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When I was pregnant, a friend suggested we go on a portage around Algonquin Park. She offered to do all the heavy lifting and I sarcastically said that if she carried my bed and a flush toilet, I’d be happy to come. It was clear from the start I was not going to be one of those moms who hikes through the bush with a baby on her back. In fact, until this summer, I hadn’t camped in 15 years. I’m just not that into bug bites, bad hygiene and eating out of cans. However, when an opportunity to go RV camping arose, I saw it as a chance to try roughing it again – but with air-conditioning and a shower. I picked out a couple of campsites in la belle province, borrowed a Honda Pilot to tow our rental and packed up the family for our first trailer-camping adventure. We hooked up our 17-foot Jayco Swift and, with a lurch, headed out on a fairly smooth four-hour drive to Gatineau Park. From there it was on to Oka National Park for a few days before returning home to Toronto.

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Owasco RV Rentals in Oshawa, Ont.Dianne Nice/The Globe and Mail

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Feeding some nutty friends at Gatineau Park.Dianne Nice/The Globe and Mail

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Changing of the guard at Parliament Hill.Dianne Nice/The Globe and Mail

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The War Memorial in Ottawa.Dianne Nice/The Globe and Mail

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Parliament buildingsDianne Nice/The Globe and Mail

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Changing of the guard at the Governor-General’s house in Ottawa.Dianne Nice/The Globe and Mail

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Roasting marshmallows at Gatineau Park.Dianne Nice/The Globe and Mail

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After much swearing, we finally get the trailer backed in at Gatineau Park.Dianne Nice/The Globe and Mail

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Deer at Gatineau Park.Dianne Nice/The Globe and Mail

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The park by the beach at Oka.Dianne Nice/The Globe and Mail

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The beach at Oka park.Dianne Nice/The Globe and Mail

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Woodpecker at Oka park.Dianne Nice/The Globe and Mail

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Making friends at the insectarium in Montreal.Dianne Nice/The Globe and Mail

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Stopping to smell the flowers at Montreal’s botanical garden.Dianne Nice/The Globe and Mail

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Tea ceremony at Montreal’s botanical garden.Dianne Nice/The Globe and Mail

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Poison ivy at Montreal’s botanical garden.Dianne Nice/The Globe and Mail

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Notre Dame in Old Montreal.Dianne Nice/The Globe and Mail

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Jayco Swift at our campsite in Oka park.Dianne Nice/The Globe and Mail

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Checking out the bunk beds in the Jayco Swift.Dianne Nice/The Globe and Mail

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Inside the Jayco Swift -- not made for tall people.Dianne Nice/The Globe and Mail

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Honda Pilot all loaded up and ready to tow a 17-foot Jayco Swift.Dianne Nice/The Globe and Mail

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