Alberta Adventure Chapter 1–The Beginning

My name is Spike, they tell me I'm a poodle, but I know better - I'm a dog. I have other names too; sometimes they call me Mr. Naughty McNaughty Alot, but I really don't know why - I'm almost never naughty. When they call me 'Baby' or 'Sweetie" I just cringe. I like to hunt and kill things so I think they should call me something scarier.

There are six of us in my family: my two dog sisters, Bella and Kabira; and my people, Laura and Carm; I also have a bird sister named Grace. Bella is a poodle as well, although she is much bigger than I am, and is black. Kabira is a Rhodesian Ridgeback. Carm said that she was bred to hunt lions, so I feel safe when she's around. Grace is an African Grey parrot. She's okay I guess, and does save some of her supper for us to have as treats.

We all live on a farm, where I can run and hunt and play in the pond. Laura says we live the life of Riley, but I don't know who he is.

I like summer time best because that is when we go camping, which I think is great fun. When I see my people carrying stuff out to the camper, which is really just a home on wheels, I start to feel excited. Sometimes they take days and days to get all my beds and toys loaded, not to mention all the food, so I try to wait patiently... Eventually the day comes.  On that day, Laura and Carm seem busier and a bit more excited than usual so I keep a really close eye on them.  Bella and Kabira, my dog sisters, help me keep track of them.

We know it is really going to happen when Laura gets out the collars that we wear camping. They have tags that say how to get us back home if we get lost, plus they glow in the dark so Laura and Carm don't step on us. I can barely stand still long enough for her to put it on me, and then I leap and jump, I just can't help myself, I feel that we are in for an adventure.

Last summer was different though. I could tell that my people were getting ready for something big. It seemed like they were running things out to the camper for weeks. Sometimes is was stuff for us dogs, but often it was boring things. I couldn't count the number of times Laura emptied and reloaded the front of the camper. How much stuff did she need to bring? I saw that she loaded extra bags of dog food and I thought that we'd be going away for a long time. Even our beds in the backseat of the truck were changed and rearranged. I wondered what was going on and if there'd be room left for me when we finally went camping.

One morning Laura got up early, took Grace's cage out of the camper, put it into the truck, then put Grace in her carrier, put that in the truck and drove off. I was a little concerned about this, but figured they'd both be back soon. It wasn't to be! Laura came back without Grace. Then I was really worried and wondered what was going on. Where was she? Was she sick? I thought back to when I was a puppy and my dog brother Titan went away and never came back. I didn't want that to happen to Grace, she was only a bird, but she was part of our family.

The next morning the alarm clock went off - this usually only happened when Laura & Carm were going somewhere without us. My heart sank. They seemed so excited,  but I was sure they would leave us at home. I didn't let them get out of sight, just in case changed their minds. And then Laura got out the camping collars! Hurrah! We were going camping!

We all danced around Laura as she clapped her hands and jumped too, saying over and over that we are going to Alberta. I wasn't sure where Alberta was, but figured it was a campground that must be very wonderful.

My sisters and I were so excited to go that I would have leapt into the truck by myself, but Laura won't let me because I'm not very big and might slip. After she lifted me in, Bella and Kabira jumped in beside me. It was strange not to have Grace there as well, but I thought maybe we'd be going to get her. She likes camping too.

Laura and Carm walked around the camper checking things, then got into the truck and away we went. I watched out the window and as the house slipped out of view, I wondered how long we'd be gone.

Laura seemed to be pretty excited, I thought she might jump right out of her seat!

to be continued…

Alberta Adventure Chapter 2–Underway

We drove and drove. How far away is this campground anyway? I kept watch out the window, nothing seemed familiar; we must be going somewhere new. I hoped there would be lots of things to smell.

Finally we stopped. Was this Alberta? It didn't look like a campground, but I thought maybe if I looked out the other window I would see it. It definitely wasn't a campground. Laura got our leashes and we leapt out of the truck (okay, I didn't leap, I had to be carried - it is hard to wait for her to lift me down). As soon as my feet were on the ground I started looking around more closely. There was a lot of pavement, and way too many cars for it to be a campground. It seems I was right, because as soon as we had stretched our legs, my sisters and I were put back in the truck. It hardly seems fair, but I think the people went and ate something while we just starved.

