Camping

Although I'm not sure we can call it that this time!

With a significant birthday this month, the original plan had been to travel to the UK to be with family. That, of course, all got upended with COVID. And with the ongoing uncertainties around travel or pretty much anything, any plans to get away were decidedly last-minute.

As a result, we chose not to even think about getting the trailer ready for use this summer, but we still wanted to get up-island if possible. As it happens, our favorite campground has a row of cabins up by the river, so we rented one for the week.

I've always been curious to see what they were like. We've walked past them so often in years gone by, and this is the first time we've been into one. From the outside, they look small, and with hardly any windows I'd have expected the inside to be cramped and quite gloomy.

Totally wrong on both counts. I was impressed with the layout, the light and sense of space inside.

There's a generous living & dining area, a compact but adequate kitchen, and two bedrooms down one side to the left of the picture. Outside, there's a deck and secluded picnic area.

We had a good time away, mostly mooching around the campground and swimming in the river. Plus I started outlining and drafting a couple of tentative scenes for a new novel, which I hope to get into full swing once The Long Dark is published.

Camping 2019

I’ve been away from the blog for the past month - it was a hectic end to June, and then we were camping for the first part of July.

We took off for a much-looked-forward-to break to our usual haunt at Pacific Playgrounds. Going so early in the summer is always a bit chancy, and it wasn’t a good omen to find ourselves at home hitching up in a torrential downpour. By the time we’d got hitched and ready to go, we were all soaked through despite waterproof jackets! Fortunately, by the time we’d driven up-island we’d left the clouds behind. For now!

Yes, we had a few days of mixed sun and cloud, and then more rain. Luckily it mostly happened overnight, with sun and cloud during the day, but it did mean we had to be careful to bring everything under cover of the awning each night, just in case. So different from most camping trips, where we’ve been used to just leaving everything out.

On the plus side, this year we managed to have proper camp fires every evening. The first in many years, because by the time we travel there’s usually a fire ban in effect.

Overall, despite the fact that we didn’t have a single cloudless day, we had a good time. There was enough sunshine to let us spend time swimming in the river most days. The only other difference that really bugged us, literally, were the hordes of mosquitoes out on the field where we walked the dogs. By the end of the trip, my legs were covered in bites.

It’s probably a measure of a good camp that we hardly felt the need to leave the campground, other than for groceries and walks along the river and beach - which Ellie and Mishka loved!

We did make a point of visiting the chainsaw wood carvings up at Campbell River, which we do every year. To give a sense of scale, these carvings are each about 8 or 9 feet tall.

Apart from that, I spent a lot of time on writing - mostly critiques, as I’m putting The Long Dark through the queue on Critique Circle, plus editing Breaking the Block. And Ali has discovered her niche as an artist, doing rock paintings.

Homeward bound

We said a reluctant farewell to Magna Bay, and headed back towards Vancouver for our last stop. Our route took us down the magnificent Coquihalla highway winding through the mountains in sinuous loops.

3 nights at Brae Island, Fort Langley

Another spacious and well-appointed campground and another check on the “to be revisited” list. All told, we’ve done pretty well this trip thanks to Ali, the tireless Internet travel agent.

This was our shortest stop, nothing more than a layover on our return journey, so we didn’t plan on doing a lot. Walked across the river to historic Fort Langley, of course...

Where we learned about the trading history of BC

And glimpsed life as a pioneer

...mooched around the pretty town with its colonial-style buildings...

...and most of the rest of our time was spent lazing by the river.

Our campground is just behind those trees on the right

And a mile's cycle through the woods brought us to the tip of Brae Island

Conclusion

Finally, it was time to pack up for the last time and head to the ferry. The one slight oversight on our part was that we were traveling back on the Friday of a holiday weekend - BC Day on Monday - so we had a 3-hour wait before we were able to sail. Something to bear in mind another year.

Summary: 18 nights, 4 stops, 1,600km driven. Wildlife: Bald eagles, deer, ground squirrels, rocky mountain goats, a brief glimpse of a bear. Lots of new experiences for the kids, lots of reminiscences for us.

