Date:         Tue, 9 Jul 2013 00:07:51 -0500
Reply-To:     Jeff Palmer <jpalmer@MYMTS.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jeff Palmer <jpalmer@MYMTS.NET>
Subject:      Another small trip report
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="windows-1252"

This past weekend I took my two daughters (4.5 and almost 3) to meet a bunch of friends with kids at Black Lake campground at Nopiming Provincial Park in Manitoba.  It's about 200km from Winnipeg but surprisingly remote as the road ends not too much past that.  I used to go there often on canoe trips with the boys when we were in pre-kid phase.  7 other kids there on this trip.

Left Friday afternoon about 3 after getting the fridge cooling nicely and the water pump functioning normally.  It was a hot day - about 30C (86F I think?) but also muggy without much breeze.  The trip was remarkable in that it was unremarkable.  One kid in a booster seat, the other in an toddler seat (requiring the tether point).  So the windows were down, the wind was whistling, and my kids were yelling at me and I couldn't hear a thing.  I think I should have bought those walkie talkies after all.  Next time.  

First 130 km was comfortable.  The last 70km is on a twisty gravel road, bumpy, lots of exposed granite and steep inclines/declines.  Rarely hit 70.  

Lots of mosquitoes and black flies to greet us on our arrival.  Fortunately they would not stick around for long.  

I was hoping to put the kids up top but decided to keep them on the bottom.  Ended up sleeping all three of us on the bottom bunk.  Cozy but everyone slept - except me.  At this time of year it's bright past 10pm and the sun's up at 5 again.  So were the kids.

Realized that I took too much stuff again.  Larger BBQ than I should (small ones are tough to get hot enough?), and a wagon, and two small bikes … should've kept it simple.  

I did bring a port potty though.  My youngest is recently out of diapers and this was a good way to keep momentum.  She made it all the way to the campsite and then did her business.  I pulled the release on the potty so that the pee went into the holding tank, making sure I closed the potty lid just in case extra pressure in the tank might cause an accident.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Jeff
85 Westfalia GL, automatic
With one wife who owes me a weekend!