Camping *Can* Be Good

There’s an old industry joke that goes something like this: A man works at the circus taking care of the elephants. Rather, he has to clean up after them. Day in day out, until months become weeks becomes years. After awhile, he’s sick and tired of cleaning up elephant dung and he starts complaining. He hates what he’s doing and he lets everyone around him know it. One of his coworkers overhears him grumbling and says, well, if you don’t like it, why don’t you just quit. To which our hearty circus man replies: “What, and give up show business!?!”

After hearing about our trailer tire-based mishaps in and around Clearwater, many people were surprised, nay shocked and horrified, to discover we were going camping the following weekend. Like, the same level of incredulity at the end of Black Hawk Down when Josh Hartnett exclaims to Eric Bana, having just run the infamous 'Mogadishu Mile' to escape that beleaguered city, "You're going back?"

I suppose on the surface it does appear pretty crazy: after having a week's vacation nearly demolished by two flat tires in rapid succession, we probably do appear to be gluttons for punishment. But the truth of it is, after the second tire repair, we still had a good time. 

Even on our way back from Kamloops the first time we stopped at the Artisan Antique Market in Louis Creek, near Barrier, which is a charming shop full of friendly people.

And on our journey home, we found a great place to stop for two nights. The Blue River Campground is just off Highway 5 and the sites are pretty close and not very treed, but the facilities are very well-kept, the bathrooms clean and the showers free, and the outdoor cooking area is not only a rain shelter, but full kitchen with stove, microwave and refrigerator, and well as a dishwashing station! 

We didn't use the outdoor kitchen as I had brought marinated pork chops that needed cooking as well as Babybel cheeses and charcuterie meat for making savory s'mores over the campfire.

The campground is just so tidy and friendly compared to many others we've stayed at, and there are lots of handpainted murals and decorations as well. Highly recommended, and we are likely to return next year to check out the nearby river safari and floating restaurant.

There is also a lake beach in town and an impressive set of rapids called Little Hell's Gate about 25 min south of Blue River.

This past weekend we joined my sister-in-law and her boyfriend for three nights at Paddy's Flat in Kananaskis Country, about 20 minutes southeast of Bragg Creek. There was a bear advisory posted on the website (a sow and two cubs) and we saw one as drove into the camp after sunset. 

Our late arrival was thanks to us having to turn around in Lacombe and head back after realizing I'd completely forgotten to pack my CPAP machine, despite remembering to lug along the battery to power it at an unserviced site! Thank heavens Glory was willing to drive out with it and meet us in Leduc which probably cut 80 minutes off our travel time!

The next day I saw another bear (or perhaps the same one again) after being warned by another camper in their vehicle that it was in the stand of trees about 25 feet from the outhouse I had just used. I locked eyes with him as I kept one hand on the outhouse door handle, but when a truck passed nearby, he disappeared into the bush separating campground loops.

This is not to say there was no animal activity at our campsite; far from it! We had many visitors:

Is it strange having massive wandering bovines stroll so leisurely through your campsite? Sure. Have we had worse intrusions on fewer legs? Also true.

Add to this the panic I created when I saw black fur in the nearby trees after sunset and warned everyone about a nearby bear cub, only to discover it was Vera's dog, Onyx. 

You see it though, right?

I had also made this error after spotting Onyx way, way too close in the bush after my outhouse bear encounter on Saturday.

It was pretty hot on Saturday as well, but we got some games in in the shade and I managed to type up last week's blog. On Sunday it was a bit cooler and I managed to get in some hammock time, which was quite enjoyable.

Vera's friend Charlene arrived at the site across the road on Sunday as well, and the three ladies got stuck in on a jigsaw puzzle Vera had started that day. Somehow they managed to finish it before sunset and Charlene's husband even found the last missing piece on the ground!

In terms of natural splendor, it is a short walk down to Paddy's Flat on the Elbow River, which is awfully scenic and tranquil (and pretty cold, being glacier-fed!)..

Monday morning, before packing up the Bride of Frankentrailer, Audrey and I headed out about 4 km down Hwy 66 to Elbow River Falls. A popular day trip for Calgarians, we got there before the parking lot was even a quarter-full, and 90 minutes later it was packed. Worth a trip if you are in the neighbourhood though!

I even tried my hand at a bit of rock climbing

(...poses). 

I am glad we had a chance to have a less eventful camping trip following our travails in B.C., even for just a weekend. And although we are hoping to retire the Bride in a year or two, I hope we have a few more summers (and falls) of trailer camping left in us. 

And when we share the next set of ridiculous obstacles that hamper our enjoyment and people suggest we stay in a hotel or Air BnB instead, we can scoff and say, "What? And give up the great outdoors?"