Day 3 – Sunshine!

Silence… This is what we woke up to on the third morning of our camping trip – precious silence, except for the sounds of the birds welcoming spring. No rain dripping onto the tent, either from the clouds or the treetops. And sun!

What a delight to have the sun filtering through the branches. It lifted our spirits after the damp, grey day we had just gone through. We were looking forward to exploring the park a bit more; we wanted to check out the beach and the trails nearby in the afternoon. The morning was allocated for trying out the showers (lots of hot water and free!) and preparing our noon meal.

We decided to prepare our own version of an Indian meal for lunch – mung dal, spiced butternut squash patties and chapatis (which David had made at home). No need to give up on delicious food just because we were camping! Yes, it was still on the cool side – 9 degrees all day according to our little thermometer – but the presence of the sun made up for the lack of double digits.

As we began our exploration of the park, we continued to be fascinated by the many shades of green, but also by the shapes. One amazing example was these ferns that created the most interesting curlicues as they began to open.

We headed to the beach for our afternoon walk. It’s easy to see why this would be a popular place for families with children to camp in the summer. This is also a Day Use area, open for free to anyone who wants to come and enjoy some time by the water. Around the curve of this bay we found picnic tables tucked away in many parts of the forest near the beach. A perfect picnic location!

As we walked out along the trail to the point, we were delighted to find trilliums, yellow violets and Pacific Bleeding Hearts in bloom. There was also a bubbling stream in an area where several picnic tables were perfectly placed in the afternoon sun.

It had been a perfect day. After supper, we topped it off by warming ourselves around the campfire with a hot cup of tea before tucking in for the night. What will tomorrow bring? The weather forecast wasn’t looking good. Hmmm….