What I did on my Summer Vacation

Good morning. 5:42 a.m.

The minions sleep. I am awake. 

So, I think I promised to write more about my vacation. Funny thing though. When you're out there, enjoying, relaxing, experiencing . . . you can't wait to write this stuff down, to share it. Then you get home. The rut is still there. The nuance of the experience seems to fade rather quickly. Didn't expect that.

But I'll do my best.

WHAT I DID ON MY SUMMER VACATION

The fun officially began July 15. Neomom had worked the night shift and we would hit the road when she awoke. This day was the culmination of about two weeks of list-making, shopping, packing, repacking, shopping again, list-scrapping and list remaking. And then packing some more. It was the first time we would camp in our new pop-up trailer. It was the first time I would ever really pull a trailer with the minivan. We were heading out for three long weeks. It was a little daunting.

But it was summer vacation. Temperatures had been holding near 30C (86F) for about three weeks now and we were looking forward to a whole lot of carefree sunshine, swimming, fishing, canoeing, kayaking . . . 

And so, when Neomom awoke, we headed out, in the worst rainstorm we'd seen all summer. Did I mention this was my first time pulling a 1,500-pound trailer? On the highway, with lots of water. And cars and trucks.

Fortunately, our first destination was Blue Lake Provincial Park, near Vermillion Bay, Ontario. It's a little east of Kenora, which is a little east of the Ontario/Manitoba border. Google Maps told me it was only about 400 km and would take about 5 hours. And, after a quick stop at the first of many Tim Hortons on this little journey, we made the trip in around 4 hours.

Now, if you have travelled on Hwy. 17, or on many of the other northern Ontario highways, you will know that most of them have a speed limit of 90 km/h, and most of them offer one lane of traffic in each direction. They are hilly, winding roads and they are beautiful. But passing other vehicles is a bitch.

Every 10 km or so, a passing zone is offered. An extra lane provided, giving the chance for the slow-moving moron in front of you to pull to the right, allowing a nice, comfortable pass on the left. As it should be.

But for whatever reason, almost inevitably, the moron in front of you, who has been slogging along at 88 km/h for the last half hour, suddenly feels the need for speed as he or she enters the passing zone. And when you're pulling a trailer, up hill, with a mini-van, it's not easy to get by a moron, who is suddenly channelling Mario Andretti. And it's a little frustrating when, at the end of the passing zone, the moron's speed, almost inevitably, drops down from 120km/h to the aforementioned 88 km/h.

And that's all I will say about that . . . for now.

Anyhoo, we made it to Blue Lake. The rain let up enough to let us set up camp and conduct a lengthy search for our electrical outlet. We didn't find it. Can't remember whether or not we had time for a fire that night. But I know that, eventually, we tucked ourselves into our tent trailer for a nice cozy sleep after a long, tiring day.

Campsite 1. Blue Lake Provincial Park

And then the real rain started . . .

More later.

Have a great Wednesday.