As soon as my people were back in the truck we started moving again. I thought we must be getting there soon. Are we there yet? I stared at Laura, sure that she'd be able to read my thoughts and stop us at the campground right away. I don't think she was listening as we kept driving and driving. I'll have to tell you, I was actually a bit worried. Why was Laura so happy but seemed like she might cry? Were we going somewhere terrible? Was she worried about Grace? Was Alberta a terrible place?

I was a bit tired, but I still kept a watch out the window. I started seeing fewer farms and fields, and more trees. I even saw some lakes that I thought would be fun to explore.

We did eventually stop again. This time it was a beautiful place, and there was even a lake we could have swum in, but Laura didn't even let us put our feet in the water. I could smell dogs, and other animals too - I would have loved to go hunting, but as usual, we were on our leashes.  Laura got out a picnic lunch for the people; we dogs starved again. Oh sure, we got a teeny, tiny hotdog treat, but we could have eaten more! 

I thought they would set up the camper and get it ready to be a home, but it seems we weren't there yet! Not even yet. We had to get in the truck again, and drove, drove, drove some more. I was starting to think that Alberta was too far away.

I stared and stared at her, and finally Laura must have heard me ask if we were there yet, because she told us we still had a long way to go. It must be a pretty special campground for us to drive that far.

Laura and Carm were playing music as we drove and sometimes Laura would sing along. The sound of her voice made me feel less worried. If she was having fun, we must be too.
The next stop seemed different. Carm got out of the truck and talked to a lady - she pointed and nodded her head. Carm got back in the truck and we drove just a few feet and stopped. We all got out of the truck, and when Laura started getting the camper home ready for us, my sisters and I got excited. FINALLY! We are here! Then Laura said we were at a campground called Dreany Haven, just outside of North Bay, and that we weren't in Alberta yet. It sure seemed like a long way from home.

After our home was all set up we went for a short walk. It wasn't very interesting, and was close to a big road with lots of cars driving fast. Once my sisters and I had done our business we walked around the rest of the campground, but it was small so there wasn't very far to go. I was disappointed that we had driven all this way to come here and hoped we weren't staying at this campground for long. I was glad that this wasn't Alberta. From the look on their faces, Bella and Kabira felt the same way.

The day was over and I was exhausted. Looking out of the window to see where we are going is exhausting. Even though I was tired, I would have loved to have a longer walk to clear my head. I was glad we were all together, but wondered where Grace was.

to be continued…

Alberta Adventure Chapter 3 -When Will We Get There?

North Bay to Moonbeam

It seemed that we hadn't slept very long before music started playing on Laura's tablet. It was some song about Alberta - I thought that it must be a song about the campground we were going to. We all jumped out of bed and started rushing around. First Laura took my dog sisters and me to the business area, then we rushed back to have our breakfast. Almost as soon as breakfast was done we were back in the truck and on our way. I was pretty sure that we were going someplace good, because Laura and Carm seemed so excited. I hoped it wasn't a long ride.

I kept a look out of the window to see where we were going. Pretty much all I saw all day were trees, and more trees. I imagined that I was exploring those woods, but eventually that got boring. I still kept a lookout because I didn't want to risk missing something. Maybe we'd pass some dogs and I'd have to tell them to stay away. There didn't seem to be any houses for dogs to live at though.

We did stop a few times, but only got out of the truck, stretched our legs, had a drink (I was getting used to drinking out of a weird water bottle with a cup attached), then we'd get back in the truck for more driving. Sometimes Laura and Carm would have a picnic and eat something, but they never shared. I thought they were greedy. One time when we stopped there was a statue of a giant man Laura called Paul Bunyon, but there wasn't much else to see.

I thought the driving would never end - when were we going to get to Alberta? I kept looking at the map to see if I could tell where we were going,  but it was all gobbledygook to me.  We had driven so far already, I was worried that we wouldn't be able to find our way home. I hoped that Laura could read the map.

While we were driving, Laura read out loud from a message on her tablet that Grace was having fun and that she was staying with our friend Ruth. I guess I can stop worrying about her now. I didn't think that Grace would be having much fun on this trip either.

Eventually (it seemed like forever), we turned off the highway and drove down a bumpy road. I thought it might be a campground road and I was right! We were somewhere called Moonbeam at a campground called Twin Lakes. We weren't in Alberta! It was cold and raining when we got out, but we still got to go on a short walk around the campground. There was no place to run and play so we had to stay on our leashes, but we're used to that when camping. There were wonderful new smells, and we were out of the truck, so I was happy.

