Back In The Swing Of Things

Last modified on May 23rd, 2011

About two months ago I was packing up my items in Buenos Aires, getting ready to fly to New York City and then to Europe. I’ve been out in Port Coquitlam now for almost a month and am pretty much back into the swing of my normal routine here.

I’ve been thinking quite a bit about the summer, and of course what my plans are after that. Everything is still up in the air, but here’s how I think things will shape out.

I’ve been planning for quite some time to take most of July and August off. I have a few little personal side projects to work on as well as some house keeping items over at BNC, but mostly I plan to spend my days playing tennis, riding my bike, and of course camping. I managed to go camping a few times last summer, but I was actually pretty cold most of the time. I think it’s because I bought a new tent last summer that doesn’t keep much heat in. So I’m going to head down to MEC and buy a nicer tent for the summer.

Tofino, Last Summer

I’m also in the process of scoping out a trailer hitch and a bike rack for my car. Once that’s hooked up and installed I’ll start sorting through my camping gear and trying to get it organized for some quick trips. Depending on how things go in the short term, I may simply load up my car and head down the coast for a few weeks prior to July, working from little coffee shops as I go. I even have a Virgin mobile stick, so I can pretty much get WiFi anywhere via the cell networks.

Once summer is over, I’m not entirely sure what I’ll do. I may buy a plane ticket and head to New Zealand for a few months and work from there. Pretty much everyone I met during my travels who had been to New Zealand thought it was one of the most amazing places they had every been to. So that’s way up on my list. I was watching a movie the other day with some great scenes from Venice, and it really made me want to visit there. The sky’s really the limit, so we’ll see how I feel later in the fall.

But until then, I’m just going to get all my ducks in a row for summer. I’m definitely looking forward to getting back into some camping, spending the summer chilling by a few rivers, biking along a few lakes, and sipping a few beers with my friends and family.

3 responses to “Back In The Swing Of Things”

  1. Tyler says:

    Sometimes it feels as if you hadn’t really been away. We’re going to be taking a big trip next summer after I am done school; Australia, New Zealand and SE Asia. Should be some good fun.

    Which tent are you looking to pick up from MEC? We just got a Camper 4 for a wedding present. Can’t wait to try it out! It’s a 3-season and weighs less than the 2-person that I currently have hehe. We also got a new Coleman stove for car camping too. Just have to find time to go!

  2. Duane Storey says:

    I’m not entirely sure to be honest. All I know is that my current tent doesn’t keep much heat in and I need to fix that. It has an open mesh at the top, and even with the fly on lots of heat can get out. It’s probably good for somewhere like California, but most places by the water do get a bit cold at night in BC, even in the summer. I’ll have to head down and take a look at some point.

  3. Kevin Baggs says:

    You mentioned that you are looking for a trailer hitch and a bike rack. If the trailer hitch is for the bike rack, then take a look at Costco. They have a trailer hitch bike rack for $69. I used it this past weekend and it is great. gives enough space to get at the trunk and will tilt away from the car if you need extra space without taking off the bikes.

    As for the tent, be careful about getting a tent without mesh. The key to camping in a tent is not about whether is keeps heat in as there really is no insulation in a tent. The main point is about letting moisture out. People give off a ton of moisture during the night. If it has no place to go you end up with soggy sleeping bags and a soggy tent (both of which are a pain to pack up the next morning.) Better to put the extra money into a better sleeping bag to stay warm. Suggest you stay away from down, due to BC’s climate and stay with synthetic. I have The North Face Cat’s Meow and it has been great.

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