Camping with Penny

For those of you who don't know us, the Loonie family, we are serious campers.  We try and go as much as we can in the summer, which is pretty short up here in northern Alberta.  Since Mr.Loonie and I have met we have been on a few BIG camping/road trips going for at least 3 weeks.  We've done the 3 provinces around us, Alberta, Saskatchewan and B.C. and we also did a Wyoming/Idaho/Montana trip which is the three states Yellowstone National Park lies in.  These trips were full of partying, loving and a lot of driving so we could see as much as possible. Our most recent trip down the Oregon/Washington coast was a little different due to the addition of our little Pen Pen.  There was no partying on my part. Mr.Loonie may have got a little tipsy on red wine a few nights with his best buddy Stryker but we were pretty much in bed every night before 10:30 pm and up and on the road by 9 am (with a large coffee to go!) with Stryker walked and breakfast ate.

Gregoire Lake - July 2012

On all our previous trips we just used a quick pop-up tent and a small car. When I got pregnant, we decided that our 2 man tenting days with a dog were over.  We really should have bought a bigger tent back then to make things easier but nope, being the cheapskates that we are, we huddled in that little tent with Stryker and our luggage every trip!  To do our U.S. 2012 trip with Penny in a tent would have been absolutely crazy, and in the late fall of last year, we picked up a used tent trailer. The tent trailer can pack so much stuff , especially with the addition of the cargo box on top of the trailer and the car.  The box above the trailer held the stroller, hiking backpacks and extra wood - this all had to be removed before raising the trailer because of the weight.  The car's cargo box held  a laundry basket of extra clothes/shoes for all weather - we hit all extremes on our trip including rain storms, below zero temperatures, and hot dry sunny weather.  It also held the geocaching backpack, a spare box of diapers and other items needed at quick access.

So what did we need for Penny?

• Diaper and more diapers
• Changing pad and wipes
• The Bumbo for joining us at the picnic/trailer table
• MEC hiking backpack and the Baby Bjorn carrier
• Mommy's boobs - I can't imagine doing this trip bottle feeding! How would you do it??
• Clothes for all weather
• Go Pod (camping chair)
• Pea Pod (sun shade)
• Blankets including one with vinyl on one side for lying in the grass or on the beach
• Car seat entertainment - We have the "Fisher Price Music and Lights" which would usually put Penny to sleep
• Sophie and other toys 
• Baby toiletries and towel
• Baby Aspirin....just in case.
• The stroller was iffy, we could have done without it as it is always easier to carry her
• Some kind of travel bed or not.
• A travel neck pillow - perfect for nursing!

This picture is from Penny's first camping trip which also happened to be her one month birthday!  She was a trooper even with a couple bug bites on her forehead. 

The pictures below show our tent trailer set-up.  To the left by the door is the dry food bin.  Another bin of the same size full of cookware and dishes stacks on top, we found keeping this stuff in the cuprbords were just to hard to access and keep organized.

On both of the local camping trips we did this summer, Penny slept in her travel sleep bed.  See pictures below: this thing was awesome, we took it everywhere the first two months but she quickly grew out of it.  So the plan for our big trip was to make her a bed using a rubbermaid "under the bed shoe bin" with a foamy inside cut to fit to sit on the stove just like the travel bed did.  Great idea right? Well if it wasn't below zero or close to it most nights, it would have been. She just would have been too cold so the truth is, she slept with us in the bed.  Now I know you are thinking, how the heck did we get her back into her own bed when we got home? Well, all I can say is we got lucky!

My friend taught me about laundry basket packing - awesome for weekend trips for the 3 of us but for the big trip we had a lot more luggage.  Mr.Loonie and I shared a suit case and Penny had her own small duffel bag. The laundry basket was then used in the cargo box for quick access.

Below is the same view one cold night on our trip.

I'm Baaaack.....

Wow, well I'm a jerk.  I just got up and left y'all with no goodbye or explanation as to where we were heading.  It has been a busy month and a half and Miss Penny has become quite the traveller for a four month old.  Yes, she is four months already tomorrow! Well four months date wise (born June 19th) but 17.5 weeks if you are counting weeks.  