Once we got back to the camper I went straight to my bed so that I could sleep. It felt like I was still moving though, and whenever I closed my eyes all I saw were trees whizzing past. By the time it was supper I was rested enough to eat most of my meal, but then I went straight back to bed. I needed to rest up for the next day.

to be continued…

Alberta Adventure Chapter 4 -Still on the Road

Moonbeam to Nipigon

I didn't get the feeling that we were going to be at Twin Lakes campground very long and sure enough, early the next morning that same Alberta song started playing. It always made Laura almost cry; she must have been mad that her tablet played it first thing every morning. I thought she might be crying because Alberta is too far away and we'd never get there.

We went for a walk, had breakfast, and jumped into the truck for another day of driving. I wasn't sure what I felt about more driving, but thought that maybe today we'd get to Alberta.

We drove and drove again.  I tried to keep looking out the window,  I wanted to make sure they didn't miss Alberta and drive right past it, but I was really tired. When we made our first rest stop, Laura got some drops out of the camper that she put on my tongue. She called it Rescue Remedy. Soon after that I felt a little less worried and fell asleep for a while.

I don't know how she does it, but Kabira never seems worried about where we are going. She just sleeps and sleeps and never looks out the window. Bella looks out sometimes, but mostly sleeps too. So that leaves me to make sure we don't get lost.

There were trees everywhere all day. We drove and drove and I wondered how could there be so many trees. A dog would never be able to pee on all those trees. Laura doesn't let me do that anyway, but I would have liked to try. A few times I saw a lake, and really hoped that we'd stop at it, but usually we didn't. Even when we did stop we wouldn't walk very far. It was never far enough to smell all the smells. I would have liked to investigate more. I might have wanted to go swimming too, but we never did.

We finally pulled into another campground. Laura said it was called Birchwood, and that we were in Nipigon. Of course it was raining. I thought that maybe we were going somewhere that rained all the time. I hoped not because I don't like being out in the rain. Thankfully the rain stopped for a little while so that we could go for a walk, but there was no place to go other than the ditch along the busy highway. It wasn't very interesting. I was starting to go a little stir crazy from all the sitting around.

to be continued…

Alberta Adventure Chapter 5 -I’m Starting to Have Fun

Nipigon to Kenora

We were up early again, and on the road before we knew it. When we were getting ready to go, Laura had started singing a silly song about being 'on the road again'. It makes me a little bit excited. I was happy that we weren't staying at this campground for any longer.

We drove for a while and then pulled off into a beautiful park with squirrels running all over. This was very exciting, but Laura got mad at us for pulling on our leashes. Then we went and stood near a statue of a man Carm said was Terry Fox. There was a hush that I could feel. He must have been a special person to get a park with squirrels and a statue overlooking a big lake. I wondered if we'd get to swim in that lake.

We spent the rest of the day driving. I managed to nap a bit, but I was mostly wondering when we'd get there. Sometimes I closed my eyes and imagined how wonderful Alberta would be and that there would be squirrels to chase everywhere, and that we wouldn't have to wear our leashes. Would the next campground be Alberta, where we'd be staying for our holiday? Or were we going to be driving forever.

In the middle of our drive,  Laura and Carm seemed really stressed out. They were talking about something called a 'grey tank' and that it was leaking when they put too much water in it. In a little town they drove around trying to find someone to fix it, but didn't have any luck. I do like driving thorough towns because there is so much to see - sometimes even other dogs.

They didn't find anyone, so we kept driving. We started driving through another town; there were lots of stores and cars. This didn't seem like it would be a campground, but soon we turned onto a smaller road and pulled up next to a building. Carm and Laura went inside for a while then came out smiling. We didn't have to drive very far before we were backing into a spot and Laura was making our camper home.

The truck and camper were starting to feel more like home to my sisters and I. It seemed that we'd be doing this forever and I was starting to feel that would be okay.

We went for a really lovely walk. There was lots to see and smell, even some deer! I remembered that my sisters and I had eaten some deer the previous winter, and my stomach rumbled a bit. It had tasted good. I thought maybe I could try to catch the deer, but Laura got mad when I pulled on the leash. I was having such a good time that I thought maybe this was Alberta and that we'd stay for a while, but Laura told us we were in Kenora.

