Runnin' with the Devil || Inuvik to the Baja in a '91 Toyota HiAce

[ideam]

Van Halen is a kitted-out 1991 Toyota HiAce 4x4 2.8L Diesel.

My wife, two small dogs and I left life behind in Calgary in June for a one-year journey from Inuvik to the Baja. Our blog can be found at http://www.vanhalen91.com

We are in Whitehorse on the way back South after spending our first two-months working our way through the Rockies, across BC to Haidai Gwaii, then up the Stewart-Cassiar through the Yukon and completing the Dempster. We are currently enjoying the gold that is free WiFi in the WalMart parking lot in Whitehorse and starting to shift our mindset southwards towards the second stage of our adventure through the US and into Mexico.

Here are some of the highlight pics thus far. The Expedition Portal Forum was a source of inspiration and ideas during the years of planning, waffling, and implementing that fed the final initiation of our journey and I can only hope that some of our photos will help push someone over the edge towards new destinations of their own!




Canoe Reach - Kinbaset Lake, BC



Salmon Glacier, BC (Stewart/Hyder)



Rennel Sound, Haida Gwaii



Highway 16 near Prince Rupert



Ootsa Lake, BC - Van Halen on the Right



140 Kms to Inuvik



Van Halen on The Dempster in the north end of Tombstone National Park

http://www.vanhalen91.com

 

[digitaldelay]

Awesome! Your blog looks great, even on mobile. I will be sure to give it a more thorough read tonight on desktop. Safe travels!

Jason

 

[mtnbike28]

Nice van and start to the trip... cool your continued use of Van Halen info on the blog

 

[zzz150]

hey nice pics! hope you two are still having a blast. thanks again for the hike in tombstone and the wonderful dinner afterwards! i got a couple pics of you from the hike, if you want them let me know. i'm now near fort simpson. now is your turn to bump my thread to the top!! B

 

[ideam]

Telegraph Creek

Thanks fellas! I appreciate it!

A few days ago we made the trip out to Telegraph Creek as we had skipped it on the way up North. This is the first-ever road built in the Cassiar Mountains and one of the more stunning section of road we have travelled on - 20% grades, switchbacks and vertical edges abound. Built in 1922, it is said that trucks took between 1 and 3 full-days to make the 112 km trip in the early times.

Telegraph Creek was established during the 1860s as a result of the Cassiar and Yukon Gold-rushes. It was a major hub of the area at the time but has since devolved into a what feels like a ghost town in the lower townsite.



Telegraph Creek, BC - Townsite



Section of Telegraph Creek road gaining elevation in Tahltan River Valley



Road above the Grand Canyon of the Stikine



Winter Creek Recreation Site. (Also a First Nations Fish Camp)




Graves from 1906 and 1917 overlooking the Lower Townsite

A worthy destination - the drive is fun and interesting and the old grave-site is fascinating.

___
www.vanhalen91.com

 

[zzz150]

Hey! How are you two and doggies doing? Hope the clunks in the front of your van turned to be a straight forward fix. I blew a $400 tire yesterday..! Dunno where i will be able to pick up a new one.

I find myself near prince rupert this eve.. Went a little ways up the cassiar hwy then turned off at the nass forest rd and cut across to the lava bed, more back country goodness. My truck has been taking more abuse as time passes..

Hasnt been much sun since getting into bc! But everyday is still awesome!

 

[escadventure]

Watching... Nice pics.

 

[ideam]

Lillooet - Gold Bridge - Pemberton

We spent the last week in Southwestern BC taking the road from Lillooet along Carpenter Lake to Gold Bridge then down the Hurley FSR to Pemberton. There are endless miles of backcountry roads in this part of the province and most of it is in quite rugged condition as there isn't much active logging in the area anymore... it's in these sorts of areas that we wish our trusty Van Halen had more HP and better suspension. Highly recommended for anyone in a true off-road setup.

Here are a couple pics from this latest leg.





