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Our First Trip - July 2020

SydSyd Member Posts: 47
WE LOVE OUR T@B 400!!!!

Now that THAT is out of the way...

We were able to make our first ever trip with our (new to us) 2019 T@B 400. It was the first time that my wife and I had camped in a trailer as adults. With the exception of the absolutely fantastic gas mileage, we had a wonderful trip!

Our destination was one of the first private campgrounds that opened from quarantine for the summer. It is a place called Ol' MacDonald's Resort, located about 230 km NE of Calgary Alberta, on Buffalo Lake. It is a large family oriented campground that has been owned and operated by the same family for nearly 40 years, on land they settled a century ago.

When I was booking with them, because they are such a popular place, I had to book two separate sites and do the Friday / Saturday in overflow. We were excited at this prospect, because we could try all three types of basic camping (unless there are more...) all in one trip - power and water, dry, power, water sewer. 

The resort is quite nice. And they have a zero tolerance policy, strictly enforced, for those people who do not understand how civilized society works. The beach area is one of the biggest natural sand beaches in Alberta. The water was a little chilly, but starting to warm up by the time we left at the end of July. As Buffalo is a shallow lake, warm water means swimmers itch. From what we understand, by the end of August, the lake is quite warm. They also have a boat launch, and many people did use that. 

As the resort is kinda out in the middle of nowhere, they do have resort pricing for many things. It is only 20 minutes East to the town of Stettler, which is the county seat. There, you can find a couple of reasonably priced grocery stores and other shops. 45 -ish minutes to the West is the town of Lacombe. This town is much larger and has many more amenities, and is a few km north of the city of Red Deer. Lacombe was named after Father Alberta Lacombe, a Catholic priest who established ministries and towns throughout Western Canada in the late 1800's. He was also my great, great Uncle.

On the resort, they have a small restaurant that also sells minimal groceries, a large building that houses a family games type area and museum, a peddle vehicle rental, and a beach store and ice cream shop. Wednesdays and Saturdays they have a market in the large field area. During normal times, they also have musical acts and other activities on the stage in this field. They also have a very low powered FM radio station that plays a variety of music from different genres. This station is also played through speakers at the museum, beach and the restaurant. There are several shower facilities, and every outhouse is a flush toilet with sink. Felt a bit like a KOA. The camping areas include dry, p/w, p/w/s and overflow. They also have a couple of areas that people rent yearly and have semi-permanent homes. One of our neighbours has one of these rental plots, and suggested that we should try camping at the resort. They go every weekend. 

Our biggest compliment of the place is - it was so nice being able to feel normal again for two weeks. 

If you are ever in Alberta, and are looking for a place to camp, this is a nice family establishment you can consider. Reservations highly recommended. 

Our first site with power and water. 


Our second site - overflow. We put our 100 watt solar panel on the tongue during the day, and it kept our batteries fully charged without a problem.


Our third and final site with power, water, and sewer. This is one of the older parts of the campground and is close to the beach.


Two from the beach. People mostly kept a safe distance apart.


Sunset. Ignore the massive amount of mosquitoes making you anemic...

Hopper - 2019 T@B 400
Donald S. Cherry - 2016 Kia Sorento V6 (3.3L)
Where we call home - Our House, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, North America, Earth, SOL, Milky Way, Universe
GO FLAMES GO!

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    Denny16Denny16 Member Posts: 5,431
    Looks like a grand time all round.
    cherrs
    2018 TaB400 Custom Boondock,  Jeep Gladiator truck, Northern California Coast.
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    HomebodyatheartHomebodyatheart Member Posts: 2,497
    @Syd what a great write up, and wonderful pics! Too bad the border is closed and I'm not yet retired. Oh well, it can go on my list! On your terrific gas mileage comment, a dear friend and Tabber told me to fill the tank often, not worry about the MPG and enjoy the journey! He is right. What brand is your green screen room? I'm still searching, and like the look of this one. Does it have an attached floor, too? Thanks again for your post!
    2017 T@B 320 Max S silver and cherry red, L@dybug ("Bug" aka my esc@pe pod), TV 2015 Toyota Highlander aka Big Red
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    SydSyd Member Posts: 47
    @Homebodyatheart - I am not sure what brand it is. We bought it at Canadian Tire nearly 20 years ago. It is nearing the end. It does not have a floor, but keeps most bugs out (or in...depending...)
    Hopper - 2019 T@B 400
    Donald S. Cherry - 2016 Kia Sorento V6 (3.3L)
    Where we call home - Our House, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, North America, Earth, SOL, Milky Way, Universe
    GO FLAMES GO!
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    ontheroadontheroad Member Posts: 485
    Thank you..someday we'll make it west of Ontario...for some reason we keep heading south...lol..looks like a great place! Enjoy your 400!
    Former 2017 T@G Max XL
    2021 T@B Boondock CS-S
    2018 Nissan Pathfinder
    Ontario, Canada
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