A Lesson Learned is a Lesson Earned

I've mentioned this before...you have to know your limitations in camping. What is going to make the camping experience awesome for you, and what is not?

I'd like to discuss a subject that strikes trepidation in all campers...RAIN! Yes, good ol' rain is the source of life, but it is the misery of camping trips. Maybe there are some campers out there who actually do love camping in the rain, but I haven't met any yet.

We've experience rain before. In fact, we experienced rain for the first two nights on our very first camping trip. It was annoying and kept us inside the tent instead of by the fire. The noise freaked my kids out, but that is nothing that a little movie night in the tent can't fix! We also learned that it's nice to have a city nearby to retreat to during the day to stay dry.

When we first arrived in the White Mountains, we knew that rain was expected all week. ALL WEEK. Since our vacation time was not flexible, we went anyway.  We arrived under gray skies, and we hurried to get everything set-up in case it started to suddenly rain.

It was clear from the ground that it had not rained in a while, so maybe we would be lucky.




Ahhhh...our peaceful little spot on the Lost River that winds through the campground (we had camped here once before). It was a gentle stream that was just high enough to play in and not worry that the kids would get carried away downstream with the current. They spent hours just playing in the river.

 After getting the tent and kitchen area set-up, we even got a few moments of sunlight peeping through the clouds. Maybe the storm had changed directions. Without wi-fi, it was hard to know.

                     Does everyone in my family wear strange things on their head? Ummm...yes.

 On day three, the rain came and made good on its promise to shower us with its many blessings. It pelted down hard on the rain fly. Since we had already seen our tent hold up in strong rain, I wasn't very concerned. HaHaHa. Mother Nature always wins.

The floor felt kind of damp to me, but it was hard to tell with so much humidity. So, we zipped up and tried to get to sleep. The rain hitting the tent was so loud that no one was able to get into deep sleep. I felt angry, disappointed, and defeated.

While we were sleeping, I couldn't figure out why the river was so loud, and then I stepped outside the next morning. The water was rushing with twice the amount of water! Almost all of the rocks were now under water.Yikes!

This picture may look gentle, but it was a strong current, and there was no way that I was going to let my kids play in that! Not that they asked. It frightened them also.

I decided to go to the campground office to ask about the flooding possibility and to see if they had any cabins (just in case). There was only 1 available and for that night only.

We were left with no options other than to try and dry out our tent and figure out how to prevent the same thing from happening that night.

(Picture of a site where the campers packed up and left.)

We realized that our tent, while beautifully located next to the river, was slightly on the decline. We moved the tent and kitchen area around so that the tent would be on the highest ground. We also noticed a tear in the ground cover under our tent. It wasn't huge, but I'm sure it contributed to the rain infiltration. Duct tape really does fix everything. Too bad I didn't bring any!

Another camper told us about digging a trench around our tent to divert the water away from our tent.

By the evening's end, we had put in a lot of work, and I was dirty, wet, and tired. I wanted a dry place that was quiet. My voice was strained from having to speak over the sound of the still raging river. Our tent was safely perched on higher ground, but it's was drizzling, and a campfire was not in order.

So, we went to the camp office to book the cabin. It was rustic, but it had a real roof, with electricity and a fan. Most importantly, it was dry. This camping trip didn't meet my expectations, but I learned something important. If it says it's going to rain, then it probably will, AND we don't like camping in the rain. That's when it's time to consider a Plan B. And if it happens to us again, that is exactly what we'll do.

Martha Stewart

Everyone who loves Pinterest raise your hands now! It has replaced my binders of photos of decor and dreams of rooms that I'd like to create. It has also replaced my craft folder, my cookbook, and my camping organizer. I love to login and dream about the possibilities of the future.

Back in the 1990's, in the early days of Martha Stewart magazine, I had a subscription. I would eagerly await each month until my magazine would arrive, and then I would set aside 3 hours to lay on my bed and devour it from cover to cover. Some how, over the years and several transcontinental moves, I gave up my subscription. I still love Martha and what she has built, but I rarely buy an actual magazine.

So, of course, I now follow Martha Stewart magazine on Pinterest. What could be happier than two of my favorite inspiration worlds colliding? :) Last week, I noticed that MS magazine decided to invest some of their energy into camping recipes! Yay. Three worlds collide!  All of the photos below are from MS, and if these images don't put you into the campfire mood, then I don't know what will!

Breakfast-YUM (veggie bacon for us though).

Here are 11 recipes from Martha Stewart from everything from breakfast to dinner and dessert! Bitayavon!

