CAMPING - Pentoga Park at Chicaugon Lake, Michigan - with Jameson

Yup.... we grabbed the little guy and loaded the rig up for a weekend jaunt.  Taking along a grandkid is just the frosting on the cake! ==

Granfaddah took half a day vacation on Friday so we could hit the road earlier than usual!  We were headed up to Michigan's lovely Upper Peninsula to see family and go camping for the weekend.  If we leave early enough, we are reasonably assured of getting a good campsite and not have to set up in the dark.

The Little Navigator took my seat and told his Granfaddah where to go.... and then he promptly zonked out for the rest of the trip up 120 miles.  I sat back in the livingroom area and caught up on emails and business while driving along, thanks to our Galaxy Tablet which has recently replaced our aircard from AT&T...  since we switched over to Verizon now, the Tablet works as an aircard and seems to get better signals and connection speeds.

We weren't sure if we were going to camp at Pentoga Park near Iron River, MI with my brother who planned on camping there, or to go over to Runkle Lake in Crystal Falls where there was a horseshoe tournament for the guys play in each year.  We figured we would wait till we got up there and drive through the campgrounds to see if there were two sites together.   We were lucky to get two of the last few remaining sites together and got set up. 

http://www.pentogapark.net/   

County residents $19, non-residents $21 with 30 amp and water at sites.

We pulled into our site nose first, so our doors would face each other.  The sites in the newest loop are spaced apart nicely and lots of room in between.  We were surrounded by lush vegitation and ripe raspberry bushes.   We are on the far left and my brother Butch is on the far right at the next site.  

When we were kids, we lived in this campground all summer long.  Our dad was disabled, and our mom would drive back and forth to work in town 7 miles away.  What a way to spend our summers === camping!  Cooking over the fire, water skiing, swimming, and fishing the entire summer.  Making new friends every weekend when new people pulled in, and saying goodbye on Sundays when they pulled out again.  A few families stayed all summer too, and even into the start of the school year if the weather was nice in September! 

It's no wonder that I love camping now, hey?

Once we got set up, Jameson quickly got us out and about, walking the dogs, playing with horseshoes, and fiddling with my Galaxy Tablet while Granfaddah read the paper.  He has all his own gear when camping with us, and he is never bored or at a loss for things to do.  

Jameson got in some serious rock-throwing into the lake too...  

We started out just standing on the shore in our shoes... 

which progressed to shoes off and standing in ankle deep water...

which then progressed to fully clothed but totally wet kid who was very happy! 

Soon our family came out to join us-   my sister Schmoo and broinlaw Fuzz  -  then my brother Umpee -  then Bob Senior joined us.  We all sat around the campfire and enjoyed chatting.   When we camp close to my hometown, various family members and friends stop by, even if they aren't camping themselves that particular weekend. 

Auntie Schmoo (a librarian) brought out a hilarious child's book called "Press Here" by Herve Tullet.  Jameson had a blast with it and we had to read it over and over and over with him.  I highly recommend it.  To see why it is different, creative and imaginative, check out this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kj81KC-Gm64

review:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9677870-press-here

We loved it so much, that we were sad to see Auntie Schmoo take it back to the library.  I am going to order three copies of this book for each of the grandkiddo's families, and get yet another copy to keep here at my house!  It is THAT GOOD!  Very interactive and the kids participate in the story telling.  What fun!!!

My brother Butch just got this new toyhauler trailer... it was his 2nd time out camping in it.  Steve and Butch set up the extra screened in back portion to try it out.  The whole back panel drops down and becomes a ramp to drive in on.  It's got a heavier frame than most campers, and tie down's inside to secure vehicles while in transit. 

Now he can haul his motorcycle or fourwheeler, or even his smaller aluminum fishing boat if he chooses.  It even has a built-in gas tank and pump to refuel the toys, an outside shower, and the couches fold away and an extra bed raises up in the ceiling when hauling toys.

On Saturday we packed up some gear and headed over in Butch's truck 10 miles to Crystal Falls to another campground at Runkle Lake City Park.  We weren't camping there, but there was big city-wide festival going on.  

We have camped here a few times other years, during the festival, and it gets pretty noisy and crowded. I was glad we were staying at Pentoga instead.   Also, this park in Crystal Falls is known for excessively high water pressure and poor electrical connections.  So risking blown water lines, brown outs and power failure damages, and noise all day and night... I think staying at Pentoga was a better choice.  Also, there is a strange phenomenon in this park:  horrible shards of glass work their way to the surface.  It was built on a city dump! It can rain and more and more glass is exposed each time.  Nobody can risk walking around in bare feet.  

