2008 Trips: 13 places | 40 nights | 5718 km
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Murphys Point Provincial Park
May 9 to 11, Hogg Bay CG, Site 69. Just like last year, we made this nearby favourite the location of our first trip of the camping season. In the Hogg Bay campground as usual, we had site 69 for the first time and it's on the best list for a return visit. We could see the lake clearly from inside the PUP.
Despite the standing water, the mosquitos were few. But the black flies... wow! They swarmed. Fortunately we had brought along mesh head screens and they were well used. The bugs weren't aggressively biting, but they were annoying as anything.
This was opening weekend for Murphys Point. In fact, we were the first customers of the year at the camp store. There were other campers around us, but the campground was far from full.
On Sunday - Mother's Day - we met Dawn's folks in Perth for lunch at Fiddleheads. The food and atmosphere were excellent. This was our first camping trip with our new-to-us 2005 Toyota Sequoia Limited as tow vehicle, and it performed flawlessly. What a difference from our gone-and-soon-forgotten 2006 Dodge Caravan!
Green Lakes State Park
May 16 to 19, Site 126. Our first MFCC gathering of the year. Green Lakes SP is a beautiful park with rolling hills, located just east of Syracuse NY. The park features Round Lake and the stunning meromictic Green Lake with hiking trails around both.
MFCC events are a great way to hook up with old camping friends and meet new ones. This one was no exception and, as usual, there was a delicious potluck feast where everyone could get together.
Sandbanks Provincial Park
June 12 to 15, Woodlands CG, Site 618. As is becoming our custom we spent this visit in the Woodlands campground at Sandbanks PP. Woodlands is a newer part of the park, further from the beach than the rest. There are many electrical sites and choices ranging from full sun to full shade. Sandbanks and the surrounding area have always been favourites of ours, and we return faithfully at least once a year. This trip, unfortunately, the weather was not the greatest.
Watkins Glen State Park
June 22 to July 1, Mohawk CG, Site 77. Up to now this is probably the longest time we've spent in one place. Ten glorious nights in this beautiful state park above the picturesque town of Watkins Glen at the south end of Seneca Lake, the biggest of New York State's 11 Finger Lakes. Boat tours, country drives, swimming, winery visits and deer sightings added to the pleasure of the trip, as did the monumental PUX event known as Gathering at the Glen in 2008 (G@TG'08). We love to camp in this place.
Presqu'ile Provincial Park
July 1 to 4, Pines CG, Site 121. Since last year's one-night stopovers on the way to and from Rock Point PP, we've been looking forward to coming back... and it was worth the wait. Presqu'ile is a large park in an area rich in history. Trips to the Nature Centre and the Lighthouse Interpretive Centre were informative and fun, as was an evening deer walk. We really like this park and we'll be back.
Last Duel Municipal Park
July 18 to 20, Site 36. This is our second trip to this neat little park near the centre of Perth, Ontario. We came with the intention of spending most of our time at the annual Stewart Park Festival, but instead stayed in and around the park. Especially attractive is the ability to canoe from this park into downtown Perth. There are a number of seasonal campers, so all of the waterfront spots are taken. Most of them are kept clean enough, but some are in need of attention.
Oka Provincial Park
August 1 to 4, Refuge CG, Site 11. We spent the August long weekend at Oka Park in Quebec. Oka is on the north side of the Ottawa river and was the site of a first nations uprising in 1990. Driving there from Ottawa we took the 417 and crossed the river at Hawkesbury. To the west of Oka you'll encounter several kilometres of Mohawk settlement, including more discount cigarette vendors than you can shake a stick at. You can also take the "Ferry" - a barge and towboat - across from Hudson - if your trailer is less than 18 feet in length and you are willing to overlook the fact that Transport Canada doesn't sanction the vessels or procedures - we didn't qualify on either count.
It's hard to say what kind of park it is, exactly - they call it a "Quebec National Park" but since Quebec is not a nation I'm more inclined to think of it as a provincial park. Politics aside, it's a really nice - and huge - park. Checking in on Friday took quite awhile, especially since they were reading the rules to Dawn... no radios, no driving to the beach, no glass bottles, no air conditioners... We ignored the last two - kept the bottles out of sight and kept the AC on low and there was no problem. All in all the loop was incredibly quiet.
