Catching Up!

Boy, it's been quite a while since I last posted. I won't go into to all the details but  mostly I've been away camping. This summer's big trip was to Prince Edward Island on Canada's East Coast. The last time I was to PEI was in 2019 for the Arsenault Reunion. That trip, as they say on PEI, was mostly"up West". If you look at how the Island sits in the Northumberland Strait, it's sort of on an east west axis. This trip we were "out East", staying at Brudenell Provincial Park. But I'm getting ahead of myself. 

Our first trip was to Emily Provincial Park here in Ontario. Just a shakeout trip before we took the long drive to the Maritimes. It was a longer drive than I thought but that probably was a good thing as our trip down east would involve some long driving days. While in Emily, we went to a small historical village and a dog friendly brewery in Bobcaygeon. 

Our trip down east involved three one night stops, one in Quebec and two in New Brunswick before we arrived in Shediac where we would stay 4 nights. I said we had long driving days, I'm not sure everyone would agree, we didn't have to leave really early and we arrived well before supper time but for me if the drive is longer than 4 hours, it seems long. After all by the time you include gas stops and rest stops, it makes for six hours or more in the car.

We stayed again at Parlee Beach in Shediac. I booked the tent site next to our RV sites and brought extra camping equipment so my brother could join us. Another of our sisters has a seasonal site in Caissie Cape about half an hour away.  We went up there for lunch one day where we were able to meet our newest great niece and have lunch with cousins that we hadn't seen in a few years. We also went to a dog friendly pub called the Thirsty Whippet.

The next stop was Brudenell Provincial Park on Prince Edward Island. We would stay here for a week. The sister who has the seasonal site, had booked two nights there over Canada Day, so we decided to have a Canada Day Party. We also have a sister who lives on PEI she, two of her children and their children were to join us for a Canada Day BBQ picnic. Little did we know though, that a plan had been made to have our remaining sister fly out from Alberta to PEI to be with us for Canada Day. When we went into Milton Station where the PEI sister lives to have dinner one night and to do laundry; she welcomed us in but kept saying they had company and to come see. So we went out to the back deck and there was our sister from Alberta. That was quite a surprise as I had not expected to see her until our trip to France later this summer. While in PEI, we also took some nice drives, visited some breweries and a cidery. The dogs got to go wading in the Brudenell River and see some horses.

Double Hill Cidery

After a week in Brudenell which passed by rather quickly, it was time to head home. We went for two nights to Kouchibouguac National Park. It was the first time I'd actually camped there, we used to go to the beach there when I was a kid.  The dogs got to go swimming at Callender's Beach as it's the dog friendly beach, where we used to go, Kelly's Beach, isn't dog friendly.

The next stop was back to Mactaquac Provincial Park where we had stayed one night on the way down. We stayed 3 nights this time so I could have a chance to get together with friends in the area. Teddy got to go wading in the Saint John River and we found some painted rocks.

Mactaquac Provincial Park

Our second last stop was at Parc de la Republique for 2 nights, again we had stayed one night here on the way down. We went to another dog friendly brewery that was located on a golf course that wasn't dog friendly, figure that, so we had to check if dogs really were allowed.

Parc de la Republique

The last stop of the trip and where we had started the journey was at Camping des Voltigeurs near Drummondville, Quebec. Both stops were just for the night. My drive home was easier than the drive there as I didn't let the GPS take me through the city of Montreal.

Camping des Voltigeurs

Now, I've been home for a little over a week. The trailer is back at the storage location but I do have another camping trip booked for Sep, just a short one closer to home.

Bon Echo Memories

Last year we stopped at Bon Echo but only for one night as that was all we could get without moving to a different campsite each night. This year we booked early but still were pipped at the post for the sites we wanted. We got sites in the radio free campground that are further away from the lake; it turned out to be a much quieter campground. I arrived at the campground before my sister and brother-in-law; after missing my loop and doing a tour of the whole campground I finally found my site. It took me twice more around before I got my trailer backed into my site, but I did it. I have to say I did give some thought to just taking my sister's site because I could have pulled across that one. 

There's a nice dog beach at Bob Echo where the dogs are actually permitted to be off leash. The next day we took Teddy and Liam down for a swim. I had brought their life jackets. Teddy is quite keen to go wading and didn't even mind swimming. Liam had to be dragged out. I did that twice so he would get the idea that with the lifejacket he's not going to sink, then we just let him wade and meet the other dogs. 

We had a thunderstorm overnight and had breakfast in the rain the next day. Afterwards we headed into town as I needed milk and so we could go the Pioneer Museum. The bonus was that there was not only cell service but open Wifi so we sat in the pavilion at the small park for a while before heading back to the campground.

Pavilion

Cloyne Pioneer Museum

Later I walked the dogs down to the lagoon and the narrows through the adjacent campground. I walked back on the park road to our campground to get an idea of how far it was; it was quite a long walk.

Lagoon

Colourful canoes.

Mazinaw Rock

Bon Echo is known for the pictographs on Mazinaw Rock but to see them you have to take a tour boat or rent a canoe or kayak. I have never done that, perhaps one day I will.

The next day I drove down to the Narrows to take the dogs wading there. Teddy was all excited to go in wading and bark at boats, Liam stayed on shore.

Come in the water's fine!

I'm not coming in!

Teddy barking at the tour boat.

Later on, that same day, my sister came down with me and we let the dogs paddle again. Liam didn't want to be left behind this time.

Wading is not so bad after all!

When we arrived at Bon Echo there was a fire ban, but we got lucky, with the rain the fire ban was lifted so we were than able to have campfires. It's not camping without a campfire.

My sister's trailer by firelight

Ontario Parks campfire ring

Solar lights for the path to my campsite.

As usual, we at very well, our dinner menus included chicken, salmon, pizza and a charcuterie board. For breakfasts, we had blueberry pancakes and bacon, breakfast wraps with sour cream and salsa, and scrambled eggs, sausage with jalapeno cornbread.

Chicken breast with cheese, tomato and Balsamic glaze 

Strawberry shortcake

I really like Bon Echo even though it's quite hard to get into, I'm sure I'll go back again. One day I have to see the pictographs on the cliffs. 

I only have one more camping trip this summer as my big trip coming up in Sep is a river cruise on the Danube so Podrick will be going back into storage early. Sad to see the summer camping season coming to an end but getting excited for the next adventure.