Rondeau - Again!

We booked this trip, our final run of the year, way back in July when you couldn't find an open site in the whole of Southern Ontario, at least until the kids went back to school. But here we are in mid-October among the fall colours of Rondeau's Carolinian Forest and feeling somewhat thankful that we can be here at all. We're enjoying some fine weather, at last, and mixing it with all the other old geezers who've had to leave their camping until now.

Before I get too elated about the lack of rain so far, I think we're in for some wetness during this trip, but you take your wins where you can find them, and right now the weather is fabulous.

Over the years we've learned that the hound, Willow, gets very anxious when she realises that we're about to head out, this despite the fact that in recent times we've always taken her with us. She clearly isn't a great learner. With that in mind, we left packing up Towed Haul until the last minute, and having loaded the fretting hound into the Toadmobile, we set off southwards on a warm and sunny afternoon. She settled quickly, thank goodness, and we trundled through the intensively farmed fields that dominate this part of Canada, looking forward to some serious rest and relaxation.

Arriving at the gates of the Provincial Park, the first thing I had to do was warn the girl at the office that Willow was about to sound off, and sure enough she barked fit to burst, protecting us no doubt from the nasty park staff. So much for being settled.

We're on site seventeen this trip, another new plot for us. It's reasonably deep and narrow, but I messed up with the backing-in process, catching one of Towed Haul's front window guards on a wooden post as I wrestled her into going backwards at the right place. No real harm done but I think had I approached the site from the opposite direction, I'd have had more room to back up properly. Even after ten years trailering, there's always room to learn.

Our wet summer was evident in that there is a wet and muddy dip in the ground just where we had to unhitch. I'm sure in other years it has been bone hard, but today it was bog-like so we had a little wheel slip as we tried to position the trailer in as level a place as we could manage. Hopefully it won't present us with too many problems getting off the site on Friday, but I'm sure the park staff could rustle up something to help if we really did get stuck. Unlike our last trip, to Science Hill, the one where we were worried about the Airstream floating away, I only have a few feet to reach the metalled road.

The afternoon and evening turned out to be a camping classic. The temperature was in the low twenties Celsius, not much wind in among the trees, sun just peeking over the tops of trees negating the use of the awning, and all that added up to a light and airy feel inside the trailer with no heating, no air conditioning and no fans running. What a contrast to the dark and stormy days of our last trip.

Reading seemed to be the default pastime as both Mrs. Toad and I settled into our books. My Kindle version of the Chrysalids was screwed up and the last chapter was missing, but I was able to download a PDF version from the Internet and finished it off as the night drew in. I have to say, if you're lucky with the weather, Fall camping is excellent.

We had to make our usual accommodations for the hound to allow each of us to get a reasonable night's sleep. What that means, dear reader, is that I'm on the pull out sofa bed in my sleeping bag while the two ladies luxuriate in and on the queen-sized bed. Tsk. Can you hear those tiny violins?

One quick observation of this not very busy campground is that Mrs. Toad and I are at the younger end of the clientele, this being the old codgers' time of year.

And so to bed, hoping the weather stays fine (you really can't trust any of the forecasts), and relishing the peace and quiet.