Driving the Alaska Highway is considered by many the ultimate road trip. For us it meant not just that but also a great way to head to our new home and our new life in Anchorage. So, after saying our good-byes to our chosen family and friends in Victoria, B.C. and with Milepost and maps in hand, we set out for this adventure on The Roving Palace Flophouse and Grill (The Rove for short):

After a smooth sailing on BC Ferries we landed on the mainland and headed to Kelowna, our first stop. In our first 465 kilometres or so we went from the beautiful wet West Coast to the dry and warm Central Okanangan Basin.

We camped at Bear Creek Provincial Park and after a nice breakfast by the lake were ready to continue our journey. However, as one friend said, “it wouldn’t be a road trip without the drama”. As we were leaving town we heard a sudden thunk followed by some pretty bad noises coming from The Rove… it turned out we had to extend our stay in Kelowna for a couple of days due to a broken rear differential, so much for preventative car maintenance!

Thankfully we found a great car shop and left our beloved Rove in Ian’s hands (the owner, a super decent guy). The Venezuelan in me couldn’t help but see the glass half full: we were lucky this happened in town and not in the middle of nowhere, plus there are worse places to be ‘stuck in’ than Kelowna, that’s for sure! We found a hotel and a rental car and then proceeded to wander around for the next two days. After exploring a bit of the downtown and stopping at a few fruit stands, we opted for a visit to Mission Hill Family Estate. It was a beautiful, warm day; we enjoyed seeing incredible clouds forming and wonderful views of this region.

With its warm weather and beautiful lake, tasty fruit and relaxed atmosphere, Kelowna is certainly a great place to visit in the summer. However we were itching to continue our journey, so soon after The Rove was ready we were on the road again, but more on that in the following post!