May 24- Parry Sound Trip Report

This was written quite a few weeks ago, but did not get published!

We spent the first long weekend of the spring/summer at Parry Sound KOA. We traveled with our friends, the Herliheys (in their camper) and the Connells (in a Kamping Kabin.)

All you really need!

Bus packed and ready to go!

One of my favorite parts is driving!

Sharing the passenger seat.

We arrived Friday in the pouring rain. We were spread quite far apart, but our site was fairly easy to get into. We set up and it looked like the rain was going to pass. Then it started to POUR! The kids didn't care, and rode their bikes through the mud.

Lunch of champions.

Saturday was a beautiful day, we actually spent it at the POOL. We chose this KOA because of the amenitieis- dog park, mini golf and heated pool (as early as May). The kids loved it. They served free ice cream too! We relaxed and sat around the fire.

Daddy was voted to go swimming with Toad.

This KOA would be more on the "woodsy" side-- my husband likes concrete and asphalt. It did have gravel roads and trees, but it was pretty.
We enjoyed campsites, laughing, some cold beverages and some great company. The kids (6 of them) enjoyed having free reign on their bicycles, played some mini golf and bought junk at the park store.
The kids loved the wagon ride (they rode it several times) and the outdoor movie and popcorn!



Partty sound is fairly close, but siince our Toad was out of commission, we didn't have a vehicle. It didn't bother us at all!
I liked this KOA. The Kabin was pretty cool! Bring your own linens, and you are set! I also enjoyed some of the amenities, even though it wasn't as fancy as some of the other KOAs we have stayed at.
We came home Monday, and back to reality.

Even Don enjoys the bus!

May 2-4 2015: Parry Sound

We are super excited for our first bus trip (outside of Lindsay) of 2015!

We are venturing north to Parry Sound– in the heart of Georgian Bay. I spent most summers on the boat in Georgian Bay, and it's a beautiful area of the Canadian Shield.

Parry Sound is a town in Ontario, Canada, located on the eastern shore of the sound after which it is named. Parry Sound is located 160 km (99 mi) south of Sudbury and 225 km (140 mi) north of Toronto. It is the seat of Parry Sound District, a popular cottage countryregion for Southern Ontario residents. It also has the world's deepest natural freshwater port.

We are even more excited to be camping with our friends – the Herlihey's and the Connell's. A weekend away with them means lots of wine, laughs, and kids running free! 

We will be staying at the Parry sound KOA. http://koa.com/campgrounds/parry-sound/photos/756457d8-8cb4-4a0d-a6e0-0064b7c7b9ad

We love KOA because of all the activities for kids including the jumping pillow, hayrides, and heated pools.

Looking forward to no Internet and lots of relaxation. I will post photos upon our return.

First weekend- Lindsay Swap Meet

We had an awesome time at the Lindsay swap meet. 

Weather was amazing – warm and sunny. We made do with the generator, as there were no hook ups. We met lots of people and Adam sold some of his things.

The bus is now clean, packed, and ready to go! It's nice for our first trip to be less than five minutes away from home.

Looking forward to an amazing summer on the bus!!

The Bus - 2015!

It is that time of year again. Getting the bus ready for camping season!

As I read my past posts, I see that I didn't post about our awesome Labor Day weekend at Mosport. Don't worry, we plan on going this year too, do I'll just add some extra photos! :)

A few weeks ago, when it was still quite chilly, I checked on the bus. This winter, it sat in our driveway beside the shop. I checked for any problems over the winter. All looked great!

Last weekend I started a spring clean. I went to the back of the bus and started pulling everything out of every cupboard! One cupboard was a bit damp, but everything else was fine. I brought in all the bedding and pillows from the bedroom, dusted and got rid of some stuff. Then I did the same in the bathroom, the hall, the kitchen and the living too . I ended up with a bag of garbage, a bag to donate, organized cupboards and some new-found space!

Yesterday, I made the bed, put the bathroom and cleaning supplies back on board (I brought them inside for the winter) and put some pantry staples in the cupboards.

Today, I steam cleaned the hardwood floors, vacuumed the carpet and used my Bissell carpet cleaner on the carpet. 

It looks and smells great.

Adam worked on mechanical stuff. But that's another post.

Fenelon Car Show- August Long Weekend

This is our second year at the Fenelon Falls Car show! It's rough camping, but its like a huge swap meet, and we love it.

We park the bus, and Adam sells stuff.

There was also an amazing car show-- lots of amazing cars to look at and admire.

Toad also sold water and pop, and made some fun money!

Toad heard the burnout contest, but Adam didn't want to wreck any of our cars. The next day, Toad came back and said they were having a "rev" contest.

Adam went back to our campsite, got the yellow truck, and entered.

And he won!

1000 Islands- Ivy Lea KOA

This was our third annual trip the Ivy Lea (Ganonque) KOA. We love it there!

It is about 3 hours from our house, close to the town of Gananoque, and close to the ferry to Boldt Castle and the 1000 islands.

They have an amazing pool, family pool and spa and adults only hot tub. The playground is great too! We love glow-stick wagon rides and the jumping pillow too.

We arrived on Sunday. Our friends, the Herliheys, had already arrived, and were a few spots up from us, across the road.

We parked the bus nicely in spot 111. It was a back in, and we had nothing behind us but fields, and a parking lot on te other side. Lots of room!

We relaxed. Then it started to rain, and rain some more! We all piled in the bus and made the most of it.

