We have been preparing to camp at Ruckle Park. We organized our gear, bought a new tent, a baby sleeping bag for Juno, and a few other necessities. I planned the menu and I could barely sleep running through all the camping details in my head. I called the park in advance to inquire about the ‘First Come First Served Sites’, surely if we arrive early enough we will get a site.

“There’s twelve sites available but they are going fast,” I hear Debbie’s voice on my voicemail. I called back to check in “they are all gone.” I was devastated. I was so excited to make the bike ride and ferry trip to Salt Spring Island. “All the Provincial parks are full, I think it has to do what’s going on. People just need to get out. The only place you could try is MacDonald Park. It’s Parks Canada and just before Swartz Bay (Sidney).”

I’ve already put the pressure on Pete to get to work early and home as quickly as possible. I check in with MacDonald Park and they have twelve sites and it looks very good for us. We slow down on our rush to Ruckle and changes gears to a meander to MacDonald. We pack up the bikes and hit the road.

We arrive just past 4pm and we are tired and hungry after the 35km ride to the campsite. Luckily we prepared corn chowder the night before. Pete reheats the soup on our new WhisperLite stove.

Juno quickly realizes the ground here is malleable! She is grabbing fists of dirt and rocks and throwing them into the distance, into her hair, and even into her mouth. Juno loves camping.

Sleeping was a question mark but it worked out well. Pete and I both slept on the outsides near the doors and Juno had the primo sleeping spot in the middle of the tent. She slept on her own trail light sleeping pad and used her sleeping bag only as a blanket as the weather was warm. Pete and I also slept outside our sleeping bags. The first night (and the second for that matter) was a success. The second night Juno did not want to go to sleep, it is so fun to camp! We all ended up going to sleep together with Juno closing her eyes last.

Camp Setup

The days were filled with drinking tea/coffee, cooking, eating, cleaning relaxing, and a trip to the beach. A refreshing dip in the salt water was good for all of us. We also took regular trips to the water spout with our 1L water bottles and carried them back to our 4L water filter system. We were well hydrated on this trip!

We learned a lot on the trip, mostly importantly that we can successfully camp for two nights with a baby! We also realized we brought too much food and a bit too much clothes. Next trip we will be more concise.

Next trip is soon! While Juno and Pete were napping in the tent, I took a quick look on the Ruckle Park reservations website. There was one site, #1, available next Friday-Sunday. It was the only site available for the next two months. So I reserved it. We will park up again next Thursday for a Friday afternoon departure.

Being outside in the fresh air with natural surroundings is just what we all needed. Now, after a thorough bath, we all need a good night’s sleep.