Vancouver Island to Palm Springs Nov '17

[sitchintime]

Hey there, first winter snow-birding in 32' class A. Leaving Nov 1. Some questions we're wondering about:

1. Ferry - which one BC ferries thru Vancouver then on to I5
or
Blackball from Victoria to Port Angeles?
Any easier / quicker getting through the Border in Victoria (Blackball) vs Vancouver (Peace Arch)?

Route? I 5 all the way south or - cross over to 99 somewhere?

Then where? after 99

Weather /road conditions? I see recommendations to check road conditions on Tripcheck, and if need be, hunker down and wait for clear roads. I see 7 Feathers Casino recommended several places. Can't find coupon / discount anywhere?

thanks in advance for your guidance

[MikeO58]

We went to Portland from Palm Springs in Sept and did the 5 all the way. Some lousy sections of road naturally. When you get down the grapevine I would take the 210 which kind of goes around Los Angeles proper. Traffic is bad anytime in LA but worst weekdays 6 - 10 and again 2ish till 6 or 7. From the 210 go 10 east.
Safe travels

[Bob_C]

I-5 to Calif 46,just before Bakersfield, thru Bakersfield to 58, 14, 138,215, then 210, then 10 east........210 further up north going around LA will beat your stuff up!.......I'm leav'n next Saturday....If you're in Victoria, then take ferry to Port Angeles.....if further north on island, Dew point to White Rock (Twasann) spelling not correct...

[Rickas]

We traveled from Nanaimo south for years and found the easiest border crossing was the Sydney Anacortes Ferry. They used to have special rates for RV and much cheaper than BC ferries even with the exchange rate. Hassle free border cross too. The only thing is they have only 1 crossing per day but we stayed in Casino lot or RV park at Anacortes then headed to Seven feathers casino following day. Take the bypass around Seattle and we always traveled by Ferry on Friday or Sat so we did not hit Seattle traffic on weekdays. It can be brutal. We did both 1-5 and 99 crossover both OK. We stayed mostly casinos or Passport America RV parks(well worth the cost as saves you a lot of money especially if you are traveling around to a lot of different places. Try not to hit major cities in rush hour and take the bypass routes if there are any, Safe travels

[450Donn]

Take the blackball. Skip the horrible Vancouver traffic. Then you only have to worry about Olympia and Portland traffic. Try to get thru Portland between 10 and 2 and yoir good to go.
99 is a noce, but slow drive and there is really no reason to use it. You could cut over to 101 south of Eugene toward Reedsport and take 101 south from there. But then you might have to contend with the aftermath of the fires around Napa valley. Or you could cross the Cascades on 58 and take 97 south thru Klamath Falls, Alturus and 395 to Reno. Will be colder, but you all but bypass the 55MPH speed limit in CA.

[Bob_C]

Nanaimo closed and moved a little south to Dew Point.........I- 205 around Portland.....Calif 55 speed limit only applies if you're towing.......never have seen an RV there following the truck limit.....and most of those travel at 62...

[coachmanjay]

Agree with Bob Caldwell on taking 58 out of Bakersfield. 210 in LA is undergoing construction with lanes closed alternately in E or W direction. As an alternate take 99 in Sacramento to Bakersfield, not necessarily better but more options for stops/detours. There are limited off-ramps on I5 and if there is a problem you can be stuck for hours. We have stayed numerous times at Seven Feathers but have dot seen any coupons, but you get a discount with their casino players card. An economical alternate is Rolling Hills Casino in Corning.

[ruddpatter]

450Donn, we will be leaving Osoyoos, BC heading for Palm Springs. We have always taken 97S, then over to I-5 near Seattle and down. Your suggestion of taking 97S to Klamath Falls, Alturus and 395 to Reno and then presumably 95 to Vegas; are there significant mountain passes on this route? Our coach is a gas unit and I like to shy away from mountain passes like The Grapevine. Any suggestions and/or info on routes would be appreciated.

[distaff]

Glad to find this thread. I'm looking at the opposite route, Palm Springs to Portland and I don't mind the Grapevine, but I hate LA in a 42 ft MH pulling a Flex.

Curious - what is it like to skirt San Bernardino by taking 62 to Yucca Valley and 247 to Victorville, then 18 to join up with 138 to head into Bakersfield?

[Bob_C]

Why not the 10 to the 210, then I-5

[distaff]

Originally Posted by bob caldwell

Why not the 10 to the 210, then I-5

Bob - a couple of reasons. First I've been on those roads a few times and they are always busy if not jammed, nothing to see, and the I-5 up to the Grapevine wasn't in great shape.

I came south across the Mohave last year from Las Vegas and found it a delight compared to the interstate.

As I mentioned on the U.S. 101 from Portland to SF thread (thanks for the info on that one as well) - this year I'm hoping to have no reason to hurry. Having said that I have been on some regional roads where the surface was really bad so I like to learn from others where I can.

[Bob_C]

I don't use the 210 anymore either....to beat up....I travel in Nevada and Arizona as much as possible......state highways in much better shape

[distaff]

Originally Posted by bob caldwell

I don't use the 210 anymore either....to beat up....I travel in Nevada and Arizona as much as possible......state highways in much better shape

That is pretty much why I was thinking about going around the back to Bakersfield. Only concern is quality of the road or any surprises not obvious on Google Maps.

A map is no comparison to actually driving a road. Worst paved road I've ever been on outside of Africa was about 8 years ago - the interstate near Needles was so bad we had to stay below 30 mph in the motorhome. Normally you would look at a map and say "it is the interstate, how bad can it be?".

BTW we will be over in Vancouver WA this winter. We show dogs at the Expo center and have friends with dogs over in Vancouver. We usually stay at Jantzen beach. Nice park but they are a bit technologically backwards - they can't take a reservation for any calendar year before Jan 1 of that year. Luckily they are not usually very busy in January.

[Bob_C]

I've found it much more comfortable here in Quartzite Arizona for the winter....lol