Monday morning, Adam had to get up and go to work. It rained ALL DAY. Not just spitting, it was RAINING. About 2pm, the kids wanted to go swimming-- so we decided to go sit in the hot tub. Great idea! The kids had an ice cream float, which helped with the crappy weather. It stopped raining about 7pm and we were able to have a campfire (thanks for keeping the firewood dry Dave and Jen!). The kids made s'mores. (This was after the kids went to the lounge to watch Ghostbusters!)

Tuesday we woke up early, and headed to the town of Rockport to get on the cruise to Boldt Castle. This in my third time, but I still LOVE IT! Rockport cruises are great- not crowded and very scenic. Toad and I split up from the Herliheys and checked out our favorite parts of the castle, including the movie about George Boldt. Toad loved the children's playhouse that had a bowling alley. It was built in the early 1900s. An amazing love story. The cruise back is my favorite, going down "Millionaire's Row" in the 1000 islands. The weather was warm and sunny!

Tuesday night, Adam arrived and we had a nice dinner and hit the hot tub again. The kids were like little fish!

Wednesday morning, we woke up and started to pack up. More rain! The bus stalled. Thank goodness, Adam figured out it was water in one of the filters, and off we went.

We will be back next year!

TN 2014- Day 4-7

Day 4- Monday, July 14, 2014

This morning we had a lazy morning! We went for a quick swim in the pool-- it was hot! We gathered up our things as we were moving from Gatlinburg to Pigeon Forge. We really loved Gatlinburg! It is like a small town, with so many things to do.

The boys decided that they wanted to try one of the many go-karting places! We picked "The Track" and they had a blast! I did drive a few times, but got road rage-- so I went shopping instead while the boys enjoyed some laps.

We checked in at our next hotel, and went to the indoor pool. It was beautiful! We went to a BBQ restaurant, and the food was amazing! We then went for a walk, browsing at some handmade quilts, moonshine stills and lots of touristy shops!

                                 Day 5- Tuesday, July 15, 2014


Dollywood! Need I say more?

I will admit-- one of the main reasons I wanted to go to the Smoky Mountains was for Dolly! She was born and raised in Sevierville (you have to drive through it to get to Pigeon Forge). I read great reviews about Dollywood.

The weather report said rain, but since we had things booked for the next few days, we went anyway! It turned out great, because it was overcast (only rained once when we were in a show), and there were no lines.

WE LOVED DOLLYWOOD. This is an understatement. Loved it way more than Disneyworld. Toad could go on all rides except for 3. When you get there, you get the child measured, and they get a coloured wristband, so there is no confusion or discrepancy as to what rides they can go on. We arrived just after opening at 10:00am. And we left at 10:00pm. It was amazing! Great rides, artisans, lots of shade, and lots of water rides (it was hot!). We went to one of the many shows, toured Dolly's bus (woohoo!), and meandered through some of the villages and took a steam train ride up into the mountains. It really was an amazing family day.

                                         Wednesday, July 16, 2014

This morning we went to Shoney's for breakfast. Love it! Then, we headed northeast to the North Carolina border, along the Tennessee Foothills Highway. The view was breathtaking.

 I booked whitewater rafting, and we were excited. We arrived, checked in and waited. We did the lower half of the Pigeon River. It was beautiful. Our guide, Adrienne, was awesome. We shared our boat with a family from Oklahoma. We got in the boat and started drifting. There were easy rapids and the current took us along at a swift pace. At one point, Toad and I jumped out for a swim! It was refreshing and we loved it. We saw alot of indigenous trees and kudzu. We looked for turtles, but didnt see any. We did see alot of birds and alot of lush trees (and the mountains!) It was really relaxing, and we learned about the Smoky Mountains and the park. We did hit a few rapids and got splashed, but overall it was calm. Toad loved it! At the end of the ride, a bus picked us up to take us back to the outpost. So fun!

We had worked up an appetite. On they way, we saw a little restaurant and a man stoking the smoker. That was enough for us! We went there, and it was great. I loved the pulled pork, and we sat outside at a picnic table. They had 4 kinds of bbq sauce. It was great!

We went back to the hotel and relaxed, and then we decided to check out "The Island". It is a shop/amusement park type of place in Pigeon Forge. It had lots of stores, a fountain that was lit up and a huge ferris wheel. Toad saw the bungee jumping thing, and had to go! It was fun to watch him.
After this, we were ready for bed!

                                              Tuesday, July 17, 2014
A relaxing morning with some swimming at the pool. We headed back down to Gatlinburg to pick up some moonshine to take home (of course we had to taste it AGAIN!) Some great music, so we stopped to listen. We then hit Bubba Gump's for lunch. Then to finish off some credits with the go-karts and get ready for Dixie Stampede.

Dixie Stampede is another Dolly attraction. It is similar to Medieval Times, but
it has cowboys and the North vs. South. We did not see the whole variety show at the beginning, but there was music, dancing and laughs. We then went into the big arena. The show was great- very entertaining and impressive with horses, birds and buffalo. The food was amazing! (no cutlery). We all loved it.

After this, we went back to the hotel, to pack. :(  

Friday, July 18, 2014

Sadly, today we had to pack up and head back to Ontario. We were very sad to leave! We also knew we had a bit of time, so we planned to stop in a few places. We left TN and headed in to KY (different from the way we came down). Adam called his college friend Matt, and we were able to stop and say hello! They had not seen each other in about 13 or 14 years!

We then drove north, and stopped at the Jim Beam disterllery. Cool place!

We drove as far as Cleveland, Ohio and called it a night.

Saturday, July 19, 2014

We kept on driving in the rain today. It seemed like a long time to get out of Ohio, and into Michigan. We hit the border, and homeward bound! 

All in all- an AMAZING TRIP!