NC Washington State to UP of Michigan via Canada R/T

[dogre]

Howdy,

I'm a newbie to this forum and also to the small 'Toyboxes'. My spouse and I purchased one in late June, fixed it up and then took it on a 4700 mile road trip from north central Washington state, up into British Columbia, thru Canada to Saskatchewan, down into North Dakota, across northern Minnesota, Wisconsin, and then into the UP of Michigan. We returned via Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and then home. The reason we used a motorhome was so our 14 year old pooch, Homer, could make the trip with us. We named the vehicle "Homer's Roamer". The reason for the trip was to attend a memorial service for my mother and to bury her ashes.

Details. The vehicle is a 1991 Itasca Spirit. It is based on a one ton Toyota Hilux chasis (6 bolt axle). It has a V6 engine. It was a "grandpa's RV" that sat unused for 10 years. When we purchased it there were 42750 miles on the odometer. A thousand dollars + later we had new belts, hoses, tires, fluids, etc. Off we went.

There is a fairly steep learning curve to these vehicles. The cruise control and the overdrive of Homer's Roamer don't like each other as set up. Put the cruise control on at 60 and the overdrive kicks in at 60, then bogs down causing a constant shifting pattern. I finally gave up on the cruise control. My mileage then went up and the vehicle 'felt' better. The harder I pushed the engine the better the MPG. Go figure. Some of the best mileage per gallon we got was while laboring up high mountain passes. We averaged 13.7 MPG during the 4725 miles. Our worst tank was 9.6 MPG (burning crappy 15% methanol) and our best was about 14.9 MPG. The fuel gauge on our vehicle is suspect so I never drove over 200 miles to a tank. Lots of gas stops and chances to explore small towns.

As to the trip, here are a few observations:

1. Avoid popular places like Lake Louise and Banff during summer months. Same goes as to Mt. Rushmore. Way to many people with bad tempers and driving habits.

2. Find quirky places like Vulcan, Alberta, where you find oddities like a 'spaceship' visitors center that celebrates Star Trek. Drive those smaller back roads. They are usually smoother than the Trans-Canada Hwy.

3. When touring check the back of CENEX gas stations to see if they happen to have free waste dump sites (they aren't marked). They don't advertise them but they are free to use. Offer a couple of bucks to a local service club or charity to assuage your guilt.

4. NE North Dakota is very pretty, especially after SE Saskatchewan (you can actually see the curvature of the earth). Check the smaller towns for a township campground. Try the local foods like smoked turkey jerky, its great!

5. Most of those bright yellow fields are planted in canola, not mustard.

6. If you park in one spot for more than a day then check your clothing or food drawers to see if a mouse has moved in. We transported one from northern Michigan to central Washington by accident.

7. Boondocking tip, White River, SD has a very nice old camping park that is free and empty. If you have a long extension cord you can find power on light poles. Be ready for lots of grasshoppers. They don't bite but they sure smear your windows.

8. Be ready to listen to Harley Davidson motorcycles while transiting any where near Sturgis, SD (and a 300 mile radius) during late July or early August. They certainly reverb well in some of those steep walled canyons.

9. Hwy 40 in Alberta (southbround from the TCA), just east of Canmore and before Calgary, is incredible! I'm going back some time I don't have to meet a schedule.

10. Be responsible about going slow, get out of the way when you see others backed up behind you and be sure to enjoy the scenery.

Happy backroads to you!

Dave Oglevie

Chelan, WA

[motoyhomme]

Dave,

Sorry about the loss of your Mom so I guess it was kinda bittersweet trip, but I'm glad you gave your trip report. It sounded like an enjoyable trip otherwise, one that I would like to take. One of the reasons I bought my motorhome was so that my doggie (Kelsey) could take trips with us.

I love the name of your Toy, it fits perfectly. I usually name all of my vehicles, but every name I come up with for the Sunrader, my wife vetoes, saying it doesn't sound right for the Toy (and she named a boy dog, Kelsey?!).

Anyway we're happy you're a member and posted a nice trip report.

Happy Motoring,

Allen