So where have we been you ask? Well for most of September we were camping our down the Washington and Oregon scenic coast highway 101,  via the Rocky Mountains in Alberta and Vernon and Osoyoos, B.C.   Our original goal was to make it to California but a job interview for Mr. Loonie and Penny's growing hatred for the car seat quickly changed our plans causing us to head back up north only 100km from the California border.  Ahh well, that's life and California will be saved for another trip.  On the way home we booked er' on the 1-5 through Portland, a city I would love to visit again and then through the historic Columbia Gorge bi-way in Washington (gorgeous in the fall!) and then crossing the Canadian border up through Idaho to Alberta.  

Our Set-up.  Drove over 6000km round trip.

The trip was amazing, I don't know how many times we said, "We should move here!".  Everywhere was just so different from our neck of the woods, emphasis on the word "woods"! In Washington we hit the Pacific Ocean at a spot known as Deception's Pass, a strait separating Whidbey Island from Fidalgo Island where the sun was shining both days, the hikes were amazing and the large trees and ferns took over the landscape just off the rocky beaches.  Mr. Loonie and Stryker had their first swim here, Stryker was a little more than surprised at the taste of the salt water! The funny thing was that he never seemed to remember that the water was salty our entire time at the ocean.  We were on the ocean most of the trip camping at beach side campgrounds when available, nothing beats the sounds of waves crashing while lying in bed.  

Deception's Pass - Penny's 1st view of the Pacific Ocean!

We saw mountains, sea lions, a whale, Oregon's largest Spruce tree, the world's longest beach , natural arches and caves in the ocean, a shit load of army bunkers, waterfalls, the world's largest frying pan, sand dunes, ocean sunsets, violent waves and blowholes, amazing bridges and botanical gardens but the best thing was watching Penny change from an infant to our little girl.  The changes we saw in her was awesome.  She was able to hold her steady by the end of our trip and sit in the bumbo comfortably without her head hanging and she is now forward facing in the carrier, a position she prefers so she can see the world! Penny just became more aware during that month, more smiley and talkative and much more comfrtable with both Mr.Loonie and I.

Holding her head up like a champ.

Devil's Churn

Columbia Gorge Waterfall

Long Beach, WA

Ecola State Park, OR (My favorite spot of the trip)

Haystack Rock, Cannon Beach, OR

One of the many ocean sunsets.

Outward in the carrier!

Beach Day!

And hiking.....I love to hike but yeesh no wonder I could fit into my pre-preggo jeans when we got back.  (Let's be honest though....fit with a muffin top). But everyone knows the only way to the best spots is to hike to them.  We did our fair share of geocaching too which lead us to the most amazing locations that only locals would know including ocean lookouts and secluded beaches.  

All in all, it was a great trip.  And for those who thought we were crazy for going with a 3 month old, I agree.  Haha No, it wasn't that bad at all.  It just took some planning and all the right equipment.  I will be posting a camping post to show you how we did it and what we would do differently next time.  

Now, if only Pen Pen could remember it all!! Thankfully, we have the 4000 pictures to show her when she is old enough to care! I also did a nightly journal entry to document our daily acitivities and journey with the coolest little polaroid pics taken with a camera Mr. Loonie got me for my 30th birthday.  Oh yah, remember a few posts back I wrote that I wasn't afraid of turning 30?! Well I guess that was a shit story since I ended up running from my own party.  The gist of it is.....Penny wouldn't take the bottle in time for the party and since I couldn't drink I decided to not go out at all.  So yah, I turned 30 but I still act like a child.

Caching in the 'Zac

To commemorate International Geocaching Day (well actually it was a fluke), our friend Scouter Ron (view his blogs here and here) and the 1st Anzac Scout Group organized the 1st Annual GEOCACHE Community Event aptly named “Caching in the Zac” to take place during Anzac Daze.  Anzac is a hamlet located approximately 50km south of Fort McMurray and has been holding Anzac Daze annually for quite a few years at their community hall.

There were three traditional caches and one bonus multi-cache set up for this event all located within the hamlet.  The first cache was just down a path from the Willow Lake Community Garden, the second one was close to the Gregoire Lake shore, the third was in the Anzac Cemetery.  The multi-cache was located around the Anzac baseball diamonds; we found the coordinates hidden in a tree, when punched into our GPS we were lead into the trees behind the outfield.

