Saturday, September 05, 2015

Why I Love Camping in Algonquin Park


This was supposed to be a Five on Friday post with Amy of Love Made My Home, but either Blogger or my computer is messing around with me yesterday and today, and I've been having a heck of a time loading photos!!!!! So aggravating!!! So I won't be linking up, as the deadline for that is past, but here's the post anyway, if anyone is interested ... at this point I'm ready to throw this *@# computer under the bus.

As many of you know, I've been camping with my family for many years. It started with my own parents taking us camping for our holidays, back in the '60s and '70s. We would camp throughout Ontario, but we also took one trip out to the east coast, and then another trip all across Canada to Vancouver ... all the while pulling a little tent trailer for the six of us. I still remember seeing the totems in Stanley Park, Vancouver when I was only 5 years old. I loved camping as a child ... playing in the woods, swimming at the beach and sitting around the campfire.

Of course you can click on any of these photos to see them larger.

My sister and I (I'm in back) being towed in our collapsible kayak
(late 1960s)
At the beach with my siblings ... I'm second from right
My husband and I have been taking our kids camping for almost 20 years now. For my "five" this week are the biggest reasons why I love camping in Algonquin Park:

1. The lush forests ... everything is so green, so alive!  Even the deadfall is doing its part in sprouting new life into the forests. I love the tender moss, and the swaying ferns, and the way the sunlight through the trees dapples everything so perfectly. Some forests are bright and cheery ...


... while others are very dark and mysterious like this boggy forest of black spruce ...






2. The waterways through the woods, and the beautiful lakes. The hikes that we go on often pass by rocky streams, many of which were dammed and used by loggers in the very early days.






3. Canoeing with my son and husband. Now that we have a much lighter canoe, we are able to portage a little further and experience new areas of the parks.



My son having a little fun paddling over a beaver dam ... 
we weren't so lucky with the canoe, and had to get out
on top of the rather unstable dam and drag the canoe over
Cody tolerates canoe rides, but he'd really rather be walking.
He takes every opportunity to try to hop out of the canoe when we get close to solid ground,
which gets annoying really fast ;)

4. Our little trailer! This is our second trailer ... a hard-sided trailer with a pop-out bed on one end and bunk beds on the other, kitchen in the middle. It's not huge compared to some, but at 21 feet long it's big enough for us, and a lot more manageable to back it in between the trees at our campsites. It's nice to be in a trailer when it rains too ... and yes, we have a TV with DVD player to watch movies during inclement weather. We were quite cozy and snug in here for a few days of camping this summer, and you can see that I even bought a little candle to cozy it up even more!
one end with pop-out bed and our kitchen table
opposite end with bunk beds behind the curtain, bathroom (we never hook up with water)
behind the door, and our kitchen in the middle
Bathroom is behind that door, you can see the stove/oven and the sink. 
Cody has his own spot, and my mom's
woven mats make a colourful addition


5. The critters we see ... both big ...

This black bear is letting us know moose and deer are not the only big animals to
watch out for along the highway!

... and small

we always see weird and wonderful bugs!


(squeeeeeeze....) 6. All the little bits in between!







After a sudden rainstorm alongside Costello Creek/Lake Opeongo
Thanks for stopping by!
Wendy
(sorry Amy!!)
Making time for tea ;)

15 comments:

  1. Wow, beautiful pictures....no wonder you enjoy camping!
    I agree with you regarding technology, when it works it's great and otherwise, not so much.
    Enjoy the long weekend!

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  2. Oh, I absolutely love this! Algonquin is another world, and I'm in love with it. I adore your trailer..I have thing for trailers..I'd love one on day.
    Jane x

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  3. Oh Wendy you really do take some wonderful photos its always a joy to see them. It looks such a lovely place to visit & set up camp. Ii hope your computer problems will be fixed for you soon xx

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  4. Tent camping not so much, but this kind of camping I could do. Looks like a lovely area to explore.

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  5. Hello Wendy, Cute photos of you and your siblings. I enjoyed your camping trip photos. And Cody is adorable. The bear was a neat sighting. Camping is a fun tradition for the family. Wonderful series of photos. Have a happy day and new week ahead!

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  6. We used to camp in Algonquin as well, such a beautiful part. Looks like you had a fantastic time.

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  7. I love family traditions and I love camping. Well, more glamping than camping, but your trailer looks very comfortable and what a gorgeous place.
    Amalia
    xo

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  8. Wonderful photos. I loved camping as a child, my Mother did not, so not much camping was done. Your trip looks like such fun.

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  9. I can tell just from the pictures of the amazing scenery why you would love going to visit this park! It is so incredibly beautiful isn't it and obviously holds lots of great memories for you too!!! Sorry that you didn't make it for Friday, but why don't you link it up this week as I am sure that lots of people would love to see this park! Thank you for sharing it with us, it was really special! xx

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  10. What a wonderful post, Wendy. You've made a lot of great memories with your family. I think you should submit this post to the tourism board for your area, it's a great endorsement for the beautiful area you live in. :)

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  11. You should be the spokesperson for the park Wendy, no problem convincing me of the beauty there. Nice to see your old family photos too.
    Our family just came back from Grundy Lake, their favourite and a place I could be comfortable in.
    I think Topaz would be leaping out of a canoe at every chance too. :-)
    Enjoy the rest of this long weekend.

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  12. Wow - now I want to go there! Such beautiful photos Wendy. Those forests look absolutely magical. God makes some darn beautiful stuff, huh? ;)

    I love your camper too - looks perfectly cozy! Have a wonderful rest of your weekend Hon. xoxo

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  13. Gorgeous vistas of your camping holidays. You do live in the most picturesque part of the world, don't you. You have a really neat set up there, Wendy. Your van is lovely and shower, toilet, TV and DVD player to boot. Love those pretty woven floor rugs your mum made. Why ever would you ever go home. =)

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  14. We live in such a beautiful country. Before we had our boat we did more camping - I think boating is much like camping, we're simply on water instead of land. Your trailer looks like a great way to explore the outdoors and still be comfortable. Cozy in the rain is a good thing.

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  15. Hi Wendy,
    Happy Labour Day weekend! Your photos are spectacular. I used to love hiking and walking the paths through the woods. Although we don't have mountains here it has always been a pretty place to explore. Sadly, I can't do it any more but I really enjoyed your pictures. Thanks for sharing and for stopping by my blog. Have a wonderful day.

    Blessings,
    Sandi

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Thanks so much for leaving a comment, it's nice to know when you've stopped by! :)

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