Looks like a fantastic time! Kelly, you have started a GREAT tradition!

Here they are!

Thanks to all who attended and all who sent good wishes for the rally! I think it was a success! We will be doing it again next year but a week earlier so we can catch the end of Parksville Summer Fest and the sandcastle competition among other things. I will post pics I have once I figure out how! :-)

It sounds like you all had a good time. Congratulations, Kelly!  We will make it up your way one of these years.

Well it took a day to get settled but here are the pics of the group Sunday as we all prepared to depart.  Safe travels!

Cindy and I enjoyed meeting the fellow Lance owners at the rally.  This was our first rally and it was great to hear about the experiences of the other LOAers.  I enjoyed talking all things Lance trailer technical with Rick and Anita.  I have to say that the ferry systems to and from the island were fantastic.  Thanks to Kelly for hosting (and to whomever else helped with that).  Safe travels!

I arrived at the Duke Point terminal at 8:45 only to be told they were ticketing for the 3:15 sailing (with possible wait for the 5:45).  But fortunately they were wrong in my favor.  I nearly made the 10:15 and did make the 12:45 sailing.  I am now home safe and sound.

It was awesome meeting everyone and I want to join the chorus thanking Kelly for a wonderful rally.  Until next year!

Hi Lisa. Glad you arrived without incident. News story today forecasts Hwy 4 being fully open this Friday. Good to see Lou and Lily enjoying the tall timbers. Enjoy the west coast and safe travels. Rick and Anita

Hwy 4 travel was unevenful Sunday. Now hoping it is fully opened on Friday for return to Victoria and ferry. The campground at the golf course is actually great! No complaints. Rainforest visit today. Ucluelet and Wild Pacific Trail tomorrow.

We’re on the road soon to cross over to the island!  Looking forward to the “Island Life” and meeting fellow Lancers.

Looking forward to coming! Kelly, thanks for organizing!

So it is August already! We are getting closer to the first Vancouver Island Rally...AAAUUUGHH! Some items for your consideration:

1) We will do a meet and greet with adult beverages of your choosing, snackies and conversation on Wed the 23rd at my campsite (site #60). I will have two pop up tents in case of rain or too much sun, and some tables but please bring your chairs and anything you would like to share. I will have a few bottles of BC wines, and ciders for your tasting pleasure! Beer is up to you...not a fan here...sorry! The evenings will likely all be much the same at my spot with a propane fire and conversation freely available each night.

2) Potluck/Potlatch will be on Saturday evening. Bring what pleases you to share. I will be making my "famous" Dutch oven pineapple upside down cake for dessert and will probably do something for an entree as well (not sure what yet!).

3) Cowboy breakfast will be on Sunday am since many folks will be planning to pack up and leave that day. Bring leftovers to share but also consider bringing fresh bacon, sausage, chorizo, eggs, cheese, tortillas...and/or condiments. I will cook whatever comes my way in the giant plough disc wok my hubby made.

I will have plates, serviettes/napkins, basic cutlery, etc.to share. I also am bringing my propane fire pit in case we have a fire ban but can still use those.

In between these events it is up to you to find things to do...we will be right by the beach so beachcombing is a key activity...watching for whales and other sea life (yes you can see them from shore!), there is a mini golf and bumper boats place just down the road, whale watching tours, winery tours, Goats on the Roof and ice cream in Coombs, etc. etc. etc....

Plan to enjoy the 'Great White North' if you have not been to Canada before or even just enjoy the island lifestyle for a brief period of time. Come to relax and just kick back!  I am looking forward to seeing old friends and new!

Generally any fresh fruit I not allowed across. Limitations on tobacco and alcohol as well. Check the border crossing web page for specifics. Plenty of stores here! Looking forward to seeing everyone!

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Starting the last preparations for our journey to the rally.  Any recommendations on do's and don't bring with you (food, beverages, gear....quantities.). Is there a good border crossing web site (US to Canada) to be sure we don't have to donate to the local land fill.   Looking forward to our first rally!

