our van was loaded successfully, so it’s on its way. No turning back now !
Or should I say “Back to Georgia”. By nothing other than remarkable coincidence our van will be departing on this ocean crossing to Australia from Savannah, Georgia, barely a hundred miles from Brunswick, Georgia where we had collected our truck camper after its shipment up from Argentina back in April. Not in a million years did we think we would ultimately be shipping to Australia via the US East Coast.
From Winnipeg, we went almost directly to Savannah, save for a slight detour around Chicago and a planned ( and delightful ) sightseeing stop in Charleston, SC.
As of the last post we had just crossed into the US. The Emerson/Pembina crossing ( the major one south of Winnipeg and north of Fargo, ND., ) was extremely quiet – as in, no one in line at all ! Unheard of at any of the BC/Washington crossings, we were delighted at how smoothly and quickly it went. It was not just because of the speed but also due to the fact that the Carnet we were travelling with was processed in just minutes ( a process, we are reliably informed, that can be much more complicated ). A “Carnet” you say ? But with a Canadian registered vehicle you don’t need one of those when travelling to the USA ? Indeed, you do not, but when driving into the US with a vehicle you then intend to “export” via a US maritime port one needs to either bring it in “bonded” ( carried on the back of a flatbed truck ), or under cover of a Carnet. Fortunately, since Australia is one of number of countries that requires the temporary importation of a foreign registered vehicle to be secured via a Carnet, we happened to have one and thus avoided the ( expensive) complication of bonding our vehicle between Winnipeg and Savannah. The whole Carnet story is worthy of a blog of its own but I’ll hand it over to this experienced overlander who does an excellent ( and very humorous) job of explaining what a Carnet is ( “Carnet de Passage en Douane” or CPD, to give it its full French name ) and why (and when) it is required: https://youtu.be/kjHkE_Ite5s
Carnet stamped, we were on our way south in the US of A with plans to reach Fargo that same afternoon. The landscape ( and temperature ) changed little…..still flat, and still cold – it would be another day before we saw any material change in the mercury. From Fargo there were a couple of options- drop directly south in a race for warmer climes then turn hard left ( East ) towards Georgia, or take a generally more gradual South Easterly route towards our destination. We opted for the latter given it saved us some time and hundreds of kms of driving but also gave us a different route than we had taken when we had traveled ( essentially ) this route in reverse, back in April.
The US Interstates are always well-marked. Our ( more or less ) direct route South East from Fargo (ND) took us through some, and around other, major US cities. As we were pretty much bee-lining it to Charleston and Savannah to deliver the van it was convenient to use the ring roads around most of the bigger cities en route.
Remembering this was basically a delivery trip ( getting the van to Georgia our primary purpose ) any sights we might see along the way would simply be a bonus. With the weather mostly cold and overcast (generally miserable !) there was little incentive to stop. Warmth, lay further ahead. Nashville, which we wanted to explore back in April, was predicted to have constant rain as we would have passed through so saw little point in revisiting on this trip ( the risks you take when travelling in December, I guess ).
We thought this a most unfortunate town name !When we had route options we generally chose roads we’d not driven before (the 74 in this case). Our long drive was at times boring enough that we did not want to repeat the dreary segments. We still saw lots of monotonous farmland………
The ensuing days were mostly long and uneventful, the only excitement being that each night was getting warmer than the last. It would be south of Bloomington, Illinois before the days got consistently above 0 degrees Celsius ( 32F ). With open campgrounds still scarce, overnight stops consisted of truck “travel centers” ( giant ‘Loves’ or ‘Pilot’ fuel stations ), Cracker Barrell’s or the ever reliable ( but last resort ) Walmart parking areas. There was always somewhere and we were never alone. There were two exceptions where we enjoyed a different form of stopover, known as “Harvest Hosts”. The link will give a full description of this mutually beneficial arrangement and we really enjoyed the two we stayed at ( a microbrewery and a coffee roaster ).
Parked up in front of our first Harvest Host stop, “The Coffee Grounds” in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. A boutique coffee business, with a flat parking area, in a quiet neighbourhood offering good coffee and welcoming staff. Very good first experience with Harvest Host. The friendly barista was quite enamored with our van.
Familiar states and cities came and went as we crossed the Mid-West. Fargo, Minneapolis/St Paul, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, and on to Lexington ( Kentucky )…..a more or less direct ( via Google Maps ) route to our destination. At least now it was (finally ) getting warm – if not dry. We’d experienced all weather conditions on our route but it had been, for the most part, overcast and rather gloomy. State after state after state – rain, rain, rain. What stood out to us were two things – the incredible number of semi-trailers on US interstates ( at times outnumbering vehicles – we have never seen so many ) and the way in which road signage (billboards) on those same interstates mirrored the current polarizing political divide in the US: pro-life vs pro-choice, and pro-gun vs gun-control bill boards were a constant.
