Well, here we are back from our travels, for a few days at least.
We really are expert at the slow start in the mornings. The campground is coming to life around us and we sit serenely in our little aluminium cocoon and watch the world go by, fortified with only an egg sarnie and can of pop. This morning we eventually did get moving and, as the Tadpoles were not present, it was all done in a matter of minutes. I did get waylaid by a man who wanted to know if our Toadmobile could really pull a 7,000lb trailer but, in my new and understated way I just said "sure". Well, sort of. I did blather a little but, whilst I just love to asked about why we don't have a monster tow vehicle, I've decided to play it cool now and will utter little in future and just look all knowing.
The KOA was OK but for the density of trailers, the rubbish WiFi and the fact the power went off a couple of times. We could have used the heated, indoor pool but chose not to (that dolphin is still upsetting me) and we didn't really feel like parting with $8 for firewood, a price that makes the Provincial Park's daylight robbery ($6) look positively cheap. The tap water on site definitely smelled odd, too, but as my teeth haven't gone green and started to drop out I'm guessing it was OK to clean my teeth with. We're at another KOA next weekend but I'm guessing that it won't be such a busy weekend so there's hope for a lovely view and a bit of usable WiFi.
On the way home, Mrs T had a brainwave and suggested we pull off the highway and visit our RV Dealers CanAm, on the other side of London. We did need some RV Boss for the poo tank so I thought it a good idea but wished we had thought of it some seconds earlier because bringing the Toadmobile and Towed Haul down from 100 km/h to about 40 in the space of a few yards so we could safely traverse the off ramp was, erm, challenging. Still, we managed it, and without too much smoke from the trailer brakes. What we didn't appreciate, though, was that CanAm is closed on Sunday; so that was why there were so few cars out front! Ho hum.
We made it home without further incident, or at least an incident I was aware of. For some strange reason, both Mrs T and I decided that today was the day that we would get the trailer lined up properly on the drive, so half a million attempts later we finally realised that to line up with the grass was not to line up with the garage; it's only taken us all summer to realise that the drive is out of whack as it isn't quite lined up square with the garages. Doh! Towed Haul is almost square with the garage now, but most definitely not with the edge of the drive. C'est la vie I suppose.
Next weekend we're set for the delights of Niagara Falls and a small family reunion with the Stevens clan, formerly of Torquay. We're fully equipped with Tadpoles, too, so that should be an eye opener!
Ah, the luxury of not having to do anything or be anywhere. Day 4 dawned, sunny and warm and all we needed to do was set the lawn chairs up and watch the world go by. We had promised ourselves a run into London but that could wait; first there was some lounging about to be enjoyed.
We were now hemmed in by some big trailers on this KOA campground, making Towed Haul look miniature by comparison. Next to us is a six wheeled monster, known here as a Fifth Wheeler because they connect up to the back of a pickup truck just like an articulated lorry. If I could load photos through this lovely KOA WiFi I'd show you, but I can't so I won't. Anyway, it's a beast with its slide outs and whatnot. It isn't silver, though, and doesn't have the name Airstream on it so it's not a proper travel trailer.
Eventually we decided to mooch into London, look for some lunch and then ride our bikes through one of the many riverside parks there. Downtown London isn't the most affluent of places; it's a bit like Swindon, having relied on the railway for its prosperity, only where the decline has set in, a lot of buildings have been torn down so now it's a sort of semi-Swindon with the backs and sides of buildings exposed and quite a lot of impromptu parking lots. It wasn't very attractive and, given that it was Saturday lunchtime, there were precious few people about. Anyway, we rambled up Richmond street, admired the lovely old Post Office (thankfully not torn down) and rambled back down again, finding our way into the Covent Garden Market and Sebastian's for lunch. Veggie samosas for Mrs T and an egg sarnie for me; slurp on both counts I think.
Then it was off to Springbank Park and the scenic river trail along the banks of the Thames. It took me a while to extract the bikes from the back of the Toadmobile and then make a ton of adjustments to get seats and handlebars correct, and to put the chains back on after they had mysteriously come off both bikes. Setting off for the trail, we managed to go in completely the wrong direction and ran out of pathway very quickly. However, a quick run across some grass and down a steep hill (you never want to go down hill at the start of your ride, really) and there we were, on an asphalt road by the river in a broad but wooded valley, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. It was nice to note that there were a lot more geese on the trail than people and we cycled for a kilometer or so before the heat and Mrs T's saddle forced a halt to our expedition. Yes, it was very warm and yes, the saddle on Mrs T's bike was falling apart, so we gave up the unequal struggle and headed back to the car. It was really very nice down there, even if the river was very stinky in places; I think this is a place where the bikes will be pressed into service again, although I may do the maintenance before we leave home next time.
And that, dear reader, is about the sum of the day's activities. We did stop on the way back to the campground to buy a couple of DVDs for later viewing and the least said about the fist full of chocolate that accompanied the DVDs the better! I did get the awning out, strung it with lights, then put it all away again after a couple of hours as the weather was threatening again. Sure enough, the rain that has followed us all over North America this season turned up at around midnight, with the usual thunder and lightning. My hectic day had, however, rendered me near comatose halfway through the second DVD so when I did go to bed I heard nothing of the storm, and a good job, too.
Tomorrow we head home, although Monday is a bank holiday so we have a day to recuperate from our exertions because, as you know, glamping is very hard work indeed. I shall leave the awning stowed away so that it won't rain, 'cos I'm clever like that.