I’ll second that.😊😊😊🇨🇦🇺🇸

This is the first one....hopefully we will have more!!

Aww...I have RV reservations in Saanichton and Nanaimo in July and didn't know about this rally; though still unsure if we will be making the July trip. Looks like this rally is/will be very popular so will plan for another trip up to Vancouver Island next August.

booked site 68 today - a few spots left

Enjoy your travels, see you in August.

Our plans are to ferry from Vancouver to the island (Horseshoe bay to Nanaimo), entering Canada a day ahead so customs shouldn't be an issue the day of.  Then to make the ferry cost worth it we depart 30+ days later from Victoria to Port Angles, staying the last few days in Victoria and taking the early ferry.  Research has shown us there is ample must see locations (reservations are made) from north to south and east to west on the island.  Looking forward to the trip!

I realized after I responded to your post that the Coho is the ferry line
and not the highway🙃.

On Thu, May 25, 2023 at 7:10 AM Lance Owners of America <
admin@lanceowners.org> wrote:

Hi Rodey29, Coho means the Blackball ferry MV Coho from Port Angeles.

As you are coming to the rally first, come up on the Coho, go to the rally, see Vancouver Island, take B.C. ferries to the mainland and then go to Banff etc. you turn have  numerous options for crossing the border when you go south. Osoyoos woukd be my choice as it gives you a tour of the Okanagan Valley. You have a great trip ahead of you. I hope you have made reservations in advance for campsites.

When you refer to the "Coho", is that the same thing as Hwy-101?  Sorry for all the questions....

Thanks for that Ian.  When we leave the rally we are heading to Banff. Are you advising that we go back through Port Angeles?  It seems that when we leave Vancouver Island and head to Banff we need to bite the bullet and take the ferry from Nanaimo to Horseshoe Bay or Point Roberts? 

Hi Ted, it is an easy decision, take the Coho coming up to Vancouver and enjoy the laid back highway to Port Angeles, the laid back ferry trip and the laid back clearing customs in Victoria. When you leave Vancouver take the B.C. Ferries and enjoy the hubbub of crowed loading docks and cafeteria lineups. When you head south to go home you can cross at Blaine and enjoy the 6 lanes of customs booths, the creeping traffic and really enjoy the wish you were back on the Coho clearing customs in Port Angeles. We have crossed on the Coho too many times to count and are thankful we have the choice. The Coho isn’t fancy and the cafeteria has limited choices but you get off relaxed and ready to go. See you soon. 🇨🇦🇺🇸

RV Trip Wizard is recommending I take the ferry from Vancouver to the island and not Port Angeles.  Any thoughts on the two options?

Thanks,
Ted

@Rodey29 posted:

Thanks everyone for the information.  We are looking forward to seeing our first Lance Rally.  How much time should it take to get through customs?  I'm sure it varies with time of day, the day, etc.  But should we budget for say 2-4 hours?  Or maybe there is just no way to know?

Having lived on the US Canadian Border (Blaine) and traveled through Canada to Alaska in and out of Canada/US, it depends on the border crossing you get, the agent, etc.  You can go to https://bwt.cbp.gov/ and look at the border crossing wait times to get an idea for where you want to cross and the time it will take.  

Enjoy your first Lance Rally, wish we could make it.

Thanks everyone for the information.  We are looking forward to seeing our first Lance Rally.  How much time should it take to get through customs?  I'm sure it varies with time of day, the day, etc.  But should we budget for say 2-4 hours?  Or maybe there is just no way to know?

I have been living on the island for almost a year now (will be a year in July) and am so very glad I made the move. It was the right thing for me. Beauty everywhere and great people to spend time with. So glad that many of you are coming and even more impressed that I do not have to a sales pitch! Thanks to all of you! Glad that I will be meeting some new faces and seeing some longstanding friends. Looking forward to it!

@SerKel posted:

The BC ferries are the way to go. They have seasonal changes (usually more sailings in the summer months) but typically the schedule is there already...you can get a reduced fare if you travel early in the am or late at night since those sailings are typically less full. They charge by the foot and will get out of the booth with their measure to see how long your rig is. It can be pricey but well worth it as the island is a beautiful place to be!