The poor weather continued as we passed state after state but at least it was warmer this far south. We could handle the rain and were just happy to be free of the biting cold.Here at a Pilot truck centre near Lexington, Kentucky. As long as you filled with fuel they were always fine with an ‘overnight’ given the local campgrounds were mostly closed in December. Fortunately we have complete blackout ability with the blinds – never realized how important that would be !Whatever “it” was, we did not not “find” in Ohio any respite from gloomy weather ! At least it wasn’t pouring rain – that would come next.Our memory of Tennessee – just pouring rain, non stop.By North Carolina, the Western part, we were finally getting near the Atlantic coast but still it rained. And rained. And rained.Our second Harvest Host overnight stop – the Plankowners Craft Brewery in Spartanburg, South Carolina. A fun night, good food (and beer) and an extremely friendly bar manager who made sure we and the other overnighting van couple were well looked after.
Almost 9 days of constant driving after leaving Kelowna we pulled into Savannah but not before making a delightful stopover in nearby Charleston, South Carolina. Not only was it a day where the sun did shine but this amazing and very historic city offers visitors a wonderful architectural, gastronomic, political and military experience ( the first shots of the Civil War were fired here ). A walk through the historic old town and around the waterfront park stretched muscles that were well and truly cramped up after so many days on the road.
Seldom, when driving any type of RV, much less an overheight one, can you legally, affordably, and securely park in the very heart of a city’s downtown. Charleston is the exception to that rule and it made for a much more convenient stay. We, along with another couple and their kids, took full advantage of the covered Visitor Centre parking lot. Check out their van – and I thought we had a ton of stuff !Charleston downtown – they obviously regulate building heights in this area as we saw no modern high rises. It added to the city’s charm.Lois enjoyed Christmas shopping in the craft stores.Young military cadets, Charleston, in classic style uniforms.No shortage of reminders of Charleston’s slavery history.Charleston waterfront with its famous park in the background. Many Civil War naval battles were fought in nearby waters ( see details on the bronze plaque below ).First gunshots of the Civil War were fired in Charleston.Pastel colored historical style buildings in Charleston – it was our best weather since leaving Kelowna.We stood admiring this stunning Art Deco period building ( we are both Art Deco fans ) in Charleston, then noticed the plaque on the front. On closer inspection it had a significant role in the Civil Rights movement as recently as the ‘60’s (see next image).Kress building, Charleston.
By design we got to Savannah well ahead of the port delivery date ( and that date is in turn 7 business days ahead of the ship’s arrival date ) since there was much preparation still to be done. That and we did want some time to simply explore the city and all its Southern charms. The van would need to be cleaned to showroom condition, valuables removed, and everything that might bounce around on a 5 week sailing be battened down firmly. We’ll save details of that for the next blog but we both agreed that delightful Savannah was the highlight of our trip ( Charleston a close second ). The plan to drive hard and get there, then spend time exploring had paid off. We loved both places and the fact that we had generally good weather there after days and days of fog and rain just added to the joy.
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Coming into Savannah from the North we passed the port – our van would be among those hundreds of vehicles awaiting shipment in just a few days.At both campgrounds in Savannah we were right by a river – plenty of signs (and campground staff ) warned us about not swimming there.We added these decals ( required for Australia ) just before driving to Savannah port. Felt it would look a bit ridiculous putting them on too soon ( after all, everyone in North America has a left hand drive vehicle ! )Lois, taking a break during our van re-packingWhile the US enjoys generally cheaper fuel than Canada it’s a brutal time to drive a diesel. The diesel fuel economy advantage does not come close to erasing the current gasoline/diesel price difference in the USA. I found myself lamenting that I no longer owned a 5.3 litre gasoline V8 truck. Savannah street scene, always so many oak trees covered in Spanish moss.Many stately manors are spread throughout the city, this one beautifully decorated for Christmas.John Wesley founded Methodism in SavannahSavannah’s famous (and huge) Forsyth Park. Golden dome of Savannah’s City hall Like many such cities, Savannah is revitalizing its formerly gritty waterfront area. Now a place of boutique stores and renovated older buildings.The city features in many episodes of American revolutionary historical significance. We spent hours wandering its streets and reading all the historical markers. The restored buildings, like in nearby Charleston, are outstanding.One of Savannah’s myriad “squares”. Literally every two streets there is a grassy square with huge oak trees covered in iconic Spanish moss. Very American “South”. Trivia moment : a significant part of “Forrest Gump” was filmed here. Remember the famous “bench” scene ? Shot in Savannah’s Chippewa Square ( the bench was just a film prop, it’s no longer there – but everyone asks where it is ! )As this will be our last pre Xmas blog, Lois and I wanted to thank you for following along and wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year !
