Campground Review - Boot Lake in the Nicolet National Forest – November 2008

 

 

(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 upcoming winter---- sigh)

 

 

This is such a nice little rustic campground, just west of Mountain or Lakewood, WI.   The sites are small, but we made it in here with the big ole motorhome.   This is a national forest campground in the Nicolet Nat. Forest, their website link is:

http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/cnnf/rec/camping/nic_20.html

There are 34 sites total, and the rate is $15 a night, no hookups, no amenities.  They have outhouses (pit toilets)   and tables and fire rings.   But we don’t mind, we love the quiet, well-spaced sites.   Down the way was a group of hunters in a site, and they had to run a generator for a few hours a day to keep up their batteries.  It was barely noticeable in our site.  

We have our batteries up to snuff, and the solar tops them off each day.  We use our Mr. Buddy heater instead of the energy wasting onboard furnace.   With careful monitoring of our power consumption, we can go for days on end without needing to run the generator.  And stingy use of the water in our freshwater tank we can go a week or more.   In past post I have details on our rig, and modifications we have done to make our power consumption even more efficient.    Go back to the dates Oct 11-15 for the mods we made, and Oct 2 for a tour of our motorhome.

 

Here we are parked on site number 14… a perfect site to pull nose-in and see the lake from the windshield.  We LOVE finding sites that work for us that way.

 

 

See how close the lake is to our campsite?  Some sites were further away and higher up on a ridge.  Ours was down in a hollow on the far corner of the lake.  We will make a point of finding this site again.  The fire ring was in front of the rig, instead of to one side.   The table can be moved just about anywhere.  

 

 

 

There were loons out each morning and evening, calling across the lake in their wobbly voices.  The ducks were gathering at the far end of the lake, we could hear them making a fuss from time to time.   We saw two deer wander along the shoreline, a doe and a half-grown fawn.   They must know the campground is safe and off limits for hunting.   By the time I grabbed the camera, they took off, so I didn’t get a shot of them.

 

 

 

 

Our dogs blend in quite well, so we only walked within the campgrounds… it was bow season for deer, and we sure didn’t want to have anyone thinking they were a deer!  

Usually we wear blaze orange, but left the vests and hats in the garage this time.  ACK!  So we only stayed within the borders of the campground and didn’t wander too far.

They sure enjoy sniffing and looking and rooting around their noses under the leaves.  

In this pic, though you can’t see it too well, they are both on long flexi-leash lines.  We never leave them off their leashes... for their protection, as well as being a campground rule.  We have walked up on porcupines, skunks, and snakes from time to time.  Having the control to pull the dogs back to a safe distance is a must.  We also carry a can of Bear Spray, just in case.   Coyotes and wolves are abundant too in the Northwoods of Wisconsin, and having the dogs on leash and close by is a *must*!

 

 

This one was taken right through the windshield on Saturday morning….   it just don’t get any better than this!

 

 

Me and my two little buddies

 

 

A very quiet lake, with nobody else around…  the day was sunny and the warmth was welcome.  It got down to 22 degrees at night.  But the days were all blue sky and sunshine.

 

 

This time of year means no bugs, which is even more pleasant for being outdoors.

 

 

Sunday morning was just as lovely as Saturday morning.  Imagine sitting here on a crisp fall morning, sipping a hot coffee, and taking it all in.  The smells of the pine needles, the musky damp leaves, the slight steam rising from the lake, in the morning fresh air….  

This is what camping is all about!

We had a crackling campfire and cooked out for supper.   Some folks in a nearby camper had an elderly collie along.  So we stopped and chatted and let the collies sniff and greet each other.   I think we had a total of three other campers in the whole park.  The hunters in the other one left early before dawn, and came back  at noon to nap, and then went out hunting again.   Returning late after dark, we never got to even meet them.  We did see two deer hanging from a pole, so they were successful.

 

All too soon, it’s time to pack up and head home on Sunday afternoon--

 

There had been a terrible tornado that swept through the area in 2008, and it was such a contrast to the lovely area around Boot lake, to drive through this on the way home. 

 

 

Duke pulls a temper tantrum each time we get home……  who can blame him?

 

Duchess is just as bad, trying to tempt all of us into going camping again…..

 

 

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