Over the years camping for me has meant smaller and lighter equipment as I struggle with my knees and struggle with some of the longer portages on back country canoe camping trips. Sarah and I now own a very expensive tent that weighs almost nothing. We have titanium sporks. We’re those kind of campers. Affluent with aging knees.
We also have a more everyday tent that weighs a bit more and takes up a bit more space that we use for cycling trips, like the bike rally. By bike rally standards it’s still pretty small. It’s the tent that the fancy ‘feels like it’s made of gossamer’ tent replaced.
But this summer two things are different.
Obviously my knee recovering from surgery is one. I can get down on that ground and up from the ground but it’s not easy. Likewise, I’m still struggling to sleep. The other is that we want to do some trips with Cheddar. He can’t go on bike trips and canoe camping is completely out, but he can go car camping.
So when my son Gavin bought an enormous tent that sleeps six and you can stand up in it, Sarah and I had an idea–car camping! We brought all the things, including a double inflatable air mattress, so many pillows, real blankets, and a dog bed.
I love the Pinery on Lake Huron. I love the beautiful beaches. I love the sand dunes. And I have so many memories of camping here when the kids were little. In fact, to make the day extra special Mallory came up from London and spent the day with us and Cheddar. We cooked veggie dogs over the fire and played cards. We also did a lot of dog hiking
Here’s photos from some of our walks.
This is the weekend I stopped using my cane, primarily because it was pointless in the sand. I just left it in the car and when we came back from camping I never went back to using it. Bye for now, cane!
I will definitely go car camping with Cheddar again! We decided not to buy a luxurious large tent for now. Instead, our plan is to borrow Gavin’s as needed.
