Accident Report - Day 5 continued...

So, it is pitch black, dead of night... we just finished watching a movie and I had to go to the biffy before climbing in to my pajamas and getting in to bed. Getting there, not a problem. Coming back it was very, very dark with only a small amber light on the outside of our trailer to guide me... I failed to take the flashlight with me. I didn't need it the 4 nights previously... famous last words! As I am stepping from the pavement to our gravel pad, I inadvertently step in a low spot, twist my right ankle, land abruptly on my left shin and come to a stop with my right butt cheek in  what feels like a puddle. SERIOUSLY??!! I am having serious issues with gravity in this neck of the woods! Of course I was wearing shorts and scraped my leg but good. I cleaned the wound with soap and water but felt it needed a little more TLC so I went and got the first aid kit out of the van and wiped it with hydrogen peroxide. Sigh. Wish I had brought my tube of Polysporin with Novacaine in it to numb the stinging. Oh well, off to bed I go...

Gravity of our situation - Day 3 - August 17, 2010

Today's plan, after pancakes and sausage, shower and dressed... drive out to the Narrows to see if we can reserve a boat for Friday when the weather is supposed to shape up and we can go and catch us some fishes. First run in with gravity was in the morning, Connor slipped in the mud AFTER his shower and got his pajamas dirty. I hand washed them and hung them up before we zipped up and left for the Narrows. It is about a half hour drive from Waskesieu, lovely and scenic. We saw a gorgeous male elk, I wanted to get a picture but Tim went by too fast for me to snap it. I got a bit cranky as I had rolled down the window and gotten the camera ready and he didn't take that as an indication that he should STOP. Apparently mind reading isn't part of his repertoire after 15 years of marriage... LOL! Anyhow, we got to the Narrows, talked to "the guy", reserved for Friday and then went for a lovely walk on the dock.

I love lilypads and the delicate little flowers they have.

Anyhow, after the walk on the dock, the boys wanted to go walk on the boardwalk that lined the shore. It was at about a 20 degree angle, partially under water but it looked safe enough. About three quarters of the way down, all of a sudden my feet flew out from under me and I landed face down on the boardwalk submerged in water. My purse and camera went into the lake, although still attached to my wrist. I think I must have slipped like a cartoon character, feet right out behind and spread eagle on the ground. Tim laughed as I stood up sopping wet, both wrists abraded, the right one more so and squashed duck poop on my right leg. It hurt!! Damn Gravity ANYWAY!! Connor thought it was Karma as we "tortured" him by making him dry dishes earlier in the day. I'm not so sure, but my right wrist has a purple bruise the size of two loonies.  Needless to say, I didn't make lunch (Tim made sandwiches) or supper, we visited Pete's Terrace for Pizza, and are now at the Patio Cafe using the internet and having a coffee. Always and adventure with us!

Connor liked the blue dragonflies that were all over at the Narrows. We hope catch to lots of fish on Friday!

Adventures in Vacationing - Day 1 - August 15, 2010

So we got up at 7:30, showered, got dressed, finished packing and hit the road at about 10 a.m. Quick stop at McD's in Nisku for breaky then on the road. It was funny getting used to towing the trailer again, it has been two years and even Connor commented on "it's really bouncy". We listened to Harry Potter: The Deathly Hollows audiobook en route, in preparation for the movie this winter (November release of part 1). We stopped briefly in Lloydminster on the Alberta side for fuel and a quick Subway break. Onward to Prince Albert where we again fuelled up, grabbed some snacks and went the last stretch to Prince Albert National Park. We checked in, pulled into our site and this is where it began to get interesting...

We figured we were close enough to the plug ins for our services, unhooked and began to set up the trailer. When we went to pull out the pull out, we ran in to a little trouble. The kitchen pullout hit the water post. Quickly, we buttoned up the trailer enough so Tim could hook back on and pull it forward a bit. When he hooked on the trailer to the ball, the trailer was too low to lock on to the ball properly but he figured it was good enough to pull it forward. Famous last words you say, you would be right! Pulling forward wasn't a problem but we wanted to back the van on to blocks and get the trailer on a block to level it left to right. When Tim backed up, the trailer bounced up, off the hitch and promptly hit the ground. Being tired from the long trip and frustrated with our predicament, Tim asked ME what to do. "Where is the jack for the van?" I asked.

Quickly we unloaded the back of the van, no easy feat considering that we had beach toys, extra shoes, food, suitcases, games (bocce, badminton), and a plethora of other camping gear. Tim got the scissor jack out, under the hitch and started jacking!! We got it high enough to put the hitch dolly leg down and used it to get us high enough to hook back on to the van, locked onto the ball and actually got the trailer situated and set up without further incident.

Connor, now 10 years old, is finally strong enough to crank the trailer up.

We finally got the trailer up, made organic beef bratwurst for supper and watched "Over the Hedge" before collapsing into bed... long day!