Bears or Bust 2022 with my Bronco and home/selfbuilt camper

[Boreal]

Warning: Photo Heavy

Quick Links: Part 2, Part 3, Part 4. My Instagram

Total on the ODO - 16,220kms. Averaged 14.5L/100kms

There is nothing like taking your new rig on a journey to get to know one another. My 22 BL arrived in July and I hit the pavement Late August after an oil change and a last minute camper suspension rebuild. This trip was intended to be the scenic route leaving from Winnipeg, MB and ending up in Alaska, plot twist, I never got there. At least we are nothing but adaptable, but lets get into it. This thread may be photo heavy, I hope you have a good data plan. Join me on the seven week adventure, the full photographic experience can be found under the Bears or Bust tab on my site - HERE. Disclaimer for our southern friends, all locations are in Canada!

I spent the month previous to departure prepping the Bronco and my home/selfbuilt camper. It pulled nicely behind the rig, 7 pin pass through power doesn't appear to be high amperage for charging the camper batteries but its better than nothin. First stop was Regina, SK... checking the hubs at each fuel up. All good.

Learning how to live on the road. I must've repacked the rig and camper every second night along the journey, the weather was varying and so was the clothes/gear required. Stocked up on food and the following day headed down south to the East Block of Grasslands National Park. I setup camp with the other adventurers and got on with figuring this solo tripping out... Now, September in the prairies is traditionally cool and wet. This was not the case when I stepped out into the desert 40º (104F) air. Like the midday heat, the views are breathtaking.

The East block was mostly landscapes, buttes, and hot vibes. Nothing as far as wildlife goes but I would like to head back for Spring. Off to the West Block of Grasslands, 200kms away or so. First on my wildlife list was the Burrowing Owl, these little buggers are the same approximate shape and colour as the Black Tailed Prairie Dog and they borrow the burrows to boot... tough to find but a lifer is worth it. The Burrowing Owl used to be a regular occurrence in MB until industrialized farming/Ag tilled the land and forced them out.

A couple hikes, hawks and hops and I was back onto #1 and off to Calgary, AB to say hi to some friends. The last great storm rolled through, providing a light show like I haven't seen in years. The route from Calgary was up through Banff, thru 1A to Icefields, Up through to Jasper and back out aiming north towards Grand Prairie, AB to meet up with another MB expat. This portion, like all portions contained many hikes and viewpoints. Seeing old friends and making new ones is all in the adventure, talking with locals and regular campers to find hidden gems proved to be quite valuable. Everyone is so nice in the bush, I guess you are surrounded by like minded peeps eh?

Right before I left, I got the rig naked. Driving with no doors and roof is nutty. I love it. however I was not prepared for the euphoria of driving through mountain passes with the panels off. The Bronco was made for mountain roads, and ever single portion of the trip lead me to a better viewpoint as the vehicle allowed me to go to places I never knew were possible.

After hitting up some of the hotspots, cough cough Peyto cough, and skipping others, Cough Moraine. I got up to the Icefields to some new-to-me roads, from here on out, it is all foreign territory. There were a few waterfalls planned for a full day on 93A around Jasper... again, I am nothing but flexible, apparently, because the hike and descending drive at Mount Edith Cavell rewarded me with a Northern Hawk Owl family and a Bull elk with his Harem! How good.

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[Boreal]

With a banger of a photo hike session in Western AB completed it was time to head up towards AK, but not before a quick visit with a bud in GP, AB. We ventured back south for a hike in Grand Cache, AB where Sulphur Gates left us stunned! There wasn't much time to rest, the AK HWY was calling and I must go. But not before a coolant top up... y tho?

There was a plane leaving from Anchorage in a few days with my name on one of the tickets. Before we got in a hurry, I did schedule a night over at Liard River Hotsprings.. the natural pools, the natural water, the natural bogs... a glorious habitat and hot spring. Just when you think you have a cool rig, someone else has something bigger and cooler. Loads of people with loads of money, truck bed campers, pull behind teardrops, school bus converts, quarter million dollar RV's, and Unimog-esque military euro rigs were not uncommon in the Yukon.

Next up along the Alaskan Hwy was Whitehorse and eventually Destruction Bay before I reached the Beaver Creek border crossing. Plus you never know what you might see!

