On May 21, 1973 my wife and I set out on a 5,580 camping journey from Oxnard, CA to Glidden, WI. I had 30 days post-Vietnam leave between duty stations; Margie was 4 months pregnant; our RV was a ’71 VW Westphalia bus, without the pop-up. We are not tiny people, so this was to be a close-quarters adventure!
Our route took us through Big Sur; the Napa Valley; Oregon coast; Olympic Natl Park/Hoh River Rain Forest; ferry from Port Angeles to Victoria, BC (Butchart Gardens and afternoon tea at the Empress Hotel); Shuswap PP, BC; Banff NP (Lake Louise, Columbia ice fields); Jasper NP (moose, sheep and bears); Miette Hot Springs; Wabamun PP, AB; Edmonton; Elk Island NP (buffalo); Meadow Lake PP, SK (lots of mosquitoes); Prince Albert NP (bear again); Good Spirit PP, SK; Lnych’s Point PP, MB (ticks and rain); Winnipeg, MB; Rushing River PP, MB (more rain); Inwood PP, ON; Thunder Bay, ON; border crossing at Grand Portage, MN; Split Rock Lighthouse SP, MN; Gooseberry Falls SP, MN; Duluth, MN; and home to Glidden, WI.
Days on the road = 31; mileage = 5580; gasoline and RV miaint costs = $151.64; camping and accomodations = $120.50; food = $279.05; misc expenses = $25.85 for a total of $577.04, or $18.61/day, 10 cents per mile. Whew! What a ride!
Submitted by Allan Johnson of Minneapolis, MN as a part of the RV Centennial Celebration “Share Your Favorite RV Memory” contest.
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