Anzac Daze#1 - Anzac Gardens

 

Anzac Daze#2 - Rest in Peace

Anzac Daze#3 - Lakeview

 Anzac Daze#4 - BONUS - Multi Cache

Oops - forgot to take a pic of the cache!

We started at 10am and found them all with one "first to find" by 12pm.   It is super easy and fun for us to strap on Penny and get out of the house on these nice summer days especially when there is such great swag and prizes.  Scouter Ron and the Scout group held a prize draw in the afternoon for those participants who found all the caches.  I guess we showed up late and our prize was given to the kids which is totally fine by us, we got wicked thermoses instead. So in between caching and the prize draw we went down to the Gregoire Lake Anzac day use area and had ourselves a picnic.  We had tuna pitas, cherry tomatoes, jalapeno dip and left over teryaki pork patties....yum. More picnics are definitely in order for the the rest of the summer since it is so simple with a baby. We had a blanket laid out for Mr.Loonie, Penny and I to sit on and Stryker laid next to us like such a good boy.  So thanks to the Scouts for getting the 3Strykes family out to enjoy your community!
Make sure to check out Anzac Daze next year..if geogaching isn't your thang they have lots of other activites to offer such as a kids carnival and bike parade and beer gardens and a dance for the adults.

Ooh and what's really cool is that we got our International Geocaching Day Souvenir today since we logged a found cache today, the Second Annual International Geocaching Day. Yay Team 3Strykes!

The Grayling Tree Swing

I always had a dream of a tree swing in my yard, it just seemed like such a magical thing.  Just some wood, rope and the perfect tree could have made me a very happy little girl.  Unfortunately, the perfect tree didn't exist on any properties where I have lived but........I did find one in the park down the street!! Grayling Terrace has a quiet little park with old trees, the Hangingstone River and the most beautiful view of a tar sandy cliff just within walking distance from all the residences.  I have been eying this one tree...THE tree for a couple of years now and mentioning to Mr.Loonie in passing, "Wouldn't that be the perfect tree.....?".  He would respond with a "Yes, dear" every time.  Well finally I had enough with the "Yes, dear"s, I wanted some action. What actually triggered the feat was finding a roll of rope and the exact size of board needed in my Auntie's shed while she was packing up to move (insert sad face to the moving part).

So after attaching two U-Bolts to the board, googling the right knots to use (we went with a bowline knot) to attach to the branch, using a rock to throw the ropes over the branch and then knotting the ropes to the U-Bolts, we were in business!! We did have to go back a week later after some use and raise the seat, as the rope must have stretched. 

On hot summer days we always end our walks in this park to allow Stryker a dip in the river.  So now while he does his business, I get to swing away with a smile on my face!

Weekend at the Lake in Instagram

In such a short amount of time, we have done more travelling since Penny came along than we were ever able to do before mostly in part to me not working.  Yay to summer's off! Mr. Loonie's work schedule is a 7 days/nights and 7 off cycle so in the past when I was working a 4 days and 3 off shift we would only have every second weekend off together, and only three days to do anything.  All of you who live in Fort McMurray know you need more time than that, since it takes five hours just to travel to the starting point (Edmonton) of most road trips.  So with seven days off together our destinations are endless...sort of.
The in-laws lake lot has been out prime location of vacation this year, if it wasn't Grandma Loonie would be in serious withdrawals from little miss Penny.  It works out for me too because I can have a little bit of freedom (except when Penny is hungry) to head out on the boat, sleep in and just relax!
I used my iPhone to snap away this past weekend to share this beautiful spot that Mr. Loonie has been lucky enough to spend his summers since he was a teenager.

 

The Herb Box

There is no way better to improve a dish like fresh herbs, sure, dry ones will do in a bind like in the dead of winter when a pack of fresh herbs is $8.00 and the one you want is sold out.  I guess that's what you get when you live in Northern Canada and the only fresh herbs that are growing in January is 3300km away in California.

