Because I took a break from blogging, I have a few summer adventures to share and since we just survived another major storm and it’s now -17C, why not look back on hot summer days? I was able to escape to Koocanusa in B.C. and enjoy some very hot, water filled days camping at Surveyor’s Lake.
Richards Family Campout
The first time we went, Ryan had to work and we joined his parents, brothers and their families. The kids LOVE the family camping trips with their cousins. Every year we choose a spot in the free backcountry area just away from Lake Koocanusa which I absolutely love. So while the title says camping at Surveyor’s Lake, we technically camped at Lake Koocanusa, but we spent our days at Surveyor’s.
We were the only family camping in a tent versus a trailer and I was a little nervous about Tynan getting cold. I bought him a winter onesie and read a ton of articles about tenting with infants so I thought I was pretty prepared.
Unfortunately, he peed through his onseie and I had to give him a cold midnight change on the tent floor. I then worried so bad about him that I made him sleep in my sleeping bag with me which he and I both hated. After that first night we slept in my in-laws’ trailer for the rest of the trip because I was so paranoid.
We spent our days hanging out at Surveyor’s Lake which is in a Provincial Park. The water is super warm and full of turtles.
The kids loved kayaking around the lake looking for turtles and each day we took a stroll around the lake and turtle spotted.
Tynan was such a great little outdoorsy baby on this trip. He played in the water, napped on a towel in the shade, and revelled in digging in the dirt.
On the last evening, Tynan stayed at the campsite with the adults and I took the kids down to a large sand dune they like to jump off every year.
The kids and I agreed it was a great trip but not the same without their dad so we made plans to go another weekend.
Blended Family Weekend
Our blended family dynamic is one that most people find surprising but should emulate. We live two doors down from Ryan’s ex-wife, Miranda, and her husband Adam. Ryan and Ace are free to run back and forth, they often take Tynan over to their house to hang out. Ryan and Adam go frisbee golfing all summer long and we went on a fun weekend of camping together as a big blended family.
We had to go on a long weekend which made finding a quiet camping spot in the back country a little tougher. As we drove around looking for a good site, we came upon a huge group of bachelorettes’ and that was the last thing I wanted to be near when camping with kids.
After a lot of hunting around, I took off on foot and found a great sight that was kind of hard to drive up to which made it perfect for us tenters to bunker down. I was very proud of the site we created and the fire pit we made for the evenings.
This time around it was warmer and I didn’t worry about Ty being cold during the night. He napped in his playpen outside while we set up and went down in the tent well. Although he did get up more than his usual once a night and took some extra comforting. One night, he was only happy sleeping with me in my sleeping bag but it made for a bad night sleep for me.
I think I may be investing in something else, especially with two babies next summer. I thought maybe investing in an air mattress for the car that we could hunker down in. Or a really good mattress for the tent so the babies and I can snuggle? I just don’t want to haul a trailer. They’re handy for sure, but so much work!
We spent the weekend hanging out at the lake. With it being a long weekend, it was a super crowded weekend so it took a bit to find good space.
Miranda and Adam brought glow sticks and Tynan was obsessed with them one of the nights camping.
We were lucky and our spot stayed pretty quiet at night.
It was an almost perfect weekend with one scary incident to end it. On the drive home the two kid’s kayaks we had strapped to the top of my car flew off! We were on a bridge and Miranda, Adam, Ryan and Ace were right behind us in their car. I watched the kayaks fly toward them and I swear my heart stopped! Adam managed to swerve to avoid being hit by the first one and then the second one. Ryan had to pull over on the bridge (with no shoulder) and Adam pulled up behind them and they went to pick up the kayaks. This was all on a bridge people! AND it was the Monday of a long weekend so there were a ton of trucks hauling camper trailers of big RV’s speeding by the guys as they tried to put the kayaks on. It took me a long time to stop shaking because that was so scary. Always check your straps! Every time you stop for gas or food, just double check your straps! That could have been a lot worse.
Those were my only two camping trips of the summer, but they were good ones. And I just LOVED watching the world through Tynan’s eyes on these camping trips. I highly recommend you pack up the family next summer for some camping at Surveyor’s Lake!
