The Hamms and their cat, Domino, treasure Falcon Lake, Manitoba
Colette and Greg Hamm love to spend their summers camping at Falcon Lake, Manitoba
Colette Hamm and her husband, Greg, love to get away to their second home in paradise: Falcon Lake, Manitoba. Each year there is a draw for spots at the RV site at Falcon Lake, and if they get in, this piece of wondrous nature is the Hamms' home for the whole summer. Recently, it became home for the couple's cat, Domino, too. Colette took some time to answer a few questions for us.
What do you love most about the RV lifestyle?
Getting away. It's a totally different lifestyle. Here (in Winnipeg), I'm crazy busy, and there, you're outside in the wilderness and nature and it's peaceful. I love the walks and hikes and the peace and tranquillity. I have time to read and relax. It's also meeting new people. Out at Falcon Lake, you meet a lot of new people and make new friends, because they are all out there doing the same thing you are. This year we met someone else with a cat.
You take your cat camping?
Yes (she laughs). We brought him RVing with us for the first time recently. We have to keep him on a leash and a harness. At first I was pretty scared and wasn't sure how it was going to work out. We put out two long stringers and a red flag and he did do a couple of Houdinis in the bush and got out of his harness. But it's great—Greg will walk him and he just loves it. He's in his element and it's great because the people we met had a cat too and have been bringing theirs to Falcon for three years. It's great!
What kind of RV do you have?
We have a fifth wheel, a 30-foot Savannah.
What do you love most about it?
It's the layout. The layout is wonderful because it's got a walk-in living room where you can overlook your dining area, and it's surrounded by windows so you can still feel like you're part of the outdoors. It's an older unit, but for us, it's perfect. It's big enough for the two of us and has a walk-in bedroom, so you don't have to go underneath a little partition to get into your bed. My daughter sometimes comes out, which is great because there is room to sleep six people. It has everything you need. We started out with a 16-foot trailer when our daughter and son were just kids and they had some of their best memories in that small, compact trailer.
How much of the year do you spend RVing?
If we get our seasonal spot at Falcon Lake—which is done by draw—we'll spend from May to October going there on our weeklong holidays and every weekend. If we don't get in, which is depressing, we only spend about two weeks out there during the summer.
What makes Falcon Lake so special?
I love the trees out there. It's very tall timber, and the bushes between you and the next RV give you the privacy you need. It's all self-contained, so we can go out there and not worry about a thing. There's also the town, where you can pick up anything you need. It's great; everyone migrates to the town in the evening for ice cream and then we all retreat back to our RVs and have a fire. It's weird when you think about it sometimes—we're all strangers in the middle of this forest and we're all having our individual fires and all enjoying the same thing. Then we all leave and go back to our own worlds and then return once again. It's amazing.
