Camping, And Not the Drag Kind.

If memory serves, the last time I went camping was in Dubai. The heat was intense, there was no place to cool off and there was a scorpion stinging incident. This weekend however, I ventured to try it again.

There was sand, not as much as there was in the UAE, but the same kind, really fine that gets everywhere. By contrast, there was a wonderful lake to cool off in and only a tiny little cute toad hiding under our tent as we packed it away this time.

As slight miscommunication between Kitkat and myself delayed our Friday departure. After our usual Thursday night get together, he said, “I’ll be waiting out front at 10:30” ~ I took that to mean he would be downstairs at his apartment so I would only have a quick stop to chuck in his stuff.

Apparently, he meant he was staying over at Fauntleroy’s (just down the street) and that he would be waiting for me there. After hitting EVERY red light on University Avenue and seeing no Kitkat, I ascended the stairs to his apartment. I could tell by the lack of light behind his peephole he was not there.

Even before I knocked I knew where he was. It was one of the few times I wished I’d had a cell phone. I headed to IronMan’s as planned and we took a quick trip back to New Toronto to fetch Kitkat. In the end, it saved us sitting on the DVP and we were only a few minutes behind schedule.

If you can get by Salem Road heading east from Toronto, chances are things will be smooth sailing. Sure enough, we were at the gorgeous Sandbanks Provincial Park in due time and set about making camp. As D&D were working, we had brought their tents and set them up as well.

Not having camping supplies of my own, I tapped my family resources and after a visit from my dad and IronGirl had tents for all and a full kitchen. The tents I borrowed for Fauntleroy and Kitkat were for three, but let me tell you, ‘three man’ tents are barely big enough for one. You could get three in, but they better REALLY like each other. There was a gay Lego joke at some point and I will let you ponder that one.

Anyway, they were free and we all managed. IronMan had won a camping set on a Roll-Up the Rim cup and while we could at least stand in it, I don’t know where you would put six people.

The weekend had called for rain, but we did not get a drop. The weather was great, but the sunsets spectacular. Friday night’s especially put on quite a show. And the stars, that is one thing you don’t get to see living in the city. The nine year old girl with her two ferrets crawling around under the picnic table we were at was a little off putting, but added a certain something to the evening.

Her father finally called here away saying ‘teenagers don’t come out in the dark to chat with 9 year olds’. Clearly it was very dark if he thought those seated at the table were teenagers. 20 somethings yes, but teenagers? Even I don’t buy that. We must have been giving off a youthful energy.

Our first night’s sleep was repeatedly disturbed by rude latecomers that were chatting, rather loudly I must say, until the wee hours of the morning. It wasn’t until I gratefully heard Kitkat say “it’s 3:00 AM, do you mind if people in this park get some sleep?” that silence instantly fell over the camp and we could all nod off. Unlike one of the Harry Potter movies we saw where Kitkat told a group of teenagers to “shut the fuck up”, it was very restrained of hit to speak like that. He must have been tired.

The next morning, rain did look imminent, so we packed ourselves into the cars and headed to Picton. We stopped a several junk/antique (depending on your point-of-view) markets on the way and had lunch at Buddha Dog. They serve mini hotdogs, on mini buns with yummy locally sourced condiments.

Service was indeed slow, but we all chatted about our fond Pop Shoppe memories (the only beverage they had) and chuckled when Fauntleroy talked about his man’s “Boobors” ~ his cute name for his ample chest. I also found a country house in the local real estate listings. I think 'IronMan's Bike Barn' has a nice ring to it, now I just have some convincing to do!

Not a drop of precipitation fell, and the sun was scorching when we hit the beech. The water was cool, but due to the shallowness, not overly cold.

Our meals, of course, were yummy if basic. There were yummy stuffed potatoes, all sorts of salads, BBQ sausages and super delicious meatloaf sandwiches. Kitkat helped us relive our childhood with those mini cereal boxes. Instead of being lined with wax paper, they now have plastic and that makes it much easier to get into and doesn’t hold the milk any better. IronMan cut right through and soon found milk on his plate. That boy doesn’t know his own strength.

The cool evenings meant next to no mosquitoes and if there were any, Kitkat’s constant fire tending kept them at bay. It also made for pleasant sleeping as the tents did not get overly stuffy.

I have had better sleeps, but have to say I will put it on next year’s activity list. We searched and have compiled a list of our ‘preferred’ spots. We will start booking as soon as the season opens so we don’t miss out!