It was our first camping trip of the season. It was warm, it was windy, and it was way too wonderful to fit into one post. Here is Part 1 of our weekend at Blomidon Provincial Park. 

Let me just start by saying that we’ve had a few camping misadventures in the past. This was not one of them. Considering the time of year, the tides and the weather, we nailed it. If you want to spend a weekend exploring Blomidon Provincial Park (and surrounding areas) here is what you need to do.

On Friday, say goodbye to the office/library/housework/whatever else is keeping you inside. Pack up the car. Head northwest towards the Bay of Fundy, or more specifically, the Minas Basin. This will be your neighbourhood for the next two days.

From Halifax, the drive to Blomidon Provincial Park is about an hour and a half, so if you leave at about 6:30pm like we did, you’ll have just enough time to arrive, set up camp and make a campfire dinner before dark. On arriving, we noticed a few things right away: the view is spectacular, and the wind is fierce.

We didn’t actually have a campsite with a view (only a handful of the sites do), but because of the wind, we were thankful for a bit of shelter in the woods (we had site #3). Even then, our little tent was struggling against the gusts, so we pulled our car right up beside our tent for protection. This worked wonders.

As an aside, I’d like to say how impressed we were with the size of our campsite. It could have easily fit three large tents. This, together with the fact that the sites were so private and well-spaced, meant that Dallas could be left off-leash the entire time. Whenever we were at camp, she happily wandered around the woods chewing on sticks (and munching on as much grass as she could get away with). So in terms of dog-friendliness, we give Blomidon Provincial Park two paws up.

Arriving, setting up, eating dinner, and relaxing by the fire with some drinks will be enough to keep you busy on your first evening in Blomidon. And if you’re like us, you’ll be pretty excited to retire to your tent for the night.

We were especially looking forward to trying out our new MEC sleeping pads. After our inflatable double air mattress bit the dust (after less than two seasons), we decided to go with something slightly more legit (and portable). Enter the MEC Reactor 6.5 Sleeping Pad (although it comes in a double-width size, we opted for two of the singles). After our first use, we are totally hooked. They stayed inflated all weekend, and I honestly felt like I was sleeping on a regular mattress, even when side-sleeping. They are a little pricier and too bulky for a backpacking trip, but they are a solid addition to our gear stash for car camping and canoe camping. What’s more is that they actually velcro together to form a stable and really good-sized double mattress, so Dallas (a 60-lb. lab) could snuggle in with us. Heavenly.

Which brings us to Saturday morning. I had picked up a copy of Campfire Cuisine: Gourmet Recipes for the Great Outdoors and we were excited to try the recipe for breakfast scones. We had made the mix beforehand and put it into a ziploc bag, so all we had to do was add an egg, buttermilk and butter, stir, and cook.

With the addition of homemade jam, along with some hot percolated coffee and eggs, we had ourselves a simple and tasty camp breakfast. I wouldn’t recommend this recipe (or the cookbook) for backcountry camping given the complexity of ingredients. But it has some pretty great ideas for those looking to eat well (read: no more hot dogs!) in the outdoors.

After a lovely start to the weekend, you should now be ready for a big dogventure! On that note, stay tuned for next week’s post…

Happy Fetch Friday, and a humongous HAPPY 7th BIRTHDAY to our girl, Dallas!