But we do come here because it was the location of a horseshoe tournament that our guys love to play in...   and it becomes an all-afternoon affair.  The festival for the weekend is called The Humongous Fungus Fest...  I kid you not!  Here is a link to answer any questions about the fungus:

http://www.humungusfungusfest.com

While the guys went to the horseshoe courts, my sister and I took Jameson to the beach!   We bought him this red race car floaty toy for his birthday.   Oh my, what fun it was, once he decided he wasn't scared of it.  Auntie Schmoo really worked with him to get him confidant to move more than 3 feet from the shore.  Soon he was zooming around with both of us pushing him back and forth between us.  Our own little on the water demo derby!

 Look at this!  He was picking up chicks in bikinis!  

Who says a red race car won't attract women???

 

The guys gathered at 1:30 pm, drew numbers for partners and threw shoes till around 6p.m.!  I think Steve won a second and third?   Never mind, they had a good time!!!!  It's a day of fun and beers and some skill.  (I drove them all back to the campground)

We had par-boiled some country ribs earlier... and put them on the tripod grill over the fire along with a dozen fresh picked sweet corn.  What a feast!    We cooked them over burning cherry wood and the flavor was better than you could ever imagine! My sister made up some salads with fresh garden produce and we ate like kings!   (Jameson only wanted hot dogs, but that was okay too) 

He fell asleep in my arms out in the lawnchair as we sat around the fire till late in the night.  Soon I was able to haul him in and get him into his Blues Clues sleeping bag.  Ahhhhhh  dreaming of good stuff, I am sure. 

In the morning, I woke up early at 6 am to wee one giggling and playing with the doggies.  It sure was fun to hear his little voice in the camper with us.  While the coffee perked, he hopped in our bed for a snuggle and romp with the dogs.  

We decided to bake up some chocolate chip cookies before it got too hot.  He added extra chips to the of each cookie before baking.  Wonder how many he ate while doing that task?  He did the careful taste testing of a warm cookie, making sure they tasted GOOD!   Yummmmmmm

We took the dogs for a walk around the loop and chatted with a few other campers.  I had taken note of all the raspberries in the park, and let Granfaddah watch the little guy for a bit while I got some berry picking in.  Erin once declared berries as *FREE FOOD* when she was little.   Lo and behold, Granfaddah and Jameson came to my berry patch to help me!   Soooo he learned the art of berry picking and scratchy branches and burrs and bugs.  But we got enough for a nice dessert.  

For lunch on Sunday, my brother Butch had been lusting after chicken on the fire.  So they put on the raw chicken pieces, and cover them over the top with tin foil.  You don't take the tinfoil off or turn them over.  It *bakes* them right on the fire.  Slowly rotate the grill so they don't burn in any one spot.  After about an hour, just take the tinfoil off and they are fully cooked perfectly through and through! 

Why is my blog always about food?


Dang... it was about 2pm on Sunday, time to start packing up and heading out.  I HATE Sundays!   Back to the work-a-day world.  Poor Steveio back to the stress at work, and I have a bunch of orders to fill and shipments to get out, plus a whole slew of new hats to get listed in my Etsy store for fall.

Before we left the park, we took advantage of the dump station near the entrance.  Jameson supervised the task from the window, and thought his Granfaddah was having a LOT of fun with the big *fire hose* as he called it.   Toooo cute!

After a two and half hour trip back to our house, 

then little Jameson's mommy came to get him. 

He had another 35 miles to go back to home yet. 

He was fast asleep before she got more than a few miles down the road.  I wonder why?  

Do you think we wore him out???

.

Campground Review - Runkle Lake at Crystal Falls, MI Canning Pickles and Humungus Fungus Fest

(this is one of series of posts of various campgrounds we have been to over the years... I am going through my files in alphabetical order and posting past camping trips in my blog.... something to do over this long long winter---- sigh)


Runkle Lake is located on the east end of Crystal Falls, Michigan in the Upper Peninsula.  It’s my father’s hometown and many of the Bicigo’s still live there.  The Bicigo Shoe Shop is still functioning on main street, run by some second cousins and great uncles. 

 

The campground is down on the end of main street, across the river and up past the cemetery and on the left.   I took a Google Earth shot to show the campground.  As you drive in past the ball diamond, dump station and tennis courts, the campground is divided into two halves.  The right side is very hilly, rutted with tree roots and you park just about anywhere, willy nilly.   There are only a few water spigots and the power pedestals are kinda catch as you can or run long long cords.    The left side is a newer section with definite sites and logically spaced power pedestals and water hookups.

Runkle Lake campground information

CAMPING RATES
    SITES #1 - #17
    (WATER, ELECTRIC & SEWER HOOKUPS)
                    $23.00/DAY
                  $300.00/MONTH*

   SITES #18 - #57
    (WATER & ELECTRIC HOOKUPS)
                    $18.00/DAY
                  $300.00/MONTH*

The lake is experiencing an invasion of the milfoil plants, which are choking out other plants and causing real problems with boating and swimming.  The beach area is cleaned out regularly, but the weeds are encroaching and causing a lot of extra work.

