Canada Day weekend at Turkey Point Provincial Park
Fireworks, marshmallows, mosquitoes, campfire, water, sand and cooler on wheels are the sign of the beginning of summer and Canada Day celebrations. And we had it all this past weekend. Back in March our friends booked a campsite in Turkey Point Provincial Park for our first camping trip together and first camping experience for them as a family. We were all looking forward to this trip and when the heat wave hit Toronto just before the weekend, we were very happy we had plans to escape the city.
We have been to Turkey Point before, also on a Canada Day weekend and we knew that it would be crowded, but didn't expect it to be that busy. All the campsites were full, filled with various groups of campers. When we arrived on Friday it was already getting dark, but we were able to set up the tent before it got dark. The campsite we had was conveniently located very close to the toilet and running water and close to the water tap. The only thing that got us worried a bit was the amount of poison ivy everywhere around the site and in the park, in general. Our friends had arrived earlier and took care of the dinner so we didn't need to worry about that part. The kids were excited to see and play with their friend and went to their sleeping bags well beyond their usual bed time. But who cares about details like that while camping.
Saturday started slowly, the campsite was surrounded by trees so the sun didn't wake us up. But the kids did. They were full of energy and ready to play, explore and start new adventures way to early for my liking. But we made coffee and provided cheerios with milk to the hungry wolfs. After that came "the real breakfast" as our kids call it. Then it was time to clean up and, all of a sudden, it became really hot. We prepared quickly and left the campsite for even hotter beach.
Unlike many other provincial park, in Turkey Point it's necessary to leave the park grounds to get to the beach. Along the shore of Lake Erie, there are several parking lots which belong to the park and which are free for the people who have the park permits. When we saw the traffic leading towards the biggest campsite, we were about to turn around, but fortunately at the farthest parking lot we were able to find two parking spots. We spent a bigger part of the day in the water, on the blanket eating various snacks and playing in the sand. All the kids and us had a great time. The beach we went to wasn't too busy and offered lots of shade among trees, which was perfect on that hot day.
For dinner we made lots of sausages and a dish following our family recipe. It is normally made of potatoes, carrots, cabbage, onion, garlic, parsnip and various other root veggies depending on a family and preferences. It also has smoked bacon and some people add sausage or other kinds of meat. It is placed in a cast iron dish and cooked over a small fire for around 90 minutes. It turned out great and both kids and adults had a great dinner followed by marshmallows and s'mores.
On Sunday, we took the kids to the playground at the park, where they spent quite a while playing. I really enjoy that playground as it has lots of shade, offers wooden play structures. When we left the park, it was too late to find a parking spot at Turkey Point and had to either deal with very disappointed kids or find another place to get them to water. We picked the second option and after about 30 minutes of driving arrived at Long Point Provincial Park, where we found one of the last parking spots. Saying that it was crowded is an understatement. On top of this, it was extremely hot and covered with poison ivy. Our friend got some ice for our water bottles and for the kids to suck on to cool down, which turned out to be a great idea as it kept them busy for quite a bit.
The beach at Long Point is very beautiful, sandy and ends with spectacular dunes. However, it does not offer too much shade. On a Canada Day it's even more difficult as both the beach and the lake were crowded with people. Fortunately we were able to find a bit of a shelter under a tree and after cooling down a bit went to the water. We had to navigate with the kids between groups of people playing various games, boats, water scooters and other floating devices, but still we had lots of fun.
We decided to leave the park and the heat after we left the lake and I spent probably 20 minutes waiting in the line to the washroom. By the time we arrived to our cars, I was ready to go back to the lake to cool down again. We went back to the campsite to cook some dinner and rest. To my regret, it was too hot and too late to stop at the Wildlife Reserve where I hoped to take some nice photos, but I hope we will go back there, maybe in the fall.
Monday was the day when we had to pack our van again and go back to our city life. It took us some time to organize things and when we were ready, the kids wanted to say goodbye to the Lake. We were lucky to find again a parking spot at Turkey Point and we had a nice fish and chips picnic among the trees. We also spent some time in the water and after we changed to the dry clothes, the kids requested ice cream. We cannot buy ice cream anywhere as our son is allergic to nuts, and most of the packaged ice cream may contain nuts. I remembered from our trip to Long Point that we were passing by an ice cream place. I was able to locate the place and we decided to go there on our way to Toronto. And it was worth it! Twins Ice Cream Parlour in Port Rowan turned out to be a great place to be on a hot summer day. I didn't even try to count the number of flavours they offered, but whatever we ordered was delicious. And they had frozen yogurt with blueberries with no nuts, so we all could enjoy a treat.
