Headed Home

Well we got kicked out of this campground! That's a first. Apparently 2 weeks is the maximum stay. Seriously!? I understand this rule for July and August, but during the "off season" when we are one of 2 campers and over 100 sites sit empty?

We had actually decided we would head home for the May long weekend for laundry and groceries and to avoid the usual busyness, so it is not a big deal this time. Also the weather looks a little "iffy" the next 2 days. We did figure she calculated wrong and we have only been here 13 nights, but... decision made. We will go!

We enjoyed our final evening despite the rain. Thanks to the Sports Brella and the propane firepit, we were quite cozy. The picture doesn't show how hard it was raining or that the photographer got quite wet capturing it!

Anyway, it is time for breakfast and packing up. We did enjoy our stay. There were some great sunsets and a full moon!

9th day - Homesteading?

It is Friday the 13th and our first rain day. Things have been going well. That is one of the reasons why we have opted to just stay put. It's quiet, great walking and as we check other AB camping sites we see many are now "all sites by reservation only". Ugh... How we miss those "first come" days. No more Dinosaur Prov Pk visits or camping at provincial sites for us. I hate online reservations! We prefer being flexible with our coming and going! 

On Tues night Ron ran out of water during his shower. We headed over to the washroom tap with our four jugs first thing on Wed. After hauling them back to the 5th wheel, the campground attendant stopped by to tell us he had just turned on the water.

Lol. So we are now hooked up to running water! Yay! Also another good reason to stay put. Power, water and wifi! Also, I enjoy just sitting by this lovely beach!

We keep busy with our daily Wordle, reading, walks and bike rides. Plus I continue to paint and hide rocks. 

Our day is topped off with a campfire and lovely sunsets. It doesn't get much better than that!

Three more nights at P.O.

The weekend has come and gone and not another camper? We could hardly believe it. 100+ sites are sitting empty? We aren't complaining. The quiet is why we enjoy being out this time of the year.

We drove the 30 km to Hannah on Saturday and Ron was pleased to find a replacement pump cheaper than the one in the Hat. We also picked up a few groceries. When you are the only two in the stores wearing masks, it is like having "out-of-towner" stamped on your forehead. 🥴 Small town Alberta has declared covid is over obviously. 

So our food has been topped up, we have "running water" and I did a load of laundry at the camp laundromat this am. We should be good to go for awhile longer now. We have been able to spend most of our time outdoors and we have burned a lot of wood. I did catch a couple ends of the curling finals on Sunday.

Last evening our campfire ended abruptly when a little hailstorm blew through. There was no white "evidence" laying around this morning. We did hear areas closer to Calgary had snow however.

The 4 nights here have gone by quickly. We are quite comfortable and so we will pay for three more nights and see how things go.

Prairie Oasis, Hanna, AB

Site #34: $35 (x13) p only, water at laundry

Cell and wifi

Note: water on May 11

We spent 3 nights at the reservoir then said our goodbyes to the local fishermen.

We are not very creative with our camping anymore. We seem to just rotate around our old haunts. Plus, fuel prices and age keep us closer to home. Old truck, old driver.

It was a good 3 nights weather wise at the Reservoir but unfortunately our water pump quit working again. We almost went home, but decided to pack up and head to Prairie Oasis instead. It's about 30 min from Hanna, and we will see if we can find a replacement pump there. We have been creative in managing the water issues. We can turn on the pump long enough to have our showers. It just can't be left on as it runs continuously.

Once again we are pretty much alone in the campground. There is one other unit in another loop. Maybe the weekend will be busier but we love the quiet. Oh look, a crocus!

We did our walks and managed some time at the campfire before supper. When the wind picked up with a few rain drops thrown in, we opted for an evening indoors. But hey... we have wifi and curling is on!! Nice win Koe!

Night 2 at Blood Indian Reservoir

Site #9: $35 (x3) p only, water not on

Cell and wifi

I still raise my eyebrows at this campground name? Has noone complained re the Indian?

We were set up and settled much quicker yesterday. A little exploring and another lovely evening at the campfire. There may or may not have been cocktails again? When you are camping, every night is Friday night, right!?

It was nice to wake up and have use of the electric coffee pot and heater this morning! 

Once again it is a quiet neighborhood. Except for those honking geese!  The wind went down by noon and the sun is shining brightly so things are looking up weather wise. 

An Asian couple with 2 cute little girls are two sites over. I've been busy painting and hiding rocks for them to find. (They only spent the one night and have now left. With some painted rocks.)

So biking and reading are on our agenda and we have a big bag of firewood!

It's May 1!

