Though this 1966 Series 2a Land Rover had a basic mechanical refresh in 2019 at the hands of the experts of Clapperton Ranch, it had largely sat in the garage for the four years since. Needless to say, there was some ambiguity about the fitness of the vehicle to make the journey through the mountains to the island which detracted some from the enjoyment and scenery of a lovely day.
The Coquihalla highway has long stretches of 120km/h but it also has a passing lane unlike some areas of the valley route. It was quite a journey with fourth gear topping out reasonably around 85-90km/h but the ol’ girl drives well and stayed the course through several difficult climbs on a hot day at high altitude.
Most, but not all, of the big rigs passed us on the hills but we made it through the mountains in reasonable time. Stop and go traffic through the lower mainland procured many interested looks from people of all types from kids in Teslas to moms in mini vans, and of course serious 4×4 drivers who could recognize their heritage.
The only incident was running out of gas literally *on* the ramp into the ferry causing us to miss a sailing, but a good Samaritan who had been living 5 years in a well-equipped overland jeep pulled up with a jerry can full of gas just in time for the next sailing–his dad drove a series rover several thousand miles overland back in the day. Several other kind people offered assistance and help as they were able to as well.
One thing about the unique style and presence of a series rover: they sure do make friends along the way and bring back memories for people like few other vehicles can!