Phew, that was a long drive up to Destruction Bay, YK. The reception was bad, the roads worse. Nevertheless we press on, almost 6,000kms in and the bronco hasn't broken a sweat hauling the 2000lb load. They've both been fantastic thus far, even with catching air back at the Lake Louise Texas Gate on 1A (Cattle Guard). Tomorrow AK!

BUT NOT SO FAST. The call comes in that the guides for the Katmai portion of this journey have gotten ill, are unable to fly out and the AK section is cancelled.

Well, absolutely zero point in dwelling on it. A quick trip re-plan, touch base with family and I was back on!

New plan, up to Dawson City, YK and Tombstone Nat'l Park! There has got to be some gold up in Dawson worth seeing... and Tombstone, never heard of it, but it sounds inviting, don't ya say? The Bronco wasn't the only wild horse on the tundra!

The roads are built on Permafrost... it had rained for 6 weeks. It continued to rain, and even snow in the upper hills. I didn't know what to expect when coming here, but it wasn't a flourishing, vibrant landscape! Perhaps gray bland barren land... the only thing that fit the description was the bronco and the camper after a heavy coating of dirt.

Moody foggy vibes. Waterfowl, Swans, Willow Ptarmigan, Peregrine Falcons, even a Gyrfalcon (sadly, not photographed) were spotted! Unfortunately there wasn't any big game to be found amongst my time up north. Four days of camping and exploring left me soaked, out of clothes and out of food. For the third time I found myself heading back south to Whitehorse where I would meet some of the friendliest world travellers that you could ever come across. Each rig was unique, from home built to military retrofit. These homes on wheels were simply HUGE.

Well Yukon, it was an impromptu blast; Till next time. Its time to hit up some uncharted waters!

 

[Boreal]

Again, sorry for all the Images. This is only a fraction of the 35,000+ taken over the course of the trip.

HELLO NORTHERN BC. Fall is chasing me down from the Yukon. After hitting up a Timmies, checking in with the fam, restocking, washing, planning and repacking I was ready to move on and really slow down now that there is zero scheduled pressure. Watson Lake has a great truck stop by the Signpost Forest, check that out if you are bombin around! Since we are doing the scenic tour, lets make it a real good one... Stewart has some cool ecology. My family has always raved about Prince Rupert, maybe it was Prince George... I don't know, add them to the list... Have you ever heard of the Nisga'a Region? Neither had I, guess what, its a volcano with a lava field and culturally charged heritage, it seems geographically cool.. what's not to like. Lets go to all of them! Interior BC, here I come.

The Nisga'a locals have a guided hike to the Tseax Volcano Cone, well worth listening to the tribe member discuss the history, the folklore, the tragedies, the future and the politics.

Being able to meet and travel alongside Julia, Walter and Wilma (Pup) from Germany in their home on wheels was a moment I won't forget. As im writing this they have made their way down along the PNW and recently arrived in Baja, Mexico! Best of luck you guys!

Everything is simply stunning, the land, the species, everything we have in our backyard... is it weird to say that travel makes you appreciate things more?

To get into the Tweedsmuir/Bella Coola region you need to descend through Heckmans Pass down The Hill - 17 kms of switch back @ ~20% grade. The Bronco was kept in 2nd gear and the brakes were used as needed... till they faded; The 2000lb trailer pushing down washboard single lane gravel did not help the case. I pulled over at about 14kms and let the smoking pads cool for 15 minutes before continuing the final descent.

Finally, its Bear Time!

After a couple of "unbearable" days, I decided to try a 4x4 trail to "PURGATORY". Let me tell ya, it felt like heaven when we arrived at the viewpoint!

While I was out of service camping, my mother, who was upset for me that Katmai got cancelled, lined up a session at "Bear Camp". Unbeknownst to me, when I arrived back in connectivity she said head to the Chilco. So I did what any good son does, follow their parents advice, especially for some good Bears. Little did I know at the time what roads laid ahead, if you thought Yukon or Nisga'a roads were bad.. The Chilcotin and Tweedsmuir areas wanna toss their names in the ring.

Like all good things, this too must come to an End. There isn't a ton of fitness required to photo bears eating and luckily for me, the final segment of this trip had many Km's lined up.

 

[Boreal]

Coming out of the Interior took some time, wether it was the soul holding on or me being gentle on the rig after the battle thus far, I couldn't tell ya. While the end is near, there is lots to go. Old friends in Kelowna, and Revelstoke; New friends in Kananaskis await. BC has no shortage of trail heads, waterfalls or good vibes. Next up on the way to K-Town is Wells Gray, the waterfall park! Lets hope I don't end up on how to make a murderer.