Empress, AB

Sandy Point Campground 

Site #8: $21 n/s, no cell, free wood

And camping we are! It seems that the prep and pack gets more difficult each year. Plus this year there were the added water issues. Pump not working, new pump purchased, the disconnected wire discovered, new pump returned.  Kitchen tap not working, much tinkering, plugged line discovered and cleaned, tap fixed. However, our fresh water tank is leaking again and that drip will have to be dealt with another time.

We left the city and headed up Hwy 41 to Sandy Point Campground near Empress and along the S. SK River. A whole 115 km from home. We camped here once before and love the views.

We were the only ones camping. Just us and nature! It was a most enjoyable afternoon and evening around the fire with free firewood! 

The unfortunate thing is there is no power and no cell service. We can be without power for a few nights but I am rather uncomfortable with no means of communication especially with noone else around.

Ron wasn't able to get the catalytic heater working so it was a little chilly overnight. 10C when I rolled out of bed this am. We opted to move on for some power and cell service. A big reminder... one must lock the hitch before pulling forward. Ugh.... 5th wheel drop on truck bed not a good thing.

Home Again

Well it looks like that's it for Camping 2021. Good meals, some great campfires and lots of pretty.

One thing we know for sure. We have become fair weather campers. The chilly winds and the cooler weather are no longer appreciated. And with our weather app showing some of this > ❄ <  next week, home sounds like the place to be.

So by 10:30 this morning we were headed south. The 5th wheel is now back in the compound. Fifteen days of laundry is piled beside the washer. 

I'm a little sad we won't be doing a camper style Thanksgiving this year. However, we will NOT miss those damn flies.... ugh, they are so bad this time of year! And I am looking forward to some soaks in the tub again! Cheers to Fall Camping . . .  

Staying put

Well we paid for three more nights here. That adds up to 8 nights at Rolling Hills and 7 nights here. We are not too adventurous in our travels this trip. It is just easier not to move! And the colours are amazing here!

We've had a fair bit of wind, but fortunately it let's up in the evening and we've enjoyed some great campfires. It helps that we have the Sport Brella. It certainly keeps in the heat!

We had hoped to stay camping until after Thanksgiving, but the weather isn't cooperating.  We had a taste of cold this am when we awoke to 0C. We might have headed home except I had already started the breadmaker which will take 4 hours. Also tomorrow's forecast of 27C is kind of attractive! The rest of the week not so much!

So it was off to Hanna for milk and yogurt to get us through a couple more nights.  It's always kind of sad to visit Hanna and see all the boarded up businesses and empty buildings. Places like "The Tipsy Cow Bar" made me smile though. I actually googled it and see that they were fined $1200 for ignoring covid shutdowns. 

At present we are the only unit in this loop. The other loop has 2 units. 

Oh, this park boasts a selfie booth. I took a photo and left one of my painted rocks.

The Alberta Oasis

Prairie Oasis Campground 

Site #34: $35. (x7) p only water shutoff, wifi

Here we are at Prairie Oasis, south of Hanna, AB. One can certainly say we are creatures of habit. We seem to keep showing up at the same campgrounds year after year.

I will miss the sunrise, the lake out our door and the loons. However, "Breezy" seems to be the word on my weather app these days and our well treed site here is slightly more protected.

There were only 3 camping units when we arrived. One unit looked like this! Dad, who drives a cattle liner on his working days camps with his young daughter and the dog!

Two more units arrived later in the evening and I suspect the upcoming nice weekend will draw a few more.

Our days continue... Walking, biking, reading, campfires plus a cocktail or two.

Oh yes, we were an extra 20 minutes on the road driving here. We had to wait for this "Motel" to cross the bridge.

More from the Hills

The weather has been great temperature wise but unfortunately the past two days have been windy. This morning Ron paid for two more nights. Wind with an RV does not make for good travel conditions.

This is certainly not a bad place to be wind stayed. It's a great campground complete with wifi. (YAY!) We are very comfy here. We have been treated to awesome sunrises and pretty sunsets. And the leaves changing colour..wow. 

We continue to enjoy our walks and biking. We have sat at the campfire every evening. The loons swim by and serenade us as they have made this a  stopover on their way south.

We took a "wind break" yesterday and drove the 11 km to Kinbrook Prov Park to check out the camping there. People were just packing up to go home and obviously it had been a busy weekend in that campground. We were lucky and happy that this Campground was much quieter.  Normally it closes on the Wed after the long weekend, so people possibly weren't aware of the longer opening this year.  We then drove another 20 min to Brooks where we picked up a couple items from the grocery store. Everyone was masked which was good to see.

Oh yes. Our one major complaint. The frickin flies. I know it's a fall issue for us every year but they are SO annoying. We may wear out the fly swatter. Also those damn little ankle biter flies...ugh... and ouch!

Well another 250 steps to log and I believe it might be cocktail time.