Covid Mini #2

Our second mini camping trip of the year took place late July.  We've been back about a month already so figured I better get this post out of the way. This trip got started without a hitch, we looked like old pros having everything packed up the night before and really ready to rock out of here on Saturday morning. Quite a bit different than the cluster we had going on Covid mini #1. Our first stop was St. Croix State Park in Minnesota that's located on the St. Croix River. Now this trip was really planned around getting back to Madeline Island which we visited on our second year trip when we toured and swam in all the great lakes.  It was one of our favorite stops and as the last stop in that years vacation was the only time no one really wanted the trip to end. Probably a combination of it being a slightly shorter trip that year and the boys age (now our two teenagers don't want to do anything, it's so annoying).  So we had found a spot at Madeline Island, was the last spot in July that we could get for three nights of course right next to the restroom but whatever it was on the island.  We booked that then figured we should fill in the trip to make it a week. So started a quest to find open sites leading up to the main event and then back out home.  So anyway we didn't really have a plan besides already having booked Madeline Island so had to find camping spots that lined up with that, tried a few places that were booked up but St. Croix had plenty of openings at the time and was 5 hours from home and another 3 to the Island so it fit the bill nicely.  That was a long way of saying we didn't know what to expect at all. Turns out it's a huge state park, Minnesota's largest I believe. After arriving had to drive in like 15 miles to get to the campground which is right by the river.  There's stairs to the river all along the main road to the campgrounds many loops and I read that people swim so of course we went swimming.  Now this is where the teenagers come in grumbling about how they don't want to go swimming... years ago they'd have there swimsuits on before I was done setting up the camper ready to jump in a freezing cold lake, river, ocean, stinky puget sound, or whatever... up for anything. Now there's prodding and threats to get them to even come along let alone get in the water.  So many times we're heard saying Lucas put on your swimsuit just in case you want to get in. This time he didn't get in but Samus actually did with out too much of a fight. God bless Marcus he's still up for anything and I feel he might not loose that, he's always been a yes first, find out what we're doing second kind of guy. We'll find out in a couple years here, hopefully the others two will age out and get over themselves soon and start saying yes to adventure again. Wow I'm getting off topic anyway the river was great fun flowing pretty fast to be a little scary but looked clean-ish. Being from eastern South Dakota I'm always a little wary of rivers since ours our filthy. Anyway I pushed that out of my mind and Becky and I spent the next while trying to keep our boys back down river with us since there was a young women skinny dipping up stream, this was at about 6pm a little early for that business. The kids were oblivious or at least claimed to be when we clued them in back at the camper. A boat with a couple of guys fishing floated down the river and the bait they were using was huge so we asked what they were fishing for and he said Muskie, and gave a sly word of warning "watch your toes, there are predators in the water". Gulp.

The next day we drove the parks wildlife loop, climbed their fire tower, and I talked everyone into a couple mile hike along the two rivers trail that ends where two rivers meet. We also got some more swimming in and this time everyone got in and we had fun walking up along the river a ways then floating back to our beach area. All and all it was a surprisingly good stop and well worth a visit.

After St. Croix it was time for the main even... now St. Croix had no expectations and was written off as just a place to stop but Madeline Island had great expectations with claims of being one of our favorite spots on the planet.  We had been reminiscing about swimming in Lake Superior and jumping off rocks, I better remember my snorkel gear that's what I spent most of the time doing, that kind of stuff. Oh the fun that would be had. And it really was pretty great, we rode the fairy across to the island, the campers second trip but the new trucks first ride (that we're aware of). A little issue getting off the fairy our camper is pretty low so they had to get a bunch of boards out to raise us up to avoid tearing up the camper and maybe the boat I'm not sure but it caused a lot of people behind us on the fairy to have to wait to get it figured out.  Even with a extra delay we got to our campsite a hour early and had to wait since our campsite was still occupied. After getting setup we headed right down to the water. It was a beautiful clear day, the water was calm and crystal clear. Going under after the shock of the cold I was reminded of why I call it my favorite lake. I was starting to doubt that the last few years as we've been to some awesome lakes but swimming in the big bay again just brought it all back and it really is the greatest. It's so cold and clear, you can see such a long ways under water and a big bonus of no sharks to worry about. It was getting to be evening so we went back to the camper and ate and had a fire not knowing that was as good as it was going to get, early the next morning it started raining and stormed off and on the remainder of our stay. We got out the next day and hiked across the bay which we hadn't bothered with our last stay, seeing the lagoon and getting to the other campground on the island called the town campground.  We visited the jumping rocks and watched the wave crash against the rocks, it was a meat grinder, no jumping this time around. Our last day it mostly stopped raining but the was still really wavy. Marc and I went swimming again Myrtle Beach style and played in the waves which was pretty fun  although a little scary at times the water was murky and ugly with a slight rip tide to deal with.

After Madeline island we set out for Bear Head Lake State Park.  It's south of Ely right in the middle of northern Minnesota. It didn't disappoint it was a beautiful lake, we really wanted to get out on it but they had their rentals closed down (thanks covid). We walked around the lake and went swimming the next day and it was just some good camping.  

