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Camping
Just What I Needed
Published by Toronto Mike on July 21, 2010 @ 18:41 in Camping
 So... what did I miss? I unplugged for a few days, went camping with the kids. It was just what I needed.
The Ford Fiesta I planned to drive to The Pinery was suddenly unavailable, but the good folks at Ford let me keep the Taurus SHO an extra week. It's a big car, which was perfect for a load of camping gear and campers. I'm not sure the little Fiesta would have been able to hold us all.
We're "park once" campers. That means we park once at our site, and we don't drive the car again until it's time to go home. Anything we want to do during our visit must be reachable by foot. I've camped with this rule all my life and it's part of the fun.
A typical day includes:
- the kids waking up way too early because some bird made a racket at 6am
- me ordering them out of the tent to figure out life while I try to sleep until 9am
- a trip to the facilities for toiletry duties - I'm happy if the teeth get brushed
- a leisurely breakfast - Rice Krispies will do, I get 3 days of cold milk out of one cooler load
- a little catch - football or baseball, we alternate
- a hike on one of the many trails - often the walk to the trail is far longer than the trail itself
- sand dunes, anyone? the best hikes at The Pinery are the unofficial trails over the sand dunes
- lunch time - ham sandwiches, grapes and Doritos did the trick yesterday
- more catch - long ball catch with your kid is the absolutely best thing in the world
- beach time - The Pinery has the best beaches
- more sand dunes because the kids can't get enough of them
- hike time!
- spark up the bbq, it's time for hot dogs, even though daddy forgot the ketchup
- cards, reading, colouring
- campfire time - marshmallow roasts rule
- a little crank radio fun in the tent and....
- zzzzzzzzzzz
I could get used to that. Here are a couple of videos of the kids at the aforementioned sand dunes. You can see the beach in the background.
And here are a few pics culled from the photoset.
   
It really was just what I needed.
Father - Daughter Time
Published by Toronto Mike on May 27, 2010 @ 21:25 in Camping, Family
 I've got a son and a daughter. My son, who's the oldest of the two, loves playing baseball and hockey and doing "guy things". He likes to do this stuff with his dad, so I spend a lot of time with him at baseball diamonds, at hockey rinks and messing around.
Although I try to get my daughter to do similar things with me, she far prefers her dance class and playing with her friends. For whatever reason, I don't seem to score these gigs, either because I'm working or busy with James' many activities. I don't often get extended periods of quality father - daughter time.
That's changing tomorrow. For the first time ever, my daughter and I are going on a camping trip together. We're pitching a tent and enjoying a couple of nights under the stars, just the two of us.
I can't wait. 
Tent Camping at Pinery Provincial Park
Published by Toronto Mike on August 22, 2009 @ 11:42 in Camping
My personal favourite provincial park for camping is Killarney, but I just realized I've taken the kids to Pinery instead for three summers in a row. The kids prefer Pinery for one reason: the sand.
Pinery is all about sand. It's sand dune after sand dune and the sandiest beach you'll find in this province. We plan these massive sand dune hikes (don't tell the park ranger), sweat up a storm and then spend all afternoon in the water. The nights are for more hiking followed by the mandatory campfire. Sometimes, if I remember, I even feed the kids.
I want to give a big thank you to Canadian Tire for providing me with the biggest tent I've ever slept in, the most comfortable sleeping bags, inflatable mattress and a chair 10x more durable than the piece of crap Maple Leafs chair I bought at WalMart a few years ago. The tent survived an intense thunder storm on Thursday afternoon no worse for wear, and it was larger than the master bedroom in my house. If you're looking for camping gear, check out Canadian Tire, specifically their line of Roots gear.
Next year I'm booking time at two provincial parks: Killarney and Pinery. And, I think the kids are ready to stretch the trips beyond three days.
Here's my Flickr photoset from our camping trip to Pinery.
   
White People Like Camping
Published by Toronto Mike on August 18, 2009 @ 10:38 in Camping, Humour
Stuff White People Like has done it again. Just like they did with The Wire, they've nailed camping.
If you find yourself trapped in the middle of the woods without electricity, running water, or a car you would likely describe that situation as a “nightmare” or “a worse case scenario like after plane crash or something.” White people refer to it as “camping.”
When white people begin talking to you about camping they will do their best to tell you that it’s very easy and it allows them to escape the pressures and troubles of the urban lifestyle for a more natural, simplified, relaxing time. Nothing could be further from the truth.
In theory camping should be a very inexpensive activity since you are literally sleeping on the ground. But as with everything in white culture, the more simple it appears the more expensive it actually is.
Camping is a multi-day, multi-step, potentially lethal activity that will cost you a large amount of both time and money. Unless you are in some sort of position where you absolutely need the friendship of a white person, you should avoid camping at all costs.
The first stage of camping always involves a trip to an outdoor equipment store like REI (or in Canada, Mountain Equipment Co-Op). These stores are well known for their abundance of white customers and their extensive inventory of things for white people to buy and only use once. If you are ever tricked into going to one of these stores, you can make white people like you by saying things like “man, this Kayak is only $1200, if I use it 35 times I’ve already saved money over renting.” Note: do not actually buy the kayak.