Most of the trailers and RVs were found in the Refuge campground. All 301 sites in this nicely wooded loop of loops are 3-service: 30A power, water and sewer. They're decently sized and well-spaced, too. Bike paths abound in the park, making it easy to get everywhere. There's even a bike path to the town of Oka, though we didn't come across it until we were rolling for home. The beach is very nice and the water is comfortable. There were lots of activites available, even though we didn't partake.
We spent most of our time in the park, though we did venture into nearby Montreal for a few hours. We also drove around the local hills and visited a couple of cideries - there are a lot around. We also stopped at Magasin de l'Abbaye, the store on the site of the Cistercian Abbey. Gifts and food (including delicious Oka cheese) can be purchased here.
All in all, a pleasant trip. The weather was so-so, but the park and area were nice. We'll be back, I think.
Long Point State Park
August 29 to September 1, Site 10. As its name suggests, Long Point state park is located on a point that juts out into Chaumont Bay on the eastern end of Lake Ontario. There is little privacy in this park, though just about every site has a view of the water. Unfortunately, this also makes it a haven for loud people with louder personal watercraft. There was a lot of group camping but for the most part folks were not very friendy. We won't hurry back.
Webster Municipal Park
September 11 to 14, Site 26. We went to this suburb of Rochester NY to attend our third MFCC event of the year. Webster Park itself is very large and though the camping loop is relatively small it's still very nice. Sites are well treed and well kept with at least a modicum of privacy and it was a great place to hold a gathering. The only blight on the trip was the distance - it's five hours each way.
Murphys Point Provincial Park
Park | 9/10
September 26 to 28, Hogg Bay CG, Site 67. We planned a camping trip with another family and got two sites next to one another... it was a lot of fun. On Saturday morning we went on a guided hike of the Silver Queen Mine, one of a number of small mines active in the area in the early 20th century. Senior Naturalist Tobi Kiesewalter knows his stuff and we got a fascinating explanation of the geology and history of the region. Guided hikes include the miners' bunkhouse and the mine itself where mica, feldspar and apatite were extracted.
After lunch at the visitor centre, Tobi gave an informal talk about the black rat snake. The park has two of these snakes in captivity and in addition to the interesting information, anyone who wanted to could hold the snake, which was approximately six feet in length and perfectly content to be passed around.
The three of us went for a paddle in Hogg Bay, which the beach opens onto. From the canoe we were able to see the ruins of the McParlan homestead. The weather was always cloudy and often rainy, but the company was good and we really enjoyed ourselves. A weekend at Murphys Point seldom disappoints.
This trip also marked a milestone in our camping adventures - it's the last trip we'll be taking in our trusty pop-up. Next trip will be in our new travel trailer!
Charleston Lake Provincial Park
October 3 to 5, Bayside CG, Site 248. This was our first trip in the new trailer - what a difference! It was also our first trip to beautiful Charleston Lake Provincial Park, stunning in its fall colours. We took a walk along Quiddity Trail with its marsh-traversing boardwalks and winding path through the rocks of the Canadian Shield.
We'll try and get back for a longer stay next year.
Sandbanks Provincial Park
October 11 to 13, Woodlands CG, Site 665. A thanksgiving trip to a favourite park with true Indian Summer - probably the nicest weather we had all year!
Sandbanks and the surrounding area is a wonderful place to spend some time. Prince Edward County is replete with natural beauty, especially on fall mornings when the sun is just burning off the haze. Time was spent hanging out on our huge campsite or puttering around the new travel trailer, touring, and taking pictures. A little too cool for swimming, though.
Cardinal KOA
October 17 to 19. A return to this hallowe'en MFCC event, and our last camping trip of the year. This was a Daddy-n-Daughter trip as Mommy was out of town, and we had a great time. Lots of friends to hang around with for both of us, and the KOA went to great lengths to provide Hallowe'en entertainment. I found one of the staff members to have an attitude problem, so KOA Canada and the Cardinal KOA have both received emails from me.
The weather was cold enough on Saturday night that the park shut off the city water flow. When I woke on Sunday morning it was minus 5ºC, the faucet was frozen open and there was ice in the hose. Luckily there was some fresh water in the tank so I disconnected the hose and switched the pump on - no problems.
This was also the first time I dumped the trailer's black water. It went very well.