After Bear Head Lake we went to Itasca Lake which is famous for being the head water for the Mississippi River. The campground here was not such good camping.  The loop we were in was pretty crammed together without any privacy.  So we didn't even bother buying wood or anything. Just hung out in the camper or sat outside and people watched when we were at the campsite. We went exploring a couple of times, first we checked out the head waters which was the main attraction with quite a few people mulling around.  We walked across the wood bridge and then the rocks where the lake spills into the river. Then we started walking in the river and just walked a ways until we got to a bridge we went over on the trail on our way in. After wading around and getting wet we noticed that the gift shop here was open so Becky went in and we got everyone our only souvenirs from our trips this summer. Our next excursion was to the beach and since this park was pretty much open for business that included the boat rental shop. At Bear Head Lake we really wanted to get on the beautiful lake, this lake was not as beautiful but figured we'd better get on the water and right that wrong.  We debated kayaks or paddle-boards but then not everyone was interested in getting on the water so we decided we'd just get a couple of paddle-boards and could switch off and just stay around the beach area. We dropped Becky and Samus off at the rental place and the rest of us headed to the beach to wait for them to paddle over.  We waited quite a long time and finally they got close... cussing and exhausted. We didn't realize it but it was pretty windy on the lake and it was blowing in their faces. So they jumped off and didn't want anything else to do with them. So it was a bust, Marcus and I switched with them and just took them back to the rental place. We were with the wind so it wasn't bad at all us.  Worse part of taking it back was we had to then walk quite a ways back to the beach.  

After that stop we headed home.  It was a fun trip but everyone was glad to get home (I find it interesting that if it's a week or a month there's a proportionate amount of time at the end that most everyone is done).

While we didn't get to go on our planned trip this year fingers are crossed that we'll get to go on it next year. And I get another year to try to talk everyone into a hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon with a couple of overnights (wish me luck).  The best thing about this year is that the camper made it through! We put a couple thousand miles on it and no issues from the rebuild. I'm feeling good that we can continue to drag it around the country for another year at least. 

Home is where you park your camper. This is actually from after the trip, I was hoping to take a new blog title picture but it's angle is a little off.

 

St. Croix State Park

St. Croix River

Becky in the River

Picture taken by Lucas who choose not to swim the our first time at the river.

Samus... he speaks for the trees.

Campsite at St. Criox State Park

At the top of the fire tower, Samus and Marcus made it up first flying up the stairs

View from the top

   

Samus, Marcus, and I were at the top and I hear from below.. "Good job, you can do it".  "Just keep going... another step", and on and on. I had passed Lucas and Becky about half way up where they had stalled out. So I got all excited and couldn't believe that Becky coaxed Lucas into coming all the way to the top. Then I see Becky coming up the stairs... it's just her she was coaxing herself. :-)

We're at the top

 

Where's Lucas... that's him down there at the bottom.

Going down was scarier then coming up.

 

On the two rivers trail. Getting a hike in. We didn't see any bears but we did find some pretty fresh bear scat on the trail.

 

Taking a rest at the end of the trail it's a out and back and there's a camp site at the end here. We should have planned a overnight.

Madeline Island

We're on a boat!

Campers been on this trip before, but it's the new truckster's first trip on a boat (that we're aware of at least).  It's fun that the GPS shows the route on the water, they were just a little off the route.

Lake Superior at Big Bay State Park. Best Lake Ever!

Becky on the beach.

Samus on the beach. He's got quite the Covid Mane going.

 

And Marcus at the Beach.

Trail to the beach, there's a area through the wetlands where the water is up over the boardwalk.

 

Between rain we took a chance and walked the trail along the bay to the city campground. On the way got to see the lagoon.

A picture with me and my boys.

Shallow area at the end of the bay trail where the lake feeds into the lagoon.

 

 

Final day here playing in the surf.  Still cold but not very clear.

Waves were a lot of fun though.

 

Shot of our campsite, having a fire.

Our last night the sky cleared up so Marcus and I hiked down to the beach to check out the stars with the tree cover had a limited view form our campsite. Walk was interesting (quite spooky) and the water was way up over the board walk. The stars from the beach were amazing.

Bear head lake

 

Our campground at Bear head lake state park

Northern Minnesota Lake... just amazing

 

Lucas at the Lake. I had to make up for missing him on Madeline Island

Moon shot, those usually don't turn out but this one is great.

   

Got a lot of good reading time in.

 

 

 Itasca Lake

 

Wood bridge over the start of the Mississippi river.

Walking the rocks where the lake meets the river.

Marcus and I in the mighty Mississippi

 

 

We just kept walking

As we walked it kept getting deeper.

The family

Waiting for Mom to come out of the gift store. Was a really busy place.

 

Some camper time, Lucas' favorite we have to drag him outside to sit with us.

 

I hiked a trail that started from our campsite. It was pretty overgrown with 3 or 4 trees down I had to jump over or slide under. Went it alone as no one would go with me, well Samus started but bailed a few hundred feet in... the mosquitoes were out in force.