Next, white people will then take this new equipment and load it into an SUV or Subaru Outback with a Thule or Yakima Roof Rack. Then they will drive for an extended period of time to a national park or campsite where they will pay an entrance fee and begin their journey. It is worth noting that white people are unaware of the irony of using a gas burning car to bring them closer to nature and it is not recommended that you point this out. It will ruin their weekend.
Once in the camp area, white people will walk around for a while, set up a tent, have a horrible night of sleep, walk around some more. Then get in the car and go home. This, of course, is a best case scenario. Worst case scenarios include: getting lost, poisoned, killed by an animal, and encountering an RV. Of these outcomes, the latter is seen by white people as the worst since it involves an encounter with the wrong kind of white people.
Conversely, any camping trip that ends in death at the hands of nature or requires the use of valuable government resources for a rescue is seen as relatively positive in white culture. This is because both situations might eventually lead to a book deal or documentary film about the experience.
Ultimately the best way to escape a camping trip with white people is to say that you have allergies. Since white people and their children are allergic to almost everything, they will understand and ask no further questions. You should not say something like “looking at history, the instances of my people encountering white people in the woods have not worked out very well for us.”
To be fair, I don't own a $1200 kayak, and even before Canadian Tire provided me with new camping essentials, I had camping down to a very inexpensive art. For me, that's only part of the allure. Once I'm out there, with my tent pitched and laptop three hours away, I can literally hear myself decompress. It's plenty of hikes, lots of swimming and hours and hours of playing cards, throwing a frisbee and roasting marshmallows on the campfire.
It really is my holiday of choice, but then again, I'm white.
Camping With Fresh Roots Gear Provided by Canadian Tire
Published by Toronto Mike on August 17, 2009 @ 09:59 in Camping
 I'm camping this week. Not quite yet, because I want to play a Raging Storm playoff game before leaving town, but the kids and I will be away from it all before you know it. I'm officially in prep mode.
I want to thank the very cool people at Canadian Tire for providing me with a new tent, new sleeping bags, a new chair, a new cooler and a sweet new inflatable air mattress. I can't wait to try out the new gear. It's all from the Roots Outdoor line, except for the cooler. And, it's all an upgrade. I'll report back on how it all worked out.
Let's see...
- tent √
- air mattress √
- propane stove √
- sleeping bags √
- cooler full of food and drink
- insect repellant √
- sunscreen √
- bathing suit √
- radio √
- camera √
- toiletries √
Only one item left on the list...
Blue Springs Scout Reserve near Acton
Published by Toronto Mike on May 31, 2009 @ 13:09 in Camping, Family
It takes more than a little rain and a couple of cool nights to dampen the spirits of a bunch of Beavers and their bewildered daddies. Even though I arrived at the camp grounds in a torrential downpour, got lost twice on the Scout grounds trying to find Radial Lodge and got my car stuck in the mud, it was a fantastic weekend at Blue Springs Scout Reserve near Acton, Ontario.
Most of Saturday was sunny and warm for the Beaveree itself, and after a brief shower in the evening, Dan Duran turned on his inner caveman and ensured we didn't miss out on the highlight of any camping trip, a kick-ass campfire and marshmallow roast.
Here's a photoset with some pics.
First Camping Trip of the Year
Published by Toronto Mike on May 29, 2009 @ 13:48 in Camping
The first camping trip of 2009 is planned for this weekend. My son and I are heading to the local Beaveree tonight where we'll pitch a tent and spend a couple of nights under the stars and away from the laptop.
Typically, I don't schedule camping trips for May, because it's so hit and miss. But, this is a Scouts Canada thing, so here's hoping the rain goes away and we get some sunshine.
I'll be back Sunday. Hit up the archives if you're missing me. There's almost 9000 entries there to catch up on.
Awesome Hikers
Published by Toronto Mike on July 19, 2008 @ 11:21 in Camping, Family
I'm raising a couple of awesome hikers. James is just 6 and Michelle is not yet 4 but when we hit the trails we go whole hog. They don't tire, they don't back down and they actually prefer to lead.
The official trails at Pinery aren't intense enough, so we tack on the sand dunes that snake their way along the lake. I find these adventures gruelling but the kids don't complain. In fact, they beg for more.
Looking back, I should have seen this coming. In 2005 I took James, who was then just three years old, camping at Killarney Provincial Park. Killarney has some fierce trails through rocky terrain and James took them on like a pro. Compared to Killarney's trails, the trails and sand dunes at Pinery are child's play.
Here are my pint-sized heroes striking a menacing pose. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
Tavistock Mike
Published by Toronto Mike on July 18, 2008 @ 18:37 in Camping
 Pinery Provincial Park, where I've been camping the past few days, is right by Grand Bend, Ontario on Lake Huron. To get there, I take the 401 West to about Kitchener and then Highway 8 toward Stratford.
I like to stop in on one of the many small towns on our way to and from Pinery and pretend I'm a local. They all have a Main Street with a bank, a water tower, a church, a drug store, and usually, they have a Tim Hortons. Today we stopped in Tavistock, Ontario. As I just learnt from tavistock.on.ca:
Tavistock is a German/Scottish community founded in 1848 and famous for its cheese production and fresh meats. Tavistock was founded in 1848 by Capt. Henry Eckstein on the boundary between Oxford and Perth Counties. It served as a gathering place for agricultural workers and soon became equipped with taverns, flour mills, blacksmith shops, general stores and small tradesmen.
If you're ever in Tavistock, tell 'em Tavistock Mike sent ya.
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