Tracking Down Provincial Park Information

By some accounts, some of the most beautiful RVing can be found in Canada's provincial parks. Sad to say, it's not always easy to track down information about these Maple Leaf Gems. Herewith we present (or "herewith we pweesent, Mr. Wabbit), a short guide to provincial parks via the internet.

Alberta: Alberta Tourism, Parks, Recreation, and Culture. http://tprc.alberta.ca/parks/default.aspx

British Columbia: B.C. Parks. http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/

Manitoba: Manitoba Conservation. http://www.gov.mb.ca/conservation/parks/

Newfoundland: Environment and Conservation. http://www.env.gov.nl.ca/parks/parks/

Nova Scotia: Nova Scotia Provincial Parks. http://parks.gov.ns.ca/

Prince Edward Island: Prince Edward Island--The Gentle Island. http://www.gov.pe.ca/visitorsguide/index.php3?number=1010978

Saskatchewan: Saskatchewan Parks. http://www.environment.gov.sk.ca/saskparks/ParkInfo/

Photo: Peter Lougheed Provincial Park in Alberta, courtesy kipguenther on flickr.com

Planning Next Season's Canada Travel? Careful of Nova Scotia

“... For your safety, comfort and enjoyment we encourage you to use our fine assortment of campgrounds. We ask you not to camp or park your camping vehicle overnight in any area that is not designated as a campground (e.g. parking lots, shopping malls and beach areas). It is illegal to camp indiscriminately.” -- Official Nova Scotia Tourism Guide

Are you an 'indiscriminate camper?' In the eyes of provincial law you are, if you park anywhere but in a licensed campground. Boondock? 'Camp Walmart'? Stay in a "roadside rest area"? All these are no-nos and can get you a fine. It's a fine kettle of fish that not all RVers, particularly those from the 'lower 48' are aware of. In the eyes of many Canadian RVers, it's a "black eye" to their country and reputation for hospitality.

So if it's your intent to visit this maritime province, best to put aside a few extra dollars for staying on in one of the "fine assortment of campgrounds," that the tourism folks, and park owners, would love you to stay in.

To search for campgrounds, visit this official site.

Fall Color In Alberta's Rockies Beckons

While summer is definitely over, for RVers, the travel season goes on. Labor Day marks the end of the huge tourist season up north, and cool evenings march in, for those with recreational vehicles, a chilly night is nothing.

Now is a spectacular time for spectacular scenes through the Canadian Rockies. The aspens have gone to scintillating yellow, and the larch are adding to the beauty. If you like leaf peeping, this is the time to grab the binoculars and the camera. Add to that, wildlife watching is still a major draw. As the snow begins to flurry in the high hilltops, the critters are getting ready for winter. Elk are in the rut and the bears are getting the last of the season's berries prior to retirement.

An RV driving tour may be just the thing to see the countryside. The Icefields Parkway between Lake Louise and Jasper is spectacular--two mountain passes, waterfalls, iridescent lakes, and ancient glaciers. It's a 140 mile run full of viewpoints with fanciful names like Peyto Lake, Parker's Ridge, and Bow Lake. There's wildlife all along the route, and grizzlies are not uncommon along the shoulder of the road at Bow Summit.

We talked with Alberta tourism officials this morning. What can you expect from the weather? The days are running in the 50s and 60s, and the outlook for the next two weeks is great--only a couple of questionable days in the picture, other than that, smooth sailing.

Start your plans at Travel Alberta, but don't let the grass grow under your feet. When winter sets in, it's all over for a few months.

Photos courtesy Travel Alberta

RVer's Motorhome Impounded Over Canada Gun Violation

The moral of the story may be: Don't lie to the customs folk.

James Yarbro, a church elder from Alabama should have known better than to "fib" about packing a pistol when he and his wife pulled off the ferry in Nova Scotia. The 67 year old had already one chance to come clean: When rolling his motorhome onto the ferry he had to fill out a form that declared he was not carrying a firearm. He checked the box that indicated he wasn't. His last chance was when he spoke to Canadian officials who directly asked if he was carrying a weapon. Nope.

Not quite: Customs officials who inspected Yarbro's motorhome found a .357 magnum in the overhead compartment not far from the driver's seat. That's a no-no north of the Lower 48. Yarbro found out it isn't nice to fib to the officers. Mr. Yarbro's motorhome was impounded by the Maple Leaf officials; Yarbro himself had to appear in the Queen's court to explain his behavior.

After pleading guilty to failing to report his weapon, Yarbro paid a $500 fine. That was far from the end of the matter: He was nicked an additional $500 for failing to safely store the weapon; and to get his motorhome back, Yarbro had to pony up an additional $1,000. It's not clear whether Yarbro ever got his big pistol back. Reporters met the Yarbros at the ferry dock as they headed back to Maine. It might be understandable that when queried about his exploits, Yarbro commented: "I just really don’t want to talk to you anymore," he said. "I want to get home and I don’t want to talk to anybody up here about anything else."

Before carrying a weapon to Canada, visit the official website on these matters.