Getting Away from Holiday Stresses

Most people look forward to their holidays with great anticapation on how wonderful it will be; picture perfect is the vision most of us see. We pack all our gear and jump into our vehicles heading off towards the camping/boating holiday of a life time. But for some of us the reality of the holiday borders more on the side of a trip to hell in the middle of a natural paradise.

Holiday is Going South

You may think how can this be it just doesn't seem possible; but believe me this was my reality on my recent holiday in the great area of Georgian Bay; which is filled with natural beauty and wonder. But there is the other side of this story that isn't so picturesque or wonderful; this holiday began to go south soon after it began.

Is Everything Packed?

One of the first stresses of a trip is worrying whether you packed everything that you wanted to bring on your trip. In our case we were so disorganized it was unbelievable. Normally I would have been more involved in the over-all packing process; but this time I made the mistake in believing my fiancee had packed all that was needed. He had told me that he had most of the stuff still packed from a previous trip he had made the weekend before.

Spending to Replace Forgotten Supplies

Through-out the trip I was finding more and more things had not been packed. We ended up going and buying more items, much of which we had already but had been left at home. We stayed on an island that didn't have a Wal-mart on it so we had to take trips into Honey Harbour to obtain any supplies we needed. Doing these daily jaunts burned alot of gas in the boat which had a gas bill of $330.00.

Make a list and Check Supplies

These extra expenses could have been completely avoided if we had only taken more time in preparing for this holiday. I would strongly advice that you make a list of supplies you want to bring then check and make sure they are packed instead of being left at home. In the end you could end up saving yourself some coin.

Fuzzy View Due to Alcohol

There was many daily trips made to pick up supplies mainly for my fiancee and his buddies which consisted of bags of ice and various forms of alcohol. Their goal seemed to be to consume as much alcohol as they could on a daily basis. Their vision of the natural beauty that surrounded them was fuzzy due to the over consumption of alcohol. I had the pleasure of being the only woman in the group as the other woman who was supposed to be there made the smart choice and cancelled. She has had the pleasure of making similar trips in the past with this crowd; preferring not to be in her boyfriends company when he is in a drunken state. She made the right choice, one that I wished I had made in regards to this particular trip.

Relaxing Swim - Not!

I decided what I needed was a nice relaxing swim; I wanted to put my stresses aside and enjoy a swim in the lovely waters of Georgian Bay. Well this was apparently not to be because as I slid off the back of the boat to enter the water my shorts got caught on the swimming ladder. The next thing I knew I was hanging upside down by my drawers just above the water-line. I was unable to release myself so here I dangled until my fiancee (who was on shore at the time) came to free me from this most embarrassing predicament that I found myself in. Well I can assure you this would not have been a pretty sight for the onlookers but it did generate some good laughs looking back on it. During the time that I was dangling like a big fish out of water I definitely was not laughing but instead I felt totally embarrassed.

Boat Problems

During this trip the boat lost the reverse in it which was stressful especially when trying to park it with no reverse. We came close to colliding with other boats at times; luckily it ran into a dock instead leaving a few scraps on the boat.

Eaten Alive by Bugs

Then there is the joy of being eaten alive by black flies, deer flies and of course the blood thirsty mosquitoes. The bug repellent didn't seem to deter them in the least. Even though I covered myself from head to toe with it I still ended up covered in bites. I was thus left with a few unwanted mementos of this stressed filled trip.

Everything Got Soaked

When we finally left the island it was in the middle of a heavy downpour; causing most of our things to get wet. We parked the boat and then picked up my boyfriends' trailer and headed to Awenda Park to spend a few days in his trailer. The camping spots in this park are all deep in the woods so it is relatively dark all the time. This is the perfect spot to be if you want to be trying to constantly stop the mosquitoes from eating you alive. Since it was a dark camping spot the mosquitoes where active day in and day out. At least on the island we got relief during the day from the mosquito attacks. On the other hand the deer and black flies continued to attack through out the day.

Looking Forward to going Home

I tried hanging all of our wet things up to dry but with very little sunlight they stayed damp. Being left to wear damp clothes was not great; I looked forward to getting into some clean dry clothes when I got home. I was looking forward to that day; being back to civilization once again.

Two Weeks too Long

We went on this trip for two weeks for me it was two weeks too long. If it had have been a week I may have been able to handle it better. I think my feelings are due largely to the company I was with. If I had been in more sober company I'm sure it wouldn't have been as stressful as it was. I would advice that before you go on a long holiday make sure that the company you are sharing it with is in the same mindset as you.

Looking forward to Home Sweet Home

When the day finally came to head home I can honestly say I was happy to be heading back to the comforts of home. It was nice to get back to indoor plumbing and hot running water vs. the unbearable smelling outhouses and water supply in a jug.

As I get Older I have Less Desire to Go Camping

At one time when I was younger I used to really enjoy going camping but as I get older I do not see it in the same light as I once did. Maybe it is due to the fact I used to party like the guys but I guess at this point in my life I have out grown the partier phaze. What ever the reason all I know is as we mature in life some things that were important or part of our lives when we were younger are no longer important to us in later life. Unless of course you are someone who is trying despartely to relive the glory days of the past by drinking yourself into oblivion. I choose to live in the here and now being thankful and making the best of my simple life.

Summary:

One thing this trip did teach me was to appreciate more what I have; like a home that shelters me and comforts me. I guess I am becoming more of a home-body than the great outdoor type and this suits me just fine. If I need to see a bit of nature I can always turn on the OASIS channel and get my fill all from the comfort and safety of my home sweet home.