When we started planning this trip, the kids had qualms about all the packing, unpacking, and long drives in between. At the end of the trip, the big question on their minds? Can we do it again next year?

The third leg

When breaking camp, we’ve always packed up neatly - stowing things like camp stove and barbecue and picnic shelter in their proper places before moving off. By now we were getting good at packing up quickly and throwing things into the trailer ready to drag out again at the other end. This traveling day marked the midpoint of our trip, saying goodbye to Penticton and heading north to Shuswap lake.

Ali and I stayed at a campground on Shuswap years ago, and we chose this spot as a good base to explore the region further. We weren’t able to get into the same campground again, but were just around the corner ... weren’t we? OK, the map really doesn’t do justice to how big some of these lakes are. From the turnoff to that old campground, it was another hour’s drive along the highway and then on a narrow twisty lakeside road before we reached our destination for our third stay.

6 nights at Magna Bay resort, Shuswap Lake

If first impressions of Penticton were bad, first impressions of Magna Bay were awesome. So good, in fact, that I wondered what the downside was going to be. There had to be a downside, didn’t there? Well, really there wasn’t.

The campground is very new and spacious. They are geared up to selling the pitches to permanent buyers and there was already a growing community of “regulars” there. Megan and Matthew soon made friends with other teens on the campground, and hung out a lot on the beach and the on-site games room.

Being so out-of-the-way, we were pleased to find a very well-provisioned store a few minutes’ walk away. We also didn’t do as much traveling off site as we’d intended. We took one day trip (3 hours’ drive each way) to Roger’s Pass to show the kids some real mountains. This was one of our must-do activities, revisiting the scenery we remembered from years ago.

The kids were excited to see up-close some of the mile-long freight trains that accompany the highway across the province.

Apart from that, we made the most of facilities on the lake and nearby...

After scorching temperatures the previous week, it was actually a blessing to get some rain this week. We had one torrential downpour one night...

...and sporadic showers breaking the sunshine on other days, but it brought the temperature down to tolerable levels and eased some fears about the many wildfires breaking out across the province this summer.

Our BC tour part deux

Our camping trip this summer broke new ground for us in many ways. It was our first foray off the island with the trailer, the first time the kids have seen anything much on the mainland beyond Vancouver, our longest camping trip (since moving to Canada, anyway) and the first time we’ve planned multiple stops. After an activity-filled few days at Cultus Lake, it was time for our first move...

5 nights at Lake Skaha, Penticton

After a four-hour drive meandering through Manning Provincial Park and twisting minor highways to Penticton, our first impressions of Lake Skaha campground were not good. When we saw the pitch we had to cram ourselves into, tempers frayed and we came close to tears realizing that this was our home for almost a week. Positioning ourselves to open the slide on one side with less than an inch to spare before we hit the utilities post, we still couldn’t open the awning fully on the other side, it was that narrow. Our carefully-planned vacation seemed to have taken a nosedive.

We normally have everything unpacked and camp set up inside an hour of unhitching the trailer. This time, we had to take a stroll through a nearby park to collect our thoughts before tackling the question of how to lay out our living space. Eventually, we squeezed Megan’s tiny tent into the gap between our trailer and our neighbors, and set up picnic table and cooking area around the hitch at the front instead of alongside the trailer. It was cramped, but workable.

We determined to make the best of it and soon forgot those disastrous first impressions. Although the site was small, the location had a lot to offer. There was a beautiful park, beach and lake just across the road where we spent many hours walking, sitting, and swimming.

We had to walk all of 50 yards from our trailer to find ourselves here...

This was an early-morning shot. The lake is normally buzzing with activity...

In the end, we had a fabulous time in Penticton. These were the hottest days of our trip, with temperatures in the high thirties (Celcius - around a hundred Fahrenheit) most of the time. As well as the beach on our doorstep, we checked out a couple of other beaches a short drive away where dogs were allowed, and took a day trip to Wildplay at Kelowna.

