This post has been copied from my post on RiderzLaw.com

After Portland the route simplifies. Both years I took the 5 North for the entirety of the journey from Portland to Vancouver, Canada. There is one detour available that will add approximately one extra hour to your journey, and that’s via US-12, WA-7 & WA-161. Either way it really isn’t a terribly long journey, being between five and six hours to complete.

The route from Portland, Oregon to Vancouver, Canada

For one reason or another I always decide to bypass Seattle on the way north and stop in on the way south. How you conduct your trip is entirely up to you.

Parking in Vancouver is predominately paid, however if you take some time to explore the side streets you should eventually be able to find somewhere with free parking, especially if you’re on a bike. I found free parking near Granville around the fire station located at approximately1090 Haro St.

Vancouver, Canada Skyline (Photo by Louise Morris)

As for what to do in Vancouver, everyone will have different agendas as it has a highly varied scene. Generally speaking it is an expensive city. In 2011 I stayed in SameSun Backpackers Lodge located on Granville, which is the central street for bars and clubs. On weekends this street is closed to traffic, so drunks are able to stumble freely from bar to bar with no worries of a car ending their night. By staying in a hostel you’ll be able to meet groups of people to hang out with for the night life. In 2012 we parked our motorhome on a residential street outside the city to sleep, and were forced to pay for parking at meters when we drove in during the day.

During the day downtown Vancouver is small enough that it can be explored by foot. I did not want to bother with re-parking so I didn’t touch my bike while in the city. In a full day of walking you can completely circle the small city, seeing the most popular sites such asGastown, Stanley Park and the Seawall, which will often have some pretty cool rock balancing sculptures.

Some people put a lot of time into creating these rock balancing sculptures

You should also check out some of the many galleries and museums. If money is a factor, do some research and find the free ones ahead of time. Vancouver has become known for mountain sports such as mountain biking and skiing/snowboarding, depending on the time of year. Many places will allow you to rent equipment to take part in either, so if you’re interested in them do some research. You might also be interested in checking out a Vancouver Canucks game or the BC Lions.

The steam powered clock located in the Gastown district

No matter what you do, you’ll probably be amazed at how clean Vancouver is. It is a highly ecologically conscious atmosphere, and the residents respect their streets enough that, following a 2011 riot, citizens took to the streets and cleaned it up themselves.