August Long

Sunset over Lesser Slave Lake

August Long is a civic holiday in Canada, celebrated the first weekend and following Monday in August.  It is the busiest travel holiday in Canada.  Most services are closed, including all government offices, as well as many local businesses.  Additionally, because Canadians love the outdoors and most enjoy camping, campgrounds are booked months in advance for this weekend.  We didn't know August Long existed.  We do now.

We had our first inkling that something was amuck while traveling across Alberta.  We stopped to camp at Lesser Slave Lake.  The area was beautiful but incredibly crowded (and buggy).  To top it all off, David ended up with a touch of food poisoning.  Needless to say, while the scenery was lovely, we did not enjoy our stay.

Sandpipers on the shore of Lesser Slave Lake

We packed up the next morning and headed to Prince Albert National Park.  We were told that we would only be able to stay one night because the entire park was booked through the holiday weekend.  What holiday, we asked?  It was then that ranger informed us about August Long.

David and I have been caught in Canadian holiday weekends in the past.  We have learned to find a campsite, hunker down, and ride it out.  This time, however, we didn't have a campsite.  So we drove.  We spent two hours looking for a campground in Meadow Lake Provincial Park.  By the time we arrived at the site, we were too tired to do anything more than stroll around our little camping circle.

The following day, a lady at the visitor center in La Ronge told us that Missinipe (pronounced Miss-nippy) would certainly have sites available.  We found the Churchill River campground at the end of the road near Otter Rapids, but soon we had to move to another place when a kind camper explained their reservation system.   It felt like we were camping to musical chairs, and we were the last rig standing.

Otter Rapids on the Churchill River, Saskatchewan

Not knowing where to camp next, we decided that our best bet was to make the States as soon as possible.  We left Saskatchewan at 4:30 Saturday morning and crossed Manitoba diagonally.  We passed so many lakes and beautiful countryside, but we didn't dare stop.  By the time we arrived at the Watchhorn Bay campground, it was 5:30 in the evening.  We had driven over 600 miles.  We were relieved when we drove through the campground.  One site was empty.  Unfortunately, the camp host had stepped away from her desk.  We waited.

When she returned, we told her our plight.  We were exhausted and desperate.  The campground, however, had no overflow sites.  She told us the empty site was one that had been reserved for the season.  Although the family who had reserved it had pulled their camper because it needed repairs, the camp host would not allow us to stay in it.  We asked if we could simply pop the top on our rig for sleep and not utilize any of the campground's amenities.  She said no.  She also told us that Manitoba did not allow boondocking.  All campers must be in designated campgrounds.  She apologized and sent us on to Ashern and their city campground, which showed openings on her computer.  When we arrived at the Ashern campground, however, we found that it was completely reserved for a wedding... as was the town's only motel.  Again, we drove on.

Finally, we saw a sign for the Twin Lakes Provincial Park.  It was thirty minutes off the main road, but we decided to take the chance since the GPS indicated that only other town we would encounter with motels was Winnipeg, over two hours away.  When we arrived at Twin Lakes, we found a note on the camp host's door that she would return at 8:45.  We waited the additional twenty minutes.  Thankfully, this camp host always left one site open for travelers like us.  David paid for the site.  When we went to set up camp, however, another rig was already there.  The camp host quickly explained to the young people that we had rented the site and sent them on their way.

I can't explain our gratitude and relief.  We had driven nearly 700 miles in one day.  Needless to say, we were exhausted.  Only three hours separated us and the U.S. border.  After our experience with August Long, those beautiful Stars and Stripes will be a welcomed sight, indeed!