Tag: travel
Random Camping in David Thompson Country, Alberta
May 18, 2021
Random camping
Random camping is the experience of heading out to public or crown land and camping where you choose. You can find a spot that is exactly what you and your family are looking for. We enjoy listening to the silence away from the road and other campers. Being self-sufficient gives us pride. Dark skies for photographs are important to me. Appreciating unspoiled nature is good for our souls. If you are travelling and just need a quick spot to spend the night, random camping might be a good option.
Random Camp Site 
Random Camp Site
There are several rules on the Alberta Parks website. There are other expectations and camping limitations, however, that need to be considered before participating in this opportunity. I will try to include those here. This discussion will be specific to random camping in the Alberta Foothills known as David Thompson Country.
I live in Rocky Mountain House, Alberta, Canada. “Where Adventure Begins,” is our local motto as the land to the west of us is primarily foothills that become the Rocky Mountains as you head further west. The land belongs to the province of Alberta, so logging companies, oil and gas companies and ranchers are allowed to lease it for their commercial needs. There are also some summer camps, small rural communities, and outfitters who take people on horse trips.
Many of the campgrounds located along highway 11 are first come-first served, even during Covid challenges. Others require a reservation. Random camping is definitely in the first come-first served category.
How to Find a Spot to Random Camp
We spend a lot of time travelling the roads west of Rocky Mountain House. I enjoy photographing the beautiful waterfalls in the area, the winter bubbles at Lake Abraham and the changing seasons. We also have a wood permit and cut dead trees for firewood.
Each time we are out, we look for spots that are accessible for our 26 ft 5th wheel. Our hitch had some room to slide so we can manage a slight grade change to get onto an access road. A rock fire ring is a good sign that others have used this site.
The most popular sites are recognizable by the lack of deadfall in the forest near the site. The most frustrating sites are those with several fresh stumps from people cutting down live trees for firewood. Not only does this affect the long-term sustainability of this random spot, but live trees do not burn well at all.
Possible location Random camping site
OHV Trail access
There are often OHV trails close to random camping sites. This may be an advantage or disadvantage, depending on whether you plan to ride the trails yourself. What may look like a good place to camp in the peace and solitude of the great outdoors may turn out to be a staging area for quads and side by sides. The Bighorn Backcountry Map includes areas closed to OHV travel during certain times of the year. Be aware of these regulations as well.
What do you need?
The overall view is important to us. We look for views of water or mountains. We also depend on our solar energy system when we are random camping, so we want a site that allows the sun to reach our panels for a good part of the day. Water views need to be assessed in terms of where the water level might be during runoff or heavy rain. Is the ground stable enough to hold a trailer in the wet and can we easily tow the trailer out of the site?
Busy Saturdays are good for scouting sites by noticing where others have chosen to camp. As retirees, we prefer mid-week camping so can usually use one of these locations another time.
Mountain views Water views
How to keep track of random camping sites
Bighorn Backcountry Map
Cel service is accessible along highway 11 (David Thompson Highway). It is mostly non-existent south and north of this corridor. Google maps will show where you are as you travel without signal, but won’t let you pin a location. The best way I have found to keep track of possible random camping sites is to use Google maps and a paper map. The Bighorn Backcountry Map is available locally and in Nordegg. It shows the PLUZ-Public Land Use Zones which are primarily from Nordegg to the south and west. It is a large map to refold in your lap.
Backroads Mapbook for Central Alberta
My preferred map is the book Backroads Mapbook for Central Alberta. We keep this book in the vehicle all the time as it contains not only the highways but also all the secondary roads, logging roads, power cut lines, etc. Fishing, hiking, and ATV trails are in the adventure section.
Many of the backroads in David Thompson Country are industrial roads and a clear sign marks almost every km. By following the dot on Google maps and matching it with the km markings on the road and the curves on the paper map, I can put an X on the map when we discover a good random camping spot. We often stop and walk into the site to determine if our trailer can access it easily and take photos. I might circle an area that has multiple sites.
After we use a site, I save pictures from that site in an album and give a name to that X on the map for future reference.
Considerations for random camping
As of June 1, 2021, Alberta plans to require a permit for random camping. The bill has been proposed, but not passed at the time of writing.
Random camping spots may have a somewhat level space to camp, some deadfall for firewood and a great view, but there are many things you will need to provide for yourself.