Wildplay - an aerial obstacle course. Rope swings, cargo nets, bridges, ziplines...

BTW - yes, we are wearing safety harnesses and are hooked on at all times

One evening, we treated ourselves to a wonderful meal at Theo’s restaurant which Ali and I remembered from our fist visit to Canada 19 years ago. We were glad to see it was still there, and the food still as good.

Touring (a corner of) the BC mainland

After six consecutive years we decided to give Pacific Playgrounds a miss this year and go further afield for our main camping trip. Nothing against our regular spot, but it was time for a change, and we’d often talked about showing the kids some more of this vast province.

This expedition took more planning than usual if we wanted to avoid horrendously long days of traveling, so we booked short stays near Vancouver on the outward and return journeys, and two longer stays in the Interior. Ali is our family travel agent, and she was close to tearing her hair out looking for decent spots with good facilities on the days we needed, but a plan came together in the end.

We have a well-worn routine these days when setting off for camp. The trailer is loaded and ready during the days beforehand, and hitched up ready to roll the night before. This just leaves the last-minute ritual ferrying of bags of groceries across the drive as we empty fridge and larder, and we’re away.

Usually this marks the start of a long drive, but we live just a few minutes away from the ferry terminal so the majority of that first journey was actually spent on the ferry. No great hardship, because the Swartz Bay to Tsawassen trip is a calm and picturesque glide between islands with views of rugged coastlines and occasional wildlife.

Once on the other side, we’d forgotten what a long trek it was through the suburban sprawl of the Vancouver environs, but memories came flooding back as we hit the open highway and headed into the countryside of the lower mainland. A short while later, we were onto minor roads and our first stop at Cultus Lake.

4 nights at Sunnyside campground, Cultus Lake

A large campground with generous pitches set in trees, and a long stretch of beach on the lake. I think when we arrived they must have recently had rain because first impressions of the pitch were dark and damp, but the ground soon dried out and we know from experience to value shade in a typical BC summer.

Overall, this was a lovely campground that we’d be happy to return to in future years.

The kids enjoyed paddling their kayaks out on the lake, and just a few minutes’ cycle away there was a water slide park and a small but beautifully-laid out adventure park, which happily occupied two of our afternoons. The best part about these out-of-the-way parks was that, apart from a couple of rides, there were no line ups for anything so with our all-day passes it was uninterrupted enjoyment with little time waiting around.

Megan spent a couple of hours on this ride alone

To be continued ...

Camping in Washington state and Oregon

This is a quick call for help! Does anyone know good campgrounds in the Washington/Oregon area? We're thinking of heading that way some time this summer, but this is unknown territory for us so I'm open to recommendations.

To give you a benchmark, this post from last year gives an idea of how we like to camp. Yes, it's camping for softies :) We like places that are well-equipped, clean, and with plenty of attractions nearby both on and off site.

Pacific Playgrounds 2014

We've just returned from our main vacation for the summer, and our sixth consecutive year staying up-island at Pacific Playgrounds. Each year, I mean to take the camera and post a mini photo-tour of the campground, and each year we return home with no (or very few) photos.

This time it's different. I took advantage of a dull morning, with everyone else off shopping for fishing tackle, to take a stroll with dog and camera in tow.

So, visitors are greeted by the welcome sign alongside the office and store. Straight ahead is a marina and boat launch.

The campground itself is pretty typical. Six roads with generous pitches and dotted with trees that provide welcome shade.

This is our pitch, complete with the clutter of two weeks' outdoor living. And, yes, those are animal cages in front of the picnic shelter. Our rabbit and hedgehog come camping with us, as well as the more traditional dog!

At the back of the campground is a large playing field. There is a swimming pool and playground behind the building just left of center.

A track leads into the woods behind the campground. This lamppost always makes me think of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

This track makes a good shortcut up to the public road, and this gorgeous old bridge. The grocery store is just a few minutes walk away. Very handy.

