Monday 18 May 2015

Calaway Park Long Weekend

Given it's the second year in a row that we've gone to Calaway Park for opening weekend, I suppose this has now become a family tradition. Last year we "tented" - 'camping' to anyone outside North America - and the weather was a bit windy and rainy, but this year we had the trailer, so it didn't matter what the weather did.
That was just as well... it was fine when we arrived on Friday evening, but then from midnight onwards, and all day Saturday, it rained. And rained. The park - on its opening day - voluntarily closed early, at 2pm rather than 7pm, so the staff wouldn't get too cold and wet. 10am-2pm was fine for us though, we were prepared for the weather, and there were so few customers there that we didn't queue up for a single ride, and Lara and I had the rollercoaster to ourselves for one run.
We returned to the trailer, parked at the campsite just outside the main gates of the park, and had something to eat, and tried to keep the kids entertained, but eventually we decided that heading off into Cochrane, 20 minutes away, would be the best thing. We bought some toys for the kids, and headed back for dinner. By the time everyone was in bed, the rain had turned to wet snow, but it wasn't really sticking. We spared a thought for those few hardy souls who were tenting that night!
Sunday morning was much better, the sun was shining, and the whole place dried up quickly.
We spent the morning there, queuing up for a few rides this time, then came back for lunch. We had a bbq outside, and the kids played some games, chased (and caught!) some butterflies, and Dan and I got a touch of sunburn. How things change in 12 hours here!
Lara had had a few goes on the log flume with Olga and I on Saturday, and was keen as mustard to go on her own, as she was tall enough to do so (not the same story for the rollercoaster, yet..), So in the afternoon she went on it on her own, and even remembered to play up for the camera, giving it her best thumbs-up.
Both kids won a few soft toys on the games there that they like to play, though Lara's skill on the ring toss deserted her this time around.
On Monday morning the kids played in the campsite with some other children while Olga and I packed up the trailer ready for the off. It's only a 30 minute drive from Calaway Park back to the trailer storage place, so this kind of trip might be more frequent than once a year.