Toilets/Water
You will not find toilets/outhouses, water, power or garbage cans. Tenting is possible, but you will need to find a way to manage your toilet issues that will not impact the next visitor or animals in the area. Trailers with toilets and water tanks are a good option, but you need to be aware of your capacity before deciding on the number of days you can stay in a place. Grey water is not to be dumped in a random site.
Power
Battery capacity is another consideration for random camping. Know how long you can stay, especially when the nights are cool and you use your furnace. If you plan to stay a few days, a generator may be required.
Our trailer has a solar system that can easily allow us to stay in one location for as long as our water lasts. This system is new to us this year, and although there is a price tag, we appreciate the flexibility of where we can stay without having to interrupt the peace and quiet with a generator. Professional help is important when setting up solar panels, batteries and inverter/chargers. Canadian Energy from Red Deer set us up with just what we needed. The best price for solar panels was with Amazon.
Firewood
We always bring some firewood from home. As I mentioned, the most popular spots have been cleared of all deadfall. There is lots of deadfall in the rest of David Thompson Country. A short trip with your kids should give you plenty of wood for your stay. Collecting deadfall does not require a wood permit, but cutting dead trees does.
Never cut live trees. It might seem like a fun activity but it impacts the site for years to come. The wood won’t burn and cutting trees can be very dangerous. Choose to clear out a space in the undergrowth nearby and enjoy a crackling fire with dry wood.
Check fire advisories for the area before you leave home and be sure to have enough water to completely wet your fire.
Safety
It is very dark at night once you leave the David Thompson highway corridor. This makes for wonderful night photos, but bears, deer, wild horses, cougars, wolves and coyotes live in this area. Large groups and people noise is usually enough to keep them from interacting with humans. If you are camping alone, be aware. Bear spray is essential. Stay alert. Keep your food safely stored in your vehicle or trailer. Don’t leave a cooler outside. Camp stoves and barbeques also have a strong smell for animals and should be safely stored when not in use.
Make sure to have a good first aid kit with you. It is a long way to the nearest hospital and there is no cell signal in many areas of David Thompson Country if you needed to call for help.
Be alert on the roads. Many are active logging roads with large, heavy vehicles. We have a small radio set to the company’s frequency to know where the trucks are. These frequencies are posted along the roads used by these vehicles.
Clean up
Staff are not in place to clean up your site for the next visitor. We find that a foldable leaf bag rack works well for collecting cans or other recyclables. Pick up any garbage that may have blown into your site or been left behind. Store your garbage inside at night or if you are away from your site.
Take all your garbage home. Don’t leave it in the firepit as it will attract animals. Don’t drop it at a viewpoint or day-use area. They are not designed for a weekend’s worth of garbage and also cause problems for animals.
Staking out your random camping spot
I have seen people take their trailer out to a spot very early in the week to get their favourite place for the weekend. Please keep in mind those of us who prefer to camp midweek but can’t use our favourite place even though no one else is using it. Your equipment is also at risk for damage or theft by animals or people. This land belongs to everyone and the random camping system works best when you keep others in mind.
Random camping benefits
If you love the peace and quiet of your own place in the wilderness, random camping might be for you. It is also a good choice for a large group, post-Covid who don’t want to disturb other campers. You can get away into areas that would not sustain a campground. If you are self-contained, it is fun to discover a new place and listen to the silence.
It is a bit more work to look after the site, but this is the price you pay for having a beautiful place to stay, away from the crowds.
A week at Emerald Isle, NC…hanging out with the girls
March 22, 2019
One great thing about travel is that you get to meet so many interesting people. The nice thing about retirement is that you get to take advantage of opportunities to reunite with people you meet when you travel. That’s how I ended up spending a week at Emerald Isle, NC, just hanging out with the girls.
Jeanne
I met Jeanne in Chiang Mai, Thailand in 2017 when she spent a month living in our building as part of a 3 month tour through SE Asia. I admired her spirit and her bravery for travelling mostly on her own at 68. She didn’t sit around waiting for things to happen, but went out in search of adventure and made her own if she couldn’t find any.
We went looking for temples that we could only see the tops of from our rooftop pool. We walked to the zoo and aquarium then stopped at a little authentic Thai restaurant on our way back for duck. I helped her move her pictures off her phone to her computer to make room for the rest of her travel pictures. We showed up late for Christmas morning service at one of the only Christian churches in town and we drank champagne in a stairwell with a view and watched paper lanterns float up above the city on New Year’s Eve.
