Galiano Bike Camping Adventure: Day 3

Home for two nights: Montague Harbour Marine Provincial Park Campground

Just us two, before everyone else got up.

Here is day three of Four Kids, Four Adults, Four Bikes, & Four Days*. (If you missed Day one, go over here & read about our epic trip to Tsawwassen first. Day two of our trip is here.

I woke before anyone else on day three a little groggy. All night I could hear the wind in the trees so clearly, which was lovely, but I was constantly thinking I heard raccoons getting into our stuff. Also my sleeping bag was way too warm. I switched with Linnaeus the next night & it was much better. My worries about Bronte getting cold were unfounded--I checked her throughout the night & she was cozy in her fleece sleeper & fleece sleep sack.

All eight of us got up one by one & had a slow paced breakfast. We biked to the marina store to pick up some bread & then headed to a beach nearby for a picnic lunch. The hike down to the beach was short but steep, & once we arrived there were lots of tantrums along with our lunch of sausages, fruit, veggies & wraps.

Bronte & I took a little walk & she pointed out some interesting large bugs in a crack in some driftwood. They looked like a cross between a cockroach & a chiton, about the size of one of her fingers--I've since discovered that they were Beach Cockroaches (ligia occidentalis), not technically an insect but a marine isopod. I love how my kids draw my attention to little things I wouldn't normally have noticed. It was especially noticeable while we were camping because they saw so many new things.

Bear sighting!

After we biked back for B's nap, I headed for the outhouse & discovered that my period had arrived. Three days early. Groan. I'd banked on it arriving a few days after we got home & not packed my DivaCup or anything. I headed back to the store to buy tampons.

When I returned, I discovered that Linnaeus had truly embraced camping life & was making 'dirt angels' on the ground. He & Lucy also built 'nests' out of rocks & twigs, pretending to be pigeons for quite a while. Once Bronte woke up from her nap, we all walked to Shell Beach.

Linny the pigeon sitting in his nest.

The hike down to the beach.

The water was too cold for me, but Dan & Lisa swam. Bronte again waded right into the water, soaking her shoes once more. Her shoes spent as much time hanging on the clothesline as on her feet during this trip. I'll definitely pack water sandals for her next time.

Dinner consisted of delicious dahl & rice, accompanied by red wine. Possibly related, I fell asleep as I was getting Bronte down to sleep. I woke up a couple of hours later, well after dark, to join Lisa, Dan, & Oli around the picnic table for a chat. I actually thought I'd miss the campfire more than I did. Just being able to hang out with our friends without any of our four little children being around (or awake, at least) was such a novelty that I didn't really even miss all the joys of a crackling fire. To be honest, I'm not sure how comfortable sitting around the fire would have been without chairs. There was no way I was hauling camping chairs all the way to Galiano!

Bronte likes to play dress up.

I love how food always seems so good on a camping trip. Food always tastes better when you don't have to cook it yourself, I think, plus being hungrier from being so active on the main riding days must have contributed. But really Dan's cooking & planning skills should be publicly commended. He planned all the meals to be nutritious & little kid-friendly, with lightweight ingredients whenever possible, leaving little to no leftovers each day.

We tidied up the site before turning in, & hung up our food in Oli's pannier again. The raccoons were waiting, growling at me from behind one of the pit toilets. I tried the pine cone discouragement technique again, but they barely moved. Little buggers are very habituated to humans, clearly.

Communing with the dirt

This might be my favourite picture of Bronte ever

I found camping socks at Costco, so I had to buy them!

Aunt Flo early? REALLY? :P

The girls loved playing with sticks. A little too much, but nobody lost an eye, so it's okay...

Camp Cook Dan making delicious dahl & rice on both the backpacking stoves he brought.

Stay tuned for the next post in the series, all about our ride home from Galiano on day four.


*Full credit goes to Lisa M for coming up with the name for our trip: 4 Kids, 4 Adults, 4 Bikes, 4 Days.

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