❤️ the BC Ferries. They do charge by the foot. Meaning from the front bumper of your TV to the back bumper (or ladder) of your TT. Can be kinda expensive, but they treat you well and have cafeteria on board, and some have cabins and movie theaters. Check out their other sailings as well. We took a circle ferry on the Sunshine Coast and island hopped from one port to another, camping at the Provincial Parks along the way. At one campground we were the only ones on the dock on the lake. We have also sailed from Port Rupert to Port Hardy. Literally an all day cruise. Sat on the back deck and watched the scenery. Hint; You see part of the inside passage. Sometimes if you’re lucky you can see whales.
Have fun! Vancouver island is beautiful and one of my favorite places.

We have travelled to the Coachella valley every year until Covid kept us home. Our usual route was a short drive from Gabriola to Victoria, clear customs at the Coho loading area in Victoria and then sail to Port Angeles where we had a cursory stop at US customs and the onto the 101, down the coast, over the Golden Gate and down the California coast to Santa Barbara and east into the dessert country. We often took 8-10 days and arrived in Desert Hot Spring just after New Year. We avoided the major highways and soaked up your country’s beautiful coastal highway.

After saying all that, if you have time try to see a bit more of Vancouver Island.

See you in August, I’ll have some hot blueberry muffins for you when you arrive and maybe some buckwheat blueberry pancakes for breakfast with Canadian maple syrup.😊🇺🇸🇨🇦

Thanks Ian - We live in the San Francisco Bay Area so this is a bit of a trip for us.  We currently plan to be at the rally two full days and then head up to Banff/Lake Louise and then south from there.  I did see a couple of reduced fares in the neighborhood of $173 CA for the trip from the island to Vancouver.

Hi Ted, We have travelled numerous times on both ferries. Travelling in peak season means peak pricers. The MV Coho has fixed prices on all sailings but some BC ferries have breaks on fares if you don't mind very early travelling. You need to goto the BC ferry website to see if any Fare Savers apply when you will be sailing. Reservations are a must for all ferries during peak season. Whenever we use the ferries we make sure it is worth the expense by staying a couple of weeks at our destination or destinations. We tow a 1995 with  a Toyota Tundra so  have the same fares you will experience. Hope to  see you at the Vancouver Island Rally. We live about 30 mi.les away so no real expenses for us on the Vancouver Island Rally trip.

Hello There-

I'm trying to put together a trip to attend the rally on Vancouver Island.  I would prefer to take the ferry from Port Angeles to the Island and then for departure take the ferry to Vancouver.  The ferry looks pretty expensive. Any suggestions on being efficient about coming over on the ferry and/or reducing the cost to ferry would be appreciated.  I have a Ford F150 towing a Lance 1985.

Thanks,
Ted

See you in August, a laid back program is what RV’ing is all about.

Hi folks...just checking in....we will be having a potluck on the Saturday...probably some impromptu gatherings each of the other nights. Of course, I have to do Serge's Cowboy Breakfast on Sunday before everyone packs up (or not!) and heads home or to points elsewhere on the island. As to the rest of the time...free for all! There are lots of activities you can become engaged in with everything from beach combing, mini-golf and a water park just down the street, restaurants galore (good seafood!), and whale watching tours. Take a look at the Parksville Chamber of commerce site for some other ideas. Just come and enjoy!

Is there a discussion thread for the rally that I missed?  We have reservations set pre and post rally.  Was wondering if there were going to be some scheduled events or will it be a free for all. 

Since I’m between rigs I’ve booked a room at a motel nearby.  I arrive the 22nd and will head out the 28th.  Maybe I’ll bring my ebike for the “commute”.

Looks like BC ferries to the Island from Vancouver and CoHo back to Port Angeles,  just cant book online yet.   Seems to have multiple times on the schedules both directions.  The fare is easier to accept when spending 30+ days on the island.

2/23/23

Kept an eye on the Ferries and we now have a boat ride reservations to and from the Island.