After she carried on to Malaysia, I didn’t think I would see her again, but I should have known better. I travelled to North Carolina in May of that year to attend her famous “Girls Retreat” where she invites many of the people she has met on the road, as well as women from her community, for a few days to share stories and try new things.
Once in a lifetime event
Jeanne was celebrating a once in a lifetime event. She was turning 70 in February and wanted to share her birthday with her friends from near and far. Last summer she booked a house right on the water of the outer banks of North Carolina on Emerald Isle. It had 8 bedrooms, 12 bathrooms, an enormous kitchen and views of the water almost everywhere you looked.
3 Palms Sunrise over the pool Best spot to relax Best spot to reflect Even better spot to nap Different views in the evening
I blocked off my calendar and arranged for my sister to attend as well. It was a perfect spot for hanging out with the girls. We arrived at the house on Sunday and stayed until Saturday afternoon. Others came for a day, a couple of days, a few days… They came from South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Chicago, all parts of North Carolina, and Canada of course. There were between 7 and 17 for dinner each night.
Hurricane Florence
The women who came from nearby communities really needed a week of fun and quiet. They are still recovering from Hurricane Florence and the devastation caused by this storm. Everyone in the town of Oriental, NC has had to clean up and attempt to restore their properties after 8 foot waves roared down their streets.
Houses and garages were inundated with water and debris from the water left sea grass, tree branches and ladders from riverside docks in people’s yards. Everyone in town is dealing with their own loss and there hasn’t really been anyone available to help out with this overwhelming job. It has been an emotionally trying time in Oriental.
What to do?
I wondered how we would spend our time. Would there be opportunities for quiet time or would everyone want to be active? Fortunately the weather was unusually nice. We had a day of some rain and cloud at the beginning, and a cooler day at the end, but the middle days were sunny and breezy with highs around 19. That’s a pretty nice February day, in my experience.
Shelling
The beaches I go to are not very interesting in terms of shells. I had a great opportunity to learn from 2 great “shellers” and a master sheller who came for a quick visit. A small group went down to the windswept point the first day to look around when the tide was out and there were lots of shells left behind. Pat and Jeanne described what animals had lived there.
I learned that North Carolina has a state shell called the Scotch Bonnet, which I always thought was a hot pepper. I even found part of a black one, which are not as common as the white ones. It amazes me the energy that these animals put into building a shell, only to have it wash up on the shore for me to find. Some had holes and grooves caused by other animals trying to get at the food inside. The ocean is a tough place to survive.
It enticed many of us to walk on the beach with our heads down. I did find a perfect Scotch Bonnet later in the week. I brought home some large scallop shells to use for serving seafood.
Shell Authority
On Thursday, we were pleased to spend some time listening to Bean. She is a shelling expert and all of her free time is spent travelling to beaches and islands looking for unusual shells. She puts these collections together for her friends and attaches them to a backing with a nautical theme. Her knowledge was more than impressive. She brought a pail of shells so we could each take one home.
Shelling on the point Jeanne at the Point Going shelling More shellers A chilly morning at the beach 
Bean with her shells 
A gift for Jeanne A seahorse of shells Black and white Scotch Bonnet
Real Estate Tour
We had an opportunity to visit another beach house that had been a possibility for our stay. It was 10 000 sq ft and rents for $15 000 a week in high season. It was built by a doctor who had his main living quarters in one part of the house, and a separate wing for his extended family in another part. The 4 car garage is built of concrete and was used in the past by the police during hurricanes.
Although opulent, it was not very cosy and we would not have been able to spend so much time together in a common area. I understand it gets rented out quite often for weddings. The whole family can stay in the same building. There is a platform near the beach for the ceremony and a large grassy area for a reception.
Main living area. View from the beach to the mansion
Sunsets and sunrises
At this time of year, the sun rises and sets over the water. It came up just before 7 am and set about 5:45 pm so was perfect for capturing the beautiful colors over the waves. It was a good excuse to go for a walk along the beach.
Barb at sunrise Sunrise Sunset by the pier Great place for a walk Damaged pier from Hurricane Florence Golden light
Whales and dolphins
We saw dolphins almost every day, swimming quite close to the beach. Fishermen set up poles in the beach, but I didn’t see what they caught. One afternoon, we even saw whales breaching a little farther out. The locals were impressed as they had never seen whales along this part of the coast before.