Next week, we deliver the van to port – stay tuned !
You’ll excuse me for borrowing this week’s subject line from an old Ewan McGregor motorcycle adventure but it seemed quite apt.
So, you live in Western Canada and want to take your 4×4 van to Australia for a year or so of touring and exploring. Australia lies thousands of kilometres across the Pacific to the south west. Logically, you would drive to Vancouver, put it on a ship ( going in that direction), allow a month or so of transit time, then fly down to meet it and begin your trip. Or so you might think. Alas, with an oversized Sprinter van it gets more complicated – much more complicated in fact.
Snow dusted off the rig, we were ready to roll…….seen here, leaving our home with no idea when the van would ever be back in our driveway.
That all said, I’ll save the sordid details of shipping a van from North America to Australia for a future blog when the whole process is ( hopefully ) complete and has ( ideally ) gone off as planned. Right now there are still more hoops to jump through, a ship ( coming from Europe ) to wait for and then a long passage from the East coast of the US to the East coast of Australia. Yes, I said the the “EAST” coast. For reasons I will explain later we have chosen to drive the van to the US East coast ( Savannah, Georgia specifically ) to catch said ship to Australia – this week’s blog will chronicle the first part of that journey – getting to Savannah.
Driving diagonally South East across the US would have been faster ( and warmer ! ) but following our general principle of “why make things easy when you can make them more complicated”, we chose to drive directly East across Canada ( to Winnipeg ) before turning hard South East to Savannah. We had good friends in Winnipeg we wanted to see so chose that route, all the while thinking how cold could it really be on the Canadian prairies in December ? I mean, it was only December – technically, it wasn’t even quite winter yet. The plan was pretty simple; we’d drop the van with the shipping company in Savannah then fly home to Kelowna in mid December for Christmas with our family before flying on to Australia in January to eventually meet up with our van later that month. But, first things first – the drive across Western Canada……. in December.
As we left Kelowna it was already snowing ( not a good omen ) and that got heavier as we crossed the Rockies. Frankly, it was pretty hair raising at times especially with so many heavy trucks on the route. Centre line mostly invisible, fog patches a constant worry, we made it only as far as Calgary – normally just a 6 hour drive, it took us all day. We knew not all campgrounds would be open in December but did not count on none being open ! This would be a recurring theme. That, and the extremely short days of December, made worse by the fact that we were driving East – there were simply not a lot of daylight driving hours in each day. Without campgrounds we made do with the best that iOverlander could offer – a Husky Truck Stop in Calgary, and a Walmart parking lot in Moose Jaw ( where we spent our coldest night: -26.5 celsius or -16 Fahrenheit ). Perhaps unsurprisingly we were the only campers parked in both locations.
Typical road conditions crossing the Rockies.Parked for the night at the Husky Truck Travel Stop in Calgary. Surprisingly, a very peaceful night’s sleep.Minus 26 Celsius as we left Moses Jaw. It would drop another half degree before things started to warm up. Prairie folks will tell you that in the depths of winter no one even uses the “minus”. They all know what “26” really means in winter. Hats off to the hardy folks that endure this full-time……one day of -26.5 was enough for us !Scraping ice off the inside of the windows in Moose Jaw
The extreme cold proved an excellent testing ground for the insulation qualities of the van and the performance of the diesel heater – both proved up to the challenge and at no point were we cold inside the van. Outside was another story entirely with all three days it took to reach Winnipeg being in the high minus teens or low minus 20’s. Serious cold ! Once across the Rockies ( after Calgary ) visibility generally improved with the only real driving challenge being the mesmerizing snow drifts swirling across the road for much of the journey. The vast expanses of white offered up their own beauty, albeit best viewed from inside the van ! Mixed with that winter beauty were typical Canadian Prairie scenes and a few local tourist attractions. Neither of us had much enthusiasm for getting outside the vehicle for photo ops – it was so cold at times that we simply took photos from inside the van – we did NOT walk inside the worlds biggest teepee in Medicine Hat, nor stand in front of the worlds biggest ( fake ) moose in ( where else ) Moose Jaw. Quirky and kitschy, yes, but definitely not worth a case of severe frostbite !
