USVI-On-Line

The kids had a 4 day weekend so we decided to head up to Peninsula State Park in WI and do some camping. For October, we lucked out with the weather (but it was still really cold at night!) We had a great campsite right by the lake. It was our first time bringing the dog with us. He loved it: walking in the woods, chasing leaves, sleeping in the tent, jumping up at every noise... all night long... hurling on DS' sleeping bag... Let's just say we had a couple nights with hardly any sleep!

But we had a great time. It's a beautiful area.

View from campsite (sunrise):
<a href="http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2947 ... Ccvi"><img src="http://inlinethumb49.webshots.com/5104/ ... 500Q85.jpg" alt="034 view"></a>
<a href="http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2571 ... FyYh"><img src="http://inlinethumb38.webshots.com/42725 ... 500Q85.jpg" alt="037 view"></a>

Walking in the woods:
<a href="http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2025 ... wzqx"><img src="http://inlinethumb43.webshots.com/45418 ... 500Q85.jpg" alt="012 road"></a>
<a href="http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2874 ... aOCB"><img src="http://inlinethumb03.webshots.com/46466 ... 500Q85.jpg" alt="023 birch"></a>

Outdoor Theater:
<a href="http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2971 ... NIbZ"><img src="http://inlinethumb40.webshots.com/45095 ... 500Q85.jpg" alt="026 theater"></a>

Let me in!
<a href="http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2276 ... atip"><img src="http://inlinethumb15.webshots.com/16270 ... 500Q85.jpg" alt="038 H let me in"></a>

Lovely to see what WI looks like in the fall.

Thanks for posting.

That's great! It's good to see your family enjoying some time off!

(hurling and all! )

Chicagoans!

What a beautiful landscape you camped in!

I'm a little curious about camping in USA. I see a little tent on the picture, but you must have had other things with you? What do you sleep on? Where do you cook? Do you stay on an official campground with toilets etc.? Or is it legal to camp, where you want?

Please tell a little more about your experience.


Linne

Good for you! Lovely pics...thanks for sharing! We, too, love to camp. We've never brought our dogs with us, though. I'm so afraid they'd run off after some animal, and be lost.
Your little guy looks like a perfect gentleman, sitting there.

Hi Linne - good questions!

We brought what seemed like a ton of stuff with us. (I would love to try hike-in camping someday but at this point we bring so much stuff I can't imagine it!)

We had a roof rack and a rear rack on our car, both filled with gear, and some more things that shared the interior cargo space of the SUV with our dog.

In addition to the tent, we had blow-up air mattresses (with compressors, so they're easy to inflate), sleeping bags, blankets, a big cooler, a camp stove with propane tank, gear for cooking and cleaning dishes, and camp chairs.

Our camp site didn't have electricity or water, but there was a pump about 200 feet away and bathrooms not too far away. Some campsites have electrical sources. You need to have a permit (that you get at the campground) and most campgrounds require reservations for popular sites (like lake front) and on popular/holiday weekends.

Most campsites (that we've been to) have a picnic table and a fire pit. We bring a grill for the fire pit because if one is provided you never know what condition it will be in.

Most campgrounds require that you buy firewood locally to prevent the spread of harmful insects.

Years ago I camped with friends on a beach in MI several times just showing up, but sadly most places are now too built up / privately owned so there aren't many places where you can just randomly pitch a tent. (At least not that I know of. In more rural areas it's probably still possible.)

Here's a shot of me (after 2 days with no shower - yikes!) at the camp stove:
<a href="http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2319 ... wqdU"><img src="http://inlinethumb02.webshots.com/43457 ... 425Q85.jpg" alt="031 cookin'"></a>

We headed into the PA mountains this weekend and I am now inspired to take pictures. The leaves here are turning out better then predicted.

Linne - In some of the state forests in Pennsylvania, people stay at bare sites (just a clearing, sometimes with a picnic table) that are miles from the nearest dirt road. These are located in very isolated areas - no power, water, toilets, etc. We do day hikes in the one state forest and it often surprises us to come across campers set up in such an isolated area.

Some of people have as little as a one-person tent, a sleeping bag and just enough food and water for the duration.

We met two men hiking that didn't even have tents. They were sleeping on the group with just sleeping bags. They were hiking the Mid-State trail and didn't want to carry too much gear.

looks like a grand time Katie!!!

So interesting to learn about camping in USA. I have to say that I’m surprised that you live so
relatively primitive on your camping trip. I thought that it was with big tents or caravans and with a lot of equipment, if you went camping. So I became curious, when I saw the picture of the little tent. Could it be a tent for the dog ?

But I myself have enjoyed simple living, you always remember such experiences.

I have another question. In many campsites in DK you can rent a small hut, where you can sleep and with equipment so that you can cook too. Is that the same in USA?. For example, if we want to travel in USA, could it be an interesting possibility for spending a few nights?

NB I think you look great on the picture, Katie!



Linne

Linne,
There is a campground chain called K.O.A. (Kampgrounds of America) that have cabins you can rent at some campgrounds. They're called Kamping Kabins. They do not have cooking supplies or bedding, though.
Perhaps if you look for just "cottage rental" or "cabin rental" in the places you're considering going, you'll find something like that. I know in West Virginia, we've stayed at cabins that were well equipped, and in our (NY) State Park campgrounds, there are some equipped cabins.

We love Door County and Peninsula State Park. We usually camp there every summer in tents like you, but we missed our camping trip this year. So nice to see it in October!

linne wrote:So interesting to learn about camping in USA. I have to say that I’m surprised that you live so relatively primitive on your camping trip. I thought that it was with big tents or caravans and with a lot of equipment, if you went camping. So I became curious, when I saw the picture of the little tent. Could it be a tent for the dog ?

But I myself have enjoyed simple living, you always remember such experiences.

Linne

Linne I'm laughing about your post because I was laughing at myself at the time! All four of us slept in that tent, with the dog. Not much room!

We have grown used to being in a comfortable home with a new kitchen and bathrooms so I was kind of making fun of myself when I went to the pump to get water in an old army bucket, to heat on the fire to wash dishes outside! I was thinking "wow, I drove over 4 hours to live like a hillbilly, but I'm so happy!"

I do love camping but I'll admit that I'm always happy to get back to my hot shower, dishwasher, and bed!