I know it’s been awhile, but these blog posts seem to get harder and harder for me to do. I’m trying hard to not let them peter out entirely the way so many seem to go by the wayside. Seems like vloging on You Tube has become much more popular but my life is not that exciting to share constant video of it.
We wrapped up the camping season with a couple of trips in September and October; I had made reservations to a state park on Lake Michigan where we had camped before and also to an entirely new to us state park in the driftless area of WI out of Madison called Blue Mound. Before we headed out though, Marc continued to work on and improve our solar charging system. We’re now to a point where we should be able to go easily for three-four days without plugging in if we don’t need a/c.
Point Beach SP sits right on Lake Michigan north of Two Rivers/Manitowoc and features a trail which accesses both towns. Much of it runs through thick forest which you can’t see out of, so Marc wasn’t too impressed with that portion. We had two good days of weather which allowed me to set up my chair for beach reading during his absence. The campground has extended linear loops and was probably only about one third full, so it made for good walking as well. The beach was extremely lightly used as you can tell from the photos. The lighthouse is run by the Coast Guard and is not available to the public but makes for scenic photos. Most WI state parks have both electric and non-electric sites with a significant difference in price. Usually during summer, most electric sites get reserved well in advance but being on a budget we prefer the non-electric anyway.
Our second trip to an untried and unseen state park did not go as planned; Apple GPS routed us on the curvy back roads making the cats carsick. By the time we arrived late in the afternoon we were all tired and cranky, especially when we saw our hard to get into and totally unlevel site. This campground had offered refunds due to their well water being out, so we checked with the camp host to switch sites for one night only and get a refund on other reserved nights. The bike trail was too steep in spots for effective E biking and was way too thickly forested for our tastes, especially as we heard dropping tree branches all night in the wind.
Knowing there were trails galore around Madison we headed out the following morning and found a small Dane County Park very close to downtown but far enough off the freeway as to be quiet. It sits in a huge recreational area that gives the sensation of remoteness even though it’s not. The maples were glorious and the trails very well used by hikers, bikers, roller bladers, pet walkers and others. All of them however, tied into Madison’s bike trails and Marc found them very confusing to navigate without local knowledge or a map. It was a pleasant enough stay and even though the sites were fairly close together, we weren’t crowded and the view out our ramp door was just fine. We left a day early because rain and winds moved in.
We’re no longer too enamored about urban or even suburban camping, preferring the larger sites and forests and lakes of the countryside so it’s doubtful we’ll head south again. After a lifetime of camping and RVing I just can’t get excited about any commercial park; they are all giant yawn for me.
Moving into Fall, I again participated in helping out at a Halloween Victorian House tour, with vendors, which a shelter supporter organizes in her 1894 home each year for our benefit. Mainly, I stood over the goodie sweet trays, explained the tour, and collected the $3 pp donation. We had a good turnout and we made a little extra this year by offering a raffle of several gift baskets the shelter had made up.
After putting the garden and outdoor chores to bed, I’ve been moving into getting back into sewing. I’m starting to make small cell phone bags and have gifted several of those and should have a good supply by the February auction. I’m also doing more totes of course and will have several very brightly colored ones to offer. They are so fun and useful!
No special plans for us for any of the holidays; Marc is back volunteering daily at the high school wood shop class, mentoring the students and keeping himself from becoming a couch potato.
You may want to stay tuned; I do
plan another update before the year’s end on a surprise coming up if it works
out!