These photos are from a combination of a few years worth of camping at the lake.  Our family gathers here twice yearly… once for the Bass Festival and once for the Fungus Fest.  (more on that later)


Poor photo here, from old cheap digital camera pre-2002 camping shots…. but it shows how campers just park willy nilly here under the tall trees.

Here is the crew gathered around my sister’s trailer.  This is her favorite spot as its right next to the horseshoe courts.  At both festivals we attend, the guys join the horseshoe tournaments.  It’s their main priority of coming to this park!  LOL

Here is my Mister Steveio, doing what he does best!

My brother is the beer distributor during the time these photos were taken… he would set up the beer tent and haul back the empties in the back of his pickup truck, as there wasn’t a lot of room to bring in the big beer truck just to unload empty half barrels.

 

Parked in the willy nilly area of campers, also is my brother’s boat.   This is common for folks to want have boats and campers when camping in the UP of Michigan… so it usually means also having a spouse drive a separate vehicle to tow a boat, in addition to their fifth wheels or travel trailers. But my brother no longer has a spouse!    Steveio had made him the extra hitch on back of his fifth wheel to tow triple…  but it kinda scares him.   This particular time he had me drive his fiver and truck back to town for him after camping was done.
This is the morning after …. poor Beerman Butch and his hangover.   Pass around the Tylenol.   This is kinda common among our crew of beer drinkers.  (I drink wine)

We strung up a hammock and took turns relaxing.   Even the doggers like to swing.

Here is a more recent shot, I think from 2008…  twilight before heading over to the pavilion for dancing to the live music.   Yup, this is our Crew.  LOL  Smokey foreground from the campfire smoke.  Mother hung incicle lights from her motorhome, oh geesh. 

We all went over to the pavilion for some dancing.. here are the folks, Ma and Pa Hall.   Then our crew out on the dance floor.  Steveio was doing his best “Frog in the Blender” rendition of dance moves.. heh heh

 

 

Steveio and I, the Honeymooners… dancing late into the night!  This was the ubiquitous camera shot  of holding it at arms length and hoping it catches both of us in the lens.

The festivals in the town of Crystal Falls have themes such as Bass Fest, Harvest Fest, Fungus Fest.  They are all just excuses for a PARTY~!



Now here is a little bit I gleaned from this site about the Fungust Fest:

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

http://www.humungusfungusfest.com/

What is a Humungus Fungus?

Several years ago a "humongous fungus" (a gigantic mushroom) was discovered in the Crystal Falls area. It weighs roughly 11 tons and covers 37 acres. This makes it the largest mushroom (fungus) in the world - it's hard to believe this monster mushroom is growing in Michigan and not Texas! Based on the average rate of growth through the soil, the Humongous Fungus is probably more than 1,500 years old.

After the benevolent giant mushroom was discovered it did not take long for the city fathers to decide to share this wonder with the world - hence "The Humungus Fungus Fest" was born.

For three days each August tourists and locals alike celebrate this giant fungus phenomenon with a spectacular celebration. The main event seems to be the making and eating of the HUMUNGUS PIZZA.  The fungus topped pizza is 10 feet by 10 feet! It is the largest mushroom pizza in the world.

There is also an extensive assortment of other activities such as a Buckboard and Horseshoe Tournament; a Tube Float - here's your chance to float down a river on an old tire tube; or register for the Volley Ball or Golf Tournament. If your tastes run to a more sedentary pastime you can begin the day at the Veterans of Foreign Wars' Hall for a Pancake Breakfast then view the Fungus Fest Parade, watch the softball game, or gobble up ice cream at the Ice Cream Social then toddle on over to the Pie Social for home made pies. If you are still able to walk the Salad Luncheon at St. Mark's Church offers tasty culinary selections. At the end of the day pull up a chair and view a fabulous fireworks display - a bang-pow! conclusion for a fabulous event.

Taken from "Humungus Fungus Festival - Crystal Falls, Michigan" by © Maxine Sommers in 2008. Read the entire article by Maxine Sommers.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

This particular weekend, I was able to get 3 bushels of cucumbers from a local truck farmer to make dill pickles with.  My sister and my mom love to do pickles, so we hauled all the gear up to make them.  The canning kettle sets on the LP burner stand from our turkey fryers.  The other kettle is the hot pickling brine. 

 


Yup, that’s me.. the Pickling Queen of Oconto County! 

(not kidding, a little *brag* here--  at the County Fair,  I won Best in Show for my pickles, and got a ton of great prizes from the Kerr-Ball canning company to boot!)

Mother sat for hours, scrubbing pickles clean before processing.  What a gal….  as children, we helped her many many years canning pickles, saur kraut, tomatoes etc.

And here are the lovely results of our labors… some slices, some whole, some spears….

(don’t ask, our recipe is a prize-winning secret!)