Didn't die, I mighta felt a cold shiver on my neck at some point though. I hope buddies cat tax will suffice for those who prefer these little crackheads over dogs... my god. Some genius thought it would be smart to go and cycle the Kettle Valley Railway on his rest day, it didn't disappoint to be fair! After driving the 4x4 trail to purgatory, some logging trails to waterfalls I opted to explore the trails up in the hills behind the KVR. The Badlands used its skids for the first time! To some, off-roading is a way of life... to me, its a brand new way of exploring.

After a proper rest day (only because I was driving) I found myself partying in Revelstoke at night and up among the Glaciers during the day! Glacier Nat'l (Canadian Version) left me with some mixed feelings... Sore, Hungry and heartbroken come to mind. Ive gone 15 years and I finally dropped a lens... oops. She just got rebuilt by Nikon, so not a complete loss; its only money after all. Otherwise, another round of stunning views.

At this point in the Fall the #1 was shut down at Golden, BC and everyone was being routed south through Radium. Why not detour the detour? Down to Lussier Hotsprings I Go! Eventually I found my way up and out to Canmore, AB where I metup with some new found friends during the Icefields portion weeks back. Yanick, Meghan and Josie! He has an older 4R on Elkas and 33's, a complementary build to the Badlands. The dude took me proper wheeling, what a rush that gives you! I can see why you guys love to hang out in Utah.

The trip is coming to a close, what a journey its been. The OLM is nearing 0%. Tires were rotated half way through in bear country with a scissor jack. The fuel tank was filled approx. 935 times (kidding of course)... Battle scars were earned, photos were taken. Food was eaten and memories were made. I couldn't have asked for a trip of this duration to go much smoother than it did. The Bronco performed and exceeded all expectations, allowed me to explore and drive to newer heights than ever before. As the final day nears I check in with the initial Calgary friends one more time, walk a few parks and shoot the Flames vs Jets.

Life is what you make it, and its safe to say we are making the best of it. If you see me out on the road, come say Hi!

Keep on moving you guys, never stop. Thanks for letting me share my photo heavy tour of western/northern Canada. 16,220kms added to the ODO and I wouldn't skip a single one. 50ºC swing from 40ºC in shorts to Merino base layers and sleeping in a tent in bear country at -10ºC. All of these sights and sounds and not a single tire puncture - Perfect. Till Next time.

Cheers, Colby

 

[Lifeliberty]

Amazing, keep it up!

 

[Ramble_Offroad]

Photo collection of the year. Well done! Looks like that was an epic adventure.

 

[Karl_in_Chicago]

Geez, I'm just going to keep coming back to look at those photos. Thanks so much for sharing.

 

[Fedexman1978]

This was fantastic! Thanks for sharing your adventures with us!

 

[SubmarineNuke]

some really great images there....looks like a great trip, and time for a new windshield!

 

[Robe81]

I once took a "drive" from Anchorage to the Florida panhandle. Looking at your pictures makes me really wish I had invested in a better camera at the time. Very cool collection!

 

[KABQ]

Absolutely gorgeous! Don't apologize for being photo-heavy, that's what we want to see! Thank you so much for taking the time to share with us.

 

[Cwill79]

Amazing. Thanks for sharing. Those pictures are unreal.

 

[broadicustomworks]

Simply breathtaking photography and stories.
A trip to be envied.
Congratulations on being able to do this, and glad to hear all made it safe and sound, save a few battle scars it seems on the rig.
I know nothing of the areas you spoke of but desperately want to do some research and mapping, see for my own eyes the areas you spoke of here.
BC and western Canada are definitely on my radar now.
Thanks for including us in your tale and thanks for the amazing pictures.
I'll definitely be sharing this thread with my wife later on, priming the pump so to speak for some distant adventure in the future.

 

[SubmarineNuke]

I once took a "drive" from Anchorage to the Florida panhandle. Looking at your pictures makes me really wish I had invested in a better camera at the time. Very cool collection!

right...I have an "old" Nikon D300s that I haven't pulled out in a bit, and haven't turned on my PC to edit photos in about 4-5 years...but they take some much better photos than your cell phone. Cell phone is great because it's right there and easy, but dang if a DSLR doesn't make amazing photos and can be tweaked so much nicer in Photoshop.

 

[Ike89]

Spectacular, simply spectacular.

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