It may be darn cold on the Prairies but it’s usually sunny. Even saw a rainbow of sorts.The roads at times seemed endless……..Drifting snow gave the journey an eerie feel at times.Heading East, provinces came………….and wentThe world’s biggest moose early in the morning in Moose Jaw.A very Prairie image. Hundreds of these dot the landscape across Alberta and Saskatchewan.
Our good friends, Aldyn and Keith, who had recently moved to Winnipeg, gave us a very warm welcome for the night and we spent a wonderful evening celebrating a milestone birthday of Keith’s while enjoying Aldyn’s awesome chili dinner. Thanks guys, it was a fun night and the highlight of our trek across the Prairie’s.
Jeff, Keith, Aldyn, and Lois Sending us off in Winnipeg.Manitobans can at least poke fun at themselves ! Not “Winnipeg, Manitoba” but……….
Just a couple of hours south of Winnipeg lies the border town of Emerson where we crossed into the US. Could not have been easier, nor any quicker, with the US border staff super friendly and helpful. Crossing south of the 49th parallel did not bring any immediate respite from the biting cold – there’d be a little more cold weather yet. More of that to share next week.
US crossing at Pembina, North Dakota…….still cold !!!!Route across across Canada.
Just before we go any further with the trip to Australia, I thought it probably timely to share a little more with our readers about the Sprinter van itself. Many of you, and others who have seen the van conversion in progress, have been asking to see pictures of the end result. I’ll put the trip details on pause this week ( to be continued next week ) and now, for those of you who have asked for finished pictures and more details, here they are:
Passenger side. Side steps added, VanCompass helper springs and Falcon shocks provide a much improved and stable/level ride after the added weight of the conversion. BF Goodrich 17” KO2 tires and Black Rhino “Arsenal” rims replaced the stock Mercedes product. Very happy with both the improved appearance and performance.
We’ve all heard the expression, “I could see light at the end of the tunnel, then realized it was another train coming”. I swear whoever dreamed that one up must have coined the phrase while camperizing a Sprinter van. To say that completing this van dominated my life for 15 months, was more than a full time job for all of that time and caused more stress and anxiety than any corporate position I ever held, would be an understatement. Ultimately, however, with a very supportive wife, the help and technical advice of some amazing friends, colleagues, supportive local businesses, YouTube “How to” clips, guidance from those who had gone before ( posting their invaluable tips on the Sprinter Forum ) as well as countless other sources of help, the van was travel ready just in advance of our November departure for Australia. Truly, there were times I thought the day would never come. It was a labour of love, for sure, but nonetheless a huge relief to have it done. Truly, I could write a book on the experience – but won’t ! .
Van from the front – hood wrapped in 3M matte black vinyl, custom nudge/light bar added.
I’d have loved time to give it a good summer test drive ( and it was a great northern summer ) but it just took longer, and was more complex than I could have possibly imagined. I suppose it did not help that I came into the project with ZERO experience, a tool kit that consisted of little more than a hammer, a drill and a few wrenches and had to work on it from start to finish in my front driveway ( in summer AND winter ). Thank you Brent, Lisa, the Wilden trades folks and my neighbours for putting up with me and your moral encouragement to keep going when it all seemed too much. You helped in more ways than you know. I’m just glad it’s done. I’ll be posting more detailed specs on the Sprinter Forum in due course for those interested in the mechanical minutiae ( I’ll include a link in a future blog ):
Driver side, 700 watts of solar panels visible on the roof ( 300 watts of external detachable panels ). Should be ample to power our small AC unit on a very sunny day or at least slow the draw on our battery system.Van from rear. Graphics by Patchwork Productions in Victoria, BCInside, looking to rear. Maxxfan above kitchen, skylight above bed. Counter is white Corian, solid surface, cabinets are 5/8” laminated Baltic Birch. Southco style marine snap latches on all cabinet doors.Insulated panel to close off the sleeping area. AC is ducted in on a hot night to concentrate the cooling around the bed, and during the day it seals off the sleeping area concentrating cooling in the living areaFront captains chairs ( covered in sheepskin for comfort in hot/cold weather ) both swivel. Insulated reflective panels cover the windshield and both side windows. These have proven very effective at insulating and provide 100% privacy when parked at night. Stored in cabover shelf ( above ) when not in use .We opted for a Lagun swivel/ height adjustable table and used the same Corian top for the surface. The table mounts either in front of, or at the end of the sofa for multiple seating configurations All windows have built in insect screens/privacy blinds and are awning style acrylic.Double burner induction cooktop. Early days but we are loving it. Fast, easy to clean, and …..no propane ! Vents underneath are for the induction cooling fansToaster oven. Lois