Western Canada / USA, 2004: Third Annual HU Travellers Meeting
Revelstoke BC, Canada, September 10-12, 2004
2004 CanWest Meeting Report
You can meet people who don't think you're crazy for wanting to ride your bike to South America or Africa or across Asia, or even around the world! Admit it, all your 'normal' friends and most of your family fears for your sanity! So, this is your opportunity to meet the people who will encourage you in that craziness, share their experiences and advice on how to do it, and maybe you'll meet them again in Mongolia or Timbuktu!
Want to know what people thought of the 2003 Meeting? Is it worth coming to the Meeting? See their comments here.
2004 Photos below
The Plan
Rally Location - Where is it?
Camping
Information about the area
Local hosts, information
The Plan
The general plan as usual was simple. People started showing up Wednesday, the rest filtered in over the next couple of days, with the bulk arriving Friday. Slide shows ran Friday and Saturday night, and given the crummy weather Saturday afternoon, we had a great turnout for tech seminars, a great one on dealing with flat tires and how to prevent them by Dick Fish, and Grant's "how-to do the big one" on Saturday afternoon.
2004 speakers:
- Grant Johnson - 3 hour presentation/discussion on "How YOU can do it" on Saturday afternoon.
- Doris Maron, Canada, around the world.
- Martin and Katja Wickert, Germany, en route Alaska to Ushuaia, will talk about "How to leave" it all behind and just go.
- JD Smith, USA, through North and South America
- Uwe Krauss and Ramona Eichhorn, Germany, around the world
2004 Poster in pdf format (884kb) full colour.
The Meeting Location
Revelstoke BC, Canada. A "year round playground nestled between the spectacular Selkirk and Monashee Mountains" in southeastern BC. Campground meeting point is Williamson's Lake Campground. More details below.
Getting There -
410 km West of Calgary , Alberta on Hwy 1. Travel time approx 4.5 hours. Follow Highway 1 from Calgary to Revelstoke.
565 km North East of Vancouver , BC on Hwy 1 & 5. Travel time approx 6 hours. Follow Hwy 1 to Hope, then take Hwy 5 (Coquihalla Toll Hwy) to Kamloops. From Kamloops, follow Hwy 1 to Revelstoke.
715 km North East of Seattle , Washington on Hwy 1 & 5. Travel time approx 8 hours. Take I-5 to Bellingham then Hwy to Sumas Washington, and up to Hwy 1. Follow Hwy 1 to Hope, then take Hwy 5 (Coquihalla Toll Hwy) to Kamloops. From Kamloops, follow Hwy 1 to Revelstoke.
480 km North of Spokane , Washington on Hwy 6. Travel time approx 6 hours. Follow Hwy 95 north to Hwy 6, to Salmo BC. Take Hwy 3 from Salmo to Castlegar, then take Hwy 3A towards Nelson until Hwy 6. Follow Hwy 6 to Nakusp, and then Hwy 23 to Shelter Bay Ferry. After the ferry crossing, take Hwy 23 to Revelstoke.
The "Official" Campground / Meeting spot:
Williamson Lake Campground, 'a beautiful lakeside setting away from highways & railroads,' about 3.5 km from town - C$20 per head for two nights AND two breakfasts. Be sure to mention the Horizons Unlimited Rally when making reservations to get the special deal. Reservation contact details s here.Facilities:
Tenting, Cable TV, Flush Toilets (clean!), FREE Hot Showers, Canoe & Paddleboat Rentals, Playground, Safe Sandy Beach, Swimming, Picnic Area, Fire Pits, Barbecue, Volleyball, Concession, Laundry Facilities, Wir Sprechen Deutsch
Location and contact details:
1818 Williamson Lake Road - Box 1791
Revelstoke BC V0E 2S0
Phone: (250) 837-5512
Toll Free: 1-888-676-CAMP
Website
Other Accommodation Possibilities
The 2003 venue was the Powder Springs Inn, but we filled it to capacity and a little over, so this year we will be doing the slide shows and Saturday night dinner at the Mt. Mackenzie Playhouse. Directions to it will be at the Campground when you sign in.
We have negotiated a rate of C$59 for rooms including breakfast at the Powder Springs Inn for those who prefer not to camp. Be sure to mention the Horizons rally when you book! Check out their website for contact details.
Revelstoke accommodation choices are varied, from camping, bed & breakfast, resorts and hostels. The best source of information and links seems to be the Revelstoke Chamber of Commerce site - Revelstoke Vacation Guide - Accommodations.
Revelstoke lodge would like to offer their services:
"I read an article in our local newspaper that you were in Revelstoke Sept. 5-7/03. I do hope your group had a great time touring British Columbia and enjoyed our small mountain community. I am the Marketing Director of the Revelstoke Lodge... our website address is www.revelstokelodge.com
Regards, Ingrid Boaz, Marketing Director, Revelstoke Lodge"
Information about the area
Attractions include two national parks, three hot springs resorts, golf club, a railway museum, hydro dam and a miniatureland. So plan to come and spend a few days here!
Revelstoke Vacation Guide
Revelstoke Vacation Guide - Deutsch
Tourism BC
Mt. Revelstoke National Park
Glacier National Park
Revelstoke City
Local Hosts
Carol Palladino and Peter Cameron are co-organizers of this event. Thanks Carol and Peter!
Short History of the Horizons Unlimited Travellers Meetings
Susan and I started the Horizons Unlimited Motorcycle Travellers Meetings in May of 2001 while we were living in the UK, with an event held in our backyard in Slough. That first event had almost 40 people show up, and we were especially pleased that some came from as far away as Norway!
In 2002 we had moved back to Canada, so we organized a meeting in Nairn Falls, British Columbia, and also asked Chris Bright and Glynn Roberts if they would organize a second UK meeting since we couldn't be there. We had a small but enthusiastic turnout for the Canadian meeting, with folks coming from as far away as Missouri (almost 3,000 kilometres!), Alberta and California, as well as two round the world travellers, from Switzerland and the UK.
But the Brits really exceeded our wildest expectations. Almost 100 people came to the HU UK 2002 event, and had a great time. No rock bands or beer bashes, just motorcycle travellers and would-be travellers getting together to share experiences and tips - what a concept! For the HU UK 2003 event, almost 200 enthusiastic folks came together over several days and this is now well established as an annual event, with Glynn and Chris continuing to provide superb organizing, and a host of volunteers.
Ken and Carol Duval hosted Australia's first HU travellers event in 2003, and they had almost 60 people. The meetings in New Zealand, Argentina, Mexico and Portugal in 2003 were also big successes, and we look forward to many more in the years to come. It's wonderful for us to come to the meetings and visit with the many friends we've only met over the internet, and of course for everyone meeting up and sharing stories - and planning to meet in Ushuaia next year!
In 2004 we had over 600 people turn out for the HU Meetings in 8 countries and four continents! We expect a lot more - including you - for 2005!
See you at a meeting!
Grant and Susan
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