On our walk I saw a gray bird that I thought might be Grace, but then it flew away, and I remembered that Grace was staying with Ruth. I missed her a little bit. I think Kabira missed her the most though.

There was a lake at the campground that Laura said was "Lake of the Woods"; it wasn't warm enough to swim in. It was so cold out that Laura and Carm wore sweaters, and I think Kabira would have liked a sweater too. We had driven into winter when we left North Bay, I hoped that we'd drive back to summer soon.

We slept in Kenora for two nights. We had lots of nice walks there, and it was great to have a day without so much time in the truck. We did drive around a bit without the camper, Laura and Carm even stopped and ate lunch in a building and left us in the truck. We could have eaten lunch too, but they must have forgotten. I wished a bit that they would have left my sisters and I in the camper to sleep, but I do prefer to be with Laura and Carm. If I can see them, then I know they won't go away forever.

My people stopped being worried about the 'grey tank' and started pouring the water from the sink into a bucket. Then they'd dump it into the stinky tank. I often think that people are strange. Why would they carry a giant tank of business with them everywhere when they could just put it into a bag and throw it in the garbage like they do for mine?

to be continued…

Alberta Adventure Chapter 6 -The Trees Have Gone Away

Brandon

On the second morning of sleeping at the Kenora campground, the Alberta song played again, so we were up, walked, breakfasted, and back into the truck for more driving. It seemed like a regular routine now, and I knew what to expect.

That day was a little different. After a short time of driving, Laura started talking and talking. I think she was talking about when she was growing up, but boy, she never shut up. And then she started crying a little bit. I was looking out of the window then and noticed that all the trees suddenly went away. I wondered if she was sad that the trees were gone? But then she started talking some more about how uplifted she felt by the big sky. You know, I actually felt the same thing, besides which, I was getting tired of looking at all those boring trees.

Not long after the trees went away Laura said we were in Manitoba, and then we pulled into a small town to get fuel and stretch our legs. There was a different feel to this town than other's we'd stopped at. For starters, it smelled different - it was a dusty, clover smell. I liked it.

Well, guess what. We still drove and drove and drove. We went through a big city that Laura called Winnipeg - she said she used to live there, and talked on and on about all the things she remembered. I thought she must remember everything that ever happened. Eventually we passed the city and were driving through flat, open space. I liked being able to see so far, I didn't get as dizzy. I thought too that if there were squirrels there wouldn't be any trees for them to run up. I'd catch some for sure!

When we came to a town called Portage La Prairie (Laura lived there too), we stopped at a lovely park with lots of grass and big trees, and interesting smells that I would have liked to investigate. Laura and Carm had a picnic on the grass. My sisters and I think it is unfair that we don't get our own picnic. We get hungry too.

 
We got into the truck again for more driving. I think Laura must have lived everywhere because she was still talking about all the things she remembered from the towns we went past. I was starting to wish she'd stop talking and that we'd just get there. I tried to stare and stare at her to ask her when we'd be in Alberta, but she just kept talking.

We finally turned down a road, and yes it was a campground road! We stopped at the gate and found out where to go, then Laura setup our home. It was called Turtle Crossing in Brandon, Manitoba. I'm getting good at telling how long we will be somewhere and I knew we were only staying one night. But it was a good campground and we were able to have a long walk, and even run free! There was a big field far from roads so Laura and Carm took our leashes off us and let us run and run and run. It felt good. I liked this campground and hoped we'd come back again.

The Alberta music played again the next morning, and when Laura started singing that "on the road again" song I felt pretty excited. I could hardly wait to see where we were going next. I felt that we were having a wonderful Adventure.

to be continued…

Alberta Adventure Chapter 7 -A bit of a Rest

Moose Jaw

Of course we drove and drove. I was starting to get used to this, but I still wanted to look out of the window so that I could see Alberta, if we ever got there. I wish Laura would build me a seat where I could lay down and watch. It would be much less exhausting. I also liked to keep an eye on the map. There was a little triangle that moved across the lines and I wondered if that was us. There are so many things I wish I understood better.

One of the fun things we did every day when we were driving, is we would stop somewhere for a picnic and for my sisters and I to stretch our legs and have a drink of water. It was always somewhere different, and usually we'd be allowed to smell things for a few minutes. It was a nice break from all the driving.

