What's the Plan, Stan?

I like plans. I like thinking about them, making them, having them.

I do not always follow them, however. 

But that's not what this post is about.

When Life is stressful or worrisome, it helps to look forward. To plan something to look forward to. 

Summer vacation was the plan on tap this week.

Ryan and I go on week-long camping trips every summer. I've been taking her since she was two (the first couple of trips with her dad as a reluctant participant). We do this for a few reasons. First, the vacations of my childhood were taken in a tent and they were the very best days of my summers. I wanted to make sure Ryan had those experiences as well. Second, connecting with nature and being able to completely unplug for a week is good for the body, mind, and soul. Third, camping is much cheaper than staying in a hotel and, given our budget issues, it's really the only way we'd get any sort of decent holiday every year. 

We've camped from Maine to Florida and back to Maine, always staying in state or national parks. We learned the hard way that south is not the direction to go in August (and we always go in August, as we wait until swim season is over). One of our favorite parks is Anastasia State Park in St. Augustine, Florida, but after a trip during the hottest week of the entire year, we decided we would only ever travel north. 

Heatstroke is a bitch, yo.

For this summer, we considered Cape Cod (one of my favorite trips when I was a kid) and upstate New York (Finger Lakes and Thousand Lakes areas). In the end, we decided on Canada - La Mauricie National Park in Quebec province, to be specific. 

Halfway between Montreal and Quebec city, there are promising day-trips on the agenda, between hiking, paddling, biking, and generally lazing around on the banks of Lake Wapigazonke. 

That name seriously makes me giggle.

Wapigazonke.

Heh.

But look at this place... 

How fabulous is that view? 

I made the reservation and got a pleasant little surprise... the exchange rate! So the cost for seven nights in that majestic place is less than one night in a hotel at any vacation destination in the country. 

Can't beat it, baby!

In less than six (short) months, we'll be heading north, for a week of peace, quiet, and cool nights in a tent... 

(The orange one is mine.)

This week, when things were feeling less-than-stellar, it felt really good to put some plans into place... plans that will lead to something really good. 

Life is hard. It's peaks and valleys, ups and downs... and planning an up when you're in a down can make all the difference in the world.

This I know for sure.