Late day fishing Surfer with dolphin watching Breaching whale 
More whales
Evening Entertainment
The evenings usually started with everyone enjoying dinner together with lots of storytelling and even more laughter. Although the group tended to be early risers, there was time every night for some singing and dancing. Luckily the DJ of Oriental was part of the group and she had brought along a great playlist of songs that were from the era we were familiar with. The living room was a perfect karaoke bar. Still can’t get “Red Solo Cup” and “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” out of my head.
Jeanne singing her heart out 
Too much fun Some truck driving song Great song More singers More fun
One evening we were treated to the Witch’s Crawl. Several women from Oriental, NC learned some moves to the Witch’s Crawl and performed at a few dining venues on Hallowe’en night in fantastic witch’s costumes. They did it as a fundraiser to maintain the cemetery. There weren’t enough brooms at our guest house, but mops and vacuums did the trick for the excellent reenactment.
Carol in position Witch’s Crawl leader Great moves!
Late night hot tub soaks and even a brave ocean swimmer filled out the evenings.
Food
I have no idea how we managed to feed so many people so many meals without a plan. Jeanne had bought some fresh oysters, shrimp and a huge prime rib roast. Everything else just arrived with the guests. Italian meatballs for the Superbowl. A ham was picked up from the store one afternoon, fresh fish and crab appeared another day to be transformed into fried fish and crab cakes. Shrimp and grits started our day, except for the eggs and custom hand smoked bacon that came from Atlanta. One morning I just indulged in rum cake for breakfast!
These are just leftovers. 
crab cakes in the making crab cakes fish chef Chef and Baker Fish fry Everyone helps Great kitchen space Shrimp ‘n Grits with Mimosa Jeanne cooking grits with red eye gravy Ham with Mac ‘n Cheese Prime rib Service!
Oysters
I knew next to nothing about oysters, but they were the highlight food of this week. I learned that if you buy them fresh and keep them cool, they will last a week to 10 days. We only cleaned the mud off as many as we were going to eat each day. They can be eaten raw, right out of the shell or lightly warmed on a low barbecue just until the shell is hot. That was my favorite. They tasted of the ocean, salty and succulent. We also prepared them in the oven with ham, cheese and spinach as Oysters Rockefeller for a dinner appetizer.
I also got to experience an Oyster Shooter. One of the guests had a seafood sauce named after her. Mother Shucker was poured into a shot glass with a small chunk of oyster, a splash of V8 and topped off with vodka. Wow! What a treat for a prairie girl.
A cooler of oyster Fresh oysters steamed oysters Heated until they were just warm. Fresh from the sea Oyster shuckers The best Bloody Mary Oyster shooters. Who knew? Needs a steady hand. Oyster team Photo op for Mother Shucker Oyster shucking
The Birthday
Gifts
The best part about a birthday are the presents, the cake and those you get to spend your time with. There were some presents, several cakes and many people who made an effort to celebrate Jeanne’s “Once in a Lifetime Event.” The proclamation by the mayor of Oriental was a way to acknowledge her contribution to the community. An anchor covered in shells as well as a perfect shell from the beach, complete with a thoughtful message certainly fit the occasion. There were gag gifts as well as lots of cards and well wishes.
Cakes
We had cakes every night, besides the rum cake for breakfast. Nancy made a gluten-free chocolate cake trimmed with skor bar chips and whipped cream. Jeanne’s cousin Gail brought a lemon and blueberry cake made by a friend. Penny brought by an Amaretto pound cake.
We even had a King’s Cake which is usually eaten on Fat Tuesday. It’s filled with cream cheese, jelly and topped with purple, green and gold sprinkles. There is a little plastic baby hidden inside. The person who gets it in their piece has prosperity for the year, but has to host the part and/or buy the cake for next year.
Baker Chocolate cake 
Lots of cakes 35 X 2 Proclamation by the Mayor Whereas… Birthday girl
The People
It’s always about the people on special days. I’ve included some photos to try and catch everyone who attended for a day or for a week or anything in between. Comment if I missed you and I’ll add a photo if I can.
Any luck? Can’t miss the game! Looks like a fish story Time to relax Everyone helps The Dining room Jeanne and Ruby Mimosas Southern food master Sisters A drive along the beach turned into an $ adventure 
Beach buddies
To sum up, if you had told me when I retired that I would be spending a week on the beach of North Carolina hanging out with a group of amazing, interesting women, I wouldn’t have believed it. Be open to opportunities whenever they arrive. Life is short. Don’t have regrets. I heard today that one of the guests at the party passed away from cancer this week. She hadn’t told anyone she was sick, but didn’t let it keep her away. Live your life however you can. Don’t wait for it to happen.