Camping Fun with Kids

Who doesn't love a little camping retail? I know that my eyes get all glazed over when I see retro inspired or cool camping gadgets.

I love the kid's store Imagine Childhood! One of my favorite items include this vintage looking book called The Down and Dirty Guide to CAMPING WITH KIDS.

I have been a big fan of these little backyard tipis for many years. I keep saying that I'm going to make one, and yet, another year goes by without any of my children seeing a tipi. The first one I saw was on Etsy and was made of flowery pink fabric and broom handles. Though young and old children alike would enjoy this, most of these are sized for little ones.

I have looked online to camp in a real adult size tipi, but they are not super available. I always love the feeling of being in them at some of the regional fairs set up in the fall and winter here in Canada.

I have to post at least one more item from Imagine Childhood. It's their super affordable and cool walking sticks. Don't underestimate the charm of a walking stick. I find that at least two of my kids become smitten with the idea of a walking stick, even if we're not really hiking around. If we are hiking, then by all means, the walking stick is a necessity.

I know what you're thinking...BUY a walking stick!? Can't I just find a fallen limb somewhere in the forest on my hike? Well, of course you can! Go right ahead and look around. A good walking stick is not that easy to come by. It has to be the right height and thickness. These are sanded and polished with a cool leather cord to keep it attached to your arm. If you're kiddo likes to forest walk, then $17 is a deal!

Have I mentioned this book yet? I bought it early on when my kids didn't even read. I knew that one day they would figure out how cool it was. Okay, okay, I bought it, because I liked it. You caught me! We parents do live out our childhood dreams and say it's for our kids. That's okay too! :)

What's super cool about this book is that the constellations in the book glow in the dark. That way, you can see them outside in the darkness when you're trying to figure out if the stars above you really are the big dipper, little dipper, etc.

Feeling French

Welcome to the Fortress of Louisbourg! 

 A two hour drive from our campsite. We thought it would be fun to get to know the history of Nova Scotia. Who knew that New Scotland had so many French!

French soldiers in blue checking guests clothing for the color red (which means you're an English loyalist). That scared one of my girls, so we waited until the soldiers left before entering.

When I look at this, I see yarn. What do you see?

Pretty little curls

Uh oh. This is how they deal with someone is accused of stealing. 

Lovely herb garden. Sigh. I could stay in the gardens all day.

How you keep your reeds from drying out before you have finished weaving your basket. I can't imagine why this fell out of fashion. ;)

Every kid dreams of writing with a quill and ink.

Traditional lace making. No wonder it was so expensive!

British soldiers? Uh oh. 

The scariest solder in the whole Fortress! That is her man/soldier face.

Grinding something. Maybe flour grains.

Y'all come back now, ya hear?

The Cabot Trail & the Highlands

The famous Cabot Trail meanders through the Cape Breton Highlands is the main tourist attraction in that region. Having already driven up a huge mountain previously, I decided that I would be a passenger for this part of the journey. Sweaty palms and trembling limbs are not a good combination for driving high in the sky.

Close to camp.

Didn't see one whale ever!

As soon as we got into the Highlands, the fog started to roll in. Ugh.

Lone Sheiling-Scottish hut reproduction in a 350 yr old growth forest

Glad that I don't have to live in one of these. It looks awfully damp and drafty. Poor Scots.

Lone Sheling roof

Inside roof

Explaining the hardwood trees in the old growth forest.

This is bad. This is very bad. We were 3/4 of the way up to the top of the Cabot Trail when I started to kind of freak out, so we decided to call it a day and head back to camp. Of course, once we left the Highlands, the storm disappeared. 

Our First Real Hike

Meet Chris. He is our tour guide for this family friendly hike of 2 hours. We got there late but quickly found the group. On the entrance to the hike there was a warning sign about bears and wild coyotes (or was it wolves). Ugh, yeah, good way to start the hike. The kids were on hyper vigilant wild animal alert. Once we joined the group, everyone felt safe, b/c you see Chris, the park ranger, he has protection. He has a big walking stick. ;)

 This hike was the first real hike that any of my kids have done. Most everything up until this point had been in the 30 minute range. What troopers!

Check out that walking stick that my lil' girl found! Woah Nellie! I think Chris is going to be envious.

I wanted to Google the disease that this tree (below right) had. We called it the "bubble tree". We saw several and were afraid to touch them. Yuck.

  

            Heading out! It's hard for little ones to hold their bladders after two hours. And we felt a little                                               awkward letting our kids pee in a protected park area.