bakes bread so we opted for the toaster over vs a microwave. It’s been very handy.Bed is a full width ( 60”) queen. Scirocco fan ( folds down ) is at right and just visible is the heating duct that brings hot air from the diesel heater to the bedroom. Skylight above keeps this part of the van bright.Fridge is a stainless steel Vitrifrigo C130 ( 130 litre ) model with separate compressor. More space inside the fridge and easier access to the compressor ( behind big cabinet drawer ) in the event of any mechanical issue.Steps to bed are recessed into the mid-van bulkhead when not in use. Lower cabinet drawer to the right is the kitchen pantry which slides out for accessPantry extended.Steps to bed shown in the down position. Kitchen sink includes main faucet, dedicated drinking water faucet and soap dispenser on the end. Magnetic knife bar, spice rack visible on the kitchen wall.I promised Lois a closet ( I didn’t say how big ). Full shower with ( removable ) wet toilet and sliding ( vertical cassette ) Rol’dour waterproof fabric “door”. Shower pan was custom made of stainless steel with a lowered ( teak platform ) area for standing. Heat is ducted into the shower (beside the toilet) so that wet clothes can be dried when the door is closed. Think a very slow dryer ! Dedicated shower fan above. Shower finish is white acrylic.Boxed-in area under sofa is for the diesel heater and associated insulated ducting. Our 1100w air conditioning unit is stored in the large cutout area. Ordered too late for shipment to Canada , it will meet us in Australia.Shoe storage door below kitchen cabinet in doorwayCozy, but room for a few pairs……“Garage” area at rear of van under the bed. Batteries, electrical components and hot water tank behind doors on the left side. There is a 40 gallon custom made vertical fresh water tank behind the expandable ladder and 22 gallon internal waste water tank on the right. Thin vertical cutouts are for visual water level checks in the event the electronic systems fail. Both these tanks are inside as the garage is heated ( see duct at top left ) making 4 season camping possible. We survived -26.5 celsius crossing Canada and nothing froze in there. There is an additional 20 gallon ( 3 season ) waste tank under the drivers side of the van. We had expected there’d be room for 2 bikes. Not a chance with all the stuff we have since put in here !Victron 3,000 watt inverter charger and Blue Sea AC distribution panel in the main electrical cabinet.Secondary electrical cabinet contains other Victron electrical, and solar components (above) with the Whale electric water pump below. Pink antifreeze still visible in lines when this pic was taken. Enerdrive 40amp DC/DC charger on left.Indel 15 litre electric hot water tank. This can be configured ( and will be later ) to heat the vehicle water supply from the heat of the engine ( when it’s driven ). Well insulated, the water will stay hot enough for a shower all day. Ours is timed to automatically heat the water early in the am each day before we get up.Compressor is mounted inside the garage, controllable from rear wall of garage, right side.Compressor is mounted to the garage cabinet floor and is hard-wired to the van 12v system. Additional room in the cabinet is for general storage and spare parts.Left side of garage: 120v AC, USB, and 12v outlets, along with an external shower outlet.This cabinet usually contains our laundry bag, hung from the top. Dirty clothes can be dropped down a chute from beside the bed above. Visible below ( the orange box ) is a motorized ball valve that allows waste water ( from the tank beside ) to be released by an electric switch in the kitchen. No need to climb underneath and turn levers to empty the tank…!
In a nutshell, that’s our rig. We had the following priorities for the van itself:
A van that was sold all over the world with a configuration big enough to live in for extended periods
It had to have 4×4 ( high and low range ideally )
It had to be diesel
The Mercedes Sprinter 170 4×4, 3.0 litre V6 turbo diesel was the ONLY vehicle in Canada that met all three criteria. Choice was simple – and I have always admired them having met countless overlanders travelling with them over the past years
We also had certain requirements we needed for the internal layout/design based on years of past experience:
A toilet and shower
A north/south bed ( sleeping lengthwise in the vehicle, not “across” )
Induction cooktop – we wanted no propane given the shipping headaches and hassles of travelling abroad with it
Diesel heater
As much solar as we could put on the roof and a big lithium battery system to comfortably drive an electric water heater and induction cooktop ( and a small AIr Conditioner for when we are plugged in )
We managed to design it with all this included and are very happy with the layout so far. But, it’s early days. I’ll provide more commentary in the weeks ahead regarding the actual van build process ( perhaps over our Christmas/New Year break at home ) and a van “review” update a few months down the road- for now it’s time to enjoy what we have built !
We are Lois and Jeff, of Kelowna, BC, Canada. Recently retired with a serious overlanding travel bug, we hit the road in our truck camper in May 2019, initially tackling the Pan American highway. The PanAm completed in April 2022, and truck camper sold, we plan to continue exploring again later in 2022 in our Sprinter 4×4!
