Camping 2018

goats on the roof - Coombs

saw blade insert at the Timberland Pub

We don't have much room for camping this summer so we grabbed a few days last week to go to The Living Forest, less than 2 hours away, just south of Nanaimo. We've camped there a few times in recent years; we like the way it's run, the amenities, and the convenience. Sometimes we think we should venture somewhere else, but why? Flush toilets, a cafe that donates its proceeds to local charities, 2 minutes to grocery and liquor stores - what's not to love?

June was doing its June weather thing, being unpredictable. We had a summer month in May but June did not want to warm up. Our set up day was offering 40% chance of showers and we hadn't had rain for about 6 weeks so how could we moan about it. We executed our plan of erecting first the kitchen shelter, then the tent, then the less urgent bits. Just as we finished the two main projects, the rain started and it rained like Maritime rain, for several hours. At the last minute, Jim had thrown in two rubberized capes that we bought in South Carolina more than 30 years ago. Hallelujah. Also, hallelujah that our getting-a-bit-long-in-the-tooth tent stayed dry. It is a 3 season tent (which for me means summer) with a full batten-down-the-hatches fly but the fly has been rubbed by the pole clips and folded most of its life and kind of ignored, so I did wonder how water tight it might be. Test passed and good for another outing or two.
Third hallelujah is that I always take a meal prepared for set-up day, usually chicken curry, so we didn't have to find food and cook in the rain.

The kitchen shelter is only water resistant, meant more as a sun-shade or to keep the tree crap out of my coffee cup, but even it was reasonably dry. We did see a very nifty solution to tarping a tent or shelter using water filled pop bottles to weight down the tarp. But I digress!

Not being beach bunnies we usually explore the area, find a hike, park, point of interest, pub, or all of the above. This year I have a banged up leg so nothing too strenuous and no kayaking but
Living Forest has an online map that highlights all kinds of things we like to do at various levels of difficulty. Our friends the Tedders had the adjacent camp site and their tiny rescue-shi tzu Xena is not interested in any kind of physical exertion. At all!

A Great Gray owl

top of the world view

We went to North Island Wildlife Recovery Centre which has grown and changed a lot since we were last there. Nearby, the Tedders knew of a viewpoint up a very steep road to a cell tower installation, and then we went to Coombs for a late lunch. We love Coombs but it is suffering from success by being crowded and they've spiffed it up a bit too much maybe. Still fun though.

Morden Colliery tipple ruin

We also found the Haslam Creek trail (thanks to Gayle's good eyesight!), part of the Trans Canada system, with a nice suspension bridge across the gorge, the Morden Colliery ruins, and a winery making drinkable wine.
The Timberland Pub on Timberland Road serves up some very good food along with some rustic local characters.

Haslam Crk bridge

recycled horse shoes!

Our also long-in-the-tooth and completely neglected (apparently you are supposed to clean and oil them once a year. Who knew?) Coleman stove started to act up and quit completely on the last night. It's an old-school kerosene version and Jim has spent the last couple of hours trying to sort it out, with only an occasional not quite burn the house down moment. We like the kerosene concept as a less volatile fuel and adding to those millions of disposable mini propane tanks just goes against the grain for me. So he'll get it fixed with some good YouTube help or we'll have to bite the bullet for a new one. I also had a brainwave about how to more efficiently pack the car but that and the camp-stove may not get another outing this year. Sigh.
On the other hand we are going on a long road trip to Saskatchewan toward the end of August, by way of Fort St John which is way up north. I have a very long must-see list for Sask and am excited about the adventure of it all.

Meanwhile my stove mechanic friend has just reappeared and offered wine.....