The bridge crosses the beautiful Oyster River, seen here meandering off towards the sea. The river runs right alongside the campground, hidden behind the trees on the right. The river was lower this year than we've ever seen it. Too low for tubing, but nice and warm for swimming in the deeper sections.

Follow the river downstream and we arrive back at the marina...

...And then the wide expanse of Saratoga beach.

That's a tidal lagoon in the foreground, with a sandy beach stretching out beyond the shingle bank.

That trip for fishing tackle paid off, with some salmon brought back from Campbell River.

And tubing may have been off the list of activities, but we got good at catching freshwater crayfish instead.

Goats on the roof

No Weekend Writing Warriors this week, and although I managed a couple of posts I haven't been visiting or commenting in a while. Just got back from a few days' camping up at Coombs, famous for its goats on the roof.

We love pottering around the crowded market, stacked high with delicacies, and browsing the little shops lining the pedestrian avenue and plaza behind, though we are saddened to see some of our favorites disappearing to be replaced by homogenized cheap clothing boutiques - now at least four of them in different spots all selling identical crap. Oh well, progress anyone?

We stayed at Coombs Country Campground, thankful for a well-shaded pitch now that summer has kicked in with a vengeance.

Me and Matthew preparing supper...

And the man-made lake where we spent most of our time...

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Special announcement

This Wednesday, I'll be joining other bloggers in hosting Crystal Collier's cover reveal for SOULLESS, book 2 in the Maiden of Time trilogy. Please drop by and say "Hi."

The first book, MOONLESS, will be on sale during the cover reveal week: $0.99 July 14, $1.99 July 15-17, $2.99 July 18 & 19.

The pre-order link for SOULLESS is now live. Check it out!

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From Seattle with love

As a follow-on to my last post, there were many things that made our brief trip to Seattle enjoyable, but I wanted to offer a few special acknowledgements.

The Westin Hotel was an excellent choice to stay. Ideal location, central downtown with plenty of shopping and eating within a few blocks, and right alongside the monorail and light rail stations. The room was comfortable, it was great to relax in the pool after a day on our feet, and the staff were welcoming and helpful.

Tutta Bella Pizzeria served up mouth-watering pizzas. Half-way through, Megan realized hers had a bit of a chilli bite to it and she started to struggle, torn between melting deliciousness and unaccustomed heat. When our server cleared the table, Megan mentioned this and he apologized, and suggested a gelato to cool her down. On the bill, we found:
Gelato $2.50
Love -$2.50

How sweet was that?

The pizza was really for Matthew, so the next (and our final) night was Megan's choice. She fancied tacos. We found a nearby Mexican restaurant online, but when we got there it was closed. More online searches directed our feet along a few streets, by now looking for anything vaguely hospitable. Most places seemed either shut or shutting for the night, or uninvitingly empty...

*crickets* ... not a good sign!

Getting hungry, we stumbled by accident on Space Taco. Clearly it was meant to be. Wonderful newly-opened restaurant. Warm atmosphere, delicious food. Megan was happy, Matthew was happy, we were happy, and the owners introduced us to horchata, a delicious rice drink that we are going to try at home.

We sailed down to Seattle on the Victoria Clipper. When we checked in for the return journey, they canceled the sailing due to strong winds making the sea dangerous for the little catamaran.

This is where travel companies usually fall down. No matter how good the travel experience when things go right, what really counts is how you handle your passengers when things go wrong.

Victoria Clipper staff were wonderful. They confirmed immediately that they would get us to Victoria that day. They kept us regularly updated on progress, and were open about what they didn't yet know (e.g. which port we would be sailing from and when we'd arrive). It took them time to line up a couple of coaches, then they drove us across the border to Vancouver, where we caught a BC ferry. All the while, the accompanying staff checked in with us and talked through what was going to happen next, at the border crossing, and on the ferry. Yes, we arrived home a few hours later than planned, but the way we were treated made it an excursion rather than an ordeal. In those situations, honest information is vital. Kudos, Victoria Clipper.

