Spring has finally arrived, if only temporarily. When you live in Alberta though, you hustle out and enjoy the good weather whenever it happens. In the case of The Viking and I, we do less hustling and more shuffling, but we eventually get the job done.
Such was the case on Saturday.
The Viking has been searching for the perfect campground for a week-long escape with the Fifth Wheel and he wanted to take a nice drive to a couple of places to see exactly how they rate on the ‘Possible Location List’. Finding a place isn’t as easy as you’d think. We have standards that need to be met:
- Are there actual trees? You’d be surprised at the number of places that have concrete slabs laid out like RV Prison Camps.
- Is there electricity? We aren’t interested in ‘roughing it’ – we’re too old for that shit. There are few things worse than battling moths and mosquitoes when you’re huddled around a lantern trying to play cards.
- Is there a water hook-up? I like to have a shower once in a while to wash off the Bug Spray and smoke residue. Oh, I know that it is the International Standard Perfume for summer camping but I’m not a fan of ‘Eau d’Smokey DEET’ 24/7.
- How about a sewer hook-up? We’re human and humans poop and hanging my ass over a pit clogged with nasty is not something I can compromise on. Just doesn’t happen, unless it’s a matter of life or death.
- Can anyone walking by see us and think we are happy to chat? We’re not. We are Introverts. We have nothing against other people, we just don’t want to talk to an endless stream of them trying to be neighbourly.
- Is there a playground close by? If there is, we’ll want a site well-removed from said playground. We don’t have anything against kids but they’re loud and annoying. We’ve outgrown that stage in life where every kid is adorable and deserves a homemade cookie.
- Is there anything of the slightest bit of interest to go see in the general area? Or walking paths? That’s even better! We/I get bored easily.
- A Swimming Pool? The Viking likes being wet for some ungawdly reason and a swimming pool is one of his favourite things. If there are a couple of chairs so he can booze it up in between refreshing his wetness, he’ll stay there all day and most of the evening. I sit in a chair with a book, explaining over and over that I’m sure the water is wonderful and No, I’m not interested in wetness. It doesn’t discourage him at all.
Anyway, there was one campground that we wanted to get a look at before committing, so we jumped in the car for a lovely afternoon drive. In typical fashion, we didn’t discuss food and we didn’t discuss our route to the campground. Needless to say, we were in an argument before we ever left the neighbourhood. Last minute changes to his itinerary has a way of irritating The Viking. I probably should have filed the proper paperwork in advance.
Since the day was so lovely, I didn’t let a little skirmish ruin the day. We only went about an hour and a half from Calgary, but that hour and a half is packed with beautiful.
We found a gorgeous picnic spot; it’s just too bad we hadn’t thought to bring any food. I’m not sure who was supposed to be in charge of the Lunch, but they obviously suck at their job. A sandwich, a cracker, anything really, would have been appreciated.
We’ll have to get the Goldwing out one of these days and go back. Once the food organizer gets his/her shit together. We should probably file the proper request in advance with a list of menu options we would like.
As for the campground….well….it didn’t meet the standards*. Unfortunately. It was a very nice campground. If you happen to live in the area and are looking for a great campground that has electricity and drinking water – Sandy McNabb Campground, west of Turner Valley is for you.
*First world problems, right? Pampered Queen? Spoiled? Unapologetically guilty. 😏
Wow, I’d skip lunch for scenery like that! Someday I hope to be “Alberta bound!” (added to my bucket list along with BC, Vancouver and Alaska)
When you come this way you’ll have to look us up. 🙂
You bet! I’ve never met a real Viking before!😂
LOL! You’ll never forget him, I can promise you that. 😂
What gorgeous scenery, SFAM!
I, too, had become particularly persnickety about campsites. Though not quite so “savage” as you, we did want what we wanted… I miss those days!
When I first met The Viking, he had a truck and camper and it was great. We camped wherever we wanted. But then my back injured worsened dramatically. There was a year and a half when I couldn’t even get in my car let alone a camper. We traded up to a big 5th wheel toy hauler and spent most of our camping time in Arizona. That became too much work so we’ve downsized – sold the Seadoos and bought a smaller trailer with more living space. I miss the camper days now, too. It was so simple and we had so much freedom to camp anywhere. But I have nerve damage in my left foot leaving me with little strength on that side, and there are days when The Viking has to help me get out of bed so a camper isn’t really practical. C’est la vie, though, right? We make due with what we have. I’m just thankful we can still get away for relatively cheap – not so cheap as it used to be though. 😏
Thanks for the pictures! It’s so easy to forget, living in Ontario, that the rest of the country is just as gorgeous. We were in Alberta last summer, but the fires were so bad that we really couldn’t see anything. Happy, fire-free summer to you!
I’ve never made it out to Ontario but it’s on the list – hopefully soon. 🙂 May your summer be wonderful, too.