When we finally got to the next campground I learned that we were in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan at a campground called Prairie Oasis. It was wonderful! Bella, Kabira and I could lie around on the grass, but best of all were the walks. Best best of all were the little squirrels that Laura called prairie dogs. They didn't smell like dogs! I'd never smelled or seen anything like them. I really wanted to try to catch some, but Laura wouldn't let me off my leash - that was very frustrating. Sometimes we'd be walking somewhere and it seemed like suddenly we were in the middle of a bunch of prairie dog homes - I wouldn't know which way to look! Me and my sisters had a hard time not pulling on our leashes so Laura put the pokey collars on us. I didn't care though because I was having so much fun.

We stayed there for two marvellous days and I loved every minute of it. I used the opportunity to get caught up on my sleep. I was so tired by this point that I couldn't even keep my head on the pillow. I just wished everyone would be quiet and stop walking around so much.

Sometimes Laura and Carm left us behind in the camper when they went away. My sisters and I didn't mind this too much. Laura would put on some music and shut us into the bedroom where it was dark. If I started to worry that they'd never come back I just closed my eyes and pretended Laura and Carm were sleeping in their bed and then I could go to sleep. It was good to have that extra sleep.

to be continued…

Alberta Adventure Chapter 8 -We are Here!!!

Medicine Hat

I always know when we are heading somewhere new again when the Alberta song plays in the morning and then Laura sings the "on the road again" song. Well that morning was no different - mostly. Laura was so excited that she was crying and laughing at the same time. Humans are so weird. Even Carm seemed excited. I jumped around a bit crying myself. I was so excited I could hardly stand it, and I didn't even know why.

Off we drove, through the open prairie. There still weren't very many trees to see, and I was happy about that. I thought about how many prairie dogs must live out on the grass. Then Laura started playing a bunch of Alberta songs, and was crying again. She said we were in Alberta, but it wasn't a campground at all. In fact, we kept driving and driving. Are we there yet, I wanted to ask Laura.

When we started driving through a city I could tell that Laura and even Carm, were excited. There was a feeling about them that I'd never felt. I started to get a bit worried, but then I could tell that it was a happy feeling so I felt happy too. Carm said we were in Medicine Hat, Alberta and were almost at the campground! Alberta! Suddenly we were at the campground. We were here!!!! We were in Alberta at the campground! Laura and Carm seemed very happy to be here. My sisters could feel it too and got excited. Bella and Kabira looked out of the windows with me. It looked like a good campground. I could hardly wait to get out of the truck and explore.

Once our home was made, Laura and Carm put our leashes on us and off we went for a walk. The smells were fantastic and like nothing I'd smelled before. I could smell some deer, and more of those prairie dogs, but also something else. Some of the bushes had a special smell, Laura said it was sage. She kept running her hands through the branches and smelling them (I told you she was weird). There were other things growing that had prickly spikes on them. We had be careful not to step on them.

We went for a wonderful long walk down a hard path. It went down and up and around hills, all without any trees, just open views. It was very nice and I hoped that we'd be staying here for a long time. I even thought it was worth all those days of driving.

to be continued…

Alberta Adventure Chapter 9 -I saw my Cousins

Medicine Hat

We were just back at our campsite when I looked up and saw Papa walking over. I couldn't believe my eyes. How did he get here too? Soon after that Gramma came. It seemed strange that they were here, but it also made it seem more like we were at home.

Laura and Carm left us to sleep for a while. They said they were going to Myna's house for supper. It didn't seem fair that they'd be eating without us again, but my sisters and I were happy to have a quiet time alone.  When they came back we went for another walk. We saw another deer.

My aunt Kirsten, Uncle Shawn, and my cousins Shenna and Nissa also came on one of the days. Laura said they came all the way from New Zealand, which was on the other side of the world. I was pretty excited to see my cousins. Bella jumped and jumped when she saw Nissa. Laura said that Bella and Nissa had just been pups when they first met. I remembered my cousins from when they visited the summer before. I thought of Grace and knew she'd be sad to have missed them. Grace really liked the cousins.

All of us took long walks along the trail, even our extra family. It was a wonderful time. I felt lucky to have all my family here with me.

