Been camping

After months of camping research and preparation, this family has been camping ... and we had fun!

After a slight 2 hour delay (it takes a VERY LONG time to get everything packed), we headed for The Pinery Provincial Park, near Grand Bend, Ontario. As always, every aspect of the weekend was an adventure. The poor minivan was loaded down, the extremely large Thule Rack very packed but we had it all (which is the truth, only minor items forgotten).

One thing I do know, Jim will never allow me to be the navigator for any trip in the future. My theory of 'Go West' until we hit water, while accurate, took us through some very interesting countryside. We stopped at a Tim Horton's for some donuts and coffee (where a ladies' group was making sleeping mats out of strips of milk bags) in Parkhill, Ontario (I think, without a map, we aren't exactly certain where we were!) I asked for directions, which I didn't understand, and we left again. A few moments later, we were driving down a gravel road where a couple of farmers in the fields stood up to watch this crazy minivan with the big Thule drive down the road. Nevertheless, we didn't have to turn around too many times, and we did eventually get the to park.

The Pinery is a very big campground, with a lot of camp sites (i.e. not too private), but the sand dunes, the lake and the beach are spectacular. Putting up tents is much harder than I had expected. While we had practiced putting up both tents in the house, we had never put on the fly. The directions were a bit unclear but we eventually got it. My tarp instructions from You Tube were incomprehensible to Jim. Thankfully, a nice neighbour with a beer in hand help set-up the tarp - a few pictures and close examination should ensure the next tarp experience is a bit more straightforward.

The kids loved the dunes, loved the tents, loved the water. We made friends with many fellow campers and their dogs. We ate very good food, drank very cold wine (thumbs up for the Coleman Xtreme cooler), and slept somewhat well. The adults' backs were a bit sore - almost back to late pregnancy days where you know you have to roll over but the prospects of the roll seem much more painful than the current ache in the lower back. The kidlets, however, rarely slept on their self-inflating mats and seem to have great sleeps. Deckles woke up one morning with a burst 'that was the shortest sleep ever', and that was more than nine hours after he went to bed. I will admit I did take Kate's mat on Saturday night, and slept on a double cushion; not sure if it helped or my guilty conscious of allowing my daughter to sleep on the cold tent floor (in a sleeping bag) prevented me from getting a better night sleep. The theory she wasn't using it any ways didn't seem to help the conscience.

Seanie's cast didn't slow him down one bit. Our family typically attracts attention, but a little one in a bright green cast creates a bit more impact. We even met 'Filmore' in the campground - a 1978 VW camping van, with a pop-up top. Kate, Andrew and Declan brought only their 'GoGo' boxes which kept them all occupied for several hours.

I will admit camping isn't exactly relaxing, but not sure it is any less relaxing than home. Jim and I make jokes that our home time is pretty much spent as a short-order cook. Camping is really no different, just a few more steps to wash dishes with water heated on the Coleman stove and no Wii to create any diversions. We didn't see very much of the park other than our own campsite, comfort station, our own sand dune, and the beach. It was more than enough to create wonderful memories. I would expect we will head back to the Pinery next year. Planning now begins for the longer trip to Killbear later this summer.