Hello Seattle

It's Spring Break here in Victoria, and we just returned from a brief trip to Seattle.

First time to Seattle. First time, in fact, to the USA, even though it's just across the water and is visible from our living room window.

We packed a lot into just two days (plus traveling on either end), including Pike Place market, the Aquarium, and the Science Center. We had to be choosy, missing out many more major attractions. Maybe a future trip?

Impressions

We are used to living on European time when we're on vacation, often not eating until 8pm. That works when we're doing our own catering, but not so much when so many places seem to close early. North American cities seem to go to sleep just when Europeans are starting to do business. In this instance, though, it turned out for the best because in our slightly extended meandering we stumbled on a wonderful Mexican restaurant only recently opened and not yet featuring on web sites.

The other persistent impression was the lack of traffic. I couldn't believe how empty the streets were for such a large city, even on a normal work day.

Highlights

Visiting the Space Needle. A must-do for visitors - it's such an iconic Seattle landmark as well as offering stunning views.

The Museum of Flight. We made a day of it and spent five hours there. Could easily have spent as long again, except we were tired and footsore after so long on our feet already.

Unexpected treasures. On trips like this, as in writing, I like a bit of structure but not so much as to be constrained and regimented. This gave us freedom to take a few unplanned diversions as the fancy took us. One such gem was the Seattle public library - a huge building with a viewing gallery on the tenth floor giving vistas both outside and down the vast atrium. It warms my heart to see people still investing in the art of writing.

I reckon the architect had a grudge against window cleaners though...

For the kids, I think a major highlight was simply staying in a hotel. This is their first time since we moved to Canada, and they were too young then to remember anything about previous times.

It was good for the adults, too, not to have any cooking or cleaning for a few days, and to be able to unwind in the hotel bar with a beer, surrounded by good places to eat within easy walking distance.

After our first taste of this nearby city across the border, we are hoping to return in future.

Back from vacation

We've just returned home from our customary long vacation at Pacific Playgrounds - our fourth year in a row, and the most times we've ever been back to the same spot. It feels like a home from home.

This time last year, I posted on how the setting has stayed the same, but how the things we do have gradually changed over the years.

The campground itself is unchanged. The pool, the river, the beach. The generous helpings of delicious ice-cream at the little shop.

We meet a lot of familiar faces, too. Some folks have been coming here since the parents were children themselves, which says a lot for this place as a family getaway.

We spent more time fishing this year, and a lot more time swimming in the river rather than just floating down on tubes. The adrenalin-inducing rope swing into a deep sinkhole has gone. Maybe removed for safety, or maybe the rope finally broke - I don't know how many years it was there.

We've been staying longer and longer each time. At the end of last year's trip, the kids didn't want to leave. As an experiment, we booked in for three full weeks this time. I can't afford to use up that much vacation, so we all drove up on the first Saturday to set up camp. I then returned home on Sunday to go to work for a week. That felt strange, having the house to myself, but it was wonderful to be able to hop in the car Friday afternoon at work and head straight up the highway. A three-hour drive and I was there by tea time, and launched straight into my vacation without all the usual packing/towing/setting-up hassle.

Sad news to report. We lost our little hedgehog while we were away. Luckily we took him with us (the dog always comes too, the cats stay home fed by a neighbor, and the other small animals go to a friend to stay). He's not been well, unable to stand upright, and we learned that he had Wobbly Hedgehog Syndrome - a well-known degenerative disease with no cure. For a few days, he seemed to improve, and we hoped it might just be an infection affecting his balance, but then he went rapidly downhill and we had to face reality.

Apart from that, it was an enjoyable break from routine. And please accept my apologies for a deficit of photographs. We simply didn't get the camera out once during the whole time!

Another good reason not to get a boat

The campground at Pacific Playgrounds is right next to a marina and boat launch.

We returned from an outing one day to find this little drama unfolding at the boat launch...

Can you see what it is yet?

The car was only two months old.

Thankfully, no-one was hurt in this incident.