Campground Review - Cedar River North State Forest Campground, in Michigan’s Upper Penninsula – June 2008

We camped here in June of 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 one of our favorite get-a-way campgrounds within 50 miles of our home.  It’s called the Cedar River campground in the Escanaba State Forest, between Menominee and Escanaba  Michigan. Here is the link for the website:
Cedar River North State Forest Campground
It’s all rustic camping, about 5-6 miles in on dirt roads from off M-35 near Twin Bridge. 
There are outhouses, a well pump, and 18 rustic sites.  We like site number 10 the best, backing right up to the river.  It’s a nice park with remote terrain and well-spaced sites.  Nearby is an ATV trail, sometimes the ATVers camp right in the park, and other times ride up to use the outhouses and the well pump.   $15 a night.
The river is quiet, deep, and dark brown from the tamerack needles.  There is no swimming or any activities for children (playground, beach, picnic area etc)  so it’s a very quiet park with few families.  Mostly fishermen and retired quiet folks.   Peaceful!
 




 

An Exercise Day (for the motorhome)

Ahhh our poor motorhome has been setting in the driveway for over a month, unused.   So we try to *exercise* it at least once a month by driving it 40-50 miles. 

Such a sunny lovely day, and I was out-of-sorts waiting for test results from my surgery last week, so it seemed a good day to do this exercise.  We loaded up the dogs and a picnic lunch and off we went.   The temps were in the 40’s and 50’s and the sun was shining strong.  We turned on the furnace and the dash heat, making us cozy warm within minutes.

Steveio drove along, happy as ever.  It felt so good to be behind the wheel again.

 

Here we are about to drive past the neighbor’s farm.  Steve gave a blast of the air-horns as we went past.  I am sure she thought we must be nuts, knowing I just had major surgery 6 days ago.  LOL  LOL   Maybe she thought we flew the coop?

 

We chose to go to the North Bayshore County Park, between Oconto and Peshtigo on the waters of Green Bay and Lake Michigan.  

This park is heavily used by fishermen year round, so there is a very large parking area near the ramp for long spaces used by trucks and boat trailers.  The camping area is closed for the season.  Even in the winter, this lot is plowed for the ice fishermen access to the bay, even when the water is froze, some leave their trucks on shore here.  We sometimes come here in  the middle of winter on a sunny day when the roads are dry… to exercise the rig, and pretend we are camping. 

 

We pull in, outta the way of the fishermen, and enjoy looking out over the water, the tall swamp grasses, the birds, the channel with boats coming and going … sometimes we walk out on the causeway along the harbor to the point with the light.   This time though I stayed inside, comfy on my couch, wrapped up in my wool blankets.  I sat  and looked out, enjoyed the view, and we chatted away the morning.  We had our little picnic lunch so I didn’t have to cook anything.  The rig is already winterized, but we brought along jugs of water for the dogs and drinking.  A big jug of winterizing fluid sits by the toilet if we have to use it.   There is an open bathroom available for the fishermen too on site. 

 

   

This is all I needed to feel better!   Curled up on my couch, I watched the birds, the fishermen, the water…. later I watched my soap on the tv, then the noon news, then dozed off and took a nice nap!

 

 

Duchess and Duke were very happy to go along.  We don’t DARE to leave them home…. once they see the motorhome fire up, they MUST be inside to ride along.

 

 

We backed into a corner and here was the view out the front windshield.  Various fisherman come to try their luck off the shore, and others come with boats to go out into the bay waters.

 

The day started out with sunshine and blue skies… later some whispy clouds rolled in.

 

 

Snapped a few shots through the windows… I never left the rig

 

 

 

 

 

Steve took the doggers for a walk… and to check out if any of the guys were have any luck on the fishing…. I think there was more BS going on than serious fishing?

 

 

Some guys set up for the whole day, just taking it all in… what a life!

 

 

These two guys set up, fished for about 15 minutes, gave up, and packed it in again…..

 

And we took this all in from the warmth and comfort of the motorhome.  I walked a whole 30 steps to get into the rig, and 30 steps back out again at home.  But what a lovely way to spend a day… (if you can’t camp, you can pretend you were camping) 

All too soon we had to leave and head home to get ready for doc. appt.   The results were WONDERFUL and all will be ok.   Looking forward to many more years of being in our motorhome!

Not Camping… Waylaid by My Health Issues

 

 

I am on the mend... some of you folks know, some of you don't.  Turns out that I was growing a big ole tumor inside of me, about the size of a large softball.   Well, it's out and I got 26 lovely staples decorating my belly. In a row matching up to the 118 staples I had from the last surgery.  I think I have firmly set the record for the most body piercings in my family!    Will get more results on the tumor testing on Tuesday.  After 4 hospital days, I am home now and resting....

Little Jameson came to check out how the hospital staff was treating his Grandmuddah Pfun

 

Those are my legs, complete with the old lady white surgical stockings and some cool fuzzy purple socks on the feet.   The staff was so good to me and my visitors.

