I went camping last weekend and short of snow and hail, experienced every kind of weather: it was cold, windy, hot, rainy, stormy, and sunny (I really only asked for sunny and a campfire...). It was amazing how different the weather was every time you looked at the sky!
We got there on Thursday afternoon.
First item: setting up the tent. The bit of a breeze when we started, turned into a full blown gale in no time. The strong wind flattened the
tent out till it looked like a camel with a hump! But since the wind
might bring rain, and I did not want the inside of the tent wet (the top being open), we
struggled with the fly till we got it done.
The campsite was very open, not really what we would
have wanted, but the other one was flooded, and not operational yet. The
bathrooms were at least a block and a half away, and the playground
across from there. It was really a set up for RV's.
In this wind we could not
make a fire, or even start up the camp stove. So we found it necessary
to travel back to Drumheller for our supper. The place was busy, so a long wait with
two little kids, but we got through it. The wings were fantastic, and there were enough left-overs so James could eat something when he got here with the horse trailer.
After parking the trailer, James started a fire, while
Leanne put her little ones to bed. Finally a bit of real camping. Then he
set up the camp kitchen, ate the toasted leftovers and left for
Strathmore again: he had to work in the morning.
Friday morning saw Leanne making pancakes and frying bacon. We
had a lazy day, with a walk to the nature trail (very short, most of it
still under water), and some play time in the play ground. We made a big
supper with mashed potatoes, fried chicken, and veggies, expecting
James and Cohen to be there to help us eat it.
Not! James was late finishing a job. Then when he got
to our place to pick up Cohen, Jyron was there fiddling with his
Corvette. They did not get to the site till 10:30pm.
The little
boys were in bed by then, extra food put away, and the fire doused per
regulations. Leanne and I went to bed with the wind coming up again. Later she got up for more water. James would like some hot chocolate. Back to bed.
The
wind got rough, and we were afraid it might tear the awning off the
trailer. Some young men from a neighbouring campsite helped us haul it up. Then we carried everything into the back of the trailer.
Finally our guys appeared. Cohen bedded down in the trailer. James
joined his wife, trying to soothe the boys who were scared of the mighty
winds that made the doors clang and my tent flat...
I fell asleep, eventually, with the rain coming down hard.
The next morning I woke up to more rain.
Why do I like camping again?????
A
ways down the road were some campers having lots of fun, regardless of
the weather. They had put up tarps over picnic tables and played games,
ate food and drank coffee (presumably, I did not visit them!). Yes, that
looked like fun. May be it was about company?
The tent started to leak a bit of water. I could not make
tea because everything had been put away. And it was still raining, and we had no tarp or awning up.
Then
James got up, and Leanne, and the little boys, and everything changed.
Now it was fun as we enjoyed each other's company. James made
breakfast and coffee, not expecting me to do anything, just sit and
enjoy.
Later Peter came and we had lunch together. The sun was shining, and
we were all together sitting under the awning, which had been tied down,
to catch some of the shade! Fickle weather.
So that was our first annual family camping trip. We
are already making plans for next year, and improving on this one.
Hopefully Louise will be there, and Linda and her family, and Peter, and the site will be nicer with trees etc. And may be a beach and some fishing spots...
So it was a good experience after all. I enjoyed being with
Leanne, and watching her with the kids. I enjoyed watching James
take over and cooking breakfast. It was fun seeing the boys make a
sandbox out of every bare spot in the grass:) And I can't imagine
what shape I would be in if I always had to walk that far to the
bathroom?!