On one of the days we drove out to a place where people were putting up tents. My sisters and I got to go without our leashes for a while. Then Laura made us wear them again, maybe because she found me investigating a trail up a hill. She seemed upset that I would go so far away, but I knew I wouldn't get lost. She told me there might be a cougar in the hills, which Laura said might eat me, but I didn't believe her.

My Uncle Olaf and Aunt Tammy were there with a new little cousin, Freya - Laura said they had come from New Zealand as well. Even my Uncle Graham, and cousins Erik and Juliette were there! It really felt like we were home when the kids came. I love seeing my cousins.

The next day we went out to the tent place again. Laura said it was a family reunion. I thought that might be fun and that I'd like to meet all the people. When we first got there we got to run around in the field again, but then we had to spend tons of time in the truck. I felt we were being ripped off because there were lots of people by the tents who might want to pet me and give me treats. There was a little boy who was scared, so I tried to make him feel better, but I think he just got more scared. I couldn't understand why he was so afraid of me.

We had a few days like this, running free, then into the truck, then a walk on the leash, then sitting in the truck again. I was getting pretty sick of sitting in the truck. But at least I was near Laura and Carm. Plus there were a few times I got to go and show everybody my tricks. I like showing people how smart I am, especially if I also get treats!.

On one of the days it got so hot in the truck that we couldn't stay there. Laura brought us out on our leashes and took us to sit in the shade. My cousins Juliette and Nissa came to sit with us. Then a nice man called Bjorn came to admire us as well. I thought he talked with a funny accent, but Laura said he was from Norway and didn't usually speak English. When I realized this I thought he didn't talk funny at all.

On the last day of the reunion, after the people ate breakfast most of the people drove away, and the people who were left took down the tents. We got to run around again. It was fantastic. I even snuck away to smell up the hill a bit. I hoped that I'd catch something big so that I could show everybody what a great hunter I am.

After all the tents were down, we drove back to our camper home, even my extra family came. My uncle Graham, Erik and Juliette, even my family from the other side of the world. We fit everyone into our home and had a great time. Everyone seemed happy, yet sad at the same time. They were saying something about that it was 6 years since they'd all been together. I wasn't even born then so it must be a very long time ago.  I'd be really sad if I didn't see my sisters, or Laura and Carm for 6 years, so I understood and felt sad for them too.

to be continued…

Alberta Adventure Chapter 10 –Strange Hills

Dinosaur Provincial Park

 

The day after the reunion we left Medicine Hat early in the day. I had mixed feelings about leaving but reminded myself that we were off on another adventure! We only drove for half a day, and then we turned onto a winding campground road. I was watching closely out of the window to see what kind of campground we'd be at next. I was surprised to see the land spread out flat, then suddenly drop away. It was really weird and I wondered how that would happen, and if it would happen again while we were there.

Laura said we were at Dinosaur Provincial Park. It was a really nice campsite with lots of room to stretch out on our bed, and some of those special sage bushes growing on it too. Laura seemed really happy about that. Laura said we would stay there for a few days,  which made me happy.

We relaxed on our bed outside for a while and then a car drove up. Kirsten, Shenna and Nissa got out of the car! I was so surprised and very happy. They brought in a bunch of stuff so I figured they'd be staying with us for a while.

Kirsten and my cousins got their walking stuff on and we all went for a wonderful walk. The land was so weird with funny shaped hills, which Laura said were hoodos, and there were lots of good things to smell. Plus my cousins were with us. I had a really good time. I thought that things would get really boring without all these adventures.

At bedtime, Laura and Carm slept in the living room on the bed that came out of the sofa, and Kirsten and my cousins slept in the bedroom. I didn't know where to sleep, so I curled up with Nissa who was sleeping on my bed on the floor of the bedroom. It was nice to cuddle up with her.

The next day we walked again, and then the crying started. Laura, Kirsten and my cousins were crying and crying some more when they said goodbye. I wondered if they were going away forever. Maybe they thought they wouldn't see each other for 6 years, which is a very long time.

Laura and Carm left us alone in the camper later and from the smell of meat on their breath when they came back, they went to eat somewhere. We just slept in the bedroom with the music on.

The next day Carm seemed sick; Laura said it was from eating some sausages the morning before. My sisters and I were glad that we hadn't eaten some like we wanted. While Carm was resting, Laura took us out on a really long walk. This campground is fun. I hoped we'd stay there for a long time.

to be continued…