It was a warm July evening when Heather Desgroseilliers and her husband Dan arrived at the Thunder Bay KOA. They’d traveled to the campground after work, so while Dan stayed at the site to chop firewood for a campfire later that evening, Heather headed to the pool.
As she relaxed, she happened to glance over at the gate, where she saw her Uncle Gary and a friend.
“I had told them to come out sometime on the weekend for a visit,” she said. She climbed out the pool and went to greet them. It was then she got a very happy surprise.
“It happened to be ‘Christmas in July’ that weekend, and I got the best Christmas present a mother could ever ask for–a visit from her only son,” she said.
Her son Marc joined the Canadian Forces in August of 2009, and was stationed in North Bay, Ontario—some 14 hours away. She hadn’t seen him in over six months, when he’d left to go to Sault St. Marie before his transfer to CDF Borden where he is training as an automotive power technician.
“He knew we were spending the long weekend at the KOA,” she said. “He caught a flight to Thunder Bay and had my uncle pick him up.”
The family spent the weekend together enjoying the campground and one another’s company. The following weekend, they returned to the campground to celebrate Heather’s parents Golden Anniversary.
“Our next visit (with Marc) will probably be in December,” said Heather. “This visit was just a bonus before the real Christmas.”
Tags: campground reunions, KOA campgrounds, Ontario campground, Our Best Day of Camping, Thunder Bay KOA