 

Someone got to play on the powered bed, UP and DOWN … quite a fun toy?

 

I don’t think he liked the idea of his Grandmuddah being bed-bound and not able to rassle around on the floor.  This ain’t natural….

 

 

 

 

A nurse came into the room to take my vitals while Jameson was there.  He was quite wary, thinking perhaps she was gonna give him a shot???  He had just recently had 3 new immunizations, so he was fully aware that smiling ladies in printed tops usually mean needle pokes for little boys!

Look at his little hands folded in his lap?  How cute is that?

 

 

My pretty girls came to help me and bring me treats.  Erin even got to put me in the wheelchair access shower stall and wash my hair for me!   Not getting the stomach wet was a challenge, but she did it.   She also keeps running errands for all the things we forget.  I owe her BIG TIME when she has the baby in January, but at least we have a list of things that make hospital stays comfortable. 

 

Yup… tain’t too purdy, but it be ME on the mend! 

Campground Review – Boulder Lake National Forest Campground – June 2008 (and woven lawn chairs)

(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 campground is a larger one in the Nicolet National Forest.  It’s usually packed full, and is known for recreation with lots of families, power toys on the lake and busy busy busy.   Some sites also have electric hookups, which is rare for the National Forest campgrounds.  $15 for non-electric sites and $20 for electric.  There are three bathroom buildings and showers too.  Dump station and recycling station at the entrance. 

We were far back in the last loop, outta the way of the traffic, the noise and the crowds.  I think we were on site 74.  It was quite a hike down to the lake from our campsite, but you could still hear the incessant whine of the jet skis on the lake all day long.   The boats line up in rows down between the beach and the boat landing. It’s like a busy parking lot on the water!  There are large group sites located further away and we could hear some loud live music coming from over that way too.  Bet they were having fun, but it wasn’t too peaceful for the rest of us.

We went here to meet up with some friends, otherwise we try to steer ourselves to more quiet sedate parks.  At the last minute they couldn’t come, so we were on our own.


We love these backroads… and winding along in our motorhome with the huge windshield exposing all the scenery is one of the best shows we could ever see.  Ya never know what is around the next bend?  This was taken right out of the windshield while in motion, so it’s a bit blurry.

 
Parked in the back loop, we just barely fit on this site. (see the big rock under our back bumper?)   It was a very nice weekend and the temps were great.  Not too hot, not too cold… juuussttt right!   We were in a non-electric site, but that was fine with us. 

 
I really like campsites situated like this… where we can look out each window and see green  green green….  don’t see any other campers nearby, and our picnic table and fire ring are far back away from the edge of the road.   Most national forest camgrounds are gravel, both the roads and the sites.  This one being blacktopped is really a *step up* for us Rustic Folks!  LOL


 
We do a lot of outdoor cooking… Steveio is the Fire-Tender and Super Chef…..  
He brings along a few select chunks of cherry wood from our own trees to use for the cooking itself.  Once the food is done, then he puts on regular campfire wood.

 
Yummmmmm  looks good enough to eat?   The Hobo Potater Packets are just doubled layers of  tin foil with peeled chopped up potato and onion, then a dollop of vegetable oil, a dab of real butter, then spices like Lawrys , pepper and dried parsley.  Carefully rolled up so the oil don’t leak out.   Set on the grill and carefully turn over without poking the tinfoil.  When you hear them sizzling, it’s time to turn it over.   Once you can squish a lump through the tin foil, then you know they are done!
The chicken breasts are always slathered with Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce… hmmmmm

 
To escape some of the noisy folks in the park, we took down the scooter from the back rack and went for a ride.  There is a lot of pretty scenery around this area, between the national forest lands and the Menominee Indian Reservation…. they have some of the prettiest land in Wisconsin for their own, and the roads going through the rez are some of the most scenic and inviting. 

 
We found some back roads and decided to explore.  Although our scooter is NOT a dirtbike, don’t tell Steveio.  He thinks he is a daring motorcross rider at times, so I let him enjoy his fantasy.  (If I don’t, he will be tempted to buy a big motorcross bike and we don’t need that after the age of 50…. old bones break too easily)

 
Sometimes I like to bring along my spinning wheel and spend the morning with a cup of  coffee, soft fibers, and the tranquil feeling of the wools slipping through my fingers as I create lovely yarns to knit with.   By Sunday morning the campground quieted down, and the mass exodus of folks leaving early was only marked by the clanging of tent poles being taken down, the slamming of camper and truck doors and engines starting up to leave.  How nice is that?

Our sitting up style lawn chairs are handmade by me… its a technique that uses macrame cord (the braided is better than the twisted)  and two big crochet hooks.  Using graph paper,  one can make just about any design.   Here are some that myself and my sister have made over the years. 
This is a link to the website that has instructions:
http://kingskountry.com/free-macrame-patterns.htm

 
  


 
Soooo that is another day in the Camping LIfe of KarenInTheWoods and Steveio…….


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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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