A few summer ago I asked Mr.Loonie to construct me a "box" to house my favorite herbs in neat little compartments.  Each hole measures 7" x7" x7" which allows a good amount of growing space. The outer edges measure 1.5" higher than the soil level. I stained the outside of the box and added handles for easy relocation when a storm is coming in (herbs are finicky and too much moisture can be a bad thing). I have also been thinking of adding wheels.

These pictures were taken a few weeks back shortly after planting.  I will admit that I am lazy and don't plant the herbs from seed but buy them already started from Superstore. :( One day.....

So this year, I planted (from left to right, top to bottom)...rosemary, chervil, thyme, oregano, sage, mint.   My two favorite herbs, basil and Italian parsley are in bigger pots. 

I have a yummy homemade cheese recipe coming up soon using these fresh herbs! Stay tuned...

Front Yard Flower Bed and Mail Box Makeover

Everyone in Fort McMurray, well probably Canada knows the golden rule about planting their flower beds and gardens.....WAIT UNTIL AFTER MAY LONG WEEKEND!!! And so after we got back from our freezing camping weekend, the sun conveniently appeared signalling it was time to get working in the yard.

The perennials shown in yellow, were already starting to pop up a week or two before May long weekend. The only new perennials I added this year were to the bottom row, 3 Dianthus'.  The rest of the space, I surrounded in annuals; petunias, pansies and marigolds.  I guess my colour scheme this year is pink and orange.  For the hanging basket on the trellis, I am trying out the Sweet Potato Vine which is supposed to be good in full sun and can grow quickly.  In the past, I've grown Sweet Peas but they just don't fill out enough, which doesn't provide us the desired privacy from neighbor that we would like in the summer.

To pretty it up some more, I filled a planter with Creeping Jenny, Dahlias and a tall green spiky plant in the back and a small pot with a marigold.

After the planting was done, I stood back and admired my work.  Something was off, something was lacking the style the front of the house deserves.

It was the mailbox.  Have a look at the rusty gold and black mailbox it once was and now the transformed and sleek holder of mail.  All it took was two even coats of Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint by Rustoleum which I got at Wal-Mart. 

   

For the final reveal:

What flowers do you plant in the spring? I would love suggestions! I am new to the gardening world as my green thumb is only a pale, pale shade of green.

May Long Weekend Camping

This post topic is a little late but when starting to write a post about my front flower beds, I realized our May long weekends in northern Alberta are a little crazy.

It doesn't matter if it has been above 20°C and sunny for the first three weeks in May, you can bet your life savings that it is going to snow, hail, rain like a motha and/or get pretty close to freezing on the May long weekend.  And, every year we make the same foolish decision to kick of the camping year with this particular weekend.  This year was no exception, we headed out to Mariana Lakes to camp, which is also known as "Mariana Triangle" weather wise.  Ironically, it did all of the above weather mishaps - snow, hail, rain and according to the thermometer we brought with us, the minimum temperature reached that weekend was 0.6°C.  

The past few years we (Mr. Loonie, Stryker and I) along with our group of friends have been camping at the Mariana site furthest south on Hwy 63 when it is available.  I don't know how long it has been there but there is an amazing teepee approximately 20 feet tall with a fire pit right in the center of it.  To keep the wind and cold out and the heat in we wrap tarps around the outside, which is especially essential for May Long weekends.

Here are some past pictures we've taken of the South/old teepee site.  This site also has a little dock perfect for fishing or just relaxing! 

Unfortunately, we missed out on this spot this year and had to settle for the north site (they are only 2 minutes apart on the highway).  There is more than one camping spot on this site but the nicest is right on the water, the downside is the wind off the lake.  The only solution was to erect our very own teepee!!

So, the guys went to work! Conveniently four guys with ASRD (Alberta Sustainable Resource Development) and their helicopter were parked while on a fire watch and decided to help out!

Drag the deadfall out. Cut the lengths to size, tie together at the top and all at once....LIFT!!!

Wrap the tarps around for ultimate protection!

Photo Credit to our friends Colin, Juniper and Melissa.

P.S. Team 3Strykes and team timestoppersua stashed a cache at the new teepee site - Stop in for a search on your next travel south!