At Tyaughton Creek on Carpenter Lake

___
www.vanhalen91.com

 

[ideam]

Vancouver Island - North Cascades - Central Oregon

We left Vancouver Island on September 22nd and crossed the US border at the Peach Arch. After a night in Burlington, WA in the Home Depot parking lot we followed beautiful Highway 20 through the North Cascades in Washington then made our way south via Highway 97 across the Columbia and into Central Oregon before crossing east into Idaho.

Here are a few highlight pics from along the way - a couple must do's for overlanders include the North Cascades National Park in Washington, the Deschutes River Valley in Northern Oregon (and Deschutes Brewery in Bend, OR), Crater Lake in South Central Oregon (which is as touristy as Banff but far more worthwhile) as well as the Owyhee Canyon in Eastern Oregon.

http://www.vanhalen91.com



Diablo Lake - North Cascades, WA



Maple Pass - North Cascades, WA



Cle Elum Lake - WA



Hiking up the Deschutes Valley - OR



Crater Lake - OR



Owyhee Canyon - OR



Owyhee Reservoir - OR

www.vanhalen91.com

 

[Scurvy]

great pics, silk road autos in vancouver sells some pretty cool vans imported, looks like a blast

 

[bitoy]

Can we have more pics of the van pls? Safe journey to both of you.

 

[ideam]

Thanks bitoy. Here are a few shots of the interior.

I opted to build an outdoor kitchen of sorts - inspired by some of the smaller camping trailer designs that are becoming more and more popular. ie. http://www.camper-van-fun.com/orego...d-teardrop-trailers-kits-and-accessories.html http://inhabitat.com/uev-440-off-ro...rything-from-wine-glasses-to-flat-screen-tvs/







The 40L Engel fridge has been worth its steep price - low battery draw and highly reliable. There is no operable sink back there but we keep a folding basin for dishes etc - a sink does exist but I removed the pump and it has been more valuable as storage space (we keep a snug-fitting rubbermaid bin inside of it). We've had no real desire for one thus far and I wouldn't want to deal with the grey-water storage or any leakages issues that come along with.

These fantastic quiality molle panels from Blue Ridge Overland allow us to keep small, more important things in some semblance of order. Highly recommended. http://www.blueridgeoverlandgear.com/molle-panels-s/1845.htm



We've been using bins for our clothes and gear. Keep a 20L/5G water jug with a pump, and have the barbeque within a bin that sits between the back seats with a table-top that I fashioned to it. I installed the roof rack and Yakima box just before we left which stores the inflatable canoe, fishing gear, lifejacks, a couple extra parts and the beloved anti-gravity chair.



As you'd imagine, the interior fills up quickly and is hard to keep tidy when you have 2 people and 2 dogs living it for months on end... We sleep up in the pop-top which, which is just long enough for a guy at my height (~5' 11") - I wouldn't want to sleep up there if I was over 6'.

As Scurvy mentioned - there is a group called Silk Road Auto out of Richmond, BC that regularly imports similar vans... We got our from an import dealer in Victoria that had just brought it over directly from Japan back in December 2008 when the economy had crashed. He was struggling to find a market for it so we ended up lucking out price-wise. Since then I've dropped in another $10K or so worth of upgrades and repairs (http://vanhalen91.com/aboutthevan)

We've only seen one RHD (a Mitsubishi Delica) since crossing the border... but these RHD vans are all over BC and Alberta now. I think the regulations vary state to state on whether they are allowed to be brought into the US? Seems like there would be a market down here as we have had numerous people strike up a conversation with us wondering where they can get their hands on something similar.

 

[WanderingJim]

Unfortunately we in the States have to wait until vehicles not originally sold here are at least 25 years old before we can import them for street use.

 

[Herbie]

Great van and looks like a great trip!

If you pass through San Diego on your way south, drop me a PM and I'll swap you a beer for some stories!

 

[ideam]

Great van and looks like a great trip!

If you pass through San Diego on your way south, drop me a PM and I'll swap you a beer for some stories!

Thanks Herbie! Might have to take you up on your offer when we return North up the West coast in March. Cheers

www.vanhalen91.com
1991 Toyota HiAce - 2.8L 4x4