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CAMPGROUND RATING

We think it's important to share our thoughts on the places we stay and we're choosing to give each r place a rating out of five. Five campers means we really loved it and have zero complaints. One means yikes - maybe don't take your family there. Everyone has different reasons for liking or not liking a place, and we may be looking for sites that offer different things than you need. Always do your own research and don't depend solely on our opinions. 

WHERE: OWEN SOUND KOA

OUR RATING: ⛺️⛺️⛺️

• COST: our serviced site was $55/night + $3 per child/per night (we found this additional charge frustrating because all play amenities except the pool were off limits because of COVID-19)
  
• STAFF: friendly and helpful but the office was only open from 10-6.
  
• SITE: our serviced site was large and had lots of nice shade - but, our water tap leaked constantly
  
• FLUSH TOILETS: yes
• SHOWERS: closed because of COVID - we don't hold that against them - God bless the creators of dry shampoo! 😉)
  
• ACTIVITIES: in ground pool (great option for feeling refreshed after a day of hiking at Indian Falls)
• THINGS OF NOTE: Firewood was $16 a bag and bags contained just nine pieces - RIDICULOUS! We arrived around 7:30 p.m. the first night and didn't have an option to purchase firewood (though I don't think we would have agreed to pay so much even if given the option). We sent the kids off into the forest to find dead wood on the ground and they brought back enough for us to cook our gourmet dinner of hotdogs and s'mores. The next day we bought firewood in town at Canadian Tire - half the price!
  
• WOULD WE GO BACK AGAIN? — meh - if we didn't have a different option
  

We did have a wonderful time, regardless of some of our complaints. Just getting away and being together makes this Momma smile!

Notice how the skillet straddles our sink? Just one of the little tricks we've learned navigating this teeny tiny kitchen space.

CAMPGROUND RATING

We think it's important to share our thoughts on the places we stay and we're choosing to give each r place a rating out of five. Five campers means we really loved it and have zero complaints. One means yikes - maybe don't take your family there. Everyone has different reasons for liking or not liking a place, and we may be looking for sites that offer different things than you need. Always do your own research and don't depend solely on our opinions. 

WHERE: HAPPY HEARTS PARK

OUR RATING: ⛺️⛺️⛺️⛺️⛺️

• COST: peak-season rates for serviced site are around $54/night
• STAFF: friendly and helpful 
• SITE: our serviced site was full sun, but quite large - we also had room for a tent
• FLUSH TOILETS: yes
• SHOWERS: paid - $2
• ACTIVITIES: in ground pool (cold but clean and refreshing), mini golf, giant checkers, bocce ball (to borrow from the camp store)
• WOULD WE GO BACK AGAIN? — definitely 

Ecoart Peel and Stick Tile Backsplash

We'd just finished setting up camp along the Saugeen River. The kids were helping secure the awning, angling it appropriately because we knew rain was called for later in the evening. I was inside getting things ready for supper. When I opened the overhead kitchen cabinet for our cups, I knew right away:

I announced it sheepishly. Ashamed. THIS IS WHY A PACKING LIST IS SO IMPORTANT!

We had to drink our morning coffee from the campground office Kuerig machine. Ugh!

Never again.

I Googled "shatter-proof French press". Before, we'd always taken our press from home. But it's glass and I had horrifying visions of driving on a bumpy road, the cabinet popping open, the press smashing to the floor, and glass spreading into every little nook and cranny of our dear Pearl (and our poor bare feet).

I found the OXO Brew Venture Travel French Press with Shatterproof Tritan Carafe and it's exactly what we needed! More expensive than our glass Ikea version, but I believe it will stand the test of time — and should the bumpy-road-cabinet-pops-open event ever occur, I think it will come away without so much of a scratch.


The first time I used it, I treated it like my 10-cup press instead of the 8-cup it is. The coffee was so strong I could barely get it down. I mean, I powered through. And then I stayed up until 2 a.m. But now I know.

Happily, this beauty arrived before we leave on our trip to Nashville. Delicious morning coffee guaranteed!