Upper Peninsula: Kleinke Park Campground

 From August 2021

Julia did well in her first longer Scamp trip in May. However, on this trip, I drove north by myself beyond Wisconsin and into the wilds of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  

The goal was not to do a lot of tourist stuff or even hiking.  Most introverts recognize the need to be alone sometimes in order to re-energize and gain perspective.  This was one of those trips.

I've been to the U.P. many times, but have never taken the Scamp.  One of the campgrounds that I've driven by in the car is Kleinke Campground, which is about 30 minutes beyond the Wisconsin border on the Lake Michigan side.  

Last year, Kleinke Park had several first-come, first serve sites.  Going forward in 2022, it will be reservation only.  I'm not a fan of this trend.  I like being able to check out a site in person, get a feel for the neighbors, and vamoose if conditions change unfavorably.  It's pretty much impossible to do with reservation only camping.  

For $21, you get electric, dump station, dollar hot showers, fire ring, picnic table, and garbage service.  There is a lot of beach to walk.  If you get bored of this beach, Baily Beach (without camping) is a short distance away.

I went early in the week, thinking that would be my best chance for snagging a spot.  I did get the nicest campsite of the three available.

A careful observer will note that the electric hookup boxes on either side of me are fairly close.  The good thing is that these were both rented seasonally, and I guessed correctly that I would have no neighbors until at least Thursday.  In fact, the entire campground was quiet until Friday.  

The draw here is Lake Michigan.  While it was hot in south central Wisconsin, temperatures were cooler and more comfortable up north and by the lake.

I got up early, took Callie for walks up and down the beach, cooked nice meals for myself, and spent the evenings reading. It was a very relaxing routine--until the weekend.

 

Iowa Lakes Region, Part 2

From June 2021

Our grass at home was growing long, and our time was running short on the Colorado trip.  Instead of stopping at Toppling Goliath Brewery in Decorah, Iowa, we elected to stay one more night in Iowa's Lakes Region. 

While we enjoyed our stay at Robertson Park, we decided to move to Emerson Bay State Recreation Area on Emerson Bay, a part of West Okoboji Lake.  We've had very good luck with Iowa State parks--no entry fee and relative low campground fees commensurate with services.  Our new site was $20/night with electric and shower access.

Emerson Bay is a large body of water with beaches, piers, and lots of people boating.  I was pretty happy with a spot in the shade.

Julia put in some beach time.

That evening, we went to Arnold's Park.

And ate a terrific dinner on the outdoor patio at Maxwell's Beach Cafe.

It was the perfect ending to our trip to Colorado and back home.

Skipping forward to the present,  we are continuing to get hammered by cold weather, rain and snow at the end of April.  During my "writing break," we took several more trips which I will continue to document when there isn't anything else to write about in Wisconsin.

Iowa Lakes Region

From June 2021

I spent significant parts of my youth in southwest Iowa, working on my uncle's farm and getting in and out of trouble with my same-age cousin, Tim.  I remember others talking about the Spirit Lake area of northwestern Iowa, but never visited there until last year on the way home from our Colorado trip.

Technically, we found our campground in Minnesota, the land of 10,000 lakes.  Robertson Park, a small county park, was just across the Iowa border.   Our campsite was on the water and equipped with electric, dump station, and shower for $20/night.

 

There are small and big lakes dotting the landscape all over this part of Iowa.  Spirit Lake, Iowa is the town in the middle of it all.  There were brewpubs, Tiki bars, and restaurants.  Most had large outdoor spaces--always a nice thing during the pandemic.  

 

Iowa may be flyover country for some, but it isn't all cornfields.

 

New Trails Nearby

 We had our first 70 degree day today.  To celebrate, Julia and I hit the road early, driving up to Mirror Lake at dawn.

We have hiked and cross-country skied at Mirror Lake many times but recently read about two new trails in the State Natural Area.  

 

The Bluff/Canyon trail and the Lake View Ridge trails were so new that we kept tripping over recently cut small stumps still in the trail.  Julia did a belly flop but bounced right back up.

 

There was fog, due to yesterday's soaking rains, but the sun was starting to break through. We welcomed the warm weather with a hike of about five miles, including some off-trail meandering.

This afternoon, I'll split some firewood, listen to the Brewers' baseball game,  and then get the grill going for supper.  Next week turns cold again, so we will enjoy the preview of summer while we can.

Nebraska: Ponca State Park

 From June 2021

 

Continuing east, we drove across Nebraska on Hwy 20.  Julia was busy on google and decided that she needed to try a runza, a meat pastry pocket regionally popular in Nebraska.   In Michigan's Upper Peninsula, pasties are a somewhat similar and were eaten by the miners in that area. I've had pasties, but I'm not a fan.

We weren't quite sure where to find a runza.  Fortunately, there's a chain of restaurants called Runza in Nebraska, so we stopped when we found one in Valentine (I just looked it up and it's apparently now permanently closed).

Julia said that she was glad that she tried it but wouldn't go out of her way for another one.  It was only 10:30 a.m, and I declined to try one.

We continued on to Ponca State Park, which is located on the Missouri River. 

Nice campground with electric and showers

 

The Missouri River seemed very shallow compared to its brother, the Mississippi.

 

There were some trails here that we enjoyed.  One featured a gnarly oak tree that dated to 1644.

We would stay here again if in the area.

 
 

Nebraska: Chadron State Park

 From June, 2021

We thoroughly enjoyed our two weeks in Colorado, but it was time to start heading east towards home.  

Our first destination was Chadron State Park in Nebraska.  But for some reason, Julia thought it was important to see Courthouse and Jail Rocks.  We made a little detour.

 

I think that these rocks are much more impressive if you are in a wagon trail coming across the plains from east to west.  After spending two weeks in Colorado's high country, *yawn*.  

Nebraska is another state with separate fees for entrance and camping.  Chadron State Park.  Admission was $6/day.  Camping for an electric site was $30/night.    Our campsite was perched on top of a grassy hill with nice views of the surrounding hills.

We hiked several of the trails through the outcroppings.

Some of the trails went through high grass.  We didn't do ourselves any favors bushwhacking for better views.

I lost that smile when I made it back to the Scamp and discovered a Lone Star tick crawling on my neck.  Stripping down, three more Lone Star ticks were found.  Don't worry  No pictures of that.