Camping without a fire
We ended up being rather glad we were only camping for one night. The lake had swimmer's itch and there was no water available (we knew about the water ahead of time.) There was a fire ban in the area that I didn't find out about when I checked the internet before we left in the morning. We didn't have a campstove to bring with us, and figured that the campfire would be much more efficient than trying to cook over a little hiking stove. I'd made a pasta salad to have for lunch and we ended up eating it as our dinner Tuesday night, so it all worked out fine. The very kind staff at the campsite heated up our water for us in the morning so we could have our instant oatmeal (far cry from the leftover potatoes and eggs I'd been planning on cooking - but I forgot the eggs so that's okay too.)We were at Horne Lake Provincial Park. http://www.hornelake.com We checked in, then went to our assigned spot to find people setting up camp already. I offered to go back and get another spot, but they insisted on moving. Good thing too because when I parked in the spot Quentin looked out the window and said "This is the perfect camping spot." It was sprinkling rain off and on, but the tarp kept off the very little that the trees let through. We hiked up to the caves, although didn't enter any and Quentin enjoyed the suspension bridge we had to cross on the way. We watched the fish jumping in the lake. The woods had those really tiny blackberries that grow on the ground, the tastiest huckleberries Tyler or I have ever eaten, as well as the tastiest thimble berries ever - better and stronger flavour than the best raspberries I've eaten. There were only two other families staying at the campsite, and two large groups that were far away from us (couldn't hear them at all), so it was nice and quiet. A little surprising because they had been completely booked for the long weekend.
As it got later, Jade kept giving me a look asking when we were going home so that she could sleep. She wasn't getting the concept that we were spending the night there, although to be fair, I didn't exactly explain it to her and I should have. Bad mommy. She ended up sleeping well after I rocked her to sleep. Quentin enjoyed the adventure. We went to bed far earlier than we do at home, around 11:30, so I was awake for most of the night, freezing, and I found out in the morning that while the sleeping pads stayed under Jade and Tyler, and my head, not so under my body. Paid for that one today. Worth it though. It was a very enjoyable first family camping trip. Hopefully the first of many.
We then went up to Campbell River to visit my grandmother and my aunt. Saw some great old photos of family members which I'll hopefully be able to post some of soon. And then came home to arrive here sometime close to midnight. We are all so tired still, that Quentin actually put himself down for a nap this afternoon. He gave up naps months ago.
Welcome to my sister, Holly. I'd say she's my American sister, but I happen to have two of those - her on the east and another on the west. (I didn't get that wrong, did I?) As a person who gets her American news from the Daily Show and the Colbert Report, I find her blog to be an interesting perspective on what goes on down south.
Time to sleep. Take care all.
posted by The Jaded Bee @ 12:48 AM
2 Comments:
What a great adventure! Congrats on getting back to nature. We did a quick couple of camp days with Kyle but nothing with all four of us. We've been chatting about how we can get away the last two weeks of August but I'm not sure how it will all come together.
Tomorrow is garage sale day, so hopefully we will pass along most of our stuff to great people. We have priced our stuff very low ($1 for sleepers, 25 cents for most books, lots of freebies). We didn't do a clean sweep but it was pretty close for me. I'm just hoping that I won't have to bring much of it back in the house. Hope you have a great weekend. Tomorrow night is the peak of the perseids meteor shower. So if you can get to a darker, clear place, you should check it out. I've seen as many as 10 in a minute. You have to be patient. Kyle will join us for some of it this year. We are going to Nazko, as it is always dark out there. The moon will be pretty full, so you might not see some of the faint ones, but there are ones that you can hear.
The first year that I saw this meteor shower I just happened to be in the backyard staring at the stars. I'd been on a date (really, an actual date, not an outing with a boyfriend) and we were talking. I'd never seen a shooting star before that night. Since then, I've been able to catch it at least every other year. I thank you for the reminder that it's happening tomorrow. I do tend to forget these things...:)
Post a Comment
<< Home