Back to a perennial favourite, having snagged a great waterfront site. Bonus this year, our friends Malcolm & Tanya are right beside us.
Back in March, when we were deep into the campsite reservation madness, one morning we were all set up to try to grab a site at Driftwood. Dale was going after one site, and I was after the one right beside it. As seasoned reservationists, we use whatever angles we can to increase the odds of success. The countdown clock flipped to 7:00 am, and our index fingers jumped into action.
To our immense surprise, we had grabbed both sites...now that has never happened before! What to do...quick decision. We decided to keep both sites, and see if one of our Alto friends were interested in joining us. Malcolm & Tanya were really keen, so one site was soon theirs.
The two sites were fabulous. A handful along this stretch are right on a little beach, which is super awesome. A nice combo of sun and shade made for comfortable days. So nice to be able to just slip on the trunks and walk right into the water for a swim, or more accurately...a float. The water was nice and refreshing. Tough to beat.
During the days we got in some hikes and kayaking. The hikes were warm, as the weather was hot and humid. Fair number of mosquitoes also seemed to enjoy the lunch that was walking through their territory. Always good though to get out and explore.
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| lots of rain...very lush |
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| never too old... |
One morning we drove to a boat launch a bit down the highway from the park. MacKay Bay connects to the Ottawa River, but if you go through the culvert under the highway, it opens up into a nice little lake, perfect for exploring. Paddling through the culvert was a combination of fun and creepy. Hunched over to have space, we sort of duck walked our way to the other end. We all emerged unscathed by the experience, and we had a nice paddle exploring the shoreline.
We had decided to share the dinner load, each couple hosting two dinners over the five nights we were there. This turned out to be a good idea, as we got to enjoy different camp dinners, and it provided a break from planning and cooking every meal. It made for a relaxing afternoon when you knew that you did not have to think about cooking.
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| beautiful sunset...quite the change in the morning |
We had a couple of nights of rain, and one day where it drizzled most of the day, but amazingly it stopped and became sunny just a little before dinner time. A potentially soggy dinner turned into a great evening with a beautiful sunset.
Malcolm & Tanya really enjoyed the benefits of being off grid, as generally this is where the best sites are, especially on the water. This then led to a conversation about how to improve the 12 volt solar/battery in their Alto to remove a lot of the battery anxiety that naturally happens when not on shore power. I suspect there may be a mod opportunity in the near future.
Be it a rally or with just another couple, it is fun to camp with friends...lots of great conversations and laughter is always guaranteed.
All it took was this wonderful get together with Jim and Dale to convince us to upgrade to a lithium system. It is rare to be able to get a site with power on the water. Now we can spend a week off grid and not have to worry if we have enough power left to retract the roof. We are so lucky to have friends in this group that we can share good food and mods to make our camping more enjoyable.
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