Ooooh the Pinery… We heard so many good things about Pinery Provincial Park we decided to try it for the first time in 2022 – Site 749. The weather that stay was insane. It rained all three days. Not just rained, but poured…..constantly…for the entire stay. So much so we never got a chance to explore. So we decided to try it again. This time the weather was beautiful when we arrived. Warm, blue sky and just a bit of wind. Perfect for the dogs and John to have a swim in Lake Huron. 30 minutes swimming with a 4km walk was just what they needed. Our site was awesome. The rain held off mostly. We were able to hike, and bicycle most of the park. Even enjoyed ice cream at the store….Ok John enjoyed the ice cream….
Dalewood Conservation Area….part of the Kettle Creek Conservation Authority, located just outside London ON. We have stayed here a couple of times before. For birthdays, funerals, and just plain visiting family. We met up with John’s cousin Tom and wife Jennifer. They were kind enough to start their fall camping season early so to meet us here.We arrived about 15:30 to find them just settling into their site. After set up and dinner they joined us for campfire.
On night two we enjoyed a beautiful smoked salmon that Tom smoked along with a vast array of sides…..all provided by cousin Kelly (and Tim), and second cousin Leah (and Luke). It was a bit of a challenge to keep all the names strait…(second cousin Leah and her friend Luke) and our two dogs Leia and Luke. It was an amazing time….John’s cousin Kelly worked in the kitchen of a summer camp this summer so she and him had at least one hour of “Summer Camp” conversations….
Day three was Stephanie’s birthday. Number 58ish to be exact… Stephanie and I headed into London to visit the “Gone Home” crowd. For those who are not familiar with Scouting terms, Gone Home is exactly what it may sound like. We discovered that nobody has left their appointed spots, which is good….and all the spots were in the same place…also good. After we were done we enjoyed our last campfire with Tom and Jennifer before we parted our ways.
Site 107John thawing out the fridge. It froze over….
The first stop of our 2006 Fall adventure. This year it was not easy getting the time off for John. His manager confronted him 2 weeks before we were to leave saying his time was not going to be approved…..but in the end things were worked out and we left the house at 11:45 to start the adventure. According to Google Maps Darlington Provincial Park was only 216 kms away. We did leave Kemptville in the rain, but the forecast said that once we arrived at Darlington PP the rain would be long over. Well it wasn’t…We arrived during an another shower. The area had actually been drenched in rain for a couple of days, and the site was extremely muddy. We mean extremely! Enough that we wore or Crocks instead of shoes. The crocks can be easily hosed off. Other than the mud the site was pretty good. Nice and big. On Day 2 we visited the local RV Store and poked around the park more…
Report Section: 227 kilometers travelled. Average Gas Price CA$177.9/litre. Weather: Rain, rain, rain and more rain. Second day: Cloudy with showers.
Our second trip during the regular camping season (May-September) The weather was fabulous. And the water was warm enough to swim the dogs. We were able to watch Shelby’s race on the portable TV. We really like camping……
Another great weekend with some special friends. We are gracious to Lynne and Brad for the use of this piece of property.
75 Pine from the riverA beautiful campfireThe Captain of the boatPhyllis taking it all inLeia’s first small boat ride.Riley…enjoying the wind in his face.
The dogs and I have been here before. This was Stephanies first time. It makes for a long first day drive, almost 8 hours, but usually the nights don’t go below freezing. Unlike last year, we arrived during the daylight making setup very easy. Last year it was dark when i arrived. I had to single handedly, back the brand new trailer without hitting anything. This year we were lucky to get a pull through. The park is a great place to stay for transient folks. One night here then on to Jones Lake State Park, NC
As the days counted down, we were crossing our fingers that we were going to be able to start the adventure on time….unfortunately the night before we left, it snowed 10cm and the roads were icy and snow covered. It was a long wait. Tomorrow is supposed to b better !
Although public swimming ended yesterday, this park is amazing. Tons of trails, and all kinds of interesting things…The only downside of travelling at this time of year is that some of the visitor centres, boating opportunities and other things are “Closed for the Season”. The two green lakes here were the results of a melting glacier. The green colour of the lakes is caused by “suspended microscopic calcite particles, a form of calcium carbonate, that scatter sunlight, reflecting green wavelengths back to the observer” We will definitely be coming back to this park….
Night 2 – Time to de-winterize… Stephanie is still at home preparing for her flight to Myrtle Beach. We were assigned site 8, which was next to the one we were assigned last year (Site 7 – where Site 8’s sewage flows right beside the fire ring ). Although we were hoping for one of the larger sites, I think this is where the area they put the one nighters. It’s a nice park, but it looks like they cater to both transient and long term campers. The office staff are great! I forgot to get a picture of the site….. 🙂
2024 – This is my neighbours sewer next to my campfire ringEmporia KOA