After that we went to Toronto. We arrived home much later that we had planned, but that's what often happens when we have fun our our trips.
We have been to Turkey Point before, also on a Canada Day weekend and we knew that it would be crowded, but didn't expect it to be that busy. All the campsites were full, filled with various groups of campers. When we arrived on Friday it was already getting dark, but we were able to set up the tent before it got dark. The campsite we had was conveniently located very close to the toilet and running water and close to the water tap. The only thing that got us worried a bit was the amount of poison ivy everywhere around the site and in the park, in general. Our friends had arrived earlier and took care of the dinner so we didn't need to worry about that part. The kids were excited to see and play with their friend and went to their sleeping bags well beyond their usual bed time. But who cares about details like that while camping.
Saturday started slowly, the campsite was surrounded by trees so the sun didn't wake us up. But the kids did. They were full of energy and ready to play, explore and start new adventures way to early for my liking. But we made coffee and provided cheerios with milk to the hungry wolfs. After that came "the real breakfast" as our kids call it. Then it was time to clean up and, all of a sudden, it became really hot. We prepared quickly and left the campsite for even hotter beach.
Unlike many other provincial park, in Turkey Point it's necessary to leave the park grounds to get to the beach. Along the shore of Lake Erie, there are several parking lots which belong to the park and which are free for the people who have the park permits. When we saw the traffic leading towards the biggest campsite, we were about to turn around, but fortunately at the farthest parking lot we were able to find two parking spots. We spent a bigger part of the day in the water, on the blanket eating various snacks and playing in the sand. All the kids and us had a great time. The beach we went to wasn't too busy and offered lots of shade among trees, which was perfect on that hot day.
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| Turkey Point - Lake Erie |
For dinner we made lots of sausages and a dish following our family recipe. It is normally made of potatoes, carrots, cabbage, onion, garlic, parsnip and various other root veggies depending on a family and preferences. It also has smoked bacon and some people add sausage or other kinds of meat. It is placed in a cast iron dish and cooked over a small fire for around 90 minutes. It turned out great and both kids and adults had a great dinner followed by marshmallows and s'mores.
On Sunday, we took the kids to the playground at the park, where they spent quite a while playing. I really enjoy that playground as it has lots of shade, offers wooden play structures. When we left the park, it was too late to find a parking spot at Turkey Point and had to either deal with very disappointed kids or find another place to get them to water. We picked the second option and after about 30 minutes of driving arrived at Long Point Provincial Park, where we found one of the last parking spots. Saying that it was crowded is an understatement. On top of this, it was extremely hot and covered with poison ivy. Our friend got some ice for our water bottles and for the kids to suck on to cool down, which turned out to be a great idea as it kept them busy for quite a bit.
The beach at Long Point is very beautiful, sandy and ends with spectacular dunes. However, it does not offer too much shade. On a Canada Day it's even more difficult as both the beach and the lake were crowded with people. Fortunately we were able to find a bit of a shelter under a tree and after cooling down a bit went to the water. We had to navigate with the kids between groups of people playing various games, boats, water scooters and other floating devices, but still we had lots of fun.
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| Long Point dunes |
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| Long Point during hot Canada Day weekend |
We decided to leave the park and the heat after we left the lake and I spent probably 20 minutes waiting in the line to the washroom. By the time we arrived to our cars, I was ready to go back to the lake to cool down again. We went back to the campsite to cook some dinner and rest. To my regret, it was too hot and too late to stop at the Wildlife Reserve where I hoped to take some nice photos, but I hope we will go back there, maybe in the fall.
Monday was the day when we had to pack our van again and go back to our city life. It took us some time to organize things and when we were ready, the kids wanted to say goodbye to the Lake. We were lucky to find again a parking spot at Turkey Point and we had a nice fish and chips picnic among the trees. We also spent some time in the water and after we changed to the dry clothes, the kids requested ice cream. We cannot buy ice cream anywhere as our son is allergic to nuts, and most of the packaged ice cream may contain nuts. I remembered from our trip to Long Point that we were passing by an ice cream place. I was able to locate the place and we decided to go there on our way to Toronto. And it was worth it! Twins Ice Cream Parlour in Port Rowan turned out to be a great place to be on a hot summer day. I didn't even try to count the number of flavours they offered, but whatever we ordered was delicious. And they had frozen yogurt with blueberries with no nuts, so we all could enjoy a treat.
After that we went to Toronto. We arrived home much later that we had planned, but that's what often happens when we have fun our our trips.
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