Thanks to everyone who wished me a good trip. It was crappy.
I went with the highest of expectations, not afraid to camp alone (with a dog who is untested in the “protect the master at all costs” department), and was gooned by two basic issues. Issue the first: In a fit of, well, I don’t know, stupidity? instead of taking an air mattress, I opted for the lighter, smaller, self-inflating foam mattress. Totally inflated, it is about three quarters of an inch thick. Felt fine on the living room floor, may as well have been a piece of newspaper for all the comfort it provided. I woke up several times Monday night, and when I finally got up at 6am on Tuesday, every joint in my body hurt and I could not turn my head in either direction. (Thank god I don’t shoulder check when I drive.) Thing the second that didn’t add to my total enjoyment of the trip: Monday afternoon/night it rained, and while my little tent
is waterproof, it is not humidity-proof, and both sleeping bags and my pillow and all my clothes got so damp I could almost wring them out. Instead of my four-day getaway to Paradise, I was home miserable on Wednesdy evening, a full two days early.
Gory details: (warning: No knitting content)
Attie and I stopped in Christopher Lake on our way to Waskesiu to visit my niece and her new baby. Emilie is just a week old, and pretty cute. The pleasure of the visit was tempered by Attie barfing on the living room rug (a nice beige berber which now has a strategically-placed ottoman on it). So, we pretty much had to eat and run before we caused any more damage. (Sorry, T.K. Get it cleaned- really- I’ll pay you back!) We headed up the highway and decided we would spoil ourselves and stay at Beaver Glen campground, which actually has warm running water and showers in the bathrooms (which is all very nice unless you abandon all efforts at personal hygiene) (not that I did). We set up camp, took the souvenir picture,
and lit the fire. I barely managed to get supper cooked before the rain started. Attie was reluctant to come in out of the rain, since she was on Squirrelwatch Duty.
I almost managed to blow up the coleman lantern in my face, and we were in bed by 9:00.
We did a couple of short hikes on Tuesday morning to try and limber up, including the Waskesiu River loop,
but by far the best part was meeting Terri and Sabrina.
This is one tall dog. Check out Terri’s blog- she’s done a nifty coat for Sabrina (who will need it in the winter, as well as the rumoured legwarmers. I still think that Terri should knit herself a pair to match the dog’s. Sort of a “mother and daughter” theme variation.) I was mean to Terri, and handed her Attie’s leash to organize the dogs and herself for a quick photo. It was like pushing wet spaghetti, but she did get the job done!
After coffee (and cookies, that Sabrina could reach off the table without bending over too much) Attie and I drove 70 km into Prince Albert to buy a decent air mattress, but it was too late. The damage was done. I slept a little better in spite of the driving rain and howling wind, (and I must say Attie just hunkered down into her bed and didn’t try to join me in the sleeping bag even once) but I still felt ucky the next day. We took a couple more little hikes, had a nice picnic at Trippes Beach and decided to go home. The whitetailed deer I saw were camera-shy, but the elk at the south end of the town were much more accommodating.
The black bears were appreciated in and by their absence. (I don’t think I could outrun Attie, and while you don’t have to be the fastest in the group to outrun the bears, you shouldn’t be the slowest.)
I did exactly no knitting and have done very little since I got home. I did see my favourite chiropractor yesterday and feel much better. I made the mistake of drinking two cups of coffee with supper and had no trouble staying up until 2 this morning. I watched Brokeback Mountain (an amazing movie that I said I would never need to see again, but it was just as powerful the second time around.) and did make some progress on the Silk Garden scarf. Then because of a misguided ball-winding idea I spent two hours untangling a horrendously huge morass of tangled wool. I think I shall stop making predictions and likely-to-finish prognostications about my knitting, because life seems to get in the way of my goals and then I have to write about failed camping expeditions instead of showing my projects in all their glory.
I anticipate a better week.
Judy, it was such fun meeting you and Attie, as well! Sorry that you didn’t get better sleeps and that you had soggy bedding. 😦 However, you did miss the bear rampaging through BeaverGlen last night! (Well, probably not “rampaging” as more like sauntering about seeing if any campers were forgetful and left food out …)
Those “dog wrangling” pics are a hoot!!
Oh. Um. Gee. How does one respond to a post like that? “Sorry your trip was so awful, that pretty much spells out exactly why I refuse to go camping?” That just doesn’t sound sympathetic enough…. But, really, I am sorry your trip was so awful!
yeah, that’s funny – “sorry your trip sucked, but what were you thinking?!” … We used to do a lot of camping, but not any more. To me (and the princess, of course) anything less than five-star is camping! 🙂 I hope you’ve recovered and enjoyed some deep sleeps back in your own little bed!
It sounds as if you had a decent “adventure” if not exactly an idyllic camping trip. I must confess that I’m always in awe of people who want to do that. I discovered at an early age that I’m a mosquito magnet and I hate sleeping on the ground–so I’ve been disqualified as a “camper” for a long time. Your photos were great, though.
I just love those Silk Garden scarves, and I was captivated by Jared’s. I have a lot of Silk Garden left from the entrelac sweater, and I was going to give it a try too–eventually.
So, shall I pass on the offer to clean the carpets to Tsinda? She’s not likely to find out about it otherwise. But don’t worry – the carpet stain came right out – I couldn’t even see it the next day. (And I DID look — those are my grandkids who will be crawling around on that rug!)
I, too, am not a fan of self-inflating air mattresses. Whoevever thought that 3 cm of mattress was enough had rocks in his head. (and I’m sure it was a man!)
So sorry about the crappy camping, but thanks for the dog pics! Just think how much more awful the trip would’ve been without canine company to keep you cheered up. (Ok, you probably weren’t cheered by the barf, but other than that…)
I love the idea of camping. It’s the reality of camping that I can’t stand.
You have an absolutely gorgeous Golden Retriever.
That is such great country up there! However, my very few camping trips haven’t been much better than yours; I too am doomed to suffer through rain and hard ground. I don’t do them any longer!
Yes, having company along your trip is always welcome. Especially when they don’t talk back or complain!
Sometimes you need to take a break — kind of a vacation from knitting! Then you appreciate it anew when you pick it up again.
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