With a box of expensive worthless rocks in the back, we headed west from Thunder Bay. Ordinarily, Those Johnston Kids have little patience for long drives, but they elected to bypass our planned stop at Sandbar Provincial Park and find a campsite further on. I think they were anxious to get to Winnipeg and civilization.

After a long drive we arrived at Rushing River Provincial Park in the evening. The kids took their bikes to explore a bit while I set up camp and started dinner. We were in the RV section of the campground, but a clan of rednecks had discovered the strategy of camping with the vehicles on a serviced site, and had pitched their tents next door. While the RVers were respectful of others’ quiet enjoyment of the campground, the rednecks circled their fire until 1 in the morning, drinking beer and telling the most horrid and racist stories. There is a dark side to sleeping in the woods with strangers.

So if you’ve been doing that, you know, stop.

We woke up before the reprobates, naturally, and in the pouring rain. We hurriedly folded up camp, with lots of yelling and hilarity as we soaked ourselves. I felt not a whit sorry for disturbing the people next door. The park in daylight is lovely, and we almost wished we could stay longer. Then the mosquitoes noticed us and that wish evaporated. We happily took our leave and turned our sights to beautiful and cosmopolitan Winnipeg.