Author: bdvano

Preparations!

In October 2018, we travelled to Enderby, B.C. to take possession of our new Armadillo! Mike and Jason were saints as they went over every single detail of the trailer. Mike patiently listened to my questions and explained the “ins and outs” of this beautiful rig. Debbie was so impressed that they had taken the time to put the package together using her choices of colours, materials and all the “add ons” that we wanted. Needless to say, even though the Armadillo is small it has all the comforts of home and the “fit and finish” is impeccable. No veneer or wallboard here – all marine plywood and top of the line components. The craftsmanship is excellent and we are truly impressed. I was totally impressed with the large storage drawer under the trailer that is so functional and easy to handle.

Kitchen
Rear Dinette/bed
Front Dinette/bed

After spending the afternoon going over the trailer, I registered and insured it and Debbie and I spent the evening, stocking it with food and necessary items to get us back to Nanaimo, B.C. We camped at the Riverside campground in Enderby, checking out, trying the stove and the heater and the water and plumbing systems. Everything worked well and we enjoyed a great first sleep in our trailer. The following day we left Enderby and began our trek back home. We decided to take the southern route back, travelling through Vernon, Kelowna, Kerameos to Princeton. That second night, we decided to boondock on the side of the river just a few miles east of Princeton.

The next morning I felt very sick, with a cold and a slight fever. We could not go through Princeton without dropping into our long time friend Pat. We called her and told her to “put the kettle on” and spent a wonderful few hours with her and showed off our new trailer. We also made the decision to push onward towards the coast and said goodbye to our dear friend. After a few hours and crawling down Allison pass behind a very heavy loaded transport truck we decided to stay overnight in Manning Park and give me a bit of a rest. The camping areas were closed, but we were allowed to stay overnight in the day camp beside that lake. After setting up the trailer, we took a walk by the lake and I took some medicine and crawled into bed. Debbie enjoyed her novel and the scenery while I rested.

Manning Park Day Camp

The following morning, weather was cloudy and drizzling but our spirits are high and I am feeling a little better. We enjoyed a great breakfast, Debbie learning the stove and taking notes on what cooking items she needed. We left Manning Park around 11:00 AM and were soon passing Hope and onto the freeway to Vancouver. The Armadillo and the Santa Fe are working well as a unit, with no real noticeable rise in fuel consumption. The handling at high speed (90 – 100 Kmh), was secure and stable, and braking is a non issue. The trailer has electric brakes and are set up and are responding accurately. We will have to purchase mirror extensions as the view to the rear is somewhat limited.

Boarding the BC ferries brought us to the last leg home. The rig brought a lot of attention from some of the ferry travellers and several people reminisced about the Boler and their past experiences. It was a good feeling to bring the trailer into the driveway and the plans to begin equipping it for our cross country trip. We can hardly wait!

The Plan

After we had agreed to the fact that we would go across Canada, many questions and ideas came into our conversations. How long were we going for, how would we travel, what about our house, what do we want to see, how much would this cost? These questions just kept coming and our brainstorming became a wonderful experience. After many hours of discussion, research and compromise we came upon the following plan.

  1. We were going for six months.
  2. We wanted a small carbon footprint.
  3. We would either lock up the house or rent it.
  4. We would kayak and mountain bike in the different places that we visit.
  5. We would visit the various quilt shops across Canada,(Debbie).
  6. We would pick our way across Canada with no restrictions as to time or distance.

And so the plan began to materialize.

We decided we would start the trip in May and return home before the winter. We both had some commitments in November, so that would be the time we would need to return.

As for transportation, we attended RV trade shows, dealerships, cruised the Internet and finally decided on a travel trailer,(small one). The trailer of our choice for our needs would be an Armadillo trailer. The Armadillo is a modern version of the classic Boler trailer. They are built in Enderby, B.C. and after checking the website, we decided to visit the plant and placed our order in May 2018.

But we had to buy the vehicle to tow it with! That also became a journey of compromise. We had decided on an SUV. We again visited dealerships of every make of SUV and settled on purchasing a brand new Hyundai Santa Fe, sport turbo. We traded in our passenger car and took possession of the Santa Fe, in October 2018.