Camping at Em-Te Town

After work on Friday, Mikey and I left to go camping at Em-Te Town in Alder Flats, about an hour away from Tomahawk. We found our campsite, and quickly began to set up our tent because there was a thunderstorm in the distance. The minute we got the fly onto the tent, the rain started to come down, and the thunder was right above us! It was so loud, even the dog seemed a little uneasy about the severity of the booms, and he normally doesn't get too frightened by it. After the tent was up and the bed was made, I decided it was time to feed the dog so that he could eat and relax...

"Where is the food? Mikey, did you grab the dog food? I thought I put it in a white plastic bag... OK you look for it in the car, I'll start the fire... Where is the bag with the utensils? The BBQ lighter is in it..."

Mikey had to drive back home to grab the dog food and the utensil bag... I stayed at the campsite with the dog, and just laid in the tent because it was still raining and I was soaking wet. I didn't have anything with me, no flashlight, no TP, nothing. not even a snack. Just a bin of misc supplies. I figured it was going to take Mikey at least two hours to go back home and then drive to the campsite again. I also didn't know what time it was, and what time Mikey had left. All I knew was that we arrived around 6pm.

Once the rain had eased up, I got out and looked around. I looked through the misc bin, and found a rain poncho - awesome! I took the dog for a quick walk, but not too far because everything was supper muddy. When I came back, I found a wind up radio in the bin, and tuned into an AM news station. I was able to get a weather report for the next day, and the time, it was 9:15pm. Right then, Mikey drove up, and to my surprise, brought over a huge grill top for the fireplace.

That was one thing that I was disappointed about when we first arrived. There was only a fire pit with a rock surround. No grill or grate over top - and thats how I cook when I camp. I don't have a propane grill or anything like that. So, Mikey had totally redeemed himself by finding this grill (which he spotted beside our garage at home... I'v never noticed it before!) So, we made some burgers, and relaxed before going to bed quite early. I was pooped.

There were outhouses only a few campsites over that were supplied with toilet paper after all - thank goodness! The next morning, I woke up before 6am, and I was able to see the sunrise, and the steam rise from the creek that we were so fortunate to camp right next to! I made bacon, eggs and toast on the fire, and watched a squirrel try to steal Colt's food.

Above, the sun shining through the trees and smoke from the fire. Below, Breakfast! Mmmmm.

After Breakfast, we checked out Em-Te Town, which was right behind us. All we had to do was follow a trial up a hill and through the bush, and we were in Em-Te town. The charge of the campsite included admission to the "town" so we didn't have to worry that we were sneaking in or anything. Right as we get to the top of the hill and get into "town", we found an outhouse with flushing toilets and hand sanitizer. This became the bathroom to go to whenever needed, instead of the outhouses in the campsite.

We walked around town, and saw some horses walking around free range, and visited the buildings, and sites. We also checked out the bar, restaurant, and gift shop. They had a wood shed, and you could buy wood bundles for $7, then they delivered it to your site while you hung out in town. There was happy hour at the bar, and the restaurant had dinner specials every night. We didn't eat or drink there because we brought everything we needed, but it was good to know that it was available, just in case we got rained out again, or even for next time we visit.

On one side of town, you can see the Motel, some cabins, and 2 teepee's - that you can actually rent out and stay in. There are a few open areas near the entrance for people with motor homes and campers as well. The campground itself is down a bit more, and right along the river. Mikey and I stopped at the gift shop, and got a snack, then went back to our campsite and made some lunch. Mmmm, tomato soup, and grilled cheese sandwiches made in out campfire pie makers. Mine turned out really good, but Mikey burnt his a bit...

Then we had a much needed nap, and walked around the campgrounds to check it out a bit more. There really aren't too many spots to camp, some spots were so small, that it was hard to imagine where you would even put your tent up! I would have to say that the campsite we got was the best one there! (#26 if you are so inclined) We were right beside the quiet part of the river - meaning the water wasn't rushing in a manor that it was making loud water noise - and we were very secluded. Even our car was a little walk away. You could easily set up 3 tents on our camp site. Not to mention the quick trail to the flushable toilets through the back of our site.

On our walk around, we found a little "beach" along the river. The dog liked jumping in after sticks and rocks that we were throwing in, but he never got them because the current would just sweep them away. Good thing he was tied up, or else the current would have just took him down stream! The river was lined with Alberta Roses, and the open areas had lots of little wild daisies. After hanging out at the beach for a while, we made some smokies, and green beans for dinner, and hung out by the fire until bed time. It was so beautiful, and really relaxing. I think we will definitely have to go back, and of course check out the bar and the restaurant for drinks and food.