On Monday, June 1st, I set off for some more time of solitude, done MY way. : )
I packed up my tent trailer and headed off to Riverside/Cedar Campground, one of several Parks along the St. Lawrence. I'd never been to one of these parks, but had driven by them several times, so I thought I'd give them a try in the off season.
Off season it surely was. As I arrived, the gate was open, but the registration building was not. Registration was as simple as picking a site that wasn't already booked to be camped on (a posting was listed) and filling out the form, sliding it in the mail slot, and then paying the next day between 8 - 10 am.
After driving around for a bit, I picked my site and registered. I set up, which proved a bit more difficult than I thought it might. We just upgraded our tent trailer at the end of last season. This one was much heavier than our previous trailer. The ground in this camp site was very saturated because of all the rain. The trailer simply sank in the grass. After several attempts, I was able to place the wheels on wood. Not an easy task by yourself. : )
Here is a photo of the final product.
The park was pretty much deserted. Only two other campers in my section. This was beginning to feel like my silent retreat in Vermont. : )
After setting up, I took my bike and explored the place a bit. You had to be careful where you went because the Canada Geese are dong VERY well out here. Flocks of birds, and tons of poop. It was everywhere. The only drawback of this park.
After exploring for a bit, I got some water for myself. That proved difficult too because the taps hadn't been opened yet. I had to go to a camp site with water to get the water I needed.
I then ate supper inside my trailer because the mosquitoes were sucking more blood out of me than the Red Cross would have done for a blood donation.
Ah, camping. The joys. The simple things. I love cooking when I camp, and that's about the only time I do like it FYI. I also find that coffee always tastes better when you are camping .
After supper I settled in and began to do some reading. It was me, the geese and the sounds of the birds.
Before settling in for bed, I called my family to check in.
Now, camping is fun, but when it's VERY cold, it's not always fun. This newer trailer just happens to have electric mattresses to keep the camper warm on cold nights. I made sure I had an electric site to try out this new feature. I'm glad I did. It was getting COLD.
For the rest of the evening I hunkered down in my trailer and read a book on family ministry. An excellent read, which you can read about in another blog entry if you'd like. At 10 pm, I was too tired to read any longer, so it was off to sleep.
The next morning I was up at 9 am. The chill was still in the air. I registered and then made the best breakfast ever. Bacon and Eggs. So much cholesterol....I loved it. : )
I spent the rest of the morning and into the afternoon continuing to read about family ministry. Some neat ideas.
Then, being the restless person that I am, I decided to go a bit more East and check out the waterway. I took a tour of the Long Sault Islands. Beautiful driving and country side. On the way back I stopped for supper at a burger place on the side of the road.
When I got back, I took a walk around the park and found an inlet with lots of very large fish. They were jumping to feed on the flies. I'm not sure what type of fish they were, but they were big.
Then I settled in again for a cold night in my warm tent trailer bed and read a book simply for fun until 11 pm.
The next morning was equally cold. After a quick breakfast of pancakes and syrup from Vermont I decided to drive to the Iroquois locks and read while awaiting any ships that might pass through.
While there I saw a fox sauntering around the locks, but not much else. Everything was quiet. Two ships were scheduled to come through in the afternoon.
I spent the day reading a very challenging book, which you can read about in another blog entry if you'd like. : )
In the afternoon I watched two ships pass through the locks (yes, I'm really a big kid at heart). One just happened to be the Rt. Honorable Paul J. Martin.
Just before I left, several seniors came whizzing by on their electric scooters. It was a site to see.
Finally, it was back to the trailer again to have supper and continue my challenging book. I settled in for a quiet night and finished my book.
In the morning it was pack up time and then back home. This time away was good for me. I was glad to be able to relax in my own way and take in some great reading, growing, and relaxation time. Check out the other blog entries about the books I read during this time.
After driving around for a bit, I picked my site and registered. I set up, which proved a bit more difficult than I thought it might. We just upgraded our tent trailer at the end of last season. This one was much heavier than our previous trailer. The ground in this camp site was very saturated because of all the rain. The trailer simply sank in the grass. After several attempts, I was able to place the wheels on wood. Not an easy task by yourself. : )
Here is a photo of the final product.
The park was pretty much deserted. Only two other campers in my section. This was beginning to feel like my silent retreat in Vermont. : )
After setting up, I took my bike and explored the place a bit. You had to be careful where you went because the Canada Geese are dong VERY well out here. Flocks of birds, and tons of poop. It was everywhere. The only drawback of this park.
After exploring for a bit, I got some water for myself. That proved difficult too because the taps hadn't been opened yet. I had to go to a camp site with water to get the water I needed.
I then ate supper inside my trailer because the mosquitoes were sucking more blood out of me than the Red Cross would have done for a blood donation.
Ah, camping. The joys. The simple things. I love cooking when I camp, and that's about the only time I do like it FYI. I also find that coffee always tastes better when you are camping .
After supper I settled in and began to do some reading. It was me, the geese and the sounds of the birds.
Before settling in for bed, I called my family to check in.
Now, camping is fun, but when it's VERY cold, it's not always fun. This newer trailer just happens to have electric mattresses to keep the camper warm on cold nights. I made sure I had an electric site to try out this new feature. I'm glad I did. It was getting COLD.
For the rest of the evening I hunkered down in my trailer and read a book on family ministry. An excellent read, which you can read about in another blog entry if you'd like. At 10 pm, I was too tired to read any longer, so it was off to sleep.
The next morning I was up at 9 am. The chill was still in the air. I registered and then made the best breakfast ever. Bacon and Eggs. So much cholesterol....I loved it. : )
I spent the rest of the morning and into the afternoon continuing to read about family ministry. Some neat ideas.
Then, being the restless person that I am, I decided to go a bit more East and check out the waterway. I took a tour of the Long Sault Islands. Beautiful driving and country side. On the way back I stopped for supper at a burger place on the side of the road.
When I got back, I took a walk around the park and found an inlet with lots of very large fish. They were jumping to feed on the flies. I'm not sure what type of fish they were, but they were big.
Then I settled in again for a cold night in my warm tent trailer bed and read a book simply for fun until 11 pm.
The next morning was equally cold. After a quick breakfast of pancakes and syrup from Vermont I decided to drive to the Iroquois locks and read while awaiting any ships that might pass through.
While there I saw a fox sauntering around the locks, but not much else. Everything was quiet. Two ships were scheduled to come through in the afternoon.
I spent the day reading a very challenging book, which you can read about in another blog entry if you'd like. : )
In the afternoon I watched two ships pass through the locks (yes, I'm really a big kid at heart). One just happened to be the Rt. Honorable Paul J. Martin.
Just before I left, several seniors came whizzing by on their electric scooters. It was a site to see.
Finally, it was back to the trailer again to have supper and continue my challenging book. I settled in for a quiet night and finished my book.
In the morning it was pack up time and then back home. This time away was good for me. I was glad to be able to relax in my own way and take in some great reading, growing, and relaxation time. Check out the other blog entries about the books I read during this time.
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